The Life of St. Patrick,
APOSTLE OF IRELAND.

The Angel Victor appearing to St. Patrick.

THE LIFE
of

Saint Patrick,
Apostle of Ireland.
By
M.F. Cusack

IRELAND:

National Publication Office, Kenmare, County Berry.
AMERICA:
L. Kehoe, Catholic Publication House, 126, Nassau-street, New York.

1860.

[The right of Translation and Re-productino is Reserved.]

PRINTED BY J. M. O'TOOLE AND SON,
GREAT BRUNSWICK-STREET.

Si

Preface
y
?? ^ JIV ^ " ^ P r e s e n t ^ I F E 0 F ^T- PATRICK, whatever may
be its defects, can at least claim the credit of
being the first Life of the .great Apostle of Ire|rVv land which has given full details of his acts and
^Ko missionary labours—the first Life in which all
^ [ the existing material has been used. The con^fJ
stant and wearying labours of the Catholic
\
clergy of Ireland, and their evangelical poverty,
have hitherto hindered the production of any Life of the Saint.
A few little pamphlets, tracing his career in outline, have been
published from time to time; but, beyond this, nothing has as
yet been done. The labours of some Irish priests—but, above
and beyond all, of the Very Rev. Monsignor Moran—have
thrown a flood of light, on disputed questions of dates and opinions, which only need to be utilized in order to remove
misapprehensions, which have been caused by the, no doubt,
unintentional misstatements of Protestant writers.
But, although there has been as yet no complete Catholic
Life of St. Patrick, two volumes have been written by Protestants, purporting to be Lives or Memoirs of the Saint. The
large volume of the late Dr. Todd is strangely misnamed. It
is called, indeed, on the title page, " St. Patrick, Apostle of
Ireland—a Memoir of his Life and Mission;" but even the

^-&m&£mi&£gk

4

2

Preface.

author has felt obliged to apologise for filling up one half of the
volume with an introduction, the object of which is to prove
that the Protestant Church is the real representative of the
Church of St. Patrick, and that the Catholic Church was introduced from a " foreign source" at the time of the Eeformation.
How a man of intellect and of common sense could make such
a statement is almost incomprehensible, yet this very writer expects his readers to take his ipse dixit for proof on every subject
connected with the life of St. Patrick in which he finds any statements in ancient records contrary to his pre-conceived opinion.
As it will be necessary to refer to Dr. Todd's Memoir frequently, not only in the Preface, but also in the body of this
Work, I feel bound, in justice to his memory, to express my
admiration for his avoidance of any kind of vulgar bigotry in
his remarks on Catholic customs; and my high respect for his
rare talents, and the invaluable services which he has rendered
to Trish archeology. But a love of truth and of the faith, combine to make it incumbent on a Catholic writer, boldly and
freely, to show the fallacies into which a learned and honourable man was led by early prejudice.
The very fact of a writer making a statement so entirely
opposed to history, as admitted without question by Protestant
historians of ability, is in itself sufficient evidence of his disqualification for the task he has undertaken. And, indeed, as
might be expected, we find that the so-called " Memoir" of St.
Patrick's Life and Mission is simply a continuous criticism on,
and rejection of, every circumstance which would tend to prove
that St. Patrick was a Catholic. Yet the writer is obliged to
admit, again and again, the authenticity of the documents
from which he quotes. Thus we find him admitting, as indeed
he cannot well help doing, the authenticity of St. Patrick's
Confession, in which the Saint himself states that he invoked
Elias. But Dr. Todd cannot admit that St. Patrick invoked

the Saints, though it was the practice of the universal Church
from the earliest ages. He is, therefore, obliged to accept the
help of another Protestant writer, who also found it necessary
to try and explain away a plain statement, or to substitute
a pure conjecture of his own. This writer says St. Patrick
did not invoke Eli as the prophet, but that he invoked Helios,
the sun. Dr. Todd, with amusing candour, admits that this
seems a still greater difficulty, for he believes St. Patrick
was a " true Christian," and does not see, as such, how he could
have invoked the sun. Why must these writers twist and
torture language, and make the wildest conjectures to explain
away plain facts ? and why do they prefer making it appear
that St. Patrick was an idolater rather than a Catholic ? Dr.
Todd's own explanation is, that the transcribers of St. Patrick's
manuscript made a mistake. But once more, why this extreme
anxiety to explain away a word ? Why must St. Patrick be made
a. pagan, who invokes the sun ? or why must his transcribers,
in this one special instance, be supposed to make a mistake %
Then St. Patrick himself, in this same document, gives an
account of the vision in which the angel Victor appeared to
him in the night, and gave him the letters upon which were
written the words, " The voice of the Irish/'
But Dr. Todd is again in a difficulty. As the details of this
vision are given in full by St. Patrick himself, he cannot say,
as in the case of Elias, that the transcriber made a mistake.
There are too many words, too many sentences, and the details
are altogether too plain to admit of contradiction. He solves
the difficulty thus :—He says St. Patrick " believed, no doubt,
that he had seen visions, and dreamed dreams." Dr. Todd
does not stop to explain or consider how it was possible for
St. Patrick, as a Protestant, to have such very Catholic opinions.
Surely no good Protestant would ever make such suppositions,
and surely it was quite as " Popish" to believe in apparitions

ILLLi-? U T I D uilM

i

4

Preface.

of angels, in ecstacies, in divine revelations, as to invoke Elias.
The inconsistency of such a course never seems to have
occurred to the acute intellect of the Protestant divine. He
continues his explanation thus:—" Other well-meaning and
excellent men, in all ages of the Church, have in like manner
imagined themselves to have had visions of this kind—to have
been recipients of immediate revelations,"
Thus, when St. Patrick's Catholicity cannot be credited to
the mistake of a transcriber, it is credited to his " imagination/'
But what right, moral or divine, had Dr. Todd, or any other
individual, to accuse St. Patrick of having " imagined " he had
a vision, when he distinctly states, in a solemn manner, and in
a carefully compiled document, that he had not merely one,
but several visions ? What right has any man, or any number
of men, however learned in earthly science, to disbelieve the
solemn testimony, not of one, but of thousands 1
From the hour in which the advent of the Christian Dispensation was announced, by a vision of angels, to the poor
shepherds who watched upon the mountains at Bethlehem,
visions, and revelations, and angel visits have never ceased in
the Holy Catholic Church. As I have given ample evidence
on this subject in the introductory chapter, no more need be
said at present. It is shown there fully that such " signs??
were promised by Christ, were expected by his disciples, were
believed by St. Augustine, St. Ignatius the Martyr, St.
Jerome, St. Anthony the Hermit, and countless other saints.
Is any one bold enough to say that St. Augustine, St. Anthony,
and St. Ignatius " imagined" the wonders which they have
recorded? If all the supernatural occurrences which have
been related were pure fictions, which existed only in the
" imaginations " of the relaters, what do such persons say to
miracles ? Are they pure " imaginations ?" Can a man who
has been blind suddenly " imagine" that he sees ? Can a

man who has been a cripple suddenly imagine that he walks ?
Are all the witnesses of the man's recover}^ of sight, or of the
power of motion, victims to their "imagination" also? No
doubt, imagination is a very powerful and very wonderful faculty
of the human mind; but might it not be just possible that those
persons who have declared themselves witnesses of such occurrences, really did see them, and that those who disbelieve them
may "imagine" they are right in rejecting all visions and
miracles, and yet may be wrong ? Those who have seen visions,
or witnessed the performance of miracles, have, at least, as good
a logical right to consider such persons victims to their imagination as they have to consider them victims to theirs.
But it is unnecessary to pursue this subject further. A
man who will not believe the sworn testimony of thousands is
past argument. Ample testimony, with full reference to the
authorities quoted, is given in the ensuing pages of the constant recurrence of miracles, visions, and revelations, from the
earliest ages to the present day. Those who reject such an
accumulation of evidence are either unwilling or incapable of
conviction. In either case, they are subjects for the prayers
of Catholics, and certainly not for their contempt.
When commencing his brief account of St. Patrick's Life
and Labours, Dr. Todd expressly says that he confines himself
"to the leading facts of his history, selecting those which
seem most likely to be true!'
We have already seen that Dr.
Todd does not believe St. Patrick himself; how, then, could he
be expected to believe St. Patrick's biographers ? But even
with this careful selection, made on the arbitrary principle of
rejecting everything which Dr. Todd did not believe himself,
\h^ facts which are left after this elimination are all so Catholic
that he is continually obliged to explain or excuse them.
The only other work of any pretension, purporting to
be a " Life of St. Patrick," has been written by Mr. Steele

6

Preface.

Nicholson, and the object is plainly and candidly stated on
the title-page, part of which runs thus:—"The Story of
his [St. Patrick's] Mission, by Pope Celestine, in A.D. 431,
and his connection with the Church of Eome, proved to
be a mere fiction." This sufficiently describes the work,
and makes criticism unnecessary.
When a writer commences with stating his disbelief in some of the best attested
facts of history, his work may be interesting to those who
agree with him, but is simply valueless to others.
In the body of the present Work criticism has been confined
entirely to the notes. For general reading it would be both
unnecessary and uninteresting to break the narrative continually with statements of conflicting theories and refutations
of misstatements, which have been offered again and again
without any appreciable result. The Work also is written
principally for Catholics; the teaching of the Bible and of the
Church alike agree in inculcating reverence for the Lives of the
Saints, and in giving their histories as a subject to be read with
reverence for personal edification, as members of the " great
cloud of witnesses" who surround us, and watch our actions.
Hence also criticism in the life itself would be quite out of place.
Still it must not be supposed for a moment that Catholics
accept every detail of the Lives of Saints as literally true, or
that they do not consider such works open to fair criticism.
There are some few subjects connected with St. Patrick's life
and acts which demanded careful consideration, and which
have received critical examination. All such matters are fully
referred to in the notes appended to each page. The authorities for the Life and Acts of St. Patrick are given in the
introductory chapters, and these are admitted to be genuine
and of great antiquity, even by Protestant historians.
One of the ancient Lives of St. Patrick, if not the most
ancient, is given in full, and has been translated expressly for

this work from the original Irish by the well-known and
eminent Celtic scholar, "William Hennessy, Esq., M.R.I.A.
The antiquity and value of the original will be explained in
the proper place. For the kindness of Mr. Hennessy in undertaking such a work, the writer can never be sufficiently
grateful. The readers of this volume are under deep obligations to him also. There are not, perhaps, more than three or
four other philologists in this country capable of such a task;
for the language in which the original is written differs so
completely from the Irish spoken at present as to be unintelligible to those who have not made Celtic philology their
special study. I have also to thank the Rev. J. O'Laverty,
P.P., M.R.I.A., for valuable assistance, which he could only
have given by depriving himself of rest, much needed after
his day's labour in a populous parish. Such self-sacrifice,
though rare, is not unfrequent among the Irish clergy. I
must also thank Mr. Hanna, of Belfast, for careful and
scholarly identifications of sites and facts, which have saved
me considerable trouble.
But above all I must express my obligations to the Very
Rev. Monsignor Moran, who has undertaken the anxious labour
of reading the proofs, and affording me the literary, and what,
to a Catholic, is still more important, theological assistance
which was needed. The lamp of science is but an ignis fatuus,
which may lead those who follow it into the quick-sands of
error, instead of the narrow road of true philosophy, if it is
not aided by the lamp of Faith. If it be admitted, and he
would be a bold man who made the denial, that God is the
source of all knowledge, He must also be the source of all
true science. Our very word science means literally (scio) to
know, and who can know as God knows ? What are the most
wonderful discoveries in science but guesses at, or approximations to, those truths which He alone knows perfectly ?

OO<0>

8

Preface.

And is not He the source of truth—the unfailing fountain of
truth % Let us not deceive ourselves. We pride ourselves on
our increased knowledge, yet what do we really know \ We
pride ourselves on discovering some of the laws by which the
Eternal One controls the universe, yet what do all our discoveries amount to ? The little babe who was baptized, and died
within the last half hour in its mother's arms, knows incomparably more than the wisest man on earth. And why?
Because it has seen God, the source and fountain of knowledge.
There is no science of the truth of which we may be so sure
as the science of theology, and yet there is no science about
which mankind are so indifferent. The pride of fallen man
leads him to prefer his own guesses at truth to the truth
revealed to him by God. For the one he can take credit to
himself, for the other he is indebted to his Creator.
What
matters it to him if his conjectures prove utterly false, and if
the revelation of God is true ? What matters it to him, I have
said! Alas, and a thousand times alas ! it may matter a whole
eternity of weal or woe.
If God has revealed to His Church what it shall believe and
teach, then the science of theology must take precedence of
physical science, the laws of which he has not revealed; and
physical science must submit to be corrected by theological.
[f God has not made a revelation of the laws of theology which
would enable the human race to know how He shall be
worshipped and served, then are we left in. a wild chaos of
error, in which a malignant spirit might rejoice to ensnare his
unfortunate victim. Who can think of God as a God of love,
and suppose for one moment that He has left us in doubt as
to how we should serve Him in this world, and attain to the
highest state of happiness in the next. The Catholic Churchy
and the Catholic Church alone, has ever maintained the
honour of God in this matter; and from the time in which

Preface.
the truths of revelation, as delivered to the apostles, were
proved by " signs," and the " shadow" of St. Peter worked
miracles, even to the present day, when a care of Ars, and
many saints, known and unknown, have worked like miracles,
testimony to the truth of revelation and the authority of the
Church has never been wanting. Yet it must be added, also,
that since the time when the apostles were " laid hands on,"
and " put in hold" for performing a miracle before all the
people, which their persecutors admitted they "could not
deny," to the present day, men have been found fain to admit
the existence of an infallible Church, and yet unwilling to
make any sacrifice in order to become members of it.
We may, perhaps, be allowed to call the reader's attention
to the style in which this Work has been got out, and the
pains which have been taken both by the artist who designed
and engraved the illustrations, and by the printer. We
believe that no Irish publisher has ever attempted to produce
such a work. A Catholic publisher has made a great boast
of publications, which have been limited to little sixpenny
reprints and translations of foreign books, for which he was
indebted to the kindness of a Catholic priest, now dead. His
only attempt at any really large work was an Illustrated
Bible, which could not in any sense be termed a literary or
national undertaking. It remained for a Protestant publisher,
with a public spirit for which he deserves national thanks, to
produce the " Annals of the Four Masters," a work of 2,498
pages, in large quarto volumes.
It is certainly most painful to read the remarks on this
subject constantly made by English writers, and still more
painful to know that they are not without some foundation.
Irish people seem to forget that Ireland was the insula
doctorum when she was the insula sanctorum. The majority
of our Irish youth of the upper classes are at present educated

ro

A

/#

10

Preface.

in English schools and colleges; there was a time when the
young men of England and of continental Europe came to be
taught in Ireland. Make the largest margin of allowance for
penal laws, disabilities, and disadvantages, and grant that it was
natural our youth should prefer English education until a recent
period, why should this still continue ? Why should there
not be an Irish Catholic University from which the English
Catholic youth might consider it an honour to receive a
diploma? Such an university there never will be until Irishmen themselves show more respect to their national literature.
Irishmen have nothing to be ashamed of either in their history or their religion, and yet in what qualified and deprecating terms some Irishmen in England will speak of both.
The regeneration of Ireland is in the hands of the Irish
clergy. If they ever take up the subject of Irish ^literature as
a body, there can be no doubt that a new era will dawn
upon our land. Knowledge is power in the widest acceptation
of the term. A powerful nation can never be a downtrodden
nation. There is a moral power which is often far more
mighty in its effects than mere physical force, and such a
power can only be wielded by a people of high literary culture.
The high appreciation of intellect evinced by the clergy in
the time of St. Patrick, and his own efforts to promote national
education, is an example which should never be forgotten.
Let it be again observed, that when Ireland was the insula
sanctorum she was also the insula doctorum; when she
commanded the respect of foreign nations, which brought their
youth by hundreds to her shores to sit at the feet of her
scholars, she had herself manifested respect for those scholars
by practical appreciation of their work.
It is painful to see our best Catholic Irish writers obliged
to offer their works to English Protestant publishers, and to
depend on English Protestant readers for their success. Some

Preface.
H>3><

II

of the ablest Irish writers of the present day are writing for
English Protestant publications exclusively. There can be no
doubt that a great deal of good is done in this way; but it is
scarcely a national credit. At this moment two instances are
known to the present writer of gentlemen who were willing
themselves to take the expense of publishing their own works
and the risk of failure, and yet could not find an Irish Catholic
publisher who would issue them. In consequence of this,
these gentlemen applied to an English Protestant publisher,
who willingly undertook them. Thus, even if no greater evil
accrued, a considerable sum of money was spent in England
which would otherwise have been spent in Ireland.
Some of our best authors are also turning to America, and
preparing to have their publications issued there. A writer
in the Carloiv College Magazine accounts for the publication
of Mr. De Vere's work in that country by saying, that " American taste in poetry is undeniably superior to our own;" and
adds, that " his versification is too chaste and his poems too
polished for the ordinary run of readers in this country." We
neither deny nor acknowledge the criticism; but, if it be a
correct one, why should American taste be more cultivated
than Irish taste ? Why do not the educators of youth in
Ireland take pains to cultivate the taste of those committed to
their charge, and to make that taste national in the highest
and holiest sense of the word ?
Irishmen may or may not be able to appreciate a high class
of literature—that they do not practically appreciate it is at
least certain; for, if they did, poems like Mr. De Vere's would
not be published in America and imported back to England
by English Protestant booksellers. If they did, Denis Florence
Mac-Carthy would not be occupied in editing a sixpenny book
of ballads, when he should and could give our national literature an additional glory in an original work ; and a Protestant

12

Preface.

writer would not say, " the indifference of the middle class on
this subject (Irish history) is so great that no author, with a
reasonable prospect of success, attempts to publish an Irish
History/' If the author of this statement had said the upper,
instead of the middle classes, it would have been more correct.
We can ourselves vouch for the " middle classes," who have
been the most generous supporters of our literary efforts. We
regret, however, to be obliged to add, that the upper classes in
England, and especially the iipper class of liberal English Protestants, are more generally interested in Irish history than
our own people. It should not be so. It depends solely upon
those to whom the education of our youth is confided, whether
it shall continue to be so. Our national Apostle in this, as in
all else, should be our great example; and, as he diligently
distributed alphabets throughout Ireland, to assist the mental
cultivation of our people, so let us now distribute books which
may help to promote the same end.
The rapid and immense sale of " Essays and Beviews" is
at least a proof how largely semi-infidel opinions are held
by the educated classes. And the perusal of these works has
been by no means confined to such persons. In several large
towns in England, before the cheap edition of that work was
published, the large and expensive edition was carefully and
widely circulated, free of expense. In some places the binding
was taken off, and the work divided into small portions, so
that it could be passed more quickly from one reader to
another. When shall we find Catholics as zealous in promoting the circulation of Catholic books—something above
pamphlets and tracts ? The latter may satisfy women and
children, but working men in the present day are capable of
appreciating—and do appreciate—works which require some
intellectual effort.

Sfje Htfe of Saint Patrick.
€$ffipt$v $•
Miracles of St. Patrick and the Miracles of Scripture.

LIFE of a saint differs from an
ordinary biography, and the life of a saint who
has been called to convert a nation, differs from
the life of an ordinary saint. These differences
s should be remembered both by the historian and
the reader, and it should be remembered also that
such lives require more than ordinary care in
their compilation, and more than ordinary attention in their perusal.
When our Divine Lord sent forth His disciples with
the command to go and "teach all nations," He instructed them in the truths which they were to impart

&

i
_

14

The Life of St.

Patrick

to others. Even common reverence should shrink from
the idea of disciples being sent forth by a divine master
to teach, who were left in ignorance" of what they were
to believe, or what they were to teach others to believe.
That such was not the case with the twelve apostles
chosen by Christ to establish His Church we have
ample evidence. We find them at all times and in all
places teaching the same doctrine. We find in Holy
Scripture an express statement that there is only one
faith, as well as one Lord and one baptism. Indeed,
unity of faith would be a logical inference from unity
of godhead. We can no more suppose that there could
be three or four different faiths or forms of belief on
matters affecting the salvation of the human race, than
we could suppose that there could be three or four
equally powerful and independent deities. Neither
could we suppose it possible that the God who suffered
and died for man upon the cross, left man to find out
for himself how this atonement should be used for his
salvation—how he was best to worship the all-loving
one who had offered this atonement.
It might be supposed that there could not have been
any disputes or controversies about articles of faith in
the time of the apostles. It might be supposed that all
their converts would have bowed humbly to their
instructions. It might be supposed that the miracles
which they worked would be considered sufficient
evidence of the doctrine which they taught; yet such
was not the case. There were heretics even in apostolic

pin^y, \^t*

The One Faith.

15

times ; there were men who resisted the apostles, and
yet professed to believe the Christian Faith. There
were "heretics" 1 whom the apostles commanded their
disciples to avoid; there were some " who erred from
the faith,"2 against whom even St. Timothy was
cautioned. It was prophesied that in the latter days
" some should depart from the faith ;"3 and in the last
of the Epistles, St. Jude, in burning and sorrowful
words, predicts the future divisions of Christendom, and
the ravages of heresy, and exhorts the faithful to
"contend earnestly for the faith."4
The apostles, then, both by word and by writing, had
confided to their disciples the knowledge of a definite
faith, which it was heresy to question, and dangerous to
depart from—a faith which was of so much importance
that their disciples were commanded to "contend
earnestly" for its preservation, and were equally commanded to " avoid" those who departed from it. It
was no mere matter of opinion, no mere form of pious
belief, which might or might not be t r u e ; it was
THE FAITH taught by Jesus Christ to His apostles, with
a command that they should teach it to the world, and
with a prediction that many would refuse to believe
the heavenly message.
And thus the apostles went forth, placing this deposit of faith in the minds of men—fully prepared for
seeing it rejected by many, mutilated by many, and
1
3

Heretics. —Titus, iii. 10.
Faith.—1st Timothy, iv, 3, &c

2
4

Faith.—-1 Timothy, vi 21.
Faith.— Jude, i. 3.

0<?§\

16

m

Life of St.

Patrick.

denied by many. This gift of faith was offered to a
fallen race, to a race already under the influence of the
evil spirit, who was prepared to raise clouds of unbelief
between the souls of his victims and the
faith.
Heresies existed in the times of the apostles, and in
the ages which immediately followed; still there was a
vast number of the faithful doing missionary work,
extending the knowledge of the Divine revelation, or
testifying their belief in it by holy lives, or painful
deaths; missionaries went forth, even as the apostles
had gone forth, in tears it might be, and without purse
or staff, but He who sent them, and in whose name
they taught, blessed their efforts, and new nations were
added continually to the Church.
Pagan Eome adopted a cosmopolitan policy towards
its dependencies, which at once advanced imperial
interests, and secured the adhesion, if not the attachment, of its colonies ; hence, when pagan Eome became
Christian, there were ample opportunities for missionary zeal . To this we owe in part, under Providence, the evangelization of Ireland by our great St.
Patrick.
But there is another and most important consideration in connection with the lives of what may be
termed missionary saints. When our Divine Lord
authorized His disciples to teach, and taught them
that faith in which they were to instruct others, He
also assured them that their preaching should be con-

©

firmed and assisted by miracles. This is a subject full
of grave importance and of deep interest. The miracles
which are related to have been performed by St.
Patrick are of a very striking character; and as
they have been recorded in their naked simplicity,
and often in uncouth and ill-chosen language, by
his early biographers, they have scarcely been received with the credit they deserve, even by Catholic
writers.
There are several reasons, besides the reason first
mentioned, for this reticence. In this nineteenth century, when the superhuman, as exhibited in the wonders
performed by so-called spiritualists,-is readily credited,
it may be expected that the supernatural in the lives of
the saints will be, as it has been, more than ever questioned. The lying wonders of demonology are in direct
antagonism to the facts of hagiography.
They are the
devil's protest against God's miracles. The prince of
the power of the air commenced, even in apostolic times,
to counterfeit apostolic manifestations. Even in the
time of Moses the magicians were able to imitate many
of the signs which the old-world prophet performed.
Up to a certain point they succeeded, as such persons
do at the present day—beyond a certain point they
were simply powerless.
The wonders effected by the invocation of evil spirits
tend to produce scepticism and contempt for true
miracles, which, undoubtedly, is one of the objects of
satanic malice in their exhibition. Despite the most
B

18

Life of St.

Patrick

ample testimony 1 to the contrary, the majority, who,
like the Sadducees, neither believe in angel or demon,
attribute all such occurrences to mere trickery, just as
the majority utterly disbelieve the possibility of a
miracle, however irrefragable the evidence on which it
is affirmed. To be consistent, such persons should
refuse to believe in the existence of another world, and
of a Divine power which both regulates and governs the
laws of nature as He wills. Why should not the devil
have power now to cause certain wonders to appear to
be performed, when we find in Holy Writ that the devil
had this power, and exercised it even in apostolic times %
But modern scepticism is placed in this difficulty—
if it admits that these manifestations may, in some
instances, be the result of superhuman agency, though
in the majority of cases they are effected by simple
trickery, or sleight of hand, it is obliged to admit that
the laws of nature, as far as we know them, may be
altered or suspended; and, if they may thus be altered
or suspended, they cannot in common fairness deny
the possibility of the miracles which are recorded
as having been performed by Catholic saints. When
the miracles of the Catholic Church are denied, it
becomes easy and almost necessary to deny the miracles
of Scripture.
The Protestant Church, since the
1

Testhnony.—Extraordinary accounts of the wonders performed by socalled spiritualists are at present before the public. The Committee of the
London Dialectical Society have been taking evidence on the subject; and
men who would not take the slightest trouble to inquire into the truth of a
Catholic miracle, are unwearied in their efforts in these investigations.

'^v^linin^W^^hii m 1, i fi^'i
m

27ie Miracles of Catholic Saints.

fomm.

Eeformation until the present century, has accepted the
miracles of Scripture, while denying the miracles of
the Catholic Church. To deny these miracles was a
necessity at the time of the Eeformation, or how could
the reformers consistently separate themselves from a
Church which had received its faith from Christ Himself,
and by the power of Christ continued, even to that very
day, to give power to its teaching -by the constant
recurrence of miracles ?
Even at the very time when Protestantism was
rejecting the faith once delivered to the saints, saints
were teaching that faith to thousands in heathen lands,
and confirming their teaching, as their Master had
promised, by the performance of miracles. Luther
began his miserable career of crime and apostacy early
in the sixteenth century, and in the very same century,
and at the very same period, St. Francis Xavier was
converting thousands in Japan, and living a life of
heroic virtue and self-sacrifice, which has won for him
even the admiration of Protestants. This was also the
age of St. Ignatius Loyola, of St. Teresa, of St. Charles
Borromeo, and of many other saints, all remarkable for
holiness of life, and for the wonderful miracles which
tfeey performed.
But Protestantism, as originated by Luther and
Calvin, and established in England by Henry VIII.,
began by denying the miracles of the saints and the
efficacy of their prayers, and ended in our own da}^ by
denying the miracles of Scripture; and though many

Hh

J

20

m

'Life of St.

Patrick.

pious members of the Protestant Church express themselves shocked at this denial, it is, nevertheless*
tolerated by that Church, since it either will not, or
cannot, prevent such teaching being given by members
of its body.
It matters little whether the Protestant Church
cannot or will not prevent this teaching. If it will
not, it thereby consents deliberately to it; if it cannot,
it consents passively. In either case it is manifest,
that if such teaching is false, and if it is tolerated, from
whatever cause, the Protestant Church either has not
the will or the power to prevent heretical teaching, and
consequently cannot be a safe guide. If it be not
infallible, obviously every member of it has a right to
his own opinion, and one bishop may declaim against
Catholic miracles as pure inventions, or clever tricks of
priestcraft, while another bishop, with equal consistency,
declaims against the miracles of our Divine Lord; yet
the very same Bible which the former accepts, believes,
and reverences, and on the testimony of which alone he
believes that our Lord Jesus Christ healed the sick,
gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead to life, is
equally explicit in stating that our Lord gave his
apostles and successors power to perform similar
miracles, and that they did perform them.
The promise of Christ is plain, and is not limited to
apostolic times. " A n d these signs shall follow them,
that believe : In my name they shall cast out devils :
they shall speak with new tongues : they shall take up

The power to perform

"Signs" promised.

21

serpents, and if they shall drink any deadly thing it
shall not hurt them : they shall lay their hands upon
the sick, and they shall recover." Hence, in the Catholic
Church, we find these "signs " at all times, in all ages,
and in various states and conditions of life. But the
promise of being able to show such signs was especially
intended as a proof of the Divine origin of the Catholic
faith—therefore, these gifts are bestowed most abundantly on those who were called, to teach this faith to
heathen nations. After our Lord's ascension, the
apostles " preached everywhere/' and we are expressly
told that their words were confirmed with signs that
followed.
The " s i g n " of being able to speak in unknown
tongues was given, immediately after our Lord's
ascension, to all the apostles in common. The sign of
being able to heal the sick was manifested by Peter and
John, at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, when the
lame man leaped and walked. Then handkerchiefs and
aprons which had touched St. Paul's body were brought
to the sick, who were instantly healed, and the inspired
writer of the Acts of the Apostles declared that "more
than common miracles were wrought by the hand of
Paul." 1 Perhaps no Catholic practice has been so
bitterly scorned as the custom of preserving relics of the
garments which the saints have worn, or any object
which they have touched, yet here we find this very
1

Paul.—Acts, xix 12.

thing done in the earliest ages of the Church, from
whence it has been continued down to the present day.
Then, as now, God has been pleased to honour the
relics of His saints, the " handkerchiefs and aprons,"
the poor rags they have worn while waiting for the
wedding garment; and. then, as now, the miracles have
been wrought by the mighty power of God, without
whose aid the saint would be as powerless to heal as
the sinner.
Furthermore, we find that the very "shadow of Peter" 1
cured those on whom it fell, and that many were placed
on their couches in the street, so that this healing
shadow might reach them. An angel opened the prison
gates and released St. Peter from prison, even as an angel
called S t Patrick-to leave the place of his captivity,
that he might prepare for his mission in Ireland. The
magician, Simon Magus, was converted by the miracles
of St. Philip, and was " astonished and wondered " to
see the sights and exceeding great miracles which he
did. Yet, although he remained with Philip and
received holy baptism, he relapsed again into his old
paganism, and was declared by the apostle to be " in
the gall of bitterness, and the bonds of iniquity." Even
thus did some of St. Patrick's early converts return to
their former superstitions, casting discredit on his
preaching to those who were so ignorant or so prejudiced as to attribute to his teaching what they should
have attributed to the frailty of his disciples.
1

Peter.—Acts, v. 15.

Scripture

Miracles.

23

Many and wonderful as are the miracles recorded in
the " Lives of the Saints," there is not one for which we
may not find a parallel in the Acts of the Apostles.
How, then, can the Protestant who professes to believe
the Bible hold them up as subjects of ridicule ? St.
Peter raised the dead, and soon after was rapt in ecstacy;
and if a similar account had been recorded in the life of
a saint, it would undoubtedly be scoffed at for its
simplicity. An angel appears to a devout soldier and
desires him to send for St. Peter, and St. Peter is told
by the spirit to go and meet the messenger. Cornelius
relates his vision to St. Peter, and tells, in simple words,
of the " man in white raiment," who appeared to him,
and St. Peter asks no curious questions as an unbeliever
would have done. A prophet named Agabus announces
a famine, and his prediction is fulfilled. Elymas, the
sorcerer, is struck blind instantaneously by St. Paul, for
trying to turn away the pro-consul from the faith, even
as the magician, Loch.ru, was miraculously dashed to
the ground and killed, at the prayer of St. Patrick, for
blaspheming the Catholic faith.
As Paul and Silas prayed at midnight, a miraculous
light filled their prison, and there was a great earthquake, which shook the building to its very foundation,
opened all the doors, and unloosed the chains with which
the prisoners were bound. The books of the Ephesian
sorcerers are brought to St. Paul, who burns them all in
public, as St. Patrick burned the books of the Irish
Druids. St. Paul is shipwrecked, and saves all the

24

Life of St.

Patrick.

souls on board, who escape on planks safe to land.
When landed, another miracle occurs, and the saint is
seized by a viper, whose bite to others would have been
fatal, but he escapes unharmed. An angel directs
St. Philip where and when be should journey, even as
the angel Victor was continually directing St. Patrick.
Then, when St. Philip's special business is accomplished,
the spirit of the Lord catches him up into the air, and
he disappears from the wondering gaze of the eunuch
whom he has just baptized, and is carried to Azotus.
While such " signs" are recorded in the holy gospels,
how can anyone bearing the name of Christian presume
to scorn or despise the miracles recorded in the " Lives
of the Saints? 7 If we are Christians at all we must
believe that all the marvellous records of healing, raising
from the dead, punishment by sudden death, ecstacy,
whether by being rapt into heaven, by suspension of the
ordinary faculties while in prayer, or by mystic journeys
through space, are all literally and verbally true. To
Protestants, who unhappily talk so much about the
Bible, and yet criticise and question its every detail,
there is perhaps some excuse for doubt, though on their
own principles they are self-condemned. But with
Catholics the case is entirely different; and yet it must
be feared that Catholics are by no means as firm in
their faith on such subjects as they should be.
It must not be thought, however, that Catholics are
obliged to believe blindly all miraculous occurrences;
but theologians generally teach, that where miracles

Our Divine Lord's Miracles.

25

have been formally sanctioned in the process of
canonization, and are accepted by the Church for that
purpose, they ought to be believed by the faithful.
Indeed, it would seem more rash to deny such miracles
than to believe them, for they are proved with a care
far beyond what is given to criminal causes in ordinary
courts of justice. A good Catholic will not doubt rashly
or easily question the miracles which the Church has
accepted as proved, neither will he believe rashly every
account of a miracle until it has been thoroughly
investigated. It should be remembered that even the
.miracles of Christ were disbelieved by some of those
who actually witnessed them. How, then, can the
disciple expect more consideration than the Master %
The Master has himself told the disciple, "The servant
is not greater than his master; if they have persecuted
me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my
word, they will also keep yours."
Two important facts seem to have been entirely overlooked by those who refuse to believe the miracles
recorded in the •" Lives of the Saints/' First, they forget that the mere fact of witnessing a miracle does not
necessitate belief in it as a supernatural occurrence;
and secondly, they forget that the very same kind of
objections were made to our Divine Lord's miracles
which they make to the miracles of his disciples. Our
Divine Lord's miracles were witnessed by hundreds,
who were perfectly cognizant of all the facts, and
perfectly capable of detecting any imposture. In some
c

26

Life of St.

Patrick

cases—as in the miracle of restoring the withered hand
—they accused Jesus of committing a sin in the very
act of healing. On another occasion, when the lame
and blind were healed, the Scribes and Pharisees were
moved with indignation. When the unclean spirits
were driven out of the man, and permitted to enter
into the swine, the people implored Jesus to depart out of their coasts, preferring their goods to
their God. The Pharisees were continually asking
" a sign from heaven," and when the sign was given
refusing to believe it. And thus do men say now, they
would believe if they saw a real miracle, and yet they
refuse to believe when they do see one. In many
instances they admitted that miracles had been worked,
yet it only seemed to increase their anger and hatred
towards Jesus. The history of the blind man, whose
cure is related in detail in the ninth chapter of St. John's
Gospel, is one of singular instruction and interest. No
modern sceptic could have questioned more closely and
more rudely than the Pharisees.
First the ".neighbours" began to talk about the
miracle, and disputed with each other whether the man
cured was really the well-known blind beggar. He
himself said that he w^as; but, in such a case, it was
not only pardonable but justifiable to make sure of his
identity. But when this identity was established on
competent testimony, it was neither pardonable nor
justifiable to deny it, and yet many of the inquirers
would only admit that he was " like him." The next

Why the Pharisees denied Christ9s Miracles.

27

step, after disputing the man's identity, was to dispute
the miracle point by point.. They overwhelm the man
with inquiries, they wish to know every detail. Here,
again, there was both a justifiable and an unjustifiable
curiosity. The Church examines and tests every alleged
miracle with a scrupulous exactness, and does not admit
many, even when proved by evidence, which, would be
accepted without hesitation by any court of law. But
there was something more here than a wish to ascertain
truth.
First, the Pharisees accused the Divine healer
of sin, because the miracle had been performed on the
Sabbath, even as the saints had been accused again and
again of committing some sin in performing their
miracles. Then the climax of indignation was reached
when the miracle was proved beyond question.
No
doubt, had there been a possibility of accusing the man
of " imagining" himself cured, when he really was not, this
convenient charge would have been brought forward,
but the facts were patent to all—the man had been
blind from his birth; he now saw.
Again, he was cross-questioned rudely, and almost
the very words in which Protestantism rejects Catholic
miracles are used, " Give glory to God. We know that
this man is a sinner."
Oh, wisdom of the wise! Oh,
penetration of the learned.! Oh, profoundness of philosophers! Miracles could not be true; and if.by chance
an undeniable supernatural occurrence comes across
their path, they suddenly become pious, they suddenly
profess a wonderful veneration for the Almighty, while

28

Life of St,

Patrick

denying His power to do almighty works; and they
discover that the sinless one is a sinner, that He who
has come to deliver them from sin is himself guilty of it.
And thus the wise ones of the world have ever reviled
the friends of God. This man is a sinner. This mighty
worker of miracles, of whom we hear so much, is but a
a poor creature like themselves, probably, in their
opinion, far inferior to themselves. Give God the glory!
This man of himself can do nothing. He has not the
Divine power of Jesus, who worked miracles by inherent
omnipotence; but what if this man should be a friend
of the Great Master's, and one of those to whom He
gave the power to work miracles in His name. Thus,
when men dare to compliment God at the expense of
His saints, they profess to give Him glory by denying
His power and His word. Thus did the Pharisees deny
the power and the miracles of Jesus.
But these philosophers had another arrow to launch—
once more they wearied the man with inquiries, the
answers to which they were beforehand determined not
to believe. He had lost patience, as well he might;
and asked if they, too, wished to become disciples of
Jesus. Alas! this was not their object—they wished to
dispute, not to believe. They inquired, not that they
might get information, and by getting information know
the truth, but that they might scoff at truth. And
then, when argument failed, they took to the last
resource of a bad cause, " they reviled him."
The man bore their personalities in silence ; but,,

The Cure of the Blind Man.

29

when they reviled Jesus, he could no longer restrain
himself. Well, indeed, might he say it was a "wonderful
thing " that they should not know whence Jesus came
from, when He had performed so great a miracle. Who
could perform such a wonder as to give sight to one
born blind save only He who had given man his power
of vision % But again reviling took the place of argument, and violence was substituted for inquiry. They
cast him out.
The man went and told Jesus ; and for his reward
obtained the gift of faith, the faith which enabled him
to believe in the Son of God. The Pharisees appeared
to have heard all that passed, and they are not content
now without reviling Jesus. His answer is calm and
sorrowful. If they had declared themselves blind, if
they had been willing to admit it possible that they
might be wrong, there would have been some excuse for
them. But they were hardened in unbelief, they were
satisfied that they " saw/' and that all who differed
from them were blind. Hence their condemnation.
There are three classes of persons who refuse to
believe the miracles which are recorded in the " Lives
of the Saints," and who would, therefore, object to
almost every event in the life of the great Apostle of
Ireland.
These classes are, first, Protestants who
believe, as they say, in the miracles in the Bible, but in
no others. Yet, if they believe in the Bible at all as
an inspired book, they cannot deny that our Divine
Lord declared that his disciples should be able to

30

Life of St.

Patrick

perform the very miracles which, they refuse to believe.
To doubt, therefore, that miracles are performed, is
simply to disbelieve the solemn assertions of our Lord.
The second class are Protestants who deny even the
miracles of the Bible. This class of unbelievers is,
unhappily, rapidly on the increase, both at home and
in the colonies. The present writer was assured not
long since, by a Protestant gentleman of more than
ordinary intellect, who had spent a considerable time in
the colonies, that all the educated men there held the
opinions of Dr.Colenzo, and the writers in " Essays and
Keviews."
A devout Protestant, and there are many such, shrinks
back with horror from open denials of the inspiration of
Scripture, and of the miracles recorded therein. Yet,
almost all the modern disputations about the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures have been grounded upon
objections to miracles. Dr. Colenzo, and the writers in
''Essays and Keviews," who unhappily have thousands of
followers, many of whom are members of the Church of
England, have, argued strictly on this principle.
Dr. Colenzo states, in the Preface to the first volume
of his work on the Pentateuch, that his doubts, which
always existed, were brought to. a stand-point of infidelity by the question of a native, who asked if he
believed in the Mosaic account of the Flood. With an
odd mixture of profanity and apparent truthfulness,
which would be amusing were not the question so
serious, he quotes the Prophet Zacharias to show that,

Dr. Colenzds theory about Miracles.

31

according to Scripture, he could not tell the man a lie,
while he calmly assures his readers, that though he
" knew " the Bible account was untrue, he " satisfied "
the man, without throwing discredit upon the "general
veracity " of Scripture.
The present Work is no place for the discussion of
Dr. Colenzo's theories ; but, with the exception of a few
critical points that have been discussed and answered
again and again, the whole force of his argument turns
on the one point—a miracle cannot happen—therefore,
a miracle did not happen; or, in other words, certain
events are recorded in the Bible which could not have
happened in the ordinary course of nature, but no event
ever happens out of the ordinary course of nature;
therefore, such events, though they are recorded in the
Bible, are not true.
God help the unfortunate natives who are taught
religion in this fashion. Well may they ask, Why do
you come to teach us at all if you do not believe your
own. religion? Why come to tell us of a God who,
according to your theory, cannot interfere with the
world which he has created? Is He, then, any more
powerful or any greater than our gods ? Who sent you
to teach? If He sent you, why did He not tell you
what you were to teach? Are we to believe on your
word, and on your word only, that some parts of the
book in which He revealed His will, and in which His
life is written, are false, and some parts true ? Why is
not our word and our opinion as good as yours? If

32

Life of St.

Patrick

there is so much doubt about the truths of your religion,
why do you come and offer it to us in preference to our
own'?
If Dr. Colenzo may be credited, his opinions are held
by many of the clergy of the Church of England,
although they are afraid to express themselves openly.
In the Preface to the second part of his work he says:
" I assert, without fear of contradiction, that there are
multitudes now of the more intelligent clergy who do
not believe in the reality of the Noachian Deluge, as
described in the Book of Genesis." And in another
place he says he has promised " to help those similarly
circumstanced as best he can."
The writer on the Study of Evidences, in " Essays
and Keviews," goes on precisely the same ground as
Bishop Colenzo. Miracles cannot happen—therefore,
they do not happen—is, in plain words, the argument
of both. I should be, indeed, sorry to compare an acute
and excellent clergyman like the late Dr. Todd to such
writers; but I must be pardoned for saying that he
argues precisely in the same way with regard to the
miracles attributed to St. Patrick.*
All these writers, whether they deny the miracles in
Scripture, or accept them, and deny the miracles recorded
in the " Lives of the Saints," argue in the same way.
Once admit that our Lord and his Apostles performed
miracles, and you must admit that what was done by
the power of God once can be done by the power of God
again. Once deny the miracles recorded in Scripture, or

Miracles do not always convert.

33

refer them to any natural cause, or to any unknown
" l a w / ' apart from the divine will, and you destroy the
whole credibility of the Christian Faith.
There are several points of consideration in regard to
miracles which do not appear to have entered into the
calculations of these objectors. In the first place, and
most important of all, it does not follow, because a man
witnesses the performance of a miracle, that he should
be thereby converted to a belief in revelation. This was
abundantly proved in the life of Christ, and in the lives
of the Apostles. The result of our Divine Lord's
miracles, on many occasions, was simply to exasperate the
people. "What could have been more wonderful than the
raising of Lazarus from the dead % Here, unquestionably,
there could have been no room for the exercise of that
"imagination" to which Dr. Todd attributed the visions
of St. Patrick; yet the only effect it had upon the
Pharisees, the learned men of that day, was to make
them plot more eagerly than ever to kill Jesus, and to
kill Lazarus also. It would not have answered their
purpose to kill Jesus only, they wished also to get rid of
Lazarus, for while he lived he was a continual proof of
the reality of the miracle.
Why was not such a miracle believed ? Our Divine
Lord Himself has told us. Many of the witnesses of
his miracles had not FAITH, and of some it is said that
they would not believe. The mere fact of seeing a
miracle in itself has no power whatsoever. In the
Gospel of St. John, xii. 37, we read: " And whereas he
D

34

Life of St.

Patrick.

had done so many miracles before them they believed
not in him." And then the disciple whom Jesus loved
tells us why they did not believe. It was because God
himself had " blinded their eyes and hardened their
hearts/' as a judgment for their sins. Again and again
our Divine Lord insisted on the necessity of FAITH in
His preaching; and, when about to perform the miracle
for the centurion, He said, " Go, and as thou hast
believed, be it done unto thee/'—St. Matt. viii. 13.
When asked to give sight to the two blind men He
inquired, before performing the miracle," Do you believe
that I can do this unto you'?"—Matt. ix. 28. And as
He touched their eyes, He said, "According to your
faith, be it done unto you." "When his disciples asked
why they could not cast out the devil from the possessed
child, Jesus replied, " Because of your unbelief."—Matt,
xvii. 19. When his disciples were amazed at the
withering of the fig-tree, He told them, if they had
FAITH they could perform, not only similar miracles,
but even greater ones.
It would be useless to multiply instances—they may
be found almost in every page of Holy Writ; and they
prove that without FAITH we cannot please God, but
that we may reject that gift and refuse to believe if we
choose to do so. Faith is the gift of God—a gift to be
prayed for humbly and earnestly; and it is a gift which
may be lost at any time by our own fault. It is,
therefore, no matter of surprise that the miracles of the
saints are not credited, when the miracles of Jesus were

The necessity of Faith.

35

disbelieved. "When the men of Israel wondered at the
miracle performed by St. Peter in healing the lame man
at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, he explained to
them that there was no occasion for their surprise. It
was not he who had performed this miracle, it was
FAITH in the name of Jesus.
"The faith which is by
him hath given this perfect soundness in the sight of
you all."—Acts, iii. 16.
And it is in this name, and by this heaven-sent faith,
that all the saints have worked miracles, from the time
in which the apostles were endowed with power from
on high to the present hour. It is not a little strange
that Protestants, who are so continually boasting that
the Bible and faith are their guides* should really be
the only doubters of the inspiration of the Bible, and
the only persons who deny the power of faith. Who
ever heard of a Catholic priest writing essays or
preaching sermons to prove that any part of the Bible
was not true, or that the miracles recorded therein were
false ? Yet Protestants of all denominations are doing
this at the present day.
One of the many objections made by modern sceptics
to miracles is, that they are an interference with
the laws of nature. But this is precisely what they are
intended to be. For a Christian, or, at least, for a
Catholic—for all these sceptics profess to be Christians
—it is sufficient that the Bible, which is given to them
by the Church as God's Word, declares that miracles
are an evidence of revelation, and records them as such.

36

Life of St,

Patrick

When St. Jolm the Baptist sent his disciples to our
Divine Lord, to ask if he was indeed the Christ, He at
once appealed to His miracles as an evidence that His
mission was divine: " G o and relate to John what you
have heard and seen; the blind see, the lame walk, the
lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again,
the poor have the gospel preached to them." And then
he adds sorrowful and suggestive words: '' Blessed is he
that shall not be scandalized in me."—St. John, ix. 5, 6.
Oh, words of grief and fear! Is it, then, possible to
be scandalized at Jesus—scandalized at His miracles—
scandalized at His life ? Alas ! it is not only possible,
but true. The Pharisees were scandalized, because the
Creator of all things was pleased to suspend or alter
the operations of the laws which He Himself had
made: " H o w can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
What, then, was not this man the Creator of flesh ? and
has not the Creator power to do what He will with
what he has created? " T h y disciples do that which is
not lawful on the Sabbath?' What, then, has not He
who made the law of the Sabbath, power to suspend or
alter that law? Is not the Son of Man Lord of the
world and of the Sabbath? Is He not the Maker of all
laws of nature and of grace?
And thus, from the very time of Christ to the present
hour, the world has been scandalized at miracles. It
will not allow that the Creator of all things has any
power to interfere with what he has created—for this is,
in simple words, the sole sum and substance of all

The Faith of the Irish.

37

objections to miracles, whether couched in the wild
language of blasphemy and open unbelief, or in the
crafty insinuation of the so-called philosopher.
To repeat instances of our Lord's appeals to his
miracles as evidence of his mission would occupy
needless space, but one more example may be given.
"Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein were
done most of his miracles, for that they had not done
penance." Mat. xi. 20. Thank God, the faithful Irish
can never be upbraided with rejecting the miracles
which God has wrought for them through his servant
Patrick. Thank God, centuries of persecution have
failed to shake their faith. Who can tell how glorious
will be their reward % Who can tell how magnificent
the palaces prepared for them in their Father's house?
Who can tell, as one by one they ascended to heaven
with martyrs' crowns upon their heads, how they were
received by their father Patrick, in the city where pain
never cometh? Martyred by the sword, martyred by
famine, martyred by the loss of all things—who may
tell, who can conjecture, how many amongst the whiterobed army, whose praises the Church sings daily in the
Te Deum, will belong to the Irish race ?
And even now their heavenly triumph is in some sort
foreshadowed by a temporal victory. The majority of
the English nation have proclaimed it unmistakeably.
They have acknowledged that sword, and famine, and
bitter persecution of cruel laws, have alike failed to
induce the Irish to renounce their faith. A relentless

Life of St.

38

Patrick.

persecution, more or less severe, and, at times, a persecution to blood, lasting for several hundred years, has
ended, let us hope for ever, with this acknowledgement.
A more glorious moral triumph never was gained. On
the one side we find helplessness, suffering, and victory;
on* the other side we find power, wealth, and defeat.
And those who now revile or question the miracles of
our most glorious saint will know at the last great clay,
to their shame and grief, that not the least of his
miracles was the favour which he obtained from God
when the Irish nation were given to his keeping in this
world and in the next.
There is one other subject connected with miracles
which must be briefly noticed, as it is specially connected
with the miracles of St. Patrick. The grand modern
objection to miracles is, that they are "violations of the
laws of matter." 1 Now, what is matter? According
to the common dictionary meaning of the word, matter
is the substance of which, all bodies are constituted.
But who created matter? If it created itself—and. this
is precisely the point to which all modern scepticism is
tending—then, no doubt, it has power in itself, and
cannot be interfered with from without. If the sun,
moon, stars, light, and the elements in general, created
themselves, and arranged themselves into harmonious
order according to certain laws, then, no doubt, they
cannot be interfered with. But the intellect of an
1

Matter.—*' Essays and Reviews," p. 159.

Cheap edition.

Miracles no violation of the Laivs of Matter.

39

educated child could laugh such folly to scorn. Has
not He who ordained the laws by which He is pleased
to govern nature, power to suspend or alter these laws,
and this without causing an interruption which should
be hurtful to their continued regularity %
It really is difficult to understand how any man,
whose faith is sufficient to enable him to say truly,
" I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of
heaven and earth/' can have any doubt on the subject
of miracles. We must remember that a miracle is not
a miracle to God. It is a simple exercise of His power.
It only appears a miracle to ns, because it is an exercise
of His power which differs from what we usually see.
For example. In accordance with the law of specific
gravity, wood floats on water, but iron does not. God
is the author of that law, and, therefore, He has power
to suspend its operation at any moment, Hence, we
find that when the sons of the prophets were cutting
down wood, for the purpose of erecting a building
where they might dwell together, one of them let the
head of his axe fall into the water; yet the mail of God
made it swim—a clear suspension of the law of specific
gravity. Such miracles are not unfrequent in the
" Lives of the Saints;" and yet, is it not as easy for God
to make iron swim as to make wood swim? The most
learned men cannot tell why certain laws have certain
effects; they can only tell you what these effects are.
How, then, dare they presume to limit the power of the
Author of these laws'? If miracles never occurred, if

40

Life of St

Patrick

the laws of nature were never on any occasion suspended
or altered, there might be some excuse for supposing
that man w^as nothing more than a complicated process
of electro-chemistry, and that the universe evolved
itself out of a speck of nebula.
There is one consideration, however, connected with
the subject of miracles, of the first importance. The
Bible narrative, from begining to end, is a continuous
record of miracles. There were miracles under the old
dispensation as well as under the new, and they were of
frequent occurrence.
There were miracles from the earliest ages of Christianity to the present day. It would require a volume,
or rather many volumes, to give details of the miracles
recorded in Catholic Ecclesiastical History, and even if
such volumes were written, we much fear they would
fail to convince many. Nor can we expect that those
who would not believe the testimony of St. Augustine
and St. Anthony the Hermit, would be likely to believe
the testimony, ample and authentic as it is, of the
miracles performed by our great apostle, St. Patrick.

Chapter II.
Of the authorities for the Life of St. Patrick

AINT FIACC'S Hymn or Poem

evidently considered it the most important of the Lives
which he has published, as he places it first, and gives
a Latin version with the original.1
Saint Fiacc's Hymn is preserved in the Liber Hymnorum of Trinity College, Dublin. The late Dr. Todd,
a high authority on such questions, when religious
1

Original— Trias Thaumaturgus, p. 1.

44

Life of St.

Patrick

prejudice did not bias his judgment, pronounced the
manuscript to be one of the most venerable monuments
of Christian antiquity now remaining in Europe. 2 He
considered that it could not have been written later
than the ninth or tenth century.
The greater number of the hymns which it contains
have never been published, and are wholly unknown to
the learned. The Latin hymns are glossed partly in
Latin and partly in Irish. The hymns in the Irish
language are of immense value both to the philologist,
the hagiographer, and the student of Celtic literature.
The eminent Irish scholar, Eugene O'Curry, considers
St. Fiacc's Hymn the oldest extant monument of Celtic
hagiology. He writes thus :—" St. Fiacc of Sletty is
the author of a biographical poem, on the Life of St. •
Patrick, in the Gsedhlic language, a most ancient copy of
which still exists, and which bears internal evidence of
a high degree of perfection in the language at the time
at which it was composed ; it is unquestionably, in all
respects, a genuine and native production, quite untinctured with the Latin or any other foreign contemporary
style or idiom/'
O'Curry also gives St. Fiacc the honour of being the
originator of the idea of writing the Lives of the Saints
of Erinn. 3 A copy of the Liber Uymnorum is also
preserved in Eome, which appears to be the one known
to "Ware and Usher, who mention it as a vetustissimns
2

Europe.— Liber Hyinnorum, p. 1, printed for the Irish Archaeological and
Celtic Society.
3
Erinn—O'Curry's Lectures, p. 343.

St. Fiacc's Life of St. Patrick.

45

codex.4 The introduction to the poem varies considerably
in the Dublin and Roman copy. The introduction to the
Roman copy commences thus: " Fiacc of Sletty it was
that composed this eulogy of Patrick."
St. Fiacc was the disciple of the poet Dubthach Mac
Ui Lugair, who rose up in disobedience to the command
of the monarch Laeghaire, on the ever-memorable
Easter morning when St. Patrick went to Tara. "When
the saint visited the poet at his own house in Leinster,
he asked him to find a person of devout life and irreproachable morals whom he might consecrate bishop.
Dubthach replied that he knew such a person, but he
had gone on a visit to Connaught. As they conversed,
Fiacc entered with his companions, and the poet informed St. Patrick that this was the man of whom he
had spoken. St. Patrick replied that Fiacc might not
wish to become an ecclesiastic. The poet answered:
" Set about tonsuring me that Fiacc may see it." Fiacc,
as he expected, at once inquired what they were doing,
and on being informed, exclaimed that it would be a loss,
for there was not in all Erinn so great a poet as
Dubthach.
St. Patrick assured him that he might exchange with
his friend, which he at once offered to do, exclaiming,
with true generosity, "Less is my loss to Erinn than
4
Codex.—We are much indebted to an admirable article in the " Irish Ecclesiastical Record" for March, 1868, for information on this and other subjects.
The very low price at which this serial is published places it within the reach
of all, and it should certainly be in the library of every Irish clergyman. If it
were generously supported, we might hope that many valuable Irish manuscripts would be published and translated in it from time to time.

46

Life of St.

Patrick,

that of Dubthach." St. Patrick then tonsured Fiacc,
and " great grace came on him after that; and he learned
the ecclesiastical order in one night, or in fifteen days,
as others say/' 5
The Tripartite Life adds, that St, Patrick baptized
and tonsured Fiacc, who had hitherto been only a catechumen, and gave him an alphabet,6 written by his
own hand, and a blessing, so that he learned the whole
Psalter in one day, St. Fiacc's progress in learning
and sanctity was so rapid, that the saint not only constituted him first bishop of the Leinster men* but made
him also chief and supreme bishop of the whole province.
In the Book of Armagh it is said, that St. Patrick
gave a reliquary, a crozier, and a book-satchel to the
new bishop, and left seven disciples with him. These
were Muchatocc of Inisfail, Augustin of Inisbecc, Tecan,
Diarmit, Nainnid, Paul, and Fedelmid. Their community was established at Domnach Fiacc, situated to
the east of the Barrow, in the county Carlow.
St. Fiacc's disciples are all of note in the calendar of
the early Irish Church. Muchatocc (the same as Cadoc)
is honoured as an apostle in Wales and Britanny;
5
Say.—In the Booh of Armagh the narrative of the interview between
St. Patrick and Fiacc is fully given. It says there that St. Patrick asked
Dubthach about the mateines of a bishop for the Laginians [Leinster men], and
that he recommended Fiacc Finn, or the Fair; for '' great was his piety."
6
Alphabet.—St. Patrick was in the habit of distributing what his biographers call alphabets. I t is very improbable that these alphabets were such as
we ordinarily understand by that term. It has been suggested that they
might have been some compendium of Catholic Faith, such as the alphabetical
poem which St. Augustine composed against the Donatists; or, perhaps, the
Apostles' Creed.

St Fiacc's Life of St. Patrick

47

Augustin was one of the first companions of Palladius;
Tecan and Diarmit are commemorated respectively on
the 9th of September and the 10th of January; Nainnid,
or Nennidh, was surnamed the pure-handed, and
administered the Holy Viaticum to St. BrigidJ; Paul
retired to a desert island, where he was visited by St.
Brendan; and Fedhelim is venerated as the patron of
Kilmore, where his feast is kept on the 9 th of August.
St. Fiacc must have remained a considerable time at
Domnach Fiacc, as it is said that sixty of his disciples
went to their eternal reward from that monastery before
his removal to Sletty. His work was not yet accomplished ; and an angel appeared to him to inform him
that "his resurrection" should be in another place.
The heavenly messenger added, that he should build
his refectory in the place where they should find a boar,
and their church in the place where they should find a
doe. The saint's devotion to his master is strongly
manifested all through his life, but especially so in the
present instance, for he replies to the angel that " he
would not go until Patrick should come to measure his
place with him and to consecrate it, and that it should
be from him that he would receive his place."
The territory of Sletty had originally belonged to St.
Fiacc's family, but they had been expelled by the king
of Hy-Kinsellagh, when his father and four brothers
were driven into exile. The king, however, had now
made profession of Christianity, and had just received
holy baptism from the hands of the great apostle. He
was, therefore, ready to accede to any request which he

48

Life of St.

Patrick.

might make. At his solicitation, " not only was the
site for a church granted to St. Fiacc, but also a grant
was made to him of all the surrounding territory, comprising a fifth part of his paternal possessions, with
which he was enabled to endow that church which he
made his episcopal see/' 7
Crimthan, the king of Hy-Kinsellagh, died A.D. 483,
therefore, the foundation of Sletty could not have been
later than A.D. 480. In the Tripartite Life of St.
Patrick, it is said that Fiacc retired to a cave, on the
hill of Drum Coblai, on every Shrove Saturday, where
he spent the Lent in silence, fasting, and prayer. His
only food was five loaves of bread. On Easter Sunday
he returned to celebrate the festival with his disciples.
The principal incidents in the life of this saint are
so intimately connected with events in the life of St.
Patrick, that they are referred to a future page. Our
present object is the important one of indicating clearly
what ample and unquestionable authority is still on
record for the life and acts of our great apostle. The
date of St. Fiacc's death has not been recorded ; but, as
he was still a youth when St. Patrick preached to the
court of King Laeghaire, it has been conjectured, from
a comparison with other dates and incidents, that he
died about A.D. 510, at a monastery called Minbeag,
near his great church of Sletty. His son Fiachra was
ordained8 priest by St. Patrick ; he also became eminent
for his sanctity, and is commemorated in the ancient
?#ee.—Colgau, " Trias Thaum.'' p. 155.
Ordained.—Colgan, Tit. Trip. iii. 21.

8

St. Fiacc7 s Monastery.

49

Irish calendars on the same (Jay as St. Fiacc, 12th
October.9
In the Book of Armagh it is recorded that his relics
were venerated in the district of Sletty; and the Vita
Tripartite mentions that he was interred in that church.
JEnghus thus eulogises the father and son :—
u

Proelaim Fiacc and Fiachrai,
Omne great is the treasure."

The name of St. Fiacc's monastery is still preserved
in the form of Slath or Slatey, the name of a churchyard and parish in the barony of Slievemarque, Queen's
County, about a mile N.N.W. of the town of Carlow, on
the banks of the Barrow. There are two stone crosses of
considerable antiquity in the churchyard, and in the
neighbourhood the ruins of a small church are yet in
existence. This is still called Slieb-teach, i. e.P the house
near the mountains, and is probably identical with the
minbeag, or small church mentioned above. There are
no remains of the once famous monastery of Sletty.
Some critics have raised a question as to the date at
which the poem was composed, from a supposed or real
allusion to the desertion of Tara, The late Dr. Todd
thought that it must have been written after the middle
of the sixth century, because the desolation of Tara
occurred in the reign of Diarmaid, A.D. 539-558.
9

October.—In the Martyrology of Donegal his obituary is thus recorded :
" Fiacc, Bishop of Sletty. in Leinster, of the race of Cathoir Mor Fiachraidh,
his son, of the same church as Fiacc, his father." In the Martyrology of
Tallaght: " Fiacc, and with him his son Fiachra, of Sletty." The Vita
Trip, explains the name Sletty as equivalent to monies, " venit ad locum qui
Slepte vulgo, id est, monies^ appelantur."—(iii. 23.)
F

50

Life of St.

Patrick.

Colgan evaded the difficulty by suggesting that the
verses contained a prophetic announcement. O'Connor
dated S t Fiacc's demise as late as A.D. 540. There are
two presumed references to the desolation of Tara.
The first occurs in the tenth strophe.
The Tuatha of Erinn were prophesying that a new kingdom of faith would
come.
That it would last for evermore : the land of Tara would be silent and
waste.

The second reference is contained in the twenty-second
strophe.
In Ardmagh there is sovereignty : it is long since Emain passed away ;
A great church is Dun-Lethglasse : I wish not that Tara should be a desert.

A recent writer, however, suggests, that the very opposite conclusions may be drawn, and that St. Fiacc
neither announces in prophecy, nor commemorates as a
fact the destruction of Tara, but rather expresses the
alarm and fears of the Druids in the first allusion, and
a wish for the prosperity of Tara in the second.
The whole question is obviously one open to a variety
of conjecture, which will probably always be determined
by individual bias to or for other opinions against which
pre-formed conclusions or prejudices may militate.
The title ardepscop, usually translated archbishop,
which is given to St. Fiacc, has been also brought
forward by the Bollandists as an objection to the early
date assigned by Irish authorities. But the old Irish
word ardepscop by no means corresponds with the
comparatively modern archiepiscopus.
The Celtic
word had simply the meaning of chief or principal, as

The Second Life of St. Patrick

51

arcl-file, chief poet, ard-anchoire, chief anchorite. The
best Celtic scholars are agreed as to the antiquity of the
idiomatic structure of this most valuable and interesting
poem. In the introduction to the poem, an indirect
proof of its age is given by the allusion to tonsure
of the beard according to the Roman usage, "more
Komano capillos suos aut barbam tondere," which
is expressly commanded in one of the canons of St.
Patrick.
In the Trias Thaumaturga Colgan places a Life of St.
Patrick second in his compilation, which he attributes
to a St. Patrick, junior, or to some disciple of the saint
who lived in the middle of the sixth century; but both the
authorship and its date must remain a matter of considerable uncertainty. Colgan's reason for assigning the
date is, that the author speaks of Loarne, Bishop of
Brettan, now Bright, near Downpatrick, as being alive
when the narrative was written. The words " ubi est
episcopus Loarne/' however, might mean that Bishop
Loarne was buried at Brettan, and that his remains
were there. But in the very commencement of the
Life, the author speaks of a sister of St. Patrick, whom
he calls Lupita, whose remains (cujus reliquiae) were in
Armagh. It is therefore fair to argue, that if Bishop
Loarne had not been alive, he would have used the same
mode of expression in his case.i
1
Case,—There is said to have been a nephew of St. Patrick who bore his
name. Colgan heads this Life " Secunda Vita S. Patricii authore [ut videtur]
S. Patricio, Jimiore alioue magni Patricii Discipulo, ex membranis monasteri
S. Huberti in Arduenna."

52

Life of St.

Patrick

The third Life is much fuller than either of the
preceding biographies. The authorship is doubtful; but
Colgan says he obtained it from Father Stephen Vitus, of
the Society of Jesus, a very learned man, that it was
found at Biburgensibus, in Bavaria, and he gives several
reasons for attributing the authorship to St, Benignus,
the disciple of St, Patrick, and his successor in the See
of Armagh.
The Fourth Life is attributed by Colgan to St, Aileran,
and bears internal evidence2 of having been written
before the year 774. As the saint died in 664, if the
authorship can with certainty be attributed to him, it
would give the work a very high antiquity. St. Aileran,
or Aireran the Wise, was a teacher in the great school
of Clonard, and died of the plague. A Litany which
he composed is still extant, and was first discovered by
Professor O'Curry, in the Leahhar Buidhe Lecain, or
Yellow Book of Lecain, preserved in the Library of
Trinity College, Dublin. A fragment of an ancient
tract has been published by Fleming in his Collectanea
Sacra, which was discovered in the monastery of St,
Gall, in Switzerland.3 It is entitled " T h e Mystical
2
Evidence.—The author of the Vita Quartet mentions that the relics of St.
Palladium, companion to Silvester and Solinus, were carried to the island of
Boethin, and were there held in due honour (et ibi cum digno honorehabentur).
This island belongs to the townland of Inisboyne, near Arklow, and obtained
its name from St. Boethin, who nourished early in the seventh century. The
monastery was plundered and destroyed in the year 774, according to the annals
of Ulster, or 770, according to the Four Masters. Hence this life must have been
written before that event. The Vita Secunda also must have been written
before the year 600, for it mentions that relics of these saints were honoured
at Donard, where they had been kept before their removal to the island of
Boethin.—Colgan, p. 38 and 13.
3
Switzerland.—O'Curry's Manuscript Materials of Irish History, p. 379.

The Fifth Life of St Patrick.
Interpretation of the Ancestry of our Lord

53
Jesus

Christ."
The Fifth Life, Quinta Vita, was written by Probus.
But there is considerable difficulty in identifying the
person of that name by whom it was compiled.
In the last chapter of this life the writer says : " Thou
hast now, brother Paulinus, from me the humble Probus,
the required token of our fraternal regard, through which,
you sought for some record of the virtues of our most
holy father, Patrick, the bishop." This at once gives
us the author's name and his object in writing. Colgan
gives various reasons for believing that he was an Irish
monk, who lived in the sixth or seventh century.
The Sixth Life was written by Jocelyn, a Cistercian
monk of the Abbey of Furness, who lived in the early
part of the twelfth century. This Life of St. Patrick is
the only one which has been translated. An English
version was published by Mr. E. Swift, in 1809, with
"elucidations by David Eothe, some time bishop of
Ossory," the principal object of which is to show that
the miracles attributed to St. Patrick, however wonderful, were not therefore to be rejected ; and that equally
wonderful miracles had been performed by other saints.
The " Observations on the Acts of St. Patrick by the
Translator," takes, as might be expected, a different view
of this subject, and while the writer defends the veracity
of Jocelyn, he apologizes for, and attempts to explain
away the miracles which he records in a style which
would do credit to a writer in " Essays and Eeviews."
Swift also calls the reader's attention to the extreme

54

Life of St.

Patrick.

difficulty of giving a translation of such works, which
would be at once correct and scholarly. Those who
have made similar attempts can well sympathise with
his remarks.4
The Seventh Life is by far the most important and
valuable of these documents, and will demand considerable notice. It is called the Tripartite Life from its
threefold division, and was written by St. Evin. Colgan
referred this life to the sixth century, and seemed much
impressed with its value and authority, and its consequent importance to the hagiographer. Colgan states
that he had three different manuscripts of this work
before him when occupied in translating it into Latin.
He mentions that part was written in Latin and part in
Irish, and that the Irish and the style were of the highest
antiquity, summam antiquitatem. ,
After the issue of Colgan's work the Irish manuscript
appeared to have been lost. No one had ever heard of
its existence ; and those who were inclined to throw
discredit on Colgan's labours made the most of this circumstance. But even as modern research has tended to
confirm the value and authenticity of the bardic annals
of Irish history and Irish customs, so literary research
has tended to prove the value and authenticity of the
documents used by Colgan, and modern archaeologists
are obliged to admit the critical accuracy and care which
he exercised in the compilation of his works.
The original document, or at least an original docu4
Remarks—The Life and Acts of St. Patrick : by Edmund L. Swift, Esq.,
Dublin, 1809, printed for the Hibernian Press Company, p. 265.

The Tripartite

Life.

55

ment of equal value and authenticity, was discovered
by Professor O'Curry in the library of the British
Museum, in May, 1849. Twenty years have passed
since this memorable and, to Irish archaeologists and
hagiographers, most important discovery was made;
and yet, until we began to prepare material for the
present work, no attempt was made either to translate
or use it in any way. Our readers are indebted, as we
have already remarked, to the eminent Celtic scholar,
W. M. Hennessy, Esq., for the accurate and scholarly
translation which will be given at the end of this volume.
Colgan, as we have already observed, says that he
had three very ancient MSS. of the Tripartite. The
first of these, and the chief, was the very ancient copy
of the 0 ; Clery ; s, ex vetustis membranis
Cleriorum
antiquariorum in Ultonia; the second was that of the
O'Devrans in Leinster; the third was an unknown
codex—"One relating what the other omitted, and
one giving in Irish what the other gave in Latin/'
Colgan adds that he followed the manuscript which
gave the narrative at the greatest length, and which
contained the most Latin. He also states that, on
account of the antiquity of the style, the work was used
by antiquarians (antiquariorum) as a text-book in their
schools ; and hence that many glosses and. observations
foreign to the original may have been, and probably
were, interpolated into the original text. 5
As to the authorship, Jocelyn stated, when he wrote
5

Text.— Colgan, Trias Thaom. p. 169.

56

Life of St.

Patrick.

in 1185, that a Life of St. Patrick had been written
by St. Eimhin or Bvin ; and that it was written partly
in Irish and partly in Latin. He also distinguishes
this life from those attributed to SS. Benignus, Mel,
Lennan, and Patrick, junior. Colgan says, that he
believes the copies which he used were essentially the
same as those used by Jocelyn. It is evident, according
to the same authority, that the work was written by a
monk and an Irishman. The author's exact knowledge of tribes, families, territories, and places, are a
sufficient evidence of the former. The age in which he
wrote is inferred, from frequent allusions to persons as
living when the work was written, whose obituaries
are known not to have occurred later than the sixth
century; as, for example, where he says of St. Fiacc:
"But none of them rose up to the servant of God except
Dubthach OLugair, arch poet of the king and kingdom;
and one young man of his disciples, who is to-day
(hodie) in the church of Sletty." O'Curry has observed,
however, that this mode of speaking in the present
tense, which was used by distinguished ecclesiastics of
the fifth and sixth centuries, continued to be used in
the eighth and ninth, and cannot be absolutely relied
upon to determine a date. It should also be observed,
that St. Columbcille, St. Ultan, St. Aileran the Wise,
St. Adamnan, St. Kieran, St. Colman, and others, are
cited in the Tripartite as the writers of St. Patrick's
miracles, while no mention is made of St. Evin. But
it may well be believed, that we have not got the Life
in its original form, and that many additions were made

0'Curry's Discovery of the Tripartite.

57

to it by transcribers. The antiquity of the language,
the idiom of which is referred, by the best philologists,
to the date at which St. Evin lived, the testimony of
Jocelyn in 1185, and the opinion of Colgan, who had
access to documents now lost, are the best grounds for
assigning the Life to its reputed author,
O'Curry6 also remarks, as an incidental testimony,
that John O'Connell of Kerry, who wrote a long poem
on the History of Ireland, in 1650, refers to St. Evin's
" Life of St. Patrick/' which evidences a general opinion
of its existence.
The festival of St. Evin occurs on the 22nd of December. In the Festology of iEngus the Culdee, he beseeches the intercession of St Eimhin, the white or
fair, from the banks of the river Barrow, He was the
founder of the original church or monastery of Mainister-Eimhin, now anglicised Monasterevan. St. Evin
was a Munster man, and descended in a direct line
from. Oilioll Olium, King of Munster, who died A.D. 234.
" I t is probable/' says O'Curry, " t h a t he was living in
504, and that he had seen and conversed with St.
Patrick, who had only died eleven years before this
time, or in 493.'"
The copy of the Tripartite, discovered by O'Curry in
the British Museum, contains the following notice,
which indicates the precise year in which it was transcribed. One cannot but regret that the copier did not
give some account of the manuscript which he used
6

O''Gurry.—Manuscript Materials, p. 350.
0

58

Life of St.

Patrick.

but, perhaps, it is not much to our advantage that we
have gained in critical accuracy by losing some of the
piety and devotion with which our ancestors treated
such subjects : " The annals of the Lord Jesus Christ,
in the year that this Life of Patrick was written, were
1477, and to-morrow night will be Lammas Eve, and
it is in Baile an Mhoinim I am. It was in the house
of 0'Troighthigh this was written by Domhnall Albanach 0'Troighthigh, and Deo Gratias Jesus!'
The O'Troighthighs were originally natives of the
county Clare, and were a clan of some note. It is
impossible, however, to identify the WTiter of this
memorandum. The place also presents equal difficulties, for there were many places in Ireland called by
the name of Baile an Mhoinim (the village of the little
bog).
The short sketch of the life of St. Patrick given in
the Book of Armagh is taken from the Tripartite; and
the annotations of Tirechan on St. Patrick's Life, found
in the same book in Latin, were probably derived from
the same source. Tirechan says he obtained his information from the books and from the oral instructions of
his predecessor, St. Ultan, whose disciple he was, and
who died A.D. 656.
The date and authenticity of the Book of Armagh is
a subject of considerable importance in estimating and
stating the authorities for the Life of St. Patrick, especially as it contains extracts from the Tripartite Life.
These extracts record miracles which would be credited
by modern sceptics to the imagination of the compilers,

The Booh of Armagh.

59

had they appeared in narratives written at a later date.
As it is, the only resource for such critics is, to credit
them to the imagination of the saints by whom they
were performed.
The date of the compilation of the Booh of Armagh
is decided by the name of the scribe, Ferdomnach, which
appears in several parts of the volume. His death is
known to have occurred in 845, and he is described as
" the wise and very admirable scribe of Armagh." The
way in which the name of the scribe has been ascertained, and the date discovered, is full of interest. The
identification in both cases was made by Dr. Graves,
the present Protestant Bishop of Limerick.
Soon after the Book of Armagh was deposited in the
library of the Eoyal Irish Academy, this gentleman
observed that numerous erasures had been made in it,
at the end of certain articles, and in the pxecise place
where Irish scribes usually inserted their names. After
careful examination, the words Pro Ferdomnach ores—
pray for Ferdomnach—was discovered. The same words
could also be traced in several other places; and this,
combined with the uniformity of the handwriting, which
is of extreme elegance, and remarkable for its distinctness and regularity, at once decided the question of
authorship.
The next point was to discover who the scribe was,
and when he lived. Two entries were found in the
Annals of the Four Masters of the obituaries of scribes
of Armagh of the same name. The first date was
A.D. 727, the second date was A.r>. 845. Colgan had

GO

Life of St.

Patrick.

enumerated the names of thirty or forty persons who
held the office of scriba, or scholasticus, in Armagh, but
there were only two Ferdomnachs. By the use of a
weak solution of gallic acid in spirits of wine, Dr.
Graves partly revived the traces of the original writing
of an important memorandum, and, with a magnifying
glass, he read, some portions of it. The result was to
obtain the information that the scribe was contemporary
with some Heres Patricii, or successor of St. Patrick, in
the see of Armagh, whose name ended with ach. There
were three archbishops of Armagh whose name ended
thus in the time of the second Ferdomnach. These
names were Foenselach, Commach, and Torbach. The
space in which no letters could be recovered, left only
sufficient room for the letters in the latter name, and a
careful examination showed that the letter preceding
" a c h " was probably " b , " that it certainly was not an
"roran"m.;;
Torbach held the primacy for a year only, according
to the Catalogues of the Psalter of Cashel, and he died
on the 16th of July, A.D. 808. The writing of the
Gospel of St. Matthew, contained in the Book of Armagh,
is recorded to have been finished on his festival day,
the 21st of September,
Dr. Graves, therefore, concluded that it must have been written in the year 807.
The memorandum has been thus restored by Dr.
Graves :—
F DOMNACH
E BVM
B TOBBACH
BIOII .

. H V N O . LIB.
. E DICTANTE
. HEBEDE . PAT
SCBIPSIT .

Value of the Booh of Armagh.

6.1

The importance and value of the Book of Armagh
cannot he too highly estimated.
The certainty of
the date at which it was written gives us at once an
authentic testimony which cannot be disputed regarding
the Life of our great apostle. It was quite impossible
that those who wrote so near the time at which he lived
could have been in ignorance, or could have been in any
way deceived as to the circumstances of his life. And
this work is not less valuable as giving evidence of the
general belief of the age, the very fact, that the allusions
to it are only incidental and not dogmatical, proves
beyond all question what the general belief was. Thus,
for at present we must confine ourselves to one example,
we find that in the year 808 the Bishop of Armagh is
styled the Heres Patricii, the successor of St. Patrick,
as indeed was the custom from the time of St. Patrick
to the present day. We find also that obedience to the
command of the Heres Patricii was esteemed as sacred
a duty then as now, when the dictante TIerede Patricii
was the motive power which induced the wise and
learned scribe, Ferdomnach, to transcribe the Gospel of
St. Matthew contained in the Book of Armagh.
Two incidental circumstances are noticed by Dr.
Graves, which tend to throw further light upon the
question of date and authorship. Dr. Petrie found a
tombstone at Clonmacnoise, with the inscription :
OHOIT OR FERDOMNACH.

And he refers both the character of the inscription and
the style of the cross to the ninth century. It is not

62

Life of St.

Patrick

improbable that this may have been the tomb of the
gifted scribe. Armagh was plundered by the Danes in
831, when he may have fled from that place, or possibly
he may have retired at a still earlier period to end his
days in the monastery by the banks of the Shannon, as
it was customary for ecclesiastics to come thither from
remote places. Wherever he sleeps let us breathe forth
for his soul a requiescat in pace. And even should he
be, as we can scarcely doubt, in the Land of Peace,
and in the presence of God, he will not be unmindful
of our prayer.
The pedigree of a Ferdomnach, twenty-third in descent
from Conary More, monarch of Ireland, A.D. 158, has
also been discovered in the Book of Lecain. Allowing
thirty years to a generation, it brings the time of this
Ferdomnach down to the middle of the ninth century,
which coincides with the probable obituary of the scribe.
At the end of the Gospel of St. Matthew, the scribe
has written a Latin prayer, of which a translation is
given below :—
" 0 God, whose mercy is infinite, and whose holiness
passeth speech, with humble voice I have boldness to
implore that, like as Thou didst call Matthew to be a
chosen apostle, from being a receiver of custom, so of
Thy compassion Thou wilt vouchsafe to direct my steps
during this life into the perfect way ; and place me in
the angelic choir of the heavenly Jerusalem, that, on the
everlasting throne of endless joy, I may be deemed
worthy to join with the harmonious praises of archangels
in ascribing honour to Thee; through Thine Only

|
j
I

St. Patrick's Life in Booh of Armagh.

63

Begotten Son, who liveth with Thee in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, throughout all ages. Amen."
It is noteworthy, also, that the Gospel of St. John is
written on finer vellum, and with more delicate penmanship than the other portions of the work. This is
observable, also, in other copies of the Gospels, and
indicates a special tribute of honour to the beloved
disciple, styled by Celtic writers, " John of the bosom."
The Book of Armagh commences with the memoir
of St. Patrick. His Confession follows next. Then the
New Testament, the Gospels being given in the usual
order. The Acts of the Apostles follow the Apocalypse.
Where the names of the twelve disciples are recorded in
the Gospel, the word trogan, wretch, is written in the
margin opposite to the name of Judas Iscariot,
The life of St. Martin of Tours, the uncle of St.
Patrick, is placed'at the end of the volume, and is
introduced, says Dr. Reeves, partly in connection with
St. Patrick's history, and partly because of the veneration in which St. Martin was held in the ancient Church
of Ireland.
For many centuries it was believed that the Book of
Armagh was written by St. Patrick himself, and this
widely-spread opinion, no doubt, contributed not a little
to the preservation of the volume. It will presently
be seen that the authority for this opinion was the fact
that the Book of Armagh, ancient as it is in its present
form, was a copy of a work still older. The book
obtained the name of Canoin Phadraig, or the scripture of Patrick ; and in 937 we are told, by the Four

64

Life of St.

Patrick.

Masters, that the Canon of Patrick was encased by
Donough, son of Flann, king of Ireland. This case
was probably the leathern satchel still preserved with
it, and which is of undoubted antiquity. It was the
custom in ancient times to enter charters on the
margins or blank pages of the most valuable books in
monastic libraries. When Brian Boru visited Armagh
in 1004, and again in 1006, he made valuable presents
to the Church, and ratified its privileges. Brian's
secretary and confessor, or " soul friend/' as confessors
were gracefully termed by the writers of that age, made
an entry in the Book of Armagh for Brian, which may
still be seen there, and which is thus translated :—
" St. Patrick, when going to heaven, ordained that
the entire produce of his labour, as well of baptism and
decisions, as of alms, was to be delivered to the apostolic city, which, in the Scotic tongue, is called Arddmacha. Thus I have found it [stated] in the record of the
Scots : This is my writing, namely, Calvus Perennis, in
the presence of Brian, sovereign of the Scots; and what
I have written he decreed for all the kings of Maceria."
Calvus Perennis is the Latinised name of Brian's "soul
friend/' Maolsuthian, and Maceria, the Latin equivalent
for Cashel.
This book was used frequently when solemn oaths
were administered, and those who forswore themselves
were believed to be subject to a special vengeance.
There are records of the book having been used for this
purpose in 1179 and in 1196. A keeper, or custodian, of
this valuable document appears to have been appointed

History of the Book of Armagh.

65

soon after the Norman invasion, probably to secure it
from falling into English hands. In time the keeper
came to be called as a surname by the name which distinguished his office, and in 142 7 Primate Swayne granted
an indulgence of forty days to all who should assist Maor
na Gamine (Moyre Nakanany, the keeper of the Canon)
of the Diocese of Armagh. This officer became exacting, and required repression at a later period ; and in
1455 prohibitions were issued against paying certain
exactions demanded by the Bajulator Canonis and the
Gustos Campanse.
When Sir James Ware wrote in 1656, the volume
was still held by the MacMoyers. Its possessor or
guardian, Florence MacMoyer, has left his autograph
on a blank page, thus : Liber Florentini Muire, June 29,
1662. He was the last hereditary keeper of the volume;
and. thus its authenticity is guaranteed, from the eighth
century to the seventeenth.
The next account of the Book was found amongst
the papers of Edward Lhuyd, the eminent Welsh
philologist, who died in 1709. Florence MacMoyer
was one of the wretched men who gave evidence against
Dr. Oliver Plunkett; and this paper mentions that
MacMoyer pledged the Book for five pounds when he
went over to England, when it came into the hands of
Arthur Brownlow. When the wretched traitor died,
his tomb was deserted; and although there were then
eight townlands near Armagh, called Balli Moyre, in
possession of the family, there is not an individual of
the name of Moyer living or remembered in that

i

i
j
(
^
<

'
i
t
!
,
,
j
1
-j
J
i

j
r
]

;
<

66

Life of St.

Patrick

district now. It is said that the family changed the
name to M'Gkrire after the traitor's death, to remove, in
some measure, the reproach of even bearing his name.
The Book of Armagh remained in possession of the
Brownlow family from 1680 until 1847. In 1853, it
was purchased by Dr. Eeeves, the present Protestant
rector of Tynan, from Mr. BrowTnlow, for £300. In
1858, it was purchased from Dr, Eeeves, for the same
sum, by the then Protestant primate, and placed by
him in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin. It must
ever be a subject of regret that this heirloom of Catholic
tradition and devotion should have passed into the
hands of Protestants; yet it is a matter of no little
satisfaction that it is in the hands of those who value it
highly, and preserve it carefully.
But, it has already been remarked, that great as is
the antiquity of the Book of Armagh, the tradition that
it was in the handwriting of St. Patrick himself is
founded on a statement in the Book which shows that
some portions of it, at least, were copied from a manuscript described by Ferdomnach as even then almost
illegible from age. This antiquity is no matter of literary
conjecture; it is a matter of fact. The date at which
the present Book of Armagh was written has been
proved, beyond all cavil, to have been not later than
A.D. 807.
The Life of St. Patrick contained in the Book of
Armagh was written by
Muirchu-Maccu-Maciheni;
and he states that he wrote this life at the command of
Aedh, Bishop of Sletty, who died in 692. We find

Annotations of Tirechan.

67

thus, that the original from which this document was
copied by the compiler of the Book of Armagh, is fully
two hundred years older than the copy in that Book.7
It should be observed here that the Life of St. Patrick,
by Probus, already mentioned as the Fifth Life in
Colgan's collection, is evidently an amended, version of
that in the Book of Armagh, by Mactheni. A comparison of these Lives will at once decide this important
question. It happens, unfortunately, that a folio has
been lost from the Book of Armagh; but the discovery
of identity of subject and composition enables us to
supply the deficiency from the Life by Probus, while it
adds considerably to the value of his work that it should
so fully agree, in the remaining portions, with this most
ancient authority.
But the Book of Armagh contains another most
important and equally ancient document.
This is
called the Annotations of Tirechan ; and Dr. Graves
has remarked that " The Annotations of Tirechan were
evidently becoming illegible at the time that Ferdomnach's copy of them was made. This is sufficiently
indicated by notes in the margin, which show that the
scribe found it difficult to read the manuscript from
which he was transcribing." Let it be again remembered, that Ferdomnach wrote in the year 807; and if
the manuscript from which he copied, was then old and
7
Booh.—The following is the note occurring at the end of the summary of
contents : " Hsec pauca de Sancti Patricii peritia et virtutibus Muirchu MaccuMachtheni dictante Aiduo Slebtiensis civitatis episcopo, conscripsit." The
summary has been, it is supposed, placed by mistake at the end of the Life.

It is headed ANNOTATIONES Aim.

68

Life of St.

Patrick

worn, the value of the copy which he made, and which
still remains, can scarcely be over-estimated.
Tirechan wrote by the command of St. Ultan of
Ardbraccan,8 who died at an advanced age, A.D. 657.
Tirechan speaks of himself as belonging to a family
specially dedicated to God and St. Patrick; he is also
styled the alumnus vel discipulus of St, Ultan. The
work was written before the death of St. Ultan, so that
the date of its compilation may be precisely ascertained.
This is ascertained by a statement in the work itself.
There is also an ancient tract on the Life of St.
Patrick in the Leabhar Breac, which Petrie describes as
"the oldest and best Irish manuscript relating to Church
history now preserved," and which is characterized by
0 ; Curry as of great interest and importance, and presenting " t h e chief collection of religious compositions
which are extant in the Irish language."
The Hymn of St. Sechnall in honour of St. Patrick,
published in the first, and, we much fear, the last, fasciculos of the Liber Hymnorum, can scarcely be classed
amongst his biographies. No special historic facts are
recorded in it, and it is obviously intended merely as a
panegyric on, or commemoration of, the'virtues of the
saint.
We have now given ample evidence of the value,
authenticity, and antiquity of the material for the Life
of our great Apostle. It only remains for us to pray
that we may both write and read that Life in the
8
Ardbraccan.—For some account of the piety and charity of this Saint,
see " T h e Illustrated History of Ireland."

St. Patrick's Birthplace.

69

humble, devout, and loving spirit of those ancient saints
who considered it their greatest glory and their highest
privilege to be children of Patrick and children of Eome.
They were not of the number of those who adorned the
sepulchres of the saints, and dishonoured their memory
by refusing to follow their example; rather were they
saints who wrote of saints, and so cast the halo of their
own sanctity around each line which they penned, thus
speaking to the heart in a way in which we, who are so
far beneath them, cannot hope to do.
There is no question of the identity at least of
the general locality which claims the honour of being
the birthplace of St. Patrick. The first and most important authority on this subject is the saint's own
Confession, the authenticity 9 of which has never been
doubted. In this brief document he briefly states his
parentage—" Patrem habui Calphurnium Diaconum,
filium quondam Potiti Presbyteri, qui fuit in vico
Bonavem Taberniae." "My father was a deacon, Calpornius, the son of the late Potitus, a presbyter, who
resided in the. village of Bonavem Tabernise." The
ancient Lives of St. Patrick, being all founded upon
this Confession, have added thereto whatever infor9
Authenticity.—There are now in existence four ancient manuscript copies
of St. Patrick's Confession. One of these is contained in the Book of Armagh,
the value and authenticity of which has been fully proved; the second is in
the Library of the British Museum, and is part of the Cotton MSS. ; the two
others are in the Bodleian Library, at Oxford. Ware, Usher, Tillemont, the
Bollandists, &c, all agree in their estimate of this important document. The
copy which was used by the Bollandists existed until the time of the French
devolution in the famous French monastery of St. Vedastus, but it has since
disappeared.

70

Life of St.

Patrick.

mation they have been able to obtain by research or
personal knowledge. The Book of Armagh, undoubtedly
the most ancient authority, adds that Potitius was the
son of Odissius, corresponding in other respects with the
Bollandist version. It will be remembered that the
first page of the Life of St. Patrick in the Book of
Armagh has been lost; but as that life corresponds so
closely with the Tripartite, the omission can be easily
supplied.
The Tripartite, translated for this Work by Mr.
Hennessy from the original Celtic, commences thus.
" Patrick was of the Britons of Alcluaid by origin,
Calphurnse was his father's name. He was a noble
priest. Fetid was his grandfather's name, whose title
was a deacon. Conceis was his mother's name. She
was of the Franks, and a sister to Martin. In Nemthur,
moreover, the person, St. Patrick, was born." Further
on, a few lines are added in Latin, which state that St.
Patrick was brought up in Nemthur.
In Colgan's Latin translation there is some slight
difference of expression, with a general agreement of
subject. No grandfather is mentioned, but there is an
explanation of the word Nemthur, which is said to
mean a celestial tower.1
The whole question turns on the identification of
three places : 1. Britain, which the saint himself mentions as the country of his parents ;2 2. Bonavem Taber1

Tower.—Colgan, p. 117.
Parents.—" Ut iterum post paucos annos in Britanniis eram cum parentibus meis," &c.
2

St. Patrick's Birthplace.

71

nise, near which he says that his family resided; 3.
Nemthur, which appears to be the name of the place
where St. Patrick was captured. It has already been
observed, that in the present "Work all controversy
would be, as far as possible, restricted to the notes,
but it will be necessary to make an exception in the
present case, the whole question being one of considerable interest.
Those who have written on the subject, from Colgan's
time to the present day, appear to have completely
overlooked the distinct statement of St. Patrick, that
Britain was the country of his parents, though he does not
say that he was born there, and to have satisfied themselves with more or less ingenious attempts to identify
the two other places. But these identifications are
simply valueless, until it has first been ascertained what
country St. Patrick himself indicated by the name of
Britain. The most natural and obvious inference, at
first sight, would be that some part of England was
intended. A theory was at one time started that the
saint might have been born in that part of France
called Brittany; but the province which at present bears
this name was not occupied by the Bretons until the
middle of the fifth century. 3
Dr. Lanigan was the first to suggest that the birthplace of St. Patrick should be sought for in the north of
France, and not, as Usher had so strongly urged, in
3
Gentw*y.—Lobineau says, in his Histoire de Bretagne, Paris, 1707 : " T h e
year 458 is about the epoch of the establishment of the Bretons in that part of
ancient Armorica which at present bears the name of Bretagne. v The Welsh
Triads state that the Britons of Great Britain came from this district.

72

Life of St.

Patrick

North Britain. Colgan, indeed, acknowledged there
was a tradition among the inhabitants of Armorica
that St. Patrick had been born in their country, but
he passes it over lightly. Dr. Lanigan, who devoted
special attention to the subject which the Franciscan
monk probably considered of less importance, has
clearly established his theory, so far as the identification of Bonavem Taberniae.
A History of the Morini was published4 in 1639 by
the Jesuit Malbrancq, in which there are two chapters
on the subject of St. Patrick's connection with the see
of Boulogne. Here it is stated that St. Patrick remained at Boulogne for some time before he set out on
his Irish mission, and that he was occupied in preaching
against the Pelagian heresy. It is also affirmed that
he was bishop of Boulogne. This is, undoubtedly, a
mistake; but St, Patrick may have remained there a
short time after receiving episcopal consecration, when
journeying towards Ireland.
The country of the Morini was included5 in the dis4

Publis7ied.—T)e Morinis et Morinorum rebus.—/. Malbrancq.
Included. —"It will not, I think, be denied that under the name of
Arinoric Gaul was comprised the country of the Morini, or the tract in which
Boulogne is situated . . . in olden times the whole extent of the maritime
district of Western Gaul was called Armoricse, in so much that even Aquitain
was distinguished by that name. Hirtius, the continuator of Caesar's Commentaries, tells us that cities near the ocean, in the extreme boundaries of
Gaul, were called Armoricse. The people, says Camden, which in old time
inhabited the sea-coast of Gaul nearest to Britain, were, in their own language, called Morini. Now mor is, in British, the sea. The Britons call
such as live upon the sea-coast Morinwyr ; as Aremorica in the old Gaulish,
and now in the British, signifies by the sea-side. In process of ^ time the
Dame became gradually confined to the tract between the Seine and the
Loire, aud in after ages was still more limited, being understood of the
country now called Brittany."—Lanigan, vol. i. p. 97.
6

Identification

of Britain.

73

trict known as Armoric Gaul, and there was in this
district a clan called Brittani. Hence we have in the
statement of St. Patrick that his parents lived in
Britain, and in the tradition that the saint belonged to
that part of Gaul where there was a tribe or clan known
as the Brittani, a fair presumption that we may look
here for further identifications.
Before we 'proceed to identify the localities, some
arguments must be brought to show that North Britain
could not have been the place intended by St. Patrick
when he spoke of Britain as his paternal home. We
should thus strengthen considerably the proofs already
given that he indicated that part of France known as
the district of the Brittani.
In the saint's epistle to Coroticus, he states that he
was of noble birth according to the flesh, and that his
father was a decurio.6 Now, it is clear that, subsequently to 410, St. Patrick's father could not have been
a decurio in North Britain. Bede, writing under the
date 410, says :—
" Borne was sacked [fracta est] by the Goths in the ten hundred
and sixty-fourth year from its foundation, and from that time the
Romans ceased to rule in Britain. From that time the part of
Britain belonging to the Britons was entirely deprived of armed
soldiers, military stores, and the flower of its youth, who, being
drawn away by the rashness of the tyrants, never returned home;
and was thus exposed to rapine, being ignorant of the art of war;
hence for many years they groaned under the ravages of two fierce
6

Decurio.—Ingenuus fui secundum carnem, Decorione patre nascor.
I

74

Life of St.

Patrick.

nations from across the sea, the Scots from the west and the Picts
from the north." 7

Gibbon also says:—
" Whilst Italy was ravaged by the Goths, and a succession of
feeble tyrants oppressed the provinces beyond the Alps, the British
island separated itself from the body of the Eoman Empire. The
regular forces which guarded that remote province had been gradually withdrawn ; and Britain was abandoned, without defence,
to the Saxon pirates, and the savages of Ireland and Caledonia."8

Thus we have ample proof of a fact of which the most
ordinary scholar could scarcely be ignorant, that no
Eoman decurio could have held office as such in North
Britain at the time when St. Patrick was born. At
that date there was not a single Eoman legion in England, and even when the Eoman power was at its height
in that country, its authority scarcely extended north of
the wall of Severus. It is therefore impossible that a
Eoman magistrate could have lived there in state, cultivating farms and attended by numerous domestics.
It may also be observed as a collateral proof, that the
Irish and Scots were on friendly terms at this period;
hence it is most improbable that any extensive foray
or pillaging expedition would have been carried out by
'the former against the latter, while it is a matter of
history that the Irish undertook several important
expeditions to Gaul, and carried from thence numerous
captives. St. Patrick, in writing of his escape from
Ireland to his own country, makes use of language which
7
8

North.—Bede's Ecclesiastical History, 1. i. cap. xi~xii.
Caledonia.— Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. v. ch. 31.

Identification

of St. Patrick's Britain.

75

would be entirely Incompatible with the idea that his
family then resided in Scotland. There can be no doubt
that the place of his captivity was the county Antrim ;
now he mentions that he had to travel two hundred
miles to reach the port from which he escaped, so that
he must have proceeded to the south of Ireland. He was
then three days at sea, and after landing travelled for
twenty-eight days through a desert country. It is clear
from this statement that the journey must have been to
France.
Colgan remarks that the name Britain, as applied to
part of Belgium and the north-west of Gaul, was well
understood not only in the time of St. Patrick but at a
later age. In a life of St. Furseus it is said, that having
crossed the sea to go to Kome, he arrived in the province of Britain, and proceeded through the district of
Ponthieu, a maritime tract in Picardy, near Boulogne.
It is subsequently explained that this province of Britain
is called by the moderns Normandy. Hence it is evident
that a portion of this country was known for a considerable period as Britain, and that the name could not be
referred to the province of Brittany, which has never
lost its original appellation. The district of which the
Britain referred to by St. Patrick, and by the biographer
of St. Furseus formed a part, eventually obtained the
name of Neustria. Even in modern times Normandy
is called Neustria by Latin writers.
Sufficient evidence has now been brought forward to
show that St. Patrick's Britain was undoubtedly some
district in the north of France. It only remains to

76

Life of St.

Patrick

identify as far as possible the sites which he mentions.
One other difficulty which Dr. Lanigan has amply
elucidated must, however, be noticed. In his Confession
St. Patrick says that he wished to go into Britain to see
his family, and as far as Gaul to visit his brethren, so
that he might see the faces of the Lord's saints. From
this distinct mention of Britain and Gaul as if they
were places not only distinct but distant from each
other, it has been argued that Britain could not be in
France. But Dr. Lanigan disposed of this difficulty by
the simple remark t h a t : —
"Belgic Gaul was quite distinct from the real and properly
called Gaul, which comprised only the country of the Celts, the
name by which they called themselves, and which the Eomans
changed into Galli. It was separated from Belgium by the rivers
Marne and Seine, as it was from Aquitain by the Garonne. The
languages, laws, and institutions of these three countries were
different."

Thus it would appear that the fact of St. Patrick
having distinguished between Britain and Gaul shows
his intimate acquaintance with that country, as it was
a distinction which a foreigner would not be likely to
make; obviously, also, if he wished to see " the faces of
his Gallic brethern, his Lord's saints/' he should make
a considerable journey southward from his home ; and,
truly, if he proceeded southward to Tours or to Lerins,
he would, indeed, have found his brethren, and those
whose names are enrolled in the glorious catalogue of
the Church's triumphs.
The first site which, we must identify is that men-

Identification

of Bonavern-Tabernice.

77

tioned by St. Patrick, at the commencement of his
Confession. An attempt has been made to divide the
words as if two separate places were intended, with much
show of learning, and little real critical acumen; but
the way in which the name is mentioned by the saint9
himself should surely be conclusive, and it would be as
rational for a future archaeologist to insist that Boulogne
was one town and Mer another, as i t is to maintain
that St. Patrick intended Bonavem as one city and
Tabernise as another. Bonavem, as Dr. Lanigan has
amply proved, is identical with the present Boulogne.
The word Taberniae either refers to the district in which
Bonavem was situated, or indicates that Bonavem was a
camp. It was probably included in the district which
surrounded the city of Taruanna, the modern Therouenne, and which was called Tarvanensis regio. The
authors of the most ancient Lives of St. Patrick concur
in referring the severed word to the proximity of a
Roman encampment.
In England the Roman camps were generally known
as castra, whence we have so many names compounded
with the word Chester. In France the Roman stations
were called Tdbernce, the verbal distinction indicating
the fact that the Roman power in England was rather
that of garrisons in a country of doubtful allegiance;
while in France the Roman power was established,
and merely required the ordinary support of its military,
9
Saint.—Ut viderem faciem Sanctorum Domini mei. The Breviaries, as
will be shown later, generally favour the theory of St. Patrick's nativity in
Brittania, but without any attempt to identify the Brittania as either in
Gaul or Scotland.

78

Life of St.

Patrick

Boulogne was an important Roman station. It was
the port from which Julius Caesar invaded England, and
the principal camp of the Eoman army in the north of
France. The country round still manifests traces of the
" streets/' or roads, which that people made wherever
they formed a settlement. The town itself was originally
designated Gessoriaeum, but in the reign of Constantine
the Celtic name Bonavem, or Bonavan, was latinized
into Bononia, and came into general use. The town
was so called from being situated on a river, Aur, Aven,
or On, signifying a river in the Celtic language. 1
Before investigating the identity of the other sites
mentioned by the biographers of the saint, it may be
interesting to give a brief account of Kilpatrick. The
site is thus described by Innes 2 in his Origines Parochiales :—
" Of the places in various parts of Scotland, including six parishes
in the diocese of Glasgow, which derived their appellation from the
Apostle of Ireland, the most ancient and distinguished was certainly
Kylpatrick in Lennox. The parish, lying on the right bank of the
Clyde, is bounded on the north by the Kilpatrick hills, which
approach very near the river at the place where stood the old
church and village of Kilpatrick. Here it is said St. Patrick "was
born. His own words in the ' Book of Confessions' ascribed to him,
1

Language.—The names of rivers are of special value in historical investigations. They are the memorials of the very earliest races. A very large
number of French river-names contain the root a/en or aven. In England, the
word, from a generic name, has become proper, thus we have the Avon as
the proper name of a river in several countries. The word itself is cognate
to the Sanscrit root ap, water. Thus we have the Funj-ad, or the land of
five rivers. (See Philological Transactions for 1855. Astruc's Hist, de Languedoc, and Pott. Etymologiscli Forsch.)
2
Lines.—Origines Parochiales, vol. ii. p. 20.

Description of Kilpatrick.

79

and corroborated by other accounts, are, ' My father was Calpurnius,
a deacon, who was the son of Potitus, a presbyter, of the village of
Bonaven, of Tabernia.' Jocelin of Furnes, who wrote his life about
the end of the twelfth century, from several very ancient accounts,
says t h a t ' the territory was called Taburnia, from its being a Eoman
station, and that it was by the town of Nempther on the shores of
the Irish Sea.7 The best authorities agree in applying this description to Kylpatrick, where the Eoman wall terminated.
" S t . Patrick was born about 372, and went to Gaul and Italy
about the end of the fourth century; he continued there about thirtyfive years, during which he studied for eighteen years under St.
Germanus, and afterwards visited St. Martin of Tours, the brother, or
more probably the uncle of his mother Conquessa. He returned when
past sixty to preach the Gospel in Ireland, to which country he had
been carried captive in his youth. A saint so famous, and who is
said to have ' founded 365 churches, and ordained as many bishops,
and 3,000 priests,' would not be long without a memorial in the
place of his birth; but the early history of this district is obscure, and
we have no transaction recorded in connection with the church here
until about the end of the twelfth century ; some time previous to
which Alwin, Earl of Lennox, had confirmed to the church of
Kilpatrick all the lands of Cochinach, Edinbernan, Baccan,
Finbealach, Drumcrene, Graguentalach, Monachkenneran, Drumtechglunan, Cuiltebut, Dalerenach, granted by his predecessors, and
had himself added the land of Cateconnen."—Begist. de Passelet,
p. 157.
" Before 1227, Maldoven, Earl of Lennox, granted the church of
Kilpatrick, which had been so richly endowed by his family, to the
Monastery of Paisley, where he chose his own place of sepulture.
The benefice continued the property of the abbey till the
Eeformation.
" T h e site of the ancient church seems to have been the same as
that of Old Kilpatrick in 1793, which was described in that year as
' a very ancient building.7 In the river Clyde opposite to it ' there
is a large stone or rock, visible at low water, called St. Patrick's

80

Life of St.

Patrick

stone/ connected with a legend ' that St. Patrick's vessel struck
upon it in full sail on setting out to Ireland, and sustained no
injury.'
" The lands mentioned above as anciently belonging to the church
were, at the end of the twelfth century, held by a person named
Beda Ferdan (who lived at Monachkenneran, on the Clyde, in a
large house of wattle), and three other persons, who were bound,
for all service, to receive and entertain pilgrims or strangers coming
to the Church of St. Patrick. From some defect of title, which cannot now be detected, these lands were the subject of continual
disputes between the monks of Paisley and those claiming right
through the family of Lennox.
"Dumbarton must have been one of the earliest Christian
settlements in Scotland ; but all that is known of the constitution
of its church during the existence of the kingdom of Strathcluyd ?
of which it was the capital, is an intimation of a bishopric and
bishop taking their style from it in the sixth century. The annals
of Ulster record the death of Cathal MacFergus, bishop of Alcluyd,
in 554.
" The parish of Dumbarton is distinguishable by its remarkable
castle-rock rising abruptly from the level bank of the Clyde, where
it is joined by the Leven at its southern extremity. For two miles
inland the parish is flat, and then rises into high moorland at its
northern boundary.
" In 1296 it was a free rectory. Allan de Dunfres, the parson of
Dumbarton, swore fealty to Edward I. In the following century
the church, with all its pertinents, was given to the monks of
Kilwinning, who continued to possess it till the Eeformation. The
cure would seem to' have been served by the monks or their
chaplains. The chapel of Dumbarton Castle was dedicated to
St. Patrick, and the parish church, also a collegiate church, founded
in 1450 by Isabella, Duchess of Albany and Countess of Lennox, was
dedicated to this saint also. It had an hospital for bedesmen, with a
chapel and an endowed chaplainry, of which the Earls of Lennox
were patrons.

The Baptism of St. Patrick.

Conjectures concerning Enon.

83

" The town of Dumbarton, the capital of the ancient kingdom of
Strathcluyd, is one of the oldest towns of which we have authentic
historical record, whose site can now be identified. In 657 died
Guivet, 'king of Alcluoith.' In 693, Donald M'Alpin, king of
Alcluoith, died. In 731, the Venerable Bede describes Alcluith as
the capital of the Britons of that district (civitas Britonum munitissima). In 756, Eadberht and Unst, kings of the Picts,' led an
army against the City of Alcluth, and there imposed terms of
submission on the Britons' (Ann. Uls. Chron. of pr. of Wales). In
799 is recorded the burning of Alucloith; and in 869 and the
following year, it was besieged and demolished by the Northern
Pagans (Chron. of pr. of Wales). In 974, Dunwallen, the king of
Strathcluyd went to Rome (lb.) We hear no more of these
sovereigns or their kingdom. The ancient town assuredly grew up
around the castle; but the neighbouring and dependent port has
drawn the buildings of the modern burgh in that direction."

It is evident that a respectable tradition connected
St. Patrick with Alcluaith from a very early period,
and there can be little doubt that some reason must
have existed for this. A very ancient Irish authority
will be quoted presently which throws an important
light on the whole question.
Some conjectures3 have been made in reference to
a supposed site called Enon, but the word is probably
an interpolation ; hence, any attempts at identification
are mere waste of time. In some versions of the
Confession, St. Patrick is made to say that his
father had lived at a villa called Enon, but in the
Book of Armagh, the Cotton MS. and the MS. of St.
3

Conjectures.—Essays on Religion and Literature.

84

Life of St.

Patrick:

Vedast, used by the Bolandists, this name is not mentioned, at all, and the passage runs thus : For he [St.
Patrick's father] had. a little . farm near [Bonavem
Tabernise] where I was captured.
The Hymn of St. Fiacc says expressly that St. Patrick
was born at Nemthur, and this is the third place which
demands consideration. It should be remarked that
St. Patrick does not say that he was born at Bonavem,
but merely states that his father resided there, and that
he was captured in the neighbourhood. Hence, Dr.
Todd evidently inclined to the opinion that St.
Patrick might have been born in Scotland, although he
was captured in Gaul. But the fact of the Boman
power having already been overthrown in Scotland, if
indeed it could ever be said to have been established
there, militates against this view.
The Tripartite, 4 and the Hymn of St. Fiacc5 state
simply that St. Patrick was born in Nemthur. The
Second and Third Lives give two different places the
honour of being his native town, the writers having
evidently compiled, their narrative from several sources,
and with the utmost simplicity, giving the statement
of each without observing that they by no means
4
Tripartite. —In Nemthur, moreover, the person St. Patrick was born.
(See Mr. Hennessy's translation from the original Irish, at the end of this
Work.)
6
St. Fiacc.—Patrick was born at Emptur ; this it is that history relates to
ns.—(Translated in the Irish Ecclesiastical Record, March, 1868.) Monsignor
Moran adds, in a note :—The name of our Apostle's birthplace is more accurately given as follows in a very ancient Irish M S . : — u I n a village, the name
of which is Humia, in Britain, near the city of Enrpter," &o.

Scholiast on Fiacc's Hymn.

85

coincided.6 The Fourth Life makes Nemthur a town in
the Campus Taberniae, interpreting Nemthur as a celestial
tower, and adducing the frequently rejected idea that
Taberniee indicated a Eoman encampment. Probus, in
the Fifth Life, asserts that St. Patrick was born in
Britanniis, that his father was a native of the village
of Bannave, of the region of Tabernia, near the western
sea.7 He says also that the vicus Bannave was in
Neutria, where giants once dwelt. Neustria was the
name of the province which lay between the Meuse and
the Loire, and this no doubt was the Neutria of Probus.
Indeed, there are numerous misprints in Colgan, and it
is more than probable that the omission of the s may be
referred to this cause.
It is just possible that the Scholiast on Fiacc's Hymn,
preserved along with the copy of that document in the
College of St. Isidore, at Rome, gives the true version
of the whole matter. It runs thus :—
" This was the cause of the servitude of Patrick :—They all went
from the Britons of Alcluaid, across the Iccian Sea, southwards, on
a journey to the Britons who are on the Sea of Icht—namely, the
Britons of Letha, because they had brethren [relatives] there at
that time. Now, the mother of these children, namely, Conches,
was of the Franks, and she was a sister to Martin. At that time
6
Coincided.—Natus est igitur in illo oppido Nemthur nomine. Patricias
natus est in Campo Taburne.—Vitse 2, p. 4. Natus est igitur Patricius in
illo oppido Nemthur nomine. Patricius natus est in Campo Tabernise.—Vit.
3, p. 6.
7
Western sea,—" De vico Bannave Tiburniae regionis, haud procul a mari
occidentali." Jocelyn has "mare Hibernicum."

86

Life of St.

Patrick

came seven sons of Sectmaide, king of Briton, in ships from the
Britons ; and they made great plunder on the Britons—viz., the
Britons of Armuric Letha, where Patrick with his family was, and
they wounded Calpuirnn there, and carried off Patrick and Lupait
with them to Ireland."

In this account we have what looks very like a clear
explanation of apparently conflicting statements. It is
quite impossible not to give weight to the concurrent
testimony of the saint's having had some connection
with Alcluaid, the modern Dumbarton. St. Patrick
has not mentioned his birthplace. He simply observes
that his father had property at Bonavem Tabernise, and
that he was taken captive there.
It is evident, from the saint's own account, that his
family were noble and wealthy. The Eoman people,
victorious over all nations, had obtained peace for their
empire, which might then, indeed, be almost described
as the world. They had given peace to the Church
also, hence Christian families were enabled to accumulate
worldly wealth, though not always to their spiritual
advantage. There is no reason why the property of
Potitius might not have been in possession of his family
for several generations. It is past question that his
wife, Conchessa, was the sister or near relative of St.
Martin of Tours. Yet all this by no means militates
against the supposition that St. Patrick's father might
have resided for a few years at Alcluaid. The great
Eoman wall terminates at Kilpatrick, the site which a
respectable amount of tradition assigns as the birthplace

Potitius

and Conchessa.

87

of St. Patrick. Nor is it difficult to account for this.
If the family of Potitius had resided for some years at
Bonavem, Potitius, after his marriage with Conchessa,
may have gone to Alcluaid on military business connected "with the "withdrawal of the Eoman forces from
that place. The Scholiast expressly states that the
family went "from the Britains of Alcluaid to the
Britons of Letha, 8 because they had relations there at
that time." This bears out our theory. The home and
paternal estates of the family were at Bonavem. St.
Patrick's father and mother, for some reason which is
not given, resided for some time at Alcluaid; but it
was not their permanent abode. They had relatives
among the Britons of Letha, and thither they came.
Potitius had his family estates there. Conchessa had
her saintly relative, Martin. Without doubt the family
home was in Brittany, but there is a possibility that the
family, or at least St. Patrick's parents may have resided
for a time at Alcluaid.
The Scholiast also clears up all difficulty about the
place where the saint was taken captive, and the twofold use of the word Briton. The family, let it be again
observed, go from the Britons of Alcluaid southward
to the Britons of Letha. Farther on, where the capture
of St. Patrick is related, we have the distinction clearly
drawn once more,
8

Letha.—The name Letha, or Latium, was applied by the early Irish
writers to Armorica, or Brittany, as well as to Italy. Arniorica was called
Northern Letha ; Italy, Southern Letha.—0'Curry, p. 502.

88

Life of St.

Patrick

" The king of Britain9 came in ships from the Britons; and they
made great plunder on the Britons, viz. : the Britons of Armuric
Letlia."

We have still to deal with the place called Nemthur.
No satisfactory identification of this site has been made
as yet. If it was another name for Alcluaid or Dumbarton, the difficulty would be removed. In an old
Irish MS. in Trinity College, Dublin, it is said that St.
Patrick was bom " i n a village the name of which is
Hurnia, in Britain, near the city of Empter." An
attempt has been made to identify Nemthur by contravening the high authority of Eugene Q'Curry with regard
to the initial letter of the word. No doubt, if any one
consonant might be used for any other, if vowels are of
no account, and if the syllables of words may be reversed,
Nemthur may be converted into Tournahem ; but those
who prefer a more scholarly method of treating the
subject may prefer to admit that it is a difficulty of
which, at present, there is no solution.1
The evidence in favour of St. Patrick having been
born at Nemthur is indubitable. The evidence of his
being connected with Alcluaid is equally strong.
The clear and simple statement of the Scholiast is all
9
Britain.— This " k i n g " is called Sectmaide. Colgan has translated it
Factumchias.
The name cannot be identified, and probably was that of
some petty chief who led the plundering expedition.
3
/Solution.—-In Essays on Religion and Literature, an attempt has been
made to identify Nemthur in this style. Any valuable remarks in the paper
on the birthplace of St. Patrick are taken, with scant acknowledgments,
from Lanigan's Ecclesiastical History. Colgan is mis-quoted, and the Second
Life is called the First.

St. Patrick's Birthplace.

89

the more valuable from the absence of any attempt at
controversy ; for it merely states as a fact, that St.
Patrick was born at Alcluaid, that his family left that
place and went to their relations in Britain, and that
St. Patrick was captured there. The real difficulty has
arisen from the mistake of supposing that St. Patrick
was born where he was captured.
If the Scholiast on Fiacc's Hymn, as preserved in the
College of Isidore, can be proved to be very ancient, it
must, undoubtedly, carry considerable weight. But the
whole subject is one open to controversy, and it is one
which happily is not of grave importance. Indeed,
even if the Scholiast could be proved an unquestionable
authority, the question might still be asked whether
St. Patrick might not have been born in Gaul, and
taken, at an early age, with his parents to Scotland.

Chapter III.
St. Patrick's Early Life and First Captivity.

T has been well remarked that
the study of history is altogether
useless without a knowledge of
the circumstances, in the midst
of which, events take place. The circumstances throw
light on the events, even while the events originate the
circumstances. Biography is history in instalments ;
hence what applies to the one is equally in its degree
applicable to the other. Christ gave us the example and
the precepts of Christianity. Christianity produced
those wonderful men to whom nations owe their evan-

Why Priests became Missionaries.

91

gelization. The birth of the Eternal Son of God, the
mightiest of events, produced a chain of circumstances
which influence the destinies of individuals and of
nations to the present hour.
The Creator of the first Adam came himself to
repair, as the second Adam, the fault of his creature.
A new garden of Paradise was brought into existence,
or rather should we say the gates of the old garden
were re-opened. Man had refused the painless obedience
of his primeval state. He was now to learn that by
painful obedience only could he obtain the prize which he
had rejected. Briars and thorns had taken the place
of the Tree of Life, and men were needed brave enough
to remove these briars and thorns, not only from their
own path, but also from the paths of others. He who
had created man was all-powerful and all-loving. Had
he not been so, how could the creature have been raised
from the depths to which he had fallen ? The remedy
surpassed the disease. The healing was so perfect that
it did more than cure. It renovated, it renewed. A
new food was given to man which he was commanded
to eat, and by partaking of which he becomes one with
his Creator. Human words must ever fall short of the
great reality. The words of Him who conferred upon
man this surpassing blessedness can alone explain it.
" He that eateth me, even he shall live by me."
Thus as men became permeated more and more
with the Life of Christ, they desired to do the works of
Christ, and they thirsted, in their measure, as He

92

Life of St.

Patrick

thirsted, to impart the knowledge of this life to others.
Humanity, weary of itself, and its worshippings of the
"Unknown God," to which many an altar had "been
erected, now pined for light, and the light came. Here
and there rays of its eternal splendour were cast on lands
far distant from those great shores where the True Light
shone in its pure refulgence.
To some, clear intimation was given that the light
had come ; to others ever deepening shadows indicated
the presence of light elsewhere. To a few that light was
shown in all its glory, and they knew the only Begotten,
full of grace and truth ; to a few also faint rays of its
blessedness shone across the darkness by which they were
surrounded, and dim glimpses of truth radiated across
the long night of error.
The coming of the true light made itself felt in
many ways and in many places. Heathen oracles, where
men had long sought that knowledge of the future,
which is one of the deepest and most insatiable of human
desires, told of a coming One whose power should
overthrow their own. Even the very dispensation and
ceremonial appointed by God Himself as a means by
which mankind might be educated for a higher worship
and more spiritual form of religion, even this also by
sign and portent declared that another dispensation had
commenced. The veil of the Temple was rent at the
moment when the sacrifices of the Temple were for ever
abolished by the one Sacrifice, and mystic voices and
sounds were heard in that ancient fane on the day of

Mysterious intimations

of Christ's Advent

93

Pentecost. " Let us go hence, let us go hence." Well,
indeed, might th& afrgels of that house depart when the
Lord of angels had been crucified and denied by its
unfaithful guardians.
- An unvarying tradition informs us that the mysterious
darkness which covered the earth when Jesus died was
remarked even on the distant shores of Erin. Conchobar,
or Conor Mac Nessa, was king of Ulster at the time of
our Lord's Incarnation. • Fergus Mac Nessa was the
rightful monarch, but Conor's father having died while
he was an infant, Fergus proposed marriage to his mother, who agreed, on condition that her son Conor should
be allowed to reign for one year. But the young prince
made himself so popular that his subjects absolutely
refused to allow Fergus to assume the reins of' government, and the good Conor had a long and prosperous
reign. A ball had been thrown at his head treacherously by a Connaught man, and his physicians ordered
that he should refrain from all excitement, as any
sudden movement might prove fatal. Conor continued
in health until the day of the Crucifixion. He then
observed the strange darkness, and. other atmospheric
phenomena, and inquired if Barach, his druid, knew
the cause. The druid consulted his oracles, and then
informed the king that Jesus Christ, the Son of the
living God, was at that moment suffering at the hands
of the Jews. " W h a t crime has he committed?" said
Conor. "None," replied the druid. "Then they are
slaying him innocently V exclaimed the king. " They

94

Life of St.

Patrick.

are," said the druid. This was more than the noble
prince could bear. He knew not that this death was
to be the source of life. He only thought in his brave
true heart how he could avenge the wrong, and rushing
madly to the forest he hewed at the young trees until
the sudden excitement ended in his own death.
And while the fire of Celtic chivalry manifested itself
in these deeds of satisfaction for wrong, the king
mourned in plaintive cries the sorrows of his God.
" Why/' he asked, " did not Christ appeal for help to a
valiant high king \ he would have gone as a hardy
champion with quivering lips, until the great valour of
a soldier should be witnessed, dealing a breach of battle
between two hosts. Bitter the slaughter by which
there would be propitiated free relief—with Christ
should my assistance be. I would complain of the
deed to the faithful host of noble feats, whose vigilant
beautiful aid should be with the merciful God to relieve
Him. Beautiful the overthrowing which I would give.
Beautiful the combat which I would wage for Christ
who is being defiled. I would not rest, though my
body of clay had been tormented by them. It crushes
my heart to hear the voice of wailing for my God, and
that this arm does not come to reach with true relief to
arrest the sorrow of death, without avenging the
Creator ; because I am told that it is dangerous for me
to ride in chariots/' 1
1
Chariots.—Mr. O'Curry says that this tale was always believed by the
Irish historians from a very early date. It is one of the Historic Tales, and

Draidical Prophecies of St. Patrick's coming.

95

In the Book of Leinster it is said that a Horn an centurion named Altus visited Ireland, and informed Conor
of the death of Christ.
" And they say, Centurion Altus, when he to Emania came,
And to Rome's subjection called us, urging Csesar's tribute claim;
Told that half the world barbarian thrills already with the faith
Taught them by the god-like Syrian Csesar lately put to death." 2

It is said also that as the time of St. Patrick's mission
approached the druids gave warning of his coming.
In the Ecstacy, or Prophecy of Conn of the Hundred
Battles, it is said " with Laeghaire, the violent, will the
land be humbled by the coming of the Tailcenn, that
is Patrick; houses across, that is churches, bent staffs,
which will pluck the flowers from high places/' Another
version of this prediction is given in the Tripartite, which
runs thus : " A Tailcenn shall come, he will erect cities,
churches, union-houses, with gables and angles; many
kings will take up pilgrim staffs."
There is no account of the cause or origin of this
prophecy. It has been translated into Latin very
incorrectly by Colgan, but Professor 0'Curry succeeded
in obtaining the most undoubted authority for every
word from ancient manuscripts, and his ability, as a
of that class known under the generic appellation of Oitte or Aideadh,
Tragedies or Deaths. It is found iu some of the most ancient and best authenticated MSS.; and there seems no more reason to doubt its truth than to doubt
the existence of Conor, who was an historical character of considerable
importance.—O'Curry, p. 276. For fuller details see " T h e Irish before the
Conquest," p. 75, by M. C. Ferguson, and "The Illustrated History of Ireland," p. 128.
2
Death.—Lays of the Western Gaul, by Samuel Ferguson, Esq.

96

Life of St.

Patrick.

translator of the oldest forms of the Celtic tongue, is
beyond question.
It was the opinion of this eminent scholar that this
passage was an interpolation in the modern copies of
the Tripartite. But he also observes that Macutenius
introduces a druidical prophecy of the coming of the
saint into his Life of St. Patrick ; hence some such prediction must have been current and credited as real
within a few centuries after the death of the apostle.
The history of this prophecy is very brief. It is said
that the coming of St. Patrick wTas foretold by Lochra
and Luchat Mael, king Laeghaire's druids, in 429, three
years before the arrival of the saint.
" A Tailcenn will come over the raging sea,
With his perforated garment, his crook-headed staff,
With his table at the east end of his house,
And all his people will answer Amen, amen."

The perforated garment is, of course, the chasuble,
the crook-headed staff explains itself as the symbol of
episcopal authority, and the table at the east end of the
house indicated the altar, the great centre of Christian
worship and reverence.3
There can be no doubt that some knowledge of Christianity and Christian practices preceded the advent of St.
Patrick to Ireland. Although the Eoman legions never
crossed the Iccian Sea, as the English Channel was then
3
Reverence.—The meaning of the word Tailcenn is doubtful. The name
or soubriquet of Talchenn was descriptive of baldness and, a term of reproach. Mr. O'Curry believes that the tonsure was adopted for this reason
by the priesthood (MS. Materials, p. 618).

Christianity Jcnown early in Britain.

97

called, there was still some intercourse between the two
countries, and still more intercourse with France. It is
true that this intercourse consisted principally in marauding expeditions, but even thus some Christians must
have been brought to Ireland as slaves, and during their
compulsory stay Celtic wit and curiosity could scarcely
have failed to make many inquiries about the new religion. The well-known passage of Tertullian proves that
Christianity had made its way into Britain as early as
the second century. In a few years later the British
Church sent St. Alban at Verulam and SS. Aaron and
Julius at Caerleon upon Usk, to sing the victor's song
and wear the martyr's palm in heaven. In 314 three
British bishops were present at the Council of Aries—
Eberius of York, Eestitutus of London, and Adelfius,
whose see has not been clearly ascertained, but who
signed himself " Episcopus de civitate Colonia Londinensium."
But before the middle of the fifth century the heresy
of Pelagius had made such progress that St. Germanus
of Auxerre and St. Lupus of Troyes, were sent by Pope
Celestine to oppose its progress. The mission of St.
Germanus is thus recorded by St. Prosper of Aquitaine,
a contemporary authority : " Agricola, a Pelagian, son
of Severianus, a Pelagian bishop, corrupted the churches
of Britain by insinuation of his doctrine, but through
the instrumentality of Palladius, the deacon, Pope
Celestine sends Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre, in his
own stead [vice sua] to root out heresy and direct the
M

98

Life of St.

Patrick.

Britons to the Catholic faith." This was in the year
429. Two years later, A.r>. 431, the same chronicle
informs us t h a t : " Palladius was consecrated by Pope
Celestine, and sent as the first bishop to the Irish
believing in Christ."
Thus we have evidence that there were Christians in
Ireland, although their numbers were few, and we have
also the equally interesting statement that the first
bishop was sent to Ireland direct from Eome.4 From
the earliest days of Christianity the Eoman pontiffs had
devoted their special attention to the conversion of
pagan nations. The mission given to them by their
Divine Master was ever present to their minds. It was
their work when hidden in the Catacombs, it was their
work when the Church was undergoing its fiery ordeals
of persecution. It was not forgotten when the peace ol
the Church was proclaimed, and from the day on which
Peter and the Apostles received the command to go and
teach all nations to the present hour, his successors
have diligently discharged their heavenly commission.
Innocent the First, writing to Decentius, in this very
century [A.B. 402] says :
" Is it not known to all that the things which have been delivered to the Eoman Church by Peter, the Prince of the Apostles,
and preserved ever since, should be observed by all; and that
nothing is to be introduced devoid of authority, or borrowed elsewhere? Especially as it is manifest that no one has founded churches
4
Rome.—Vetustiora Latinorum Scriptorum chronica, T. Koncallius, Padua,
1787.

The Mission of Palladius.

99

for all Italy, the Gauls, Spain, Africa, and the interjacent islands,
except such as were appointed priests (or bishops) [sacerdotes] by
the venerable Peter and his successors."

The mission of Palladius was not successful. But
little is known of his early career, and this little is also
gathered from the testimony of Prosper. He calls him
the deacon, and the Book of Armagh supplies the
further explanation that he was chief deacon of St.
Celestine.
" This was a post of high honour and responsibility in the Roman
Church. Many of the early pontiffs were elected to the popedom
from being deacons of Eome ; and during the vacancy of the see or
the captivity of the pontiff, the whole administration of affairs
devolved on them. Even two centuries later than the period of
which we now treat, when Archbishop Fornian, of Armagh, and
other Irish prelates, addressed a letter to Rome on the Paschal
Question, the reply, which was written during the vacancy of the
see, bears the name of Hilary, archdeacon, guardian during the
vacancy of the Holy See, and John the deacon, who was, moreover, Pope elect, and soon after ascended the papal throne as John
IV. Thus, in this office of Deacon of Rome, Palladius was entitled
to represent to the Pope the wants of the Christian Church, and
his solicitations in favour of Britain were sure to meet with a
favourable response. His subsequent mission, as first evangelizer
of our island, is quite in accordance with his high dignity in Rome,
and with the views of the Holy See, which ever attached the
greatest importance to the bringing of the Gospel light to pagan
nations." 5
5
Nations.—Essays on the Origin, Doctrine, and Discipline of the Early
Irish Church, by the Very Rev. Monsignor Morau, p. 5. This work should be
in the library of every student.

100

Life of St.

Patrick

In the Providence of God it happens not unfrequently
that while one sows in pain and tears, another comes,
and, as far as human eye can judge, reaps the golden
harvest, and bears away in triumph sheaves from a
field which he has never ploughed. And so it was in
this instance. Palladius went forth to labour on the
Irish coast, his mission failed, yet even then another was
preparing in silence, in penitential exercises, and with
many prayers, whose harvest will continue for centuries,
and only end when kingdoms and peoples have ceased
to be.
The attempt and failure of Palladius is thus related
in the Book of Armagh :—" Palladius, Archdeacon of
Pope Celestine, Bishop of Eome, and forty-fifth successor of St. Peter in the Apostolic See, was ordained
and sent to convert this island, lying under wintry
cold. But he was unsuccessful, for no one can receive
anything from earth unless it be given to him from
heaven ; and neither did these fierce barbarians receive
his doctrine readily, nor did he himself wish to remain
long [transigere tempus] in a land not his own; wherefore, he returned to him who sent him. On his way,
however, after passing the first sea, having begun his
land journey, he died in the territory of the Britons/'
Some further information is given in the Scholiast
on St. Fiacc's Hymn, and we are told that " he founded
some churches, viz., Teach-na-Koman, or house of the
Romans, Killfine, and others. Nevertheless he was
not well received by the people, but was forced to sail

TJie Mission of St. Palladius.

101

around the coast towards the north, until he was driven
by a tempest to the land of the Picts, where he founded
the Church of Fordun, and there he is known by the
name of Pledi."
The Vita Secunda gives fuller details.
"The most blessed Pope Celestine ordained bishop the
archdeacon of the Eoman Church, named Palladius, and
sent him into the Island of Hibernia, giving to him relics
of the blessed Peter and Paul, and other saints ; and,
moreover, the volumes of the Old and New Testament : entering the land of the Scots, arrived at the
territory of the men of Leinster, where Nathi MacG-arrehon was chief, who was opposed to him. Others,
however, whom the divine mercy had disposed towards
the worship of God, having been baptized in the name
of the sacred Trinity, the blessed Palladius built three
churches in the same district—one which is called Killfine (i. e. Church of Finte, perhaps the present Dunlavin), in which, even to the present day, he left his
books received from St. Celestine, and the box of the
relics of SS. Peter and Paul, and other saints, and the
tables on which he used to write, which, in Irish, are
called from his name, Pallere,—that is, the burden of
Palladius, and are held in veneration. Another was
called Teach-na-Koman, the house of the Eomans; and
the third, Dumnach-Arclech (Donard, near Dunlavin),
in which repose the holy.companions of Palladius, viz.,
Sylvester and Salonius, who are still honoured there.

102

Life of St.

Patrick.

After a short time Palladius died at Fordun, but others
say that he was crowned with martyrdom there/'
In the Vita Quarta the arrival of Palladius is also
recorded :
"When, therefore, Palladius arrived in the territory of
the Lagenians, he began to preach the Word of God.
But as the Almighty had not predestined the Irish
people to be brought by him from the errors of heathenism to the faith of the holy and undivided Trinity, he
remained there only a few days. Nevertheless, some
few did believe through him, and in the same district he
founded three churches, one of which is called (Chitrch
Finte Ecclesia Finte) in which, to the present day, are
preserved his books, received from St. Celestine, and a
box with the relics of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul,
and other saints, and the tablets on which he used to
write, which are called from his name in Irish, Fallad-ir,
and are held in great veneration. Another church was
built by the disciples of Palladius, viz. : Silvester and
Solinus, whose relics, after some time, were carried to
the Island of Boethin, and are there held in due honour.
But St. Palladius, seeing that he could not do much
good there, was anxious to return to Eome, and migrated
to the Lord in the region of the Picts. Others, however, say that he was crowned with martyrdom in
Ireland."
After carefully weighing conflicting evidence, it appears there is a possibility that St. Patrick may have

St. Patrick's Relatives.

103

been born in Scotland, where his parents were at that
time residing. Many legends are related of his early
years, and unless we are prepared to deny the miraculous
occurrences in the Lives of the Saints altogether, there
is no other reason why they should be questioned. His
family were noble and wealthy, although, for reasons
already given, it is scarcely possible that Potitius could
have acted as a Eoman magistrate at Athcluaid; he
doubtless was there on some special mission, as this was
not the family home.
His mother, Conchessa, the sister6 of the great St.
Martin, was of good family also, as the world reputes.
Her father was a pagan, and a tribune of the Imperial
army. St. Martin was born in Pannonia, at a village
called Sabaria, but his parents removed from Hungary
to Pavia, in Italy, while he was still a youth, and at
the age of ten he escaped from home that he might
become a monk., The laws of the Imperial army obliged
him to serve twenty campaigns, and his own father
assisted in capturing the fugitive, so that he was compelled to become a soldier. With his further history
we have no concern at present.
6
Sister.—The word used by Irish writers is shir; this is applied to neices,
cousins, and often to sisters in religion. There are chronological difficulties
in the way of supposing that Conchessa was St. Martin's sister. Tn the year
385, when, according to the most probable calculation, St. Patrick was only a
year old, St. Martin was sixty-nine, and Conchessa could be scarcely more
than twenty years his junior. There can be no doubt, however, that St.
Martin and Conchessa were nearly related ; and she may have been bis sister.
The date is fixed by the fact that it was in this year St. Martin went to
Treves, where the Emperor Maximilian held his court, to arrange some
ecclesiastial affairs.

104

Life of St.

Patrick

Many legends are related of the saint's early life.
Like St. Benedict, he had a nurse to whom, it would
appear, that he was attached, and who was devoted to
her charge. The Tripartite gives these details, and they
are also mentioned in the Second and Third Lives. It
is said that the saint was baptized by a priest, named
Gormias, who was blind. There was no water at hand,
and the priest made the sign of the cross over the ground
with the hands of the infant, when a spring immediately
gushed forth. According to another account, the blind
man was a layman, but all agree that he recovered his
sight by washing in the water which had been miraculously procured. He was able also to read the office,
although he had been ignorant of letters hitherto. 7
It was, indeed, fitting that such a miracle should
occur at the birth of one who was destined by Providence to bring the light of faith to thousands, and great
undoubtedly as the miracle of restoring or giving sight
may seem, far greater and far more wonderful was the
exercise of Divine power by which, through the instrumentality of Patrick, spiritual sight was given to those
who sat in darkness and the shadow of death. Those
7 Hitherto.—In the Second and Third Lives the person who baptized St.
Patrick is said to have been a priest. In the Fourth Life he is said to have
been a certain holy man, blind from his birth [Sanctum virum a nativitate
ccecum]. Joeelyn states that St. Patrick had been baptized before, and that
Gormias was told in a dream that he would recover his sight if he went to the
newly baptized child, made the sign of the cross on the ground with the
infant's hands, and bathed his eyes in the fountain which should spring
forth. In the preface to the copy of the Hymn of St. Sechnall, preserved in
the Leabhar breac, Gormias is called a priest, and the miracle is said to have
taken place at the baptism of the saint. All agree in describing Gormias as
flat-faced (tabulata facie).

St. Patrick's Baptism,

105

who are familiar with, the Lives of the Saints will recal
many instances in which the birth of those destined for
some great end has been signalized by some special and
characteristic miracle Before the birth of St. Francis of
Assisi, angels were heard singing ; and by the command
of a pilgrim stranger, his mother was laid on a bed of
straw before his birth. A chapel, built on the site of
the stable where he was born, is still shown at Assisi.
On the day of his baptism a mysterious visitor appeared,
who took the infant in his arms, and. after caressing
him for some time, made the sign of the cross on his
right shoulder. The mark remained thereon, and he
returned him to his nurse, desiring her to have a special
care of her charge, as the devil, whose power he would
so vigorously oppose at a future period, would use every
means to injure him.
Many instances are recorded in which persons have
obtained the power of reading who had never been
taught letters, or of the knowledge of languages of which
they had been hitherto ignorant
Perhaps the best
authenticated and most wonderful account of the latter
power may be found in the Life of St. Francis Xavier,
the great apostle of the Indies. In the report in the
cause of this saint, the auditors of the Rota thus speak :
" Xavier was illustrious for the gift of tongues, for he
spoke the languages of different nations, which he had
never learned, with fluency and eloquence."
The
same statement is made with regard to St. Lewis
Bertrand and several other saints.
1ST

106

Life of St.

Patrick

The Tripartite Life states that many miracles were
wrought by St. Patrick in his youth, but that only a
few of them are related. There is some not very clear
tradition about a stone or rock on which, according to
Jocelyn, St. Patrick was born, which is also connected
with the legend that a leper made the journey from
Gaul to Ireland on this stone. I am aware that even
Catholics may smile at the idea of such a statement
being mentioned as even possible ; but those who question such miracles must first say where the line should
be drawn between what is possible or impossible to
God. If to Him all things are possible, the only
question which remains is whether we have sufficient
historical evidence for any miracle, and we must not
reject a miracle merely because it seems to us to surpass our ideas of possibility ; nor should we even refuse to
believe the accounts of such events if given to us on the
same evidence that we would accept for what may be
termed ordinary incidents in the life of a saint. In
writing of another subject, Dr. Todd has well remarked
that we should " beware, lest if we cast out the rubbish
without sifting, we should cast out also precious stones
which have long lain concealed in the mass."8 He
8
Mass.—Memoir of St. Patrick, p. 366. The reader may remember that
St. Kaymond of Pennefort sailed from Majorca to Barcelona on his cloak, a
distance of sixty leagues. King James had threatened with death any person
who should attempt to carry him out of the island. The saint, full of faith,
exclaimed :—" An earthly king would deprive us of the means of withdrawal,
but a heavenly king will supply them." He then went to the shore, cast his
mantle upon the wTaves, and having tied up one corner of it to his staff to serve
as a sail, he stepped upon the frail barque without fear, and was safely landed

St. Patrick's Early Miracles.

107

had found that statements of fact, which had been
utterly rejected as purely fabulous, were, in one instance
at least, proved by subsequent research to be true.
According to the account in Jocelyn, there was a
rock near the place where St. Patrick was baptized, on
which, according to some, he was born, and according
to others, he said Mass. Here persons were brought
when there was any controversy between neighbours,
and both parties placed their hands upon the stone after
receiving the sacrament; if any person perjured himself, water at once came forth where his hand touched
the rock.9
The Vita Secunda gives the same account briefly.
The Vita Tertia uses almost the same words. The Vita
Quarta gives the narrative more briefly, but also states
distinctly that St. Patrick was born on the stone : natus
autem fertur super lapidem qui illic honorifice habetur.
Probus (Quinta Vita) does not mention this rock, nor
does he give any of the miracles of the saint's early life.
The Sexta Vita (Jocelyn) gives the details already
in about six hours at Barcelona. His arrival was witnessed by hundreds.
This miracle was one of those which were accepted for his canonization, and it
is well known how rigorously all such miracles are examined. If God could
permit such a miracle, it would be as easy to believe that St. Patrick's stone
could have borne the leper in safety from Gaul to Ireland. St. Raymond was
born A. D. 1175.
9
Rode.—Colgan, p. 65. Jocelyn says that St. Mel is his authority for his
statement about this rock. Colgan appended a note in which he says
none of the Lives which he has given mentions this, but that it is taken from
some Life of St. Patrick written by St. Mel. This appears to have been
known to Jocelyn, as he says St. Mel testified to having seen the stone. St.
Mel is the patron saint of the diocese of Longford.

108

Life of St.

Patrick

mentioned. The Tripartite (Sejptima Vita) does not
even allude to the subject.
There is, however, a vellum MS. in Trinity College,
Dublin, of the fifteenth century, which throws additional
light on the account given by Jocelyn. It is very short,
and is written in irregularly measured prose, in ancient
language, and with an interlined gloss. It is headed :
"Finn, the grandson of Baiscne, cennit, foretelling of
Patrick, when he slipped off the flag on which he afterwards came to Erinn." The MS. consists of about
thirty lines, and commences thus :
" It is not the path of crime my foot has come,
I t is not a decline of strength that has come upon me,
But it is the warrior's stone this stone rejects :
He is a distinguished man for whom the stone rejects me,
[A man] With dignities from the Holy Spirit {i.e. the dignity of a bishop)."

Professor O'Curry considers that the heading is
defective by two words, and that it should run thus :
"Finn, the grandson of Baiscne, cennit, predicting of
Patrick, when he [Finn] slipped off the flag-stone upon
which [the leper] came afterwards to Erinn."
The legend of the leper and the flagstone is this :
When St. Patrick was leaving the coast of Britain to
come over to Erinn on his mission, j ast as the ship had
cast off from the shore, a poor leprous man came on the
beach, 'and begged earnestly to be taken on board.
Patrick was willing to put back, and take him up ; but
the crew refused, and the ships moved on. The poor
leper still continued his entreaties, whereupon, Patrick

The Legend of the Leper and the Flagstone.

109

took his altar-stone (which, in the old writings, is called
the stone altar), and casting it on the water within
reach of the leper, desired him to sit on it and be quiet,
This the leper did, and immediately the stone moved,
following the ship throughout its course until they
reached the harbour of Wicklow, where the leper was
one of the first to land; after which the saint again
took possession of his " Stone Altar." This stone is
spoken of as an altar in the text of this prophecy, and
with the promise that as long as it lives in Erinn,
Patrick's children in Christ will live in his doctrines.
It is not improbable that there was an ancient legend,
which is not now known, of the history of this stone
before Patrick consecrated it to holy purposes.
In
this, as in the former prophecies, Patrick is called the
Taileenn.1
From the account of this stone, as given both by
Jocelyn and by this old manuscript, it is clear that
there was both a stone and a rock. There can be little
doubt that the altar-stone which St. Patrick brought
to Ireland would be an object of especial veneration.
From the earliest ages of the Church it was customary to
celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass over the relics of the
saints, and the stone, honoured because a fragment of
their relics was enshrined, became incomparably more
honourable when it had been used as a resting-place for
the Body of Christ. It might, indeed, be expected that
1

Taileenn.—Curry's Lectures, p. 300.

HO

Life of St.

Patrick

the attention of a pagan people of peculiarly impressionable character should be drawn by some special miracle
to the altar-stone brought to Ireland by tiie saint to
whom thousands should owe their conversion. By the
almighty power of God, the leper might sail as safely
upon the altar-stone as St. Eaymond upon his mantle.
The question for consideration would be, not whether
the All Powerful could work the one miracle or the other,
but whether there is sufficient evidence to prove that
He did work either. In the case of St. Raymond there
can be no reasonable doubt, the miracle having been
one of those approved for the process of his canonization.
In the case of our own saint there is, at least, sufficient
evidence to prove a strong traditionary belief that some
such miracle had happened.
The Eock of Cashel is still called Carraig Phatraic, or
Patrick's Eock; but it was commonly called Leac
Phatraic, or Patrick's Flagstone, another evidence in
favour of the tradition. In the manuscript already
quoted, which is called a Prophecy of St. Patrick, the
angels are said to wait for the coming of the saint in
Core's city. Cashel was founded by Core Mac Lughadh,
who was king of Munster at the time when St. Patrick
came to Ireland. And here also we find another legend
of the great apostle.
When Flann was king of Munster, A.D. 622-633, he
resided at Cashel, and St. Mochaembrog settled in the
neighbourhood. This king sent some horses to graze in
a meadow which belonged to the saint, who expelled

The Saint's four Names.

Ill

the intruders. The saint went at once to Cash el, obtained an interview with the king, and settled matters
peaceably. Some nights after this the king had a
vision, in which he beheld a venerable old man, who
took him to the southern battlements of the walls of
Cashel. Here he showed him a host of " white saints."
Flann inquired who they were, and was informed that
they were St. Patrick and the saints of Erinn, who had
come to the relief of St. Mochaembrog, and was further
told by his guide that if he did not make peace with
the saint he would soon die.
St. Patrick received the name of Succat at his baptism.
In the Scholiast, on the Hymn of St. Fiacc, it is said that
this name is English, and signifies the " god of war/' or
" strong in war," an appropriate appellation for one who
was to fight against the demon of idolatry, and to win
the victory for a whole nation. His Irish masters called
him Cothraige, or, as it is written in some of the lives,
Quadriga. This name is mentioned in the MS. which
we have lately quoted thus : " Until comes the powerful Tailceann, who will heal everyone who shall believe ;
whose children shall be perpetual as long as Cothringhes,
Patrick's Eock shall live."2 In the Glossary Cothraighe
is explained as another name for Patrick. It would
almost appear, from the way in which this name is mentioned, as if it were used as a generic term to express
servitude to four masters. The author of the Vita
2

Live.— O'Curry's Lectures, p. 623.

112

Life of St.

Patrick.

Secunda, which, the late Dr. Todd considers a very
ancient authority, says : Illic Quadriga nomen accepit,
quia equorum quatuor clomibus serviebat. Et erat
quadrinomius : nam prixrmm Succet vocatus est: a serviendo vero quatuor domibus Quotirche vocabulum
sumpsit et eis quatuor divitibus cum omni cordis devotione servivit. St. Fiacc gives a similar interpretation
of the name :
"Cothraige lie was called, for as a slave he served four families."

The word Cothraige being glossed thus : " The name
of Cothraige attached to him, i.e., four families; i.e.,
he used to do the work of four tribes.
It is said that St. Germain gave him the name of
Magonius, and finally he obtained the name of Patrick,
by which he is best known, from Pope Celestine.3
The saint does not mention any of his family individually except his father, but the names of his sisters,
and his sisters' sons have been preserved. In the " Cause
of Patrick's coming to Erinn," we are told that his two
sisters were taken captive with him. Only one name is
mentioned, Lupait, but it is added after that his two
sisters were sold in Conaille Miurtheimhue, but that he
did not know it.
iEngus, the Culdee, in his book " On the Mothers of
the Saints in Ireland," has the following entry :
" Lupait, sister of Patrick, was the mother of the seven
3

Celestine. —See Historical Preface to tlie Liber Hynmorum, p. 27.

The Saint's Relatives.

113

sons of the Ua Baird, i.e., Sechnall, Neehtan, Dabonna,
Mogornan, Darigoc, Ausille, Priest Lugnath.
Colgan has shown that Lupait is an error for Liemania.4
The veracity of this genealogy has been verified, like
many other facts in Celtic hagiography, which were long
disputed by the discovery of the tombstone where the
mortal remains of Lugnath were laid to rest. It might
be expected that the sepulchre of any relative of St.
Patrick would have special honour, and no doubt the
ravages of time and. barbarians, both modern and
ancient, have conspired to deprive us of some of the
most important of our archaeological treasures in this
department This tombstone, in characters which may,
with almost certainty, be regarded as not later than the
beginning of the sixth century, bears the following
inscription;
LIE LUGNAEDON
MACCLMENUE,

I The Stone of Lugnaed,
I
Son of Limania,

Where it will be observed that Lugnaedon is the
Celtic genitive of Lugnad or Lugna, the name given to
the youngest of the seven sons of Liamain or Limania.
The name of Sechnall will be observed as the first
on the list of Limania's seven sons. In the preface to
St. Sechnairs Hymn or Poem on the Life of S t Patrick,
as given by Colgan, it is said that his father was one of
the Longobards of Italy [Italise], and that his name was
4

Liemania.—Colgan, p. 227, where the whole subject of S t Patrick's
relatives is fully treated*
0

114

Life of St.

Patrick

Eestitutus. In the preface to the same hymn, contained
in the Leabhar Brcac, the details are given more at
length, thus :
Sechnall, viz., the son of Eestitutus, was he who
made this hymn in honour of Patrick ; for he was a
disciple of Patrick, and he was also the son of Patrick's
sister; and he was of the Longobards of Letha,5 ut dixit
Eodhaich OTlannagan.
" Sechnall, son of Ua Baird, the gifted,
The most gifted of living men,
Of the race of the pure, firm, white-coloured
Longobards of Letha."

Two other persons are also said to have been sons of
Limania, probably because they were sons of a Ua
Baird f they were Comitius, Bishop of Cluain-sean-moil,
now Clonshanville, co. Boscommon, and Diarmaid, who
is mentioned in the Tripartite as the nephew of St.
Patrick,
Dr. Lanigan, with a mistaken eagerness to show that
he was above what the world calls prejudice, made the
5

Letha*—Liber Hymnorum, p. 29.
Ua Baird.—It is a disputed point whether the Longobards were so called
from the length of their beards, or from an ancestor named Bard. Then
there is also a question aboub the origin of the Longobards, who are mentioned at a still earlier period than the present in Irish History. Dr. Todd
conjectures that Restitutus may have been a Longobard of Armorica, or
northern Letha, and adds : on the whole, it is possible that there may be
found more golden grains of true history in these rude and seeming blunders
about Longobards of Letha, than would at first sight seem probable to the
modern readers."—Liber Hym. p. 39. Perhaps, also, there might be found
"golden grains" in the " rude" legends which the modern critic is so ready
to reject without the slightest inquiry as to whether it is even possible that
such things could be true, neither the legend in the history should be rejected
merely for their " rudeness."
6

Golden Grains of Truth

115

rash mistake of being above believing on the mere
evidence of early Irish historians much which has, since
his day, been proved to be simple truth. Thus, while
rejecting the accounts of hagiographers as to the
number of St. Patrick's relatives, he overlooked the
" golden grains " of truth on which these accounts were
founded.
The fact that so many persons were mentioned led the
learned doctor to consider that none of them existed.
A more thoughtful mind, or perhaps we should rather
say one more free from the fear of being thought too
bigoted, would have drawn precisely the opposite conclusion. The discovery of the tombstone of Lugnath,
which may still be seen with its ancient Inscription on
the island of Inis-an-ghoill, in Lough Corrib, should be a
warning to all who rashly refuse to believe what they
are pleased to consider improbable.
And now we return once more to the " golden grains"
of legend. It would appear that the saint, like St.
Francis of Assisi, and Blessed Martin Porres the Dominican, had been given, even from his earliest years,
a special power over nature and the animal creation.
Adam and Eve forfeited the peace of Paradise for the
tumult of sin and the world. But in their primeval
state of innocence they were given full power over all
creatures. The world was full of life when Adam first
gazed upon it. The leopard and the lamb, the lion and
the kid, were alike under his control. But when he
rebelled against the control of the Creator of all things,

116

Life of St.

Patrick

his power, which had been only delegated, ceased at once
and for ever. He was only ruler because he obeyed ;
when he ceased to obey his power to rule ceased also.
But the Eternal mercy had provided a remedy, and in
proportion as man availed himself of this remedy, he
obtained some degree of his former power. Hence the
most saintly, who are simply those who obey God's will
most perfectly, obtained the most perfect control over
the lower creation.
The lion-tamer goes into the den of wild beasts with
his loaded whip in one hand and his deadly weapon in
the other. If he falters for a moment or forgets a weapon,
a terrible fate awaits him. By brute force he makes
some attempt to control brute force. Not so the saint.
His power is not his own. He needs no earthly weapon
when he would tame the wolf or the bear. The force
he uses is the Eternal Power communicated to him by
the Eternal will. He goes forth, not to attempt conquest,
but as a conqueror. Fire has no power to burn him,
cold has no power to chill him, the rain may fall on
others, but he passes along dry shod, even across rivers.
The wolf obeys his bidding, and forsakes his natural
prey, and the tree falls as he wills it to fall, and not
according to the ordinary laws of nature.
Countless instances might be given of this glorious
prerogative of true sanctity. The man of science may
calculate the distance of the stars, the motions of light,
the disturbing cause of changes in our system; he may
discover wise remedies which shall heal in time the

The Saints Power over Animals.

117

diseases incident to our earthly being. But the man of
God can alone rule those elements. Who, then, is the
most powerful and who the most wise % He who makes
conjectures about science, or he who ,can control those
effects and alter those causes %
There are few, even amongst non-Catholics, who are
not in some degree familiar with the acts of the early
martyrs. Those acts have been transmitted to us for
the most part with unquestionable authority. In them
we find frequent instances, in which the ferocious and
hungry animals refused to touch the saints, whom heathen philosophers, in their ignorance, were so anxious
to destroy. And it was not unfrequently the martyrs
themselves who were obliged to arouse as best they
might the courage and natural desire of the lion and
the tiger,
In the acts of the well-known child martyr, St. Agnes,
we find that fire had no power to hurt her, yet the
flames were so fierce and the furnace into which she was
cast so powerful, that several of the pagans who stood
around were burned to ashes. But Agnes stood in the
midst calm and peaceful, while the fiery element formed
an arch of triumph around and over her. Again, we
read of saints whom cold was powerless to hurt, and
who passed dry shod over rivers, and through torrents
of rain.
It is related in the life of St. Leonard of Port Maurice,
a Franciscan friar, lately canonized, that he was often
exposed to torrents of rain in his journeys, and yet that

118

Life of St

Patrick.

the garments lie wore were not wet. St. Peter of Alcantara was known to have passed across rivers several
times without the water touching him. The miracle
performed by St. Martin of Tours, when he by the
Sign of the Cross caused the falling tree^ to turn in a
direction exactly opposite to that to which it inclined,
is a matter of history.
Thus it will be seen, that however wonderful may
have been the miracles performed by St. Patrick, they
are not more wonderful than those which have been
performed by other saints. The writer of the Tripartite
Life observes, after mentioning the baptism of St
Patrick, that " God performed three miracles through
Patrick at this place—viz., the fountain of water
through the ground, his eyes to the blind man, and his
reading the ordo of baptism without knowing a letter up
to that-time.*
Several other noticeable miracles are related as having happened while he was still a child. On one occasion the house was flooded where his nurse lived, and as
even the fire was extinguished no food could be cooked.
The child had asked for food, but the nurse replied
7 Time.—There are several instances of saints having learned to read miraculously. In the Life of St. Catherine of Sienna we are told that she learned how to
read without having been taught by anyone. She herself informed her confessor, Blessed Raymond of Capua, who has written her life, that after she had
spent several weeks in fruitless efforts to learn even the alphabet, she prayed
to our Lord to enable her to learn to read, so that she might at least be able to
recite the Divine Office, if it was His holy will. ' ' Before the end of her prayer, she
was able to read every kind of manuscript as rapidly and as perfectly as the
most highly educated person." See the Life of this saint, translated and published in America.

The Miracles of his Childhood.

119

that they must have a fire kindled before his desire
could be attained. St. Patrick then went to a part of the
house which the water had not yet reached. Here
he dipped his fingers in some water, and as five
drops fell from his five fingers they were miraculously
changed into sparks of fire, and the fire glowed,
and the water rose not. On another occasion,
when playing with his companions in winter, he
brought his nurse home an armful of ice sheets.8
The intense cold of a severe winter had probably caused
some difficulty in procuring fire-wood, and the nurse
exclaimed that it would be better if he had brought her
some fagots to burn. The boy replied that it was easy
for fire to prevail over water, if God willed that it
should be so ; and then, casting the ice upon the fire,
he made the sign of the cross and breathed over it.
Even as he did, long streams of flame came forth, which
gave light and heat to all; and as those who surrounded
this marvellous fire looked and wondered, they beheld
flames of light9 issuing also from the saint's face, even as
8
Ice sheets.—In the Life of St. Peter of Alcantara a miracle of a somewhat
similar nature is recorded. On one occasion, in winter, the saint had plunged
into a pond of ice, either through mortification or to cool the bodily heat which
the fire of divine love caused him to suffer continually. To the amazement of
all, the ice at once melted, and the waters of the pond commenced to boil as
if they had been contained in a vessel placed over a large furnace. It was
often remarked that snow melted at once when he came near it.—Life of St.
Peter of Alcantara ; by Father de Beavain, S. J., vol. ii. p. 63.
9
Light.—In the second Book of Machabees we find a remarkable instance in
which water was sprinkled on the sacrifices, and a great fire was kindled at
which all the people wondered. Jocelyn has remarked this in the chapter in
which he relates the miracle of the ice being converted into fire.—Colgan, c. v.

120

Life of St.

Patrick

of old the face of Moses was made radiant by the light
of God.
It may be that the miracle was intended to be
emblematic of the flames of Divine love which he was
to enkindle by the words of his mouth in the icy hearts
of the pagan Celts. It would appear that St. Patrick,
as a boy, had been employed in tending sheep before
his enforced servitude. Indeed in those primitive
ages such occupations were not considered a degradation or a merely menial duty unless performed by
slaves. Once, while he and his sister were thus engaged
the lambs came suddenly to their mothers, and Patrick
hastened with his sister to drive them away. As they
ran the little girl fell, and to all appearance she had
received a fatal blow ; the young saint at once raised
her up, and made the sign of the cross on her over the
wound, which was instantly healed.1 Only the "white
wound" remained to testify to the miracle. Once, also,
their flock was attacked by a wolf, who carried off a
sheep.
The nurse reproached St. Patrick for his
neglect in permitting this, but on the following day the
wolf appeared again, and brought back the sheep with
p. 66. Frequent mention is made in the Lives of the Saints of supernatural
light, or rays appearing to surround them, or to be emitted from them, when
they were working miracles or absorbed in prayer. In the depositions made
for the canonization of St. Paul of the Cross, it is said that on one occasion
specially his countenance lighted up, and brilliant rays flashed from his face.—
Life of St. Paul of the Cross, p. 122.
1
Healed.—This sister is called Lupita by Colgan, p. 118. The devotion
of St. Patrick's nurse to her charge reminds us of St. Benedict's nurse, who
so faithfully tended him, and even followed him into the desert.—Monks of
the West, vol. ii. p. 6.

St. Patrick Taming the Mad Ox.

He Restores some Animals to Life.

123

him. Like the nurse of St. Benedict, this good woman
wished never to leave her charge, and was equally
faithful to him, and well she might be, when she saw
him thus " magnified by God " in prodigies and miracles.
At one time he restored five cows to life who had been
killed by a vicious cow; at another time, when he
went to some assembly with his nurse and guardian,
the latter fell dead, but was restored to life by the
prayers of St. Patrick. On another occasion, his nurse
reproached him because he did not bring home supplies of wild honey as other boys did, and. Patrick
returned to the well, filled his bucket with water, and
at once it was changed into the purest honey. Again,
when a tribute 2 of curds and butter was required, and
there was none to supply the demand, St. Patrick made
curds and butter of the snow.
It is scarcely possible to read the Life of any saint
without finding a record of similar miracles; but perhaps the most noteworthy of all may be found in the
Life of Blessed Sebastian, of Apparizio, a lay brother of
the Order of St. Francis. It is related of him, that
hearing a person was about to kill one of his oxen because it could not be tamed, he asked for it, and by one
look tamed it so completely that it followed him home
like a lamb. Several other incidents of a similar kind
2
Tribute.— It will be remembered that in those times tribute was usually
paid in kind. The Book of Rights lays down with great exactness the various
tributes which were demanded by the Irish chieftains from their subjects;
the custom obtained also in other countries, though it was not carried out so
systematically.

124

Life of St.

Patrick

are also related. The power which St. Francis of
Assisi possessed over the animal creation is almost too
well known to need more than a passing allusion. One
of his disciples, St. Joseph of Cupertino, restored a
number of sheep to life who had been killed by a hail
storm, and whose loss would have proved a serious calamity to a poor man. Many miracles also have been
performed in the way of procuring food when necessary,
in all ages of the Church. Even in our own clay such
a miracle, or rather many such, were performed by the
saintly Cure of Ars, whose name will doubtless ere long
be added to the glorious catalogue of the Church's
saints.3
3
Saints.—It is a common excuse when miracles are mentioned for people to
say that miracles do not happen now. They do happen, and are quite as
frequent and as wonderful as they have ever been. Those who question the
possibility of a miracle happening in the nineteenth century, and those who
question the miracles related in the Life of St. Patrick, are referred to the
Life of the Cure of Ars, who died in the year 1859.

Chapter IV.
St. Patrick's Captivity and Release.

AINT PATRICK has given us himself an
account of his captivity and subsequent
trials. He commences his Confession
withthe history of his captivity and the
age at which he was taken from his
father's house. The expressions of humility which he uses must be taken
with a qualification. The saints have ever considered
themselves the most unworthy and the most ignorant
of mankind. Hence, when St. Patrick says, that he
was ignorant of God (Deum verum ignorabam), we
cannot for a moment suppose that he had not learned
and practised the Christian faith. Indeed, this could

126

Life of St.

Patrick

be scarcely possible, since lie himself informs us, that
his father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest.
That such could not be his meaning, also, is evident
from his account of the way in which he devoted
himself to prayer while in captivity. The holy lessons which he then practised could only have been
learned in a pious household, and the value of such
early training was fully proved by the saint's subsequent conduct.
Organized expeditions for the purpose of procuring
slaves from foreign countries were then frequently
planned and effectively carried out by the Irish princes.
This is proved by the twofold testimony of history and
legal enactments. According to the best and most carefully computed chronology, St. Patrick was captured in
A.D. 400, and remained in captivity until A.D..406.. The
famous Nial of the nine Hostages was then king of
Ireland, and was devoted to hostile expeditions against
the Britons and Gauls. Indeed the Scoti, or Irish, were
almost as formidable and as celebrated plunderers in
this age as the Danes were at a later period; Even
the Latin poet Claudian1 has mentioned, that troops
were sent by Stilicho, the general of Theodosius the
Great, to resist Mai's adventurous hosts. Nial was
slain in one of these expeditions, at " Muir-n-Icht, the
sea between France and England/' which is supposed
1

Claudian:—
. . . Totam cum Scotus Iernem
Movit, et infesto spumavit remige Tethys.

The Saint's Capture in Gaul.

127

to have been so designated from the Portus Iccius of
Osesar.
There can be little doubt that St. Patrick was captured in one of these expeditions. The Book of Rights
informs us that " foreigners/' were especially required
to be presented as slaves to certain princes, and were in
fact amongst the " rights " to which they laid claim,
and which were sternly exacted. The provincial kings,
and even the chief monarch or Ard-Kigh, were not
exempt from this obligation, and were bound to present
their vassals also with certain presents.
Thus we
find :—
The stipend of the King of Burghrigh
From the King of Eire without sorrow—
Ten tunics brown-red.
Ten foreigners without G-aedhealga [Irish].

And the King of Cineal Aodha was entitled to—
Five sheilds, five slender swords, •
Five bondsmen [brought] over the bristling surface of the sea,
Five fair haired, truly fine women.2

In the Historical Preface to the Hymn of St. Sechnall
the cause of Patrick's coming to Erin is thus related:
" This is the way it happened, viz. : the seven sons of
Sechmaidhe, king of Britain, that were in banishment,
ravaged Armoric-Leatha. They happened to come
2
Women.—Book of Rights, p. 86 and 131. Burghrigh, now Bruree. The
king of this district was called 0'Donovan, and his country lay on the west
side of the Shannon. The kings of Cineal Aodha were of the race of Aedh
[Anglicised Hugh] though the territory was called Eas Ruidh, now Assoroe,
from the cataract of that name at Ballyshannon.

128

i
|
I
I
j
1

|
|
l

Life of St.

Patrick

upon a party of the Britons, of Ercluaide, on that
occasion in Armoric-Leatha. Calpurn, son of Fothaid,
Patrick's father, was killed there, and Patrick and his
two sisters were taken captive there. The sons of Sechtmaidhe went afterwards over the sea to Erin, and
Lupait was sold there in Conaille Muirtheimhue, and
Patrick was sold to Miluic, son of Ua-Buain, in DalAraidhe, and to his three brothers, and they sold his
two sisters in Conaille Muirtheimhue, but they did not
know it.3
In the Scholiast on Fiacc's Hymn, as given by Colgan,
the account is substantially the same. We find, however, that his mother is said to be the daughter of
Ochmuis (mater Conchessa Ocmusii filia). This agrees
with the narrative as given in the Tripartite, where,
however, it is added that his mother was a " daughter
of Ocbas of the Gauls, i.e., of the Franks." The Scholiast mentions a brother of the saint, who is called
Sannan, and five sisters, named Lupait, Tigris, Libmain, Darerea, and Cinnemun. These are not mentioned in the Tripartite.
St. Patrick himself states that thousands were carried
captive into Ireland, a statement which is amply confirmed by the history of the period. The saint was sold
to four men, who probably had united in procuring
slaves from Gaul. One of these eventually bought the
3
It.—Liber Hymnorum, p. 27, 28. Conaille Muirtheimhue was the name
of the tribe who inhabited that part of the present county Louth extending
from the Cooley mountains to the Boyna

The Saint in Captivity.

129

captive from the others, doubtless seeing that he would
thereby secure a faithful servant for himself. There has
been no question as to the place where St. Patrick
spent his six years of servitude, or of the persons whom
he served. A leaf is missing both from the Bodleian
and British Museum MS. of the Tripartite ; but as the
Latin translation of Colgan is remarkably accurate, there
is no difficulty in supplying the details of the saint's
captivity, even were there not other sources of information.
The circumstances of the saint's servitude are thus
related in the Preface to St. SechnalFs Hymn :
" Four persons purchased Patrick, and Miluic was one of them ;
and from this he had the name of Cothrighe. Afterwards he did
not serve four houses ; but when Miluic saw that he was a faithful
servant he purchased him from the other three, so that he served
him alone to the end of seven years, according to the custom of
the Hebrews ; and he suffered much hardship in the wilderness of
Siiabh Mis in Dal-Araidhe, tending the swine."

St. Patrick has himself told us how dreadful were the
pains of his servitude. The nights were passed in the
woods or on the mountains. In the summer he was
exposed to burning heat, in the winter to bitter cold.
Yet this servitude was to him but the preparation for
eternal freedom. Like St. Vincent of Paul, he served
his cruel masters faithfully for love of the Great
Master. Like him also he prayed day and night,
and his vigour of mind (et spiritus augebatur) increased,
and Divine love was his compensation for earthly suf-

130

Life of St.

Patrick

fering. Well might lie say that the spirit was fervent
within him (quia tunc in me spiritus fervebat), when one
hundred times in the day and one hundred times in the
night he made his prayer to God. The snow, the rain,
the frost, were alike powerless to injure him, for the
divine fire within was such that he felt no harm.
This is the saint's own statement, delivered calmly
years after the event, though it may excite a smile of
contempt from the would-be philosopher. But Patrick
had learned another philosophy and a higher science.
Such contempt could harm him as little then as
now.4
' There were two districts in the North of Ireland
known by almost similar appellations. These were DalEiada and Dal-Araide. The former obtained its name
from Carbry Eiacla (long arm) or, as Bede calls him,
Beucla, one of the three Carbrys, whose names are
famous in the pre-Christian history of Erinn. He established a colony in Scotland, in connection with the
head-quarters of his clan, which were established in the
present county of Antrim. The Scotch colony obtained
the name of Airer Gaedhil, which has been modernized
into Argyle. The district of Dalaraida was that in which
4

ISoio.— It will be remembered that St. Vincent of Paul was taken captive
by African pirates. At Tunis he was sold to a fisherman, who, finding he
could not bear the sea, sold him to a physician. On the death of this master
he was sold to a renegade Christian, whom he converted by his piety and
prayers, and with whom eventually he escaped across the Mediterranean to
Marseilles. In his captivity, and while working laboriously for his hard
masters, he consoled himself, like St. Patrick, with reciting or singing the
Psalms of David.

The Place of the Saint's Captivity.

131

St. Patrick spent his six years of servitude. It took its
name from Fiacha Araidhe, who was king of Ulster in
,236. This district extended from the present town
of Newry, county Down, to Sliabh Mis, now Slemish,
in the county Antrim. 5
St. Patrick's master was king of North Dalaraida ; he
is thus mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters :
A.D. 388, Milchuo, son of Hua Buain, king of North
Dalaraida. In. the Tripartite Life he is called " Milcho
Buani Alius Princeps Dalaradia)." Dalaraida, as Dr.
Peeves has well observed, not only enjoyed a succession
of chieftains from a very early date, but also held an
important place amongst the Irish principalities.6
The writer of the Scholiast on St. Fiacc's Hymn states
that Milcho dwelt in Arcuil, a valley in the north of
Dalaraida, near Mount Mis, now Slemish. Hence, the
very place where St. Patrick spent his years of lonely
servitude can be accurately identified even at the present clay.
This district is now called the valley of the Braid,
from a river of that name which flows through it. The
site where St. Patrick had the vision in which he was
commanded to fly from his master is still marked by the
ruins of an ancient church. The valley through which
the Braid flows, divides the parishes of Skerry and
Rathcavan, and the whole district, as might be expected,
is rich in memorials of the saint. It should be visited
5
6

Antrim.—Reeves, Down and Connor, p. 334. Book of Rights, p. 21.
Principalities-- Visitation of Down and Connor, p. 339.

132

Life of St.

Patrick

by the pilgrim, after a previous noting down of each
site, and the subject which it commemorates.
Skerry was anciently called Sciric (rocky). Tradition
assigns the foundation of this church to St. Patrick.
The present ruins are not of very great antiquity, but
close beside them there are traces of a smaller building,
which was probably erected at an earlier date. Such,
at least, is the opinion of Dr. Eeeves, a high authority
on all matters of antiquarian investigation. The present
ruin measures 64 feet by 18 feet 10 inches. There is a
rock close to the north-east angle of the church, where
a faint impression of a footmark may be seen. This is
called St, Patrick's footmark, but it should be more properly termed St. Victor's, since all tradition7 avers that
the angel left this mark when he visited St. Patrick.
Colgan informs us that when he wrote (in 1647), this
place was a famous pilgrimage.8
There is a holy well in the neighbourhood, a little to
the south of the hill of Skerig. It is mentioned on the
Ordnance Map as Tubernacool holy well. There is a
7
Tradition.—Dr. Todd says that as St. Patrick himself does not mention
the apparition of an angel, therefore no angel could have appeared. Had St.
Patrick mentioned an angel, no doubt Dr. Todd would have attributed the
vision to the saint's imagination. In either case he would have disbelieved.
It is quite true that St. Patrick does not mention it, but St. Patrick was not
writing his life or a complete record of his spiritual experiences. He does
elsewhere mention the apparition of Victor; hence there is no reason why his
angel may not have appeared to him here also. The Tripartite Life expressly
mentions that Victor assisted him while in captivity. So does St. Fiacc.
8
Pilgrimage. —Hodie hie locus Schire Padruic appellatur et in hunc usque
diem plurima peregratione, magnoque populi concursu et devotione frequentatur.—Colgan, p. 171.

Milcho's Vision—Tuhernacool Holy Well.

133

townland called Ballytigpatrick, in the valley of the
Braid, between Slemish and Skerry.
While St. Patrick was with Milcho, this king had a
dream or vision, in which he saw his servant come into
the house where he was, and flames of fire appeared to
issue from his head. Milcho thought that " the flame
broke upon him to burn him," but he drove it from him
and it did him no harm. His son and daughter were
with him, and it seemed as if it consumed them entirely,
and their ashes were scattered all over Erinn. Milcho
called Patrick at once and told him his vision, which the
saint interpreted to him thus : The fire which thou
sawest on me is the faith of the Trinity which burns
within me, and it is this faith which I shall hereafter
preach unto thee, but thou wilt not believe. Thy son,
however, and thy daughter they will believe, and the
fire of grace shall consume them. 9
St. Fiacc tells us when and by whom the summons
came to St. Patrick to escape from servitude. We have
indeed in this part of his life an admirable example of
patience and humility. It was his faithfulness that
made his earthly master secure his services ; it was his
faithfulness which made his heavenly master crown him
with the reward of special graces. Nor can the duty to
God and the duty to the neighbour be separated; and
the earthly duty is ever most faithfully performed by
those who serve not unto man but unto God. Patiently
for six long years the saint suffered hardship in the wil9

Them. —Liber Hymnorum, p. 28.

134

Life of St.

Patrick

derness of Dalaraida ; but the time of release had come.
St. Patrick had learned the language of those whom
hereafter he was to win to God by words of burning
eloquence. He had learned their customs, so that he
might be the better fitted to reform what was not entirelyevil, and might know how best to abolish what was bad.
His own soul had been trained to lessons of humility, he
had been purified by suffering, he had learned to commune more closely with God ; and now he has other
preparations to make for his glorious mission, and God
himself calls him to his new work.
" Victor said to Milcho's slave : go thou over the sea.
He placed his foot upon the Leac [stone], its trace remains, it wears not
away."

, St. Patrick himself thus relates his call, and his
escape :—On a certain night, as I slept, I heard a voice
saying to me : "Thou fastest well, thou shalt soon go to
thy country. And after a short time I heard a response
saying to me : Behold thy ship is ready. And it was not
near, but perhaps two hundred miles off, and I had never
been there, nor did I know anything of the people. And
immediately after this I fled ; and having left the man
with whom I had been for six years, in the power
of the Lord, who directed my way to good, I feared
nothing, until I arrived, at the ship ; and on the day of
my arrival the ship had left her place, and I spoke to
them and asked that I might go with them. And the
master was displeased, and replied sharply with anger :
Do not think that you can go with us. When I heard

St. Patrick's Escape from Captivity.

135

this I left them, and went to a cottage, where I had
received hospitality, and I began to pray as I went along,
and before I had finished my prayer I heard one of them
calling out loudly after me, come quickly, for these men
are calling thee ; and immediately I returned to them,
and they began to say to me : Come, we receive you in
good faith, be friends with us, as you may wish. So on
that day I ceased to fly for the fear of God. However,
I hoped of them that they might say to me, ' Come, in
the faith of Jesus Christ/ for they were Gentiles."
Although the various manuscripts of St. Patrick's
Confession agree in the main, there are still some slight
points of difference, of more or less importance. The
version of the Confession, as it stands at present in the
Cotton collection, will be given at the end of this
volume. But this copy has been carefully collated with
the other versions, and each difference will be noted
and the authority given. A translation is given of the
notes as well as of the text, so that the ordinary reader
can judge for himself of the various copies.
One version of the Book of Armagh says that the
distance which he had to travel was two hundred miles
(cc. milia passus). Probus has also duccenta milia passuum. The Tripartite quotes the Confession. Indeed,
there can be little doubt as to the distance, and it is
probable that the saint was obliged to traverse the
whole of Ireland before he reached the port of embarkation. It is not surely too much to suppose that He who
had commanded his flight, and told him that " the ship

136

Life of St

Patrick

was ready," guided him on his journey, and made known
to him the port from whence he should escape. It
would have served Peter little to have had his chains
struck off in prison if the gates had not been opened
also for his deliverance.
The Bollandists read veni ad Benum in the place
where the Book of Armagh reads Diregabat ad bonum.
It will be observed that St. Patrick avoids all mention
of places in his Confession, either intentionally, or more
probably by accident, hence the only localities named
there were those where his family resided. Dr. Lanigan
considers the Bollandist version correct, and says, indeed,
whatis obviouslytrue, that a transcriber meeting with the
word, benum, which he did not understand, would be more
likely to write bonum, than to write the former word
for the latter. 1 The Bollandists, therefore, make the
saint embark at the mouth of the Boyne. But both
Dr. Lanigan and Dr. Todcl have shown that this argument is untenable. The Boyne is always Latinised
Boindus, or, according to Ptolemy, Bovinda.
If the
word is a proper name it may more correctly be referred
to Bantry. The ancient name of the district was Bentraighe, the shore of the Ben, so that Ben, Latinised into
Benum, was the Bay. If this theory be correct it agrees
with the almost universal reading, that St. Patrick journeyed two hundred miles to the ship.2
1

Latter.—.Lanigan, Ec. Hist. vol. i. p. 149.
Ship.—Dr. Todd thinks bonum the correct reading, Memoir oj St. Patrick,
\\ 388. Dr. Lanigan has suggested also that if bonum were a proper name, it
might signify the river now called Ban don, which falls into the sea at Kinsale.
2

Place of the Saint's Embarkation.

137

The saint informs us himself that he arrived at land
after a three clays' sail. This is exactly the time which
would be required in those days for a voyage from a
southern Irish port to the northern part of Gaul. It
must be conjectured from St. Patrick's own narrative that
the place where he landed was some considerable distance from the place where his family then resided. He
writes thus : After three days we landed, and for twenty
clays we wandered through a desert.
In some copies of the Confession there is a paragraph
from which, if it be correct, we must infer that the saint
endured a second captivity.
The Bollandists have
inserted the paragraph, which runs thus : "And again
after a few years I was again taken captive (et iterum
post annos non multos adhuc in capturam decidi)."
This sentence, however, is not contained in the version
of the Book of Armagh, though it is given in the other
version. A sentence follows in which the saint refers
to the statements he has already made about the first
captivity in such language as to leave little doubt that
the transcribers of the Confession have made some great
mistake. It is evident from the whole context, that if
St. Patrick does write of a second captivity, that it must
I find the following paragraph in Mr. Joyce's admirable work : " The descendants of Beann, one of Conor's sons, were called from him Beanntraighe
[Bantry], i.e., the Race of Beann ; a part of them settled in Wexford, and
another part in Cork, and the barony of Bantry, in the former county, and
the town of Bantry, in the latter, retain their names." The Origin and History
of Irish names of places ; by P. W. Joyce, A.M., M.R.I.A., page 116. This
valuable work should be in the hands of every Irish scholar, and of every Irishman who has the least interest in his national history.
Q

138

Life of St.

Patrick

have occurred during the time which intervened between
his escape from Milcho and his arrival at home. If this
is the correct interpretation, the words post annos non
multos must be an interpolation. Indeed these very
words occur two or three lines further on, where
the saint speaks of his being with his parents in
Britain after a few years. How easily the eye of a
transcriber might catch the words and write them
in the wrong place, and repeat them again without
further observation where they really should stand,
is known to all who have had any experience in such
matters. 3
Two of the headings of chapters in the Book of
Armagh are as follows :
Of his voyages with the G-entiles and his trials in the
desert, and the supernatural supply of food for himself
and the Gentiles.
Of his second captivity which he suffered for three
score days from his enemies.
It will be remembered that although the early portion
of this valuable Life is lost, yet the Life by Probus is
manifestly an amended text of Mactheni; hence the
omission can be easily supplied. Probus gives details
of a second captivity in full, but makes it to be
clearly distinct from the first captivity.
Hence the
question is one which it is obviously impossible to
3
Matters.—The text in the Book of Armagh is manifestly corrupt. The
Bollandists, seeing the apparent discrepancy which is made in some copies
by the introduction of the narrative of a second captivity into the middle of
the narrative of the first, have simply left out the last paragraph.

Tlie Saint's HJscape from Captivity.

139

decide, and it is not a subject of any great importance.
It is just possible that the lessons of the Kheims Breviary
furnish the key to the whole question. The Scholiast
on St. Fiacc's Hymn "was, probably, the source from
which they were taken, and this gives a second and
more ancient authority. According to this account,
after St. Patrick fled from Milcho he was captured by a
man named Kienan, who sold him to some sailors.
He afterwards repented of what he had done, and
procured the saint's liberation, who then continued his
journey southwards. It is very probable that this
statement contains the correct explanation of the second
captivity, and it explains why St. Patrick introduced it
into the same paragraph with the account of the first,
and why he continued the narrative of the first captivity
after he had mentioned the second.4
The desolation of the country through which St.
Patrick journeyed is easily explained. At the commencement of the fifth century European society was in a state
of chronic dismemberment. The world and the Church,
the Church and heresy, were engaged in deadly and
desperate conflict. Faith alone, could enkindle the eye
of Hope with a glimpse of future peace. The mighty
empire of Eome, which had served unconsciously the
Divine purpose in extending the knowledge of Christianity, was now falling to pieces, as human empires must
* Second.—Kienan was afterwards baptized by St. Patrick, and founded
the church or monastery of Daimhliac-Kienan, now Duleek, in the county
Meath. He is commemorated in the Martyrology of Donegal at 24 Nov.

140

Life of St.

Patrick

surely do sooner or later. The barbarians were about
to do another service to the Church, though equally
unconscious of their mission. Christians, when persecutions ceased, began to forget that the end of their
existence was to prepare for an eternal kingdom, rather
than to seek the enjoyment of temporal goods. They
needed the purifying fire of suffering once more to recal
them to a better life and holier purposes, and this
purification was given to them. Spain was ravaged by a
host of half-savage men, who called themselves Christians
in name, yet were Arians by creed and barbarians by
nature. France was invaded on the north by the pagan
Franks, and on the south by the Arian Burgundians.
Everywhere there was war, and the desolation consequent upon its ravages. Hence vast tracts of country
were depopulated : for, though cities might escape, the
poor were sure to be the victims of either or of both
parties of combatants.
As St. Patrick and the sailors or merchants journeyed
through the desert, two remarkable events occurred,
which he has left on record in his Confession. Many of
the men (multos ex illis) had fainted, and were left half
dead of hunger upon the road. The master appealed
to the saint, and asked could he not obtain help for
them from his great and powerful God. He replied
that if they would be sincerely converted, with
their whole hearts, God would send them food, for
to Him all things were possible.
Even as he
spoke a herd of swine appeared on the road before

Miraculous

supply of Food.

141

them ; and they gave thanks to God and honoured
Patrick. 5
When they had rested for two nights, and were
thoroughly refreshed, they continued their journey. The
men now discovered some wild honey, and one of them
offered a portion to St. Patrick, saying at the same time
that it was offered in sacrifice. The saint at once refused it. His doing so is an evidence that he must have
received full instruction in Christian doctrine in his
father's house, or it may be that the holy instinct of
extraordinary sanctity prevailed over natural inclination.
Those who are familiar with early ecclesiastical history
will remember how many martyrs perished, or rather,
we should say, entered on immortality during the severe
persecutions under the Roman emperors, merely because
they would not honour even the " genius of Caesar," when
by so doing they must perform an act of idolatry.
Men who were ready to sacrifice twenty lives for
their rulers, dared not preserve their own lives on the
condition of performing even the most apparently
trifling act which could give a suspicion of idolatry.
So, also, and on the" same principle, in the centuries
which followed the so-called Reformation, thousands
were found in Ireland, and hundreds in England, who
sacrificed their lives, or their whole worldly estates,
sooner than listen even for a few moments to the new form
of prayer, which had taken the place of the ancient Sacrifice of the Mass. The same causes have produced the
5

Patrick.—-TUb ego lionorificatus sum sub oeulis eorum.

142

Life of St.

Patrick

same results in all ages of the Church. In pagan Eome,
heathen Gaul, in once Catholic England, the " honey"
has been rejected, and the demon has been foiled.6
And when souls give themselves most unreservedly
and generously to God, they not unfrequently receive in
return the reward of special suffering. Even the powers
of darkness are allowed to work their will within the
limits of Divine permission. Christ was tempted in the
desert; and in the lives of all who are called to a special
nearness to Christ, there is ever some desert into which
they are driven for their souls' greater purification, and
wherein they are refined and purified by special suffering. The very night of the day on which Patrick had
refused the honey was the time chosen for a remarkable
assault of diabolic malice. How terrible this assault
must have been we may judge from the words which
the saint himself uses in recording i t ; for he declares
that he could never forget it while he lived. Et fortiter
tentavit me Satanas, quod memor ero quamdiu fuero in
6
Foiled.—In the Acts of the well-known martyr, St. Polycarp, we read
bhat as his captors were conducting him on an ass towards the city, Herod
and his father, Mcetas, took him into their chariot and asked him what harm
could there be in saying Lord Csesar, or even in sacrificing, to escape death ;
and when he refused they flung him from the chariot. When brought before
the Proconsul he was offered a discharge if he would swear by the genius of
Caesar. Similar instances are too numerous to record. It is well known that
during the persecutions of Catholics which followed the so-called Reformation
both in England and Ireland, men sacrificed their lives and property willingly,
sooner than even listen to the Protestant prayers. Yet, strange to say, there
are Protestant clergymen, in England at least, who try to persuade themselves
and others that the service to which these martyrs would not even listen is the
same as the Catholic Mass. In the appendix to Ghalloner's Missionary Priests,
he mentions an instance in which the Protestant Archbishop of York attempted
to entrap fifty-three Catholics to hear him preach, but they all shut their
ears, though compelled to remain in the place by armed men.

The Saint's Temptation in the Desert.

143

hoc corpore. When the remembrance of that night of
temptation was so strong, after the lapse of seventy
or eighty years, how terrible must have been the reality.
" On the same night," says the saint, " as I slept,
Satan strongly tempted me, and he appeared to fall on
me like a great rock, so that I had no strength in
my limbs. But how it came into my mind that I should
invoke \invoearem\ Elias I know n o t ; and then I saw
the sun arising in the heavens, and whilst I called Elias,
Elias, with all my might, behold the splendour of the
sun fell upon me and removed all my heaviness. I
believe that I was succoured by my Christ, and that his
Spirit even then cried out for me, and I hope that I wi]l
be so also in the day of my adversity, as the Lord testifies
in the Gospel. For it is not you that speak, but the
Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you."7
In the Second Life the words in reference to the
invocation of Elias are given in Irish, but the chapter
consists only of a few lines ; and Colgan says in his
note to this chapter that the rest is wanting, " i n codice
et Hubertino et Alnensi."8 The Irish sentence runs
7
You.—St. Math. x. 20. This passage has been the subject of much useless
controversy. Even if St. Patrick intended to say Eli, and to pray;directly
to our Divine Lord, Catholics lose nothing by the admission. There is ample
evidence that the practice of invoking the saints was customary from the
earliest ages of Christianity, and that it was a general devotion in Ireland
is past denying. But if all the transcribers were mistaken, and wrote Elias
where they should have written Eli, how comes it that St. Patrick should
have said he knew not how it came into his mind to do so ? Surely he who
was so constant and fervent in prayer to God could not have wondered that
he should pray to Him. The most simple interpretation is, that St. Patrick
was not in the habit of invoking Elias and did not know how the saint's name
occurred to him at the moment.
*Alnensi.— Tris. Tha. p. 17, n. 22.

1U

Life of St.

Patrick

thus : " He prayed Eli to expel it [the stone] from
him."
In the Third Life the person invoked is also called
Eli. Patricius vocavit Eli, &c. As the leaves of
the Irish version of the Tripartite are missing, we can
only gather from Colgan's version what they probably contained on this subject. Here it is expressly
stated that St. Patrick invoked Elias the prophet.8 The
passage is doubtless translated faithfully from the
original. Hence we have very ancient authority for
supposing that by the word used by St. Patrick he
meant Elias the Prophet. There is also the authority
of the version of the Confession contained in the Book
of Armagh. Indeed, it is probable there would never
have been any question about the saint's meaning had
not some few persons found it difficult to reconcile the
fact of his invocation of a saint with their anxiety to
make it appear that the early Irish converts were not
Catholics.9
Probus informs us that St. Patrick preached to the
I

J
|
|
|
[
i

% Prophet.—Colgau, p. 121, c. xxiv.—Invocavit Heliam Prophetam.
9
Catholics. —Personal assaults and temptations of the evil one are frequently
recorded in the lives of the saints, as well as angelic visits. Sulpicius Severus
informs us, in his Life of St. Martin of Tours, that he was frequently assailed
by frightful phantoms, which took the form of the gods whose altars he had
broken, appearing to him in the shape of Jupiter or Mercury, oftener still
of Venus or Minerva and making the air resound with their clamours and
reproaches. The Life of the Cure of Ars gives many details of sufferings
inflicted on the holy servant of God by satanic malice. Por many months he
could not get even a brief rest, so terrible were the noises with which his midnight hours were disturbed. They were heard by many others, both priests
and laymen, who were at last obliged to admit that they were supernatural.
—Life of the Cure of Ars. Burns & Co., London, p. 121.

St. Patrick in Gaul.

145

sailors on their journey, which we may well believe him
to have done. There can be little doubt that he had
already determined on his apostolic mission to Ireland ;
it is at least manifest, that he lost no time in preparing
for it, and this preparation may be said briefly to
have consisted in prayer, self-discipline, and study.
The portion of the history of St. Patrick which records
his education in the monasteries of Gaul for his Celtic
mission, is of the deepest interest and importance.
It gives us, in fact, an epitome of the ecclesiastical
history of the period, and a glimpse into the lives of
the noblest and holiest men who laboured to extend .
the Catholic Faith in Europe. A brief description of
Christian life on the continent of Europe is almost an
essential introduction to an account of the saint's
residence there; and this description can scarcely fail
to be full of interest.
We have already glanced at the state of European
society at the commencement of the fifth century.
It was not satisfactory : revolt and schism were the
normal state of continental nations.
Heresy and schism were sanctioned, if not upheld,
by so-called Christian emperors. But however evil the
state of the world might be, there was hope, and more
than hope in the Church. Even while the secular
power proclaimed the triumph of heresy, the spiritual
power was establishing those institutions which have
ever been the best safeguard against it.
The name of Roman citizen, which until now had

146

Life of St.

Patrick

been a title of the highest honour, was rapidly falling
into contempt ; the name of saint was daily honoured
more and more. When a nation falls, she rises no more.
There is no power of national vitality within her ; she
has accomplished her purpose—the designs of Providence are fulfilled; she rises from barbarism to
civilization, and is subdued by barbarians, or amalgamated with a more powerful race ; her special identity
is lost, and in the history of nations, her record is only a
record of the past. But it is not so with those spiritual
nations, who exist within the Church. The religious
orders, her standing army of brave soldiers, are ever
full of young recruits, ardent and eager for the battle.
If in one place these soldiers seem to be vanquished,
it is only that they may appear with new force and
vitality in another.
The Fathers of the Desert had
accomplished their work. The monks of Gaul took
up the arms which they had laid down, or had died in
defending, and carried on the conflict. St. Ambrose
compared the isles of the Mediterranean, peopled with
religious, to a collar of pearls upon the sea. He knew
the value and importance of these armies of souls consecrated to God, and at the gates of his own episcopal
city he established a convent of monks.
His well-known work on Virginity was written at
the request of his sister Marcellina, and he answered
therein the old accusation, so often reiterated, as if it
were new. He defended the virgins, who only asked
liberty to choose the service of God in preference to the

The Monks of Gaul

147

service of a husband, and lie assured the world that
it need not be anxious lest the human race should fail
for lack of progenitors.
It was at the close of this century also that the great
Augustine, vanquished by the grace of God, obtained
for him by the prayers of his mother, gave himself to
God without reserve, and learned that there was something greater than to be the friend even of an emperor.
Thus, while St. Augustine was writing his Confession
and his Rule, which has been the guide of so many
religious orders, St. Patrick was preparing for the great
work which he has recorded in his Confession also, and
obtaining, by penitence and prayer, the grace of being
the spiritual father of thousands who should hereafter
follow the rule of the great Doctor of the Church. St.
Augustine, indeed, went to his reward almost at the
very time when St. Patrick, in middle age, went forth
on his apostolate.1
But there were others whose influence was exercised
more directly on the life of our saint. The unvarying
testimony of his biographers show the connection of his
family with that of St. Martin of Tours. This circumstance, combined with the fact that he went to the
monastery of Tours, after his release from captivity, to
prepare himself for his apostolic labours, must satisfy all
but those who are wilfully incredulous. What the precise relationship was is another question, and one which,
1
Apostolate.— St. Augustine died at Milan, aged 76, A.D. 430.
arrived in Ireland, A.D. 432.

St. Patrick

148

Life of St.

Patrick

as we have before observed, will probably never be
settled.
We have already said something of St. Martin's
parentage and early history. It was while still a
soldier that he divided his cloak with the poor beggar,
and for his reward saw the garment taken up to
heaven. When freed from the terrible servitude of a
life which must have been to him in every respect
most painful, he sought for one who might guide his
course in the heavenly army, in which he had so long
desired to be enrolled. He chose for his leader and
instructor St. Hilary of Poictiers who, like the great
Athanasius, had been honoured by banishment for his
fidelity to the Catholic Faith. St. Martin remained at
Milan while his friend was in exile, and returned with
him in 360 to Poictiers. Here Martin founded the
monastery of Liguge, which is said to have been the
most ancient in Gaul. But God had destined him for
an important work in the Church, and he had to learn a
yet deeper lesson in the spiritual life by sacrificing his
love of retirement for the good of souls. His special
warfare was with the powers of darkness, who still held
sway over the great mass of the populace. Later he
defended the truth in the courts of princes, and opposed
the harsh cruelty of the Spanish bishops, eager to shed
blood—the blood of heretics. But his heart was still
in the cloister, for which, from youth, he had so
ardently pined.
When a brief interval of rest
from public duties permitted his return to Tours

The Monastery of Tours.

149

he at once commenced the foundation of a monastery.
The site which he selected was about half a league
from Tours, and was then a desert enclosed on one side
by the right bank of the Loire, and on the other by
rocks. . Here St. Martin was the first to give the example of these austerities which he invited others to practise, and he made for himself a cell of the interlaced
branches of trees. His last words have become proverbial as an aspiration of perfect sanctity : "Lord, if I am
still necessary for thy people, I refuse not to labour."
But his work was accomplished, and he went to his
reward surrounded by holy souls, who were ready to
continue the work which he had begun, until they also
should be no longer necessary.
The exact year of St. Martin's death is not known, but
dates have been given varying from A.D. 400 to A.D. 404.
Hence it seems doubtful if St. Patrick could have been
present at his death-bed, yet the writers of the Lives of
the Saint are unanimous in their testimony of his having
had personal intercourse with his saintly relative.
St. Ninian of Scotland was also at Marmoutier about
the same period. He had journeyed to Eome, then, as
now, the great centre of Christian unity, and had passed
twenty-four years in that city preparing for his mission.
He received episcopal consecration from Pope Siricius,
and, accompanied, by some of the monks of St. Martin's
monastery, proceeded to Scotland. On his arrival he
also founded a religious house, and as he heard of the

150

Life of St.

Patrick.

death, of St. Martin before its completion, he dedicated it under his invocation. St. Ninian died the
very year in which St. Patrick arrived in Ireland,
A.D. 432.

St. Martin's biography was written by Sulpicius
Severus. In early life he had been a lawyer, and
brought to the cloister refined and cultivated tastes,
which a life of penance and prayer enhanced more and
more with spiritual brightness. When he renounced
his legal career he sold his patrimony, and chose for his
dwelling one of his villas in Aquitain, where he lived
as a brother with his converted slaves. Their mode of
life was one of the most extreme austerity, but they
persevered in it with wonderful fidelity. It was in this
retreat that Sulpicius Severus wrote the Life of St.
Martin, a work so treasured by St. Patrick, that he
copied it with his own hands, and carried it with
him wherever he went. This remarkable and beautiful
biography is contained in the Book of Armagh, and is
one of the most interesting portions of that important
relic of early Irish history.
It would be impossible, and indeed apart from our
subject, to give details of all the monastic establishments in Gaul at this period, or of all the saints who
illumined the darkness of pagan and military barbarism,
but there are two of them, heroes of peace and sanctity,
whom we cannot pass over. Both Lerins and Auxerre
were places honoured by the presence of St. Patrick ;
and for this reason, if for no other, wre must desire some

The Monastery of Levins.

151

information regarding their founders, and the mode of
life of those who dwelt within their cloisters.
Lerins is an island in the Mediterranean, not far from
Toulon. In 410, the very year in which St. Patrick
escaped from captivity, a young noble who preferred
poverty to riches, and asceticism to pleasure, made for
himself a home. The island was barren, deserted, and
infested by serpents ; all the more reason for his choice.
The barrenness soon disappeared, for labour was one
of the most important duties of the monk, and it is
scarcely an exaggeration to say that one-half of the
marshes of Europe were reclaimed, and made fruitful
by these patient tillers of the soil. These men laboured
as none others could labour, for to them labour was not
undertaken to procure the meat which perisheth, but in
obedience to one of the first laws of the eternal author
of our human life. A monk who ceased to labour
ceased to be a true monk. A monk who laboured
negligently would almost surely be a negligent monk.
The desert also soon ceased to be such. The saintly
attract the saintly, and the odour of virtue once
spread abroad never fails to win those to whom God has
given the rich gift of loving it. The noxious animals
fled away, or ceased to exist—for Honorat, like St.
Patrick, had special power of control over the animal
creation.
The account transmitted to us of the monks of Lerins
has some features of peculiar beauty. It is thus described by a pen more gifted and eloquent than ours :

152

Life of St.

Patrick

"There is, perhaps, nothing more touching in monastic
annals than the picture traced by one of the most
illustrious sons of Lerins, of the paternal tenderness of
Honoratus for the numerous family of monks whom he
had collected round him. He could read the depths of
their souls to discover all their griefs. He neglected no
effort to banish every sadness, every painful recollection
of the world. He watched their sleep, their health,
their food, their labours, that each, might serve God
according to the measure' of his strength. Thus he
inspired them with a love more than filial. " In him,"
they said, " w e find not only a father, but an entire
family, a country—the whole world." When he wrote
to any of those who were absent, they said, on receiving
his letters, written, according to the usage of the time,
upon tablets of wax : " It is honey which he has poured
back into that wax, honey drawn from the inexhaustible
sweetness of his heart." In that island paradise, and
under the care of such a shepherd, the perfume of life
breathed everywhere. These monks, who had sought
happiness by renouncing secular life, felt and proclaimed
that they had found it; to see their serene and modest
joy, their union, their gentleness, and their firm hope,
one could have believed oneself in presence of a battalion of angels at rest.
The churches of Aries, Avignon, Lyons, Vienne,
Troyes, Kietz, Frejus, Valence, Metz, Nice, Venee,
Upt, Carpentras, and Saintes, borrowed from the happy
isle, as it was everywhere called, their most illustrious

The Monastery of Levins.

153

bishops. Honoratus, taken from his monastery to be
elevated to the metropolitan see of Aries, had for his
successor, as abbot of Lerins, and afterwards as bishop
of Aries, his pupil and relative, Hilary, to whom we
owe the admirable biography of his master. Hilary,
whom the gentle and tender Honoratus had drawn from a
worldly life, after a desperate resistance, by force of
entreaties, caresses, and tears, retained in the episcopate
the penitent and laborious life of the cloister of Lerins.
He went through his diocese and the neighbouring
country always on foot, and barefooted even in the
snow. Celebrated for his graceful eloquence, his unwearied zeal, his ascendency over the crowd, and for the
numerous conversions which he worked, he was once at
variance with the*Pope, St. Leo the Great, who deprived
him of his title of metropolitan to punish him for certain
uncanonical usurpations; but Hilary knew how to yield,
and after his death, the Great Pope did him justice by
calling him Hilary of holy memory."2
Such was Lerins, and such were the men with whom
St. Patrick dwelt, from whom he received, and to whom
we may well believe he gave in return, lessons of the
most perfect sanctity.
But there was one of the inmates of this holy
monastery of whom, for special reasons, we must make
special mention, while all others may be passed by in
silence. The name of Vincent of Lerins has been
handed down to posterity as pre-eminent amongst those
2

Memory.—The Monks of the West, VJI. i. pp. 465-6.
R

154

Life of St

Patrick

who have written most boldly and effectively in defence
of the holy Catholic faith. He was the companion of
Patrick, and we cannot doubt that he was also his friend.
Vincent, above all others, would sympathise most
deeply with the aspirations and desires of the apostle of.
a whole nation; and in that abode of sanctity we may
well believe that there may have been some who foresaw
with prophetic light the future glory of the holy and
stranger monk who, for a brief space, dwelt with them.
Again, I shall quote from the description of this
monastery, as given by the fervent author of the Monks
of the West: " Holding the first rank amongst these [the
monks of Lerins] was the great and modest Vincent de
Lerins, who was the first controversialist of his name,
and who has preserved to posterity the name of the isle
which had been the cradle of his genius.
He composed the short and celebrated work which
has gained him immortality in 434, three years after
the Council of Ephesus, and on occasion of the Nestorian
heresy which that Council had condemned. He would
not put his name to it, and entitled it humbly, " Eemarks
of the Pilgrim"—Commonitarium Peregrini. In this
he has fixed with admirable precision, and in language
as decisive as it is simple and correct, the rule of Catholic
faith, by establishing it on the double authority of
Scripture and tradition, and originating the celebrated
definition of orthodox interpretation:—Quod semper,
quod ubique, quod ab omnibus creditum est.
After having thus established the immutability of

St. Vincent of Levins.

155

Catholic doctrine, lie demands, " Shall there then be no
progress in the Church of Christ?' "There shall be
progress/' he answers, " a n d even great progress; for
who would be so envious of the good of men, or so
cursed of God, as to prevent it ? But it will be progress, and not chance. With the growth of the ages
and centuries, there must necessarily be a growth of
intelligence, of wisdom, and of knowledge, for each
man as for all the Church. But the religion of souls
must imitate the progress of the human form, which,
developing and growing with years, never ceases to be
the same in the maturity of age as in the flower of
youth."
Vincent has inscribed at the head of his masterpiece
a testimony of his gratitude for the sweet sanctuary of
Lerins, which was for him, as he says, the port of religion, when, after having been long tossed about on the
sea of this world, he came there to seek peace, and study
that he might escape, not only the shipwrecks of the
present life, but the fires of the world to come.3
Let us pass from Lerins to Auxerre, and from St.
Honoratus to St. Germain. Indeed it is to the latter
we must specially look for testimony as to the preparation which St. Patrick received for his apostolate. It
was from St. Germanus that he learned the CANONS ; it
must, therefore, be full of interest and all important to
inquire what Canons St. Germain taught. It was to St.
Germanus that he looked for spiritual guidance for
3

Come.—The Monks of the West, vol. i. p. 486.

156

. Life of St.

Patrick.

thirty years. It is all essential that we should know
how Germanus himself lived. Even had we no other
source of information as to the doctrines taught by St.
Patrick than a knowledge of the doctrines taught by St.
Germanus, our information would be complete. Thirty
years of spiritual guidance tell us how deeply the son
must have reverenced the father. Thirty years of
spiritual guidance tell us how much the father had to
teach and how the son desired to treasure all the
instructions which he could obtain.
St. Germanus was born at Auxerre about the year
378. He was, therefore, St. Patrick's senior by ten
years. But while the Apostle of Ireland was enduring
the hardships of slavery, and deprived of every opportunity of increased mental culture, St. Germanus was
pursuing a liberal course of education, and excelling in
more than one branch of human science. It is believed
that his parents were noble, but little more is known of
them than their names. The future bishop was destined
by his family for a legal career. They were Christians,
and he had the benefit of a Christian education. As they
were desirous that he should excel in the course of life
which they had chosen for him, he was sent to Eome to
complete his studies. Here, at this period, regular collegiate education was carried out, and the youth of all
parts of the continent flocked thither to obtain the
benefit of superior instruction.
The students were assigned special lodgings, and
officers called Censuales were appointed to look after

St Germanus of Auxerre,

157

their morals. None were permitted to remain in Eome
after the age of twenty, lest they should lose or weaken
that attachment to their native place which is so
eminently desirable for a good citizen.
After St. Germanus had returned to Gaul, he rose
rapidly in the profession which he had chosen. Advancing step by step, he became at last Duke or Governor of
Armorica. He had previously married a lady of high
birth and considerable wealth, from whom he separated,
by consent of both parties, when he became a priest.
While holding his legal office he resided at Auxerre, of
which town St. Amator was the bishop. Paganism still
prevailed even in those parts of Gaul where Christianity
had been long preached and fervently practised, and the
Christian bishops of that age were obliged with the one
hand to repress heresy and with the other to put down
idolatry. They were, in truth, apostles, and with some
rare exceptions, fulfilled their apostolic missions gloriously. St. Amator had to contend also with the demoralization and misery which ever follows in the train of war;
but miracles evidenced his faith and assisted his mission,
and it is related of this holy bishop that he restored, by
the Divine power, sight to the blind, and by the same
power caused the lame to walk.
Such was the bishop under whose auspices St. Germanus became a saint. It' was usual with the
wealthier class of Eoman citizens to have villas outside
the towns where they resided. To these country places
they retired for rest or amusement. Hunting was the

158

Life of St.

Patrick

favourite pursuit of both Goth and Koman, and Germanus was especially devoted to the pleasures of the
chase. There was a large tree of great antiquity in the
centre of the town of Auxerre, whereon the nobles were
wont to display trophies of their skill. This tree had
been, and indeed was still, an object of pagan veneration, and the custom of thus exposing the spoils of the
chase was pagan also. Germanus, as a Christian, did
not believe the superstition, but Christians then, as now,
were not always perfect—he did from motions of vanity
what was done by others from motions of superstition.
Whatever his motives might have been, it was a
great scandal for the Christian governor of the province
to countenance in any way a pagan custom. St.
Amator expostulated with him, as in duty bound.
Germanus still continued the obnoxious exhibition.
Amator appealed to him again and again, but he would
not listen. As the scandal could not be repressed in
any other way, Amator took the bold and wise course
of destroying the tree. Germanus was furious, and
vented his indignation in angry words and still more
angry threats. Yet, in all this Providence was working secretly for the eternal welfare of the future saint
and the Church. Germanus collected a large body of
his soldiers, and proceeded to Auxerre, either to overawe, or perhaps to seize and imprison St. Amator. In
the meantime the holy bishop was favoured with a
revelation, in which he was informed that his own
earthly course was nearly at its close, and that the

St. Germanics and St. Aviator.

159

man who was coming to attack him with his armed band
was the person chosen by God t a succeed him in his
office.
St. Amator, on receiving this divine communication,
did not wait for the arrival of the angry governor^ but
set out for Autun, in order to obtain an interview with
the Prefect of Gaul, who was then staying at that
place. The Bishop of Autun, St. Simplicius, whose
character was expressed by his name, came forth to
meet his episcopal brother, and the Christian prefect
vied with him also in showing honour to their
visitor. St. Amator soon explained his object,—he
wished to inform the prefect of the revelation which had
been made to him, and to obtain his permission to confer the tonsure on Germanus.
The prefect, whose intercourse with St. Amator is
described4 as being marked by the deepest reverence
for his episcopal character and his great sanctity, at
once complied. Germanus, he said, was indeed necessary to the republic ; but when one higher than
Caesar demanded his "services, he dared not refuse his
sanction.5
Amator returned to Auxerre, and on his arrival
4

Described.— Tillemont, vol. 9, p. 114.
Sanction.—There were three dstinct ranks in the government of the
Roman provinces above the many inferior grades and subdivisions. The
highest office was that of prefect; the next below that of governor. The
prefect had the administration of the whole province. Hence no change
could be made in the administration without the permission of the ^ prefect;
it was, therefore, absolutely necessary that Amator should obtain his sanction for the retirement of St. Germanus from office.
5

1G0

Life of St.

Patrick

assembled as many as lie could collect quickly of his
own flock, and informed tliem of the divine revelation,
as far as the fact of his impending departure was
concerned. He exhorted them, as was customary at
that period, to consider who was the fittest person
to succeed him. The people were amazed and silent.
He then desired them to proceed to the church. Germanus and his party had joined the crowd, and
the bishop imperatively demanded that all should lay
down their arms on entering the sacred edifice. When
all had entered, he ordered the doors to be fastened ;
then proceeding to where the governor stood, he seized
him by the mantle, took from him his secular robes,
clothed him in ecclesiastical garments, and solemnly
invoking the name God, ordained him priest.
How complete and glorious a sacrifice of all mere
human feeling there must have been at that most
solemn hour % Naturally St. Amator might have felt
angry at the obstinacy of the governor in refusing to
comply with his wishes about the pagan tree ; and
with such natural feelings—if indeed he were not too
saintly to have entertained them—he would be prejudiced against him, and, above all, unwilling to admit
him to any ecclesiastical office. But God had spoken ;
it was enough for Amator. God knew best who was
most fit to govern His Church ; and the one fault of
vanity or obstinacy in Germanus, may have only
served to humble him, and thus to make him still
more suitable for so exalted a position.

St. Patrick at Auxerre.

163

The holy bishop died immediately after the ordination
of St. Germanus, but not until he had impressed on the
people again and again predictions of his future sanctity
and implored them to elect him as his successor.
St. Amator, when he felt or probably knew that his
last hour had come, desired his attendants to carry him
into the church, and here, on his pontifical throne, and
surrounded by a vast multitude of the faithful, he
peacefully breathed his last. Even as his blessed soul
passed away, a choir of saints were seen descending
from heaven and bearing away his spirit in the form of
a dove to the eternal throne. As they bore forth his
mortal remains to the cemetery, the procession was met
by a paralytic, who had been thus afflicted for thirty
years. He came hoping to be cured by St. Amator,
and he was not disappointed. Germanus, who was
present, gave orders that his limbs should be bathed in
the water which had been used to wash the mortal
remains of the saint. An instantaneous cure was the
result.
St. Germanus was consecrated Bishop of Auxerre on
the 7th of July, A.D. 418, and it was in this very year
that St. Patrick came to place himself under his
guidance. No doubt, the fame of St. Amator's holy
death, and all the supernatural circumstances connected
with the elevation of St. Germanus to the episcopal see,
were widely known, and St. Patrick may have been
specially attracted by them.
And now St. Germanus commenced a life of the most

164

Life of St.

Patrick

extraordinary austerity, of such austerity as even the
fathers of the desert found difficult after long years of
trial. From the day on which he began his ministry
to the day of his death, a period of thirty years, he
never touched wheaten bread, nor did he allow himself
the common seasoning of salt with his barley, the only
food which he permitted himself. None of the monks
in Gaul ate meat at this period on any occasion. St.
Germanus refused even oil, vegetables, or wine. His
biographer, Constantius, informs us that the little food
which he allowed himself was only taken twice in the
week at evening, and more frequently he abstained
until the seventh day. It is probable that St. Patrick
had not much to learn from him in the way of austerity,
since even an angel had commended his fasting while
in his lonely captivity in Dalaraida ; but the men who
accompanied Sulpicius Severus into his retreat had found
even abstinence from meat very hard to bear. They
reminded him that they were Gauls, not angels, and
that as such they could scarcely be expected to live like
angels. Indeed, an abstinence from animal food must
have been most trying to those northern races, accustomed to live exclusively, if not abundantly, on the
spoils of the chase.
The saint's clothing was equally penitential—summer
and winter he wore the same dress, the cuculla and the
tunic. As this was probably adopted by St. Patrick, a
description may be interesting. The tunic was a long
garment of coarse wool, or serge, which covered the

Austerities practised by St. Germanics.

165

whole body, and reached quite to the feet, the cuculla
was a small hood for the head, which ended in a point,
and when not drawn up hung over the neck and
shoulders. His inner garment was a hair cloth. At
night he lay on four planks strewn with ashes. But
he had one treasure from which he never parted, a
treasure for which, after his death, an empress made the
most earnest entreaties, and obtained as the greatest
favour. This treasure was a small box, containing the
relics of the apostles and of several martyrs. Germanus
wore it day and night fastened to his chest by a leathern
belt. St. Patrick had already learned to venerate the
relics of the saints, but we may well believe how his
devotion was increased by the example of St. Germanus.
The saintly Bishop of Auxerre was also distinguished
for his miracles. Let it be remembered by those who
condemn the lives of Irish saints, because the supernatural is continually manifested therein, that there are
other lives quite as marvellous, and of whose authenticity there has never been any question. A man may
altogether refuse to believe in miracles, just as a man
may refuse to believe the Bible, or to believe history, but
no man should condemn the biographers of St. Patrick as
credulous, and discard their testimony as untrustworthy,
simply because they record his very wonderful miracles.
They may settle this question with St. Jerome, who wrote
the Life of Paul, the first Hermit ; with St. Augustine,
who wrote the Life of St. Anthony of the Desert, and

166

Life of St.

Patrick.

who believed and recorded miracles as wonderful as
any, which, we shall presently relate.
There was one devotion practised by St. Germanus
with which St. Patrick had long been familiar. It is
recorded of the Bishop of Auxerre that he, like our saint,
was frequently accustomed to spend the entire night in
prayer, and it was remarked that his most wonderful
miracles were generally performed after these vigils.
We have now described the religious houses which St.
Patrick visited, and the persons with whom he associated ; it is time, therefore, that we should return to the
immediate history of our saint. We shall meet with
St. Germanus again, and hear more of his holy life
and of his most blessed end.

Chapter V.
St. Patrick at Tours, Auxerre, and Lerins.

E are informed by St. Patrick himself
that his parents were most earnest in
their entreaties that he should remain with them. It is not quite
clear whether by the word parents
we are to understand the nearest
relations of father and mother, or merely his kindred. According to some accounts, St. Patrick's parents were both
killed when he was taken captive. It is at least certain
that he was strongly urged1 by some persons nearly
1
Urged.—Probus says distinctly that " h e was with his father Calpurnius,
and his mother Conchessa."—Oolgan, c. xii. p. 48. But there is considerable
confusion in the whole narrative.

168

Life of St. Patrick*

related to him to remain with them, and that he
generously resisted the temptation. Thus is he led on
step by step—thus is he prepared by one trial after
another for the great and glorious work which lies before
him. To renounce all is one of the first and most imperative conditions for the Christian priesthood ; and if it
is necessary for the ordinary exercise of this most sacred
office, how much more necessary is it for the Christian
missionary ? He renounces all that he may gain all, he
frees himself from all that he may possess all. He
forsakes a paternal home to find a still better and holier
portion in the devoted love of the people to whom he
ministers. Such is the Christian priest, and such was
Patrick. Had he in that moment of trial listened to
the voice of human inclination, his crown might have
been given to another ; for if we fail to do the work of
God we do not injure his work, for another will obtain
the favor which we have rejected.
It would appear probable that St. Patrick was
favored with the well-known vision in which his Irish
mission was specially revealed to him, immediately after
his return from captivity. In the Confession it is
happily recorded at length; and though that work
cannot be used exactly as an historical narrative, yet
there is a certain sequence of events in the whole
composition. Some authors have referred the vision
to the time of his residence with St. Germanus, but
the words " post paucos annos in Britannia . . . . et ibi
vidi," &c, can only be explained in the one way.

The Christian Missionary.

169

It should ever be remembered that the exterior work
of a saint is but a small portion of his real life, and
that the success of this work is connected by a delicate
3hain of providences, of which the world sees little
and thinks less, with his interior life. Men are ever
searching for the beautiful in nature and art, but they
rarely search for the beauty of a human soul, yet this
beauty is immortal. Something of its radiance appears
at times even to mortal sight, and men are overawed
by the majesty, or won by the sweetness of the saints
of God : but it needs saintliness to discern sanctity,
even as it needs cultivated taste to appreciate art. A
thing of beauty is only a joy to those who can discern
its beauty, and it needs the sight of angels to see and
appreciate perfectly all the beauty of a saintly soul.
Thus, wThile some men scorn as idle tales the miracles
recorded in the Lives of the Saints, and others give
scant and condescending praise to their exterior works
of charity, their real life, their true nobility is hidden
and unknown. God and the angels only know the
trials and the triumphs of holy human souls.
St. Patrick had the human hopes and fears and affections which would naturally incline him to be influenced
by the earnest entreaties of his parents. But there was
another and a mightier influence at work, and the
Divine Spirit was calling him to sever these holy ties
for those which were still holier, to renounce the service
of his father on earth for the yet more binding service
of his Father in heaven, And then when St. Patrick

170

Life of St.

Patrick

had made the sacrifice, the special consolation came. It
is after the lonely wrestling with temptation that the
angels are sent to comfort ns. In the visions of the
night the angel brings the message to the apostle; He
appears to come from Ireland, perhaps because he was
clothed as the saint had seen his captors clothed, and he
bore with him innumerable letters (epistolis innitmerabilihus), and then, as he presented one to Patrick, he
saw written thereon the Voice of the Irish. The voice
of the Irish ! Truly from that hour to this that voice has
not ceased to resound in the ears of our great apostle
Ah, our father, our friend, listen to us still. We would
also send thee letters once more by angel hands, and
pray that we may ever be faithful to what thou didst
so willingly come to teach us. And while he read the
beginning of this mystic communication he heard many
voices, united as in one holy strain, who- made this
earnest request: We entreat thee,. 0 holy youth, to come
and walk amongst us.
It was enough. The voices from the western sea,
borne upon the midnight breeze, had thrilled the heart
of the great-souled apostle. He could read no more;
in truth, he had read enough. The message was given,
though the words were few. It needed only that he
should know who called him—it was the voice of the
Irish—it needed only that he should know why they
called—they would have him come and walk amongst
them. The holy youth should teach them also- to be
holy, and he came and taught them, and they have

St. Patrick's

Visions.

171

learned; and if fidelity to the lessons taught is the best
proof that the scholars were indeed earnest in their
desire for instruction, we may surely say that not in vain
did Patrick obey the midnight call from over the
Western Sea,
Thanks be to God, exclaims the saint, that after many
years He hath granted to them .that for which they
asked, And again, in another part of this Confession, he
returns to the same subject, and thanks God once more,
with burning words, that through his ministry so many
people should have been born again to God, and that so
many priests should have been ordained for these faithful converts.
The testimony of the various Lives of the Saint is
scarcely needed to prove how frequent and sublime was
his intercourse with heaven. There is not a page of
the Confession in which we may not find a record of
some vision or supernatural favour. Yet all is told
with such pure simplicity that the reader hardly realizes
how wonderful is the record. Immediately after the
relation of the vision in which he saw Victorious, and
heard the voice of the Irish, he mentions another night,
in which, like St. Paul, he knew not whether the favour
granted to him was within him or nigh to him. Then
it was that he heard words of mystic import which
he could not understand, until the close of their
utterance, when, adds the saint, " He thus addressed
me : c He who gave His life for thee :' And so I awoke,
rejoicing :" Blessed, indeed, was it for him to have heard

172

Life of St.

Patrick

the voice of the Irish, but how incomparably more
blessed to have heard the voice of Jesus. " He who
gave His life for thee/' Yes, it was Jesus Himself who
. condescended to speak to His favoured servant, and He
who had given His life for Patrick, might wrell ask
that Patrick should give his life for Him. Greater love
there could not be than that friend should give his life
for friend, and if wTe cannot give our lives for our Friend
Jesus, since He no more needs such personal devotion,
how happy for us that He counts as done to Himself
that which we do for those whom He calls friends, even
though the world may scorn and despise them.
One other favour also is recorded by our saint as
having been granted to him at this period. He heard
one praying within him and above him, so that he was,
as it were, encompassed by prayer. And as he marvelled at this strange and unusual manifestation, it was
revealed to him that it was the Holy Ghost who was
thus making intercession for him.
Thus was he enlightened, comforted, and strenghtenecl
for the great wTork to which he was called. But while
he was thus favoured with divine communications, he
did not neglect the necessary preparations for his mission.
He knew, as only saints can know, that however great
may be the favours granted to us by God, we are none
the less bound to use every means ourselves to accomplish what we believe to be his designs.
There have been instances in which it has pleased
God to impart the knowledge of theological science

St Patrick at Tours,

173

supernaturally to holy men. But in the ordinary ways
of Providence all knowledge costs us labour, and. it were
presumption even for the saints to expect that God
would grant such favours, and to neglect the ordinary
duties of a student.
It will be remembered that S t Patrick was freed
from captivity in his twenty-second year, A.D, 410.
He went to Auxerre in 418. It would appear that the
eight years which intervened between the saint's release
and his visit to St. Germanus were spent partly with
his family at Boulogne, but principally at Tours. In
the Vita Quinta we are told that he rested [requiescens] for a few years with his parents. After this there
is an account of another captivity, and then some not
very clear details follow, which are not given in the
Tripartite. According to this Life, St.. Patrick then came
to St, Martin, and remained with him for four years at
Tours, receiving the tonsure lrom him, and being
instructed by him in science and doctrine..2
In the Tripartite we are informed " he set out for
Tours to visit S t Martin, that he might receive the
monastic tonsure, for hitherto he had only the tonsure
of servitude; and receiving then the monastic tonsure
from S t Martin, he abandoned all the cares and
pleasures of the world, and devoted himself entirely to
prayer and abstinence, so that he made the resolution
never more to taste flesh meat" 3 In the Kheims Breviary
2

D&ctrmr.—€(%&n, p. 4S,

s

Meed. —lb. p. 121.

174

Life of St.

Patrick

his visit to St. Martin is also recorded, and the same
time [four years] is given as the period during which he
remained there. Usher mentions an ancient Life of St.
Patrick, in which it is said that " o n a certain occasion
Patrick visited St. Martin, and. with due reverence
remained with him for forty days."
There is in fact an accumulation of evidence in favour
of this four years' visit to Tours, and it must also be
observed that in each instance the authors of these Lives
wrote as if St. Martin were living at the time of the
saint's arrival. This certainly cannot be reconciled
with what appears to be the most correct chronology of
the life either of St Patrick or St. Martin. It is simply
one of these historical difficulties which might be elucidated with ease if we had the key, but which, wanting
that key, presents a formidable appearance. It must
be remembered also, that those who wrote the Lives of
the Saints in early ages were much more anxious to
record their virtues and to relate their labours than to
attend to those critical details which modern writers
consider so essential.
The austerity of the monks of Tours, and the sanctity
of Patrick, are evinced by some interesting details of
his residence in this monastery. It has already been
observed that the monks of Gaul abstained from animal
food, and that this abstinence was not accomplished
without considerable trial. St. Patrick had long been
inured to a most severe life, but it would appear that he
had not as yet entirely renounced the use of flesh meat,

St. Patrick's Penance followed by a Miracle.

175

nor was he in any way bound to this strictness, since his
vocation as apostle might require that he should live a&
others did under certain circumstances. While at Tours
he probably wished to conform, as far as possible, to the
rule of those with whom he had taken up his abode for
a brief period, and there, at least, his abstinence would
have been as strict as theirs.
Once, however, he had procured a small portion of
meat for his repast, and this, probably to avoid any
scandal, he carefully concealed. But even as he did so
he saw a vision of a man with two faces, who addressed him thus : " I am a servant of God ; with one
face I contemplate the ordinary actions of man, but
with the other 1 view a monk who, yielding to self-indulgence, conceals some meat, lest, perchance, he should
be discovered." Then the vision disappeared, and left
Patrick overwhelmed with grief for what appeared to
him a grievous crime. To know a fault and to weep
for it is the special characteristic of a saint, even as to
know a fault and to make excuses for it is the invariable conduct of the sinner. But He who had
warned the saint supernaturally that he was departing
in some slight degree from the high profession to which
he was called, now comforted him supernaturally also.
Even as he wept prostrate on the ground, his angel,
Victor, appeared to him, and desired him to arise, for
his fault was pardoned.
But, although the saint was thus assured of the
Divine pardon, he still desired to humble himself for

176

Life of St.

Patrick

his guilt before men, as one who, loving much, could not
clo too much to manifest his grief for having offended his
beloved. It was usual, from the earliest ages of the
Church, to make public accusation of faults and to do
public penance for them. This holy custom could not
fail to be observed in a monastery like that of St. Martin,
where all were in earnest in seeking perfection. Thus
men who had in any degree become degraded by sin,
became ennobled by penance, and, while the worldly
and the pagan thought that they proclaimed their
degradation by such acts of humiliation, they were, in
fact, proclaiming their greatness—for has not He, the
greatest of all, said : " He that humbleth himself shall
be exalted V and has not He Himself given the example of the lowliest humility and the most perfect subjection to obedience 1 And it sometimes pleases Him
that His servants should be glorified in their humiliations on earth as a slight foreshadowing of the glorification which they shall receive for them in heaven. Thus
it was with Patrick. To humble himself, and. to atone
for his fault, he brought forth the meat before all the
brethren, and confessed what he had done. By the
command of his superior he threw it into some water,
and even as he did, his act of humility and obedience
was crowned by a miracle, for the meat instantly became
changed into innumerable fishes. Thus figuratively
would our Lord teach us that it is not so much what
we eat or drink in itself that is pleasing or displeasing
to Him, but the act of self-sacrifice which ~we perform

St. Patrick's

Visit to the Islands.

177

in abstaining from what naturally gratifies our fleshly
inclinations.4
It is said that St. Patrick remained four years at
Tours; this would bring us to the year 414, supposing
the saint to have proceeded to Tours immediately after
his arrival in Gaul. But if we allow that he may
have remained a year with his parents, it would give the
elate A.D. 415, and still leave an interval of three years
before the known date of his visit to St. Germanus. It
was probably during this interval, whether of three or
four years, that the saint visited some of the places
vaguely mentioned in the various Lives, and which cannot be accurately identified. His age at his release
from captivity was two-and-twenty. His residence
at Tours, and his visits to other places, all occur
between the twenty-second and the thirtieth years of
his age.
Jocelyn says but little of St. Patrick's intercourse
with Germanus. He simply mentions : " The saint
* Inclinations.—Colgan, p. 121, Tripartite. This is also mentioned by
Jocelyn. He strongly condemns a superstition practised in his time by the
Irish, who used to plunge meat in water on St. Patrick's Day, and when
dressed eat it, and call it St. Patrick's fishes. Such superstitions, or rather
sinful evasions, are always severely condemned by the Church. It is very
usual now, however, to give permission for the use of meat on St. Patrick's
Bay, which always occurs in Lent.
As an evidence of the similarity of the miracles recorded in the Lives of the
Saints, it may be observed that a somewhat similar circumstance is mentioned
in the Life of St. Agnes of Montepulcianno. In consequence of ill health she
was required to eat flesh meat, from which she had abstained for years. She
obeyed the commands of her superior*, but at the moment when the meat was
placed before her it was miraculously changed into fish by the same power
which caused the water to become wine at the Feast of Cana in Galilee.—See
the Life of St. Agnes of Montepulcianno, p. 214.
T

178

Life of St.

Patrick

desired that all his acts should be sanctioned by the
Apostolic authority," and therefore he went to the
chair of Peter, founded upon a Eock, and that he disclosed his purpose to Germanus, who approved of it, and
gave him for his companion a holy servant of God
named Sergetius.
Probus gives very full details
(Vita Quinta), but either he has himself strangely
confused the accounts from which he compiled his narrative, or his transcribers have disarranged his history,
for the whole of his life at this period is incoherent. Indeed, so hopeless is the confusion, that Lanigan well observes, we must look for some more consistent authorities to guide us as to this part of our
saint's history.
There can be no doubt that St. Patrick visited the
islands in the Tyrrhene sea during some part of the time
of his preparation for his apostolic mission to Ireland.
It was here that he received th§ Staff of Jesus, and
here also he was favoured with many divine revelations.
To the present writer it appears most probable that
this visit took place after St. Patrick's introduction to
Germanus, and before his visit to Eome. It must be
observed once more, that the biographers of the saints in
the early Christian centuries were much more intent on
giving correct accounts of the favours granted to them
by God, and on the correspondence with grace which
they manifested in their lives, than in giving critical
details of their history.
The evidence of St. Patrick's connection with St.

Records of the Booh of Armagh.
Germanus is ample and beyond controversy.
Hymn of St. Fiacc it is briefly stated thus :

179
In the

" H e [the angel Victor] sent him across the Alps: over the sea marvellous
was his course,
Until he stayed with Germanus in the south, in southern Letha.
In the Islands of the Tyrrhene sea he stayed : therein he meditated :
He read the canon with Germanus : it is this that history relates."

In the Book of Armagh, amongst the sayings of St.
Patrick one is preserved, which runs thus :
" The fear of the Lord was the guide of my journey through
Gaul and Italy, and to the islands which are in the Tyrrhene sea."

From the titles of the lost chapters of the Life of St.
Patrick contained in this Book, we find that the sixth
chapter contained an account of St. Patrick's journey
into Gaul, where, having found Germanus, he remained
with him, and proceeded no further for a time. In that
part of the Book of Armagh which is still preserved,
the circumstances of the visit of St. Patrick to Germanus are fully detailed.
"The angel Victor came to him and declared that it was time for
him to go forth with the evangelic net, and fish for those barbarous
nations to whom the mercy of God had sent him; therefore when
the fit time had come he set out strengthened by the divine
assistance to undertake the missionary work for which he had long
prepared, and Germanus sent an ancient priest with him, whose
name was Segetius, that he might be both a companion and a
witness, for the holy master, Germanus, had not yet conferred
episcopal consecration on him."

In a treatise on the Irish Liturgy, which Spelman

180

Life of St

Patrick

refers to the seventh century, the connection between
our saint and St. Germanus is thus recorded:
" They [Lupus and Germanus] subsequently preached to the
Britons or Scots, as the Life of St. Germanus of Auxerre and the
Life of St. Lupus testify; and they spiritually trained up and
nourished with sacred learning the blessed Patrick, whom, being
consecrated bishop, they by their commendation elevated him
to the chief episcopate of the Scots and Britons."5

The biographer of St. Germanus, Eric, or, as his name
is more generally Latinized, Hericus, has written fully
on this subject also.
"As the discipline of children redounds to the glory of their
father, I have deemed it, I have considered it well, briefly to
commemorate one of the most famous of the many sons in Christ
whom he [Germanus] had instructed in religion—1 mean Patrick—
who, as his Life records, was the special apostle of Ireland, and spent
eighteen years under his most holy instruction, and drank in no
small draughts of learning and the Sacred Scriptures from this rich
fountain."6

The important fact that St. Patrick read the Canon
with Germanus is also mentioned in the Irish Nennius.
Indeed the subject is one which is not, and cannot be
questioned ; and the only matter for investigation would
be what St. Germanus taught St. Patrick with regard
6
Britons.—Essays on the Early Irish Church, by the Very Rev. Monsignor
Moran. At page 246 he gives the origiual of this treatise.
6
Fountain.—The Life of St. Germanus of Auxerre was written by a monk
of his monastery whose name was Constantius, and is well authenticated. In
the reign of Charles the Bold, the body of the saint was transferred to a new
church, 16th January, 859. I t was about this period that Hericus republished
the Life of the Saint, with a commentary.—See TillemonL Hist Ec, vol
xv. p. 24

Catholic Teaching the same in all Ages.

181

to doctrine and discipline. This is a subject full of
interest and full of importance.
We have already
sketched the Life of the Bishop of Auxerre up to the
. period of his consecration as bishop. It was precisely
then, A.D. 418, that St. Patrick placed himself under his
spiritual direction.
There can be no doubt that our saint had fully and
deep]y weighed the importance of the Divine call which
he had received, to be the apostle of a nation. The
Catholic missionary, while relying absolutely, or rather
I should say, because relying absolutely, on the
Divine Spirit promised to the Church for his guidance,
does not neglect all the ordinary means supplied by
Providence which might avail for the furtherance of
his work. It would be presumption for a missionary
to go forth without a knowledge of the language
of the country to which he was sent, because God
has been pleased to impart the gift of languages
in some cases supernaturally. Thus, also, no man
dare go forth to teach unless he has been himself
taught, and this is, indeed, one of the most marked
differences between the apostles of truth and the disseminators of error.
The faith of the Catholic Church is unalterable.
What St. Germanus taught in Auxerre, St. Ambrose
taught at Milan, and St. Peter at Eome. As each new
missionary went forth to convert pagan nations, he
took with him a definite creed which it was perilous to
reject, and heresy to deny. He knew that £aeh dogma

182

Life of St.

Patrick

which he should teach had been taught to him by those
who received the sacred deposit of Divine truth in an
unbroken sequence of theology. Hence it was of the
first necessity, it was rather, we should say, the essential duty of the Christian missionary to learn fully what
he should teach ; and thus it is that years of study are
considered now, and were considered then, the duty of
the candidate for the priesthood.
And, if such study is important and essential for the
ordinary exercise of the sacred ministry, how much
more important is it for the apostle destined by Divine
Providence to convert a whole nation to the Faith. How
could such a one go forth and ask the men of that nation
to give up their old beliefs, unless he had something
more than mere conjecture to offer them in exchange 1 If
his creed could be shaken by their arguments, as the
creed of a Protestant bishop has been shaken in modern
times, why should he attempt to teach them at all 1
But, happily for Ireland, St. Patrick learned his canon
from one who had authority to teach, and from .one
whose creed could not be shaken by the conjectures or
questions of his first convert. It was also essential
that the saint should be fully instructed on all details
of Church discipline. The awful responsibility of
teaching and ordaining many priests would be committed to him. His advice would be esteemed a law,
and his very opinion an obligation ; hence it was most
necessary that he should be able to give a correct
decision—and decisions in accordance with the princi-

St Germanus fitted to instruct St. Patrick

183

pies of canon law, as taught by the Holy Catholic
Church, on every subject. Thus was it well that he
should have read the CANON with Germanus.
It is also more than probable that the subject of civil
law would have been considered. Though Patrick knew
it not, he was to assist in Christianizing the laws of
ancient Erinn, and Providence prepares each instrument
for the work for which it is designed, though the instrument may not be always conscious of the preparation. A person of ordinary prudence could scarcely
fail to foresee some of the difficulties that would arise
when a pagan nation began to renounce their national
customs. St. Germanus, from his previous study of
Roman law, and from his long and brilliant career as
governor of a partly pagan and partly Christian province, must surely have had considerable experience
on this subject—another reason why he was specially
fitted to instruct St. Patrick.
We are informed in the Tripartite that Germanus
was distinguished'by birth, dignity, life, learning,
ministry, and miracles. Here again we find another
reason why it was a special grace for St. Patrick to
have been favored by his guidance. The power of
working miracles, which to our want of faith appear
more than ordinarily wonderful, is frequently granted
to those appointed to evangelize heathen lands. The
miracles of St. Germanus were frequent and marvellous,
and we can scarcely doubt that they were a subject of
special consolation and instruction to St. Patrick.

184

Life of St

Patrick

St. G-ermanus was consecrated Bishop of Auxerre in
July, A.r>. 418. In the course of this very year he was
visited by St. Patrick, and it is probable that the two
saints remained together for several years. In the
Scholiast on St. Fiace's Hymn it is expressly stated
that St. Patrick accompanied St. Germanus to Britain,
to root out the Pelagian heresy, and that he afterwards
returned with his companion to France. There can be no
reason for questioning this statement; even Usher gives
high authority to these scholia, and considers them as
an independent and valuable addition to our information concerning the life of St. Patrick.
The history of the Pelagian heresy is almost too well
known to need more than a passing allusion. Pelagius,
the unhappy originator of this sect, was by birth a
Briton. He went to Rome, as was indeed the custom
of the time ; but it must be feared he scarcely made his
pilgrimage in the spirit of devotion and humility which
generally characterized such undertakings. For some
time he remained in obscurity, although acquainted
with St. Augustine, with whom he had some correspondence. After a time he appears to have devoted
himself to the education of youth. He was undoubtedly a man of considerable learning and apparent piety,
though it is said that his private life was not very
edifying. He first gave publicity to his errors about
five years before St. Germanus was elevated to the
episcopate. Two young men, who had been his pupils,
were now his warm supporters ; and in the history of

The Pelagian

Heresy.

185

one of these we trace the history of all heresy; for Bede
informs us, that Julianus of Campania was an ambitious man, and was mortally disobliged by the loss of a
bishopric.7
The heresy of Pelagius consisted in declaring, contrary to the teaching of the Catholic Church, that the
sin of Adam does not in any way affect his descendants,
and that man is able to fulfil the law of God without
the aid of divine grace. Councils were held in
Africa, in 416, where this heresy was condemned, and
Pope Innocent was appealed to for a confirmation of
their decrees, which he granted. He also condemned
Pelagius and his followers, and declared them excommunicated, unless they renounced their errors. St.
Augustine, in noble and memorable words, evinced his
Catholicity and his loyalty to the See of Peter:—
" Eome has spoken : the judgment of the bishops of Africa has
been sent to the Apostolic See; the letters of the Pope have
arrived, and confirm that judgment. Eome has spoken—the
question is at rest—discussion has ceased ; God grant that the
error may cease likewise."

But the error did not cease. In 418, Honorius
issued an edict condemning the heresy ; and, in 425,
Valentinian issued another; Agricola then fled from
Gaul to promulgate Pelagianism in Britain. Bede, who
probably quotes from Prospers Chronicle, informs
us that the English bishops, finding that these false
doctrines were gaining ground, and that they were
1

Bishopric.—Bede, lib. i. cap. vii.

186

Life of St

Patrick

unable to oppose them effectually, requested the assistance of tlie bishops of Gaul. Palladius had already
brought a report to Bome of the state of Britain, and
. the ravages which heretics were making in its Church;
and Prosper relates, that Pope Celestine sent Germanus as his representative to direct the Britons to
the Catholic faith. The probable position and dignity of
Palladius, the deacon, has already been fully explained.
St. Germanus paid two visits to Britain ; and it was
during the first of these that the saint accompanied
him (A.D. 429). The interval from the time in which
St. Patrick came to Germanus until this date, was
spent in study at Auxerre, and in visits to the islands
of the " Tyrrhene Sea," of which many curious and interesting details are given. It is indeed quite clear,
whatever view may be taken of the accounts given
by the saint's biographers at this period of his life,
that some portion of it was spent at Lerins. "We
have already given full details of the foundation of
that monastery and of its inmates. It only remains to
record the events which are said to have occurred there,
or, at least, in some of the Mediterranean islands visited
by our apostle. Lanigan has well observed that St.
Germanus could not have selected a better school than
that of Lerins for St. Patrick, since it was the abode of
so many men eminent for sanctity and learning. He
also observes that there was an island called Zero, now
St. Marguerite, close to Lerins, which became celebrated as the place chosen by St. Eucharius of Lyons

St Patrick receives the Staff of Jesus.

187

for his retreat. These islands were indeed, at this
time, a second Thebias, and their inhabitants were
persons wholly devoted to religion and separation from
the world.8
It was during St. Patrick's visit to Lerins that he
received the Staff of Jesus. The gift of this relic is
mentioned in the Tripartite, and the antiquity and
authenticity of this life should be recalled before the
legend is rejected. It must also be remembered, as
cumulative evidence of great weight, that this staff was
supposed, from a very early date, to have been.a heavensent gift, and as such was venerated and preserved with
extraordinary care until the very time of its wanton
destruction.
According to the account in the Tripartite, St.
Patrick and his companions were cast by the tide upon
an island, where they found a strange family, the
children being apparently very much older than the
parents. One of the men explained to St. Patrick that
Christ had visited their family while upon earth, and
that they had made a feast for Him. He had blessed
those who thus honored Him according to the best of
their power, and had promised that they should be
" without age and without decay to the judgment day."
The blessing, however, did not reach to their children,
who, it would appear, grew aged in appearance, in the
ordinary course of nature as years went on.
The man then declared that they had long expected
• TTorW.—Eo. History, vol. i , p. 179.

188

Life of St.

Patrick

the coming of St. Patrick, which, had been foretold to
them, with the further information that he was to
preach to the Irish. A token was left for the saint,
namely, a bent staff, which was to be given to him on
his arrival. But St. Patrick replied that he would not
take the staff until it was given to him by our Lord
Himself. Patrick remained with this family for three
days and nights, and then went to Mount Hermon,9 in
the neighbourhood of the island. Here our Divine Lord
appeared to him, and gave him the Staff of Jesus, desiring him to go and preach to the Irish.
In the Scholiast on St. Fiacc's Hymn it is simply
mentioned that St. Patrick received the Staff of Jesus
on Mount Hermon. In the Vita Tertia the saint is said
to have met with a hermit from whom he received this
staff, but no place is mentioned. It is, however, added
that the staff was then [at the time the Life was written]
in the city of Patrick [Armagh]. But the writer, in a
subsequent chapter, mentions that our Lord appeared
to St. Patrick on Mount Arnon. In the Vita Quarta
we find an account somewhat similar to that given in
the Tripartite. Probus does not mention the gift of
this mysterious staff, but Jocelyn gives very full
details.
According to his account, St. Patrick, when on his
way to Rome, visited a holy man, who in his name and
works was just [nomine ac opere justum], and from him
he received the Staff of Jesus—this solitary having
9

Hermon.—Of the identification of this place, more hereafter.

St. Patrick receives the Staff of Jesus.

189

informed him that he had received the staff from the
hands of the Lord Jesus. There were other solitaries
in this island, some of whom appeared to be youths, and
others aged and decrepit men ; and Patrick is informed,
as already stated in the Tripartite, that these men who
retained their youth had seen our Divine Lord while He
was on earth, and that He had blessed them specially
for their charity in receiving Him.
The legend, it will be observed, is told without any
material 1 variation by the different writers. With
regard to the staff itself, there can be no doubt that it
was transmitted by St. Patrick to his successors, and
treasured by them with a veneration which can only be
attributed to their firm belief in. its supernatural origin.
Nor, if we believe in miracles at all, can any reason be
adduced why such a favor may not have been granted
to our saint. His mission was a special one; it was one
which required the exercise of more than ordinary power,
in dealing with the demons of darkness who had for
centuries held a whole nation in thrall. Many apostles
have converted tribes and districts of continental
countries, but generally they have been assisted by
numerous bands of disciples. St. Patrick was called to
1

Material.—Dr. Todd, ever unhappily anxious to discredit anything which
in the least approached the supernatural, has remarked sharply on the circumstance that the Tripartite mentions " women," and Jocelyn "men," as
the persons who preserved their youth. But there is nothing either in the Tripartite to lead one to suppose that there were no men, or in Jocelyn to lead
one to suppose that there were no women. A man who had made up his
mind not to believe the details of the Life of Wellington would have no business to write his memoir. Careful and scholarly criticism is one thing; to
have a predetermination not to believe certain facts is not scholarly.

190

Life of St.

Patrick

convert a whole nation, an entire and isolated country,
and he had few, if any, helpers in his work. Hence he
needed special graces and helps, which might not have
been so necessary to others. What, indeed, could prove
more effectual in subduing the visible power of the
demon than such a staff, blessed and given by Christ
Himself? If the staff of a prophet could effect a
miracle, how much more efficacious would be the Staff
of Jesus ? And we shall find that it was precisely for
the purpose of subduing and expelling the powers of
darkness that this staff was used.2
The legend of the men and women who still retained
their youth cannot of course be literally true, nor can
we suppose that it is intended to be so understood. It
may have been a vision by which the saint was told
that those whom Christ Himself had blessed were ever
young in truth and beauty—it may have been to show
that the redeemed ones grow not old in Paradise, and
that, there, age is as beautiful as youth.
2
Used.—The present writer has seen a small cross of wood which was said
to have been blessed by our Divine Lord, who appeared to a nun in Italy, and
desired her to procure a number of these crosses that He might bless them.
It must, however, be distinctly understood by non-Catholic readers, that
Catholics are not in any way obliged to believe this or similar statements,
which are merely given on the ordinary testimony of human information. A
Catholic knows that such favors may be granted by God to His saints, and
therefore will be guided as to his belief or disbelief in such occurrences by the
weight of evidence for or against such statements. A Protestant at once
rejects them, without taking the trouble of further inquiry. A Catholic says,
when he hears that a miracle has been performed, or that a supernatural event
has occurred, " I t may be true;" a Protestant says, " It is not true." If all
the marvellous discoveries of science had been treated thus, and rejected
without further investigation, we may doubt if civilization would have been
greatly advanced thereby.

Our Divine Lord appears to the Saint.

191

All the ancient Lives of our Saint concur in stating
that our Divine Lord appeared to St. Patrick about
this time on a mountain. This mountain is called
Hermon, Arnon, and Morian, and the identification of
the site must always remain doubtful. Indeed it is
quite evident that several of the saint's biographers have
confused some of the events of this portion of St.
Patrick's life with the history of Palladius. Two entirely different sites are indicated in the Lives for this
place. It is also stated in one of these Lives that St.
Patrick was ordained priest by a bishop named Senior,
who dwelt in a city with seven walls, near Mount Hermon. Colgan thinks that the real name of this bishop
was Senator, not Senior, and that he may have been a
friend of St. Germanus, who lived in Italy, and who is
mentioned by his biographer, Constantius. Dr. Lanigan
suggests that Senior may not be a proper name, but
only an epithet indicating that the bishop was aged.
Dr. Todd thinks that Palladius may have received
priest's orders from this prelate preparatory to his consecration at Eome as first bishop of the Scots.3
Mount Hermon is variously described as being on
" the south side of the ocean," " on the sea of Letha,"
"on a rock in the Tyrrhene Sea," "in the city of Capua,"
and " near the city of Capua." It is quite clear that
all these statements cannot be correct, as they are in
3
Scots.—For all references on these subjects see Conslantius, Vit. S. German, ii. cap. n. 6, and the Bollandists. Golgan, p. 62, n. 17. Lanigan, vol.
i. p, 166, and Dr. Todd's Memoir, p. 337.

192

Life of St.

Patrick

some cases absolutely contradictory. All the conjectures which have been made fail to throw any light on
the subject, and we can only believe that the account
of the Tripartite is the most probable. Here it is stated
that Mount Hermon was near the island where St.
Patrick met the man or men who had the Staff of Jesus.
Thus, without being able absolutely to identify the place,
we have something like certainty that it was near Lerins,
or possibly a hill on that island. The opinion of the
present writer is that the name of Hermon was given,
from devotional reasons, to some hill or eminence near
the monastery of Lerins ; that the name ceased to be
remembered, because it ceased to be used after the monks
had left the locality, and hence that all attempt at
identification will be useless. The unanimous testimony of the writers of the various Lives of St. Patrick
leave no doubt of the existence of some elevation bearing
that name.4
The Lives, however, agree in their accounts of the
visions with which St. Patrick was favored on this
mountain. Here our Divine Lord appeared to him, and
commanded him to sit upon His right hand. He then
conversed with him as a friend with his friend, even as
Almighty God conversed with our first parents in the
Garden of Eden. Our Lord then commanded St.
Patrick to " g o to Ireland and preach therein the word
4
Name.—Dr. Lanigan conjectures the site to have been the celebrated
Mount St. Michael, in the bay of Caucale, near Avranche, but he founds his
conjecture on a Celtic derivation which is quite untenable.— Ec. His. vol. i
p. 166.

The Vision on Mount Hermon.

193

of eternal life." Then the saint made three petitions to
our Lord, and asked that the men of Ireland might be
rich in gold and silver, that he might be the judge of
the Irish in the day of judgment, and that he might
have a place on His right hand in the kingdom of heaven.
This remarkable vision and the requests of the saint are,
perhaps, amongst the most widely known traditional
records of the saint. "We cannot suppose for a moment
that he asked earthly riches for the people to whom he
was going to preach the gospel of poverty and humiliation, so that we must believe the gold and silver had
some mystical meaning. Perhaps he would convey in
this symbol the desire, that they should be rich in the
gold of charity and the silver of a pure faith; and surely,
if this conjectural interpretation be a true one, it corresponds with the history of the Irish nation. Preeminent among all people for charity, preeminent amongst
all people for devotion to the one true Faith, surely in
this at least the prayer of Patrick has been answered.
Nor can we doubt that he may have desired to judge
them at the last day, who were, humanly speaking,
indebted to him for the knowledge of its blessedness and
its terrors. A faithful servant was he to whom the
stewardship of many talents and the governance of
many cities should be confided. His o&e petition for
himself was full of simplicity and love—that he might
be placed with the chosen ones at the right hand of
Jesus in the heavenly kingdom. What more could we
desire, what more can we ask—to be on the right hand
u

194

Life of St.

Patrick

in the day of fear, when so many shall be upon the left ?
0 most sweet Jesus, grant to us also that we, with Patrick,
and with all thy saints, may attain to this most happy
state. 5
It is also said that the saint banished a furious beast
from the islands while he was residing there, to the
great comfort and relief of the inhabitants. A Protestant writer has called this legend " a childish story ;"
but surely he could never have read the Lives of the
Fathers of the Desert, as recorded by St. Jerome and
St. Augustine, or he would have known that the power
to subdue or destroy noxious animals was no uncommon
gift; and that the exercise of such power has been recorded again and again upon the most ample testimony.
"We must observe once more, that the Lives of the
, Saints were written for edification, and not with the
view to critical accuracy, which is, in some respects
very justly, considered necessary in the present age.
The writers of the various Lives of St. Patrick had many
ancient manuscripts before them, and they have contented themselves with copying these documents as they
stood, or taking certain paragraphs from each to make
up the Life. That the latter course was adopted by the'
6
State.—There is a remarkable family likeness, if we may use the expression, in the Lives of the Saints. In the Life of St. Francis of Assisi, we find
a record very similar to the above. The biographers of St. Francis, probably,
scarcely ever knew of the existence of St. Patrick, hence even ingenious scepticisim can find no ground to suggest a plagiarism of idea. In 1224 our Divine
Lord appeared to this saint, and conversed familiarly with him, sitting on a
stone which Francis had used as a table. He then promised him certain
favors, one of which was that the Order should continue until the Day of
Judgment.

Guided by St. Germanus for Thirty Years.

195

writer of the Life attributed to Probus must be evident
even to the most cursory examination of its contents.
Hence, in our own narrative we have followed what
seems the most correct sequence of events in the Life of
our Apostle, after a careful examination of the various
authorities. Much confusion and difficulty have been
caused by the supposition that St. Patrick resided for
thirty years with St. Germanus. But this supposition
is purely gratuitous, and in no way indicated by the
statements of any of those writers. That he looked to
St. Germanus as his spiritual guide for thirty years, is
undoubtedly true ; and this simply means that St.
Patrick, having placed himself under the direction of the
saint, continued to look to him for advice during the
remainder of his life. This would be a period of precisely thirty years from the year of his consecration as
Bishop of Auxerre.
We can scarcely fix any definite number of years for
the time during which St. Patrick remained at Lerins
and in the islands of the " Tyrrhene Sea," but there can
be no doubt that he returned to St. Germanus before
the year 429. It was in this year that St. Germanus
undertook his first expedition to Britain to assist the
bishops of that country in checking the ravages of
heresy, and there is ample evidence to prove that he
was accompanied in his journey by St. Patrick. Nor
can one fail to reflect that this seems a happy anticipation of the services which English Catholics should
hereafter receive from the priests of Gaul and Ireland.

196

Life of St

Patrick.

During the long ages of persecution which followed the
rejection of the Catholic Faith by that nation, and the
ascendency of heresy, France was the nursery where
careful nurture was provided for the saintly and devoted
men who served the English mission ; while even at the
present day the ministrations of the Catholic Church in
England are principally sustained by Irish priests.
It is expressly stated in the Scholiast on St. Fiacc's
Hymn, that St. Patrick accompanied St. Germanus to
England. The writer thus relates the circumstance :—
" It happened that St. Germanus came to Britain to root out the
Pelagian heresy, and he came accompanied by Patrick, and many
others; and he unceasingly labored to root out that heresy, until
intelligence was brought to him that his own city had begun to be
infected with it. Then he and Patrick returned to France, and
they applied themselves to combat the same pestilential errors."

Probus also mentions that St. Patrick evangelized
both in Britain and Normandy. "William of Malmesbury mentions this also ; and in the curious old tract
on the Irish Liturgy it is at least implied, if not distinctly stated. The Bollandists do not admit it, but
this is solely because it interferes with their chronology,
which has long since been proved to be very incorrect.
Dr. Lanigan thinks, with some appearance of probability, that St. Patrick was met at Boulogne by St.
Germanus and St. Lupus. There is evidence that he
officiated there in some way. Malbrancq says that he
was sent thither by St. Germanus to repair the loss
which the people of that district had sustained by the

St. Patrick in England with Germanus.

197

removal of St. Victricius, who had been made Bishop
of Kouen.
St. Lupus, who was chosen by the Council of Troyes
to accompany St. Germanus to Britain, was one of the
most distinguished men of the age. He had spent
some time in the monastery of Lerins, under the spiritual direction of St. Honorat, and was thus probably
known personally to St. Patrick. St. Lupus was consecrated Bishop of Troyes about two years before the
expedition to Britain, and he was distinguished for his
holiness, his learning, and his eloquence. As there are
no records of St. Patrick's share in this mission, we
shall only briefly notice the principal events connected
with i t
The two saints and their companions journeyed from
Auxerre direct to Paris. As they journeyed, miracles
abounded, and the record of their travel is simply a
record of supernatural manifestations. At Metrodorum,
the present Nauterre, St. Germanus met and blessed the
little Genevieve, and predicted the sanctity of the
future patroness of Paris. Her fair young face, for she
was then but seven years of age, seemed to him radiant
as that of an angel; and by her own desire he received
her vows, and consecrated her young life irrevocably to
the service of Heaven.
While at sea a terrible storm was evoked by diabolic
malice, and Germanus was loudly called upon to save
the sinking ship. A few words of prayer, and a few
drops of oil sprinkled on the raging waters, in the name of

198

Life of St.

Patrick

the Most Holy Trinity, produced an instantaneous calm.
Evil spirits gave notice of their approach by the
medium of the possessed, and the faithful everywhere
received the bearers of gospel peace with joy. A conference, or synod, followed, where the propagators of error
were allowed to state their case, which was fully and
convincingly refuted by the Gallican bishops. St.
Germanus preached wherever he went, and we cannot
doubt that he was assisted by St. Patrick, who must
have had special gifts of convincing eloquence.
The triumph of truth was confirmed, and, if possible,
enhanced by a miracle. An official who held a high
post in the Soman service, brought his little daughter
to the bishops. She was blind, and he asked that she
might be cured. The bishops who had been led astray by
Pelagianism were present, but they declined to attempt
the miracle, and joined with the multitude in asking
St. Germanus to obtain this favor from God. It will
be remembered that the saint always carried a little box
of relics with him ; this he applied to the child's eyes,
invoking the name of the Most Holy Trinity, and the
cure was granted instantaneously. "We can scarcely
wonder at the devotion of St. Patrick to the relics of the
saints, when he was thus a witness of so many marvels ;
and that he, like the master from whom he learned his
CANONS, should have brought with him on his mission a
similar store of holy treasures.
After the conference, or synod, the saints proceeded
to St. Albans, to honor the relics of the first English

St. Patrick

in England.

199

martyr. Here St. Germanus deposited some of the
relics of the Apostles, which he had brought with him,
that, as Constantius has touchingly observed, he might
thus unite the bones of those who, in distant parts of the
earth, had lived the same saintly life. And truly the
action was at once explanatory and emblematic of the
great Catholic doctrine of the Communion of Saints,
which teaches us that time and space form no barrier to
heavenly intercourse—that we may be assisted as effectually, nay, even more so, by the saint who died a
thousand years ago, as by those who are most willing
and best able to help us on earth to-day.
Nor were there wanting hereties then, as now, who
professed to honor God the more by dishonoring the
noblest work of God—a saintly soul. The ground
whereon St. Alban had been martyred was still stained
with his blood. St. Germanus, like a true apostle, took
with, him only one treasure from the English shores,
and this was a handful of the dust reddened with the
martyr's blood. This he carefully enshrined at Auxerre
on his return, where he built a church in honor of St.
Alban. Already the heretic Vigilantius had condemned
the Church's devotion to those who had attained beatitude, and had compared it in bitter words to Gentile
rites, mocking those who could so reverence a little
dust. But he was answered, and though the answer
has remained on record some thousand years and more,
the same objection, continues to be repeated :—" We do
not adore," replied St. Jerome, " even the sun and the

200

Life of St.

Patrick

moon, or the angels, much, less the relics of martyrs ; but
we do honor the relics of martyrs in order to adore
Him for whom they are martyrs." No doubt, if Vigilantius and those who agreed with him had lived in
apostolic times, they would have condemned St. Paul
for allowing handkerchiefs and aprons to touch his body
that they might be used as relics, and they would have
condemned the people who so used them. But to those
who are favored by God with the gift of working
miracles, or have been favored by a miraculous cure,
the contempt and disbelief of thousands is a matter
scarcely worth a thought.
It was while in Britain that St. Germanus met with
the only accident which caused him any bodily suffering
or illness. He met with a serious injury in the foot,
and was obliged to remain stationary for some time.
He resided in a thatched cottage, and was here miraculously saved from fire, and afterwards miraculously
cured. For the further details of his mission, and an
account of the famous Alleluiatic Victory, the reader
must be referred to the Life of the Saint.6
The Gallican bishops returned to Auxerre in about
a year, and it was then that St. Patrick commenced his
immediate preparation for his Irish mission. St. Germanus returned in 430. It was late in that year, or
early in 431, that St. Patrick set out for Pome to re6
Saint—See Tillemont, Ecc. Hist., vol. xiv. p. 50. Also a very beautiful
English Life of St. German, republished recently by Kelly, 8 Grafton -street,
Dublin. It is one of the series edited by Dr. Newman before his conversion.

Proofs of St. Patrick's Roman Mission.

203

ceive jurisdiction and mission for his Irish, apostolate
from the Holy See. It is strange with what eagerness
those who have separated themselves from the Catholic
Church attempt to explain away or deny this visit;
yet there are few details in the saint's life given on
better authority. The reader shall judge for himself on
this subject.
The first, and perhaps the most important evidence,
from its unquestioned antiquity, is that contained in
the Tripartite. Here we have a detailed account of the
saint's journey to Eome :—
" When Patrick heard this thing [i.e., the failure of the mission
of St. Palladius], and knew that it was for him God designed the
apostleship of Erinn, he went subsequently to Rome to receive
grade; and it was Celestinus, Abbot of Rome, who read grada
(orders, degrees) over him; Germanus and Amatho, king of the
Romans, being present."7

Some folios are missing from the Irish version of the
Tripartite, but Colgan's translation is admitted to be
essentially accurate, and we can supply further details
from that source.
In compliance with, the admonition of the angel, and
the command of God, he determined to visit the seat of
Peter, the head of our faith, and the fountain of all
apostolicity, and through such authority to strengthen
and consecrate his apostleship and his journey. On
disclosing his idea to his master, St. Germanus, he not
7
Present.—This extract is from Mr. Hennessy's translation of the Irish version of the Tripartite, from which, unfortunately, some folios are missing.

204

Life of St.

Patrick

only approved of his holy intention, but assigned him
Segetius the Priest, his own vicar in spiritual matters,
as a companion on his journey, and as a witness of his
holy conversation.8
Another extract on the same subject can scarcely fail
to interest the reader and to satisfy the most sceptical:—
" Patrick having set out for Borne, after visiting the shrines of
the apostles with devout veneration, found favor with Pope
Oelestine, who was the forty-fifth from St. Peter. This Pope, as
the conversion of nations belongs by right to the successors of St.
Peter (cum successori Petri jure incumbat conversio gentium), had
already sent the illustrious Deacon Palladius, with the apostolic
number of twelve companions, to preach and announce the word of
God to the Irish." 9

In the annotations of Tirechan, contained in that part
of the Book of Armagh which, as Dr. Graves has remarked, was evidently becoming illegible when the
present copy was made from it, more than a thousand
years ago, we find the following express testimony to
the Eoman mission of our saint:—
" In the thirteenth year of the Emperor Theodosius, the Bishop
Patrick was sent by Celestine, Bishop and Pope of Rome, to instruct
the Irish. Bishop Palladius was first sent, who was also called
Patrick by a second name, and he was martyred among the Scots,
8
Conversation.—Colgan, p. 122.
tion which shall clearly convey the
we append an extract: "Angelicis
Patricius, statuit sedem Petri fidei
fontem adire; ejusque apostolica
roborare et consecrare."
Q
Irish.—Colgan, p. 123.

It is difficult to give an English translaspirit and letter of the original; hence,
monitis, divinoque acquiescens mandato
nostrse magistrum, et omnis apostulatus
authoritate, suum iter et Apostolatum

Proofs of St. Patrick's Roman Mission.

205

as the old saints have said. Then the second Patrick was sent by
the angel of God, Victor, and by Pope Celestine; all Ireland believed, and nearly all were baptized by him."

In the Vita Quarta, attributed to St. Eileran the
Wise, who died in A.D. 664, the Eoman mission of St.
Patrick is also attested thus :—
" St. Germanus sent the blessed Patrick to Rome, that thus he
might receive the sanction (licentia) of the Bishop of the Apostolic
See to go forth and preach, for so order requireth (sic enim ordo
exigebat), and Patrick, having come to Borne, was honorably
received by the holy Pope Celestine; and relics of the saints
being given to him, he was sent into Ireland by the same Pope." 1

Perhaps the simplest and best evidence on this subject is that of the saint himself. In the Life of St.
Patrick by Probus, he records the following prayer of
St. Patrick :—" 0 Lord Jesus Christ . . . conduct me
now, I beseech Thee, to the See of the Holy Eoman
Church, that receiving there the mission to preach with
confidence, the Irish tribes may become Christian
through me."
In truth, St. Patrick could not have undertaken such
a mission without the express sanction of the See of
Rome, and without obtaining jurisdiction from the then
reigning Pontiff, so that even if the various writers of
1
Pope.—Colgan, p. 39. It was unworthy of Dr. Todd, both intellectually
and morally, to try and-discredit the Roman mission of St. Patrick, with all this
evidence before him. He admits the authority of the three Lives for any
purely indifferent matter, but when the supernatural, or Catholic doctrines are
advanced he discredits them. So much influence has prejudice even on the
most gifted intellects.

206

Life of St.

Patrick

his Life had not alluded to the subject, there could be
no question raised about it by those who were even
cursorily acquainted with the ecclesiastical history of
the period. Happily, however, as the subject is one of
great interest, and which, for controversial reasons, it is
important to prove beyond cavil, we can give extraneous
evidence that the accounts of the early Irish biographers
of St. Patrick were substantially correct. St. Eric, or
Hericus, of Auxerre, the biographer of St. Germanus, is
an independent and credible authority. He writes thus
of the connection between St. Germanus and St. Patrick,
and the Eoman mission of the latter :—
" And as Germanus saw him magnanimous in religion, eminent
for virtue, strenuous in the sacred ministry, and thinking it unfit
that so strong a husbandman (robustissimum agricolam) should be
inactive in the culture of the harvest of the Lord, he sent him to
holy Celestine, the Pope of the city of Rome, accompanied by his
own priest, Segetius, who might bear testimony to his ecclesiastical
probity at the Apostolic See. Being thus approved by its judgment, supported by its authority, and strengthened by its blessing,
he journeyed to Ireland, and being given to that people as their
chosen apostle, he enlightened the whole nation then by his preaching and miracles, as he continues to do at the present day, and will
so for ever continue to do, by the wonderful privileges of his apostolate. ?;2

In 822 Bishop Marcus wrote his Historia Brittonum,
in which he introduces a short sketch of the Life of our
2

Apostolate—Bollaudists, Julii vii. See also, for a careful and scholarly
collection of all the authorities on this subject, Mssays on the Early Irish Church,
by Monsignor Moran, p. 22-38.

Proofs of St. Patrick's Roman Mission.

207

apostle, which, we cannot doubt, was taken carefully
from the most authentic sources then extant. In this
he says :—
" Under divine guidance Patrick was instructed in the Sacred
Scriptures, and then he went to Rome, and remained there a long
time studying, and being filled with the Holy Ghost, learning the
Holy Scriptures and the Sacred Mysteries. And whilst he was
there applying himself to these pursuits, Palladius was sent by
Pope Celestine as first bishop to convert the Irish to Christ; but
God, by some storms and signs, prevented his success; and no one
can receive aught on earth unless it be given to him from above.
This Palladius, returning from Ireland to Britain, died there in the
land of the Picts. The death of Bishop Palladius being known,
the patricians Theodosius and Valentinian being the Roman rulers,
Patrick was sent by Pope Celestine, the angel of God, Victor, accompanying, guiding, and assisting him, and by Bishop Germanus,
to convert the Irish to the belief in the Holy Trinity."

Further evidence might still be adduced, but enough
has been said to satisfy those who are not incapable of
being satisfied, for other additional evidence would not
have additional weight.
We can well picture to ourselves Patrick at the
shrine of Peter. We can imagine the devotion with
which he knelt before the aged Pontiff, to whom the
Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven had been confided.
Tu es Petrus he would exclaim, perhaps from depths of
emotion, rather with the voice of the heart than with
the voice of the tongue. Thou art Peter, 0 Celestine, and
from thee, and thee alone, can I receive the right to exercise
the powers delegated to thee from Christ through Peter,

208

Life of St.

Patrick

Thou art Peter. An angel has called me, visions have
been shown to me, I have seen the Lord and spoken to
Him, all unworthy as I am, upon the mountains
in the islands of the sea, but Thou art Peter; and
even an angel's voice may not be obeyed unless thou dost
sanction and bless the obedience; nay, even the Lord of
angels Himself requires that I should obtain from thee
the right to undertake the mission to which He has
Himself vouchsafed to call me.
And thus, from that hour to the present day, have the
faithful children of Patrick exclaimed, with voice and
intention, Tu es Petrus.
Taught by Patrick the one
true Catholic Faith, taught that if they would be children
of Christ, they must also be children of Eome ; taught, I
have said, by Patrick, but I should rather have said
taught by Cod Himself, since He it was who instituted this
Holy Catholic Church ;—the Irish nation, ever faithful,
have never swerved for one hour from their allegiance.
Temptations, sufferings, conflict, contempt, poverty,
death, have been again and again their portion, but
they have never ceased to exclaim Tu es Petrus. All
the world might be in tumult around them, the horrors
of earthly storms might threaten to engulf them, but
they rode in the Bark of Peter, and riding thus they
were protected by Peter's God. What to them was
earthly loss, when they knew that they were gaining
heavenly crowns % What to them were trials and persecutions, when they knew that this was none other than
the King's highway of the holy cross, the Faith in

The Irish faithful

to St. Patrick's Teaching.

209

which, all the successors of Peter have walked ? What
to them was death itself, since they abode by those who
had the Keys of Life, and the harsh grating of the doors
of their earthly dungeons was scarcely heard in the
anticipation of the opening of heaven's golden portals.
And one by one as they passed to the Land of Peace,
and were welcomed, by their glorious apostle, how they
rejoiced that they had remained true to the Faith which
he taught. Heresy after heresy, schism after schism,
has desolated Christendom from the time when St.
Patrick came to tell of the One Lord, One Faith, One
Baptism, to the Celts by the Western Sea, and the
Faith which he taught alone remains unchanged. What
Celestine then taught is taught by Pius to-day, and
even now the faithful successors of Patrick hasten to
obey the call of that most saintly of Pontiffs, and,
exclaiming also Tu es Petrus, link together the past and
the present in the golden chain of an unbroken unity
of doctrine, in a magnificent sequence of varying, yet
harmonious discipline, suited to each clime and century;
harmonious, because springing from unity; harmonious,
because manifold are the peoples contained therein
without discord or division.

Chapter VI.
St. Patrick's Eiriscojpal Consecration and Irish Mission.

HERE is some difficulty in ascertaining precisely where and by whom
St. Patrick was ordained bishop.
The great object in the minds of the
writers of his Life appears to have
been to relate his direct mission from
St. Celestine, which, undoubtedly,
they were bound to do. They are
unanimous also in mentioning that he was given relics of
the saints by the Holy Father to take with him to Ireland.
This being premised, we shall now give the various accounts of his consecration as bishop, taking the Tripartite
narrative first, as the most ancient authority :

St. Patrick's Consecration as Bishop.

211

" The death of Palladius being made known, the mission preordained by God, and the conversion of the nation of the Irish,
often promised by the angelic oracle, were given by the apostolic
authority to Patrick : so that Pope Celestine, in the presence of St.
Germanus and Amatorex, the Koman, ordained him bishop, and
gave to him the name of Patrick
At the same time were
ordained Auxilius, Esserinus, and some other companions of Patrick;
and then the three harmonious choirs mingled their chants and
rejoicings: the first of the heavenly spirits, the second of the
Romans, the third of the Irish infants of the region Gaille Fochladh,
who cried out to Patrick, saying : ' All the Irish pray you, 0 holy
priest, to come and live amongst us and liberate us.' " 3

Here we have it distinctly stated that St. Patrick
was ordained by Pope Celestine and some person called
Amatorex, the Koman, and that this was done in the
presence of St. Germanus.
In the Scholiast on the Hymn of St. Fiacc, it is said
that :—
" St. Patrick was consecrated in the presence of Celestine and of
Theodosius, the younger, who was king of the world. I t was
Amatorex who consecrated him."

In the Life of the saint by Probus (Quinta Vita) we
find the following :—
" As yet, however, Patrick had not received the episcopal degree, for he knew that Palladius,
. . . .
" Therefore his [Palladius] disciples, who were in
Britain, that is, Augustine, Benedict, and the others,
hearing of the death of the chief deacon Palladius, came
3

Liberate us.—Colgan, p. 50.

212

Life of St.

Patrick

to St. Patrick to Euberia, and announced to him the
death of Palladius. But Patrick, and those who were
with him, turned aside from their journey to a certain
man of wonderful sanctity, a chief bishop, named
Amator, living in a neighbouring place, and there St,
Patrick, knowing what things were destined for him,
was exalted to the episcopal degree by the same Archbishop Amator. Also some other clerics were ordained
to the office of minor degrees. But on the same day
on which St. Patrick was consecrated by the sacred
blessings, the canticle of the Psalmist was appropriately
sung by the choir of the clerical chanters : c Thou
art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech/ "4
This special mention of the psalm which was chanted
on the day of St. Patrick's consecration, would lead us
to suppose that the account was written by one who
was present on the occasion. Here, however, there is
no mention either of Celestine, Germanus, or the
Roman emperor.
In the Vita Secunda St. Patrick's consecration is
very briefly recorded, the writer merely saying that:—
" Patrick also turned aside from his journey to a certain wonderful man, a chief bishop, by name Amator; and from him St. Patrick
received episcopal consecration,"

The whole narrative, however, is given in a series of
paragraphs rather than in a continuous detail of incidents, but again, it will be observed, the name of Amator
4

Melchisedech.—Colgan, p. 40.

St. Patrick's Consecration as Bishop.

213

appears as the ecclesiastic who ordained St. Patrick.
Marianus Scotus, an eminent Irish writer of the eleventh
century, chronicles the mission of St. Patrick thus :—
" In the eighth year of Theodosius, Bassus and Antiochus being
consuls. Palladium was ordained by Pope Celestine, and sent as first
bishop to the Irish believing in Christ. After him was sent
Patrick, who, being a Briton by birth, was consecrated by Pope St.
Oelestine, and sent to the archiepiscopate of Ireland. There,
during sixty years, he confirmed his preaching by signs and
miracles,, and converted the whole island to the faith of Christ."

Dr. Beeves has pronounced this work to be the most
elaborate historical production of the middle ages, which
has always enjoyed the highest encomiums of the
learned. The autograph of this chronicle, with the
signature of the illustrious writer, is still preserved in
the Vatican Library, the guardian of so much that is
valuable to literature.
Prosper also mentions St. Oelestine as the person
who ordained St. Patrick, thus :—
"Whilst that Pope [Celestine] labored to keep the Eoman
island [Britain] Catholic, he caused also the barbarous islands to
be gathered to the fold of Christ by ordaining a bishop for the
Irish."

There are four names mentioned by common consent
in connection with the ordination of St. Patrick : First,
Pope Celestine; second, a bishop, variously named as
Amator, Amotus, Amatorex, Amathus, Amathrex, and
Amatheus: it is obvious to the least critical reader that

214

Life of St.

Patrick

these names are synonymous; third, St. Germanus;
and, fourth, the Roman emperor Theodosius. With
regard to the place where he was consecrated bishop,
it is called Ebmoria in the Book of Armagh, Euboria
by Probus. Jocelyn and other writers infer, though
they do not directly state, that the saint was made
bishop by St. Celestine. The whole subject has been
very carefully and critically considered in the Ecclesiastical Record for October, 1866, and we shall give
an epitome of the opinions advanced there. The subject is obviously one still open to research and criticism.
Ussher was of opinion that St. Patrick was consecrated in Italy, though he hesitated to decide whether
it was by a certain Bishop Amator, or by Pope Celestine. Ware inclined to the opinion that St. Patrick
was consecrated by Celestine, Cotton expressly asserts
that he was consecrated a bishop at Eome.
Colgan being of opinion that the saint was consecrated in Gaul, and in the town of Eboria, and
finding that there was no town there with a name
corresponding to this, he was obliged to bring forward
conjectures, first, that the word might be a corruption
of the ancient Bononia, now Boulogne; and, secondly,
that it might refer to some town in or near the territory of Liege in Belgium, which was inhabited by the
Eburones. Dr. Lanigan agreed with Colgan, but
suggested that the town might be Evreux in Normandy,
which was known by the name Ebroica. Dr. Todd
thought that the bishop Amatorex might be an acci-

The Place wliere St. Patrick was Consecrated. 215
dental sojourner in a place near Ebmoria, wherever that
was, and evidently inclines to the opinion that it was
in France. Some mediaeval writers were of opinion that
Amatorex was the well-known St. Amator of Auxerre ;
but clearly this was impossible, since he died before the
elevation of St. Germanus to the episcopate. The
similarity of name alone could have suggested this
theory.
The solution of the writer in the Ecclesiastical Record
has much to recommend it. He first points out the
difficulty of finding either a bishop or a town in Gaul
to correspond with the most ancient and authentic
accounts. He next mentions a town in Italy and an
Italian bishop, as the probable place and person where
and by whom St. Patrick received episcopal consecration. We shall continue the account in the writer's
own words :—
" John of Tinmouth writes that St. Patrick ' declinavit iter
ad quemdam hominem mirabilem, summum Episcopum et sanctum
Amotum nomine et ab illo gradum episcopalem accepit.' Probus
says that he was ' a man of wondrous sanctity, and a chief bishop /
and Maccuthenus, in the Book of Armagh, also styles him ' mirabilem hominem, summum Episcopum/
" Now, it is difficult to conceive a bishop so remarkable among
his contemporaries, and so famed for his sanctity, and yet uncommemorated in the many records of the French Church about the
year 430. Neither in the synod then held in France, nor in the
Lives of St. Germanus and of the other great ornaments of France
at that time, is there found any mention of his name.
" But if in Gaul, neither a town can be found to correspond

216

Life of St.

Patrick

with Eboria, as all acknowledge, nor a bishop who might answer
for St, Amator, can such a town and such a bishop be found in
Italy 1 We unhesitatingly answer that they can. Indeed, as to
the town in which St. Patrick received the intelligence of the
death of Palladius, we precisely find at the foot of the Alps an
Eboria or Eporia, also styled Iporia and Eporedia, lying on the
route from Eavenna (where probably St. Germanus then lived)
to Gaul and Ireland. This is the modern town of Ivrea. Formerly travellers generally passed through it when journeying from
Italy to Gaul. It was the route pursued by the army of Hannibal
in olden times, as by the first Napoleon in the beginning of this
century. What is more striking, it was the road hallowed by the
relics of St. Germanus, when they were translated with solemn
pomp from Eavenna to Auxerre. We learn that from Eavenna
they were first conducted to Vercelli, and there the presence of the
angelic choir around the saint's relics was said to have dedicated
the newly built cathedral. From Vercelli to Ivrea, and thence
along the Alps, the triumphal route is marked by the many churches
dedicated to St. Germanus, each of which was erected on the spot
where his precious relics were deposited for a little while. Thus,
in the town and small diocese of Ivrea, there are at present
seven chapels bearing the name of St. Germanus, and marking the
route taken in this sacred procession.
" It was also this road that St. Malachy pursued when travelling
to Eome; and during his short sojourn in this town he performed
one of his most striking miracles, raising the son of his hospitable
host to life, as is recorded by St. Bernard in his Life of this great
saint of Armagh : < Transalpinas quum venisset Iporiam civitatem
Italise.' The memory of this miracle remains to the present day,
and is mentioned in the lessons for the feast of St. Malachy, which
are used in the diocese of Ivrea. We read also of another saint,
St. Udalric, who made this his route when returning from Italy
towards Gaul, and dying in Ivrea, is still venerated as its patron.
Indeed this passage over the Alps was the most frequented down

The Place where St. Patrick vjas Consecrated. 217
to our own times. The famous Mount St. Bernard Monastery
was built for the purpose of assisting travellers on that route;
and from the Life of the blessed Thaddeus O'Maher, Bishop of
Cloyne in 1492, we learn that he, too, whilst journeying on this
road from Eome towards Ireland, enriched Ivrea with his sacred
remains.
" It is, perhaps, no small confirmation of the opinion that Iporia or
Ivrea was the town thus referred to by our ancient writers, that it
br.' lgs together in one harmonious whole all the elements of their,
at first sight, discordant narrative. We understand at once why
our apostle is said to be on his way from Pope Celestine when he
received in Eboria the intelligence of the death of St. Palladius;
we understand how it is that St. Patrick's consecration is so emphatically described as having been performed in a neighbouring town,
in conspectu Theodosii, in conspectu Celestini, and, again, in conspectu
Germani. There is nothing, indeed, to prevent these accounts from
being literally true. The history of St. Germanus justifies the
conjecture that he was then actually at the court of the emperor,
which often journeyed to and fro from Bavenna to the imperial
city Turin, the Augusta Taurinorum of those times. The Popes,
too, are often met with, even in the scanty records of that age that
have come down to us, visiting Bavenna, the head-quarters of the
western empire, and other cities of North Italy.
"Thus, again, another point becomes intelligible on which our
ancient writers are agreed, and which, nevertheless, was wholly inexplicable on the supposition of St. Patrick's consecration having
been celebrated in Gaul, viz., that at the time of his consecration
St. Celestine gave to him the name of Patricius, i.e., Patrick. This
was a name commonly assumed in Italy in the fifth century, as
Gibbon assures us. Now, the Book of Hymns, in its Scholia on St.
Fiacc, attests that ' Patricius was his name at his degrees (i.e., his
highest order or consecration), and it was Celestine, the comarb of
Peter, who gave it to him' (ap. Todd, St. Patrick, page 3 6 3 ; and
Colgan, Trias Thaumat., page 4). The holy Bishop Marcus, in his
Y

• 218

Life of St.

Patrick

notice of St. Patrick, also mentions this fact: when consecrated,
he says, by Amatheorex, he received the name Patrick, for before
that he was called Maun.
Ussher mentions the chroniclers,
Florence of Wigorn, Ealph of Chester, and Henry of Marleburgh,
as referring to Pope Celestine this change of our apostle's name.
The Vita Tripartita also attests i t : ' St. Celestine ordained him
bishop in the presence of St. Germanus and Amatorex, the Eoman,
and gave him the name Patricias/ and adds, what is wholly inexplicable in all the Gaulish theories : ' Sanctus ergo Patricins voledicens Domino Apostolico suscepto itinere versus Hiberniam venit
ad fines Britannia.'
a
Some one will, perhaps, say that there was no saint at that time
in the north of Italy whose name corresponds with Amator or
Amatheorex, remarkable for his learning and sanctity. We reply
that there was at this very time the great St. Maximus ruling the
see of Turin, which city, in a straight course, is not more- distant
than a few miles from Ivrea. The name Maximus in the old
Celtic form would be precisely Amator, and the transition from
that to the various Latinised names given above is easily explained.
St. Maximus, Bishop of Turin, flourished as early as 425, as
Gennadius assures us, and he was still bishop of that see in 451,
in which year he assisted at and subscribed the Acts- of the Synod
of Milan.
" His fame for learning- and eloquence, and still more for sanctity,
justifies the epithets which are added to his name in the ancient
Lives of St. Patrick, and even the title Eomanus, which they sometimes add, has reference, perhaps, to the tradition mentioned in the
Life of St. Maximus, that he was a native of Eome, and a near relative of the great Pontiff, St. Leo.
"From all this we may conclude that St. Patrick, when he received
intelligence of the death of St. Palladius, was still in close relation
with the Pope Celestine, as also with the emperor and St. Germanus; that the town Eboria, at which he had arrived when that
intelligence was brought to him, is no other than the modern

St. Patrick's Trials before his Consecration.

219

Ivrea, hallowed by the memory of two other ornaments of the
Church-*St. Malachy and the blessed Thaddeus, and, in fine, that
it was from the great Doctor of Turin, the illustrious St. Maximus,
that our apostle received his episcopal consecration.7'5

St. Patrick has himself left us some details of great
interest regarding this important period of his life.
Then, as now5 the most rigid inquiries were made as to
the previous life of those who were about to be advanced
to the priesthood, and such caution was expressly and
most justly used in regard to those who were to receive
the awful responsibility of ruling the Church of God.
It would appear from St. Patrick's Confession that
he had committed some fault in his boyhood, which,
with all his humility, he could only attribute to his
ignorance. This was brought against him as a reason
why he should not be consecrated bishop, and he felt
the charge and the humiliation very deeply. No doubt
it was just one of those special trials which God in His
infinite wisdom not unfrequently appoints for the most
favored souls. He had himself made this fault known
before he was made a deacon, and it seemed to him no
little aggravation of the trial that his own acknowledgment should be brought against him after a lapse of
5
Consecration.—Article in the Irish Ec. Record, Oct. 1866, pp. 16-18. By
the Rev. Monsignor Moran. I t should be observed that the expressions
which might be taken as assertions of Pope Celestine's presence at the consecration of the saint do not necessarily require this interpretation. The words
"ordinatus episcopus a Papa Celestino," as Malmesbury and others write,
may not mean more than that he was appointed bishop of the Irish by that
Pope. If these expressions were used in regard to an ordinary prelate, the
literal meaning would of course be the one intended by the writer.

220

Life of St.

Patrick

thirty years. So great was the anguish he endured that
he declares he was tempted to fall away both for time
and for eternity.6 Yet he thanks God for having thus
corrected him, and made his trial a means of fitting him
better for the great work to which he was called.
Again he is consoled by a heavenly vision. The trial
was short, though its anguish was keen ; and he tells us
that, on the very night of the day on which he was
thus charged with his boyish fault, he saw a heavenly
vision and writing upon the wall, and he heard a divine
voice, from which he learned that what had afflicted
him had also touched the Heart of Jesus, for the word
" w e " was used to show that what afflicted Patrick
afflicted Christ also—to show the blessed union of the
saint with the Lord of Saints—to show, perchance, that
when even good men afflicted their brethren, as, alas!
they will sometimes do, that they also grieve their
common Lord, to whom each is precious as the apple of
an eye.7
6
Eternity.—" Utique in illo die fortiter impulsus sum ut caderem hie et in
seternum."
7
Eye.—There is some obscurity in the passage in which St. Patrick relates
this vision. After mentioning the writing which he saw opposite to him, he
adds that he heard a divine response which said: " We have seen with displeasure the face of a designatus without name"—"Male vidimus faciem
designate nudato nomine." Several conjectures have been made to explain
these words. It is quite clear from the context that St. Patrick understood
the words to have been said by our Divine Lord, for he enlarges on the word
vidimus, and adds: " He did not say thus, 'thou hast seen,'but 'we have
seen,' as if He therein joined Himself with me, as He hath said: ' He that
toucheth you, toncheth the apple of my eye.' " [Zach. i. 8]. The word designatus was applied by the Romans to those priests who selected the victim for
sacrifice, and perhaps the words implied that the person who accused St.
Patrick was as it were a designatus choosing the saint as a sacrifice. The

The Date of St. Patrick's Arrival in Ireland,

221

There can be no doubt as to the time of St. Patrick's
arrival in Ireland, or of the circumstances connected
with it. The date of his arrival, A.D. 432, is proved by
a concurrence of events—it is assigned by historians as
well as by hagiographers. Both Colgan, Ussher, and
Lanigan are agreed upon this subject, however they may
differ upon other points. The Life of St. Patrick in the
Leahhar Breac records our apostle's mission thus :—
" The ninth year of Theodosius, king of the world, the first year
of the episcopacy of Sixtus, coarb of Peter, and the fourth year of
the reign of Leoghaire\ -ZEtius and Valerius were the two consuls
of that year; it was in this year Xystus assumed the supremacy of
Rome after Celestine. This was the fourth year of the reign of
LaeghaireV'

An ancient proverbial quatrain' preserved in a treatise on the Breton Laws confirms this statement:—
" Patrick baptized with glory,
In the time of Theodosius ;
He preached the Gospel, without falsehood,
To the worthy people of the sons of Uaile."

In the same tract the coming of the saint is further
recorded thus :—
" The coming of Patrick into Ireland to propagate baptism and
faith, in the ninth year of the reign of Theodosius, and in the fourth
year of Laeghaire, son of Mai of the Nine Hostages."
Bollandists think that it was an allusion to some book written against the
mission of Sb. Patrick, but this seems most improbable. The word designatus
has been translated the "elect," and the word bishop supplied conjecturally
before it, in a very excellent translation of the Confession by a Protestant
clergyman.

222

Life of St

Patrick

The arrival and mission of St. Patrick is recorded by the
Four Masters: St. Patrick was ordained to the episcopacy
by the holy Pope Celestine, the first who commissioned
him to come to Ireland and preach, and give to the Irish
the precepts of faith and religion. In the Annals of
Innisfallen, Patrick came from Eome bishop into Ireland,
and devoutly preached here the faith of Christ. In the
Annals of Ulster—in the year 432 Patrick came to
Ireland, in the ninth year of Theodosius, the younger,
and first of the episcopacy of Sixtus. Sixtus was the
forty-second Bishop of Eome, as Bede, and Marcellinus,
and Fridra, reckon in their chronicles. This was in the
twelfth year of Laeghaire, son of Mai.
Petrie has described the Leabhar Breac as " t h e
oldest and best Irish manuscript relating to Irish Church
history now preserved, or which, perhaps, the Irish ever
possessed/'8 We have already given a brief extract from
this important document, and we now append the full
account given therein of the saint's mission :—
"We ought to know at what time Patrick, the holy bishop and
chief instructor of the Irish, began to come to Ireland to preach
and baptize, and to resuscitate the dead, and to cure all diseases,
and to banish all the demons from Ireland, and to sanctify and
consecrate, and to ordain and bless, and to contest and triumph j
for the Apostle says : < I have fought a good fight,' etc. The year
therefore that Patrick came to Ireland was the four hundred and
thirty-third from the Incarnation, in the ninth year of the reign of
Theodosius, king of the world, and in the first year of the episco8

Possessed.—Essay on Tara, p. 85.

Date of St. Patrick's Mission.

223

pacy of Sixtus, the coarb (i.e. successor) of Peter, and in the fourth
year of the reign of Laeghaire" Mac Mall at Tara, and in the
sixtieth year of his own age; and for sixty years he baptized and
instructed the men of Erinn, as Fiace says :—
' He preached for three score years
The crucifixion of Christ to the tribes of the Feni. '

And here is the character given by Heleran of Patrick, at the time
when he brought an account of him to Clonard:—
' Meek and great was the son of Calphurn,
A vine-branch laden with fruit.' . . . .

Palladius was sent by Pope Celestine with a gospel for Patrick to
preach it to the Irish. This was the four hundred and first year
from the crucifixion of Christ. In the year after this Patrick went
to preach in Ireland, -^Etius and Valerius being consuls. It was in
this year Sixtus resumed the supremacy of Eome after Celestine,
and it was the fourth of the reign of Laeghaire^ son of Mall, at
Tara."

Indeed, the only objections which have been made to
the clear statements of our annals as to the year of St.
Patrick's arrival in Ireland, have come from persons
who wished to uphold some special theory, and found it
necessary to dispute the date in order to make their
view of other matters consistent.9
When St. Patrick had received the Papal authorization
for his mission, he hastened to fulfil it with the untiring
speed of holy zeal. Again we find some touching and
9
Consistent.—Dr. Lanigan says, " It would be a waste of time to adduce
proofs of this being the true date."—Ec. Hist, vol* i. p. 209. Ussher writes :
'' There is no discrepancy amongst Irish writers as to the year of St. Patrick's
mission into Ireland."—Frimordia% p. 880. Those who wrish for further information on this subject are referred once more to Monsignor Moran's Essays
on the Early Irish Church.

224

Life of St.

Patrick

beautiful legends of the circumstances which attended
his voyage and arrival in Ireland. The miraculous
transit of the leper has already been mentioned; perhaps,
besides the deep impression which such a miracle would
make, it was intended to show that Patrick had come to
the most wretched and the most sinful, and that those
who might be rejected by man would not be rejected by
him—the servant of the great Master who came to seek
and save the outcast ones. As the vessel in which he
sailed came near the Irish coast, the saint was permitted
to behold the demon foes by whom his mission would
be opposed. They appeared to surround the island, as
if to defend it against his approach. But the powers of
darkness were unable to do more than show their malice ; the all-powerful sign of the cross dispelled their
angry hosts; and the saint informed those who were
with him of their presence and their defeat.
There are two sites, each of which claims the honor
of being the place where St. Patrick landed. According
to one account, he touched at Inver Dea, the mouth of
the present Vartry river, on the strand near the town of
Wicklow. Here, it is said, he was repulsed by a chief
named Nathi, and he re-embarked and sailed north
wards. Probus says :—
" Then [after lie had obtained the authorization of the Holy See]
Patrick, the venerable priest of the Lord, took ship and came into
Britain, and avoiding any delay, with the utmost speed and a prosperous passage he entered our sea in the name of the Holy
Trinity."

Site where St. Patrick Landed.

225

A digression then follows on the vices and general
government of Laeghaire ; and the writer continues :—
" The holy Patrick, the bishop, with his ship laden with spiritual
treasure, that is, with the armour of holy preaching (sanctse praedicationis), is borne into the wished for port of the region of
Evolein, which on that account is celebrated amongst us. . . . Gradually he directed his course to that pagan king Milcho, to whom
formerly he had been sold a captive, carrying to him the price of
his release in merchandise, both heavenly and earthly, that he
might free from eternal captivity the man by whom he had formerly
been kept in earthly bondage."1

It is evident from this that Probus was not aware of
any tradition of St. Patrick's having landed further
south. The Tripartite is the great authority for the
saint's visit to Leinster; and his arrival is recorded
thus:—
" When Patrick came from Eome, where he arrived was at
Inhher Dea, in Leinster. Nathi, son of Garrahan, came also against
him."

In the Vita Secunda, it is simply recorded that St.
Patrick landed at the "port of the same river Dea,"
probably alluding to that at which Palladius had landed.
- The Vita Tertia and Jocelyn agree with the Tripartite,
and, indeed, the authority of the latter is sufficient to
make it more than probable that their account is substantially correct. It should also be remembered that
it wTas probable the saint would make for the nearest
1

Bondage.—Colgan, Trias Thaum., p. 125-

226

Life of St.

Patrick

port, and land there, instead of proceeding at once to
Dalariada, though, no doubt, he intended to visit that
part of Ireland as soon as possible.
The place where the saint landed, according to these
accounts, was the territory of Cualann, and should have
been thus named by Probus. It is probable, however,
that Evolein is a misprint, as there are many in Colgan's
work.2
A remarkable and significant miracle occurred when
the saint landed in "Wicklow. He had applied to some
fishermen, who were drawing in their nets, to give him
a few fish. But they refused ; and to the uncharitableness of their refusal added words of injury and contempt. Like his Divine Master, who had cursed the
barren fig-tree, not because He had failed to obtain
what He sought, but as an example and warning to
sinners, Patrick also cursed the river, and henceforth
the churlish sailors were obliged to seek for fish elsewhere. The miracle was, undoubtedly, one specially
fitted to convert these rude and barbarous men, and to
show them that there was a God who ruled the elements
which the pagan Irish worshipped ; and that the priests
of this God did and could exercise miraculous control
even over the lowest of God's creatures.3
2
Work—The present barony of Rathdown, in the north of the county
Wicklow, corresponds to the ancient Cualann. The name is still preserved in
that of Glencullen, a valley near Bray. The Sugar-loaf mountain was
anciently called Sliabh-Cualann.
3
Creatures.—Dr. Todd has commented, I had almost said bitterly, on this
miracle. It does not seem to have occurred to him that, in condemning St.
Patrick as uncharitable, he was also condemning our Divine Lord, who

St. Patrick in WicMow.

227

The author of the Vita Secunda, which, in the main,
agrees with the Book of Armagh, informs us that St.
Patrick made one convert in Wicklow notwithstanding
the opposition of Nathi. According to this account,
Sinell, son of Finncadh, was converted and baptized by
the saint. But the same Lives also mention, what,
indeed, is the generally received opinion, that Dicho
was the first person converted and baptized by him in
Ireland. It is quite possible, as Colgan has suggested,
that both accounts may be true, and that Sinell may
have been the first convert in the south, and Dicho in
the north.
Dr. Todd has observed that this Sinell was of the race
of the kings of Leinster, of the clan Hy-Garchon, and
a cousin of the Nathi who repelled St. Patrick. In the
list of St. Patrick's household, as given by the Four
Masters (of which more hereafter), Sinell is registered
as the saint's bell-ringer ; in another authority, quoted
by O'Donovan, he is called St. Patrick's door-keeper.
It is quite possible that this fervent convert may have
followed our apostle, and have held these two offices.
There is a small island on the coast near Dublin, and
close to Skerries, which still bears the name of St. Patrick's
Island; the parish in which it is included is called Holm
Patrick. It is said that the saint stopped at an island
on the east as he journeyed northward, and this,no doubt,
cursed the barren fig-tree. I t is not a little remarkable, though it is only
what might be expected, that the miracles of the saints so closely resemble
those of the Lord of Saints, and that persons who object to the former, we
must hope unconsciously, condemn the latter.

228

Life of St.

Patrick

is the one which still bears his name. In the Annotations of Tirechan, contained in the Book of Armagh, it
is said that St. Patrick came also to the islands of Maccuchor attended by a large staff of ecclesiastics.4 This
may have been the name of the Skerries islands at that
period. But the word Macchucor signifies the islands of
the sons or descendants of Corr, and the appellation
belongs properly to the islands of Arran. Hence it is
most probable that Tirechan refers to some later period,
when they may have been visited by St. Patrick. "We
must again remark that early biographers thought
much more of inserting every circumstance in the
history of the saints whose Lives they wrote than of
critical accuracy in their details as to time and place.5
It is also recorded that the saint sent some of his companions to Tnbher-n-Ainge, the mouth of the Nanny
Water, to seek for provisions, and that as they failed to
find a supply, here also the river was cursed. Probus
does not mention these incidents. He merely records
the arrival of Patrick and those who were with him at
an island called Milchon.6 The Tripartite account is
clear and satisfactory. Here we find it recorded that:—
u

Patrick went afterwards from Innis Patrick, past Canaille and
past the court of Ulster, until he stopped at Inver Brena. He
4
Ecclesiastics.—" Venit vero Patricius cum Gallis ad insolas Maccuchor et
insola orientali quae dicitur insola Patricii."
6
Place.—Jocelyn mentions the landing of the saint in a small island near
bhe coast, which is called to this day St. Patrick's Island : "Quae non longe &
terra distans, insula S. Patricii usque in prsesens nominatur."—Colgan, p. 71.
6
Milchon. — "Hodie Milchon vocatur."—Colgan, p. 49.

St. Patrick's Landing-place

in Ulster.

229

went afterwards to Inbher Slani, where the clerics had their ships,
and they went ashore to put off their fatigue and to rest; so that
there it was the swine-herd of Dichu, son of Trichim, found them,
where Sabhall Patrick is to-day. When he saw the divines and
the clerics he thought they were ladrones or thieves, and he went
to tell his lord, whereupon Dichu came and set his dog at the
clerics. Then it was that Patrick uttered the prophetic verse,
1
Ne tradas bestis . . . et canis obrmituit? When Dichu saw Patrick
he became gentle, and he believed, and Patrick baptized him, so
that he was the first in Ulster who received faith and baptism from
Patrick. Then it was that Dichu presented the Sabhall to Patrick
—Pakicius dixit:—=
6

The blessing of God on Dichu,
Who gave to Hie the Sabhall;
He shall be hereafter
Heavenly, joyous, glorious.

* The blessing of God on Dichu,
Dichu with full folds (flocks) ;
Np one of his sept or kindred
Shall die except after a long life.'"

It will be observed here that the author of the Tripartite mentions two places in connection with St.
Patrick's landing in Ulster. These were Inbher-Brena
and Inver-Slani: he "stopped" at Inver-Brena,
he
"went afterwards" to Inhher-Slani.
Thus, if we can
identify Inbher-Brena, we at once find the site where
St. Patrick landed in Ulster.
Conaille Muiriheimhne, which we are told St. Patrick
" passed/' was a territory comprising that part of the
county Louth extending from the Cuailgne (Cooley)
mountains to the 'Boyne. Thus we must pass far northward for the site. Happily the identifications have been .

230

Life of St.

Patrick

made with great clearness and success. Two places
have been mentioned as the probable locality indicated
by the words Inver Brena, these are Dundrum Bay and
Strangford Lough. Harris, Ware, and Lynch concurred
in favor of the former; Dr. Lanigan was the first, we believe, to suggest the latter. It was obvious, however,
that much depended upon the identification of InverSlani, and that the places should be found near each
other. Harris said that a river Slain fell into the north
end of the Bay of Dundrum. Dr. Lanigan declares that
he cannot find any trace of such a river.7 Those writers
who favor the view that Dundrum Bay was the landing-place of the saint support their arguments by local
tradition. The inhabitants of the parish of Ballykindar
point out a nook in Middle Ballykindar where they say
that St. Patrick landed. There is a holy well there
called after the saint, and the ruins of a little church.
Dundrum Bay is also called Holy Bay in a very ancient
unpublished map in the library of Trinity College,
Dublin. But the contra argument is, that there is no
site in or near this locality which has ever been known
to bear a name at all similar to Brena.
There is, however, very strong evidence in favor of
Strangford Lough. The Four Masters have the following record under the year 2,546 A.M. : " An inundation of the sea over the land at Brena in this year,
which was the seventh later eruption that occurred
in the time of Parthalon, and this is named Loch Cuan."
7

River.—Ec. Hist., vol. i., p. 214.

Identification

of St. Patrick's Landing-place.

231

Dr. O'Donovan observes : " This is called Ffetuffi
Brennesse in the Second and Fourth Lives of St. Patrick
published by Colgan (see Trias. Thaum* pp. 14, 19, 39),
It was evidently the ancient name of the mouth of
Strangford Lough in the county of Down, as the lake
formed by the inundation was Loch Cuan, which is
still the Irish name of Strangford Lough."
An apparent accident has led to the discovery of the
river Slant. The circumstances are too long to detail
here, but the result has been the complete identification
of a river which enters Strangford Lough at Eingbane,
the mouth of which is not two miles distant from
Sabhal (Saul), where the saint met Dichu. This river
is still called the Slany by the people of the district.
Thus> the exact site of the landing of our saint and his
companions has been ascertained beyond question.8
Dichu, the saint's first convert, was son of Trichem,
of the race of Fiatach Finn, monarch of Ireland* His
festival was held at Saul on the 29th November. The
Irish calendar records six brothers of Dichu : Laeghaire
8

Question.—See a very interesting paper called " A n inquiry into the true
landing-place of St. Patrick in Ulster,'' by Mr. J. W. Hanna, privately
printed. He remarks that in the Hymn of St. Fiacc there is mention made
of a well or fountain named Slan, thus :
11

In Slan, in the territory of Benna Bairche, hunger and thirst possessed him
not."

Tn the gloss on the word Slan, it is said to be at Saul. The word itself signifies health, and the well appears to have been given this name because a
leper was cured by the use of its waters. Benna Bairche, or " the peaks of
Bairche," was the ancient name of the Mourne mountains. They had obtained their distinctive appellation from Bairche, the shepherd of Bos, King
of Ulster, who herded the king's cattle there in the third century.

232

Life of St.

Patrick

of Deen, Ailill of Magh-bile, now Movilla, Duirthech of
Aendrium, now Island Magee, Eoghan and NiaH, both
of Cillcleitha, now Killcleif, and Ross (who met St.
Patrick at Brethon, or Bright) of Dundalethglass, now
Downpatrick. St. Jarleth, third Bishop of Armagh, who
was appointed by St. Patrick himself, was son of Trien,
brother of Trichem, and consequently cousin to St.
Dichu.
All the annalists agree in the details of St. Patrick's visit to his old master Milcho. He left his
boat with Dichu on the river Slam, and hastened on
his mission of mercy and forgiveness. What countless
recollections must have crowded upon his memory, as he
traversed each well-known site ! Full thirty years had
elapsed since his flight and the angelical vision which
had made that flight so memorable ; yet the place was
little changed ; even yet the natural features of that
part of Dalaradia are scarcely altered.
The very
name of the stately basaltic hill, now called Slemish,
and then Sliabh Mis, bears the same sound ; while its
outward appearance remains the same.
As the saint turned to gaze on the woods where he
had tended Milcho's flocks, he saw the house of his
master surrounded with flames, and on approaching
nearer he learned that the chief, who had heard of his
arrival and its object, had set his house and all his
worldly possessions on fire, and then cast himself into
the flames to perish with them. Pride would not allow
him to submit to his former slave ; and he must have

St Patrick's Visit to Milcho.

233

had some apprehension that an interview with Patrick
would result in his submission, voluntarily or involuntarily, to his spiritual rule. It is quite possible, also,
that he had heard of the supernatural powers exercised
by the saint; he little knew that these powers were
only exercised in judgment on rare occasions, in
order that such judgments might prepare the way for
incomparably greater mercies.
It is said that St. Patrick predicted the temporal fall
of Milcho's family, and that none of his sons should
succeed him in his little kingdom. But a better portion
was in store for at least three members of his family : his
son, Gnasacht, was subsequently ordained Bishop of
Granard,9 and two of his daughters consecrated their
virginity to the King of virgins in the neighboring
monastery of Clon-Bronaigh. The saint's prediction
that the children of Milcho should not succeed him,
and that they should always be in subjection, has
been thoroughly misunderstood. Even Dr. Lanigan
appears perplexed how to reconcile these circumstances.
But surely the difficulty is purely imaginary. We find
many instances in Scripture and in the Lives of
the Saints, where punishment was averted, or after a
time withdrawn, when those who had suffered from
it repented sincerely; and surely the cloister and the
episcopacy was still subjection, though the devotion of
those who consecrated themselves thus to God obtained
9

Granard.—"Martyrology

of Donegal," 24 Jan.
Z

234

Life of St.

Patrick

for them the happy exchange from temporal slavery* to
the sweet and peaceful servitude of Christ.
We must remember the various times, places, and
circumstances, in which St. Patrick
" Discoursed of the things to be
When time gives way to eternity."

He could not speak to all alike; each required a
different address, and went through a different process
of conviction. Well might the poet add :—
" While he spoke, men say that the highest tide
On the shore beside Oolpa ceased to sink ;
And they say the white deer by Mulla's side
O'er the green margin bending forbore to drink ;
That the Brandon eagle forgot to soar ;
That no leaf stirred in the wood by Lee;
Such stupor hung the island o'er,
For none might guess what the end would be." 2

To understand perfectly the mission of St. Patrick
and his acts, we must also understand something of the
customs, habits, and dispositions of those whom he
evangelized. Differences of character require differences of treatment, both individually and nationally.
1

Slavery.—"Nemo de filiis ejus sedebit rex super sedem regni ejus a gener a t i o n in generationeni, insuper et semen ejus serviret in sempiternum."—
Booh of Armagh. There is the remains of a large rath, of cyclopean construction, in the townland of Killycarn, parish of Brury, and barony of Lower
Antrim, which is said to have been one of the residences of Milcho.— See
Ordnance Maps, 28-29.
2
Be.—" Inuisfail, and other poems," by Aubrey de Vere.

St. Patrick's Return to Dichu.

235

A people easily impressed through the senses, required such teaching as should make a vivid impression
on their senses. Even in the life of our divine Lord
we find that He acted at different times with sternness
and with gentleness, with mercy and severity. In one
place water was turned into wine for the satisfaction of
a few guests at a wedding ; in another place a whole
drove of swine were dashed to pieces, and the swineherds put to the loss of much valuable property. Again,
we find Him who is the Eternal Wisdom receiving a
fallen sinner with words of gentleness, if not of consolation ; while on another occasion he could use a scourge
of cords to drive out the intruders from His temple, and
let who would pick up their merchandize.
We find similar differences of action in the lives of
saints ; and where men are called to the high and glorious
office of being the apostle of a nation, such differences
will be more manifest, because more necessary.
Patrick returned without delay to. his faithful convert at Saul. The Tripartite says :
" He turned deisel (right-hand-wise), and went back again into
the territory of Uladh, until he arrived at Magh-inis to Dichu, son
of Trichim, and he remained there for a long time disseminating
faith, so that he brought all the Ulidians with the net of the
Gospel to the harbor of life."

The saint had arrived in Ireland in the autumn of
the year 432 ; he remained during the winter with
Dichu, preaching in the surrounding districts with

236

Life of Str

Patrick

wonderful success. Many details full of interest are
related of his missionary work during this memorable
winter. Again we find that, like the Apostles, he
labored not only by the exterior works of an evangelist,
but also by the far more difficult and self-denying austerities of a saint. And thus it was that his words
proved so efficacious. His actions were as eloquent as his
speech; he had and he exercised that sublime charity
which gives even its very life for the brethren. If he
taught others to pray, he also excelled them in prayers.
" Hymns, 2 and the Apocalypse, and the thrice fifty
Psalms, he was wont to sing." And " from the praise of
God he ceased not." If he taught others to practise
mortification, he was the first to give the example ; for
even the bitter cold of winter could not prevent him
from passing the night in the frozen rivers, while by
day " h e preached upon the hills."
While in the territory of Benna-Bairehe with Dichu,
we are told in the Hymn of St. Fiacc that he sang each
night a hundred psalms to adore the King of angels.
His bed was on a stone, and a rock his pillow, and for
all covering he wore only a wet sackcloth, for he
would not allow his body to be in warmth; and then
we are informed that he wrought great miracles, that he
9
Hymns.—This word is glossed thus: " Immuim, i.e. the hymn of Ambrose or
Audite." We frequently read in the Lives of the Saints of their having practised similar mortifications, and notably that of remaining for a considerable
time in half-frozen ponds or rivers. St. John Climacus relates the austerities
of the monks of the desert in his Ladder of Perfection, and specially mentions
exposure to heat and cold.

The Secret of Su Patrick's Success.

237

healed the lame and the lepers, and that he restored the
dead to life. And we marvel not that it should be so,
since Christ Himself had promised these powers to His
successors, since Patrick had so faithfully subdued and
kept under his body, that he might well merit to obtain
a more than ordinary power of relieving the spiritual
and temporal necessities of others.
Jocelyn gives the fullest details of the events which
occurred during the winter of 432-3. Probus and the
Tripartite pass over this period of the saint's history
very briefly. One miracle related by the former deserves
special record. Dichu had a brother named Rius, who
opposed the mission of the saint as ardently as it was
forwarded by Dichu. He was an aged man, and it would
appear that he had lost the use of his limbs. St. Patrick
asked him if he would believe in the Christian faith if
Christ restored him to health and vigor. Better informed, it would appear, than some so-called Christians
from whence the apostle received power, the man replied,
" If thou canst through Christ perform on me such a
miracle, forthwith will I believe in Him." Then St.
Patrick prayed to Christ, and laying his hands upon
Eius, he blessed him, and the aged and infirm man
obtained once more the vigor of manhood, But another
miracle followed. The saint, after his convert had been
baptized, and had brought many into the fold, asked
him whether he would wish still to remain on earth, or
to depart immediately to the God of love, whose power
had been so lately exercised on his behalf. Eius chose

238

Life of St.

Patrick

heaven instead of earth ; and receiving the sacraments
of the Church from the Apostle of Erinn, he commended
his spirit to the Lord, and was taken to eternal rest.3
The famous monastery of Saml was founded at this
time. The site whereon it was built was given to St.
Patrick by Dichu. It is probable that it was originally a
large barn, where the saint preached until a more suitable
building could be erected. This church was called in
Irish Saball Padruic, which was Latinised Horreum
Patricii.
The author of the Vita Tertia and Jocelyn
state that Dichu asked St. Patrick to allow the church
to be erected north and south, instead of east and west,
as was usual, and that he complied with this request.4
It was also at this period that St. Mocha or Mochae
received the grace of conversion. This circumstance is
related in the Tripartite, but not by Probus. Jocelyn
also gives full details. As the saint journeyed toAvards
Durlus, the present Bright, he saw a youth herding
cattle, and preached to him, no doubt by some special
3

Rest.—Colgan, p. 125.
Request.—Jocelyn gives a mystical interpretation, which he honestly states
to be his own conjecture, as to the reason for this departure from the accustomed usage. Dr. Reeves suggests that the name Sabhal or Horreum was a
technical term for a church possessing some peculiarity, such as a deviation
from the ordinary rule of position, and mentions several churches called
Sabhal; but there is no ground for this conjecture, for the word Sabhal [pron.
Saul] means a barn ; hence the origin of the name is obvious. Reeves' ' ' Down
and Connor," pp. 40 and 120. Dr. Todd, in referring to the account of Diehu's
grant of the Sabhal, states, that it ''has been foisted into the Acts of St. Patrick
in later times ;" and also there says, " We are told [of it] in the later Lives."
Memoir, p. 409. Another evidence how prejudice distorts truth. Dr. Todd
must surely have known that this grant is mentioned in all the Lives, early
and late, and notably in the Tripartite, the best authenticated and earliest
of all.
4

St. Mochae's Staff or Bachall

239

inspiration. The young man at once obeyed the divine
call, and, no doubt, received with it the special graces
needed for the ministry. He was baptized and ordained
priest, having learned all that was necessary with a
rapidity which could only be attributed to a supernatural
gift. The saint gave him a copy of the Gospels and
some relics, but the Tripartite also mentions a bachall
or staff which was given to him by God. A fuller
account of this mystical staff is given by Jocelyn. The
Tripartite account runs thus : " And he gave him also,
another time, a bachall which had been given them by
God ; viz., its head into Patrick's bosom, and its end in
Mochae's bosom." Jocelyn says that a year after
Mochae's conversion, while he and Patrick were conversing together on holy things, a staff fell from heaven
between them, and the head thereof rested upon the
bosom of Patrick, and the end thereof on the bosom of
Mochae.5
Immediately after the festival of Christmas St.
Patrick prepared for the most important event in his
5
Mochae.— Colgan, p. 125. Beeves' "Down and Connor," pp. 188-9. Mochae was a grandson of Milchos, and subsequently Abbot of Aondruim, now
Moliee Island, so called from Mochae, its patron saint. Mochae was also
called Coelan. He died A.D. 497. In the Life of St. Finnian he is spoken of
t h u s : " E t misit eum [St. Finanum] ad venerabilem senem Coelanum JSToendrumensem Abbatem, et ut corporis illius ac animse curam habaret diligenter
commendavit."
His monastery was very famous both for the learning and sanctity of its
members. Sfc. Finnian of Moville, and St. Oolman of Dromore, were both
educated there. Jocelyn says that the staff was called the Flying Staff, and
was preserved in the church. A somewhat similar incident is related in the
Life of St. Agnes of Montepulciano, p. 50. It is said that she also received a
small cross from heaven, which was long preserved as a relic in her convent.

240

Life of St

Patrick

mission, He determined to assail paganism in its
stronghold, and to effect, by one bold and decisive action,
the conversion of multitudes. His residence in the
north of Ireland had doubtless been of considerable value
in reviving his knowledge of the language and customs
of the people. His companions, also, would have had
time to become sufficiently familiar with the Celtic
tongue to assist more efficiently in the great work. The
blessing of God had already crowned his labors in
Dalaradia with wonderful success, and he might well
hope for a still greater harvest in the future.
The Paschal season was approaching, for Easter
fell early in the year of grace, 433. It was a time at
which the Church looked for special graces j it was a
time at which the powers of darkness were believed to
be more than ever subject to the powers of light.
There were glorious triumphs celebrated in those
early festivals. The Eed Sea had been, as it were,
passed victoriously, and as the overthrow of ancient
idolaters was commemorated, might it not well be suggested that the same God was powerful to cut down the
idols of a later age. The powers of evil might seem to
have conquered for a moment in the darkness of the
Passion, but the light and glory of the Eesurrection
showed how powerless were their mightiest efforts.
There was to be a resurrection for ancient Erinn also,
and a new spring-tide of faith and love for the ardent
Celt—what more appropriate time, spiritually or temporally, could be chosen ?

Easter at Tara.

243

The devout biographers of our saint, writing in an
age when piety was not scorned as weakness, or faith
in the supernatural as credulity, have given, as might
be expected, glowing and eloquent accounts of this great
event. "The Fasch," writes Probus, " was approaching."
It was to be celebrated for the first time in Erinn, and
as the Son of God and His disciples agreed together to
celebrate the Pasch, so did Patrick also consult with
his companions, where they should first celebrate the
Paschal time in the nation to which God had sent them.6
The writer of the Tripartite says :—
" As the solemnity of Easter approached, then Patrick considered
that there was no place more suitable to celebrate the high
solemnity of the year, i.e., the Easter, than in Magh Bregh? the
place where the head of the idolatry and druidism of Eriim was,
viz., in Teamliair [Tara]. They afterwards bade farewell to Dichu,
son of Trichim, and put their vessels on the sea, and they proceeded until they anchored in Iribher Cotya.8 They left their vessels
in the Inbhre, and went by land until they reached Ferta-fer-fec,9
and Patrick's tent was fixed in this place, and he lit the Easter
.fire."

Two circumstances are mentioned as having occurred
during the saint's journey to Tara. One of those is the
6
Them Colgan, Quinta Vita,-p. 48. " Eb consilium Patriciuset discipuli
ejus, ubi prim hoc ipsum Pascha in gentibus ad quas illos misit Deus
celebrarent."
7 Magh Bregh.—A plain in the east of Meath. The name was afterwards
applied to the country lying between the Liffey and the Boyne.—Book of
Rights, p. 11.
8
Inbher Golpa.—The mouth of the Boyne.
9
Ferta-fer-fec.—i.e., the graves of the men of Feg or Fiacc, now Slane.—
Four Masters, at A.D. 512.

244

Life of St.

Patrick

conversion of St. Benignus, one of the most celebrated
of his converts; the other event was the foundation
of the church of Trim. When St. Patrick and his
companions arrived at the mouth of the river Boyne, he
left his nephew or disciple Lomman in charge of the
vessel in which they had sailed, and proceeded by land,
probably with the view of preaching on his journey.
The first place where he rested, probably at or in
the neighborhood of the site now occupied by the
town of Drogheda, he was received by a man named
Sesclmen, and passed the night with him. The son
of his host, attached to the saint by that holy
fascination which good men exercise unconsciously, cast
flowers over him. His parents desired him to refrain
from this mark of respect lest he should awaken their
guest, who was weary with his journey. But Patrick
had heard their conversation, and was, no doubt, interiorly urged to claim the young Benen for his Creator's
service. The boy was baptized immediately, and henceforth followed the saint, to whom he was bound by more
than ordinary ties of devotion,1 and eventually succeeded him as Archbishop of Armagh.
According to the Vita Tertia, which gives the fullest
1

Devotion. —The anecdote of his strewing the saint's couch with flowers is
told in the Tripartite. There this interview is made to take place before St.
Patrick's visit to Dichu, but, as we have already remarked, the sequence of the
narrative in the early part of this most valuable compilation, is very irregular.
In the Tertia Vita fuller details are given, which are evidently the ground of
Jocelyn's narrative. But the incident of the flowers is only mentioned in the
Tripartite.—Colgan, Vita Tertia, p. 24, and Sexta Vita, p. 73, and the Boole of
Armagh*

Foundation of the Church of Trim.

245

details, Benignus insisted on going with St. Patrick,
whom he called his true father, and clung to him so entreatingly that the saint took him up in the chariot,
in which, according to this Life also, he travelled. It
should be remembered that St. Patrick probably arrived
in Ireland in the summer of 432 ; he went with little
delay to the north ; and even if it be supposed that he
did not prepare for his visit to Tara until after Christmas, there would be ample time for the events recited
in the Book of Armagh concerning the foundation of the
church of Trim. According to the Tripartite, Lomman
was left at the mouth of the Boyne to take care of the
vessel in which the saint had sailed from Strangford
Lough. He was to "take care of the ships during the
forty nights of L e n t " If St. Patrick wished to preach
to the people on. his journey, we cannot doubt that he
may have delayed for many weeks wherever he was well
received. It is next told that he desired Lomman to
row his vessel against the Boyne until he would arrive
at the place where Ath-Truim (Trim) is to-day. But it
is by no means clear whether St. Patrick desired
Lomman to row down the stream at the end of forty
days, or whether he returned to him and gave the
command 2 These details, however, are immaterial.
2
Command.—The Book of Armagh says that he remained another period of
forty days. Jocelyn follows this narrative. With regard to the whole narrative, there is nothing improbable, or even unlikely. Why, then, should it
have excited the ire of Dr. Todd ? Surely his Memoir should have been entitled : " A narrative of events recorded as having happened to St. Patrick,
tew of which are true." The story, he says, was "avowedly of late origin"

246

Life of St.

Patrick

Lomman arrived at Trim " against the stream,
under the guidance of the Lord/' at the door of aras
Feidilmidh [the house of Feidilmidh], or, as the Tripartite has it, at the dun of Fedhlimidh, the son of
Laeghaire Mac Neill. In the morning Fortchern,
Fedhlimidh's son, found him with " his gospels before
him, and he wondered at the precepts he heard."
Then the mother came to seek her son, who had
tarried so long listening to the message of peace, and
she also heard it and believed it. She was "of the
Britons, and welcomed the clerics;" her name was Scoth,
and she was daughter of the King of Britain. When
she had heard, she sought for her husband, and told
him all things that had happened to herself and her son.
Like the other Irish chieftains, the good Fedhlimidh
received the missionaries joyfully, and " forthwith believed" (statingue credidit), with all his family. The Celt
seldom gives himself to any undertaking with halfheartedness. He must be an enthusiastic loyalist or a
furious rebel; he must be all for good, or, alas ! and that
(p. 413, n<); and then he coolly quotes from the original in the Book of Armagh
to prove his opinion, " serotinis temporibus inventa;" yet he himself translates
these very words fairly and correctly at "p. 257, thus : " Here begin some few
other things discovered at later times." Now no ordinary scholar could be at
a loss to know the meaning of the word inventa. Such criticisms are worse
than unfair; and only respect for the memory of the dead can prevent one
from calling them dishonest. The writer of the Book of Armagh narrates
some things discovered at later times. The author of the Memoir tries to
make his readers believe that this writer considered them " avowedly of late
origin." If all history were treated in this way, and new discoveries of historical events were to be cast aside as modern inventions, because the documents had not been discovered until a century ox two after the events to which
they referred, we might give up literary criticism altogether.

Foundation of the Church of Trim.

24*7

but rarely, all for evil; and this national characteristic
is notably manifest in the lives of St. Patrick's converts.
They gave themselves without a thought; they gave
their possessions without reserve ; and that this de^votion was no mere evanescent feeling, has been proved
by long centuries of fidelity and suffering*
According to the account in the Book of Armagh,
Scoth, or, as she is there called, Scothnoe, was the mother
of Fedhlimidh, and consequently grandmother of Fortchern. Lomman also was "of the Britons;" his father
is called Gollit, and St. Patrick's sister, Darerca, is said
to hafe been his mother. Thus they were able to converse in the British tongue, iii which Fedhlimidh
saluted Lomman. Immediately after the baptism of
the former, he devoted all his territory^ possessions,
substance, and race to Patrick* and Lomman, and
Fortchern his son, unto the day of judgment (usque in
diem judicii). He then crossed the Boyne to Chin
Lagen, leaving Lomman and his son at the Fort of
Trim. Here they remained until Patrick came to them,
and built a church with them. When St. Patrick's
visit took place is not stated, but it is probable that it
was sometime after his visit to Tara.
The Four Masters thus recorded these events :-—•
"The age of Christ 432> the fourth year of Laeghaire. Patrick
came to Ireland this year, and proceeded to baptize and bless the
Irish, men, women, sons, and daughters, except a few who did not
consent to receive baptism from him, as his Life relates. Ath
Trim was founded by Patrick, it having been granted by Fedhlim,

248

Life of St.

Patrick

son of Laeghaire, son of Niall, to God, and to him, Lornan, and
Fortchern. Flann Mainistrecli cecinit :3—
Patrick, abbot of all Ireland, son of Calphrann, son of Fotaide,
Son of Deisse, not fit to be dispraised, son of Oormac Mor, son of
Lebrinth,
Cochinas was his modest mother j JSTemthor4 his native town ;
Of numbers, not small his share, which Patrick redeemed from
sorrow.''

There can be no doubt that the saint had companions
with him when he came to Ireland, and that he was
accompanied by these persons and by some of his converts when he visited Tara. Before we relate the great
and important events which occurred there, we must
3
Cecinit.—Flann of the Monastery. He was abbot of Mainister-Buithe,
now Monasterboice, in the county Louth, and died December, 1056.
4
Nemthor.—Four Masters, vol. i., p. 131. Since the first Part of this
work was issued, Mr. P. J. Kennedy, author of " Legendary Fictions of the
Celts" (Macmillan & Co., London), and other valuable works, has called my
attention to the occurrence of the word Nevtur in the Black Book of Caermarthen. This book was written, or rather compiled, in the twelfth century,
by the religious of a priory near the old Welsh city from which it takes its
name. It contains several of the old poems attributed to Taliessen. In the
first poem a dialogue occurs between Merlin and Taliessen," in which the
name Nemthur occurs thus:—

" Before two men in Nevtur will they land,
Before Errith and Gurrith, on a pale white horse."
The original i s :
" Rae deuur ineutur ytirran,
Bae errith a gurrith y ar welugan."
Mr. Skene, the editor of this work, observes, in a note, vol. ii., p. 321,
" N e u t u r or Nevtur is probably the same place mentioned by Fiech, in his
Life of St. Patrick, written in the eighth century, as Nemthur or Nevtur.
It is identified by his scholiast with Alclyde or Dumbarton." This
appears to be the only trace of the word which has been found, independently
of its use in the Lives of the saint. It is clear that the reference is to a seaport toivn, from the expression, " i n Nevtur will they land."

St. Patrick's Household.

249

give the names of those who were considered the special
disciples of the saint, and some of whom, at least, were
with him at Tara.
In the Four Masters, the most important and the
most carefully compiled of our ancient annals, we find
the following account of St. Patrick's disciples :—
" The age of Christ, 448, the twentieth year of Laeghaire,
The family5 of Patrick of the prayers, who had good Latin,
I remember; no feeble court [were they] their order, and their
names.
Sechnall, 6 his bishop, without fault; Mochta f after him his great
Bishop Ere, 8 his sweet-spoken judge ; his champion Bishop Maccaeirthinn;
Benen, 9 his psalmist3 and Coemhan, 1 his chamberlain;
Sinell,2 his bell-ringer; and Aithcen, 3 his true cook;
The priest Mescan,4 without evil, his friend and his brewer;
6
Family.—A list of tlie principal persons of St. Patrick's household is given
in the Tripartite (Colgan, p. 167), and also in the Book of Lecan.
6
Sechnall.—St. Sechnall or Secundinus, nephew of the saint, and author of
the Hymn in his honor. His history has already been related, ante, p. 68.
7
Mochta -St. Mochta, whose conversion has also been recorded.
8
Ere.—The first Bishop of Slane. He is termed in the Tripartite
" Cancellarius."
9
Benen.—His conversion has just been recorded.
1
Coemhan.—Not easily identified. He is called Coemhan of Kilready.
2
Sinell. —He is called Sinell of Killairis, his Ostiarius. In the Tripartite
he is called Sinell of Kildare.
3
Aithcen.—The patron saint of the church of Badoney, in the valley of
Gleann-Aichle, near Strabane, county Tyrone.
4
Mescan.—He is called Sanctus Meschanus de Domnach juxta Eochmuine
fluvium, Cerviciarius (Colgan, p. 88). Dr. O'Donovan, in his notes on this
portion of the Four Masters, supplies the word [Mescain] from the prose list
in the Book of Lecan. I wish especially to call the attention of the reader
to the fact, that whenever Dr. O'Donovan quotes the Tripartite, he quotes it
as St. Evin's work, thus: "Evinus, as edited by Colgan," "Evinus names
them as follows." This is high' authority for the belief that we may
certainly attribute the Tripartite Life to St. Evin. St. Mescan's church was

250

Life of St.

Patrick

The priest Bescna,5 sweet his verses, the chaplain of the son of
Alprann.
His three smiths,6 expert at shaping, Macecht,7 Laebhan, and
Fortchern;
His three artificers,8 of great endowment, Aesbuite, Tairill, and
Tasach.
His three embroiderers,9 not despicable, Lupaid, Erca, and
Cruimthiris.
Odhran,1 his charioteer without blemish; Eodan,2 son of Braga, his
shepherd.
situated near the river Fochmhuine, now the Fanghan, county Londonderry;
but the site has not been identified.
5
Bescna.—His church, Domhnach-Dula, was in the plain of Magh-dula,
county Londonderry, through which the river Moyola flows.
6
Smiths.—The Tripartite only mentions two smiths, St. Macecht and St.
Fortchern, but Dr. O'Donovan thinks the omission was a blunder of Colgan's,
and corrects his text by the prose list in the Book of Lecan. Colgan, however, may have had other authorities which he preferred to follow. I have
availed myself of Dr. O'Donovan's notes on this passage in the Four Masters,
but I have also consulted every other available authority.
7
Macecht.—He was of Domhnach Arnoin, and the maker of the famous
Finn-faklheach, or sweet-sounding bell, used by the saint, which is still in
existence. Laebhan, according to Colgan, had his church in the present
diocese of Olonfert; it was called Cill Loebhain, and is probably the church
now designated Killian. Fortchern, whose father founded the church of
Trim, has already been mentioned. He had a second church at Oill-Fortchern,
in Idrone, county Carlow.
8
Artificers.—In the Tripartite they are called Sanctus Essa, Sanctus Bitens,
ac Sanctus Tassa. Only the last has been accurately identified. His history
is well known. He was a native of Pathcolptha, now Paholp, near Down.
St. Tassach is mentioned in the notes of St. Fiacc's Hymn as having been the
first who adorned the famous Staff of Jesus with a suitable covering. He also
administered the last sacraments to his holy master, as we shall record more
fully hereafter. Colgan thinks that Essa should be Ossa or Ossan, as St.
Patrick had a disciple of that name, whose memory was venerated at Trim.
9
Embroiderers.—Colgan has Tigrida for Erca. Lupaid was the saint's
sister, already mentioned; Ere was the daughter of Dairi, who granted Armagh
to the saint. Of Cruimthiris it is only recorded that she was of royal birth,
and lived a solitary life.
1
Odhran.—He will also be mentioned hereafter as having saved St. Patrick's
life. He was of Disert-Odhran, in Hy-Falgy.
8
Eodan.—Not identified.

St. Patrick's

Household.

251

Ippis, 3 Tigris, and Erca, and Liamhain, with Eibearlta;
For them Patrick exceeded in wonders, for them he was truly
miraculous.
Carninch 4 was the priest that baptized h i m ; German his tutor
without blemish.
The priest Maisach, of great endowment, was his man for supplying wood.
His sister's son was Bauban, of fame; Martin, his mother's brother;
Most sapient was the youth Mochonnoe5, his hospitaller.
Cribri 6 and Lasri of mantles, beautiful daughters -of Gleaghrann ;
Macraith the wise, and Ere, he prophesied in his three wills.
Brogan, 7 the scribe of his school; the priest Logha, 8 his helmsman,
It is not a thing unsung,—and Machin, 9 his true fosterson;
Good the man whose great family they were, to whom God gave
a crozier without sorrow ;
Chiefs with whom the bells are heard, a good family was the family
of Patrick,

s

Ippis.— These are said to be the names of five sisters of the saint.
Gamincli.—In the copy of Flann's poem preserved in the Book of Lecan
the reading is Gorcrias.
6
Mochonnoe,—The Tripartite mentions two hospitallers, Catanus and
Ocanotus. The Book of Trim has Caslan and Brogan. Mochonnoe lived
about 492, according to Colgan, and founded the monastery of Gullen, in the
King's County. He is said to have been of Welsh extraction. Lanigan
makes him later.—Be. Hist., vol. i., p. 424. St. Cadan or Catanus is venerated in the parish of Tamlaghtard, and barony of Reenaght, county Londonderry.
6
Cribri arid Lasri.—They were the daughters of Glerannus, son of Cumincus,
and lived at the church of Kill-JForchann, near Killala.
7
Brogan.—A nephew of St. Patrick.
8
Logha.—The same as Lugna, whose tombstone has already been mentioned.
9
Machin.—St. Mochin of Enclrom, in Loch Cuan ; he was baptized by St.
Patrick, who gave him a gospel and a reliquary. In the copy of Flann's
poem many other names and offices are mentioned. There can be no doubt
that some of these offices were exercised by the persons who are mentioned as
holding them, but St. Patrick's mode of life was too simple to admit of his
having a numerous retinue or any kind of state.
4

252

Life of St.

Patrick

May the Trinity, which is powerful over all, distribute to us the
boon of great love ;
The being who, moved by soft Latin, redeemed by Patrick's prayer/'

In order to understand this account of St. Patrick's
household, it should be remembered that the Irish kings
and chieftains had officers who were regularly appointed
to fulfil certain duties, or who held their offices by right
of inheritance. Thus the biographers of the saint would
naturally assign to his immediate followers the occupations which they might believe most suitable to each,
or which, as in the case of St. Tassach, there is no
doubt that they fulfilled. The only persons who are
named as having accompanied the saint from Eome, are
Auxilius and Iserninus, who are said to have been
ordained priests when he was consecrated bishop.
The famous Laeghaire was holding his court at Tara
when St. Patrick arrived in that neighborhood. The
Tripartite says that
" This was the time in which the great festival of the Gentiles, i.e.
the Fes of Tara, was usually celebrated. The kings and princes and
chieftains were wont to come to Laeghaire Mac Neill to Tara, to
celebrate this festival. The druids and the magicians were also
wont to come to prophesy to them. The fire of every hearth in
Erinn was usually extinguished on that night, and it was commanded by the king that no fire should be lighted in Erinn before
the fire of Tara; and neither gold nor silver would be accepted
from anyone who would light it, but he should suffer death for it."

There have been some warm discussions as to the
precise object of this festival. Dr. Petrie and Dr.
O'Connor considered that it was the Beltinne, but Dr.

St Patrick at Tara,

253

O'Donovan has proved that there is no authority for
this opinion, because the Beltinne was always lighted
on the hill of Usneach, in Westmeath; and further, it is
not stated to have been the Beltinne fire in any of the
Lives of the saint.1 Dr. O'Donovan's opinion is of so
much value, that we prefer giving it in his own words :—
" The probability is that the fire lighted at Teamhair, on Easter
eve, A.D. 433, was not the Bealltaine, but some other fire; and it is
stated in the Second Life of St. Patrick published by Colgan, that
it was the Feis Teamhrach, or Feast of Teamhair, that Laeghaire
and his satraps were celebrating on this occasion; while the author
of the Life of St. Patrick in the Book of Lismore asserts that
Laeghaire was then celebrating the festival of his own nativity,
which appears to have been the truth, and if so it was not the
regular septennial Feis, which met after Samhain, but one convened
to celebrate the king's own birth-day." 2

There can be little doubt that this is the true account
of the convention at Tara. It should be observed, however, that no time has been specified for the lighting of
these Bealtinne fires in any of our annals, and that the
ground for dating it on the 1st of May is, that this day is
universally called La Bealltaine in Irish. Even granting this to be the date of the festival, it is quite possible
that an arbitrary and proud monarch, such as all history
represents Laeghaire to have been, might have celebrated
the Bealtinne on his birth-day, and for the time being
antedated the usual period.
1
Saint.—For O'Connor's opinions see Eer. Hib. Scrip, vol. i.
"Essay on Tara."
2
Day.—"Book of Rights." Introduction, p, 50-51.

For Petrie's,

254

Life of St.

Patrick.

It was Easter eve, and Patrick had kindled his
Paschal fire upon the Hill of Slane. The author of the
Tripartite says he was not aware of the royal prohibition
against what he had done, and adds graphically, " And
if he knew it, it would not prevent him." The Paschal
fire illuminated all Magh-Bregh, even as the fire of
divine love was so soon to illumine the western isle from
shore to shore. The king and his chieftains saw the
light flashing over the plain, and he demanded who
had dared to violate his commands. His druids, better
informed than himself, replied, " that they knew who
had made this fire, and if it were not extinguished
before morning it would never be extinguished ; and
that the man who had kindled it would surpass kings
and princes." Well might the old pagan tremble for
his throne, and burn with indignation at the apparent
insult.
" That is not how it shall be," he exclaimed, "but
we will go until we slay the maipt who lighted the fire."
It was the old boast which the angels have heard, and
smiled at, not. once, but often, before and since the days
of Laeghaire Mac Neil. We will conquer, we will
subdue—who shall dare to resist us % Who are these
men that they should oppose us % Tes ! but there was
One mightier than these men, against whose power
Laeghaire's wrath fell harmless as the rivulet, as the fall
of a pebble upon a mountain of granite.
His druids, full of dreams of magic and incantations,
warned him not to enter the house where Patrick was.

St, Patrick

at Tata.

255

He respected their advice, and when his chariots had
dashed across the plain he alighted in front of the Ferta,
Here he seated himself in state, surrounded by his
attendants, and Patrick was " whispered out J? to him.
As the saint came forth, he saw the horses and chariots
in which the king and his companions had arrived, and
his thoughts turned from this display of earthly greatness to "the Power which ruled over all5 and then, says
the Tripartite, he sang the prophetic stanza—3
" H i i n curribas et hi in eirus [equis]
Nos, amteni, in nomine Domini Dei nosfcri ma.'1

As lie entered the place where the king and his attendants were awaiting him, grim, silent, and stern, none
saluted him, and none 'dared to rise—for Laeghaire had
strictly commanded them to remain seated—save one
only, " whose heart was touched by divine grace :" this
man was called Ere, the son of Diga, and he rose up and.
saluted the saint respectfully.
A strange scene followed. The king asked St. Patrick
many questions; the druids contended with, him, and
insolently denounced his preaching, especially the doctrine of the Trinity. These rude men, accustomed to
decide arguments by blows rather than by words, required some extraordinary evidence of the power of this
God, of whom they had never heard before, and whom
they were little inclined to reverence. The names of
two of the king's druids are mentioned, Lochru and
3

Stanza.—Colgan reads inweabvmus after nostri.

Tdas Th. p. 126.

256

Life of St.

Patrick

LucatMael; the former was especially obdurate and
blasphemous in his language, and the saint prayed that
he might be lifted out and die, even as St. Peter had
obtained the death of Simon Magus. In an instant,
Lochru was raised up into the air., and then dashed upon
the ground, where he died, falling upon a stone.4 The
king, like Pharaoh, was only hardened still more by
this miracle, and commanded his people to seize St.
Patrick. But the saint, for all defence, entoned the
psalm Exurgat Deics—Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered, &c. Then an earthquake shook the
place, a mysterious darkness surrounded the pagans,
and a storm arose which terrified the horses so that
they dashed across the plain, and the chariots were
overturned. The men who had followed Lochru fell
upon each other in the confusion, mistaking their friends
for Patrick's companions. The king, at last, terrified,
but not convinced, made a "false peace" with the saint;
and his queen, who had accompanied him, knelt at his
feet for his blessing.
Laeghaire, however, was still meditating treachery.
He wished to kill the man whom he could not silence,
but God had revealed the intended treachery to the
saint. In order to accomplish his wicked purpose,
Laeghaire asked him to return with him to Tara, " that
he might believe for him before the men of Erinn." In
4
Stone.—Tirechan says that he had seen this stone. If we remember the
early date of his writing in the Book of Armagh, it will show that this
account was no modern interpolation.

St. Patrick

at Tara.

257

the meantime, he had desired men to be lying in ambush between Ferta-fer-feic [Slane] and that place.
The saint set out, accompanied by eight companions
and the young Benignus. But God cast " a garment
of invisibility [dicheltair] around them, so that not one
of them was seen/' As the Gentiles watched for them,
they saw only eight wild deer, and who fled towards
the mountains, and a young fawn after them. 5
On the following day, Easter Sunday, Laeghaire held
high festival at Tara. Possibly, he thought himself
safe from further trouble, as he had not heard anything
more of St. Patrick. But the saint had his Easter
Mass to say, and we may well imagine with what fervor he offered the adorable sacrifice for the people to
whom he had devoted his life. Even in the Easter
joys he could not forget his mission ; and, as evening
closed, while the chiefs, magi, and bards kept revel in
old Tara's banquet hall, the grave and terrible apostle
appeared suddenly before them, the doors being closed.6
6
Them.—Colgan, Quinta Vita, p. 51. This is also recorded in the Tripartite, and in the Book of Armagh. Indeed, the account is almost verbally
similar in each.
6
Closed.—Dr. Todd has treated the whole account of St. Patrick's visit to
Tara with unconcealed contempt. One part he stigmatizes as a "manifest
imitation of Daniel's explanation of Nebuchadnezzar's image." Another part,
he says, is " intended to imitate the contest of Moses with the magi
of Pharaoh." Because these Catholic writers, like good Catholics, and
especially like religious to whom the language of Scripture is peculiarly
familiar, write in this style, he thinks they must necessarily be guilty of the
miserable crime of writing what they knew to be absolutely false. According
to him the whole narrative " i s reduced to the single fact, that St. Patrick,
at some period of his missionary labors, appeared in the court of King
Laeghaire." But Dr. Todd has not told us, if all the rest of the narrative is
false, on what grounds he proves this one part of it to be true, and why he

2 B

258

Life of St.

Patrick

Again we are told that one only of the assembled
guests paid him any honor. As he appeared before
the astonished courtiers, Dubhtach Mac Lugair, the
king's chief bard, rose up to receive him, and he also
obtained the grace of conversion to the Faith. The
poet was attended by a youth named Fiacc, of whom
we have already given some account.
The druid, or magus, Luchat Mael, now proposed to
enter into a trial of his powers against the powers
possessed by St. Patrick. We cannot fail to see, in the
whole history of this eventful Easter, marked indications
of the workings of a Providence at once full of wisdom
and of authority. These men, w^ho had until then
worshipped the elements, were to learn that there was a
God who controlled these elements, and thus to be
taught that there was an almighty Creator of all things.
These magi had exercised certain powers by their incantations ; they had to learn that these powers were
under the absolute control of a God of whom they had
believes the Lorica or Hymn of St. Patrick to be genuine on the same authority. This very line of argument is brought against the Scripture narrative
by modern sceptics, and they also " reduce " the whole account of the Exodus
to the " simple fact" that such an event may have happened, while denying
absolutely as "impossible" all the miraculous circumstances which attended
it. With regard to the miracle of the " closed doors," such occurrences are
comparatively frequent in the Lives of the Saints. We read in the life of St.
Anthony of Padua, that he was seen several times in different places at the
same moment. Once, while he was guardian of the convent of Limoges in
Aquifcaine, he was preaching the Passion in the cathedral on the night of
Maunday Thursday. His religious were at the same time singing matins in
their choir. When it was time to read the lesson which should have come to
his turn, he suddenly appeared, and having sung it, again vanished, although,
during this interval, he was not perceived to be absent from the pulpit, or to
have discontinued his discourse.—#£. Francis and the Franciscans, p. 154.

St. Patrick and the Magi at Tar a.

259

never even heard. They were also to learn, that whatever might be effected by the powers of darkness were
evils to be avoided, not benefits to be sought for. This,
and much more, did St. Patrick teach the chieftains of
old Erinn at Tara on this Easter Day.
The magus first attempted to poison St. Patrick ; no
doubt, it seemed to him the easiest way to avoid all
chance of a defeat. But the saint, like St. Benedict,7
was divinely warned of his danger, and he blessed the
vessel of ale, so that the poison fell from it, and the ale
became congealed like ice. Then, blessing it once
more, he restored it to its natural state. Luchat Mael
then proposed that the " hosts " should go out into the
open plain, and that he should show there what he could
do. St. Patrick agreed to the proposal, and when they
came forth, and a vast multitude had assembled, the
druid "began the druidic poetry and the demoniacal
arts, until the snow fell so that it would reach the
girdles of men ; et viderunt omnes, and they wondered
greatly/' 8
7
St Benedict—The monks of the monastery of Vico Varo, attracted by
his fame, had asked him to be their superior. He refused at first, but at
length yielded to their importunity. They were not prepared, however, for
the strictness of his rule, and at last attempted to poison him. Like St.
Patrick, he made the sign of the cross upon the vessel, which instantly broke
as if a stone had fallen upon it.—Butler's Lives of Saints.
8
Greatly.—The power of the devil to effect supernatural wonders is abundantly evident both from Scripture and the Lives of the Saints. We give
one instance out of many. It is related in the Life of the recently canonized
St. Paul of the Cross, that when he was preaching out of doors at Santafiora,
a sudden and most violent storm came on, which he at once dispelled by
blessing the air with his crucifix. He told the people that the storm had
been caused by the devil.—Life of St Paul of the Cross, p. 69*

260

Life of St.

Patrick.

St. Patrick then asked him to remove the snow, but
the magus replied that he could not do so until the
next day. Then the saint, fired with a holy indignation, exclaimed : " By my debhro,9 in evil is thy power,
and not in good;" and turning towards the four points
of the heavens.he blessed the plain, and the snow disappeared. The druid now brought darkness over the
plain, but was unable to remove it. Patrick once more
prayed to the Lord, and the sun shone forth. Various
other trials followed, and it was at last agreed that a
trial by fire should decide the question.
St. Patrick offered to allow one of his people to be
shut up in a house with the magus, and then to let the
building be fired ; provided one of the Celtic magi
also remained in the building and stood the same
test. It was further agreed that the worshipper of
heathen gods should be clothed in the casula or tunic
of the saint, and the Christian in the tunic of the druid.
St. Patrick chose the young Benen, fresh from the
baptismal waters, and thus purified from sin ; Luchat
Mael, with a heroism worthy of a better cause, was his
own champion. A hut was then erected, and at one
side filled with dry faggots, in the midst of which
Benen or Benignus was placed, and covered with the
druid's tunic ; the other side was filled with green wood,
and there the magus stood, covered with the tunic of
9
Debhro.—This word is translated by O'Donovan, in his supplement to
O'Reilly's Dictionary (in voce Modebroth), as my God Judge, or God of Judgment (from Cormac's Glossary).

The Trial by Fire and its Results.

261

the saint. A light was then applied to the hut, while
the great multitude watched outside for the result, with
eager faces and beating hearts. The triumph of Faith
was soon proclaimed. It was indeed nothing new for
the God who had created the elements, to make them
obedient to the will of the creatures who were obedient
to His will. Again and again fire had refused to do its
natural office when Christians were subjected to the
flames in the arenas of pagan Eome ; and now a similar
marvel was manifested. That portion of the house
which should have burned most rapidly under ordinary
circumstances, was not consumed,—the fair young
acolyte Benignus came forth unharmed, but the mantle
of the magus, with which he was surrounded, was
burned to ashes. The side of the hut where the magus
had rashly ventured to place himself, was entirely consumed ; he was burned to death, but the tunic of the
saint, with which he was surrounded, bore no trace
of fire.1
The only effect which this miracle had upon the king
was to increase his hatred of the apostle and his doctrines, And such, indeed, is usually the result, while,
as in this instance, special graces have been offered and
1
Fire.—This is mentioned in the Tripartite (Colgan, p. 127), by Probus
(Colgan, p. 51), by Jocelyn (Colgan, p. 75), and the other Lives. Indeed the
incidents connected with the saint's visit to Tara are most fully detailed by
all. I t is observable that the trial by water, as proposed by Laeghaire, is
mentioned in the Book of Armagh, though not in the Tripartite, which in
other respects coincides so clearly with the former. We read in the Life of
St. Francis of Assissi that he offered to undergo a somewhat similar test when
in Egypt.

262

Life of St.

Patrick

rejected. If those are blessed who believe without
seeing, how fearful must be the condition of those to
whom " signs and wonders" are manifested, and who
still refuse to believe.
In the Life of St. Patrick as related by Probus
(Quinta Vita), a curious and significant circumstance
is mentioned. It is said that the king first proposed a
trial by water, and suggested that the books of both
parties should be thrown into the water, and declared
that he would adore him whose books should come out
unhurt. The magus objected to this test, saying that
he " would not go to the judgment of water with him
(Patrick), for he had water for a god." Probus observes
that he had heard of St. Patrick's baptisms ; hence his
fear of this test. There are several noteworthy subjects
in connection with this part of the ancient Lives. It
is evident that the Catholic doctrine of baptism was
fully taught by St. Patrick. The magus would not have
had so much fear of his use of water if the saint had
treated the sacramental use of it as a mere ceremony. It
is also remarkable that the "books" (libros vestros) should
be spoken of by Laeghaire in the plural number.
Evidently the writers of the Lives believed that the
Irish had books as well as the saint. The words quoted
above are found in the Vita S< Patricii contained in
the Book of Armagh also.
The king, terrified by the prodigies, he beheld, simulated a conversion which the rest of his life proved to have
been insincere. It is related also that St. Patrick pre-

St. Patrick's Hymn or Lorica.

263

dieted the extinction of Laeghaire's family, and that some
terrible judgment, probably a sudden pestilence, fell upon
the people, by which thousands perished.
As St. Patrick journeyed to Tara on Easter morning he
composed a hymn, some portions of which are still
repeated at bed-time by the Irish-speaking peasantry, so
true have they been to the memory of their great
apostle. This remarkable composition was sometimes
called the Feth Fiadha, or instruction of the deer, in
consequence of the escape of the saint and his companions when they appeared to Laeghaire like deer
fleeing to the mountains.
The hymn is, however, more generally known as the
Lorica of St. Patrick. The name of Lorica was given
to such compositions because they were used as a spiritual breastplate or corslet, to protect those who recited
them from spiritual or temporal dangers. They were,
in fact, used as prayers. The Lorica of St. Patrick is a
composition of singular poetic beauty, and of such
ardent devotion as one might well believe our great
apostle to have possessed. Thus it was that he invoked
the divine protection as he traversed the vast plain of
Magh Breagh; thus it was that he appealed to the Lord
of all things that those creatures of Fire and Cold, of
Wind and "Water, might be made to serve him in the
great work which he was about to undertake.
2
Undertake.—-This hymn has been translated by Dr, 0'Donovan and Dr.
Petrie, and published in the Essay on Tara by the latter. It was also translated with great care by the eminent Celtic scholar, Mr. Whitley Stokes,

264

Life of St

Patrick

ST. PATRICK'S LOMCA.

I bind
The
The
The

to myself to-day
strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity,
Faith of the Trinity in unity,
Creator of the elements.

I bind to myself to-day
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Eesurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming to the sentence of judgment.
I bind to myself to-day
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection into reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men*
I bind to myself to-day
The power of Heaven,
who pointed out the mistake made by O'Donovan in translating the word
Atomring, with which the hymn commences, as an obsolete form of the
dative of Temur or Tara, and rendering it " a t Tara." The word is a verb ;
ad-dom-ring; composed thus: ad-ring, adjungo, with the infixed pronoun domt
to me, and the verb ring, to join. To a Catholic the meaning is at once
apparent; the saint invokes, or prays for, the help [virtute) virtue of the
Blessed Trinity, the angels, and the saints in his great undertaking. In the
well-known Litany of Jesus the virtue of our Divine Lord's Incarnation,
Life, Passion, and Death are invoked in a similar manner. The latest trans,
lation of the Lorica is that made by Mr. Crowe for the " Kilkenny Archeological
Journal," October, 1869.

St. Patrick's Lor tea.

265

The light of the sun, 3
The whiteness of snow,
The force of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The hardness of rocks.

I bind to myself to-day
The power of God to guide me,
The might of God to uphold me,
The wisdom of God to teach me,
The eye of God to watch over me,
The ear of God to hear me,
The word of God to give me speech,
The hand of God to protect me,
The way of God to lie before me,
The shield of God to shelter me,
The host of God to defend me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the temptations of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against every man who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

3
Sun.—Some singular misapprehensions have been made about this verse.
It has been thought that the saint invoked the power of the sun as he had
invoked the power or virtue of the angels, apostles, and virgins. But, apart
from the fact that no Catholic missionary who had come to convert a nation
from idolatry could be supposed to be himself a worshipper of false gods, the
obvious meaning is that he had, as indeed he proved, full power over these
elements, and he bound them to himself on that occasion to serve him as might
be necessary for his Master's work.

266

Life of St. Patrick
I have invoked all these virtues
Against every hostile savage power
Directed against my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against all knowledge which blinds the soul of man.
Christ protect me to-day
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort, *
Christ in the chariot seat,
Christ in the poop, 4
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
T bind to myself to-day
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
The faith of the Trinity in unity,
The Creator of elements.
4

Poop.—(i.e.) When travelling by water.

St. Patrick's Lorica.

267

Domini est salus,
Domini est salus,
Christi est salus,
Salus tua Domine sit semper nobiscum.5

Dr. Todd lias well observed that the Hymn of St.
Patrick " notices no doctrine or practice of the Church
that is not known to have existed before the fifth century." This observation is another remarkable evidence
how educational prejudice blinds men to truth. No
one can doubt that Dr. Todd intended by this remark
to convey the idea that the Hymn did not contain any
Catholic doctrines, for he is fain to believe that such
doctrines are modern. But Dr. Todd's observation is
literally true, though in a far different sense to that which
he intended to convey thereby. It does not "notice
any doctrine or practice which had not. existed before
the fifth century."
It commences with an invocation of the adorable
Trinity, the Three in One, co-equal and co-eternal.
This doctrine had been impugned by the Arians, and
was defined by the Ecumenical Council of Nicsea, A.D.
325, and consequently before the fifth century. St.
Patrick accepted its definition, as the Catholic world did
then, and does now. But the Arians refused to sign
6
Nobiscum.—The last four lines are in Latin, as given above. Dr. Todd
has observed a coincidence of expression between the latter part of the Lorica,
of St. Patrick and a passage in Bishop Andrewes' Devotions. It is more
than probable that the Protestant bishop copied from St. Ignatius, and there
is a most singular and marked similarity between the well-known prayer
Anima mea of that saint and a part of St. Patrick's hymn.

268

Life of St.

Patrick

the Nieene creed then ; and how many members of the
Church to which Dr. Todd belonged are there now
who really believe the Divinity of Christ—who would,
with St. Patrick, invoke the " virtue of the Crucifixion,"
and say boldly, GOD has died for me \
Next we find St. Patrick invoking the virtue or
power of the seraphim, the prayers of the fathers, the
purity of virgins, and the good deeds of the faithful
generally; a practice which was unquestionably in use
before the fifth century, as the very tombs of the
martyrs in the catacombs of Eome testify to this day.
And then we find him placing the virtue of these holy
men and their good works between him and the ever
restless powers of evil, and concluding with the repetition of his invocation of the Trinity—the keystone of
our faith. And thus it is that Catholic litanies, and
even the Sacrifice of the Mass, commence with the
invocation of the Three in One, and conclude with the
Three in One also, whose divine assistance is implored
either in prayers or blessings.
When Tirechan wrote his Annotations on the Life of
our saint in the Book of Armagh, this Hymn was
believed to have been composed by St. Patrick. Indeed,
its authority has not been questioned. Tirechan informs
us that in his time four honors were paid to St. Patrick
in all the monasteries and churches in Ireland—another
evidence of the antiquity of the Lorica. The first of
these honors was that the saint's festival was kept for
three days and three nights as if Patrick himself had

Misconceptions about the Lorica.

269

been present; secondly, there was a proper preface for
his Mass; thirdly, his Hymn was sung for the whole
time ; and, fourthly, his Irish Hymn was sung always.
The latter is undoubtedly the Lorica which he composed in Irish, and of which we have given a translation. His Hymn was the Latin Hymn composed in
his honor by St. Sechnall or Secundums, which will be
given at the end of the present volume.6
Dr. Petrie has made a suggestion about the Lorica,
which is founded on a most curious misapprehension.
He thinks, because St. Patrick prays in it to be protected
against "women, smiths, and druids," that the composition was not considered orthodox, and hence was
passed over by Colgan and others. But Dr. Petrie
forgot that St. Paul, whose orthodoxy he, at least, would
never have questioned, had already declared that the
Christian should be armed against many spiritual foes,
and that our wrestling is not only against flesh and
blood, but is also against "principalities a,nd powers/'
and the "spirits of wickedness in the high places."
We have already explained Dr. Todd's mistake in
supposing that St. Patrick invoked the elements.
The first Part of the Tripartite concludes with the
* Volume.—Tirechan writes of the feast of St. Patrick as the '' solempnitas
dormitationis ejus in medio veris," to distinguish it from other festivals of the
saint. The third and fourth honors were :—
iii Ymnum ejus per totum tempus cantare.
iiii Canticum ejus Scotticum semper canere.
Colgan probably had never seen this Hymn, as he only alludes to it in his list
of St. Patrick's writings.

<270

Life of St.

Patrick

prophecy of St. Patrick that none of Laeghaire's children
should succeed him on his throne. But justice was
ever tempered by mercy, even when the spirit of the
times required that stern judgments should be passed
on those who rejected the message of peace. Laegeaire's queen begged that the child then in her womb
should be exempted from, the malediction of her
husband's race, and her petition was granted. Lugaidh
ascended the throne in A.D. 479, according to the Four
Masters, and died in A.D. 508. His death is briefly and
not very clearly alluded to in the Tripartite, but no
other event of his history is specified there. In the
Book of Lecan there is a paragraph about him in which
it is said that St. Patrick came to Ireland in his reign ;
but it is now generally admitted that the paragraph
refers to Laeghaire, and that the transcriber must have
written the name of the son in mistake for the name of
the father.
" These miracles/' says the writer of the Tripartite,
" live to this day. These are the miracles which the
divines of Erinn knew, and which they put under a
thread of narrative/'
The writer of St. Patrick's
Memoir says, that the account of Lugaidh's exemption
from the malediction of his race is inserted in the
Tripartite to account for the fact of Lugaidh's having
reigned after his father. Yet there is no appearance
whatever of its having been an interpolation, and no
proof that it is except Dr. Todd's conjecture ; and then,
arguing on his own conjecture, he states that "this

Laeghaire dies a Pagan.

271

mode of meeting the difficulty can scarcely be considered satisfactory/' Surely it may be retorted that
this mode of selecting certain circumstances as true,
and rejecting other circumstances as false, without any
reason whatever, is not satisfactory either.
There can be little doubt that Laeghaire died a pagan.
He was overawed for a time by the miracles which St.
Patrick performed ; but even the miracles of Christ
failed to convince many who beheld them. Yet they
could not deny the power thus made visible to them,
and fear produced a temporary submission. The year
before Laeghaire's death he had attempted to enforce
the Boromean tribute, and he was taken prisoner by
the Leinster men, at a place called Ath-dara, a ford on
the river Barrow. Here he was obliged to take the usual
oath of the ancient Irish Celt, and to swear by the sun,
and the wind, and the elements, that he would never
again come against them. The following year he broke
his oath, and renewed the war. He died soon after, apparently by a stroke of lightning, or some such visitation, for the pagan annalists declared that the " sun and
the wrind killed him" because he had violated his oath.7
T Oath.—Once more I am obliged, with great regret, to refer to Dr. Todd's
Memoir. He most unjustly charges the " Franciscan friars," who wrote the
Annals of the Four Masters, with "paganism," for representing the sun and
wind to have taken vengeance upon Laeghaire. Yet even in the very sentence in which he makes the charge he disproves it unconsciously, by saying
that " t h i s is the language copied," &c. One should have thought that the
most ordinary intellect would have seen that people do not necessarily believe
what they " copy." No one would have been more severe on the same friars
than this writer if they had n o t ' * copied," and copied faithfully, every reliable
document they could get.

272

Life of St.

Patrick

Even the fashion of his burial proved what an inveterate pagan he died* He was buried, by his own
desire* on the ramparts of Tara, in his " armor of
valor," with his face turned southwards, towards the
Leinster men, as if he were fighting with them.
St. Patrick's great object appears to have been to
meet the people at public places, where multitudes were
assembled; and this in a country where the population
was so scattered, and where so much work had to be
accomplished, is one of the many evidences of his great
wisdom. It was with this object in view that he proceeded to Aonach Tailtenn, now Telltown, in the county
Meath, on Easter Monday.8 An annual fair was held
here, at which multitudes assembled, to assist at, or to
be entertained by the games. This town is situated
mid-way between Navan and Kells, and, according to
an ancient tradition, in pagan times all marriages were
celebrated here. The tradition, however, wants historical evidence, and probably had its origin from the
number of matrimonial engagements contracted at the
public festivals held here.
8
Monday.— Tripartite. " Prima feria venit Patricius ad Taltenam." The
sentence is given in Latin in the Irish manuscript. Lanigan observes—" That
this was Easter Monday is clear from a passage lower down, which, after the
account given of the saint's transactions with Carbri and Conall, runs thus :
'Paschas quoque clausula finita, prima feria exiit,' &c. These two passages
appeared as quotations from some old Latin work, and are therefore entitled
to a certain degree of credit."—He. Hist. vol. i., p. 236. Good Dr. Lanigan
probably was entirely unacquainted with ancient Irish MSS., and hence did
not know that what he conjectured to be a quotation was a usual fashion of
writing at that period. All our ancient Irish MSS. are interspersed with Latin
sentences.

Genealogy of NialVs Sons.

273

St. Patrick now visited two of Laeghaire's brothers,
Carbri and Conall. The famous Niall of the Nine
Hostages had eight sons, four of whom were the progenitors of the Northern Hy Nialls, the other four of
the Southern Hy Nialls. Their genealogical table is
given below, as it will be a matter of interest in connection with our record of St. Patrick's missionary
labors:—
Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Northern Hy Nialls.

_

.

|

.

Eoghan, Enna Finn, Carbri,

I

Southern Hy Nialls.

.
Conall Gulban,

I

.

.

.

.

LAE&HAIEE, Conall Crimthan, Fiac, Maine.

I

I

Attempted St. Patrick's life. |
J
Founder of Donagh
St. Columba and St. Adamnan J
Patrick.
were descended from him. j
Lugaidh,
who was spared from St. Patrick's
malediction, and was king A.D. 483.

Carbri attempted, or at least wished, for it is not
clear whether the attempt was made or not, to kill St.
Patrick and his followers, by throwing them into the
river Sele, now the Blackwater, in Meath. For this
crime the saint pronounced a solemn malediction on
him, and, as a punishment, deprived the river of its
salmon. Such judgments were of absolute necessity in
an age of violence, and where striking examples were
needed to produce an impression on the multitude.
Patrick then proceeded to Conall Crimthan, whose residence was at Donagh Patrick, and here he was favorably received, and the site of a church was granted to
him.
2o

274

Life of St.

Patrick

It was on the Easter Wednesday of this memorable
week, that what was called St. Patrick's Baptism took
place, the festival of which was kept anciently on the
5th of April. Those who are familiar with the ecclesiastical history of the early Church, will remember that
Easter week was specially chosen as a time for public
baptism. The neophytes were clothed in white garments; the paschal rejoicings, and the memory of Christ's
resurrection, by the virtue of which we also are raised
to a new life in the waters of regeneration, made the
season peculiarly appropriate. Even if we had not
reliable tradition for the fact, we might well suppose
that St. Patrick would wish to have a public and
solemn administration of the Sacrament of Baptism. He
had probably baptized but few of his converts publicly,
and only those whom he knew were enlightened and
prepared by some very special grace. These, we may
believe, helped him to instruct those who had received
his teaching at Tara and at Telltown; and some
thousands of those thus assembled were now to receive
the grace of regeneration.
In the waters of the historic Boyne the first public
baptisms were celebrated in ancient Erinn.
The 5th of April, A.D. 433, fell upon a Wednesday,
according to the calculation of Dr. Lanigan; that it fell
somewhere about this date there can be no que3tion.
Thus, we have the very day, and, almost to a certainty,
the very date of this great event. It is probable that

Public Baptism at the Boyne.

275

the baptism took place not far from the present town of
Kells.9
Before we proceed further with the Life of S t Patrick,
it must be remembered that from this date there is
considerable difficulty in following the regular sequence
of events. Can I be pardoned for once more calling
attention to the fact that the writers of the Lives of the
Saints, whether Celtic or Saxon, Eoman or Frank, were
incomparably more anxious to give details of their
good works, and the miracles attributed to them,
than to afford their readers a critical analysis of their
lives %
How great was the pains which they took to be
accurate in their statements, is acknowledged even by
their enemies, They believed that the saints were
endowed with " power from on high" to work miracles ;
henpe they did not find it necessary to refer them to
"natural causes/' or to question them. This is especially
the case with the Life of St. Patrick written by Probus.
He has divided his work into two parts. The first part
contains a well connected narrative of St. Patrick^
life, from his birth to this memorable Easter week, It is
quite evident that he considered this the culminating
event of his apostleship, as well he might. The King of
Erinn, though not converted to the Faith, had at least been
so far subdued as to submit exteriorly to the power of
9
Kdls9—Usber, quoting from the Book of Sligo, mentions " t h e three
Wednesdays of Patrick, his birth, baptism, and death." The baptism was,
undoubtedly, not his own, but the first public celebration of that sacrament
which was commemorated in the early Irish Church,

276

Life of St. Patrick

the apostle. His queen had followed his example, and
obtained even for her unborn child an exemption from
malediction. The chief bard of the nation was an
earnest convert; his example could not fail to influence
multitudes; and the two principal magi of the land—the
men who had hitherto been accredited with supernatural
power, and revered as the teachers of the nation in
their comparatively pure worship of fire and elements—
they also had fallen beneath the power of these very
elements, making it evident that their gods could not
protect them.
It is true that the great majority of the people were
still pagan. But St. Patrick, with consummate—
should we not rather say with heavenly—wisdom, had
commenced boldly by preaching to the ard-righ, the
princes, and the chiefs, knowing that through their
influence and example the multitude could be most
easily reached. Henceforth, wherever he journeyed on
his apostolic mission, the fame of his success, the prestige
of his miracles, and the submission of the rulers, would
obtain for him at least a patient hearing.
Probus apparently thought that in his second book
it would only be necessary to collect together the principal incidents of the missionary life of our glorious
saint. He concludes the first book thus:—
" These things being accomplished [his ita gestis\ the holy Patrick,
according to the precept of our Lord Jesus Christ, resolving to
teach all nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost, departed from Themoria [Tara], and preached

Coincidences of Expression in Various Lives.

277

everywhere throughout Ireland ; the Lord co-operating with him,
and confirming his words by the signs following.1

The second book then commences, and is headed, Of
the Miracles and Death of St, Patrick.
The writer begins by stating that he purposes herein
to relate the miracles and death of our " Father,
St. Patrick," and with God's assistance to compile his
little work. Various miracles and circumstances of the
life of the saint, are then recorded with a rare and
touching simplicity. These we shall also record presently.
The narrative of the Tripartite is also irregular, but
there is some attempt at relating the regular order of
events; and, on the whole, it may be taken as a guide
for the biography of our saint. A folio of the original
MS. is missing, but Colgan's translation is so faithful,
that the loss can easily be supplied from his version.
The arrangement of the Life of St, Patrick in the Book
of Armagh closely resembles the Life by Probus ; and,
no doubt, was the model on which the latter was
written. Here, also, we find the very same paragraph
as that which we have translated above from Probus; and
Miarchu-Maccutheni also states, after relating the important events of Easter week at Tara, that St. Patrick
went forth to preach according to the precept of our
divine Lord, and that his words were confirmed by the
signs which followed. He then also proceeds to give
1

Following, — Colgan, p. 5L

278

Life of St.

Patrick.

an account of these " signs." Jocelyn, the last writer
of a Life of our saint, has continued his narrative
without any division of books; and, apparently, after
relating St. Patrick's visit to Tara, has related his
miracles without much regard to chronological order.
The First Life in Colgan is the hymn of St. Fiacc,
which is rather a panegyric than a biography. The
Second Life [Vita Secunda] concludes abruptly with St.
Patrick's visit to Tara ; and I am strongly of opinion,
that some history of St. Patrick was written during his
lifetime, and that this history was used as the basis of
the first part of the Life by Probus, and the Tripartite.

CljMSJltet? f T M *
Saint Patrick blesses the plain of Tarn.

ONALL presented his house at
Rath-Airthic to St. Patrick for a
church, and the saint in return
gave some special blessing to
this part of the plain of Tara, so
that "none should be slain
there." At the conclusion of Easter week, the saint left
Conall, and on the first/ena, i.e., the Monday after Low
Sunday, he went to a place called the Ford of the Two
Tribes, which Colgan says was in Meath. Here he placed
three of his disciples, and a nun—a devout woman,
whose innocence and purity is said to have given her a

280

Life of SL

Patrick

singular power over the animal creation. A church was
then founded at Druim Chorcorthriy2 where St. Patrick
placed his nephew, Diarmid, the son of Eestitutus.
Again we find mention of St, Patrick's altar stone,
as an object of miraculous intervention, and a subject
of special veneration. After St, Patrick's visit to Lower
Kells, he returned to Conall, who was one of his most
beloved disciples. Here he left his altar stone as a
special mark of his favor to the good prince. But, as
he promised, from thence " t h e stone of the altar,
moving through the air, without any person touching
it, followed him to the place where the cross is now
(ubi nunc crux)> at the mill near the river."3
The saint, however, brought the stone back, and
placed it again at Domhnach-patric, where he fixed
it, and left it "importable/' predicting that many
miracles should be performed there by the power of
Christ, the true corner-stone. He also declared that a
special judgment should befall any person who should
attempt to move the altar stone, or who should violate
the sanctuary which he established in that church.
In A.D. 722, Cinaeth, the son of Irgalach, King of
Tara, slew a person who had fled here for protection,
and the stone emitted three streams of pure blood,
2
Druim Chorcorthri, now Drumconrath, the barony of Lower Slane, county
Meath. Archdall, "Mon. Hib.,"p. 532, observes that Chorcothrai is a small territory not far from Tara, but gives no clue to the exact locality. The name,
however, is preserved in the townland of Oorcarna, parish of Moylogue, and
barony of Lower Kells, some four or five miles west of Drumconra.
3
River.—Colgan, p. 130. This portion of the Tripartite is missing from the
original Irish MS., which wants several folios.

Conversion and Baptism of Ere.

283

which ceased not to flow until reparation had been ;
made for the sacrilege.4
St. Patrick founded a great number of churches at
this time, but as the names and particulars are given in
the translation of the Tripartite, it will not be necessary
to give them here.
When relating the particulars of the conversion and
baptism of Ere, the son of Digo, Tirechan mentions
some curious and singular details. St. Patrick inquired
of his convert why he had risen up when all the rest
remained seated, and Ere, or Hercus, as he is called in
the Book of Armagh, replied, " Why, I know not—I
see sparks of fire going up from thy lips to my lips."
Then the saint asked, " Wilt thou receive the baptism
of the Lord, which I have with me V He answered,
" I will receive it." Then they went to the fountain
Loigles, or the Calf of the Cities? a well within the fort
or enclosure of Tara, and here the saint "opened his
book," and baptized Ere and many thousand men.
A court had assembled to see the new ceremony;
some of them mocked, and others conversed together
as men would at a public meeting in which they felt
more curiosity than devotion. Patrick overheard the
conversation of two of the chieftains who stood near
h i m ; one was inquiring from whence the other had
4
Sacrilege.—This is also told by Lynch, "Cambrensis Eversus," vol. ii., p.
25. It would fix the date of the transcription of this copy of the Tripartite
after 722. I t should be observed also that the writer mentions the cross
which had been placed where the altar stone stopped.
6
Cities.—From Laog, a calf, and Les, a fort, or city.

284

Life of St.

Patrick

come, and the one who was thus questioned replied :
" I am Endeus, son of Amalgaid, son of Fiacha, son of
Eochaidh, from the western regions, from the plain of
Domnon, and from the wood of Fochlut."
The wood of Fochlut!
What recollections were
aroused by the name ! It was from this wood, from the
western sea, that Patrick had heard the voices of the
Celtic children yet unborn, who called him to come and
help them. He had come, and we may well imagine
that he "rejoiced greatly/'as Tirechan records, when
he heard these words.
The saint had, no doubt, intended to visit this part
of Ireland as soon as possible, and now a special opportunity seemed offered to him. He turned to Endeus at
once, and said : " I will go with thee if I be alive, for
the Lord hath said unto me to go." Endeus, however,
made some objection ; he probably knew that some of
the Irish princes were unfavorably disposed towards
Patrick, and he feared his own safety if he accompanied
him. But the saint assured him that he had come to
Tara on his account, even as Joseph was providentially
sent before the children of Israel into Egypt, and that
his safety would be insured by having him for his companion.
Endeus consented, but requested that Patrick
would baptize his son, who was of tender years, saying
that he and his brother would not " believe" until they
went to their own country, because they feared being
mocked as Ere had been.
St. Patrick baptized Conall and " pronounced a bless-

The Clan Amalgaidh.

285

ing upon him." The boy was confided then by the
saint to the care of Cethire,6 the bishop, who brought
him up. It is probable, however, that this was not
done until St. Patrick came to Tirawley.
Amalgaidh7 had eight sons by his wife Tresi, sister of
iEngus Mac Nadfraich, King of Munster, and seven
sons by another wife, Erca, daughter of Eochaidh, King
of Leinster. With such a family it is a matter of little
surprise that contentions arose about property. Endeus
was the eldest son, and he had gone to Tara with his
six brothers to get some dispute settled there by the
Ard-righ. It would appear, that after his interview
with St. Patrick, he had asked his intervention also,
and that the king and the saint concurred in desiring
the brothers to divide the property between them, but
to recognize the claim of Endeus to the chieftainship.
But Endeus promptly offered his portion as well as his
sons " to the God of Patrick, and to Patrick." "For this
reason," concludes Tirechan, " some say that we are the
servants of Patrick to the present day." From these
6

Cethire.—Commemorated in the Martyrology of Donegal on the 16th June.
7 Amalgaidh (pronounced Awley). The barony of Tirawley, in the county
Mayo, takes its name from him. Dr. Todd, in despite of Tirechan's plain
statement to the contrary, says that St. Patrick " must " have met Endeus after
the year 449, because Amalgaidh died in that year, and it is "difficult to
imagine" that any dispute could have taken place in his lifetime. Perhaps
it would be wisest not to imagine at all. A cursory acquaintance with Irish
history proves that a casus belli was seldom wanted either for public or private
feuds. Tirechan expressly states that St. Patrick visited Fochlut in the
"second Easter "—"Pasca secundaf and the Tripartite says that Amalgaidh
ivas baptized by St. Patrick, with his sons. So much for Dr. Todd's "imagination."

286

Life of St

Patrick

words, it appears probable that Tirechan himself was a
descendant of this family; but nothing definite is known
of him except that he was the disciple of St. Ultan of
Ardbraccan.
It is noteworthy that the same authority informs us
of an agreement made by St. Patrick with the sons of
Amalgaidh, for his safe conduct to their country. " He
paid/' says Tirechan, " a sum of money in gold and
silver, equal to the price of fifteen souls of men, as he
himself in his writings declares [ut in scriptione sua
affirmat], that no violent men might hinder them in their
passage across all Ireland." This is a clear allusion to
the passage in St. Patrick's Confession, where he says
that " he gave presents to the kings, besides the cost of
keeping their sons who walked with me, in order that
they should not seize me with my companions. . . .
And I think I paid them the price of not less than
fifteen men," &c.
As this passage is not in the copy of the Confession
contained in the Book of Armagh, it is a valuable corroboration of the Confession as given by other authorities, and of the value of Tirechan's annals.8
But the saint had a great work to accomplish before
8
Annals.—Dr. Todd has the following note in reference to this subject.
" The foregoing passage is not in the Book of Armagh ; but as it is so plainly
referred to by Tirechan, it must have been in his copy of the Confession in
the seventh century, when the original autograph was in existence. We must,
therefore, be cautious in rejecting the evidence of what I have, for convenience'
sake, called the 'interpolations,' that is, the passages not in the Book of
Armagh."—"Memoir," p. 446, n. 6. What a pity that Dr. Todd was not
always equally cautious I

St Patrick overthrows the Idols.

287

his departure from Tara, The seat of government was,
as might be expected, not far from the chief druidical
establishment in the country. Tiernmas had introduced
the worship of idols, as early as B.C. 1620 ; and it was
then that the great idol Crom Cruach was set up for
public veneration. The very name of the plain in
which it stood, Magh Slecht, or the plain of adoration,
showed that even the site was connected with the
idolatry practised there. This, indeed, is expressly
stated by the Four Masters, who also record that
Tiernmas died there, with three-fourths of the men of
Erin about him, on the night of Samhain9 precisely,
According to the Dinnsenchus, this was the principal
idol of all the colonies who settled in Ireland from time
to time, and they were wont to offer to it the firstlings
of animals and other gifts. The plain of Magh Slecht
was situated in the present county Cavan, and in the
barony of Tullyhaw; and here St* Patrick journeyed to
destroy this famous idol; a bold deed and a brave one,
yet it was all-important. He had proved to the Celt
that his God was the master of the elements, which they
worshipped and feared ; he needed also that he should
prove his power over the idols which they had believed
all-powerful for centuries.
It is by no means certain what was the form or exact
appearance of the Crom Cruach. The name signifies
the bent or stooping monument. It is called the Cenn
9
SamJiaint^-AU Hallows* Eve—so called by the Irish to the present day.
It is compounded of Sam summer, and hain, end.—Four Masters, vol i., p. 43.

288

Life of St.

Patrick

Cruach in the Tripartite—and there it is said that it
was made of gold and silver, and that it was surrounded by twelve other idols, formed of bronze. Dr.
Todd evidently inclines to the idea that it was a pillar
stone, whieh is by no means improbable. A stone Avas
long preserved at Clogher which had been dedicated to
an idol called Kermand Kelstach, which was covered
with plates of gold. The celebrated Ida Fail, or stone
of destiny, if not exactly worshipped as an idol, was
certainly held in considerable veneration; and tradition
avers that there was a certain rock near the present town of Kilmacthomas, called
Cloch-Iobhrais,
which used to give forth oracular responses in pagan
times.
The destruction of the Crom Cruach is thus related
in the Tripartite :—
" Patrick, after that, went over the water to Magh Slecht, where
stood the chief idol of Erinn, i.e., Cenn Cruaich, ornamented with
gold and with silver, and twelve other idols, ornamented with
brass, around him. When Patrick saw the idol from the water
which is named Guthard [loud voice] (i.e., he elevated his voice),
and when he approached near the idol, he raised his arm to lay the
Staff of Jesus on him, and it did not reach him. He went back
from his attempt upon his right side, for it was to the south his
face was; and the mark of the Staff lives in his side still, although
the Staff did not leave Patrick's hand; and the earth swallowed
the other twelve idols to their heads, and they are in that condition, in commemoration of the miracle. And he called upon all
the people cum rege Laeghaire; they it was that adored the idol.
And all the people saw him (i.e., the demon), and they demanded
their dying if Patrick had not sent him to hell."

Cromdubh Sunday.

289

A great battle took place on this very plain in 1256,
and the site has been described so carefully and accurately that Mr. O'Curry remarks :—
" It is fully clear, that, if any man fairly acquainted with our
ancient native documents, and practised in the excavation of the
ruined monuments of antiquity so thickly scattered over the face
of our country—if, I say, such a man were to go with this article
in his hand, and an extract from the Life of St. Patrick, he may,
perhaps, discover the identical Oram Cruach himself with his twelve
buried satellites, where they fell and were interred when struck
down by St. Patrick with his crozier, the Bacliall Iosa, or sacred
Staff of Jesus."

This idol was also called Crom-dubh, and it is remarkable that the next Sunday before All Saints is
called by Irish-speaking people Cromduff Sunday. It
is more than probable that the day was so named in
commemoration of St. Patrick's destruction of the idol.
This is precisely the date at which it is most probable that
the miracle of its destruction occurred; and as the great
festival of the idol was held on the 1st of November, it
is likely that he would have effected its overthrow
before that event. Such a miracle would be long
remembered by the people, and they would, naturally
remember the day on which it occurred by some such
significant appellation.
St. Patrick having now accomplished his great work
in Meath and the adjacent districts, prepared for his
journey to that western shore which he had so long
desired to visit. It is probable that the saint travelled

290

Life of St

Patrick

in a straight line across the country, either from the
plain of Magh Slecht, where he had destroyed the idol,
or from Tara, which he may have revisited before
leaving that part of Ireland for his distant mission.
The Tripartite states that he went over Snamh-da-en,
where he forded the Shannon miraculously, and that his
charioteer, Buadmael, died, and was buried here immediately after his landing. It is remarkable, and a matter
of great interest both to the archaeologist and the hagiographer, how accurately nearly every site mentioned in
the ancient Lives of St. Patrick can be identified.
There is, in fact, a coincidence and coherence of narrative and known facts of topography and history, which
render the details of the Life of St. Patrick of the most
unquestionable authenticity.
Snamh-da-en1 was the ancient name of that part of
the Shannon which lies between Clonmacnbise and
Clonburren. Thus we can point out the very part of
that noble river where the saint crossed. At Cill
Buaidh he founded a church, probably on or near the
site of the present church of Killemry, to the west of
Lough Eee. The saint then proceeded to Magh-nai,
a plain in the county Eoscommon, wishing, as usual, to
proceed direct to Cruachan,2 the ancient palace of the
kings of Connaught. This plain was situated between
the towns of Eoscommon, Blphin, Castlerea, and Strokes1

SnamJi-da-en.—The swimming or passage of the two birds. See O'Donovan, " Hy-Many," p. 5.
2
Cruachan.—Top. Poems, p. xxxiii.

St. Patrick meets Ethna and Fethlema.

291

town. Here be was met by two brothers who were
druids, Mael and Caplait, and who were said to ha,ve
fostered two daughters of King Laeghaire, Ethna the
Fair, and Fethlema the Buddy. Those druids tried
to exercise their magical arts, and brought darkness
over the plain, which was dispelled by the saint. He
then visited Elphin and other places in Connaught,
where he founded churches. As these foundations
are recorded fully in the Tripartite, it will be unnecessary to mention them here.
There was a well or fountain, called Clebach,3 on the
slope of the royal fort or palace of Cruachan, where the
women were accustomed to bathe at sunrise : when
Ethna and Fethlema arrived at this place one morning,
they found the saint there with a "synod of clerics
with white garments and their books before them."4
The maidens were amazed at what they deemed a
heavenly apparition ; and one, more courageous than
the rest, began to question the saint:—whence, she
asked, had they come % "Were they sidhes* or gods
of the earth, or a phantasm %
3
Clebach.—This word signifies a fox or wolf. There is still a well at the
R,ath, which is surrounded by a double fosse. For details of this most curious
and interesting remain, see O'Donovan's note under the year 1223.
4
Them.—So in the Book of Armagh and the Tripartite. But Probus expressly says that Patrick had three bishops and many clerics with him. (See
Colgan, pp. 53, 54: in our copy of Colgan, 54 is misprinted 58.)
t:
5
jSidhe.—This was the name given by the Irish to fairies who inhabited the
hills. It is doubtful whether the word is cognate with the Latin root sedes .
or with the Celtic side, a blast. The conversation between Laeghaire's
daughters and St, Patrick will be given in full in the translation of the Tripartite.

292

Life of St.

Patrick

Then they inquired where the God of these strange
men lived 1 was he beautiful % was he rich % and then
they asked whether he was in the elements which they
worshipped, " i n the sea or in rivers, in mountains
or in valleys V But last of all they asked, how is He
to be loved, and how is He to be found ?
The saint was not slow to reply to their eager questioning. He told them of the one true God, more powerful than all, more beautiful than all. He it was who
had created these elements, who was the God of heaven,
and earth, and seas, and rivers ; the Life of all things
—the Light of all things—the ever blessed Three in
One. And then, having instructed them as fully as
might be in the Church's Creed, he added, with that
inimitable grace, in which saintly souls so often
excel: " But I desire to unite you to the Heavenly King,
inasmuch as you are the daughters of an earthly king."
Then the virgins implored the saint to teach them
how to believe in this Heavenly King, that they " might
see Him face to face."
" And Patrick said: ' Believe ye that by baptism you put off the
sins of your father and your mother1?' They answered, 'We
believe.'
" ' Believe ye in repentance after sin V ' We believe.'
"< Believe ye in life after death % Believe ye the Eesurrection
at the Day of Judgment f ' We believe.'
" ' Believe ye the unity of the Church Y6 ' We believe.'"
6
Church,—This is from Dr. Todd's translation of the original as it stands
in the Book of Armagh. In the Irish version of the Tripartite this question
is omitted. I t is observable, however, that Probus has it (Quintet Vita—
Colgan, !>• 58, recte 54): " Creditis unitatem sanctaa Ecclesiee ?"

They desire to see the Face of Christ.

293

Then, writes the ancient chronicler, Patrick baptized
them, and put a white garment upon their heads, and
they " asked to see the face of Christ/' So great was
the fervor of these young and noble converts, that
nothing but the Beatific Vision could satisfy them.
Most blessed ones, pray for us also, that we, too, with
you, may see the face of Christ ere long !
But Patrick told them they must pass through the
dark portals of death before they entered the gates of
Life, and that they must also " receive the Sacrifice, if
they would see their Lord." They answered, " Give us
the Sacrifice, that we may behold the Son our Spouse."
How many holy virgins have asked and obtained this
same grace, both before and since ! and, though it has
not been granted to many to pass, as those noble ladies
did, from earth to heaven, the moment after receiving
the Sacrament of Love, yet such instances are known
and recorded in ecclesiastical history.7
Then the holy maidens were laid to rest together, as
was indeed most fitting, in one bed, and covered with
one garment. And their friends wept for them, even
while they rejoiced, virgins, following the Virgin Lamb,
7
History.—In or about the year 1277, Brother Bernard, a Dominican, died
after celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, on Holy Thursday, with two
of his novices, one at each side, who had served his Mass. The whole narrative is
far too long to insert here, but it may be read at length in Catholic Legends,
published by Burns and Co., London, p. 37. The fact that their death was
a special favor granted to them by our Divine Lord, and foretold by Him,
seems to be well authenticated. Dr. Lanigan, always inclined to be sceptical,
has endeavored to explain away this passage by saying that probably it only
referred to the religious profession of the virgins (Ec. Hist., vol. i., p. 241);
but this is obviously impossible.

294

Life of St. Patrick

in white raiment, in the heavenly kingdom. When the
days of mourning [ukdationis] for the king's daughters
were accomplished, they were buried near the well
Clebach, where they had first seen the saint. The grave
was made according to the pagan custom like a Ferta,
but, adds Tirechari, with us it is called Eeliquiee, that
is, the remains of the virgins. Nor can we doubt that
the ground was consecrated wherein these holy relics
were placed, for the writer states expressly that the
Ferta, with the bones of the holy virgins, was granted to
Patrick and to his heirs for ever, and that he built a
church of earth near the place. In doing this, indeed, he would only follow the usual custom of the
Holy Catholic Church, which ever loved to offer the
Adorable Sacrifice in or near the place where the saints
reposed.
How few ever give a thought to the memory of the
virgins as they pass the old rath of the Heremonian
chieftains ! Yet there is scarcely a spot throughout the
whole of Ireland which is not consecrated by some
saintly memorial. Here some great miracle was performed, there some church was. founded by Patrick
himself; in this place he preahced to thousands, in that
river he baptized thousands. Why do not our people
4
Reposed.— The Tripartite says, " And Sen-domlmagh of Magli-ai was presented to Patrick in seternum." And others say the relics of the maidens
were brought to Ard-Macha, and there they await the resurrection, et ibi
resurrectionem expectant. The plain of Magh-ai, now Mochaine, extended
from the town of Roscommon to the barony of Boyle, and from the bridge of
Cloonfree, near Strokestown, to Castlerea.—Booh of Rights, p. 104.

His Visit to the Wood o/Fochlut.

295

treasure up these holy memories % Why are they not
taught them, and reminded of them ? Better the memory
of holy deeds and saintly lives, than the angry memories, too long cherished, of oppression and wrong.
It will be remembered that St. Patrick went to Connaught in the " second Easter/' So it is probable that
the death of these holy virgins took place between
Easter and Whitsuntide. The two magi were converted, and the circumstances attending their conversion led to the use of a proverb, Calvus is like Caplait,
because the one was shaven after the other. St. Patrick
remained seven years in Connaught, according to Tirechan, and the author of the Tripartite. It would be
useless to give a list of the churches which he founded
there, in the present part of this work, as it will be
given fully, with careful identifications of each site, in
the translation of the Tripartite. There are, however,
some points of interest and importance, which shall be
noticed here. Not the least remarkable of these is the
visit of the saint to the wood of Fochlut, near the present town of Killala. It will be remembered how
deeply moved he had been by even the very mention
of the name, while at the court of King Laeghaire at
Tara ; how great, then, his emotion must have been when
he beheld the very site, and walked in the wood from
which he had been called " to come over and help the
Irish Celt/' As he approached the place he was met
by two virgins, the daughters of a chieftain named
Gleran, who are said to have been the very children

296

Life of St.

Patrick

whose voices he had heard in Gaul. Their names were
Crebrea and Laissair, and St. Patrick, after giving them
the veil, placed them over a religious house which he
founded. Their relics were preserved at the church of
Kil-fhorclann, on the banks of the Moy, about a mile
west of Cross-patrick.9
This being accomplished, the saint proceeded to the
place where the clan Amalgaidh usually assembled, in
order to fulfil his promise to Endeus, and assist in
dividing the inheritance.
Here his preaching was
crowned with wonderful success, and assisted by wonderful miracles. One of these miracles was the resuscitation of a sister of Aengus named Feidelm, who had died
some time before. The prince had promised to believe
if Patrick would restore her to life. As soon as the
saint arrived at Forrach-nec-Amalghaidh,1 he went with
Conall to the grave by the lower road to Citt-Alaidh.
Aengus, however, went by the upper road, but his
reason for so doiDg is not mentioned. "When the saint
had reached the grave, he resuscitated the woman, who
was pregnant. After her baptism she preached to the
9
Cross-patrick. —The Tripartite says : " It was they that called upon Patrick
from their mother's womb, when he was in the islands of the Tyrrhene Sea."
They are patronesses in Cill-Fwglainn, to the west of Muaidh.
1
Forrach-nec-Amalghaidh.—The assembly grounds of the tribe of Amalgaidh. Dr. O'Donovan has identified the site. It is in the present parish of
Ballisakeery, near the mouth of the Moy, between Ballina and Killala. The
name even is yet to be found in the townland of Farragh, in that parish, and
there are two hills in the neighborhood, either of which may have been the
very site whereon St. Patrick preached to the princes and people of Tirawley
on this occasion. One hill is called Mulloch Fharraidh, the Hill of the
Assembly; the other Cnoc-a-tirrol, the Hill of the Meeting.

He Restores a Woman to Life.

297

people of the " pains of hell and the rewards of heaven,"
and brought her brother with tears to believe "for God
and Patrick." He, then, also received the Sacrament
of Regeneration, and 12,000 people were baptized on
that clay in the well of Aen-Adharrac.2 Here St.
Patrick left St. Manchen to govern the church which he
founded.
Probus records St. Patrick's visit to Cruachan Aighle*
as having taken place immediately after these events.
The Tripartite says Patrick went to Cruachan Aighle
on the Saturday of Whitsuntide, but the event is mentioned quite apart from the circumstances related above.
Jocelyn has not attempted any very regular sequence
in his history, and the account comes near the end of
the Life, but he says St. Patrick passed the Lent on
this mountain. Tirechan, in the Book of Armagh,
mentions St. Patrick's visit to Cruachan Aighle immediately after the baptism and death of Ethna and Fethlema. All the accounts of this remarkable and impor2
Aen-Adharrac.—The one-liorned hill. In the Book of Armagh the well
is called Tober-en adare. A remarkable instance of the power to resuscitate
the dead, granted by God to the saints, is mentioned in the Life of St. Colette, where we are told that she restored a nun to life who had been dead
for several days, and was lying in her coffin in the church when the miracle
took place. A picture was long preserved at Poligny, where the miracle
occurred.—"St. Clare, St. Colette, and the Poor Clares," pp. 229-233.
3
Cruachan Aighle.—The Hill of the Eagle, now Croagh Patrick, or Patrick's
Hill, in the south-west of the county Mayo. There is a singular and very
beautiful family likeness in the lives of the saints. Thus we find in the Life of
St. Francis of Assisi that he spent a " L e n t " on the mountains of Alvernia,
before the Feast of St. Michael, in the year 1224, where our Divine Lord
appeared to him several times, and promised special favors for his order.—
«' Stb Francis and the Franciscans," p. 190.
2 E

298

Life of St

Patrick

tant period of his history are, however, substantially the
same; indeed it is not a little remarkable that so many
authors, writing under such different circumstances, in
differeot countries, and at different periods, should have
coincided so accurately in every detail. This one circumstance in itself is strong confirmatory evidence of
the authenticity of what they have related.
It is probable the Tripartite gives the most correct
account of the time during which St. Patrick kept his
forty days and nights of fasting and vigil upon this
mountain. If he visited Tirawley during the second
Easterd after his arrival in Ireland, as we gather from
the Book of Armagh, he would have been occupied until
Pentecost with his mission there. He may then well
have desired some weeks of retirement for prayer and
special penitential exercises, which, after the sacraments,
are the great source of strength for the Catholic missionary. His humility, also, may have made him wish
to retire for a time from those who had witnessed his
wonderful miracles, and who might ignorantly refer
them to his power, instead of to the power of God.
Alone upon the mountain, the saint watched and
prayed and wept for forty days and forty nights. How
many graces and blessings may we owe even now to the
intercession of our great apostle during that period of
penance and intercession! At its close, the demons
came to torment him, in the shape of birds, whose black
forms kept from him the light of heaven and the sight
of earth. He prayed, saying the Psalms of holy David,

He Prays and Weeps wpon Croagh Patrick

299

in which the maledictions of heaven were invoked upon
the powers of darkness. Then he rang his bell—the
bell which he appears to have carried with him everywhere, and which, no doubt, was specially blessed,
*' To drive all demons from the upper air."

Then he threw the bell4 amongst them in holy anger, so
that a piece was broken from it. But God, for His own
wise purposes, permitted all these efforts to fail, perhaps
to show the saint that no efforts, however holy, could avail
against the powers of darkness, as long as God was
pleased to permit that he should be tried by them.
Patrick now began to weep so abundantly that the
front of his casula was wet, and then the angel came
to him. Thus also do the angels come to us—not, indeed, always in visible form, as they appeared to our
great apostle and father, but not less surely and truly,
when God's providence rescues us from the danger
which has caused us also many fears and many anxious
hours.
The angel was probably Victor, who so constantly
attended the saint, and appeared to him on so many
occasions. He cleaned the casula, and brought white
birds about the mountain, and they sang " sweet melodies " 5 for the apostle, now freed from the attacks of the
4
Bell.—This is called in the Tripartite Bernan Briglite, Brigid's gapped
bell. Probus does not mention this, nor does he give any details of St.
Patrick's visit to GruacJian Aighle.
5
Melodies.—Thus, also, in the Life of St. Francis of Assisi, we are told frequently how the birds surrounded him, and sang for him. There are some
marked resemblances between the Lives of St. Patrick and St. Francis; and

300

Life of St. Patrick

powers of darkness. The trial had been borne, the
victory was attained, the reward was about to follow.
In the Lives of the Saints we find many similar circumstances : after a period of prayer and penance in
which the body has suffered, spiritual favors follow,
and the soul, the true life, gains a thousand-fold, even
in this world, of nearness to God, and of special tokens
of His divine approbation. How could it be otherwise,
when such persons have but followed the example of
the Son in whom He was well pleased ?
A conversation between St. Patrick and the angel is
recorded in the Tripartite, which reminds us of Jacob's
declaration to the angel: " / will not let thee go unless
thou bless me f and of the conversation between St.
Francis of Assisi and his guardian angel, as recorded in
the annals of the Order. St. Patrick, like St. Francis,
asked for souls, and so great, so ardent, so consuming was
it is also observable that the Franciscans have been specially devoted to
recording both the history and hagiography of Ireland. The Four Masters
were Franciscan friars; Colgan was a Franciscan friar ; and many of the
Irish annals were compiled by Franciscans.
6
Me.—Gen. xxxii., 25.—As the conversation between the angel and St.
Patrick will be given in the Tripartite in full, it has not been considered
necessary to insert it here. Since the first part of this work was issued, a
very absurd theory has been ventilated by a person, to whose position, for the
credit of Catholicity, I will not even allude. I t is that the Lives of St.
Patrick were made up by students, who wrote essays on this and Irish history
generally, and who, when they could not get sufficient material for their
essay, invented a miracle. All I can say is, that they were wonderfully
gifted. No doubt, anyone could invent a miracle ; but how does it happen
that all these inventions hang so well together ; that places and dates and
public events all coincide ; that they are confirmed by modern research; and
what becomes of the veracity of the compilers of these Lives, who used these
" essays." I am pained that any Irishman should have propounded such a theory; I am grieved that it was proposed for the acceptance of a large audience of
voung men.

Favours Promised to Mm by God.

301

his desire for the salvation of his adopted country, that
he could not easily be satisfied. It was on this occasion
that he obtained for his faithful ones the privilege of
releasing "seven every Thursday, and twelve every
Saturday, from pains ;" and that Erinn should be
covered by the sea seven years before the Day of Judgment Then he was promised special graces for all
those who should recite his hymn daily, and that he
should at the Day of Judgment save " seven persons for
every hair in his casula" and that on the "clay when the
twelve royal seats shall be on Mount Sion, and the
four rivers of fire shall be about the mount, and when
the three peoples shall be there, namely, the people of
heaven, and the people of earth, and the people of hell,
that he should be judge over the men of Erinn on that
day." When St. Patrick made this request, the angel
went to heaven until the evening, and then he returned
to the saint to tell him that his prayer was granted, and
to command him to ring his sweet-sounding bell, and
kneel down and bless the people of Erinn.
After St. Patrick's descent from the mountain, he visited the country of the Corco-Themne, where he founded
four churches, and baptized many thousand persons.
He also visited a well called
Tobar-Finn-maigheJ
7 Tobar-Finnmaighe.— Lanigan("Ec. History," vol. i., p« 227) says that this
was in Mayo, but gives no authority. In the Book of Armagh, Finn-Magh,
or the White Plain, is said expressly to be in Hy-Many, which shows that he
was wrong. Br. O'Donovan has identified the district in the barony of
Athlone, County Eoscommon. The history of St. Patrick's visit to the well is
given very fully in the Book of Armagh.

302

Life of St.

Patrick

where the pagans believed that a god had his residence. This well was covered with an immense stone
which the saint removed, and thus destroyed the devotion which the people had for it.
The veneration which the saint had and always
manifested for the cross is specially dwelt upon by his
early biographers. It was his custom, as it was also the
custom of the early Christians, to sign himself frequently
with that sacred symbol; and, we are told, " he placed
the cross of Christ over him one hundred times each
day and night." It is more than probable, that the
special faith in, and veneration for this pious custom
which the Irish Celt has ever manifested, is inherited
from our great apostle. So exact was the saint in the
practice of exterior reverence to the cross, that whenever
he passed a wayside cross, even if it were at some considerable distance, he at once dismounted from his horse
or chariot in order to pay due respect to the symbol of
our salvation.
On one occasion he passed by a cross without noticing
it, but in the evening his charioteer, who had seen it,
asked why he had omitted his usual custom. The saint
at once rose from his dinner, and went back to the
cross. While praying before it, he knew, by some
exterior mark, or by a divine intimation, we are not
told which, that some one had been buried there. He
inquired who it was, and a voice answered him from
the tomb : " I am a poor pagan, and I was buried, here;
whilst living, I was injuring my soul until I died, and

The Saint Illuminates

the Plain.

303

I was buried here afterwards." The saint inquired,
wliy the sign of Christianity had been placed over his
grave. The spirit answered : " A certain woman was in
foreign lands, and her son was buried here in this country
during her absence ; and she came from, foreign lands;
and placed this cross over my grave. She thought it
was over the grave of her son it was placed, for she
was not able, through grief, to recognize her son's
grave." 8
The saint, after this, caused the cross to be removed
to the grave of the Christian. The writer of the Tripartite then abruptly relates how, on one occasion, when
Patrick's charioteer wanted his horses, and could hot
find them in consequence of the darkness of the night,
the saint lifted up his hand, and his five fingers
illuminated all the plain as if they were five torches,
so that the horses were immediately found. Probus,
howxever, gives a fuller account of this miracle, and says
that it occurred on the night of Sunday, after a stormy
clay, during which St. Patrick had been exposed to the
fury of the tempest, which came on suddenly, and inundated the whole province—the place where the saint
was, however, remained dry.9
8
Grave.—The account of this miracle as given by Probus, differs in detail
from that given in the Tripartite and the Book of Armagh.—See Colgan, p. 55.
$ Dry.—In the Life of St. Hilarion, we find a curious account of his having
blessed some horses which were to run in the public games at Gaza. They were
the property of a Christian, and their owner assured the saint that he was obliged
to join in these public games on account of his office, and not from inclination.
He also informed him that his pagan opponent had bewitched his horses by magical incantations, so that he was continually reproached by the non-Christian
population with being unable to defeat them. Under these circumstances, the

304

Life of St.

Patrick

St. Patrick remained seven years in Connaught; and
then, having established Christianity in that remote
region, returned, through the north of Ireland, to his
old converts in Meath. The Tripartite thus concludes
the narrative of his labors in that part of Ireland:
" Thrice Patrick went across the Shannon into the land
of Connaught. Fifty bells and fifty altar chalices and
fifty altar cloths he left in the land of Connaught, each
of them in his church. Seven years was be preaching
to the men of Connaught, and he left them a blessing,
and bade them farewell."
saint gave him water to bless the horses ; the result was a triumphant victory,
and the conversion of many of the pagans, who declared that * ' Mamas, the
God of Gaza, was defeated by Christ."

tibxptet vift&*
Si Patrick's Labors in Leinster.

CCORDING to the Tripartite, St.
Patrick went to Es-Ruaidh1 after he
left Connaught. Here he was opposed by Cairbre, though he declared
that he wished to found here a " second Eome of Letha, with its Tiber running through
it." Two of Cairbre's people were specially sent out
to oppose him, but they failed, as usual, to prevent the
accomplishment of his mission. The saint went after1

Es-JRuaiclh.—Now Assaroe—a cataract on the river Erne, near Ballyshannon, county Donegal.

306

Life of St.

Patrick.

wards between Es-Ruaidh and the sea into CrichConaill. Here lie " fixed a stake, and said it would be
an abode for seven bishops, and there Bite,2 the brother's son of Aisiens, from Elphin, is." Near this place
he predicted the birth of St. Coliimba, when blessing
Conall and Fergus 3 Mac Neill. As he placed his hands
upon the head of the latter he said :—
" A youth shall be born of his tribe,
Who will be a sage, a prophet, a poet."

After the saint had left a blessing on the
forts, and churches, in this part of Donegal,
Magh Itha.
A curious and characteristic conversation
to have taken place at Fidh-mor* between
2

towns, and
he went to
is recorded
St. Patrick

Bite.— This was St. Beoadh, Bishop of Ardcarne, in the county Roscommon. He was nephew of St. Asicus, Bishop of Elphin.
s Fergus.—Son of Conall Gulban ; he was married to Erca, daughter of Loam
Mor, by whom he had a son Felim, the father of St. Columba. In relating
this'circumstance Dr. Lanigan throws a doubt upon the Tripartite, saying—
" I f we are to believe the Tripartite." I have been blamed for a want of
respect to Br. Lanigan's memory and services in calling attention to these
things ; but surely it is the first duty of a writer to explain, as far as may be,
the mistakes of those who have written on the same subject. The remark
was indeed only made by one person, strongly prejudiced against the present
writer's view of St. Patrick's Life; but as others may possibly also misapprehend our criticisms, it has seemed advisable to explain them. Predictions are
frequently found in the Lives of the Saints, and only an unwise prejudice
could induce anyone to discredit the Tripartite narrative because this prediction is contained in it.
4 Fidh-mor.—Now Veagh; it lies between the church of Donaghmore, oi
Magh Itha, and the royal palace of Aileach. I fear that those who are sceptical about miracles will question this incident. A somewhat similar occurrence is related in the Life of St. Colette, which at least may prevent it from
being attributed to the " imagination" of St. Patrick's biographers, or rele.
gated to the invention of a « student." We are told, in the Life of St. Colette,

The Miracle performed for Eoghan.

307

and Eoghan, son of Nial, and ancestor of the Cinel
Eoghain. He complained to the saint that his brother
took precedence of him on account of his ugliness, probably in accordance with the Celtic law, which required a
chieftain to be free from all personal blemish. The saint
inquired what form he would wish to have ; and when
Eoghan expressed a desire to resemble the appearance
of his " satchel-bearer," Rioc9 of Inis-bo-fuide, who was
St. Patrick's nephew, and son of his sister, Darerca, he
covered both with the one garment at night, and in the
morning Eoghan's desire was gratified. But Eoghan
had another wish, and this was that his stature should
be increased ; this, too, he confided to the saint, who
obtained for him also the increase in height which he
desired. Patrick then blessed Eoghan and his sons,
and journeyed on to the royal palace of Aileach of the
Kings.
I am prepared for scorn—I am prepared for laughter,
not only from those who utterly disbelieve in the power
which God has delegated to His saints, by which He
has enabled them to work miracles, but even from those
whose faith should teach them better things. It matthat when she was fourteen years of age, her stature was so remarkably diminutive, that her father taunted her with it on many occasions, and declared
she would be of no use in their little household. After one of these painful
scenes, the young saint, deeply grieved at her real or supposed incapacity to
help her parents, resolved to make a pilgrimage to a chapel dedicated to our
Blessed Lady, and to ask the favor of an increase in stature. Her prayer was
heard, and she obtained, during the night, a miraculous growth; and, in
addition, a special dignity and majestic sweetness in her whole carriage which
remained her special characteristic through life.—" St. Clare, St. Colette, and
the Poor Clares," p. 186.

308

Life of St.

Patrick

ters little. Truth is not less truth because it is disbelieved by many. A miracle is none the less true because
modern scepticism finds in it some special subject of
criticism—some special reason why it " could not" have
happened. I have already said so much on the subject
of miracles in the introductory chapters, that I am
unwilling to enter upon the subject again. No amount
of argument will convince a man against his will.
Those who have not received the gift of faith are excusable ; and there are metaphysical difficulties connected
with the whole subject of evidence, which would need
more space to explain than can be given here. To
others, who are pleased to discredit the miracles recorded
in the Life of St. Patrick, and who, nevertheless, would
not, perhaps I should say dare not, altogether deny the
possibility of a miracle, I can only say—if a miracle
can, by the power of God, occur at any time or in any
place, why reject the miracles recorded in the Life of
St. Patrick % There is no miracle in the Life of St.
Patrick for which, we may not find a parallel in the life
of some other saint. If you discredit the one, you must
also, in common consistency, discredit the other.
It should, however, be well and clearly understood,
that miracles which have not received the special seal
of the Church's approbation, by acceptance for canonization, are to be received as true or rejected as false on
the ordinary evidence of human testimony. Now, it
may be said by those who believe a miracle is possible,
that some of the miracles related in the Lives of our

His Miracles like those of other Saints.

309

saint may be true and others may not. It may be so,
but I admit that I cannot see where the distinction is
to be drawn. All are recorded on precisely the same
historical testimony—all are supported by precisely the
same historical evidence. Deny one miracle, and you
have no reason or rational ground for believing the
rest. The process of " natural selection" will not avail
here. But though it would be impossible to make any
line of demarcation, and select certain miracles as true,
and reject others as false, it does not therefore follow
that any single miracle must, of necessity, be true.
All that we can say is, thafc such miracles are recorded ;
that, as miracles do occur by God's permission, these
may have occurred; and, again, let me earnestly request attention to the important fact, that there is not
a single miracle recorded as having been performed
by St. Patricio, for which you may not find a parallel
in the life of some other saint.
Hence, the theory
that the miracles attributed to St. Patrick are to be
discredited, because they were frequent, or because they
were extraordinary, at once falls to the ground.5
There is also a peculiar fitness in these miracles. We
need go no further than the one at present under consideration to prove this. "What more likely to impress
5
Ground.—I am almost ashamed of so frequently returning to this subject ; but it seems of urgent necessity—a recent writer having suggested that
the legends of the Irish saints should be " related as Livy does the legends of
Roman history." Thus would a German iniidel relate what he would call
the "legends" of the life of our Divine Lord. We do not doubt that
this theory was put forward thoughtlessly ; but it is, nevertheless, injurious to
a true Catholic treatment of the lives of the saints.

310

Life of St.

Patrick

the Cinel Eoghan, than a miracle which showed respect
for their prince, regard for their laws, and which was
at the same time a supernatural intervention, of which
they could not fail to be continually reminded ? These
brave and rude, but earnest men, with a cultivation
peculiarly their own, with the deepest reverence for
nobility of appearance, were best influenced, by precisely
such a miracle as this.
The sons of Eoghan were all destined by Providence
to future greatness ; and their personal knowledge of
such a miracle could not fail to react powerfully for the
future advancement of Christianity.
If we had not evidence in the lives of other saints
of similar miracles having occurred, this miracle might
be relegated to the same class as the legends told by
Livy of Eoman history; it might be explained away, and
all the supernatural element, which some writers would
term chaff, might be threshed out, and what such persons would call the wheat of common sense left behind.
But we dare not pursue such a course, lest, in the
process of sifting, we might unhappily find the pure
wheat of truth had been cast aside by the pride of
intellect, or an unworthy desire not to shock prejudice
by stating boldly our belief in the supernatural. Nor
can I for a moment admit that such a course is
the wisest, even from a consideration of expediency.
Protestant readers are far more likely to respect those
who adhere firmly to their principles, and will honor
the moral courage of those who boldly admit, even in

He visits Aileach of the Kings.

311

this age of scepticism, that they believe miracles have
happened and do happen, and who do not find it necessary
to apologize for them, or to explain them away. Honesty
is the best policy, in theology and in literature, as well as
in social life. A temporizing policy has, we believe,
proved no gain in the way of convincing Protestants of
Catholic truth : it has unhappily done no little evil in
undermining the faith of Catholics; and many a youth of
promise and of early piety becomes a sceptic in after
life, because his respect for his faith has been lowered
by the injudicious, though unintentional, questioning of
miracles, which he has heard from those who, perhaps,
scarcely mean all that they have thoughtlessly said.
St. Patrick's next journey, according to the Tripartite, was to Aileach of the Kings. 6 This was the
fortified residence of the Northern Hy-Nial kings.
Here he prophesied that kingship and pre-eminence
should be over Erinn from Aileach, and the prophecy
was amply fulfilled. The Northern Hy-Nials held sway
over th.e country for centuries ; and the chieftains of
this race were the most powerful opposers of foreign
invasion until the flight of the Earl of Tyrone.
The saint then visited Magh-dala,7 where he built
seven churches. From thence he proceeded to TirEoghan of the Islands, 8 where he built a hermitage.
6

Aileach of the Kings.—The remains of this celebrated fort are near the
present town of Londonderry. For drawings and description, see the
Ordnance Memoir of Templemore.
7 Magh-dala.—-The name is still preserved in the river Moyola, which falls
into Lough Neagh.
8
TiT-Eoghan of the Islands.—Now Inishowen.

312

Life of St.

Patrick.

At Bredacli lie met " tlie three Deaclmans, the sons of
Patrick's sister, in the country of Ailell, son of Eoghan,*
and he ordained. Oengus, son of Ailell, in that place,
and he remained there on Sunday—Domhnach-bile is its
name."
That the custom of erecting seven, churches in the same
neighborhood was prevalent in Ireland from the time
of St. Patrick to the seventh or eighth century, there
can be no question. Hence it is difficult to see why
Dr. Lanigan should seek to throw discredit on the
frequent mention of the erection of seven churches by
St. Patrick in various places. It is to be regretted, that
an able writer and a pious ecclesiastic should have expended so much argument, and used such contemptuous
terms, in alluding to this matter. 9
If, indeed, it could be proved that it was not customary in ancient Erinn to erect seven churches in the
ciame neighborhood, it would be a sufficient argument
9

Matter.—I have already alluded to the remarks made by one person
as to the present writer's criticism of Dr. Lanigan. I should be deeply
grieved if anyone, whose opinion was worth consideration, should take a similar view ; however, I think few are likely to do so. Any person accustomed to
historical investigations, would simply characterize a writer as utterly incapable
of compiling an ordinary narrative of facts who did not thoroughly investigate
every point connected with his subject, and show the errors of former writers.
The question lies simply between telling the truth, or propagating error out
of respect to the memory of the dead ; the latter course would seem to the
present writer the more disrespectful, as it would imply that the dead had
wilfully misrepresented facts, instead of doing so merely through inadvertence.
In the present instance Dr. Lanigan writes thus : " N o t to dwell on some stuff
about seven churches said to have been founded in that neighborhood by
St. Patrick in as many weeks," & c — " E o . Hist.," vol. i. p. 265. Yet Dr.
Beeves, who has translated the passage where these churches are mentioned,
from the Tripartite, gives identifications of the sites, and names of the saint's
disciples to whom the churches belonged,

He visits Dal-Araidhe

and Dal-Riada.

313

against the recurrence of the statement. If these
churches were originally erected of costly material, it
might be objected that no wealth could effect the erection
of such buildings in seven weeks, and here there is no
question of a miracle. But the burden of proof lies on
the other side. We have too many authentic remains
of groups of churches in sevens to allow a denial that
many more such groups may have been erected ; and it
is well known that the material of which these earlier
churches were built, and their extremely small dimensions, were such as to allow of their being erected in
a few days. There are, however, and there always will
be, a certain class of persons whom no argument can
convince, and who are afflicted with a certain moral
disease of prejudice, which makes argument, however
convincing, simply valueless to them.
The saint next visited the districts of Dal-Araidhe
and Dal-Kiada. Here he baptized a posthumous child,
to whom a druid had given the name of Olcan,1 and
who was afterwards a bishop.
Erc's twelve sons welcomed St. Patrick in their district;
and Fergus promised that he would offer some land for the
use of the church if he was preferred before his brothers.
Patrick predicted that he would be king eventually,
though at that time he was less esteemed than his
brethren. The Tripartite expressly mentions that St.
1
Olcan.—The name is the diminutive of olc, bad or evil. The appellation
originated in the circumstances of the birth, which were said by the king to
be " b a d , "
2 F

314

Life of St. Patrick

Patrick left many "cells and establishments in DalKiada;" for the names and identifications of these places
we must refer the reader to the latter part of the present
work.
In Dal-Araidhe he found a well at Lathrach Patraic,2
and there Daniel, Patrick's angel and dwarf, is. The
name is still preserved, almost intact, in the modern
Glenavy, and is but one of a thousand instances in
which the minutest details recorded by the biographers
of St. Patrick have been recorded with the most
scrupulous care, and an accuracy which fully stands the
test of modern research. One should suppose, with such
facts before them, that Catholics, at least, would cease to
question the miracles of the saint recorded by the same
careful and accurate writers. We believe that this
questioning has simply been the result of the centuries
of discredit, which discredit has accumulated undisturbed ; and there are some minds so unhappily constituted, as to be unable to take a new view of an old
fact, whatever proof there may be of its accuracy.
Some very interesting details of St. Patrick's visit to
Dal-Kiada and Dal-Araidhe are given in Tirechan's
Annotations in the Book of Armagh. After he had
2
Lathrach Patraic—that is, Patrick's swamp. Colgan, however, has translated it thus: " I n alio ejusdem regionis loco Lettir-phadruic a" posteritate appellato " (SeptimaVita, p. 147). He also says, Daniel was called Abhac, a dwarf\
from his short stature, and that from him the church was denominated LatinAhhaic, the church of the dwarf, being then a parish in the diocese of Connor.
I t is now called Glenavy, the letter G- having been prefixed by the English
settlers. In Pope Nicholas's Taxation, A.D. 1306, it is simply called Lenneuvy. Reeves' "Down and Connor," pp. 47 and 236.

lie revisits Slemish.

315

ordained Mac Erca bishop, at Ardstraw, in the present
county Tyrone, he crossed the Bann, and blessed the
place where is the little cell of Cuil-Raithen.3 When he
had erected many cells, he crossed the Buas,4 and, at
Duiu-Sebuirgi,5 sat upon a rock, and consecrated Olcan
bishop. He then returned into the plain of Eilrie, and
erected many other churches, which the Coindiri possess.
The saint at this time also revisited the scene of his
early captivity on the mountain of Slemish. We must
here, however, pass over many details which, however
interesting, would unnecessarily increase the size of our
work ; but we do so with the less regret, as the reader
will find them in the Tripartite. All the more important acts of the saint, however, shall be carefully
recorded here.
It is not certain at what time St. Patrick consecrated
a bishop for Clogher ; but the details of that event are
very curious, and are fully recorded. One of his companions, who appears to have attended him on all his
journeys, and who is emphatically denominated his
" strong man," was carrying him over a stream. He
exclaimed in a fashion which indicated that he did not
find it so easy a task as it had once been. St. Patrick
8

Cuil-Raithen,'—The present Coleraine, Dr. Lanigan("Ec. Hist.," vol. i , p.
267) was not acquainted .with the valuable contents of the Book of Armagh,
and very naturally wonders where Harris got the information given above.
4
Buas.—The present river Buch.
> 5 Duin-Sebuirgi.*—Dunseverick. The whole of this passage is a clear indication that there were strictly defined territorial dioceses in Ireland when the
Book of Armagh was compiled, in the eighth century, and that Ooleraine was
annexed to the See of Connor.

316

Life of St. Patrick

observed that this was not usual with him. Mac
Carthainn replied, that he was getting old now, that the
saint had settled all his companions in churches, whilst
he was still left to travel. The saint desired him to
found a church sufficiently near him for intercourse, and
yet not so near as to cause inconvenience. And thus the
diocese of Clogher was founded, and the esteemed
prelate who governs it to-day can trace his succession
up to the very time of St. Patrick. It would appear
that Mac Carthainn was a favorite with the saint, for
he left him the Domhnach Airgid, which was sent to
Patrick from heaven, when he was on the sea, coming
to Erinn. Bishop Mac Carthainn died A.D. 506.
Preaching was the great means used by St. Patrick
for the conversion of Ireland; and hence we find frequent mention of the places and circumstances where he
poured forth that eloquence which won thousands to
the Faith.
The Tripartite mentions a remarkable
sermon, or series of sermons, which lasted " three days
and three nights," during which, such was the holy
fascination exercised by the saint, that each day seemed
no longer than an hour. "When preaching thus near
Clogher, St. Brigid fell into an ecstatic state, in which
she had a vision which was afterwards interpreted by
St. Patrick.
A remarkably detailed and characteristic account is
given of the resuscitation of Eochaidh,6 son of Crimthann.
6
EoGhaidh,—This prince is mentioned by Q'Maherty, in tracing the history
of the Orgillians from whom the three Collas Were descended. O'Maherty,
book iii. ch. 76\

Eochaidh restored to Life.

317

This prince had a daughter named Cinne. He wished
her to marry a man of noble family. In the meantime
she met the saint and his companions, and he, as usual,
began at once to instruct her in the Christian doctrine.
She listened to him, was convinced of the truth, and
baptized. When her father sought her, that he might
give her to the young prince in marriage, he found
she now desired another alliance, and Patrick implored
him to permit her to "wed the Eternal Spouse."
Eochaidh had evidently some knowledge of the Faith,
and yet, withal, a not unusual pagan dread of baptism.
He promised to do as Patrick wished, on two conditions:
if the saint would promise him heaven as a reward, and
if he would promise also that he would not compel him
to be baptized. The conditions seemed strangely contradictory ; but Patrick, no doubt divinely inspired on
this as on so many other occasions, agreed to his
request. Cinne was then " united to Christ/' and
went to live with another holy maiden, near Clogher,
where both virgins rest in peace.
Years passed on, and Eochaidh still remained amongst
the unbaptized ones ; but the pure and holy incense of
a daughter's prayers were ascending for him day and
night before the eternal throne, and he, like many
another parent, was to reap the rich reward of the sacrifice which he made. At last death came to him, as it
comes to all—prince and peasant, prepared and unprepared. The dying chieftain desired those who stood
around him to take care that he was not buried until

318

Life of St.

Patrick.

St. Patrick came. Patrick was then in Ulster at Saul,
his favorite retreat; and here the death of Eochaidh was
made known to him by a supernatural communication.
He at once set out for Clogher, and, on his arrival, found
that the chief had been dead for twenty-four hours.7
The saint desired that he might be left alone with the
corpse, and, after spending some time in prayer, he commanded him to arise in the name of God. The dead
i Hours.—There are few canonized saints who have nob at some time or
other obtained the power of restoring the dead to life; but, perhaps, one of
the most remarkable of those resuscitations was that performed by the instrumentality of St. Colette, at Poligny, in the early part of the fifteenth century.
A religious, whose life had not been very edifying, died in that convent.
' ' St. Colette was then at Besancon. but the departed soul appeared to her, and
said that she was permitted by God to appeal to her for help, that she might
be saved from eternal reprobation. Her great misery was caused by the
suppression of grave faults in confession. The saint at once sent an express
messenger in all haste to Poligny, desiring that the religious should not be
buried until her arrival. When the messenger came, the unhappy nun was
lying in her coffin, in the choir. Colette arrived on the evening of the third
day, but so absorbed in ecstacy, as to appear unconscious of the crowds who
thronged around her, and who, having heard of her message, expected some
great event. They only dispersed when assured that the nun would not be
buried until the following morning. The saint passed the night in prayer.
The office was said as usual in the morning, and at its conclusion she went to
the sanctuary, attended by the confessor and several of the religious. Thousands
had assembled in and around the church, and there was an awful stillness of
expectation. The saint, after praying before the Most Holy Sacrament,
approached the bier, and commanded the dead to arise. The nun arose, and
was led by the saint to the altar. She made her confession to the priest,
and said the penance enjoined her with tears and sobs of anguish, which
moved the awe-struck assembly to their very inmost hearts. Then she arose
and told them, with a clear and firm voice, that she had owed her salvation,
under God, to the merits of her holy abbess ; and that an angel had protected
her soul from the demons who claimed it as their lawful prey, until the
miracle of her restoration to life could be accomplished.
With tears and
burning words she implored those who surrounded her to pray for her, since
she must now return to God, to pay the heavy debt still due to his divine
justice for her careless life. Then she prostrated at the feet of her superior,
and, after imploring her blessing, placed herself on the funeral bier, and calmly
expired."—"St. Clare, St. Colette, and the Poor Clares," pp. 230-233.

Uochaidh restored to Life.

319

man obeyed; and then, indeed, it was no longer necessary to urge Mm to receive the sacrament of regeneration ; for he had learned, as only the dead can learn, its
value and importance. He was instructed and baptized;
and then he declared, as one thus restored could
indeed do, the pains of hell and the bliss of heaven.
Still, he was to be free in his desire. St. Patrick
offered him, on the part of God, fifteen years in the
"chief kingship of his country, or heaven/' But
the brave old chieftain knew now the difference between an earthly kingdom and a heavenly. His choice
was quickly made ; he could understand now why his
daughter had chosen the heavenly alliance in preference
to an earthly; and he declared, almost in the words of
countless holy virgins, that if the sovereignty of the
whole world were given to him he would renounce it,
and count it as nothing in comparison of the "good
things" which he had seen. Then the saint desired
him to go in peace, and "journey to God." Oh ! most
blessed voyage—oh ! most happy departure. What,
indeed, else should we seek for or desire on earth, save
to prepare for this journey, and to undertake it as soon
as the will of our Creator shall permit?
As the saint continued his journey southward, many
wonderful miracles occurred. At Domhnach Maighen,8 a
man, named Victor, concealed himself* probably fearing,
like many others, that he should be asked to make
8

Domnadi Maighen.-—For "notes identifying this and the following localities, see Tripartite.

320

Life of St

Patrick

some sacrifice which would be painful to his natural
feelings. But Divine Providence intended that he should
hereafter rule the Church as a bishop, and his place of
concealment was miraculously illuminated, and thus
was made known to the saint. At Enach-Conglais
some wicked m&n ^attempted to poison him ; but the
saint, aware of their design, turned the curds which
contained the poison into stones. At Naas he baptized
Ailill and Ulan, the two sons of the king of Leinster ;
and then baptized Moghain and Feidelm, the daughters
of the former, who consecrated their virginity to God,
and were anciently venerated on the 9th of December.
The saint then sent messengers to call .the steward of
the fort of Naas, who was named Fallen. He pretended
to be asleep, from enmity and contempt. St. Patrick,
when he heard it, exclaimed : " I should not be surprised if it were his last sleep ;" and so, in truth, it was;
for when the servants went to him again, they found
him dead. This, and similar interpositions of Providence, which seem to some would-be critics a blot on
the character of the saint, were manifestly the means
of many conversions, and of great good to others. The
people were awe-struck, as were the Jews when they
heard of the sudden and awful death of Ananias and
Saphira. The fearful end of Fallen, we are told, passed
into a proverb—an evidence of its effect upon the people ;
and they often reverted to " Fallen's sleep in the fort of
Naas." Thus, those who could not be won by divine
love, were subdued by divine fear.

&t ^airicfc met bg Vix&irus in llje TOootr of dfodjlut

He Visits the Plain of Magh-LifL

323

It would appear that the saint went direct from Naas
to Wicklow. He had visited Dricrin, who was king of
the Hy-Garchon, and wl^o had married a daughter of
King Laeghaire. This prince, however, refused the
saint hospitality, on the plea of his father-in-law's
dislike to Patrick, an evidence that Laeghaire's conversion had not been sincere, as we have already suggested.
Another member of the family, however, received the
saint willingly. His name was Cillini, and Patrick
prophesied that his son should be king of the HyGarchon. It is remarkable, in reading the ancient records
of the acts of our saint, how frequently such predictions
were made. In ancient Erinn, where the succession was
not hereditary, but depended upon the will of the
people and the qualifications of the candidate, it was
manifestly the intention that the best man, according to
. opinion of the age, should succeed. St. Patrick simply
followed out this line of action, though in a different
sense, probably to impress upon a very impressible
people the one great end of his ministry, that the
holiest was always the best. And as only temporal
rewards could influence the opinion of the multitude,
for their sakes, at least, he allowed a temporal reward
to be given for a spiritual act.
St. Patrick once more turned northwards, at least as far
as the plain of Magh-Life, from which the present river
Liffey takes its name. Here, as usual, he built cells, or
oratories, and left some of his disciples to instruct his

324

Life of St.

Patrick

converts. He left Usail9 at Cil-Usaille, and Iserninus 1
and Mac Fail2 in Cella-Ciulinn. As lie went into the
western Life, the sons of Laighis attempted to entrap
him into some water-pits. As a punishment for this
act of treachery, the saint declared that none of their
descendants should be either a king or a bishop. This,
writes the author of the Tripartite, is where MoinCholium3 is to-day.
According to the Tripartite, the saint must have
visited Tara at this time, as the author of that Life says,
"Patrick went from Tara, until he met Dubtach Mac
Ui Lugair, in Hy-Ceinnsellagh." As we have already
given the history of the vocation of St. Fiacc at length,
we here refer the reader to what has been already
recorded.4 The saint erected a great number of
churches in this part of Ireland. From want of consideration, the writer of the Tripartite has been accused
of gross exaggeration, in saying that " i n thirty and
forties are the churches which he [Aengus] gave to
9
Usail.—This was the Irish name for St. Auxilius. According to tha
Four Masters, he died August 27, A.D. 454, on which day the Calendar of the
O'Olerys has, " Usaille, son of Ua Baird, Bishop of Cill-Usaille, in Leinster."
His church is now called Killossy, or Killashee, and gives its name to a parish
in the barony of Naas, Co. Kildare. There are no remains of the church, but
there is part of a round tower with a square base.
1
Iserninus.—-It will be remembered that Iserninus was ordained with St.
Patrick, and came to Ireland with him. He died A.D. 469. Trias. Tk, p. 19.
2
Mac Fail was of the race of Lughaidh, king of Minister, and brother to
Sb. Colman of Cill-Cleitghe. He succeeded Iserninus, and died of the plague,
11th June, A.D. 548. He was patron of Kilcullen, county Kildare.
3
Moin Cholium.—This is now the old church of Moone, giving name to a
parish and barony near Timolin, in the south of the county Kildare. See, for
further details, Reeves' " Adamnan," p. 280.
4
Recorded.—Ante, page 40-50.

Explanation

of the number of Churches.

325

Patrick in the east of Leinster." Churches in thirties or
forties certainly sounds a gross exaggeration ; but we
should be very careful before we accuse an ancient
writer of a crime which may only exist in our own imaginations. It must be remembered, that a church in the
sixth century, and a church in the nineteenth century,
were very different structures ;» a church or oratory,
such as was then usual, was built roughly of wood or
stone, and its size might not exceed ten feet by six. It
is probable, that each family had some such church or
oratory in their forts, and a priest to minister to their
spiritual necessities. Hence, if churches were erected
by " thirties and forties," it would only prove, what we
already know, that a very great number of families
were converted to the Faith by St. Patrick ; and that
these converts were extremely zealous, and prized very
highly the privilege of assisting at the Sacrifice of the
New Law, and of receiving the rites of the Church. We
have, indeed, a most satisfactory evidence of this in
that very part of the Tripartite which relates the erection
of such a number of churches. The writer, who is
generally admitted to have been St. Evin, states, that
St. Patrick was " a Sunday in Domnach-mor of MaghEeta ;"5 and that the people of the district were building
5
Domnach-mor of Magh-Beta.—0'Donova,n places Magh-Rechet, or Riada,
in Leix, following Keating; but, according to the Feilire-Aengus, it is in
Offaly, and is called Morett, a manor in the barony of Portnahinch, in the
Queen's county, containing the church of Cuil-Beannchoir. An old map of
Leix has Muret, near the border of Leix, in that part of Offaly called Clanmalier, of which the O'Dempseys were chiefs. "Book of Rights,'' pp. 193,
205, 210.

326

Life of St.

Patrick.

a fort there.
The saint sent them word that its
building would be impossible, unless Mass was offered
there every day.
The saint left a blessing upon the Leinstermen also,
and went through Bealach Gabhran, e into Ossory, where
he founded many churches and establishments, and predicted that the clerics and laics of this part of Ireland
should be distinguished ; he left them "relics of holy
men," and some of his people " i n the place where
Martrech is to-day in Magh-Koighne."
There was still one province in our island which had
not been evangelized by the saint. He had evangelized
Ulster first, and, after seven years spent in that province,
he went by slow journeys, still "preaching and teaching,"
into the wild and beautiful districts of Connaught. As
he returned from thence he naturally desired to visit his
first converts, to see how they progressed, and to
strengthen them in the Faith. This accomplished, he
evangelized Leinster; and then, even following his usual
plan of commencing his mission at the court, he
journeyed to Cashel of the Kings. A notable miracle
is recorded as having taken place on the night of his
arrival. It would appear that, after the introduction of
idol-worship into Ireland by Tiernmas, they were worshipped in other places besides the famous plain of Magh
Slecht.
6

Bealach Gdbhran, now Gowran, coimty Kilkenny.

®%&pttv $&.
St. Patrick in Munster.

HE Tripartite records that there
were idols at Cashel, and that
they were found prostrated on the
morning after the arrival of the
saint.
He was welcomed by
Aengus, son of Nadfraech, and. his people, by whom
he was conducted into the fort. He then baptized the
sons of Nadfraech and many of the men of Munster,
upon whom he invoked a special blessing. During the
ceremony, St. Patrick inadvertently pierced the foot
of Aengus with the point of his crozier. The brave

328

Life of St.

Patrick.

young prince bore the pain in silence, and, when the
saint inquired afterwards why he had not complained,
he replied that he thought " it was the rule of Faith/'
or a part of the usual ceremony. Such a noble instance of devotion could not pass unrewarded, and
special benedictions were bestowed upon him and upon
his race.7
Joeelyn, in mentioning this incident,, says that St.
Patrick left a stone here on which the Kings of Cashel
were crowned afterwards. The writer of the Tripartite :
" A n d twenty-eight kings of the races of Alell and
Aengus reigned in Cashel, ordained with the crozier,
until the time of Cenngegain." This Cenngegain (Mnghinne) was King of Cashel until A.D. 897 ; and this
observation, evidently made by the transcriber, would
7

Race.—Dr. Todd, for some reason by no means apparent, has rejected the
whole of this account, apparently because it is not mentioned in the Book of
Armagh; but there are many other circumstances not mentioned in the same
compilation which he has accepted. There is, in fact, quite as much evidence
for St. Patrick's visit to Cashel and the circumstances attending it as for any
other event in the life of the saint. King Aengus was a well-known historical
character. Cashel of the Kings was a famous fort from an early period of
Irish history. The only objection given by Dr. Todd is a few lines in the
Tripartite, which states that " n o man shall be King of Cashel until the
comarb of Saint Patrick has confirmed him." Now, this appears to be merely
a remark of the writer of the Tripartite; and when we recollect how great
was the moral power which St. Patrick exercised in Ireland, there is nothing very wonderful about it. Moreover, Dr. Todd says that the passage
above quoted is not to be found in Colgan's translation of the Tripartite : this
is a grave mistake, and it seems most extraordinary how one so accurate as
Dr. Todd could have made such a statement. Colgan h a s : " N e e nomen
juraque obtinebit Regis, donee a meo successore coronabitur et consecrabitur."
Colgan, Septima Vita, cap. 30, p. 156. Dr. Todd was beyond all suspicion of
wilful suppression, and it seems very strange how he could have overlooked
this passage. It would appear from some other circumstances also that he had
not studied Colgan carefully.

His Visit to CasheL

329

fix the date of the transcription at this period precisely.
As the history of Aengus is so well known, this incident
affords an important and interesting data for determining
the date of the saint's visit to CasheL Aengus was killed
in the battle of Cill-Osnadh, A.D. 489. Keating says
that he reigned for thirty-six years, and this would
place the commencement of his reign, A.D. 453 ; his
age at the time of his death unfortunately is not known ;
but Usher has conjectarally fixed the date of St.
Patrick's arrival in Munster, ACD. 449. Dr. Lanigan
places the date A.D. 445. The truth probably lies between the two, for it is clear that only conjectural arguments can be brought forward with regard to the chronology of the principal events in the mission of the saint.
Much unnecessary argument, however, has arisen in this
and in other instances, in consequence of false premises
being made the ground of argument. The Tripartite
does not say that Aengus was King of Munster; he is
merely spoken of as the son of Nadfraech, and his brother
Ailill is spoken of in precisely the same terms ; yet, on
this simple foundation, a whole structure of controversy
has been raised up, and refuted.
It should first be
shown that any really ancient authority had clearly
stated that Aengus was King of Munster at the time
of St. Patrick's visit, before any attempt is made to
discredit the narrative of St. Evin.
The saint now continued his journey towards the
south, until he arrived in the present county Limerick.

330

Life of St.

Patrick.

After passing through Aradha-Cliach,8 he went on to
Jochtar-Cuillen,9 where he restored a child to life, who
had been killed by pigs. He desired Malach Britt, 1
a Cele-De of his people, to resuscitate him; but this
man had not the faith or the obedience2 necessary for so
great a work, and another gained his crown. Patrick
now commanded Bishops Ibar and Ailbhe to perform
the miracle, and he prayed with them. As might be
expected, after such a notable event, all the people of
Ui-Cuanach believed.
At Grean3 a number of women came to the saint, and
bewailed his departure, and he gave them a special
blessing. Many of the most remarkable incidents in
the life of the saint are connected with his visit to
Limerick and its neighborhood. A very curious incident is related about the foundation of the church of
Mungret, which lies about three miles south-west of
the city. Lonan, son of Mac Ere, made a banquet for
him on the top of Cae, a mountain in Hy-Figente. 4
8
Aradha-Gliach.—This territory, according to 0'Donovan, comprised the
parish of Kilteely and the entire barony of Ui-Cuanach (Coonagh), in the east
of Limerick, mentioned in the next note.
9
Jochtar-Cuillen.—This is now the parish of Cullen, barony of Clan William, county Limerick, formerly extending into Ui-Cuanach. Dr. O'Donovan
states (Top. Poems) that Ui-Cuanach was part of Ara-Cliach.
1
Malach Britt.—See note to this passage in the Tripartite.
2
Obedience.—It will be remembered that St. Benedict ordered his disciple,
St. Maur, to walk on the water and draw out the child Placidus. The miracle
was performed, and, as Bossuet has well observed, it is difficult to say whether
it should be attributed to the obedience of the disciple or the faith of the
master.
3
Grean.—Now the church and parish of Grean, containing the town of
Pallas-green, in the baronies of Coonagh and Clanwilliam, in Limerick.
4
Hy-Figente.—This territory adjoined Ara-Cliach, from which it was

Mantan disobeys St. Patrick.

331

A deacon, named Mantan, 5 who is described as one of
Patrick's people, was assisting in the preparation of the
feast, and a troop of jugglers came to the saint to ask
for food, and would take no excuse. He sent them
to Lonan and Mantan, but they refused to give them
food, which was an act of contempt to the order of the
saint, and was punished as such.
A youth now came up the mountain, attended by
his mother, with a wether, which had been cooked for
the banquet. The saint begged of him to give the
animal to the men to save his honor, and he at once
complied cheerfully, though his mother was unwilling
that he should do so, fearing the king's displeasure.
The whole of this scene is singularly characteristic of
the times. The welcome of the saint by a banquet,
the arrival of a troop of jugglers or magi,6 their
importunity, the charity of the saint, the primitive
offering to the prince of the whether ready dressed, the
refusal of Patrick's disciples to give the food, considering themselves wiser than their master, and the prompt
rewards and punishments, all form a graphic picture
of the customs and manners of past ages.
Mantan, the deacon, was informed that his church
separated by the river Samhair, now the Morning Star. It lay in the south
of the county Limerick. O'Donovan writes, under the year 1560 : " I t was
bounded on the north by the Shannon, on the south by Slieve Luchra, on the
east by the rivers Mugue and Morning Star, and on the west by Kerry.
Oae is the mountain called Knock-cae, in the south of Ardpatrick parish, not
far from Seefin."
5
Mantan.—Colgan says this was the presbyter who was venerated on the
2nd March, and that his church was Cill-Mantain, near Wicklow.
6
Magi.—Golgan says there were magi and druids.

332

Life of St

Patrick

would never be held in honor. Nessan was instructed
by the saint, and baptized, and eventually established
in the church of Mungarret. His mother was informed
that she should not be buried in her son's church, and
this, says the writer, came to pass, for her grave is in
the west of Mungarret, and the bell of the great church
is not heard in that place.
Nessan and his church were to be " honored among
the nations ;" and it is not a little remarkable that the
Limerick people have ever manifested not only an unwavering fidelity to the true faith, but have also been
amongst the most gallant defenders of the sacred deposit then bestowed upon them. They still cherish
the memory of St. Patrick with tender devotion, and
point proudly to the various sites in their county where
memorials of the saint are found in the names, still
preserved, of the places which he visited.
The north Munstermen now came in crowds in
their curraghs across the Shannon, as far south as Tirglas, the present Terryglass, in the barony of Lower
Ormond, where they were baptized. After the ceremony, the saint ascended the hill of Finnime, and
blessed the north Munstermen who had come out in
such multitudes to welcome him. An ancestor of
Brian Boru, Cairthenn Finn, son of Blait, eighth in
descent from Olioll Oluim, and progenitor of the
O'Briens of Thomond, " believed in Christ/' and Patrick
baptized him in the well of Sangul. A few short lines
in the Tripartite reveal to us a most interesting circum-

His Well at Sangul, near Limerick

333

stance of the saint's own inner life.
The writer
explains the word Sangul, Sain-aingel; for he says it
was a different angel from Victor who came to converse with him here. Perhaps, like the glorious St.
Franeesca of Kome, an angel of a higher grade was
now sent to him. We read that as her life approached
its close, and as her duties in the foundation of her
order and her exterior cares were multiplied, that the
angel who had BO long and so constantly apj3eared to
her in visible form, informed her that his charge of
her had ceased, and that a yet more exalted spirit was
now appointed to assist and comfort her. This was an
archangel, who appeared now constantly at her side,
bright and glorious, radiant with heavenly light when
earth was darkest, and making all earthly light seem
but as an evening twilight, faded even in the burning
summer noon. Such an angel, we may believe, was the
one who now came to Patrick by the well of Sangul.
If any of my readers are induced to make a pilgrimage
to that well in honor of Patrick and his angel, will they
breathe an Ave in his honor for her who unworthily
records his blessed life.
Here also the saint performed a notable miracle, by
curing Cairthenn's son, Ecchu Baldearg (Eochy of the
Eed Spot), who had been born, to all appearance, hopelessly disfigured and diseased. This was the first
miracle worked at the well of Sangul.7
7

Sangul.—-Mr.Lenihan, in his admirable "History of Limerick," says, that
" t h e holy well, stony bed, and altar of St. Patrick, are to this day existing

334

Life of St.

Patrick

The saint uttered several remarkable predictions at
this period; lie blessed the lands and islands of the Shannon ; and prophesied the birth of St. Senan of Iniscalach,
and of Brennan of Hy-Alta. He then went into south
Desi, and commenced the church of Ard-Patriek, in the
present barony of Coshlea, county Limerick. A curious
evidence that even a miracle will not convince those who
are determined not to be convinced, was given here. A
man, named Dervall, declared that he would believe if
the saint would remove part of a mountain, so that he
might see Cnoc Longa to the south over it. St. Patrick
performed the miracle, but, although the man saw the
mountain dissolving, he declared that " whatever wonders he might do, he would not believe it."
At Patrick's "Well, near Limerick, which still retains
its name and holy traditions, the prince of the Desi
came late to the assembly for which Patrick was waiting.
He excused himself on account of the rain, but the excuse did not satisfy the saint, who predicted that all his
meetings for the future should be attended by showers.
Singland " i s situated in the parish of St. Patrick,
about an English mile from the city of Limerick ; and,
in the Cromwellian and "Williamite wars, was frequently
the headquarters of the invading forces. It was from
the heights of Singland that the canons of Ireton, in
in Singland." We take this opportunity of recommending Mr. Lenihan's
valuable work to Limerick men, and, indeed, to all lovers of Irish literature
and nationality. Orders from America and Australia may be sent to
Maurice Lenihan, Esq., J.P., Limerick.

His Well at Sangul, near Limerick

335

1651, and of "William and Ginkle, forty years after,
played upon the * Black Battery/ and citadel of Limerick.
" But by far the most interesting relics of the past connected with Singland are St. Patrick's Well, and the adjacent large layer of unhewn limestone, marked with the
impress of the saint's knees and body, and believed, from
time immemorial, to have been St. Patrick's place of
prayer, if not his very bed. Such is the tradition—constant and ample—-handed down from sire to son by the
citizens, both Catholic and Protestant, of Limerick. Both
these unwrought monuments of St. Patrick's presence in
Limerick are situated on the slope of the hill on which
St. Patrick's Church once stood, and where the ancient
cemetery that surrounded it still exists, and is daily
used as a place of interment, though in close proximity
to the beautiful new Catholic cemetery of Mount St.
Laurence. Two of the Bishops of Limerick, Drs. Young
and Tuohy, are buried in the same grave in St. Patrick's,
though the name of Dr. Young alone is inscribed on the
tombstone that covers their remains. Of the old church
not a vestige now remains: all was destroyed during the
Confederate wars, 1641-51.
"St. Patrick's Well is still held in the highest possible
veneration by the people of Limerick ; and crowds of
pedestrians—men, women, and children—may be daily
seen wending their way along 'Connell's bohereen/
which leads from world-famed Garryowen, to the 'blessed well,' either to •' pay their rounds,' or laden with

336

Life of St

Patrick.

vessels full of ' Patricks-well water/ for the use of some
invalid relation confined to bed at home. It is a fact,
well known both to the Catholic clergy and dispensary
doctors of the city, that the poor, when sick, will rarely
1
drink anything but ' Patrick's-well water/ such is the
simple faith in its efficacy, or rather in that of the
prayers and intercession of its holy patron.
" The stone impressed with the saint's knees, though
well polished by the knees and footsteps of fervent worshippers, is still carefully preserved; and it is highly creditable to the trustees of the ' Great Munster Fair/ opened
in 1853, that, when constructing the new approaches
to the fair-green, which adjoins 'St. Patrick's Church/
as the cemetery is still called, they directed their engineers to so construct one of the boundary walls as to
mark, by a lateral arch indented therein, the very spot
where tradition states that our saint was wont to kneel in
prayer some thirteen hundred years ago; and where his
footprints are, with loving belief, still pointed out. The
well, which is supplied with water from several crevices
in the solid rock, is covered over with a little protecting
structure of very simple masonry; and is exteriorly
decorated with framed prints and images, and such like
offerings of the poor. Wooden cups and other drinking
vessels are also left by pious votaries for the gratuitous
use of other comers. An outer and special portion of
the stream which flows from the well is set apart for the
ablution of persons afflicted with opthalmic diseases.
And the whole is shaded by a large and venerable tree,

He Visits Ormond.

337

which adds considerably to the general appearance of
the well and its surroundings." 8
St. Patrick's next journey was into Muscraidhe Tire,9
where he met three brothers, men of note, sons of Forat
MacCoula, one of whom, Munechus, believed at once,
and was baptized. To him special temporal blessings
were promised.
It is remarkable here that a special mention is made
for the first time in the Tripartite of the modelling of
the Irish Church on a diocesan basis. The tribute known
in the Brehon law as the Cain Patrick is said to
have been now formally granted to the saint and his
successors, and to have been regularly paid for many
years. Bat this subject is one of sufficient importance
to demand a separate chapter, and will be fully treated
of in the concluding part of this work.
The time at last came when the mission of our
apostle was accomplished in Munster, and he must
leave that faithful people, to do his master's work elsewhere amongst the devoted men of Erinn. He bid
them farewell, and left a blessing with them ; but they
could not bear to part thus from the saint, whom they
had learned to revere so deeply. Patrick went to
8

Surroundings.—I am indebted to my friend, the Rev. M. Malone, of
Limerick, for the interesting description given above. This learned clergyman is preparing an Ecclesiastical History of the Diocese of Limerick.
9
Muscraidhe Tire.—This was the ancient name of the district now comprised
in the baronies of Upper and Lower Ormond, in the north of the county
Tipperary, and contained the churches of Cill-cheire (Kilkeary, near the town
of Nenagh) and Leatraicha (Latteragh, about eight miles south of the above
town); afterwards it was called Muskrykeary.
0

338

Life of St.

Patrick

.Brosna,1 but crowds still followed him from all quarters.
The very hills seemed in motion, so great was the
multitude who hastened along, heedless of all difficulties, to get one more glimpse of their venerable father
and their friend. When they saw him they made the
mountains re-echo with their shouts of joy, and then
another miracle was granted to their faith and fervor,
for they beheld the resuscitation of a Munsterman who
had been dead for seven-and-twenty years. A holy
bishop, named Frion, who is graphically described as a
son of devotion, gave a banquet to the assembled
multitudes, which St. Patrick blessed, and by another
miracle satisfied all who were present; and then, once
more, and for the last time on earth, he blessed the men
of Munster, saying : —
" A blessing on the men of Munster,
A blessing on the land which gives them food.
A blessing on whatever is produced for its farmers.
A blessing on each chief.
A blessing on the men of Munster.
A blessing on their woods,
A blessing on their sloping plains^
1

Brosna.—Colgan was mistaken in placing Brosna in Munster. The
whole text goes to show that the Munstermen followed the saint after he had
left their country. There are two rivers and a small village named Brosna
in the King's County ; the larger river rises at Bunbrosna, in the county
Westmeath, and flows into the Shannon at Shannon Harbor; the smaller
river rises at the village of the same name, in the parish of Kilmurray, east of
Shinrone, and runs a few miles north of Parsonstown, forming the boundary
between the King's County and Tipperary. The village is said to derive its
name from the Irish word Brosna, a faggot or bundle of sticks; but the
author of the Tripartite, as will be seen above, derives it? from the word
Brosnugaely an incentive or excitement.

A Blessing on the Micnstermen,

339

A blessing on their glens,
A blessing on their hills.
A blessing of sand beneath their ships.
A blessing of numerous homesteads.
A blessing on their slopes and levels.
A blessing on their slieves and peaks.
A blessing."

The blessing of sand beneath their ships is very
characteristic and poetical, since upon the wild coast of
Kerry there are so many dangers for mariners, who may
find hidden rocks where they least expect them, and
where " sand beneath their ships" would be the greatest
boon they could desire.
The saint now journeyed into the territory of HyFailge,2 where one of the best known incidents of his
life occurred. A chieftain of this tribe, named Berraidhe,
boasted publicly that he intended to kill Patrick if he
met him, in revenge for his destruction of the idols at
Magh-Sleaeht. The saint's charioteer, Odran, heard of
this threat, which, according to the Tripartite, was kept
secret from Patrick by his people. The faithful servant
proposed to his master that he should take his place in
the chariot, and, with the instinct of true charity, made
it appear as if it were to be done in compliment to
2
Hy-Fmlge.—Before the English, invasion this territory comprised the
present baronies of Offaly, county Kildare, and parts of the King's and
Queen's Counties. I t obtained the name from Ross Failge (Boss of the
Kings), eldest son of Cathair Mor, King of Leinster, and Ard High of Ireland,
who was slain A.D. 122. The great families of 0'Conor Faly, O'Dempsey of
Clanmaliere, and O'Dannof Began, were descended from him.—Book of Bights,
pp. 193 and 216.

340

Life of St.

Patrick.

himself, so as to conceal his real motive from his master.
St. Patrick willingly complied with his request, and
Odran was slain, by Berraidhe. Another member of
the same family, however, would appear to have repudiated this treachery; for we are informed by the Tripartite, that the wicked Failge died at once, and "went
to hell;" but that Patrick blessed Failge Eos, whose
descendants were rulers of that district " for ever."
A little careful consideration would have prevented
some serious mistakes which have been made in the
relation of this incident by several writers. The name
Berraidhe does not occur in the direct line of the O'Conor
Faly pedigree ; but he is mentioned by the Four Masters,
A.D. 501, as having slain Fiachra, son of Mai, at the
battle of Freamhain, now the hill of Frewin, in the townland of Wattstown, parish of Portlennon, county Westmeath. Berraidhe was probably the Bruaidhe of the
O'Conor pedigree, the great grandson of Eos Failge.3
3
Bos Failge.—I must be pardoned for again blaming Dr, Lanigan for constantly undervaluing the authority of the Tripartite, when it does not precisely
agree with his own notions. What we want in historical investigations is
truth, and not favorite theories, or prejudice. He says, " I t is plain that
this second Failge was brought on the stage in compliment to some illustrious
families," &c. It may have been plain to Dr. Lanigan, but it certainly is not
plain to me. Colgan seems to have clearly seen the truth, which was that there
were two Failges—one Failge Berraidhe, who tried to kill St. Patrick, the
other Failge Kos, who received him willingly. Both the Tripartite and Colgan distinguish the two by name. Of course, if all historians are to be
accused of prejudice because they mention certain circumstances which do not
agree with our preconceived notions, we may give up history at once. There
were many other families besides this one in which brothers took different sides,
and in which one brother obtained the blessing of the saint and the other his
malediction. Dr. Todd, in a note on this subject, has made a curious mistake also:
he says, " T h e chariot, it seems, was capable of holding but one person."—

The Martyrdom

of Odran.

341

The martyrdom of Odran is mentioned in the Fourth
Life, and by Jocelyn; but the other Lives have no
record of it. The subject has an additional interest on
account of its connection with the revision of the Brehon
laws by St. Patrick and others; but this will be fully
treated of elsewhere.
As the ssLint was journeying on the great northern
road leading to Tara, he met some laborers, who were
cutting down yew trees for the masts of vessels. Their
hands were bleeding, and the saint inquired who they
were. The men replied that they were the slaves of
Trian, son of Fee, and brother to Trichem, and that their
master would not allow them to sharpen their axes,
in order to make their labor more severe. The saint
at once blessed the axes, so that they cut easily, and
then went to Trian's fort. But the chief would not listen
to the saint, and so he " fasted upon him "—a curious
and beautiful illustration of St. Patrick's charity, and of
the universality of the functions of the Brehon law in
Ireland. The creditor used to fast at the door or gate
of the debtor, to compel him, from motives of common
humanity, to pay his debt. The saint would appear to
have claimed from Trian the debt of common charity,
which he failed to pay to his slaves, and, like the apostle, to have made their cause literally his own. But
" Memoir of St. Patrick," p. 465, n. 1. Now the Tripartite plainly states that it
held at least two, for Odran says to Patrick : "Long have I been your driver;
let me take the chief seat for this day." From the reading of the Fourth
Life (Oolgan, p. 44), however, it might be inferred that there was only one seat
in the chariot.

342

Life of St.

Patrick.

Trian was still obdurate in revenge ; he treated his unfortunate dependents more cruelly than before ; and at
last, by a just judgment, he was drowned in his own
lake, whither his horses dashed wildly, while he was
driving in his chariot. His wife, however, submitted to
the saint, and obtained a special blessing for herself and
her offspring, and her sons, Letna and Jarled, both
became bishops.4
But the saint's opponents did not always perish so
miserably. In some cases we find that a true conversion
followed the most violent persecution, and there were
some, doubtless, who, like St. Paul, were actuated by a
false zeal, and yet open to conviction when truth was
presented to them.
Such was St. MacCuil, described at first as a wicked
and irreligious man, who in the end became a bishop
and a saint. The account of his conversion and the circumstances attending it are given at considerable length
in the Book of Armagh, and are mentioned in nearly all
the other Lives as being evidently considered a subject
of considerable importance. As the saint passed through
the country of the Ultonians, MacCuil at first proposed
to his people to kill bim, asserting that he was a false
man who deceived everyone. This plan, however, was
abandoned for another, with the obvious intention of
testing the saint's power with God, and ascertaining
whether he could indeed work the marvels which were
4

Bishops.—See notes to Tripartite for full identifications.

The Conversion of MacCuil.

343

everywhere recorded of him. "We continue the narrative in the graphic words of the writer of the Book of
Armagh :—
" And they tempted the holy m a n ; they tempted him in this
way: they placed one of themselves under a cloak, feigning him
to be lying in the agony of death, that they might try the saint by
this kind of deception; so, on the arrival of St. Patrick with his
disciples, they were having recourse, muttering prayers, and
practising witchcraft and incantations : the heathen said to him,
< Behold 1 one of us is now sick; approach, therefore, and chant
some of the incantations of your sect over him, if perchance he may
be healed.'
" St. Patrick, knowing their stratagems and deceits, with firmness
and intrepidity said, it would be no wonder if he had been sick ;
and his companions, uncovering the face of him that was feigning
sickness, saw that he was now dead ; and the heathens, amazed and
astonished at such a miracle, said among themselves, ' Truly this
man is from God ; we have done evil in tempting him/ But St.
Patrick, having turned to Maccuil, says, ' W h y did you seek to
tempt me f The cruel tyrant answered, < I am sorry for what I have
done; whatever you command me I will perform; and now I deliver
myself into the power of your supreme God, whom you preach / and
the saint said: ' Believe, therefore, in my God, the Lord Jesus,
and confess your sins, and be baptized in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.' And he was converted in
that hour, and believed in the Eternal God, and, moreover, was
baptized; and then Maccuil added this, saying : ' I confess to thee, my
holy lord, Patrick, that I proposed to kill you; judge, therefore,
how much I owe for so great a crime f Patrick said : ' I am not able
to judge, but God will judge. Do you, therefore, depart now,
unarmed, to the sea, and pass over quickly from this country,
Ireland, taking nothing with you of your substance, except a small
common garment, with which you may be able to cover your body,

344

Life of St.

Patrick

eating nothing and drinking nothing of the fruit of this island,
having a mark of your sins on your head; and when you reach the sea,
bind your feet together with an iron fetter, and cast the key of it
into the sea, and set out in a boat of one hide, without rudder or
oar, and wherever the wind and sea shall lead you, be prepared to
remain; and to whatever land Divine Providence shall carry you,
be prepared to live there and obey the divine commands.'
" And Maccuil said, ' I will do as you have said ; but, respecting
the dead man, what shall we do V And Patrick said, < He shall live
and rise again without pain P And Patrick restored him to life in
that hour, and he revived quite sound.
" And Maccuil departed thence very speedily to the sea. The
right side of the plain of Inis is reached; having his confidence
unshaken in the faith, and binding himself on the shore, casting the
key into the sea, according to what was commanded to him,
he then embarked in a little boat, and north wind arose and bore
him to the south, and cast him on the island called Evonia;
and the men of the island were converted by his doctrine.

The Tripartite narrative, although more condensed,
gives precisely the same account of the occurrence, with
the additional information tha/b the man who feigned
death was called Garban.
In the Vita Quarta the names of Coindrius and
Eomulus are also mentioned, and it is stated that Mac
Cuil was chosen their successor. Jocelyn also records
the narrative at considerable length, and he must have
had special opportunities of being well acquainted with
every local tradition, as well as with all important
written records, for his monastery at Furniss had a
celebrated filiation in the Isle of Man.
The Irish annalists record the death of St. MacCuil

Vocations to the Religious Life.

345

in the year 554, after an episcopate of sixty years; and
the British Martyrology mentions many churches which
were erected under his invocation.5
It is impossible to read the ancient records of the life
of our saint without remarking his special devotion
to the sanctification of the Seventh Day, and to the sign
of the Cross. Another instance of his reverence for the
Sabbath is related immediately after the account of Mac
CULL'S conversion. Some men were building a rath at
Drombo,6 and the saint heard them at work on a
Sunday. He warned them to desist, but they only
mocked him. He then predicted that their labor would
be useless, and his words were verified. On the same
night the building was destroyed by a tempest.
Vocations to the religious life have always met with
more or less opposition, not only from the irreligious,
but unfortunately even from Christian, parents. From
incidental statements in the Lives of the saint it is
evident, that a very great number of Irish maidens con6
Invocation.—For further information on this interesting subject we refer
the reader to an exhaustive article in the Irish Ecclesiastical Record for
March, 1869, on the " Early Relations of Ireland with the Isle of Man,"
by Monsignor Moran.
6
Dromon.—Colgan, p. 161, calls it the church of Druim-bo, or Collum-bovis,
beside the sea. From the frequent mention of this place in the Lives it is
quite plain that it was the hill between Saul and Quoile or Coyle Castle.
In a field on this hill, to the north of the castle, several fragments of masonry
and human remains, as of a church and cemetery, have frequently been found.
It also overhangs the Coyle river, which Dr. Todd (note 2, p. 492, "Memoir of
St. Patrick ") truly conjectured to be the strait named Collum-bovis, in his description of St. Patrick's funeral. This hill also lies adjacent to the " S a l t
Lough," the scene of one of our saint's miracles, described in the Book of
Armagh, and hereafter noticed.

346

Life of St.

Patrick

secrated themselves to the divine service immediately
after their conversion. Two of these holy women were
seized by Eochach, son of Muredach,7 and drowned,
although the saint remonstrated earnestly with the
tyrant. As a punishment, the saint threatened him
with the loss of his kingdom, and said that his brother
Cairroill should have heirs who would rule instead of
Eochach. His wife, however, cast herself at the feet
of the apostle, and obtained his blessing for herself and
for her unborn child, who was eventually known as St.
Domangart of holy life.
The saint now turned back towards the men of
Eoss, and commenced a church in Drom-mor. Colgan
calls these people the men of Fer-ross, a territory which
extended into the barony of Farney, in the south of the
county Monaghan. The name of this site, so full of
holy interest, is still preserved in the parochial title of
Maghcross and the well-known town of Carrickmacross.
But while thus engaged an angel appeared to him, and
told him it was not " good " for him to stay here. The
saint inquired where he should go. The angel replied,
towards the north, to Mara (Armagh). But it would
seem as if our apostle had even yet some human inclinations, for he replied, that the cluain below was
fairer. Thus has it happened again and again in the
* Eochach, son of Muredach,—Muireadhach Muinderg, ninth in descent
from Fiatach Finn, monarch of Ireland, reigned over Uladh twenty-eight
years, and died A.D. 479, when he was succeeded by his son, Eochaidh, who
died A.D. 503, after a reign of twenty-four years.—Reeves' "Down and
Connor," p. 323.

An Angel directs him to Saul.

347

lives of the saints, that they are led " whither they
know not," and, for reasons incomprehensible to our
poor human thoughts, are made select places and sites
for their work, to which naturally they had no inclination whatsoever.
The site which St. Patrick had selected was destined
for another, as the heavenly messenger who guided and
directed this favorite servant of God now informed him.
For all reply the saint replied, " Deo gratias ago ;y and
thus do the saints ever answer the call of God—not
merely with submission, but with thankfulness—not
merely with resignation, but with joy. They, and they
only, seek the fulfilment of the will of God, as perfectly as it is given to mortal man to do ; and, His
will accomplished, they have all that they desire. It is
true, that they have still their own natural inclinations,
their own human likings and aversions ; but they have
them only to triumph over them, while we have them,
alas ! only to yield to them. Ah ! let us also say with,
our blessed father, Patrick, in joy and sorrow, in sickness and in health, and in what we call prosperity
and adversity, Deo gratias ago ! And why should we
not give thanks with him and like him, since the fulfilling of the will of God is the perfection of our life ?
and if that will be fulfilled, in opposition to our own
natural inclination, all the more reason why we should
rejoice : to sacrifice then we can add sacrifice, and to
our offerings the rarest incense. The places, or the
occupations, or the friends that we may choose, may

348

Life of St.

Patrick

seem to us, like the cluain of the saint, the fair places
of the earth ; but we also will reply, Deo gratias ago,
when we are called " northward "—when we are asked
to forsake that which we desire.8
The saint journeyed through Arcl-Phadraig, about a
mile to the south of the present town of Louth, where
he built a church. The people of Dal-Runter followed
him in crowds, and he left them a special blessing. He
now held frequent intercourse with St. Mochta, who
had been appointed by Providence to carry out his
mission in the " fair place " which the saint had desired.
The life of the saint was now drawing towards its
close, and angelic visits appeared to have been more
frequently vouchsafed to him. Soon he would go to
live amongst the angels, and we can scarcely marvel
that he was so familiar with them here. His angel
now desired him to go to Eath Dare, to a rich man who
had given his name to the fort, and to ask him for a
site for a church. This event, and the details which
accompanied its fulfilment, are related at considerable
length by nearly all the writers of the Lives of our saint.
8
Desire.—Many instances might be quoted from the Lives of the saints,
in which they received special directions from heaven to alter their plans, and
to do what to human reason would seem most imprudent. I cannot help referring to a remarkable instance of this recorded in a work just published, " Pilgrimages in the Pyrenees and Landes," by Denys Shyne Lawlor, Esq., p. 597.
We are all too much inclined to think that the age of miracles and miraculous
interventions has passed by : and a work such as this, which gives details of
the miracles daily performed even at the present time, and of the holy and
supernatural lives of men of the present age, cannot fail to convince all except
those who are wilfully sceptical.

He Visits Daire and asks for a Site.

349

Daire was a descendant of Colla-da-Crioch, and was
distinguished as Daire Dearg, or the Eed; and, from the
manner in which he received St. Patrick, it is probable that he was a Christian ; or, perhaps, like many
pagans of that period, half convinced, and yet unwilling
to make an open profession of his faith.
The saint, as desired by the angel, asked him for a
site for his church, and Daire, according to the Tripartite, desired him to choose for himself. According to
the Book of Armagh, he first inquired what place the
saint wished for. The saint asked for the high ground
or hill called Dorsum Salicis. But Daire refused this,
and offered instead aferta or rath on the plain. Here
St. Patrick erected a church, and remained for some
time9 with his disciples. While thus principally occupied in giving what he probably knew were his last
instructions, Daire sent a horse1 to graze upon the
church lands. The saint was always desirous of impressing strongly upon the people whom he had converted the sacredness of church property, and that gifts
9
Some time.—The Tripartite reading is " a l o n g time." Colgan has " i n
qua multis ipse postea habitavit diebus," p. 162. The Book of Armagh has
" et habitavit ibi Sanotus Patricius cum suis ;" but in the next sentence has
"After some time the ' eques' of Daire came," &c. Probus agrees almost verbally with the Book of Armagh {Quinla Vita, liber ii. cap. iii. iv. Colgan, p.
52). The weight of evidence is in favor of the saint's having remained for
some time on the "low ground."
1
Horse.—"Equum
suum miraculum." Dr. Todd doubts whether this
should be construed as the proper name of the horse or as an adjective. There
seems but little question that it is an adjective. Betham (" Ant. Researches,"
part ii. p. 331) puzzled over the word Christianorum, and yet gives it correctly
in the original at p. xii. appendix. Probus only speaks of one horse. The
Tripartite says there were two horses.

350

Life of St.

Patrick

once offered to heaven could never be recalled. " Daire,"
he said, "has acted foolishly in sending brute * animals
to disturb the small holy place which he gave to God."
The horse, however, was left for the night on the grassy
field, but on the following morning, when Daire's servant
came to look after it, he found it dead. The chief was
enraged, none the less so because he had committed
an injustice, and he commanded his people to slay
Patrick. But he had to do with one who was protected
by Him in whose hands are the issues of life and death,
and he had hardly issued the order when he himself
was seized with mortal illness.
His wife at once sent to recal the men who had been
ordered to martyr St. Patrick, and messengers were
dispatched to him in all haste, with earnest intreaties
for his blessing ; but the men were ordered to conceal
what had happened. They came to the apostle, and
asked for something to heal their master, who, they said,
wTas ill. The saint well knew the cause, but he blessed
some water and desired them to sprinkle Daire and the
horse with it. The horse was restored to life, and Daire
at once recovered. Still, it would appear, he had very
little idea of Christian life. In gratitude for his recovery
he brought St. Patrick a present of a large brazen
cauldron.2 The remainder of the narrative we shall
give in the graphic words of the author of the Book of
Armagh:—
2
Cauldron.—A cauldron was a royal gift. We read frequently, in the
Book of Rights, of cauldrons being often given as tribute to certain kings and
princes.

Daire grants the Site of Armagh Cathedral.

351

" Then Daire came after these things to honor St Patrick,
bringing with him a wonderful brazen cauldron, from beyond seas
(eneum mirabilem transmarintm), which held three firkins. And
Daire said unto the saint, ' Lo, this cauldron is thine.' And St.
Patrick said, * Gratzacham.9 Then Daire returned to his own
home and said, i The man is a fool, for he said nothing good for a
wonderful cauldron of three firkins, except Gratzacham.9 Then
Daire added, and said to his servants, ' Go and bring us back our
cauldron.' They went, and said unto Patrick, ' We must take
away the cauldron.' Nevertheless, this time also, St. Patrick
said, ' Gratzacham, take it.' So they took it. Then Daire asked
his people, saying, * What said the Christian when ye took away
the cauldron V But they answered, ' He said Gratzacham again.
Daire answered, and said, ' Gratzacham when I give, Gratzacham
when I take away. His saying is so good that with those Gratzachams his cauldron shall be brought back to him.' And Daire
himself went this time and brought back the cauldron to St.
Patrick, saying to him, ' Thy cauldron shall remain with thee; for
thou art a steady and imperturbable man. Moreover, also, that portion of land which thou didst desire before I now give thee as
fully as I have it, and dwell thou there.' And this is the city
which is now named Ardd-machse.3 And St. Patrick and Daire
both went forth to view the wonderful and well-pleasing gift of the
oblation; and they went up to that height of land, and they found
there a roe, with her little fawn, which was lying in the place
where the altar of the northern church in Ardd-machse now is;
and the companions of Patrick wished to catch the fawn and kill
3
Ard-machce.—This word signifies the high ground or elevation of Macha.
I t is called Altitudo Macha, and Altimachse, in the Book of Armagh. I t is
not clear whether Macha was the name of the district, or whether it was called
after the celebrated Queen Macha. The high ground which Daire refused to
give at first, was called Druim-Sailech, the ridge or hill of the sallow tree.
Gratzacham was a corruption of Gratias ago. The ferla or place which Daire
at first gave to St. Patrick, is explained by himself to be a stony rath where
daferta (the two graves) are.

352

Life of St.

Patrick

it. But the saint would not, nor did he permit it; nay, he himself
took up the fawn, carrying it on his shoulders, and the roe, like a
very pet lamb, followed him until he had laid down the fawn in
another field, situated at the north side of Ardd-machse, where to
this day, as the learned say, some signs of the miracle (signa qucedam
virtutis) still remain."

The saint resided for some time at the ferta
which Daire had bestowed on him, and a curious and
very interesting account is given of the way in which
this place was laid out, and its various measurements.
The angel headed the procession, but we are only left to
conjecture whether this was the angel Victor, or that
other blessed spirit who had visited him in Munster and
at the well of Sangul. Patrick and his people followed,
and the saint held in his hand the staff of Jesus. He
pronounced a blessing on all who should do God's will
in this new abode, and uttered a warning to those who
should transgress in it. Thus, also, did St. Francis of
Assisi speak of his beloved Porziuncola—that favored spot
where he also was visited by angels, and in which, he
gave an especial charge that none should be permitted
to live who were not distinguished for holiness of life.
Seven score feet were to be in the less (fort), twentyseven feet in the tigh mor (great house), seventeen
feet in the cuille (kitchen), and seven feet in the aregal
(oratory4). According to this measurement all the
churches were built afterwards. Here we have a clear
4

Oratory.—Dom na congbala, literally house of the churches. The use of
this ancient Celtic word, says Dr. Todd ("Memoir," p. 477), is a remarkable
evidence of the authenticity of this tradition.

Great Antiquity

of this Narrative.

353

proof how easy it was for the saint to have erected
churches by scores, and in populous districts by thirties
and forties, since they were in most instances simply
oratories, where there was little more than space for the
priest to offer the holy sacrifice. Those who assisted at
Mass knelt outside, as many do even at the present day
in Ireland. 5
Dr. Todd, in alluding to this passage, has observed
that there can be no doubt of its great antiquity, since
the terms which are used in describing the building are
now obsolete, and would be unintelligible to the best
Celtic scholars but for the explanation of them preserved
in ancient glossaries. He continues :—
" The arrangement described consisted of a less, that is to say,
an earthen circular fort or enclosure, for the protection of the whole
settlement; a great house, for the residence of the ecclesiastics;
the mile (culina), or kitchen, which was probably also the refectory; and the aregal, a word which has greatly puzzled our philologists, but which is probably the mediseval Latin oraculum, used in
the sense of an oratory or place of worship. As one dimension only
is given, these structures were probably circular.
" No remains of thebuildings at the Fertse Martyrumare now to
be found. In the fifteenth century the place had become a nunnery, and so continued to the period of the Eeformation, when it
was suppressed, under the name of Temple-fertagh. Dr. Reeves
has recently determined its exact site in the present ' Scotch-street,'
5
Ireland.—Colgan probably thought seven feet entirely too small for a church;
and so he evaded the difficulty by making the less or fort the church. 'He
calls it *' murus ecclesia ;" probably he was ignorant of the meaning of the Irish
words. He calls the oratory "argyrotheca sen vasarium," p. 164. The word
less, a fort, now written Uos, still remains in such names as Lismore, Lis bowel,
&c.

2 I

354

Life of St.

Patrick

at a spot from which a fine view of the hill upon which the
cathedral now stands can be obtained.6

Thus was the church of Armagh founded ; and, truly,
if it had not been founded upon the Eock of Truth, no
human power could have preserved the One Faith
therein to the present day.
There are only two theories by which Protestant
antiquarians can account for the mention of those
doctrines and practices which they consider innovations,
in works of such high antiquity as the Tripartite Life
of our saint. They either boldly assert that these statements are absolutely false, or they suppose that they
were interpolated at a later period. A remarkable
instance of how this kind of reasoning leads the most
learned men to palpable self-contradiction is before us
now. We have just given a long quotation from Dr.
Todd, in which he argues strongly the authenticity and
antiquity of the Tripartite. He brings forward weighty
and convincing reasons to support his opinion. We
turn a page, and. find all this argument overthrown, with
utter unconsciousness of the inconsistency of the proceeding ; and what is recorded " immediately after the
foundation of Armagh" is stigmatized as utterly unworthy of any attention, simply because it contains an
account of St. Patrick's having been taken to Eome
miraculously, and of his having obtained some relics
there.
6

Obtained.—Todd's " Memoir of St. Patrick," p. 479.

He is Carried by Angels to Rome.

355

The oldest Eecord of the Lives of the Saints has been
objected to, on precisely the same ground, by modern
infidelity. The infidel is willing to admit—indeed, he
can hardly deny—that the narrative of the New Testament is true, so far as it is a record of the existence of
certain persons ; but when he reads therein of miracles
or cures worked by relics, he at once, with the most
unconscious inconsistency, denies what he had admitted.
In fact, he is willing to believe what agrees with his
own opinions of what the saints ought to have done ;
but when he finds something recorded which, in his
opinion, they ought not, or could not have done, he
refuses to accept the narrative. Now this is not the
way to conduct historical investigations..
The Tripartite Life relates, immediately after the
account of the division of theferta, that an angel came
to S t Patrick in Armagh, and told him that the relics
of the apostles were being distributed in Eome on that
clay, and then he bore him away through the air. Dr.
Todd has very justly estimated the preceding passage
very highly on account of the great antiquity of the
description. "We can give a description still older, and
of the authenticity of which there can be no question,
to prove that veneration of relics and supernatural locomotion were no superstitions of the men of Erinn and the
writers of the Lives of Patrick.
We read in the Life of St. Paul, as recorded in the
Acts of the Apostles, that handkerchiefs and aprons
were brought from his body to touch the sick, and that

356

Life of St.

Patrick

these relics effected not only the cure of diseases, but
also drove out evil spirits. What wonder, then, if St.
Patrick desired to obtain relics of the apostles from
Eome, and if an angel assisted him to do so % Is it
not in and by the power of the Lord of Angels alone
that all miracles are worked % I know that there are
some persons who admit, and who would indeed be
shocked and pained if they were accused of denying
the miracles of the apostles, and yet they will not
believe the miracles of St. Patrick. But what reason
can they give for this % Our Divine Lord expressly
declared that His disciples should do " greater things"
than He Himself had done, and this declaration was
not limited to the apostles. Ecclesiastical history amply
proves that miracles continued to be practised in the
Church from the days of the apostles to the present
hour. If the objection,be made that the apostles were
different from other men, and had spiritual powers
inherent to themselves, we at once reply that this was
what they themselves expressly denied. They were
simply saints, and God alone can know which of all
His saints may be the holiest.
Thus, we must admit that our great St. Patrick
had at least Scriptural authority for venerating relics
and desiring to possess them. The saints knew best
how to revere the saints, and how to estimate the powers
delegated to them, by the King of Saints. Let us not
condemn the Celtic writers of the Lives of Patrick,
Brig id, and Columkille, until we have read the Lives

All the Saints venerated Relics.

357

of St. Germanus of Auxerre, of St. Benedict of Suabiaco,
and of St. Antony of the Desert.
St. Germanus, one of the most celebrated prelates
of the age, had at least given St. Patrick the example
of preserving and venerating relics ;7 if we must blame
the one, let us also blame the other; and, in common
consistency, reject all ecclesiastical history as fabulous.
That portion of the Tripartite which refers to this
extraordinary event is so worded as to make it difficult
to understand whether the angel bore St. Patrick through
the air to Eome, or whether he only took him in this
supernatural manner as far as Aonach Maca. However this may have been, the writer states that he left
Sechnall in the episcopacy, with the men of Erinn,
until his return. When the saint arrived in Eome,
sleep fell upon the inhabitants, and St. Patrick brought
away a great quantity of relics. From this it would
appear as if the saint had been, indeed, borne through
the air at night to Rome, and that he had thus obtained
wxhat he so highly prized.8
7 Belies.—"After the death of St. Germanus, his relics were esteemed worth
all other riches, and each one endeavored, out of the little the saint had to
leave, to obtain something. Placidia (the empress) got the little box which
enclosed the relics of the apostles and martyrs, which Germanus wore at his
breast, and with which he had performed miracles. St. Peter Chrysologus
took for himself the monk's hood and his hair-cloth. The other bishops
divided the garments which remained."—"Life of St. German," p. 259, edited
by Dr. Newman. Truly, our saint could scarcely fail to be a great lover of
relics when he had been the disciple of St. Germanus.
8
Prized.—Those who are not familiar with the lives of the saints are
naturally very much amazed at this miraculous transit, and really credit
this and the other extraordinary incidents in the lives of the saints to the
invention of biographers anxious to glorify their master at the expense of

358

Life of St-. Patrick.

Indeed, if we accept this as the true account, it
explains some apparent contradictions which have
puzzled modern writers. The author of the Preface to
the Hymn of St. Sechnall in the Liber Breac, states
that St. Patrick sent him to Eome for relics, and that
" these are the relics which are now in Ardmacha, in
the shrine of Paul and Peter/' According to Jocelyn,
the angel who appeared to Patrick provided him with
four chariots, as if sent from heaven ("quasi coelitus
destinatos"), for his journey; this is also mentioned,
but not clearly, in the Tripartite. But Jocelyn makes
no mention of the appointment of Secundinus, neither
does the author of the Vita Tertia.
The Tripartite
states that the relics went back to Letha (Italy), and
the advice of the Abbot of Eome was to take better
care of them for the future.^ In the gloss of the
truth. Unless, as I have said "before, we are prepared to deny alt miracles,
we cannot refuse to* believe that he may have been thus* carried to Rome. In
the Life of Mary of Agreda a whole chapter is devoted to an account of her
"being carried in a similar manner from Agreda, in Spain, to America, where
she instructed a number of people, and distributed rosaries amongst them.
Some years after, when the province of Mexico was visited by Franciscan
fathers, they found a colony of Indians, who earnestly requested to be
baptized, and said that they had been instructed, some- time previomly, by a
lady who appeared and disappeared mysteriously. After some years, when
one of these missionaries returned to Spain, he found out that it was Mary of
Agreda who had converted them. " Vie de la Venerable Mere Marie de Jesus,"
Paris, 1857, pp. 113-126. I might multiply examples of this kind from the
lives of the saints. Even in our own century a similar fact is recorded of
Anne Catherine Emmerich, who died in 1824. Catholics will also remember
that the Church keeps a festival in honor of the removal of the Holy House of
Loretto.
9
Future,—It is quite clear that Colgan "doctored" the whole narrative.
Probably he could hardly credit the account of the Tripartite, and, instead of
translating it verbally into Latin in this part, as he had done most carefully
up to this chapter, he really makes a version of his own, which does not agree

A Chariot sent miraculously to St. Fiacc.

359

Felire or Martyrology of Aengus the Culdee, in the
Ledbhar Breac, there is a note in Latin and. Irish. It
runs thus : " Others say that it is at Ard Macha
these relics are,
and it was Sechnall that
brought them together into Ireland." It is possible that
the saint was taken to Eome miraculously the first time,
and brought back the relics, and that on the second
occasion he sent St. Sechnall to recover them.
While St. Patrick was absent from Armagh, at some
period which is not defined, Sechnall saw two chariot
horses with his people, and he said that they ought to
be given to Fiacc. The saint was informed of this on
his return, and ordered, the horses to be yoked to the
chariot, and to go to Fiacc, who was at Sletty. According to the account in the Book of Armagh, they
were guided by an angel. The account of St. SechnalFs
visit to Eome, in the Introduction to his Hymn in
praise of St. Patrick, occurs somewhat abruptly. It is
said that the saint intimated to him that his end was
near, and then he wrote the Hymn. The whole narrative
is so full of interest, and gives such an admirable picture of the practice and teaching of the early Irish
Church, that I give the extract in full. There are some
differences in the statements made as to the events which
preceded the composition of the H y m n ; but the following, which is from the Ledbhar Breac, agrees in the
with any account. He speaks of Patrick's having got the relics by a " pious
theft," and then adds that some say the Pope knew of it. Surely when Colgan
recorded miracles of raising from the dead, and others equally wonderful, he
might have recorded this also.

360

Life of St.

Patrick

main with the statement of the Tripartite, and can be
compared with it by the reader :—
" Yel hsec est causa [this is the cause or reason of composing the
hymn], i.e., from the attack that Sechnall made upon Patrick, viz
[when he said], ' Patrick is a good man, except in one thing,
viz., that he preaches almsgivings so little.' When Patrick heard
this, he went to Sechnall, and he was in great wrath. It was
when Sechnall had finished the Mass, except taking the Body of
Christ, that he heard that Patrick had arrived at the place, and
that he was in great wrath against Sechnall. Sechnall, therefore, leaves the oblation upon the altar, and prostrates himself to
Patrick. Patrick, however, drove the chariot over him, but God
raised the ground around him, hinc et inde, that he should not be
injured. i Why hast thou done so to me V said Sechnall. ' Who,
then, is the man,' said Patrick, ' who said that I did not preach,
almsgiving—I am the enemy of God's testament? But God, my
judge, knoweth that it is for charity that I preach it not, because
there shall come after me into this island children of life, and they
shall have need for its being exercised by all.' ' I did not know,'
said Sechnall, ' that it was not from laxity thou didst so.' Then
the angel said to Patrick : c All these shall be thine.' They made
peace then, Patrick and Sechnall. And as they were going round
the cemetery, they heard a choir of angels chanting a hymn at the
Offertory, in the church, and what they chanted was the hymn
whose beginning is—
' Sancti venite, Christi corpus,' etc.

So that, from that time to the present, that hymn is chanted in
Erinn when the Body of Christ is received.
" And Patrick, after this, sent Sechnall to Eome for portions of
the relics of Paul and Peter and other martyrs, in consequence of
the accusation he had made against him. And these are the relics
which are now in Ardmacha, in the shrine of Paul and Peter.

St. Sechnall9 s Hymn.

361

Now, when Sechnall had finished this, hymn, he went to show it
to Patrick; and when he had reached Patrick, he said to him :
* I have composed a hymn in honor of a certain child of life. I
wish that thou wouldst listen to it.' Patrick answered : ' I welcome
the praise of a man of the people of God.' But the beginning that
Sechnall gave to the hymn was, c Beata Christi custodit,' in order
that Patrick should not know in whose honor the hymn was made
until he had finished it. But when Sechnall repeated, i Maximus
namque in regno ccelorum,' Patrick moved from place to place, and
said: ' How can a man be greatest in the kingdom of heaven f
Sechnall said : ' Pro positivo est hie; or, it is because he excelled
great numbers of his own race.' ' The answer is good,' said
Patrick.
" When Sechnall had finished reciting the hymn, there came then
a man and a woman, having food with them, to Patrick, viz., cheese
and butter. Bera was the name of the man, and Bright the name
of the woman. Then Patrick said, i The house,' said h e , ' in which
this hymn is sung before dinner, there shall be no scarcity of food
in it.7 And the new house in which it is sung before occupation,
the watching of Patrick and of the saints of Ireland shall be there
about i t ; as the same was revealed to Colman Ela, and to others
with him; and as it was revealed to Coemhghin (Kevin) and his
monks, when he came out of the church on Sunday into the
refectory, and sang this hymn. And Patrick, with many fathers,
appeared to him, and he sang it three times. And then a certain
foolish one said: ' Why do we sing this hymn thus?'
And
Coemhghin said : ' That is not good,' said h e , ' for Patrick, with his
disciples, were visible to us so long as we were singing this hymn.'
" When the recitation of the hymn was concluded, Sechnall
said : 61 must have the reward for it,' said he. 6 Thou shalt have
it,' said Patrick; ' the number of days that are in a year, the same
number of souls of sinners shall go to heaven, for the making of
this hymn.' < I will not accept that,' said Sechnall, < for I think
that too little, and the praise is good.' < Thou shalt have, then,'

362

Life of St.

Patrick

said Patrick, 6 the number of the hairs that are on the casula of
thy cowl, the same number of sinners to go to heaven for the
hymn.' ' I will not accept it/ said Sechnall, ' for who is the
believer who would not take that number to heaven, although he
were not praised by myself, nor by anyone, as thou art T ' Thou
shalt have/ said Patrick, ' seven every Thursday, and twelve every
Saturday, to go to heaven, of the sinners of Erinn/ ' It is too
little,' said Sechnall. i Thou shalt have,' said Patrick, ' everyone
to go to heaven who sings it lying down and rising up.' ' I will
not accept that,' said Sechnall, ' for the hymn is long, and it is not
everyone that can commit it to- memory.' ' Its whole grace, then,'
said Patrick, i shall be upon the last three stanzas of it.' * Deo
gratias,1 said Sechnall.
" The angel promised the same thing to Patrick upon the Cruach,
viz., heaven to every one who shall sing the last three stanzas of
it at lying down and at rising up, as is (said by the poet) :—
" ' A hymn, which, if sung when alive,
"Will he a protecting Lorica unto all.' "x

The life of this great saint was at last drawing to its
close. Well, indeed, might he desire rest, and richly
did he merit it after the labors of a century, and a
life which, from his very childhood, had been one of
unceasing toil.
Once again, his angel Victor, the
blessed spirit who had summoned him more than a
hundred years ago to come and help the Irish, appears to
him with a special message from God, and still the obedient saint hears but to fulfil the divine command. He
wished to die at Armagh. He was setting out for that
place—for even the saints have their holy partialities;
he knew that the " time of his going to heaven was at
1

All.—Liber Hymnorum, pp. 30-33.

His Death is foretold by an Angel.

363

Land ;" but the angel told him to turn back to Saul,
for there should be the place of his resurrection.
Then the heavenly messenger informed him that his
power should continue in Armagh to future ages, " even
as if he were there alive himself f and how truly this
prophecy has been verified, facts to the present hour
bear ample testimony. Even those who have taught a
different creed from that of the saint have been unable to
continue their efforts, and in our own time have ceased
to be established, because their teaching, by the power of
the intercession of Patrick, has failed to supersede his.
Directions were also given to the saint concerning his
funeral; and he was told to give orders that his body
should be placed in a cart to which two young oxen
from the herds of Conall should be yoked, and these
being left to guide themselves, that he should be buried
wherever they stopped.
It is probable that St. Patrick died immediately after
his arrival in Saul, and that, like many saints, his illness
was but a gentle and quick severing of the earthly bonds
which had held his spirit captive from the land of his
love. We only know that he received the last sacraments of the Holy Catholic Church from the saintly
bishop, Tassach; 2 and then-for twelve days .all the
2

Tassach.—Tie was commemorated on the 13th of April, as
" T h e kingly bishop Tassach,
Who administered, on his arrival,
The Body of Christ, the truly powerful king,
And the Communion, to Patrick."

With regard to the four favors announced to St. Patrick by the angel, we
reserve a consideration of them for the present.

364

Life of St.

Patrick

clergy of Ireland who could be assembled watched
around him, with "hymns, and psalms, and canticles."
The music of the angels was heard, and a supernatural
light 3 illuminated the place. Nor was this manifestation
unusual in the lives of the saints ; for God has often
been pleased to manifest His approval of their devotedness by such exterior tokens. Even in our own day
and time, we have personal knowledge of instances in
which a light, not of earth or earthly, has been seen to
surround the dying, or has given warning to those many
hundred miles distant, of the departure of saintly souls.
And why, indeed, should we marvel at these things %
Do not our angels ever attend us, and are we not only
prevented from seeing the brightness which ever surrounds them by the darkness of earthly light %
After the death of the saint a dispute arose as to who
should possess his remains. The Hy-Mal and the people of Orion were the combatants in this holy dispute.
The former wished to carry the body to Armagh, the
latter wished to bury it at Down. The prophecy or
direction of the angel Victor was now fulfilled, for two
3
Light.—Dr. Todd, to whose adverse comments I am obliged to refer one©
more, has strongly condemned the accounts of this supernatural light ('' Memoir,"
p. 489). Dr. Lanigan has tried to explain it away ("Eccl. Hist." vol. i. p.
364). He has a very confused note at p. 366. When a person sets himself
to explain away a clear statement, or series of statements, he generally
involves himself in a series of contradictions. We read, in the Life of St.
Germanus, that the house where the head of St. Just, the child martyr
of Auxerre, was deposited, was filled with light, and it was so brilliant,
that St. Amator, who was saying matins, perceived it, and sent to inquire
the cause. Surely, if God thus honored the relics of a holy child for one
night, may we not easily believe that for twelve nights, or for a year, He
would thus honor our great apostle.

His Burial.

365

oxen were yoked to a chariot by the clergy, and sent
forth without human guidance, to see whither they
would go. They rested at Dun-da-leth-glaisse (Down),
on the spot now occupied by the cathedral, and here
the saint was buried.
The Hy-Nial, however, were
not satisfied ; they met the Ulidians at a place called
Collum-bovis in the Book of Armagh. Here the tide
rose, through the " power of God," and separated them.
A miracle now occurred which decided the dispute :
each party saw a bier carried by oxen, and each followed
what he saw, thinking that he had at last secured the
coveted treasure. Thus they separated without bloodshed, and what had seemed a reality disappeared
before their astonished gaze at last, so that they were
convinced it was a miraculous intervention to prevent
further dispute. From these circumstances it necessarily
followed that some doubt arose as to the site where the
saint was interred. But we shall have more to say on
this subject hereafter, when recording all the known
traditions of the various relics of our saint.
There are points of coincidence between the lives of
saints and the lives of those whom the world distinguishes as great men; but there are also many points
at which there is the widest divergence. The work of
the world's heroes is for time, and it ends with time :
the work of the saints, God's heroes, is for eternity, and
continues through time, even after they have ceased to
belong to it, and have entered upon the never-ending
future. The saints are as brave as the bravest heroes;

366

Life of St.

Patrick

and, in truth, many holy men have faced dangers from
which the most valiant of earthly warriors might shrink
without charge of cowardice. The saint, who, like our
blessed apostle, goes forth to evangelize a heathen
nation, encounters all the dangers of war without any
human means of defence. It is true that he is defended
by the God of Battles; but that God does not always
interfere to protect his person or to defend him from
suffering. On the contrary, He loves to see the valor of
a soul who knows no fear, because he has no thought of
self. Patrick invades Ireland to conquer it for the
Eternal King, and he succeeds ; but not without encountering the perils, the sufferings, and the privations
of a soldier. If a general is justly called brave when
he leads a gallant band of men to fight against an
opposing and more powerful force, surely the saint is
not less brave who comes single-handed to conquer a
nation. He knows not, as he sets out on his glorious
mission, whether that mission will succeed or fail. He
knows that many of God's bravest generals win their
victories when they lie cold in death, since torture and
martyrdom are often their portion.
But they have this advantage. The fame of the
greatest hero is but for time ; at best, he is forgotten in
a few centuries. God's heroes get little share of earthly
fame, but they are more than compensated, in eternity.
To love the temporal interest of our country, and to die
for it, is indeed a noble work; but to love its eternal
interest, and to give our lives for it, is still nobler.

His Work in Ireland.

367

When we teach our children the names of our country's
heroes, let us not forget to tell them first of the saints,
as the greatest heroes.
We estimate a man's work most fairly by the results.
If we thus estimate the work of the saints by results,
and, above all, if we estimate the work of St. Patrick by
results, what shall we say of it ? Words almost fail to
describe its magnitude and its importance. The country
for which he prayed, and which he evangelized, has remained more faithful to the Church than any other
nation upon earth ; and it also has been a nation of
heroes in the best and truest sense. France had her
Goddess of Eeason, Italy persecuted her Popes, Spain
overturned her altars, Germany revolted as a nation,
England chose a king for her spiritual head in preference
to the Vicegerent of the King of kings ; Ireland alone
remained faithful as a nation, and never, even for one
hour, denied the Faith taught to her by Patrick.
This is no flight of fancy, no boast of one's country—it
is simply an undeniable historical fact. And, under
God, to what can we attribute this, save to the prayers
of Patrick % The Irish race were confided to his keeping
until the Day of Doom, and well has he guarded his
charge. And, after centuries of persecution and suffering, the Irish nation are the teachers, throughout the
world, of the Catholic faith. In America, in Australia,
nay, even in England, we find the old Celtic names in
overwhelming majority when we read the catalogue of
bishops and priests who minister to these peoples;

368

Life of St.

Patrick

and we are told, by unquestionable authority, that it is
the pence and shillings of the poor exiled Celt which
have enabled these bishops and priests to erect some of
the most beautiful and costly temples, in which the
Faith is taught as it was taught by Patrick, and the
adorable Sacrifice is offered by the descendants of those
whom he taught to revere its awful mysteries.
Well may we claim Patrick as the hero of the Irish
Celt; and unite with the writer of the Tripartite, himself also a saint, who thus sums up our apostle's glories,
enhanced during the centuries which have passed since
these lines were penned :—
" His body is here in the earth, and though great his honor,
greater still will it be in the Day of Judgment, when the fruit of
his preaching will be committed to him as to each other high
apostle, with the apostles and disciples of Jesus, in the union of
the "nine choirs of angels, in the union of the Divinity and the
Humanity of the Son of God, in the unity which is nobler than
all unity—in the unity of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. I beseech mercy through the intercession of Patrick. We
ask that we may all ourselves obtain this union in scecula sceculorum.
Amen."

THE

TRI P ART ITE

LIFE

OF

SAINT

APOSTLE

TRANSLATED

FROM

OF

THE

PATRICK,

IRELAND.

ORIGINAL

BY

W. M. HENFESSY, ESQ.,

M.RI.A.

TRISH.

372

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

1

Patrick, then, was of the Britons of Alcluaid by origin. Calpurnn
was his father's name. He was a noble priest. Potid was his
grandfather's name, whose title was a deacon. Conceis was his
mother's name. She was of the Franks, and a sister to Martin.
In Nemtur, 2 moreover, the man St. Patrick was born; and the
flag (stone) on which St. Patrick was born would give forth water
when anyone swore a false oath upon it, as if it were lamenting the
false testimony. If the oath was true, however, the stone would
continue in its natural condition. 3
When the man St. Patrick was born, he was taken to the blind,
flat-faced man, to be baptized. Gornias 4 was the priest's name;
and he had no water out of which he could perform the baptism,
until he made the sign of the Gross over the ground with the
infant's hand, when a fountain of water burst forth. Gornias
washed his face, and his eyes were opened to him ; and he, who had
learned no letter, read the baptism. God wrought three miracles
through Patrick in this place, viz., the fountain of water through
the ground, his eyesight to the blind man, and his reading the ordo
of the baptism without knowing a letter up to that time. And
1
Patrick.—At the commencement of each of the three parts of the Tripartite Life, there are several pages of Latin, which form a sort of introduction to
the subject; these are omitted, having no connection with the Life. A few
lines from this introduction will be seen on the illustrated title page, which
represents St. Patrick blessing the Munstermen, and raising a dead man to
life.
2
Nemtur—himdentur (in Emtur), MS.—" Natus igitur in illo oppido Nemthur nomine Patricius natus est in Campo Taburne."— Vila Secunda, Colgan,
p. 4.—"Natus est igitur Patricius in illo oppido Nemthur nomine."—Vita
Tertia, p. 6. See pp. 84-89, ante. In the Annals of Ireland [Three Fragments, edited by 0'Donovan], copied from ancient sources by D. MacFirbis,
there is a note at p. 192 as follows :—Ailech Cluathe signifying Dumbarton
—Entry in Annals of Ulster, A.D. 870: "Obsessio Ailec Cluathe a Nordmannis, i.e. Amlaiph et Imhar duo reges Nordmannorum obsederunt arcem
ilium & distruxerunt in fine iiii. mensium arcem ilium et predaverunt." Also
Annates Gambrix, A.D. 870 : " Arx Altclut a gentilibus fracta est." Brut y
Tywysogisn, A.D. 870: " Ac y torret Kaer Alclut y gan y Paganyeit"—" and
Caer Alclut was demolished by the Pagans."
3
Condition.—See ante, p. 107.
4
Gornias.—See ante, p. 104.

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick

373

Patrick was subsequently baptized. A church was founded,
moreover, over this well in which Patrick was baptized; and the
well is at the altar, and it has the form of the Cross, as the learned
report.
JNutritus est igitur in Nemthur ille puer crescens in bonis operibus
et in virtutibus quas egit Deus per ilium, namque puerita gratia
Dei preditus erat antequam inter bonum et malum nosset discernere,
et viam veritatis posset indagare, sicut ipse in libro epistolarum
dicit, inquiens et misertus est adolescentiae ignorantia) meae, et
custodivit me antequam scirem earn (sic), et antequam distinguerem
inter bonum et malum, et munivit me et consolatus est mei (sic)
ut pater filium.
Many prodigies and miracles were wrought through Patrick in
his youth, but we shall only relate a few out of many of them.
One time Patrick was in his nurse's house, in winter time, when a
great flood and rain filled his nurse's residence, so that the vessels
and furniture of the house were floating about, s and the fire was
extinguished. Patrick, then, cried to his nurse, as usual with
children when desiring food. Then his nurse said to him : " That
is not what troubles u s ; there is something else we would rather
do than to prepare food for thee; even the fire is extinguished."
When Patrick heard these words, truly, he sought a certain spot in
the house to which the water had not reached; and he dipped his
hand in the water, and five drops fell from Patrick's fingers, and
they were suddenly changed into five sparks, and the fire glowed,
and the water rose not. The names of God and of Patrick were
magnified thereby. Another time, as Patrick was playing amongst
his companions, in the time of winter and cold in particular, he
collected his armful of pieces of ice, which he brought home to his
nurse. Then his nurse said : " It would be better for you to bring
us withered brambles, to warm ourselves with, than what you
have brought." Thereupon he said to his nurse : " Believe thou,
because God is powerful thereto, that even the sheets of ice will
burn like faggots •" and no sooner were the pieces of ice placed on

374

Tripartite

Life of St

Patrick

the fire, and he had breathed on them, than they burned like
faggots. The names of God and Patrick were magnified through
this miracle.
One time, when Patrick and his sister {i.e. Lupait) 5 were herding
sheep, the lambs came suddenly to their dams, as is customary
with them, to drink milk. When Patrick and his sister saw this,
they ran quickly to prevent them. The girl fell, and her head
struck against a stone, so that death was nigh unto her. As soon as
Patrick perceived that his sister was lying down, and that death
was nigh unto her, he wept loudly; and he raised her up immediately, and made the sign of the cross over the wound, and it
healed without any illness. (Nevertheless, the signs of the " white
wound" would appear there.)
And they came home as if no evil
had happened to them. Another time, Patrick was with the sheep,
when a wolf took away a sheep from him. His nurse reproved
him greatly therefor. The wolf brought the sheep whole to the
same place on the morrow : and the restoration in this way was
wonderful, viz., the wolf's dislike regarding the habitual food.
When Patrick's nurse, therefore, saw him magnified by God in
prodigies and miracles, she used to love him very much, and would
not wish to go anywhere without him. One time, his nurse went to
milk the cow. He went with her to get a drink of new milk. The
cow [became mad] 6 in the booley, and killed five other cows. The
nurse was much grieved, and asked him to resuscitate the cows.
He resuscitated the cows, then, so that they were quite well, and
he cured the mad cow; and the names of God and Patrick were
magnified through this miracle.
There was a great assembly held by the Britons. He went to
the assembly, with his nurse and his guardian. It happened that
his guardian died in the assembly. All were hushed into silence
thereat; and his relatives cried, and his friends wept, and they
said, " Why, thou gilla, didst thou let the man who was carry6
6

Lupait—See anie, p. 113, for curious and interesting identifications.
Became mad.—Defect in MS. A gloss adds that " a demon entered into her."

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

375

ing thee die?" As regards the gilla, moreover, he ran to his
guardian, and placed his hands about his neck, and said to him,
"Arise, and let us go home." He arose, forthwith, at Patrick's
word, and they went home safe afterwards.
The boys of the place in which Patrick was nursed were wont to
bring honey to their mothers from the bees' nests. Then his nurse
said to Patrick, " Although every other boy brings honey to his
nurse, you bring none to me." Patrick afterwards carried off a
bucket to the water, and filled it, and blessed the water, so that it
changed into honey; and it healed every disease and ailment to
which it was applied.
One time the King of Britain's steward went to command Patrick
and his nurse to go and clean the hearth of the royal house in
Al-Cluaid. Patrick and his nurse went. Then it was that the
angel came, and said to Patrick, " Pray, and it will not be necessary
for you to perform that work." Patrick prayed. The angel
afterwards cleaned the hearth. Then Patrick said, " Though all the
firewood in Britain were burned in that fireplace, there would be
no ashes of it on the morrow." And this, indeed, is fulfilled yet.
Another time the King of Britain's steward went to demand tribute
of curds and butter from Patrick's nurse; and she had nothing
that she would give for the rent. Then it was that Patrick made
curds and butter of the snow, and they were taken to the king;
and the moment they were exhibited to the king, afterwards, they
changed into the nature of snow again. The king thereupon
forgave the rent to Patrick for ever.
The cause7 of Patrick's coming to Erinn was as follows :—The
seven sons of Fechtmad, viz., the seven sons of the King of Britain,
were on a naval expedition, and they went to plunder in ArmoricLetha; and a number of the Britons of Srath-Cluaidh were on a
visit with their kinsmen, the Britons of Armoric-Letha, and
Oalpurn, son of Potit, Patrick's father, and his mother, i.e. Conches,
daughter of Ocbas of the Galls, i.e. of the Franks, were killed in the
f Cause.—See extract from the Scholiast on Fiacc's Hymn, ante, p. 85.

376

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

slaughter in Armorica. Patrick and his two sisters, viz., Lupait and
Tigris, were taken prisoners, moreover, in that slaughter. The seven
sons of Fechtmad went afterwards on the sea, having with them
Patrick and his two sisters in captivity. The way they went was
around Erinn, northwards, until they landed in the north; and they
sold Patrick to Miliuc, son of Buan, i.e. to the king of Dal-Araidhe.
They sold his sisters in Conaille-Muirthemhne.8 And they did not
know this.9 Four persons, truly, that purchased him. One of them
was Miliuc. It was from this that he received the name that is
Cothraige,1 for the reason that he served four families. He had,
indeed, four names
[Here a leaf is missing from both the Bodleian and British
Museum MSS. of the Tripartite Life; the contents of which would
fill eight pages of similar size to the foregoing.]
When Patrick had completed his sixtieth year, and had learned
knowledge, his auxiliary angel, Victor (for he was of assistance to
him when he [Patrick] was in bondage with Miliuc, and regarding
everything besides which he might wish), went to him, and said
to him, " You are commanded from God to go to Erinn, to
strengthen faith and belief, that you may bring the people, by the net
of the gospel, to the harbor of life; for all the men of Erinn call
out your name, and they think it seasonable and fit that you
should come." Patrick afterwards bids farewell to Germanus, and
gave him a blessing; and a trusted senior went with him from
Germanus, to guard him, and testify for him; his name was
Segetins, and he was by grade a priest; and he it was who usually
kept the Ordo of the church besides Germanus.2
Patrick went subsequently on the sea, his company being nine.
Then he went upon an island, where he saw a withered old woman
on her hands at the door of a house. a Whence is the hag T
8

Conaille-Mairthemhne.—The level part of the present county of Louth.
This.—Patrick and his sisters did not know their mutual fate.
1
Cothraige.—See, on the meaning of this name, Dr. Todd's paper in the
"Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," vol. vi. p. 292.
2
Germanus.—Ante, p. 156.
9

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick

377

asked Patrick; " great is her infirmity." A young man answered,
and said, " She is a descendant of mine," said the young m a n ; " if
you could see the mother of this girl, 0 cleric, she is more infirm
still." " In what way did this happen?' inquired Patrick. " N o t
difficult to tell," said the young man. " We are here since the time of
Christ. He came to visit us when He was on earth amongst men ;
and we made a feast for him, and He blessed our house, and
blessed ourselves; but this blessing reached not our children; and
we shall be here without age or decay for ever. And it is long
since thy coming was foretold to us," said the young man ; " and
God 'left it with u s ' [i.e. prophesied to us] that thou wouldst
come to preach to the Gaeidhel; and He left a token with us, i.e.
His bachall (crozier), to be given to thee." " I will not take it,"
said Patrick, " until He himself gives me His bachall"3 Patrick
remained three days and three nights with t h e m ; and he went
afterwards into Sliabh-Hermoin, near the island, where the Lord
appeared unto him, and commanded him to go and preach to the
Gaeidhel; and He gave him the Bachall-Isa,4 and said that it
would be of assistance to him in every danger, and every difficulty in
which he would be. And Patrick besought three requests of Him,
viz.; (1) to be at His right hand in the kingdom of heaven; (2)
that he (Patrick) might be the judge of the Gaeidhel on the Day of
Judgment \ and (3) as much as the nine companions could carry of
gold an 1 silver, to give to the Gaeidhel for believing.
The Airchinnech that was in Eome at that time was Celestinus,
the forty-second man from Peter. He sent Palladius, a high
deacon, with twelve men, to instruct the Gaeidhel (for to the
comarb of Peter belongs the instruction of Europe), in the same
way as Barnabas went from Peter to instruct the Eomans, &e.
When Palladius arrived in the territory of Leinster, i.e. at InbherDea, 5 Nathi, son of Garchu, opposed him, and expelled him. And
3

BacJiall.—See ante, p. 189. All the details which can be discovered
about this interesting relic will be given later.
4
Isa.—See the account of this in O'Curry's Lectures.
5
Inbher-Dea.—The mouth of the Yartry river, county Wicklow.

378

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

Palladius baptized a few there, and founded three churches, viz.,
Cill-fine (in which he left his books, and the casket with the relics
of Paul and Peter, and the tablet in which he used to write),
and Tech-na-Koman, and Domhnach-Airte, in which Silvester and
Solonius are. On turning back, afterwards, sickness seized him in
the country of the Cruithne, and he died of it.
When Patrick heard this thing, and knew that it was for him
God designed the apostleship of Erinn, he went subsequently to
Kome, to receive grade ; and it was Celestinus, Abbot of Eome, 6
who read grada (orders, degrees) over h i m ; Germanus, and Amatho,
King of the Eomans, being present with them.
When Patrick came from Eome, where he arrived was at InbherDea, 7 in Leinster. Nathi, son of Garchu, came also against him.
Patrick cursed him. Sinell, moreover, the son of Finnchadh, was
the first who believed in Erinn through Patrick's teaching. Hence
it was that Patrick blessed him and his seed. On the same day,
Auxilius and Eserninus, and others of Patrick's people, were ordained \ and it was then, also, that the name Patricius, i.e. a name
of power with the Eomans, was given to him; i.e. a hostageliberating man. It was he, moreover, who loosened the hostage
ship and bondage of the Gaeidhel to the devil. ; And when they
were reading the grada (orders, degrees), the three choirs responded,
viz., the choir of the men of heaven, and the choir of the Eomans,
and the choir of the children from the woods of Fochlud, all
whom cried out, " Hibernienses omnes," &c. In illis diebus autem
gesta sunt in predictis ita. In that time there was a fierce pagan
king in Erinn, i.e. Laeghaire Mac Neill,8 and his seat and royal hold
was in Tara. In the fifth year of the reign of Laeghaire Mac Neill
Patrick came to Erinn. The eighth year of the reign of Lughaidh
he died. The eighth year of the reign of Theodosius, the forty6
Borne.— See "pp. 203-207, for full evidence of St. Patrick's Roman
mission.
7
Tnbher-Dea.—For identification, see p. 225.
8
Laeghaire Mac 2Feitt. — ~H.e was son of Mall of the Nine Hostages, and
monarch of Ireland from 428 to 463 A.D.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

379

fifth man from Augustus, Patrick came ; eight years Celestine was
then prince, as Gelasius said.
This valiant king, then, i.e. Laeghaire Mac Neill, possessed druids
and enchanters, who used to foretell through their druidism, and
through their paganism, what was in the future for them. Lochru
and Luchat Mael9 were their chiefs; and these two were authors
of that art of pseudo-prophecy. They prophesied, then, that a
mighty, unprecedented prophet would come across the sea, with
an unknown code of instruction, with a few companions,
whom multitudes would obey, and who would obtain dignity
and reverence from the men of Erinn; and that he would expel
kings and princes from their governments, and would destroy all
the idolatrous images; and that the faith which would arrive would
live for ever in Erinn. Two years, or three, before the arrival of
Patrick, what they used to prophesy was [as follows]:—
' ' A Tailcmd {i. e. Patrick) shall come across the stormy sea,
His garment head-pierced, his staff1 head-bent,
His mias (i. e. altar) in the east of his house ;
His people all shall answer, amen, amen."

Baile-Cuinn (the Ecstasy of Conn, a rhapsody so called) dixit:
" A Tailcmd shall come, who will found cemeteries, make cells new,
and pointed music-houses, with conical caps [bencopar]; and have
princes bearing croziers.2" " When these signs shall come," said
9

Mael.—Luchat Calvus.
Staff.—Glossed, "i.e. the Bachall-Isa (staff of Jesus) in his hand."
Croziers.—"Conn's name is connected with two distinct prophecies ; one
delivered by himself, and entitled the Baile Chuinn, or Conn's Ecstasy; the
other delivered to him, and entitled the Baile an Scail, or the champion's
Ecstasy. The word Bail6, which means madness, distraction, or ecstasy, is
the ancient Gaedhelic name for a prophecy.
" Of these two * prophecies,' nothing seems to have been known to Gaedhelic
scholars and historians, for some centuries back, more than the quotation from
the Baile Chuinn found in the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, as published by
Father John Colgan, in his Trias Thaumaturgas, in the year 1647 (a quotation
which was reprinted by Dr. Petrie, in his * History and Antiquities of Tara,'
published in 1839, in the eighteenth volume of the 'Transactions of the
Royal Irish Academy'). Even at the time that Dr. Petrie wrote his important
1

2

380

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

they, " our adoration and our gentility (paganism) will vanish,
and faith and belief will be magnified." As it was foretold then,
and represented, so it happened and was fulfilled.
When Patrick completed his voyage, and his ship entered the
essay on Tara, the serious examination of our ancient G-aedhelic manuscripts was
but in its infancy; and when this Baile" Chuinn was discovered in the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, it was not known who Conn, the author of it, was, nor
at what time he flourished, nor whether it contained any more than what is
there quoted; it was only believed that he must have been some ancient
druid. Neither could the most minute research among our extensive collection
of manuscripts in Dublin throw any light on his history. However, on my
visit to London in the summer of 1849, I had the good fortune to discover an
ancient copy of the entire prophecy, of which an extract only is quoted in the
Tripartite Life.
" The piece is a short one, filling but one column of a small folio page. It is
entitled * Baile Chuinn Ched-Chataigh/ that is, 'the Ecstasy (or Prophecy)
of Conn of the Hundred Battles.' The manuscript is written on vellum, and
was compiled or transcribed in Burren, in my native country of Clare, by
Donnell O'Davoren, about the year 1590. I t will be found in the British
Museum, classed ' Egerton, 88.' The transcript appears to have been made
from some ancient, decayed manuscript, and with some carelessness, many
words being carelessly spelled or contracted. The style of the composition is
affectedly irregular and obscure, and cannot be taken as evidence of the
remote antiquity to which it is referred. It will appear, from what follows,
that the piece professes to have been originally written forty nights before
Conn's death. The 'prophecy,' which is written in prose, has reference to
the succession of the kings of Tara; and Conn commences with his own son,
Art, of whom he disposes in the following few words : ' Art will succeed
at the end of forty nights, a powerful champion, who shall die at Mucruimhe.' The prophecy then runs rapidly down to Mac Con, the successor
of A r t ; Cormac, the son of Art, and successor of Mac Con; CairbrS, the
son of Cormac, killed at the battle of Gabhra; Fiacha-Sraibhtin6, the son
of Cairbre; Muiredhach, the son of Fiacha; and, passing over Eochaidh
Muighmheadhoin, the son of Muiredhach, it comes down to his son again,
Niall of the Nine Hostages, and then to Laeghair6, the son of Niall, who was
monarch when St. Patrick arrived. Here the prophet foretells the coming of
our great apostle, in words which stand as follows, with their ancient explanations ; ' With Laeghaire the violent will the land be humbled by the
coming of the Tailcenn, that is, Patrick ; houses across, that is, churches; bent
staffs, which will pluck the flowers from high places.' A somewhat different
and better version of this prediction is given in the Ancient Tripartite Life of
St. Patrick, where it is quoted, without gloss, from the Baile" Chuinn.
" T h e word Tailcenn (or Tailgenn), which occurs here and in various places
in our ancient writings, means the reverend person—to whom all men would
bow the head in reverence. For the precise meaning of every word in this

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

381

harbor at Inbher-Dea, 3 in the territory of Leinster, he brought
his ships to the shore. Then it was that- he decided to go to
instruct Miliuc. He thought fit, as he labored at first for
his body, that he should labor for his soul. He then put stick
to shore,4 and proceeded on a prosperous voyage, past the coast
of Erinn, eastwards, until he stopped in Inbher-Domnand. 5 He
found no fish there, and cursed it. He went to Inis-Patrick; and
he sent to Inbher-Nainge, 6 where nothing was found for him. He
cursed this also, and both are unfruitful. Then it was that Benen
came into his company. Soon after Patrick slept awhile, and
all the odoriferous flowers that the youth could find, he would
put them into the cleric's bosom. Patrick's people said to Benen,
" Stop doing that, lest thou shouldst awake Patrick." Patrick said,
" He will be the heir of my kingdom." He went to Inbher-Boindi, 7
where he found fish. He blessed it, and the Inbher is fruitful. He
found druids in that place, who denied the virginity of Mary.
Patrick blessed the ground, and it swallowed the druids. Patrick
went afterwards from Inis-Patrick, past Conaille,8 and past the
ancient strain, I have succeeded in procuring from ancient manuscripts the
most undoubted authority ; and this is rather remarkable, since the version of
it given by Father John Colgan, in his Latin translation of the Tripartite Life,
is inaccurate and incongruous. It runs as follows: 'Adveniet cum circulo
tonsus in capite, cujus sedes ad instar sedium Romanarum efficiet quod cellse
futures sint in pretio et sestimatione. iEdes ejus erunt angustse et angulatae-et
fana mueta pedum pastorale domnabetur.'"—O'Curry, u Manuscript Materials."
3
Inbher-Dea.—The mouth of the Vartry river, near Wicklow, in the territory of Ui-Garchon, which contained Glenealy and J Rathnew.— "Four
Masters," A.D. 430, 431, and 835 ; also Todd's " S t . Patrick," n. p. 338.
4
Shore.—i.e. pushed off his boat.
5
Inhber-Domnand.—Dr. Todd ("Life of St. Patrick," note 5, p. 405),
writes, this is now Malahide river, on the authority of Dr. Peeves' " Adamnan,"
p. 31, who says it is now disguised in Muldowney.
6
Inbher-Nainge, now the mouth of the Nanny river, which, running past
Duleek, county Meath, empties itself into the Irish sea, at the parish of Julianstown, called otherwise the parish of Nanny in Usher's "Return of Meath,"
1622.
7
Boindi.—Mouth of the Boyne.
8
Conaille-Muirthemhne.—A territory comprising that part of the county
Louth extending from the Cuailgne (Cooly) mountains to the Boyne.—" Book
of Rights," pp.21 and 166.

382

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

coast of Ulster, until he stopped at Inbher-Brena.9 He went
afterwards to Inbher-Slani, where the clerics hid their ships; and
they went ashore to put off their fatigue, and to rest; so that there
it was the swine-herd of Dichu, son of Trichim, found them, where
Sabhall-Patrick is to-day. When he saw the divines and the
clerics, he thought they were robbers or thieves; and he went to
tell his lord; whereupon Dichu came, and set his dog at the clerics.
Then it was that Patrick uttered the prophetic verse, " Ne tradas
bestis, &c, et canis obmutuit." When Dichu saw Patrick, he
became gentle, and he believed, and Patrick baptized him ; so that
he was the first in Ulster who received faith and baptism from
Patrick. Then it was that Dichu presented the Sabhall1 to
Patrick Patrick said :—
" The blessing of God on Dichu,
Who gave to me the Sabhall;
May he be, hereafter,
Heavenly, joyous, glorious.
" The blessing of God on Dichu2—
Dichu with full folds (flocks) ;
No one of his sept or kindred
Shall die, except after a long life."

Patrick went to preach to Miliuc, as we have said, and took
gold with him, to prevail on him to believe, for he knew that he
9
Inbher-Brena.—The mouth of Strangford river. Inbher-Slani was about
six miles distant, inside Strangford Lough, being the mouth of the Slaney
water, which rises in Loughmoney, and passes through Raholp, emptying
itself into Strangford Lough, between Eingbane and Ballintogher.
1
Sabelium.—Saul, county Down.
2
Dichu.—He was son of Trichim, of the race of Fiatach Finn, monarch
of Ireland, and brother of Eochaidh Gunait, who was also monarch of Ireland.
His festival was held at Saul, on the 29th November, The Irish Calendars
record six brothers of Dichu; Laeghaire, of Dun ; Ailill, of Magh-bile, now
Mo villa; Duirthect, of Aendruim, now Island Magee ; Eoghan and Niall,
both of Oillcleithe, now Kilclief; and Ros (who met St. Patrick at Brettan,
or Bright), of Dundaleithglass, now Downpatrick—all churches in the county
Down. St. Jarlath, third bishop of Armagh, to which he was appointed by
St. Patrick himself, and who died, A.D. 481, was son of Trien, brother of
Trichim, and therefore cousin of St. Dichu.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

383

(Miliuc) was covetous regarding gold. But when Miliuc heard that
Patrick had arrived, he wished not to believe for him, and to
abandon the pagan religion. He thought it unbecoming to believe
for his servant, and to submit to him. The counsel that a demon
taught him was this: He went into his royal house, 3 with his gold
and silver; and he set the house on fire, and was burned with all
his treasures, and his soul went to hell. Then it was that Patrick
proceeded past the northern side of Sliabh-Mis (there is a cross in
that place), and he saw the fire afar oif. He remained silent for the
space of two or three hours, thinking what it could be, and he said,
" That is the fire of Miliuc's house," said Patrick, "after his burning
himself in the middle of his house, that he might not believe in
God in the end of his life. As regards the man who persuaded him
thereto," added he, " there shall not be a king or righdamhna 4 of
his family, and his seed and race shall be ' in service' for ever, and
his soul shall not return from hell to the judgment, nor after judgment." After he had said these words, he turned deisel (right-handwise) and went back again into the territory of Uladh, 5 until he
arrived atMagh-inis, to Dichu, son of Trichim, and he remained
there a long time disseminating faith, so that he brought all the
Ulidians with the net of the gospel to the harbor of life.
Patrick went subsequently from Sabhall southwards, that he
might preach to Eos, son of Trichim. He it was that resided in
Derlus, 6 to the south of Dun-leth-glaise (Downpatrick). There is
3
Royal house.—In the townland of Killycarn, parish of Sherry, barony of
lower Antrim and county Antrim (ordnance sheets, ISFos. 28 and 29), is a large
rath, under which are some beehived erections constructed in cyclopean
manner. This is said to have been one of the residences of Miliuc. But
there is no cross standing there at present.
4
Righdamhna. —The elected successor to the king.
6
Uladh.—The eastern part of Down.
6
Derlus.—Derlus and Mreachtain were ancient names of Bright, where the
Anglo-Normans built a castle, part of which is still standing. It was formerly
bishop's land, and in 1640-1 proceedings were taken by Bishop Leslie to recover
it from the Earl of Kildare. An account of the proceedings will be found in
the Journal of the Irish House of Commons. The church of Brich is mentioned
in the taxation of Down and Connor.—See Reeves' "Down and Connor," p. 35.

384

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

a small city (cathair, i.e. civitas, but also meaning a bishop's see)
there this day, i.e. Brettain, ubi est Episcopus Loarn qui ausus
est increpare Patricium tenentem manum pueri ludentis justa Ecclesiam suam. As Patrick was then on his way, he saw a tender
youth herding pigs. Mochae his name. Patrick preached to him,
and baptized him, and cut his hair, and gave him a copy of the
gospels, and a reliquary. And he gave him also, another time, a
bachall which had been given them from God, viz., its head into
Patrick's bosom, and its end in Mochae's bosom; and this is the
Detech-Mochae of Noendruim ;7 and Mocha promised Patrick a
shorn pig every year. And this, indeed, is still given.
When the solemnity of Easter approached, Patrick considered
that there was no place more suitable to celebrate the high solemnity of the year, i.e. the Easter, than in Magh-Bregh, 8 the place
where the head of the idolatry and druidism of Erinn was, viz., in
Temhair. They afterwards bade farewell to Dichu, son of Trichim,
and put their vessels on the sea; and they proceed ed until they
anchored in Inbher-Oolptha. They left their vessels in the Inbher,
and went by land until they reached Ferta-fer-f6c,9 and Patrick's
tent was fixed in this place, and he cut the Easter fire. It
happened, however, that this was the time in which the great
festival of the Gentiles, i.e. the Fes of Tar a, was usually celebrated.
The kings, and princes, and chieftains, were wont to come to
Laeghaire MacNeill to Tara, to celebrate this festival. The druids
and the magicians were also wont to come to prophesy to them.
The fire of every hearth in Erinn was usually extinguished on that
night, and it was commanded by the king that no fire should be
lighted in Erinn before the fire of Tara, and neither gold nor silver
7 Mochae of Noendrinm.—See ante, p. 239, for note on Mochae, and similar
incident in the life of St. Agnes of Monte Pulciano.
8
Magh-Bregh.—See ante, p. 243, n., and the same for Inbher Colptha.
9
Ferta-fer-fec.—The present Slane. See note, p. 243, ante, and a veryinteresting chapter in " T h e Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modern," by the
Kev. A. Cogan, vol. i. p. 58. It is to be wished that the clergy in other dioceses
would follow the excellent example of this learned priest, and give us
histories of their districts.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

385

would be accepted from any one who would light it, but he should
suffer death for it. Patrick knew not this thing; and if he knew
it, it would not prevent him.
As the people of Tara were thus, they saw the consecrated
Easter fire at a distance, which Patrick had lighted. It illuminated
all Magh-Bregh. Then the king said, " That is a violation of my
prohibition and law ; and do you ascertain who did it." " We see
the fire," said the druids, " and we know the night in which it
is made. If it is not extinguished before morning," added they,
"it will never be extinguished. The man who lighted it will
surpass the kings and princes, unless he is prevented." When the
king heard this thing, he was much infuriated. Then the king said,
" That is not how it shall be; but we will go," said he, " until we
slay the man who lighted the fire." His chariot and horses were
yoked for the king, and they went, in the end of the night, to Fertafer-f6c. " You must take care," said the druids, " that you go not
to the place where the fire was made, lest you worship the man
who lighted it; but stay outside, and let him be called out to you,
that he may know you to be a king, and himself a subject; and we
will argue in your presence." " It is good counsel," said the king;
" it shall be done as you say." They proceeded afterwards, until
they unyoked their horses and chariots in front of the Ferta.
Patrick was " whispered " out to them; and it was commanded by
them that no one should rise up before him, lest he should believe
in him. Patrick rose and went out; and when he saw the chariots
and horses unyoked, he sang the prophetic stanza :—
" Hi in curribus et hi in eorus (equis),
Nos autem, in nomine Domini Dei nostri ma." 1

They were then before him, and the rims of their shields against their
chins ; and none of them rose up before him, except one man alone,
in whom was a figure from God, i.e. Ere, son of Dega. He is the
Bishop Ere who is [commemorated] in Slaine of Magh-Bregh to1

Ma.—Oolgan has invocabimus.

2 L

386

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

day. Patrick blessed him, and he believed in God, and confessed
the Catholic faith, and was baptized ; and Patrick said to him,
"Your seat (cathair, chair or city) on earth shall be noble," and
Patrick's (comarb) successor is bound to bend the knee before his
comarb in consideration of his submission.2
Each then questioned the other—viz., Patrick and Laeghaire.
Lochru went fiercely, enviously, with contention and questions,
against Patrick; and then he began to denounce the Trinity and the
Catholic faith. Patrick looked severely at him, and cried out to
God with a loud voice, and he said : " Domine qui omnia potes et
in tua potestate consistit quidquid est, quique nos misisti hue ad
nomen tuum gentibus prsedicandum hie impius qui blasphemat
nomen tuum, elevatur nunc foras, et cito moriatur. Et his dictis
elevatus est magus in aera et iterum desuper cito dejectus sparso ad
lapidem cerebro comminutus et mortus fuerat coram eis."3 The
pagans became afraid at this. But the king was much infuriated
against Patrick, and he determined to kill him. He told his people
to slay the cleric. When Patrick observed this thing, the rising
up against him of the pagans, he cried out with a loud voice, and
said : " Et exurget Deus et dissipentur inimici ejus, et fugiant qui
oderunt eum a facie ejus, sicut defecit fumus deficit sic deficiant
sicut fluit caera a facie ignis : sic pereint peccatorus facie Domini." Immediately darkness went over the sun, and great
shaking and trembling of the earth occurred. They thought it
was heaven that fell upon the e a r t h ; and the horses started
off, frightened, and the wind blew the chariots across the plains,
and all rose against each other in the assembly; and they were
all attacking each other, so that fifty men of them fell in this
commotion through Patrick's malediction. The Gentiles fled in all
directions, so that only three remained, viz., Laeghaire, and his
queen, and a man of his people : et timuerunt valde, veniensque
2

Submission.—See antet p. 243, for identification of Magh-Bregli, and
pp. 253-255, for further details of St. Patrick's visits.
3
See Colgan, p. 126.

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

387

regina ad Patricium (i.e. Angass, daughter of Tassagh, son of
Liathan), dixit, "Ei homo juste et potens ne perdas regem. The king
will go to thee, and will submit to thee, and will kneel, and will
believe in God." Laeghaire went then and knelt before Patrick,
and gave him a "false peace."* Not long after this the king
beckoned Patrick aside, and what he meditated was to kill
him ; but this happened not, because God had manifested this
intention to Patrick. Laeghaire said to Patrick, " Come after
me, 0 cleric, to Tara, that I may believe in thee before the
men of Erinn;" and he then placed men in ambush before
Patrick in every pass from Ferta-fer-f6c to Tara, that they might
kill him. But God did not permit it. Patrick went, accompanied by eight young clerics (maccleirech), and Benen as a gilla
along with them; and Patrick blessed them before going, and a
dicheltair5 (garment of invisibility) went over them, so that not one
of them was seen. The Gentiles who were in the ambuscades,
however, saw eight wild deer going past them along the mountain,
and a young fawn after them, and a pouch on his shoulder, viz.,
Patrick, and his eight [clerics], and Benen after them, and his
(Patrick's) jpolaire (satchel, or epistolary) on his back.
Laeghaire went afterwards, about twilight, to Tara, in sorrow and
shame, with the few persons who escaped in his company. On
the day succeeding, Easter Sunday, the men of Erinn went to Tara
to drink the feast, for the Fes of Tara was a principal day
with them. When they were banqueting, and thinking of the
conflict they waged the day before, they saw Patrick, who arrived
in the middle of Tara, januis clausis ut Christus in cennaculum :
because Patrick meditated: " I will go," said he, " so that my
readiness may be manifested before the men of Erinn. I shall
not make a candle under a bushel of myself. I will see," said
he, " who will believe in me, and who will not believe." No one
4

False peace.—Brecsiih (acted with hypocrisy). Tirechan, in his Annotations, says that Laeghaire never became a Christian.
5
Dichealtair is translated " a place of concealment or enclosure, a deer park,"
in O'Reilly's Irish Dictionary.

388

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

rose up before him inside but Dubhtach Mac Ua Lugair alone, the
king's royal poet, and a tender youth of his people (viz.,
his name was Fiacc : it is he who is [commemorated] in Slebhte
to-day). This Dubhtach, truly, was the first man who believed
that day in Tara. Patrick blessed him and his seed. Patrick
was then called to the king's bed that he might eat food,
and to prove him in prophecy (i.e. in Venturis rebus). Patrick
did not refuse this, because he knew what would come of it.
The druid Luchat Mael went to drink with him, for he wished to
revenge on Patrick what he had done to his (the druid's) companion the day before. The druid Luchat Mael put a drop oi
poison into the goblet which was beside Patrick, that he might see
what Patrick would do in regard to it. Patrick observed this act,
and he blessed the goblet, and the ale adhered to it, and he turned
the goblet upside-down afterwards, and the poison which the
druid put into it fell out of it. Patrick blessed the goblet again,
and the ale changed into its natural state. The names of God and
Patrick were magnified thereby. The hosts then went and took
up their station outside Tara. " Let us work miracles," said Luchat
Mael, " before the multitude in this great plain." Patrick asked,
u
What are they V The druid said, " Let us bring snow upon the
plain, so that the plain may be white before us." Patrick said to
him, " I do not wish to go against the will of God." The druid
said, " I will bring the snow upon the plain, though you like it
not." He then began the druidic poetry, and the demoniacal
arts, until the snow fell, so that it would reach the girdles of
man : and all saw and wondered greatly. Patrick said, " We
see t h i s ; send it away, if you can." The druid answered, " I
cannot do that thing until this time to-morrow." " B y my
debhro"6 said Patrick, " in evil is thy power, and not in good."
6
DebJiro.— O'Donovan, Supplement to O'Reilly's Dictionary, translates
this phrase, " m y God Judge," or "God of Judgment," adding that it was
variously explained by the writers of the Lives, but that he gave the above
interpretation from Cormac's Glossary, which was supported by the reading
of Jocelyn. Sir William Betham absurdly translated it as " Proud Slave," or
" Slave of Pride.'>

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

389

Patrick blessed the plain before him towards the four points,
and the snow immediately disappeared, without rain, without sun,
without wind, at Patrick's word. Darkness afterwards went over
the face of the earth, through the incantations of the druid. The
multitudes cried out thereat. Patrick said, " Expelli tenebras."
The druid answered, " I am not able to-day." Patrick prayed the
Lord, and blessed the plain, and the darkness was expelled, and
the sun shone out, and all gave thanks. They were for a long
time contending thus before the king, i.e. as Nero said to Simon
and Peter, et ait rex ad illos, " Libros vestros in aqua mittite, et
ilium cujus libri illesi evaserint adorabimus." Respondit Patricius,
" Faciam ego ; " et dixit magus, " Nolo ego ad judicium ire aquae cum
ipso ; aquam etiam Deum h a b e t ; " because he heard that it was
through water Patrick used to baptize. Et respondit rex, " Mittite
igitur in igne;" et ait Patricius, " Promptus sum ; " at magus nolens
dixit, u Hie homo versa vice in alternos annos nunc aquam nunc
ignem deum veneratur." " I t is not this that shall be done," said
Patrick, " for since you say that it is the fire I adore, go you, if you
wish, into a house apart, and well closed, and a student of my
people along with you, and let my casula be about you, and your
druidic tunic about my student 7 (mac cleirech); and fire will be
applied to the house, that God may decide between you there."
This counsel was agreed to by the men of Erinn, including Laeghaire. The house was then made, one half of dry faggots, and the
other half of fresh materials. The druid was put into the fresh
part, and Patrick's casula about .him. Benen, however, was put
into the dry 8 part, with the druid's tunic about him. The house
was afterwards closed, and fastened on the outside, before the
multitude, and fire was applied to it. A great prodigy occurred
there through Patrick's prayers. The fresh part of the house was
burned, as well as the druid under the casula, and not a bit of the
7
Student—The student was St. Benignus. As he wore the druid's tunic,
it would appear an argument in favor of his being more than a mere child at
the time.
8
Dry.—Grin, i.e. withered, or easily ignited, brambles.

390

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

casula was destroyed. The dry portion, in which was Benen,
however, was not burned, and God preserved Benen under the
druid's tunic, and the tunic was burned, so that it was reduced to
ashes. The king was greatly enraged against Patrick for the
killing of his druid. He arose, and would like to slay Patrick;
but God did not permit it, through the intercession of Patrick.
The anger of God fell afterwards on the impious multitude, so that
great numbers of them died, viz., twelve thousand in one day. Patrick
said to Laeghaire, " If you do not believe now, you shall die quickly,
1
for the anger of God will come upon your head." When the king
heard these words he was seized with great fear. The king went
into a house afterwards, to take counsel with his people. " It is
better for me," said he, " to believe in God, than [to suffer] what
is threatened to me, my death." It was after this that Laeghaire
knelt to Patrick, and believed in God, and many thousands
believed in that day.
!

I
[

!

Then it was that Patrick said to Laeghaire, " Since you have
believed in God, and have submitted to me, length of life in thy
sovereignty will be given to thee. As a reward for thy disobedience
some time ago, however, there will be no king nor roydamhna
from thee for ever except Lughaidh," 9 the son of Laeghaire; for
9
Lugliaidh.—Lughaidh ascended the throne, according to the Four Masters,
in 479, or, according to the Chronicon Scotorum, in 480.
The Annals of
Ulster give 484, and O'Flaherty, in the "Ogygia," 483 ; which date Dr. Todd,
in his '' Life of St.Patrick/' tables 252 and 256, adopted. His death is generally
placed at 508, but it will be observed that the Irish Life passes over all the
incidents of his reign, from his accession to his death. The following notice
of his reign and death is taken from the Book of Lecan, as quoted in Petrie's
"Tara," p. 86:—
*' Lughaidh, the son of Laeghaire, assumed the government of Ireland for
five years" [recte fifteen years]," and he sent messengers to demand the Boru,
and he did not receive it without a battle. And he assembled the nobles of
Leath Chuimi to force the Boru; and the Lagenians came to Magh Ailbhi."
[Moy-alvy, in the south of county Kildare.] " T h e battle of Magh Ailbhi was
fought between them, in which a victory was gained over Lughaidh, and
Muircheartach Mac Earca, and Cairbri Mor, the son of Niall; and in revenge
of this battle Muircheartach and Cairbri did not desist from [attacking] the
Lagenians as long as they lived. The learned state that Lughaidh never
forced the Boru but once, and [that] imperfectly.

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick

391

his mother implored Patrick that he would not curse the infant that
was in her womb, when Patrick said, " I will not, until he comes
against me." Lughaidh then assumed the sovereignty; and he
went to Achadh-farcha.
There he said: " Is not that the
church of the cleric who said that there would be neither king nor
roydamhna from Laeghaire V After this, darts of lightning descended from the heavens on his head, which killed him, and hence
is [the name] Achadh-farcha.1 These miracles live to this day.
These are the miracles the divines of Erinn knew, and through which
they put a thread of narration. Columcille, son of Fedhlidhmidh,
Ultan, the grandson of Conchobhar, Adamnan, the grandson of
Tinne, Eleran the Wise, Giaran of Belach-duin, Oruimther Oollait
" It is in the time of Lughaidh that Patrick came to Ireland, and he went to
Temur, where Lughaidh was, and offered him wheat without tillage, constant milk without kine during his time, and heaven at the end of his life,
and success of hounds and horses, and of a queen upon him, and Lughaidh did
not assent to t h a t ; and because he did not Patrick cursed him, and also
cursed his queen, i. e. Aillinn, the daughter of Aengus Mac Nadfraich, King
of Munster, so that thenceforward there is an ill luck of queens on Temur,
neither has it success of hounds. And Lughaidh, the son of Laeghaire, died
at Achadh Farcha, in consequence of the curse of the Tailginn [saint], i.e. a
flash of lightning struck him dead from heaven for having rejected the
Tailginn"
It is quite plain that there are some mistakes in the preceding paragraphs,
such as 5 for 15, and the name of Lughaidh is probably a mistake for Laeghaire.
1
Achadh-farcha,—i.e. "the field of lightning." O'Donovan ("Four Masters,"
at 503) states, on the authority of a Life of St. Patrick in the Leabhar Breac,
that this place was in the territory of Ui-Cremhthainne, now in the baronies
of Slane, county Meath, but was unable to identify the locality. Colgan also
fixed Ui-Cremthainne, in Slane, and the confines of the diocese and county
of East Meath ; but O'Flaherty (" Ogygia," iii. ch. 76) tells us that in his time
it was an inconsiderable district on the confines of South Oriel, belonging
to the barony of Slane in Meath, though he leads us to infer that anciently
it was much more extensive. In the barony of Lower Slane and the adjoining barony of Kells, is the parish of Enniskeen, being the most northern
part of Meath diocese, in which is absorbed the old. district or parish of
Ballialticknaffe, and which contained, according to the Down Survey,
Aghafacamane, the entire district having been the property of Christopher
Cruice, an Irish Papist, and granted by decree to Lawrence Oruice, an
innocent Papist.

392

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

from Druim-Railgech, knew Patrick's miracles in the first place,
and composed them. 2
A man of truth, indeed, was this man, with purity of mind like
the Patriarchs; a true pilgrim like Abraham; gentle and forgiving of
heart like Moses; a praise-singing psalmist like David ; a shrine of
wisdom like Solomon; a chosen vessel for proclaiming truth like
Paul the Apostle ; a man full of grace and knowledge of the Holy
Ghost like J o h n ; the root of a holy herb-garden towards the
children of faith; a vine branch with fruitfulness; a sparkling
fire, with power to heat and warm the sons of life, in founding and
dispensing charity. A lion in strength and might; a dove in
gentleness and humility. A serpent in wisdom and cunning in
regard to good: gentle, humble, mild, towards sons of life; dark,
ungentle, towards sons of death. A slave in work and labor
for Christ; a king in dignity and power, for binding and releasing,
for enslaving and freeing, for killing and reviving, Appropinquante autem hora obitus sui, sacrificium ab Episcopo Tassach
sumpsit quod viaticum vitae aeternae ex consilio Victoris acceperat,
et deinceps post mortuos suscitatos, post multum populum ad
Deum conversum, et post Episcopos et presbyteros in ecclesiis
ordinatos, et to to or dine Ecclesiastico conversa tota Scotia ad fidem
Ohristi, anno aetatis suae cxii. obdormivit in vitam seternam.
2
Composed them. —We have evidence here at what an early period the
miracles of the saint were placed on record. The names given above are the
best evidence how generally they were known and believed.

394

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

When Patrick came with his fleet to Erinn, to preach to the
Gaeidhel, and went to Tara, he left Lomman in Inbher-Boinne, 3
to take care of his ships, during the forty nights of the Lent.
Patrick commanded him to row his vessel against the [current of the]
Boyne, until he would arrive at the place where to-day Ath-Truim
[Trim] is—at that time the dim of Fedhlimidh, where he (Lomman)
found the son of Laeghaire MacNeill, i.e. at Ath-Truim. And in the
morning,Fortchern, Fedhlimidh's son, went and found Lomman, and
his gospels before him. He wondered at the precepts he heard.
He believed, and was baptized by Lomman. And Fortchern was
listening to the instruction, until his mother went to seek him.
She welcomed the clerics, for she was of the Britons, viz.; Scoth,
daughter of the king of Britain.
Fedhlimidh himself came
to converse with Lomman; and he believed, and presented AthTruim to God and Patrick, and to Lomman, and to Fortchern.
Patrick himself went and founded Ath-Truim [Trim], twenty-five
years before the foundation of Ard-Macha.
Of the Britons,
moreover, was the origin of Lomman, and his mother was the
sister of- Patrick.
Lomman's brethren, were, moreover, Bishop Munis in Forgnidhe
in Cuircne, 4 i.e. in the north of Meath, to the south of the Ethne
(Inny); Broccaidh in Imlech-Achaidh, in Ciarraighe5 of Connacht;
3

Inbher-Boinne.—Mouth of the Boyne.
Cuircne.—O'Donovan ("Book of Bights," p. 181) writes : "This territory is
still so called in Irish, and comprises the entire of the barony of Kilkenny
West, in Westmeath, and that part of the parish of Eorgnaidhe (Forgney)
lying on the south of the river Eithne (Inny), county Longford."
5
Ciarraighe.—There were three territories of this name in Gonnaught, viz.,
Ciarraidhe-Aei, in the west of the county Boscommon; C-Locha na n-Airneadh,
in the barony of Costello, county Mayo ; and Ciarraidhe-Airtich, also in Boscommon ("Book of Bights,"p. 101). Archdall (p. 610) places St. Broccaidh's
church in county Boscommon, calling it Imleach-each, or Imleach-frrocad/i,
but does not point out its situation. But we are able to discover it, by means
of a grant from the Crown to Bichard, Earl of Clanrickard, dated 8th April,
1662, granting him several parcels of land and tithes, formerly belonging to
the absorbed parish of Termonkelline, alias Termonbeg : one of those was
Imlaghbrocowa, now in the present parish of Kilkeevan, which contains the
town of Castlerea, county Boscommon.
I t is now called Emlagh on the
4

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

395

Broccan in Brechmagh, in Ui-Dorthain f Mughenoc in Gill-Dumagloin,7 in the south of Bregia. They were the relatives, moreover,
who were dear to Patrick by consanguinity and faith, and baptism,
and instruction; and they presented to Patrick whatever they
possessed, land and churches, for ever. But, after some time,
when Lomman's death drew nigh, Lomman and his fosterson, i.e. Fortchern, went to converse with his brother, i.e.
Broccaid, and he committed his church to Patrick and Fortchern ;
and Fortchern opposed it, that he might not inherit his father's
possessions, who gave the place to God and Patrick. But Lomman
said, " You shall not receive my benediction unless you assume the
abbacy of my church." Fortchern took upon him the abbacy after
the death of Lomman, for three days, when he went to Trim; and
afterwards gave his church to Gathlai, a pilgrim. These are the offerings of Fedhlimidh, son of Laeghaire, to St. Patrick, and to Lomman,
and to Fortchern, viz., Ath-Truim, in the territory of Laeghaire of
Bregia, and Imghae,8 in the territory of Laeghaire of Meath. The
Ordnance sheets ISTos. 26 and 27, county Eoscommon. See O'Donovan's
Supplement to O'Reilly's "Irish Diet.," voce Imleach; and Pat. Roll, 35th
Elizab., part 2, grant to Turlough O'Byrne, where Emlagh-brochadha is
incorrectly written Elmagh-brocho. Dr. Todd was wrong ("Life of St.
Patrick," p. 260) in placing it in county Mayo, having been led astray by the
Martyrology of Donegal, at 9th July,
6
Ui'Dortliain.—This territory was in the present county of Meath, and
Ardbraccan was situate in it ('' Book of Rights," p. 151).
7
Gill-Duma-gloinn. —This church is now Kilglinn, in the parish of Balfeaghan, barony of Upper Deoca, county Meath; as identified by Dr. Todd
("Life of St. Patrick," p. 260).
8
Imghae.—Dr. Todd was unable to identify this, nor is there any place of
the name on the Ordnance or Down Surveys of the county Meath. In Dr.
Butler's "Notices of Trim" (p. 71), there is an entry from the Patent Rolls,
under date of 20th of June, 1425, where the king, Henry VI., " ordered payment
to be made to John Swayn, Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of Ireland, of
£4 Ss. 3Jd., being one half-year's rent due to him for the site of the castle,
town, and bridge of Trim" (the bridge being the same as the ford of Trim,
granted to St. Patrick), " belonging to the Archbishop, in right of his church
of Armagh." This order shows that so late as 1425 the Primate's right was
maintained. When the rent ceased to be paid, Dr. Reeves, in a paper annexed
to the Report of the late Ecclesiastical Commissioners (p. 101), was unable
to say. In the Down Survey, 1653, the Archbishop of Armagh is returned

396

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

way in which all these offerings were presented to Patrick, and to
Lomman, and to Fortchernd, per (sic) omnibus regibus majoribus et
minoribus usque in diem judicii. Prima feria venit Patricius ad
Taltenam, 9 where the regal assembly was, to Cairpre, the son of
Mall. It was he who desired the murder of Patrick, and who drove
Patrick's people into the river Sele, 1 wherefore Patrick called him
the enemy of God, and said to him, " Thy seed shall serve thy
brother's seed," and there shall not be salmon in that river, through
Patrick's malediction. Patrick went afterwards to Conall,2 the
son of Mall, whose residence was where Donagh-Patrick 3 is this
day, who received him with great j o y ; and Patrick baptized him,
and confirmed his royal seat for ever. And Patrick said to
him: " Thy brother's seed shall serve thy seed for ever; and strive to
exercise charity towards my successors after me, and the sons of
thy sons, that they may be perpetual subjects to my sons of faith."
Then it was that Conall measured a church for God and Patrick,
sixty feet in extent; and Patrick said : " Whichsoever of your race
diminishes this church shall not have a long reign, and he shall not
be prosperous." They went early on Sunday morning to EathAirthir, 4 Cinaed and Dubhdaleithe,' the two sons of Oerbhall, son of
as holding Causestown, in the parish of Athboy, county Meath, 211 acres (now
669), liable to no rent; and this may be the Imghae granted to St. Patrick.
It appears by the late Report of the Irish Ecclesiastical Commissioners that
Primate Beresford holds, as Archbishop of Armagh, in the county Meath, the
Castle lands of Cawestown, 404a. 3r. 32p., at annual rent and fines of
£87 18s. 4d. ; Julianstown, Carricklickle, and Drumgill, 1525a. 2r. 28p., at
annual rent and fines of £284 18s. 6d. ; messuage in Duleek, 10a., at annual
rent and fines of £10 16s. ; Argil], parish of Nobber, 110a., at annual rent
and fines of £31 7s. 2d. ; Tenements in Trim, 3a. lr., at annual rent and
fines of £2 18s. 5d., held in perpetuity by the tenants.
9
Taltenam, Tailte, now Telltown, county Meath.
1
Sele.—Now the river Blackwater, in Meath.
2
Conall.—This was Conall Crimthan.
3
Donagh-Patrick still retains the name, in the barony of Upper Kells,
county Meath.
4
Rath-Airthir.—Colg&n (p. I l l , note 62) writes, Rath-Airthir was beside
the Church of Donough-Patrick, and this is evident from the Latin Tripartite.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

397

Maelodhra, son of Aedh-Slaine, when they saw a young man lying
down, i.e. the son of Bresal. One of them plunged a sword into him,
and then throttled him. The murderer then went past Tail ten, up,
on his straight road, and the other went to Domnach-Patrick. It
was then that Patrick blessed that part of the plain of Tailte, so
that dead bodies are never borne off from it.
[A few lines of the MS. at this place are damaged.]

The Pasch being therefore finished, on the next day Patrick came
to vadum duarum forcarum (Ath-da-laarg, near Kells, county Meath),
and founded a church there, and left the three brothers there, with
their sister, viz., Cathaceus, and Cathurus, and Catnean; and
Oatnea, the sister, who used to milk the deer. He went afterwards
to Druim Corcortri, and founded a church there, and he left in it
Diarmaid, son of Eestitutus.
When Patrick was going eastwards to Tara, to Laeghaire (for
they had formed a friendship), from Domhnach-Patrick, he blessed
Oonall, son of Mall. When he was going away, he threw his flagstone (lee) behind him eastwards into the hill, i.e. where . . . . . . .
[A folio of the original MS. is missing here.]

And Maine knelfc to Patrick and performed penance, and Patrick
said, " Eex non erit qui te non habebit; and thy injunctions shall
be the longest that will live in Erinn. The person whom I have
blessed also shall be a king, i.e. Tuathal [Maelgarbh]." And he
[Tuathal] assumed the sovereignty afterwards, and banished
Diarmaid MacCerbhaill, so that he was on Loch-Bi,5 and on JDergDerc,Q and on Luimnech.1
* Loch-Ri.—Lough Ree, an expansion of the Upper Shannon.
Derg-Derc.—Now Lough Derg, another expansion of the Upper Shannon.
7
Luimnech.—The ancient name of the Lower Shannon (" Book of Rights,"
p, 260). See also Mr. Lenihan's "History of Limerick," pp. 2 and 3, for the
origin of those names. Antiquarians would find much that is very valuable in
this interesting volume. The learned author gives an extract from some verses
written in A.D. 661, which show the early use of the names, and the familiar
and frequent intercourse kept up between Ireland and Rome at this period
(p. 5).
6

398

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

One day as Diarmaid went in his boat past the shore of Cluainmic-Nois, Ciaran heard the noise and motion of the craft, and called
him ashore, and Ciaran said, " Come to me, for thou art a king's
s on, and mark out the Eecles [a church] and the Eclais-bec [a little
church], and grant the place to me." He said, " I am not a king."
To whom Ciaran said, " You will be a king to-morrow." In that day,
the king, Tuathal, came with great bands to banish Diarmaid, when
Maelmor (of the Conaille), Diarmaid's foster-brother, killed h i m ;
and Maelmor was immediately slain. Hence the old saying, " the
feat of Maelmor." Diarmaid afterwards assumed the sovereignty
of Erinn, through Ciaran's blessing when Diarmaid was marking
the site of Eclais-bec, and bowed down thrice. He went to Tara,
and gave Ciaran an offering for every tairlim, along with Druimraithe. 8 Ocurrit nobis hie virtus etsi per ancificatione [_recU
anticipationem].
Another time Patrick heard, through the malice of the vulgar,
that Bishop Mel had sinned with his sister, for they were wont to
be in the same house, praying to the Lord. When Bishop Mel
saw Patrick coming towards him to Ard-achadh [Ardagh] to
reprove him, Bishop Mel went out to a hill to fish in the pools and
furrows. "When it was told to Patrick that he had caught a salmon
in this way, Patrick uttered the famous saying : " Seorsim viri et
seorsim foeminse, ne occasionem dare infirmis inveniantur et ne
nomen Domini per nos blasphemetur, quid absit a nobis ;" for God
does not assist any unjust, false m a n ; i.e. non temptabis Dominum
Deum tuum. Bishop Mel's sister then went with fire in her casula.
Patrick then knew there was no sin between them, dicens, "Seorsum
feminis ne occasione dare infirmis inveniamur et ne non Domini per
nos blasfemaretur quod absit a nobis, et sic reliquit eos;" i.e. Bri8
Druim-raithe.—This does not appear among the possessions of Cluainmic-Nois, in the registry of that house published by 0'Donovan in the "Proceedings of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society." It may have been the
Druim-raithe in Westmeath, now Drumrany, where St. Enan was venerated
on the 19th of August (Martyrology of Donegal at that date). It lay about
six miles north-east of Athlone.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

399

Leith between t h e m : she in Druim-Cheu 9 to the west of BriLeith; he (Bishop Mel) to the east of it, in Ard-Achadh.
Patrick went afterwards into northern Tethbha, 1 i.e. to the
territory of Cairbre, where Granard was presented to him by the
sons of Cairbre, and he left there Bishop Guassacht, son of Milchu,
his foster-brother, and the two sisters Emir, who first put up at
Cluain-Bronaigh f and this is the reason why the sides of the churches
are joined to each other; and it is the airchinnech (superior) of
Granard that always ordains the head nun in Cluain-Bronaigh.
The moment that Patrick blessed the veil on the aforesaid virgins,
their four feet sank into the rock, and the traces exist in it
always. Patrick w ent afterwards across the water to Magh-Slechta,3
where the arch-idol of Erinn was, i.e. Cenn Cruach, made of gold
and silver, surrounded by twelve other idols formed of bronze.
When Patrick saw the idols from the waters called Guthard 4 (i.e.

9

Druim-Cheu—Bri-Leith.—Dr. O'Donovan ("Book of Rights, " p . 9) states
that Bri-leith was the ancient name of Slieve G-olry, to the west of Ardagh, in
Longford, founding his opinion on Colgan's statement in the Life of Bishop
Mel {"Acta Sanct.," p. 261), which is precisely the same as in the text; but
there is no place called Drum-cheu to the west of Ardagh, though there is a Drumnacooha somewhat north, in the parish of Killoe, barony and county of Long,
ford. Archdall ("Mon. Hib.," p. 439) gives the nunnery of Drumicheo, founded
by St. Lupita, quoting Colgan's works, but being unable to identify it.
1
Tethbha.—Tenia was divided into two parts by the river Inny, called north
and south Tenia—the former comprising nearly all the present county of Longford, the latter the western half of Westmeath.—" Book of Rights," p. 180.
2
Cluain-Bronaigh.— A famous nunnery, now called Clonbroney, in the
barony of Granard, county Longford, lying between the towns of Longford
and Granard.
3
Magh-Slechta.—Dr. Lanigan (vol. i. pp. 229 and 239) places this near Fenagh,
in the county Leitrim, grounding his opinion on O'Conor's Map of Scotia
Antiqua. He considers the idols referred to as circles of great standing stones.
Dr. Todd ("Life of St. Patrick," pp. 127 and 464) concurs in this view, but
places the plain in the county Oavan. O'Donovan agrees with Dr. Todd, or
rather Dr. Todd agrees with him, in placing this plain near Ballymagauran,
jjounty Oavan, and extending into county Leitrim.
* Guthard.—There was Rath-Guthaird, also signifying high voice, where
the Senchas Mor is alleged to have been partially composed.—See " Senchas
Mor," vol. i. preface, p. xxx.

400

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

he raised his voice—guth, voice ; ard, high), and when he approached
it, he lifted his hand to lay the Bachall-Isa on i t ; but he could not,
as the idol inclined over to its right side (for towards the south its
face was turned), and the mark of the bachall lives yet in its left
side, although the bachall did not leave Patrick's hand. And the
ground swallowed the other twelve idols as far as their heads ; and
they are in that condition in commemoration of the prodigy. And he
cursed thedemon (idol), and banished him to hell; and hecalled all the %
people, with king Laeghaire, who worshipped the idols ; and all saw
him (the demon), and feared death unless Patrick would banish him
to hell. His graif (fibula) fell from Patrick's garment whilst maintaining the conflict and valor against the idol. He cut away all the
heath in the place until he found his graif, and no heath grows in
that place, nor in the plain besides. And he founded a church in
that place, i.e. Domhnach-Maighe-Slecht, and left there Mabran
Barbarus, Patrick's relative and prophet; and Patrick's well is
there, ubi baptizavit multos. Patrick went afterwards into the
territory of Connacht, over Snamh-da-en,5 across the Shannon,
where he found a ford, viz. : the land (bed of the river) rose up
under Patrick in the ford, and the learned will yet find that eshr.
And Patrick landed (i.e. on the Connacht side of the Shannon)
immediately, and then it was that Buadmael, Patrick's charioteer,
died, and was buried there. Cill-Buaidhmael is the name (of the
church), and it is appropriate to Patrick.
When Laeghaire Mac Neill's druids (i.e. Mael and Caplait, two
brothers, who had fostered Laeghaire's two daughters, Ethne the
Fair, and Feidelm the Eed) heard all that Patrick had done, they
brought thick darkness over all Magh-Nai,6 through the power of the
5 Snamh-da-en.—" The swimming or passage of the two birds." O'Donovan
(" Hy-Many," note to page 5) writes : " This was the ancient name of that part
of the Shannon lying between Clonmacnoise and Clonburren, in the parish of
Moore, barony of Moycarnen, and county of Roscommon."
6
Magh-JSTai, also called Machaire Chonnact, a plain in the county of
Roscommon, in which was Oruachan, the ancient palace of the kings of Connaught. I t lay between the towns of Roscommon and Elphin, and Castlerea
and Strokestown. —O'Donovan's notes to " Irish Topographical Poems," p.
xxxiii. and "Book of Rights," p. 104, where it is called Magh-Aei.

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrich.

401

demon, for the space of three days and three nights. Patrick thereupon prayed to God, and bent his knees, and blessed the plain, so that
there was darkness for the druids, and light for all others. And
he gave thanks to God, and all the darkness was banished from
Magh-Ai. And they went past the Shannon to Duma-graidh,
where he ordained Ailbhe, a noble priest, who is [commemorated] in Senchua in Ui-Ailella; 7 and Patrick instructed him
regarding a stone altar [which was] in the mountain of Ui-Ailella,
underground, and four glass chalices at its four corners : et dixit
cavendum ne frangerantur orae fossurae. Inter nepotes etiam Ailello
fuit,-et baptizavit Maineum sanctum quern ordinavit Episcopus
Bronus filius Iccni qui est i Caisel-Irra, servus Dei socius Patricii.
Patrick went to Magh-glas8 where he founded Cill-mor of Magh-glas;
and he left two of his people there, viz., Conleng and Ercleng.
Deinde venit in fines Corcu-Achland,9 to the south of Ui-Ailella, and
to the north of Badhghna. 1 There were two brothers there, viz.,
Id and Hono, who were druids > Hono asked Patrick, " What will
you give me for this land 2" Patrick answered, " Eternity." Hono
said, " You possess gold: give it to me for it." Patrick replied,
" I have given much, but God will give more." He afterwards
found a mass of gold in the place where the pigs had been rooting,
and Patrick gave the mass of gold to him (i.e. to Hono) for his
? Senchua in Ui-Ailella.—Now the parish church of Shancoe, in the barony
of Tirerrill, county Sligo. The Four Masters record the death of St. Ailbhe
of this church at A.D. 545. A St. Ailbhe (not the patron of Emly), son of
Eonan, of the race of Conall Gulban, son of Niall, was venerated on the 30th
of January.
8
Magh-glas.—There is a Moyglass in the barony of Ballintobber North,
county Roscommon, in which there is also a church called Kilmore, giving
name to a parish. The church was otherwise called Cill-mor-Dithruibh.
9
Corcu-Achland.—Called in the Irish annals Corca-Achlann (or Seachlann),a
territory in the east of Roscommon, comprising the parishes of Bumlinn, Kiltrustan, Cloonfenlough, and the western portion of the parish of Lissonuffy.
The Clann-Branain, or Mac Branans, of this territory are descended from the
noble druid Ona, who granted Imleach-Ona, now Elphin, to St. Patrick.—
0'Donovan's "Irish Topographical Poems," p. xl.
1
Badhghna.—Now Slieve Baune, a mountainous range in the barony of
Ballintobber North, county lloscommon.—"Hy-Many," p. 90.

2 M

402

Tripartite- Life of St. Patrick.

land. Tir-in-brotha 2 is its name now. Dixit Patricius, " Nee rex ersi
nee de semine tuo regnabit in aeternum." Illius vero lacrimis
misertus est Patricius, dicens, " Non erit rex quern tua progenies non
jurabit," &c, quod impletur. Cenel Maic Erce is the strongest and
most powerful [sept] in Connacht, but they do not govern like
high-kings. Ona, son of Aengus, son of Ere Derg (Ere the Red),
son of Brian, de quo Ui-Honach, presented his house to Patrick;
and Imlech-Onon was its name at that time : Ailfinn, moreover,
[is its name] this day; 'from the ail (rock) taken out of the well
which was made by Patrick in the fair green, and which is on the
brink of the well, the place has been named. Et dixit illi
Patricius: " Thy seed shall be blessed, and the palm of laics
and clerics shall be of thee for ever, and the inheritance of this
place shall belong to them."
Et posuit ibi Assicum et Bite
filium fratris Assicus (Assici ty et Cipiam matrem Bitei. Episcopus
Assicus sanctus episcopus, faber sereus Patricii: and he made
altars, and four-cornered book-cases, and four-cornered dishes, in
honor of Patrick; and a four-cornered dish of them was in ArdMacha, and another in Ailfinn, and another in Domnach-mor 3 of
Magh-Seola, on the altar of the holy bishop Felartus in UiBriuin-Seola, far westwards from Ailfinn. Assicus, however, fled
northwards to Sliabh-Liag, in Tir-Boghaine,4 where he was on an
island5 for seven years. And his monks sought him, and found
2

Bruth, gen. brotha, a mass [or ingot].—Colgan.
Domnach-mor.—Hardiman, in his edition of O'Flaherty's " Iar-Connaught," p. 148, gives this narrative from Colgan's Tripartite, and says :
" This church is now called Domnach-Patruig, on the banks of Loch-Sealga
[rede, Loch-Cime, and now Lough- Hackett]. I t is in the barony of Clare,
county Gal way."
4
Sliabh-Liag in Tir-Boghaine.—Tir-Boghaine is now the barony of Banagh,
in the west of the county Donegal; and Slieve League is a precipitous mountain
in that district, in the parish of Glencolumbkill, which commands, in clear
weather, a view of Croagh Patrick on the south-west.
6
An Island.—The Book of Armagh, in narrating this, calls the island
Bochuil. It is now called Rathlin O'Birne, contains about fifty acres, and,
although lying adjacent to the parish of Glencolumbkill, has been ecclesiastically nlaced in the parish of Kilbarron, upwards of twenty miles distant,
3

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

403

him, after much trouble, in the mountain glens ; and they brought
him away with them ; and Assieus died with them in the desert,
and they buried him in Eath-Cunga, in Seirthe. 6

And the king of

that country gave to him, and to his monks after his death, the
pasture of one hundred cows with their calves, and twenty oxen, as
a perpetual offering \ for he said that he would not again go to
Magh-Ai, on account of the falsehood which had been said there of
him.

His remains are in Eath-Cunga, and to Patrick belongs the

church, upon which the people of Oolum-Cilleand of Ard-Sratha 7 have
encroached.

Patrick went from Elphin to Dumacha (the mounds)

of Ui-Ailella, and built a church there, i.e. Senchell-Dumaighe;8
and he left Machet in it, and Cetchen, and Eodan, a noble priest, and
Mathona, Benen's sister, who received the veil from Patrick and
from Eodan, and who was a servitor to them.
When Patrick was at Dumha-graidh, 9 ordaining the great multitude, he smiled.

a

What is that ¥' asked Benen.

" Bron, and the

monk Olcan," said Patrick, " who came towards me along Traig-

owing to some old connection of the religious houses in Kilbarron, where St.
Oolumba founded this church near Ballyshannon.
6
Rath-Qunga in tfeM'^e.—O'Donovan (" Irish Topographical Poems," p. xxx)
writes : " Magh-Seiridh was a plain in the north of the barony of Tirhugh,
county Donegal." Dr. Reeves, in " Adamnan," p. 38, writes : " H e r e in the
parish of Drumhome, and townland of Ballymagroarty Irish, is a conical
hill, locally known by the name of Racoon, the apex of which is entrenched
like a rath, and contains an ancient cemetery, now used only for the interment of unbaptized children. This is the ' Rath-Cunga in Campo-Sereth ' of
Tirechan."
v Ard-Sratlia. —Now the parish church, formerly cathedral, of Ardstraw,
near Strabane, in the county Tyrone.
8
Senchell-DumaigJie.—This is the church of Shankill, barony and county
of Roscommon, immediately south of Elphin. Colgau was wrong in his Index
in placing the church in Kierrag-Arnensi, which was in the barony of Costello, county Mayo, instead of Ciarraidhe-Aei, which was in the west of
Roscommon, having in it the parish of Kilkeevan, near Castlerea.—" Book of
Rights," p. 101. What probably led him astray is, that Machet, whom St.
Patrick placed here, being grandson of Ailell (Ui-Ailella), he took it for TirAilell, confounding the descendants with their country.
9 Dumha-graidh.—-There are six places named Doogary in county Mayo,
and two in Roscommon.

404

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

Eothaili, 1 and my foster-son, Mac-Erca, with them; a wave of the
sea made a great dash, and tried to carry off the youth." This was a
prophecy. He (Patrick) went through the territory of Ui-Oilella, and
founded the church eastwards in Tamhnagh, 2 and it was built by God
and men : et ipsa fecit amicitiam ad reliquias Assici Eodani; et
successores eorum epulabantur invicem. Post hoc autem possuerunt episcopum Cairellum juxta sanctam Ecclesiam in Tamhnagh,
quern ordinaverunt Episcopum Patricii, viz., Bronus et Biteus. Patrick
went afterwards to the fountain, i.e. Clibech, on the slopes of
Cruachan, 3 at sunrise. The clerics sat down at the fountain.
Laeghaire Mac Neill's two daughters, viz., Eithne the Fair, and
Feidelm the Eed, went early to the fountain to wash their hands,
as they were wont to do, when they found the synod of clerics at
the well, with white garments, and their books before them. They
wondered at the appearance of the clerics, and imagined they were
fir-sidhe, or phantoms. They questioned Patrick. " Whence are
you, and whither have you come ? Is it from the sidhe f Are you
gods ?" Patrick said to them, " It would be better for you to
believe in God than to ask regarding our race." The elder
daughter said, " W h o is your God, and in wThat place is he, in
heaven or in earth ? is it under the earth, or on the earth, or in
seas, or in streams, or in hills, or in valleys? Has he sons and
daughters ? has he gold and silver ? Is there a profusion of every
good in his kingdom ? Tell us plainly how we shall see him, and
how is he to be loved, and how is he to be found. Is he young or old?
or is he ever-living ? Is he beautiful, or have many fostered his son,
or is his daughter handsome, and dear to men of the world?" St.
Patrick, full of the Holy Spirit, responded, " Our God is the God
of all, the God of heaven and earth, the God of the seas and
1
Traig-Eothaili.—Now Trawhohelly, a famous strand near Tonrego, on
the east boundary of the barony of Tireragh, county Sligo.—" Hy-Fiachraeh,"
p. 499.
2
Tamhnagh.—Now the church of Taunagh, or Tawnagh, in the barony of
Tirerrill, county Sligo.
3
Cruachan.—See ante, pp. 290, 291, for identification and different versions of this narrative.

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

405

rivers, the God of the sun and moon, and all the other planets ;
the God of the high hills and low valleys; God over heaven, in
heaven, and under heaven : and He has a mansion, i.e. heaven,
and the earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them. He inspireth all things. He quickeneth all things. He enkindleth all
things. He giveth light to the sun, and to the moon. He created
fountains in the dry land, and placed dry islands in the sea, and
stars to minister to the greater lights. He hath a Son, co-eternal
and co-equal with Himself; and the Son is not younger than the
Father, nor is the Father older than the Son. And the Holy Ghost
breatheth in them. And the Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Ghost are not divided. I desire, moreover, to unite you to the Son <
of the heavenly King, for ye are daughters of an earthly king."
And the daughters said, as if with one mouth and one heart, " How
shall we come to believe in that king 1 Teach us duly, that we
may see the Lord face to face—teach us, and we will do as you will
say to us." Et dixit Patrici: " Do you believe that through baptism the sin of your mother and of your father shall be put away
from you 1" They answered, " We believe." " D o you believe in
repentance after sin V " Yes." And they were baptized. And
Patrick blessed a white veil upon their heads; and they desired
to see Christ face to face. And Patrick said to them : " You
cannot see Christ except that you first taste death, and unless you
receive the body of Christ and His blood." And the daughters
replied, saying: " Give us the Communion, that we may be
able to see the Prophesied One." And they after this received
the Communion, and fell asleep in death, and Patrick placed
them under covering, and in one bed [grave]; and their friends
made a great lamentation over them. The druids then entered
into conflict with Patrick, on account of the daughters having
believed, and having gone to heaven, i.e. Mael and Caplait. Caplait came crying against Patrick, for it was he [Caplait] who
fostered the second daughter. Patrick preached to him, and he
believed, and he cut off his hair. After this the other druid

406

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

came, i.e. Mael, and said to Patrick, " My brother has believed for
thee," said he ; " it shall not serve nor strengthen him," said he ; " I
will again lead him into paganism." And he was thus insulting
Patrick; but Patrick preached to him, and the druid believed in
God and Patrick. And Patrick shaved him ; and hence " Mael is
like Caplait" is a proverb ; for it was together that they believed.
And the day of weeping was finished, and the maidens were
interred there ; and Sen-Domhnagh of Magh-Ai 4 was presented to
Patrick for ever. And others say the relics of the maidens were
brought to Ard-Macha, where they await the resurrection.
Patrick went afterwards to Tir-Caireda, and he founded a church
at Ard-lice, i e. Sen-Domhnach, 5 and he left Deacon Caeman in ib.
And Patrick erected Ard-Senlis,6 ubi posuit Lalloc sanctam et
tenuit locum in Campo Nento ; and they went with Bishop Cethech to his country. Of the race of Ailill was his mother; of CenelSai [nigh] of Cianacht, from Domhnach-Sairigi at Damhliac-Cianain;
and it was Bishop Cethach's custom to celebrate the great pasch
in Domhnach-Sairigi ; and in Ath-da-lorg, in Kells, 7 he celebrated
4
Sen-Domhnagh of Magh-Ai.—The plain of Magh-Aei, now MachaireConnaught, extended from near the town of Roscommon to the verge of the
barony of Boyle, and from the bridge of Oloonfree, near Strokestown,
westward to Castlerea.—"Book of Rights," p. 104. There is no church of
this name in the neighborhood of Rathcroghan.
6
Ard-lice, i.e. Sen-Domhnach.—There is Ardleckna, in the parish of Aughirim, barony and county of Roscommon, and we have the parish of Kilkeevan,
containing the town of Castlerea, county Roscommon ( " Book of Rights,"
p. 101), which, perhaps, is the church in question, the name being changed
to that of the church of Caeman the deacon, whom St. Patrick placed here—
in Irish, Kilkeevan.
6
Ard-Senlis in Campo Nento.—This plain is called Magh-Nenda in the
Latin Tripartite, p. 136. It contained the hill anciently called Sidh-Nenta
(now Fairymount, in the barony of Ballintobber South, county Roscommon^
celebrated in Irish fairy legends.
7 Ath-da-lorg in Kells.—Colgan, in his Index, considering there was onl;y
one Ath-da-lorg, " The ford of the two forks," in Ireland, namely, the present
Boyle ( " F o u r Masters," at A.D. 937), lays down this place as formerly a
bishopric in Connaught. O'Donovan, at 937, in his note on a battle fought in
that year, states the second Ath-da-lorg was in Meath, but that its situation,
or modern form, was unknown' to him. The Mart, of Donegal, at 1st Dec., mentions Ath-da-laarg as being i taobh Cenannsa, i' at the side of Cenannus " (Kells).

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

407

the little pasch, with Comgilla; for Cethech's people used to say
that Comgilla was Cethech's servitor. Patrick went afterwards
to the territory of Ui-Maine, and he left there an arch-priest (or
deacon) of his people, i.e Deacon Juis, and he erected Fidharta ;8
and Patrick left his books of orders and baptism with him; and he
baptized the Ui-Maine ; and Deacon Juis, in his old age, baptized
Ciaran mac-int-sair, from Patrick's book, quia cxl anni fuit quando
Ciaran baptizavit, ut aiunt peritissimi. Patrick's Franks, moreover, left him, viz., fifteen brothers and one sister, viz., Bernicius
and Hibernicius, and Hernicus, etc., and Nitria, the sister. And
many places were given to them. One of these is Imgoe of
Baislic,9 between Hy-Maine and Magh-lNFai. Patrick described to
them the likeness of the place with hisfinger,from Cill-Garad,1 quia
venerunt ad Patricium ut obteret illis de locis quos invenerent.
Patrick also founded Cill-Garad, where Cethech [was left], and
Ferta-gethich together. Then it was that Patrick made the well
which is called Uaran-garad, and he loved this water very much,
at ipse dixit :—
" Uaran-gar—[Uaran-gar]—
0 well! which I have loved, which loved me ;
Alas ! my cry, 0 dear God !
That my drink is not from the pure well."

Patrick went afterwards to Magh-Selcae, ie. to Dumha-Selca,2
0

Fidharta.—Now Fuerty, in the parish of the same name, barony of Athlone, and county of Roscommon. For some notices of this place, see a paper
by Denis H. Kelly, Esq., in the "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy,"
vol. viii. p. 455.
9
Imgoe of Baislic.—The word Imgoe is very obscure; it occurs on p. 38 in
connection with Trim. The church of Baslick is in the barony of Castlerea,
county Roscommon. It continued a monastic house for many centuries—St.
Cormac, its abbot, having died A.D. 800.—" Four Masters."
1
Cill-Garad.—Now Oran, county Roscommon (Lamigan, vol. ii. pp. 244-6).
I t lies between Roscommon and Castlerea.
2
Dumha-Selca.—Dumha-Selca, or the " mound of the chase," was the old
name of a mound which still exists in the townland of Cams, a little to the
south of the village of Tulsk, in the county of Roscommon. The mound (or
moat) lies due east from the celebrated mound of Cairnfree,

408

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

where there were young men, the six sons of Brian, viz., Bolcderc,
Derthacht, Echen, Cremthann, Caelcharna, Echuid; and Patrick
wrote three names there in three stones, viz., Jesus, Soter, Salvator.
Patrick blessed the Ui-Briuin from Dumha-Selca, and Patrick's seat
is there between the stones in quibus scripsit literas, et nona (sic)
episcoporum cum illo iilic fuerunt, viz, Bronus of Caisel-Irra,
Sachelus of Baislic-mor in. Ciarraighe, Brocaid of Imlech-ech,
(brother to Lomman of Ath-truim), Bronachus, presbyter, Eodan,
Cassan, Benen, comarb of Patrick, and Benen, brother of Cethech,
Felartus, bishop, and his sister, a nun there, and another sister,
quae sit insola in mari Conmaicne, i.e. Croch-Cuile-Conmaicne.3
And he founded a church on Loch-Selca, i.e. Domhnach-mor of
Magh-Selca,4 in quo baptizavit Ui-Briuin et benedixit. Patrick
went to G-regraidhe of Loch-Techet,5 and founded a church there
in Drumma, 6 and dug a well thereat, and no stream went into or
came out of it, but it was always full, and its name is Bifchlan (ie,
ever full). He afterwards founded Cill-Atraehta in Gregraidhe, 7
and [left] Talan's daughter in it, who received a veil from Patrick's
hand. And he left a teisc and chalice with Atracht, the daughter of
Talan, son of Cathbadh, of the Gregraidhe of Loeh-Teched, sister
of Caemhan of Airdne-Caemhain. 8 Patrick blessed a veil on her
3
Croch-Cuile-Conmaicne.—This island of Oonnemara is now called Cruaghnakily or Ouanakeely. At present it has no remains of a church, though it
had in O'Flaherty's time.—Hardiman's " Iar-Connaught," p. 102.
4
Domhnach-mor of Magh-Selca.—Now called Donagh-Patrick, on the banks
of Loch-Sealga, now Lough-Hackett.—"Iar-Connaught," p. 148.
6
Gregraidhe of Loch-Techet.—A district in the south of county Sligo,
supposed to be co-extensive with the barony of Coolavin, but originally more
extensive.—"Book of Rights," p. 99. Loch-Techet is now Lough-Gara, on
the frontiers of the counties of Mayo, Sligo, and Roscommon.—" Hy-Fiachrach," p. 493.
6
Drumma.—In that part of the county of Sligo to the east of Lough-Gara
7
Cill-Atrachia in Gregraidhe.—The church and parish of Killaraght, in the
barony of Coolavin, county Sligo.
8
Caemhan of Airdne- Caemhan.—Colgan by mistake placed this church or
monastery in Connaught. The Martyrology of Donegal, at 13th June, shows
its position. " Caomhan of Ard-Caomhain, by the side of Lough Garman in
Leinster," &c. Loch Garman is now Wexford Harbor, alongside of which is

£l)tme of St* ftatrtcfc'a $antr.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

411

head. Drummana was the name of the place in which they were;
Machaire is its name to-day.9 A casula was sent down from
heaven on Patrick's breast. " You shall have this casula, 0 nun/'
said Patrick. " No," said she, " not to me was it given, but to thyself."
He then went to the sons of Ere; they carried off Patrick's
horses, and Patrick cursed them, saying : " Your seed shall serve
the seed of your brother for ever." Patrick went into MaghAirtich, and blessed a place, i.e. Ailech-Airtigh, in Telach-nacloch.1 And he went afterwards into Drummut of CiarraigheAirtigh,2 where he found two brothers fighting regarding the
father's land after his death, viz., Bibar and Lochru, Tamanchend's
two sons. Patrick stretched out his arms, and their hands became
fixed to the swords, so that they were not able to lift or lower them.
" Sit ye," said Patrick; and he blessed them and made peace between them. And they gave the land to Patrick for their father's
soul. And Patrick founded a church there, where Conu the artifex
is, the brother of Bishop Sechnall. Patrick went subsequently to
Oiarraighe-Airne,3 where he met Ernaisc and his son Loarn under a
this church, still called Ardcavan. The true position was long since pointed
out byO'Flaherty ("Iar-Connaught," p. 90), and O'Donovan, in the "Four
Masters," at A.D. 1055, where the death of Ua Ruarcain, airchinneach of
Airdne-Caemhain, is recorded.
9
Drummana—Machaire is its name to-day. —These names are now obsolete.
There is a townland called Maghera in the parish of Emlaghfad, barony of
Corran, county Sligo, a little north of Coolavin, but whether the place in
question is undecided. There is the parish of Drum or Drummonaghan in
the barony of Carra, county Mayo.
l
Magh-Airtich—Telach-na-cloch.-0,I>onov^n
("Book of Eights," p. 103)
confines Ciarriadhe-Airtech to the parishes of Tibohine and Kilnamanagh in
the north-west of county Roscommon ; but it is evident from this entry that
Airtech extended into the adjoining barony of Costello, county Mayo, for in
the parish of Kilcolman in that barony, in which lie the town of Ballaghadareen, and Coolavin, the residence of the MacDermot family, is the townland of
Tullaghnarock, a partially anglicized form of '* Telach-na-cloch."
2
Drummut of Ciarraighe-Airtigh.—This is very possibly Drummad, in the
parish of Tibohine, barony of Frenchpark, county Roscommon.
3
Ciarraighe-Airne—According to O'Donovan ( " Book of Rights," p. 102),

412

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

tree, and Patrick wrote an alphabet for him, and stayed a week
with them, with his twelve men. And Patrick founded a church
there,4 et tenuit ilium abbatem (sic), et fuit quidem spiritu sancto
plenus.
And Patrick went to Tobar-Mucno,5 and advanced to Senchill,6 et fuit Secundinus solus sub ulmo frondosa separatim, et
est signum crucis in eo loco usque in hunc diem. And he afterwards went into the country of Oonmaicne, into Ouil-Tolaigh/ and
he founded four-cornered churches in that place. One of these is
Ard-Uscon,8 &c. He went to Magh-Cera,9 and stopped at CuilCorra,1 and founded a church in that place, et baptizavit
multos.
this district comprised the whole of the barony of Clanmorris, county Mayo,
except the Tearmon of Balia (consequently the parishes of Crossboyne, Kilcoleraan, Kilvine, and Taugheen, with parts of Knock and Mayo), as also the
parishes of Aghamore, Bekan, and Armagh, barony of Costello, in the diocese
of Tuam.
4
Founded a church there.—The name is not given, but there can be no
doubt it was Aghamore, as the Martyrology of Donegal has, at 30th August,
" Loarn, priest, of Achadh-mor." The church is at present in ruins, but the
cemetery is still used.
5
Tobar-Mucno. —Bishop Mucna's church was in Donaghmore, in the parish
of Killala, barony of Tirawley, county Mayo.—" Hy-Fiachrach," note a, p.
466. There is Tober-makee, parish of Drumatemple, barony of Ballymoe,
and counties of Galway and Roscommon, but whether it is the right place is
uncertain. Here it was, according to the Martyrology of Donegal at 27th
November, that St. Seachnall or Secundinus, the nephew of St. Patrick, used
to pray under a leafy tree.
6
Senchill.—Near Elphin, in the barony and county of Roscommon.
7
Guil-Tolaigh of Gonmaicne.—There were three territories of the Oonmaicne in Connaught, that of Cuile-Toladh being the now barony of Kilmaine,
in the south of county Mayo. It contains the parishes of Kilcommon, Kilmainbeg, Kilmainmore, Kilmolara, Moorgaga, Bobeen, and Shrule, and parts
of Ballinrobe, Cong, Mayo, and Ballincolla.
8
Ard-Uscon.—In the Index, Colgan writes that this church was in
Kierragae-Arnensis in Connaught, which is contrary to the reading of the
text, which places it in Cuil-Tolaigh.
9
Magh-Cera.—Now the barony of Carra, county Mayo, containing the
parishes of Aglish, Ballyhean, Ballyovey, Breafy, Burriscarra, Drum, Minola,
Rosslee, Tenlough, and Towaghty, and parts of Ballintober, Islandeady, and
Kiltacomoge.
1
Ouil-Corra was probably in the parish of Burriscarra.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

413

Afterwards Patrick proceeded to Magh-Foimsen,2 where lie
met two brothers, viz., Luchtse and Derclam. Derclam sent his
servant to kill Patrick, but Luchtse prevented him, to whom
Patrick said : " There shall be priests and bishops of thy seed,
and the race of thy brother shall be cursed, and shall be few."
And he left in that place Cruimther Conan, and went afterwards
to Tobar-Stringle 3 in the desert, and he was two Sundays [living]
on that well.
Patrick went to the Men of Umhall, 4 to Achadh-Fobhair, 5 where
Bishop Senach was ordained. The name Patrick conferred on him
was " Agnus Dei." And he it was who asked the three requests
of Patrick, viz., that he should not oppose him as regards orders,
that the place should not be called after him, and that what was
wanting to complete his age should be added to the age of Mac
Aenghusa. I t was for him (Mac Aenghusa) that Patrick wrote an
alphabet the day that Bishop Senach was ordained. Patrick desired truly to erect a see at Achadh-Fobhair, when he said, " I would
remain here, on a small plot of land, after circumambulating churches
and fastnesses ; for I am infirm, I would not go." The angel said
to Patrick:—
*' Everything you select shall be yours—
Every land, whether plain or rough,
Both hills and churches,
2

Magh-Foimsen.—In the Index Colgan writes that Magh-Foimsen was in
the region of Cera. There is a place called Funshinaugh in the present
parish of Cong,barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, in the ancient district of
Partry.
3
Tobar-Stringle.—Now Ballintober, barony of Carra, county Mayo, also
called Baile-Tobair-Phadruig. On the site of the church erected by St.
Patrick, Cathel Crovdearg, king of Counaught, founded a magnificent abbey
in 1216.—" Hy-Fiachrach," p. 191.
4
Men of Umhall This territory of Umhall comprises the baronies of
Burrishoole and Murrisk, county Mayo, called "The Owles" by English
writers. —"Book of Rights," p. 56, and "Hy-Fiachrach."
6
Achadh-FobhaAr—i.e. "field of the spring," so named from a celebrated
spring, now called St. Patrick's Well. I t is a village and parish, containing
the ruins of an ancient church and round tower, in the barony of Murrisk,
county Maj^o.—"Hy-Fiachrach," p. 150.

414

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.
Both glens and woods,
After circumambulating churches and fastnesses,
Though infirm, that you shall select."

Then Patrick left two trout alive in the well, and they will be
there for ever, as he said :—
" T h e two inseparable trout,
"Which would advance against perpetual streams,
Without obligation, without transgression—
Angels will be along with them in it."

Patrick went to Cruachan-Aighle,6 on the Saturday of Whitsuntide. The angel went to converse with him, and said to him :
" God will not give thee what thou demandest; for He thinks the
demands weighty, and immense, and great." " I s that His decision?" said Patrick. " I t is," answered the angel. "This is
my decision, then," said Patrick, " I shall not leave this Cruachan
until I die, or all the demands shall be given." Patrick was
afterwards with illness of mind in Cruachan, without drink or
food, from Shrove Saturday to Easter Saturday, just like
Moses, son of Amra, for they were alike in many things. God
accosted them both out of the fire; six score years was the age of
each; the place of sepulture of both is uncertain. At the end of
those forty nights and forty days, the mountain around him was
filled with black birds, so that he could see neither heaven nor
earth. He sang cursing psalms at them, but they went not
away from him. He then became angry with them ; he rang his
bell at them, so that the men of Erinn heard its sound. And he
flung it at them, so that a gap was broken out of it, and that
[bell] is Bernan-Brighte. 7
6
Cruachan-Aighle.—See note at p. 57.
7 Beman-Brlghte.—The following is given in the notes of Br. Reeves'
"Life of Columba, by Adamnan," p. 206 :—" Cruachan-Aichle, now Croagh
Patrick, a mountain in Mayo, is famous in legendary record as the scene
of St. Patrick's final conflict with the demons of Ireland. From its

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

415

Patrick afterwards cried until his face and the front of his casula
(cowl) were wet. No demon came after this to Erinn for the space
of seven years, and seven months, and seven days, and seven
nights.
The angel subsequently went to protect Patrick, and he cleaned
his casula, and brought white birds about the Cruachan; and they
used to chant sweet melodies for him. " I will bring so many
souls from pain," said the angel, " and as many as would cover as
far as your eye could reach on the sea." " That is no great boon for
me," said Patrick; " not far can my eye reach over the sea." " You
shall have between sea and land, then," added the angel. " I s
there anything more granted to me besides that V asked Patrick.
" There is," said the angel; " you can bring seven every Saturday from the pains of hell for ever." "If anything be granted
to me," observed Patrick, [" let me have] my twelve men." " You
shall have it," said the angel, " and depart from Cruachan." " I
shall not depart," said Patrick, " because I have been tormented,
until I am recompensed. Is there anything else, then, to be
granted to me V asked Patrick. " Yes," said the angel; " you shall
have seven every Thursday, and twelve every Saturday, from pains,
and depart from Cruachan." " I will not depart," answered
summit he drove them into the ocean, and completed their discomfiture by
flinging his bell—the Bearnan-Brighde—among their retreating ranks.—
'Vit. Trip.? ii. 64; * Tr. Th.,' p. 138, a. Passing northwards, they emerged
from the deep, and took up their abode in the savage wilds of Seangleann, on the south-west of Donegal. Here they remained unmolested,
till our Tirconnellian saint" (Columba) " w a s directed by an angel to rid the
place of its foul inhabitants. After a violent struggle with the demons, he
completely routed them, and with the help of the Dubh-Duaibseach, his
bell, drove them once for all into the sea. His name was henceforward
associated with the tract; and the wild parish of G-lencolumbkill preserves in ,
its topography and traditions a living commentary on the legend of Columba's
first visit to it, as told by Manus O'Donnell in 1520.—'Fitf. S. Columbce,' i. 89 ;
' Tr. Th.,'v> 403, b. Sliabh Liag, commonly called Slieve League, a precipitous
mountain in this region, commands in clear weather a view of Croagh Patrick
on the south-west." Dr. Reeves, p. 330, same work, writes that the DubhDuaibseach was probably preserved in the parish of Glencolumbkill, formerly
Seangleann. See also Sir W, Wilde's " Lough Corrib," p. 96.

416

Tripartite' Life of St.

Patrick.

Patrick, "because I have been tormented, until I am recompensed. Is there anything else granted to me?" asked Patrick.
"There is," answered the angel; " t h e great sea to come over
Erinn seven years before the Judgment; and depart from the
Cruachan."
" I will not depart," said Patrick, " since I have been tormented, until I am gratified."
" I s there anything more you
demand ?" asked the angel. " There is," answered Patrick, " that
Saxons may not occupy Eriu, by consent or force, whilst I
shall be in heaven." " It shall be granted thee," said the angel;
" and depart from Cruachan." " I will not depart," said Patrick,
"since I have been tormented, until I am gratified. Is there
anything more granted to me ?" asked Patrick. " There is," said
the angel; " every one who repeats thy hymn from one day to the
other shall not suffer pains." " The hymn is long and difficult,"
said Patrick. " Every one who repeats from Grist ilium" (recte Crist
Mm, " Christ with me,") "to the end, and every one who repeats the
name, and every one who observes penitence in Eriu, their souls
shall not go to hell; and depart from Cruachan" [said the
angel].
" I will not depart," said Patrick, "for I have been tormented,
until I am gratified. Is there anything more?" asked Patrick.
"Yes," said the angel, "you shall have one man for every hair in
your casula, from pains on the Day of Judgment." " Which of
the other saints who labor for God," said Patrick, " that would
not bring that number to heaven 1 I shall not accept that," said
Patrick.
" W h a t will you accept, then?" asked the angel.
" H e r e it
is," said Patrick; " t h a t I should bring from hell on the Day of
Judgment seven persons for every hair in this casula" " I t shall
be granted to you," said the angel; " a n d depart from this
Cruachan." " I will not depart," said Patrick, " for I have been
tormented, until I am gratified." " I s there anything else you
demand?" asked the angel. "There is;" said Patrick; " t h e day
that the twelve royal seats shall be on the Mount, and when

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

417

the four rivers of fire shall be about the Mount, and when the
three peoples shall be there, viz., the people of heaven, the people
of earth, and the people of hell, that I myself may be judge over
the men of Eriu on that day." " This thing cannot be obtained
from the Lord," said the angel. " Unless this is obtained from
Him, I will not consent to leave this Cruachan from this day for
ever; and even after my death there shall be a caretaker from
me there," answered Patrick.
The angel went to heaven. Patrick went to his offering.
The
angel came in the evening. " How now f asked Patrick. " Thus,"
answered the angel: " all the creatures, visible and invisible,
including the twelve apostles, entreated, and they have obtained.
The Lord said that there came not, and would not come, after the
apostles, a man more illustrious, were it not for the hardness of
the request which is granted thee. Strike thy bell," said the
angel; " thou art commanded from heaven to fall on thy knees,
that it may be a blessing to the people of all Eriu, both living and
dead."
" A blessing on the bountiful king that gave," said
Patrick ; " the Cruachan shall be left."
Patrick proceeded afterwards until he was in Achadh-fobhair,
where he celebrated the ordo of Easter; There are, moreover,
" keepers " of Patrick's people in Eriu living still. There is a man
from him in Cruachan-Aigle. The sound of his bell is heard, but
it [the bell] is not found. And there is a man from him in Gulban-Guirt ; 8 and the third man from him is to the east of OluainIraird, 9 together with his wife. Both entertained Patrick in the
reign of Laeghaire Mac Neill, and they are, and will be for ever, the
same age. There is a man from him in Dromanna-Bregh •} there
• Gulban-Guirt.—Beann-Gulban, or Binn-Gulban, now Binbulbin, a re.
markable hill in the parish of Drumcliff, barony of Carbury, county of Sligo.
9
Gluain-Iraird.—Clonard, county Meath.
1
Dromanna-Bregh.—-There is a townland of I>rumman in the parish
of Duleek, county Meath, within the ancient Bregia; but the place here
referred to was in the north of the county of Meath, adjoining the county
Oavan.

418

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

is another man from him in Sliabh-Slainge,2 i.e. Domangart, son of
Eochaidh. It is he that will raise Patrick's relics a little before
the Judgment. His cell is Kath-Murbhuilg, 3 at the side of SliabhSlainge; and there is always a shin (of beef) with its accessories, and
a pitcher of ale, before him every Easter, which is given to Mass
people on Easter Monday always. Patrick's charioteer died, more*
over, and was buried between Cruachan and the sea. Patrick went
afterwards into the country of the Corco-Themne,4 and baptized
many thousand persons there, and he founded four churches there,
viz., in the three Tuagha. 5
Patrick went then to Tobar-Finnmaighe, 6 i.e. a well. It was
told to Patrick that the pagans honored this well as a god.
The well was four-cornered, and there was a four-cornered stone
over its mouth, and the foolish people believed that a certain
dead prophet made it, bibliothecam sibi in aqua sub petra ut
dealbaret ossa sua semper, quia timuit ignem, et zelavit Pat.
de Deo vivo, dicens non vere dictis quia rex aquarum fons
2
Sliabh-Slainge is now Slieve Donard, the highest mountain in the county
Down, on the margin of the bay of Dundrum.-- See Reeves' "Down," pp. 154
and 207.
3 Rath-Murbhuilg.—Now Maghera, county Down, so called from the
adjoining townlands of Murlough, on the margin of the bay of Dundrum. St.
Donard's church of Maghera, as it is now called, is a ruin, with the remains
of a round tower. It is about nine miles from Downpatrick, and near the foot
of the mountain. There was, however, a church of St. Donard's half way
up the mountain, where patrons were held so late as 1744.—See Reeves'
"Down," &c, pp. 27 and 154.
* Corco-Themne.—Colgan writes, "This was a region in Connaught," but
gives no clue to its position. It was probably the present parish of Robeen,
barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, which formed part of the ancient Ceara. See
note on Kill-tog further on. The Fourth Life, by St. Eleran, says : " S t .
Patrick founded three churches in this region, and the churches of Taghkeen
and Kilcommon, as well as Robeen, all lie near the Robe."
6
Three Tuagha. This was an alias name for the three districts called
Partraighe (Partree) in Mayo.
« Tobar-Finnmaighe.~Jj%mga,n (vol. i. p. 227) writes, "Finmagh was in
Mayo," but assigns no authority. Tobar-Finnmaighe seems to have been the
ancient pagan name of Ballintober, in the barony of Ceara (or Carragh), county
Mayo.

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick

419

erat hoc necnon cum eis habuit rex aquarum, et dixit Patricius
petram elivari et non potuerunto elevavit autem earn petram;
Cainnech, quern baptizavit Patricius, et dixit erit semen tuum benedictum in secula. Cill-Tog, in the territory of Corco-Themne7—it
was this church that Bishop Cainnech, Patrick's monk, founded.
One time, as Patrick was travelling in the plains of Mac-Ercae, i.e.
in Dichuil and Erchuil, 8 he saw a large sepulchre there, viz., 120
feet in length. The brothers desiring that the dead man might be
resuscitated, Patrick thereupon " awoke " the dead man who was in
the sepulchre, and questioned him quando, et quomodo, et quo genere,
et quo nomine esset. Eespondit sibi, dicens, " Ego sum Cass, filius
of Glassi, qui fui subulcus Lugair Iruatae, and Mac Conn's fiann
killed me in the reign of Cairpre Niafer,9 in the hundredth year. I am
here until to-day." Patrick baptized him, and he went again into his
sepulchre.
Quis comprehendere valet modi (sic) diligentiae orationis ejus
:>mnes, namque psalmos, et ymnos et Apocalipsi, ac omnia cantica
7 Cill-Tog in Corco-Themne. —In the Book of Armagh, fol. 15, as quoted
in Petrie's " Essay on Tara" ("Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," p.
47), the corresponding entry reads: " A n d h e " (Patrick) " w e n t to MoyTochuir" (a plain in the parish of Donagh, in Inishowen, county Donegal—
Colton's "Visitation, '64-'67"), " a n d he built a church there; and in that
place a certain bishop came to him of the race of Corcu Theimne, of the little
church of Toch, in the regions of Temenrigi i Ceru, towards the setting of
the sun," &c. I t thence follows that Cill-Tog was in Ceara, now Carra, in
Mayo.
8
Plains of Mac Ercae, i.e. in Dichuil and Erchuil—This plain is called Magmac-Erca in the Latin Tripartite, being so called from the tribe Kinel-mac-Erca,
whom Colgan {"Tr. Th." p. 176, note 74, states) were represented by O'Hanlighe
and Mac Brannan. The latter were chiefs of Corca-Achlan; O'Hanly, of KinelDofa, separated by Slieve-Baune, Kinel-Dofa was on the west of the Shannon,
county Roscommon, to the north of Lough P e e ; and O'Donovan ("Four
Masters," at 1210) gives the descent of the tribe from Ere the Red, grandson
of Eochy Muidhmhedhoin, monarch of Ireland. This exactly answers the
topography of St. Patrick's travels, as given in the Latin Tripartite, p. 134,
chap, xxvii.
9 Cairpre Niafer.— Cairbre Niafer is stated by some of the old Irish writers
to have been monarch of Ireland about the beginning of the Christian era; but
his name is not in any of the genuine lists of kings, nor in the " Annals of the
Four Masters."

420

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

spiritualia scripturarum cotidie (quotidie) deeantabat seu in uno
loco seu in itinere gradiens. From vespers on Sunday night
until tierce on Monday, Patrick would not come from the place
where he might be.
One Sunday Patrick was in a cold, damp place, when great rain
fell on the earth, but it rained not in the spot where Patrick was,
sicut in concha et vellere Gideoni accederat. It was a custom with
Patrick to place the cross of Christ over himself one hundred times
each day and night; and he would go aside from his path, even
though the cross were one thousand paces away, provided that he
saw it, or knew it to be in his vicinity; whether he was in a chariot
or on a horse, he would proceed to each cross. One day Patrick
omitted to visit a cross which was on his way, but he knew
not that it was there. His charioteer said to him in the evening ;
" You left a cross which was on your way to-day, without visiting."
Patrick left his guest-house, and his dinner, and went back to the
cross. When Patrick was praying at the cross, " This is a
sepulchre," said Patrick; " who was buried here V A voice
answered out of the sepulchre : " l a m a poor pagan," it said, " and
I was buried here; whilst living I was injuring my soul, until
I died; and I was buried here afterwards." "What was the
reason," asked Patrick, "that the sign of Christianity, i.e. the
cross, was placed over thy grave V " This," answered the voice;
"a certain woman that was in foreign lands, and her son was
buried here in this country in her absence; and she came from
foreign lands and placed this cross over my grave. She thought it
was over the grave of her son it was placed ; for she was not able
through grief to recognize her son's grave." " This is the reason
that I missed the cross," said Patrick, "i.e. its being over the
grave of a pagan." The cross was afterwards raised by Patrick
over the Christian's grave.
One time Patrick's charioteer wanted his horses; he could
not find them owing to the darkness of the night. Patrick
lifted up his hand; his five fingers illuminated all the place

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick

421

as if they were five torches, and the horses were immediately
found.
Patrick went across the Muaidh to Hy-Amhalghaidh i1 the
twelve sons of Amhalgaidh, son of Fiachra, son of Eochaidh, 2 came
to meet him, viz., Aengus, Fergus, Fedhlimidh, Enna Crom, Enna
Cullom, Cormac, Cairbre, Echui Dianimh, Oena, Eoghan Coir, Dubchonall, Ailill of the** rough face. The sons of Amhalghaidh were
disputing about the sovereignty : twenty-four tribes {i.e. old tribes)
that were in the country; and they objected that they would not
admit any man as king over them with an additional [nick] name.
Aengus then imposed additional names upon his brothers. This
Aengus was the proudest of Amhalghaidh's sons. Laegbaire, son
of Mall, son of Eochaidh, king of Tara, and his brother Eoghan,
son of Mall, decided the dispute. The sons of Amhalghaidh went
to Tara in twelve chariots, sicut in libris Patricii inventus, quod
exirent in judicium tamen vii fratres de eis. They were welcomed
by the king at Tara. Aengus was foster-son to Laeghaire. He got
a special welcome there. Aengus prayed the door-keepers that
they would not admit Conall, the son of his brother, i.e. the son
of Enna Crom, into the fort; for Aengus feared his wisdom in
arguing his right. Aengus obtained this request from the doorkeepers. As Conall was outside the Us, he heard the sound
1
Muaidh to Hy-Amhalghaidh.—The river Moy rises in the barony of Leyny
in the county Sligo, flows through the barony of G-allen in Mayo, and, passing
through Foxford and Ballina, discharges itself into the bay of Killala, forming for some miles the boundary between the counties of Mayo and Sligo
(" Hy-Fiachrach," p. 2). It has Tireragh on the east, and Tyrawley on the
west. From the river, the district on the west, near its embouchure, was
called " t h e Moy."
2
The twelve sons of Amhalgaidh, son of FiacJira, son of Eochaidh.—
Amhalgaidh, from whom Tyrawley, county Mayo, derives its name, was
brother of Dathi, monarch of Ireland, who succeeded his uncle, Nial of the
Nine Hostages, A.D. 405. The names of fifteen sons are given in the " H y Fiachrach," from whom were descended many noble families in Connaught, of
which province he wras himself king for thirty-two years. The Lives indicate
that his conversion took place in A.D. 434, after which he reigned fifteen
years, as the Four Masters record his death at A.D. 449.

422

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

of Patrick's bell from Tobar-Patrick,3 at the fort. Conall went
to him, and saluted him. " 0 cleric!" said he, " do you
know this expression which I have in commemoration, i.e. ' Hibernenses omnes clamant ad te pueri,' &c. —which two girls uttered
in their mother's womb in our country." " I am he whom that
refers to," said Patrick ; " and I heard it when I was in the islands
of the Tyrrhene Sea, et nescivi utrum in meam vel extra locuta
sunt verba, et ibo tecum in regionem tuam baptizare, docere, evangelizare." Interrogat autem Patricius qua causa venit Conall, and
Conall related the reason to Patrick, and he said that he was not
allowed to enter Tara ; to whom Patrick said : " Go in now, as the
doors are open; and go to my faithful friend, Eoghan Mac Neill,
who will assist you, if you lay hold, secretly, of the finger next
his little finger, which is always a sign between us." And so it
was done.
"Welcome," said Eoghan; "what is Patrick's wish?" Conall
said, "That you assist me." Conall afterwards observed, "If
it is according to youth precedence in a king's house or land is to
be given, I am the youngest; if according to mother's age, Enna
Cromm is the oldest." To which Laeghaire replied, " Honor to
the senior, truly," said he, " and converse with the learned ; but if
jewels and treasures are given to anyone, however, I will not
deprive him of them." They came away, and Patrick with them,
and Patrick gave his chariot to Conall, so that it was the
thirteenth chariot. They went their way afterwards, and there
was not good will with Aengus for his brother's son and for
Patrick. He told his two brothers, viz;, Fergus and Fedhlimidhy
to kill Patrick and Conall, as he had agreed on parting Laeghaire,
8
Tobar-Patrick—-This well was at Tara, and there are several mentioned in
the prose and poetic descriptions of that place, as given in Dr. Petrie's essay ;
but this, most likely, was the well also called Laegh and Loigleas, in the
Book of Armagh, which lay to the west of Rath-na-Riogh, the great royal
residence, and in which Tirechan records that St. Patrick baptized St.
Ere after his conversion, and many thousand men the same day.—Petrie's
"Essay on Tara," p. 16',.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

423

after Laegliaire had instigated him thereto. They went northwards towards their country. The place which Aengus had fixed
upon for the fratricide was in Corann.4 Fergus simulated sleep. His
brothers refused what they had promised. " We will not kill
the innocent/' said they, "and will not commit murder upon
our brother." Aengus went towards him (Patrick) to kill him,
accompanied by two bands and two druids, viz., Eeon and Kechred,
of the race of Faelan the warrior. It is not more than a mile from
the place whence Patrick saw the enemies, from the cross to
the west of Cross-Patrick, to Cill-Forclann. Eeon said that the
ground would swallow Patrick on the place where he would see him.
This was related to Patrick. " It is I who shall see him first,"
said Patrick. When Patrick saw him, the ground swallowed
him up «I will believe," said he, " if I am rescued." The
ground flung him up until he was above the winds, and he fell down
half alive. He believed, and was baptized. Eechred was also lifted
up and let down, until his head was broken against the rock,
and fire from heaven burned him. The druid's rock is there.
There is a church there. Cross-Patrick5 is its name, to the east of
Coill-Fochlaidh. Telach-na-Druadh is the name of the place where
the pagans were, to the west of Cross-Patrick. Glas-Conaigh is
between them. Aengus said: " I will believe if my sister is
4
Oorann.—The greater part of this territory now forms the barony of
Corran, nearly in the centre of the county Sligo.
5
Gross-Patrick to the east of Coill-Fochlaidh.—Dr. O'Donovan has printed at
length (" Hy-Fiachrach," 461, &c.), from Colgan, St. Patrick's travels and acts in
Tyrawley. On these names he writes : i' The situation of these two places can
be determined with sufficient accuracy at the present day; for Crux Patricii or
Cros Phadruic still retains its original name, and is that of a townland containing
an ancient churchyard and some traces of the ruins of a church, situated to the
right of the road as you go from Ballina to Killala, and about one mile south
of the latter place. The name Kill-forclann is now obsolete, and all traces of
the church are removed ; but the natives of the district state that parts of the
walls of a church, originally so called, but then Killybrone, were extant in
1831, when they were totally levelled. The site is pointed out on a rising
ground, about half a mile from Killala, and about sixty perches to the left of
the road leading from Killala to Palmerstown."

424

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

resuscitated," ie. Feidelm, daughter of Amhalgaidh, who died long
before.
One time a blind man went to meet Patrick; he went in
haste with the desire of being healed. One of Patrick's people
laughed at him. " M y debroth" said Patrick, " i t would be fit that
you were the blind person." The blind man was healed, and the hale
was made blind, quod utrimque factum est. Mignae is the name of
the person who was blinded; and he is the second man of Patrick's
people who remained in Disert-Patrick, which is near the well
at Cross-Patrick, and Donnmall was the other. Kuan, son of
Cucnamha, Amhalgaidh's charioteer, that was healed there. EoiRuain is the name of the place where the blind was healed, and it
belonged to Patrick afterwards; He met two bacaclis in OchtarCaerthin. They complained to him of their infirmity, for they
found it difficult to proceed through mountain or plain. What
more shall I say 1 They were healed. He went to Domhnach-Mor,
where Bishop Mucna is. 6 He went afterwards to Gross-Patrick,
where Aedh Fota, son of Eochaidh, son of Oengus, came to him';
and he healed him from lameness at the fountain to the west
of Cross-Patrick; and he (Aedh) presented to him a plot of land
there, where he founded a residence, and he left two of his family
there, viz., Teloc and NemnalL Enna saw the druids (magi)
wishing to kill Patrick, and he said to his son Conall, " Go and
protect Patrick, that the magi may not kill him." Patrick perceived
them, and ethereal fire burned them, to the number of nine.
He then founded Cill-Alaidh,7 and he left an illustrious man
of his family there, i.e. Bishop Muiredhach. Patrick baptized
6
Domhnach-Mor, where Bishop Mucna is.—That is, where he was buried:
now the townland of Donaghmore, in the parish of Killala, and barony of
Tyrawley, county Mayo. — " Hy-Fiachrach," p. 466.
7
Gill-A laidh. —Now Killala, barony of Tyrawley, county Mayo, where an
episcopal see was founded by St. Patrick, over which he placed St. Muredach,
one of his disciples. The see was also called Kilmore-Moy, sometimes TirAmalgaid or Hy-Fiaehra-nmi. The Calendar of the O'Clerys has, at 12th
August, " Muiredhach, Bishop of Cili-Aladh, of the race of Laeghaire, son of
Niall," who was king of Ireland.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

425

women, viz., Crebriu and Lesru, the two daughters of Glerann, son
of Cummen. It was they that called upon Patrick from their
mother's womb, when he was in the islands of the Tyrrhene Sea.
They are patronesses of Cill-Forglainn, in Hy-Amhalghaidh or
Tirawley, to the west of Muaidh.
He went to Forrach-mac-Amalghaidh ;8 seven sons of Amalgaidh believed, including Enna and the king. It was then he
baptized the pregnant woman and her offspring, and resuscitated
another. Patrick and Oonall went to the grave where the
dead pregnant woman was, by the lower road to Cill-Alaidh.
Aengus, however, went by the upper road. They reached the
grave, and Patrick resuscitated the woman, and her son in her
womb; and both were baptized in the well Aen-adharcae9 (from
the little hillock of land that is near it the well was named).
, Being resuscitated, she preached to the multitudes of the pains of
hell and,the rewards of heaven, and with tears prayed her brother
that he would believe for God and Patrick, which was done, and he
was baptized. And in that day twelve thousand were baptized in
the well of Aen-adharcae, ut dicitur: " On one day were baptized six
great thousands, with the seven sons of Amhalgaidh. This was
the number." Twelve thousand, truly, that believed for Patrick in
Ui-Amhalghadha, and of those of Caille-Fochladh. And Patrick left
Magister Manchen1 with them. He went southwards to the ford
of Loch-Daela.2 The place was the property of Aengus. Patrick
8

Forrach-mac-Amalghaidh.—This was the ancient name of Mullaghfarry,
near Killala.—" Hy-Fiachrach," p. 467.
9
Aen-adharcae—i.e. the one-horned hill. The cause assigned for the name
is not given in Colgan's copy. It is called Tobur-en-edarc in the Book of
Armagh (see Todd's "St. Patrick," 449).
1
Magister Manchen.—There are eleven saints Mainchen mentioned in the
Calendar of the O'Olerys. Dr. Todd, therefore, had no ground for insinuating
that this was the St. Mainchen who lived to 652, and who could not have been
a contemporary of St. Patrick.
2
Loch-Daela.—Now Bally-Loughdalla, in the parish of Ballysokeery, in the
south-west of the barony of Tyrawley. The lough itself still retains the
name.—"Hy-Fiachrach," pp. 281, 467.

2 0

423

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

intended to found a residence for himself there. Aengus came
quickly when he saw him (Patrick), for it was not from his heart
that he believed when he was baptized and confessed the faith.
u
My debroth" said Patrick, " 'twere right that thy houses should
not be exalted, nor thy descendants after thee. Thy successors
shall be seldom just, and there shall be fratricide through it."
He went to the east, to Lec-finn3, where Patrick made the cross
in the stone over Cill-mor-uachtair-Muaidh,4 to the west. But
Lia-na-manach5 is its name at this day, i.e. Cruimther Monach's, or
Olcan's church; but there was no church there at that time. And
he baptized Eochaidh, son of JSTathi,6 son of Fiachra, and resuscitated his wife Echtra, at Ath-Echtra, the little stream at the very
door of Cill-mor. And Echtra's grave7 is on the margin of the
ford. It i$ a sign of knowledge with them in their history to
remember this grave. He (Patrick) sent Bishop Olcan to build
where the church is to-day. Thus he came with an axe
on his back, and Patrick told him that he should put up at
the place where the axe would fall off his back ; quod factum est
where Cill-mor-uachtair-Muaidh is. He went afterwards to the
north, to Lec-Balbeni, where he found and blessed the sons of
Amhalgaidh; and he went out of the country from [the western]
3

Lec-finn, called in Colgan's Latin Leac-fionnbaile.
Cill-mor-uachtair- Muaidh. — " The great church, of the Upper Moy," now
Kilmore-Moy, a parish extending into the baronies of Tireragh, county Sligo,
and Tyrawley, county Mayo, containing the towns of Ballina and Ardnaree,
i.e. (i the hill of executions."
5
Lia-na-manach.—This name is now shortened to Liag, and the place is situated on a hill, a short distance to the south of the old chuch of Kilmore-Moy.
The name is applied to a rock on which a cross is sculptured within a circle,
and to an ancient churchyard, but all traces of the church have disappeared.—
"Hy-Fiachrach," p. 468.
6
Natlii—another form of the name of Dathi. Eochaid, his son, was called
Eochaidh Breac, and was ancestor of the O'Shaghnessys, O'Scanlans, O'Clerys,
and O'Heynes.
7
Echtra;'s grave.—Colgan's Latin edition calls it Feart Echtra, which has
the same signification ; and the grave is still to be seen in a field lying a short
distance to the east of the old church of Kilmore-Moy, and nearly opposite a
holy well called Toberpatrick. — " Hy-Fiachrach," p. 468.
4

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

427

Bertlacha8 to the eastern Bertlacha, and passed it eastwards to the
estuary of the Muaidh, towards the mouth of the sea. A young
woman was drowned there before him; and he blessed the place, and
said that no person should be drowned there for evermore. Patrick
prophesied that the eastern Bertlacha should be with him, as it is
in their history; and in the day of war the king of that region will
be victorious, if true to Patrick. It was there, at the stream, the
Gregraighe 9 flung stones at Patrick and his people. " My debroth,"
said Patrick, " you shall be beaten in every conflict in which you
may b e ; and you shall be subject to insult and contumely in every
assembly in which you may be." u Arise, 0 Conall!" said Patrick,
" t h a t you may assume the bachall"
Conall said, " I f it please
thee, I shall do so." " T h a t shall not be," said Patrick; " b u t I
will support thy valor, and will give comarbs to thy race, and
thou shalt be the Conall Seiath-bachall.1 The palm of laics and
clerics shall be from thee; and every one of thy descendants
in whose shield the sign of my bachall shall be, will not be
subdued."
All this Patrick did to him. He went eastwards into the
territory of Hy-Fiachrach, 2 by the sea. A water opposed his
passage, i.e. there was an unusually large rock in it, and he cursed
it. On the water there is a place, Buaile-Patrick is its name, i.e. a
little mound, with a cross there, where Patrick rested a short time.
8
Bertlacha.—This is the Bertrigia of the Book of Armagh, and now Bertrach,
a sandy island in the north-west of the parish of Castleconor, county Sligo, on
the east side of the river Moy.— "Hy-Fiachrach," p. 250.
9
Gregraighe.—This district was in the county Sligo, and supposed to be
co-extensive with the barony of Ooolavin.—"Book of .Rights," p. 99.
1
Sciath-bachall. — " Shield-Crozier."
2
Hy-Fiachrach.—There were two tribes of this name inConnaught, descended
from the Fiachra, so often mentioned in the Lives of St. Patrick, brother of the
famous king of Ireland, Niall of the Nine Hostages. The Hy-Fiachrach Aidhne
were located in Galway, their territory being exactly co-extensive with the
diocese of Kilmacduagh. The northern and more powerful tribe possessed the
districts, now baronies, of Carra, Erris, and Tyrawley, in Mayo, and the district
of Tir-Fiachrach, now the barony of Tireragh, county Sligo.—"Book of
Rights," p. 108.

428

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

Then the holy bishop, Bron of Caisel-Irra,3 and the holy Mac Eime
of Cill-Corcaraidhe f and there he wrote an alphabet for him; and
I have heard from another that in the said place he gave a tooth
from his jaw to Bishop Bron, for he was dear to Patrick.
Immediately on coming from the west, across the Muaidh, into
Gregraighe, he met three virulent druids at Bath-Eighbhaird,5
who were able to do nothing to him; and he said that there never
would be wanting of this people a man of such magical knowledge.
Mac Erca, the son of Draighen, who is in Cill-roe-mor,6 in the
territory of Hy-Amhalgaclha. Patrick baptized the seven sons of
Draighen,7 and he selected of them Mac Erca, and gave him to
Bishop Bron to be fostered, for it would not be easy to take him
far away, in consequence of the love of his father for him.8
3
Caisel-Irra.—The Calendar of the O'Clerys has, at 8th of June, "Bron,
Bishop of Caiseal-Irrae, in Ui-Fiachrach Muaidhe, A.D. 511." Caisel-Irra
was the ancient name of a stone fort in the district of Cuil-irra, in which stood
the church of Killaspug"brone, near the town of Sligo, now nearly overwhelmed
with sand.—" Hy-Fiachrach," p. 470.
4
Cill-Corcaraidhe.—Now the church of Conrigh, in the barony of Rathconrath, county Westmeath, a little south of the present barony of Corkaree,
and lying west of Lough Annen, now Lough Ennel. I t is near the celebrated
hill of Usneach. The old church measures fifty-nine feet by eighteen feet two
inches; two of its old bells were discovered some years ago, and sold in
Dublin.—Archdall's "Monasticon," p. 720 : Cogan's "Meath," ii. 424.
5
JRath-Bighbhaird.—According to the Four Masters, at A.M. 3501, this rath
was in Muirisc. There were two districts so called, one now represented by
the barony of Murrisk, county Mayo, and the other in the barony of Tireragh,
county Sligo, which latter is the one in which Rath-Kighbhaird stood, to the
west of Killaspugbrone. See O'Donovan's "Hy-Fiachrach," p. 470, note, and
the maps prefixed to that work,
6
Cill-roe-mor. —Now Kilroe, a very ancient church in ruins, in a townland of
the same name, parish of Killala, barony of Tyrawley, county Mayo. It
stands on a rocky hillock, about one mile to the east of the town of Killala.
It is built of very large stones, in the primitive Irish style, being twenty-four
feet in length by eighteen feet in breadth.—" Hy-Fiachrach," p. 470.
7
Draighen.—The locality in which he resided is now called Drynaghans,
namely, Drynaghanbeg and Drynaghanmore, two townlands in the parish of
Kilglass, barony of Tireragh, county Sligo, to the north-east of Ballina.
8
Him.—Immediately after the baptism of Mac Erca, the Book of Armagh
records the following incidents : " And two girls came to Patrick and took the
veil at his hand, and he blessed for them the place of the wood of Fochloth.

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

429

Patrick marked out the site of Caisel-Irra, and the flag on which
Patrick's tooth fell is in the middle of the lis.

Bishop Bron

founded the place, and Patrick prophesied that the place would be
deserted by Gentiles, quod factum est.
Then Patrick desired the fishermen to set their nets for him in
the river, i.e. in Sligeeh.9

They said to him, " A salmon is not

taken in this period of the winter;

but as you desire it, how-

ever," said the fishermen, " we will do so."

They placed their nets,

and caught large salmon; and they gave them to Patrick ; and he
blessed the river, so that Sligeeh is the most fruitful river of Erinn,
for fish is caught in it every quarter (of the year).
Bishop Rodan, the herd,—Patrick left him in Muirisk, 1 in Cillespuig-Rodain.2

His calves would only do what he counselled;

And behold, Patrick went up to the land which is called Foirrgea, of the sons of
Amolngid, to divide it among the sons of Amolngid, and he built there a church
of moist earth squared, because wood was not at hand; and they brought to him
a sick woman, having an infant in her womb, with the water of baptism, ipsa
est aqua communio mulieris ; and they buried her in at the head of the church;
and upon the grave is the seat of the saint, in the church, even to the present
day; and he built a certain church at Ross, among the family of Caitru, on
an island of a bay of the sea." O'Donovan ( " Hy-Fiachrach," p. 469, note) calls
the place here mentioned Forrach mac n-Amhalgaidh, which (p. 315), he says,
was Mullaghfarry, Killala, and where the church was built, Bos filiorum
Caitni, not Catriu, as in Betham. In Lewis's " Topographical Dictionary of
Ireland," it is stated that the parish of Ross, on the west of Lough Corrib,
county Galway, was formerly known by the name Faghery, and that near the
house of Bosshill, in that parish, are the ruins of. an ancient church and a
burial ground, called by the people of the neighborhood Buss the Faghery, to
distinguish it from the abbey of Boss, near Headford, which is called Busa
Bela, correctly Ross-errely.
9
Sligeeh.—This was the ancient name of the river Gitly, which flows through
the town of Sligo, to which it has given name. — " Hy-Fiachrach," p. 470.
3
Muirisk. —In Colgan's Latin copy it is called Muiresch-aigle. O'Donovan
(«« Hy-Fiachrach," p. 471) writes, it is now Murresk, an abbey at the foot of
Cruachan Aigle, now Croaghpatrick, about four miles from Westport, and
that it is not the Muirisc in Tireragh, county Sligo, referred to in p. 257 of
"Hy-Fiachrach." But O'Donovan was misled by Colgan, who wrongly wrote
xVluirsesk-Aigle.
2
Gill-espuig-Rodain.—It would appear from the above that the name Muirisk
superseded Cill-espuig-Rodain.
The Calendar of the O'Clerys has Bishop
Bodan at 24th August, without naming any place.

430

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

wherefore the harpers and musicians had a proverb. The Callraighe of Oul-Cernadhan 3 were in a secret place before Patrick, and
they brought their spears close to their shields to assault Patrick and
his people. " My debroth" said Patrick, " what you did is not good.
Every battle and every conflict which you wage, and your children
after you, will be gained over you." They forthwith knelt to
Patrick, except five. Patrick said, " I n any battle that may be
won against you, though all Connacht be after you, no greater
number than five shall fall of you." And so is it observed.
One time he was after going by Bernas-Ui-Oilella4 to go to MaghLuirg, 5 when he fell into water, i.e. a river that goes into {rede from)
Loch-Techet.6 Ath-carpait 7 is the name of the ford, near to Ess-micEirc. 8 Patrick cursed the eastern half of the water. " And the
half from the ford westwards, why do you spare i t ? " asked his
people. " A son of life will come who will set up there hereafter,"
said Patrick, " who will like fruitful water at his place," i.e. Colum
Oille, son of Fedhlimidh, at Ess-mic-Eirc. From the ford up to
the lake, the best fishing in Erinn is found there by all. From
the ford down, not much is taken there.
3
Gallraighe of Cul-Cernadhan.—Now Coolcarney, a district in the barony
of G-allen, and county Mayo, comprising the parishes of Attymas and Kilgarvan. Besides the territory of Calry, still retained as the name of a parish
in Sligo, in which district Coolcarney was situate, there was another in West*
meath.—" Hy-Fiachrach," p. 471.
4
Bernas-Ui-Oilella.—A remarkable pass in the barony of Tirerrill, county
of Sligo.
6
Magh-Luirg.—This plain and territory, of which the M'Dermotts were
chiefs, is comprised in the barony of Boyle, county Roscommon.
6
Loch- Techet. —Now Lough Gara, county Sligo.
7
Aih-Carpait.—This was a ford on the Boyle river, to the east of Assylin.
8
Ess-mic-Eirc—i.e. the cataract of the son of Eire, i. e. Dachonna, son of Eire,
whom St. Columba placed over a church in this place. The Four Masters, at
A.D. 748, state that it was on the Buill (Boyle river, county Roscommon),
and when they wrote it was called Eas-Ui-Fhloinn, now Assylin, about a mile
west of the town of Boyle. The change of name to Assylin appears to have
been taken from Flaherty O'Flynn, who was comarb of Dachonna, first abbot
of the religious house in this place, and who died 1209. The parish is called
Assylin, otherwise Boyle. St. Dachonna or Mochonna was venerated on the
8th of March.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

431

Patrick went afterwards into the territory of Magh-Luirg, when
his horses were carried off by Cenel-Mic-Erca.9 And Patrick cursed
the people of that country; but Bishop Maine of the Hy-Ailella,1
who prayed Patrick regarding forgiveness for his kinsmen, and
Patrick modified the malediction. And Bishop Maine washed
Patrick's feet with his hair and tears, and drove the horses into a
meadow, and cleaned their hoofs in honor of Patrick. And Patrick
said, " There shall be weeping, and wailing, and mourning with the
inhabitants of that country; and there will not be neighborship
there in scecula sceculorum;" ut impletur. And Patrick also said that
a great part of that country should afterwards belong to him;
which was fulfilled in the case of Nodain of Loch-Uama.2 Bishop
Maine is also of Patrick's people, and Geintene in Echainech in
Hy-Ailella.
Patrick went after that into the territory of Callraidhe,3 to
Druim-dara, where Druim-lias4 is to-day. It was then he baptized
Mac Caerthinn; and that place was presented to Patrick for ever.
Patrick afterwards established himself on the offering in Druim-dara,
Druim-lias to-day, i.e. from Patrick's seats, and from the sheds, it was
named. Patrick left his daltaP Benen there in abbotship during the
9
Cenel-Mic-Erca.—A tribe and territory in the north of the county of
Roscommon.
1
Bishop Maine of the Hy-Ailella.—Bishop Maine, of the race of Oilioll,
son of Eochaidh Muighmedhoin, of the seed of Heremon, was venerated on
the 2nd of September, according to the Calendar of the O'Clerys.
2
Nodain of Loch- Uama—A lake near Cavestown, parish of Estersnow,
barony of Boyle, county Roscommon. The name of tHe parish is a corruption
of Ath-disert-Nuadhain.
3
Callraidhe.—There were several territories named Oalry m Westmeath,
Breffny, and Sligo. That of Sligo occupied the parish of Calry, barony of
Carbury, county Sligo, and extended into Leitrim.
4
Druim-lias.—The parish of Drumlease is in the barony of Dromahaire,
county Leitrim. A St. Colman was venerated here on 19th June. The see lands
were formerly attached to the archbishopric of Armagh, but were passed to
the see of Kilmore, and are now leased in perpetuity. The charter of the
church lands to Armagh is in the Book of Armagh.
6
Dalta.—A pupil or foster-child ; Dr. Todd explains it as foster-son, "Life
of St. Patrick," note, p. 177.

432

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

space of twenty years. He journeyed into the glens eastward,6 where
Cenel-Muinremur7 is to-day. His two nostrils bled on the way. Patrick's flag (Lee-Patrick)8 is there, and Patrick's hazel (Coil-Patrick),
a little distance to the west of the church. He put up there. SrathPatrick9 it is named this day; Domhnach-Patrick was its former
name. Patrick remained there one Sunday; et hcec est una ecclesia
illius regionis. Patrick went afterwards past Druim-cliabh, from
Caisel-Irra, by the Rosses1 eastwards, along Magh-Eni, and founded
Domhnach-mor of Magh-Eni.2 Then it was that he cursed the
Dubh3 river, for the refusal which the fishermen gave him. He
blessed Drobhais,4 however, on account of the kindness which the
little boys who were fishing there did to him.
Thrice Patrick went across the Shannon into the land of Connacht. Fifty bells, and fifty altar chalices, and fifty altar cloths,
6
Eastward. — Glenkeel, Glenaniff, Glenade, and Glennauns, lie east and
north-east of Drumlease, county Leitrim.
7
Cenel-Muinremur.—This was probably in that part of county Oavan in
which is situate Lough Ramor, anciently called Loch Muin-reamhair.
See
Four Masters, at A.M. 2859.
8
Lee-Patrick.—There is a townland called Leckaun, north of Drumlease, in
the same parish.
9
Srath-Patrick.—There is Sraud, in the parish of Rossinver, barony of Rossclogher, county Leitrim, still further north.
1
Posses.—Ross Cette was the ancient name of a point of land lying between
the river of Sligo and that of Drumcliff in the barony of Carbury, county
Sligo, giving name to the parish of Rossinver, lying in both counties. It is
now called the Rosses, differing from that in the north-west of Donegal. *' Four
Masters," at A.M. 3790.
2
Domhnach-mor of Magh-Eni.—It was sometimes called Magh-Cedne, and
Moygene, and is now called Moy, a plain lying between the rivers Erne and
Drowes, in the south of the county Donegal. It is in the parish of Inishmacsaint, where, in the vicinity of Carricklake, are the ruins of an ancient church.
I t is often mentioned in the " Four Masters."
3
Dubh.—Now the Duff or Bunduff, i.e. the foot of the Dubh river, giving
name to a village in the barony of Carbury, county Sligo, where the river
empties itself into the bay of Donegal. I t is about four miles west-south-west
of Bundoran.
4
Drobhais is still called the Drowes or Bundroes river, i. e. the foot of
the Droes. I t rises in Lough Melvin, and empties itself into the bay of Donegal, about a mile from Bundoran. A village at its foot, taking name from it,
is in the parish of Rossinver, barony of Rossclogher, county Leitrim.

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

433

he left in the land of Connacht, each of them in his church. Seven
years was he preaching to the men of Connacht; and he left them
a blessing, and bade them farewell.
Patrick went to Es-Euaidh. 6 He desired to establish himself there,
where Disert-Patrick 6 is, and Lee-Patrick. 7

Cairbre opposed him,

and sent two of his people, whose names were Carbacc and Cuangus,
to seize his hands. " Not good is what you do," said Patrick; " if I
were permitted to found a place here, the second to Rome of Letha,
with its Tiber running through it, would be my establishment with
its Es-Euaidh through i t ; and your descendants would be comarbs
in it."

Cairbre declined then, as Patrick had foretold.

Cairbre incited a dog to attack Patrick.
with a rod.

Thereupon

Cuangus struck the dog

Patrick said that Cairbre's race should not exceed a

small b a n d ; and that the palm of laics or clerics would not be from
him, quod invpletur. But as to Cuangus, since he agreed to seize
Patrick's hands for Cairbre, 8 Patrick said that his race should not
5
Es-Ruaidh.—A cataract on the river Erne, nigh Ballyshannon, county
Donegal; now called Assaroe. A celebrated abbey was afterwards founded
here. St. Conan of Eas-Ruaidh was venerated on the 8th of March. The
abbot had the liberty of fishing for salmon in the Erne river.
6
Disert-Patrick.—This was at Assaroe, as the following, extract from the
Leabhar Breac shows: " Patrick, accompanied by Brigid, pix>ceeded to EasRuaidh, and commenced the erection of a clmrch and congbail there, in the
place at this day called Disert-Patrick. But Cairpre, the son of Nial, set his
face against him, and sent two of his people, Carbaoc and Cuangus, to take
him prisoner. " What you have done is not good," said Patrick ; "if you would
permit to erect a congbhail here, it would become a second Rome of Italy."
(Colton's ' * Visitation," p. 79.) The name Disert-Patrick is now obsolete.
7
Lec-Patrich.—There is no place called by this name in the neighborhood
of Assaroe, but by an inquisition taken in the thirty-first year of Queen Elizabeth, to inquire into the lands of this abbey, it was found to have been seized
amongst others of theballyboe of Cashill,a£iasLack, now the townlandof Cashel,
adjoining Ballyshannon, containing 687 acres. There is the parish of LeckPatrick in the county of Tyrone, between Strabane and Londonderry, but it
is not the place referred to.
8
Cairbre.—He was son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, who died in 405; and
was brother of Eoghan, ancestor of the Cinel Eoghain; Enna Finn, ancestor of
the Cinel Enna ; Conall Gulban, ancestor of the Cinel Conaill; Laoghaire, King
of Ireland from 428 to 463; of Conall Crimthann, of Fiac, and Maine. From
Cairbre descended the Cinel-Cairbre of Carbury, county Sligo, and of Gaura,

434

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

be more numerous than a company, and that illustrious men would
be of them, quod impletum est. Cairbre promised to Cuangus, for
seizing Patrick's hands, as much as he could see to the north of
Sliabh-Cise.9 When he turned to take a view about him, a dark
cloud closed around Cuangus, so that he only saw to the sea westwards, and to the ash eastwards. " This river, which God gave
you, Cairbre," said Patrick; " your share of it shall not be fruitful
as regards fish " (i.e. the northern half of the river in length was
Cairbre's share; i.e. the half next to Cenel-Conaill,1 for CrichConaill belonged to Cairbre at that time as far as Eath-Cunga);
" but Conall's share (the southern half) will be fruitful;" sic impleturn est, until Murghins, son of Maelduin, 2 son of Scannal, an illustrious king of Cairbre's race, presented the unfruitful part to ColumCille; and it is now fruitful with Colum-Cille.
He (Patrick) went afterwards between Es-Euaidh and the sea
into Crich-Conaill, where Eath-Chunga is at this day. He fixed a
stake there, and said that it would be an abode and establishment
for seven bishops; and there Bite 3 is now, the brother's son of
Aisicus from Elphin.
It was then also that he foretold of Domhnall, son of Aedh, son
of Ainmire, viz., he fixed a pole in Ard-fothaidh, 4 and on the moror North Taffia, county Longford. Tuathal Maolgarbh, his grandson, was
King of Ireland from 533 to 544.
9
Sliabh-Cise.—Colg&n (" Tr. TliV note 155, p. 180) writes, that Kisse was
the name of a mountain, as also of a river, in Tirhugh, county Donegal, near
the river Erne. From this description it would appear to be the mountain
now called Breesy-Hill, in the parish of Kilbarron.
1
Cenel-Conaill.—Crich-Conaill.. The present county of Donegal.
2
Murghins, son of Maelduin.—This Muirghins was lord of the Cinel-Cairbre
(who were seated in the barony of Carbury, county Sligo), and died, according
to the Four Masters, in 696. See note on Cairbre. See " Hy-Fiachrach," p. 278.
3
Bite.— This was St. Beoadh, Bishop of Ardcarne, in the county of Koscommon, of the race of Lughaidh, son of Ith. He was nephew of St. Asicus,
Bishop of Elphin, who was also buried in Bathcunga. St. Beoaidh died on
the 8th of March, 524, on which day he was venerated. The Chronicum
Scotorum has his death at 518.
4
Ard-fothaidh.—.This is Ardpattan, a small town near Ballyshannon, in the
parish of Kilbarron and barony of Tirhugh, county of Donegal, contiguous to

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

435

row it was bent; and Patrick said, that the place would be the seat
of a king, which was fulfilled in Domhnall. On Sith-Aedha5 Patrick
blessed Conall Mac Neill, when Patrick's hands would fall on the head
of Fergus.6 Conall wondered at this thing, when Patrick said:
" A youth (i.e. Colura Cille) shall be born of his tribe,
Who will be a sage, a prophet, and poet,
A glorious, bright, clear light,
Who will not utter falsehood."

After Patrick had blessed the Cenel-Conaill, and had left a
blessing on their forts, and- rivers, and churches, he went into
the country of Eoghan, the son of Niall, across Bernas of TirAedha7 into Magh-Itha,8 and to Domhnach-mor of Magh-Itha,
where he left Dudubae,9 son of Corcan, of his people. And Patrick
said to his people : " Take care that you meet not with the lion,
Eoghan, son of Mall."1 Muiredhach, the son of Eoghan, who was in
Ballymagroarty, in which was Bathcunga. The Latin Tripartite, " Tr. Th."
p. 144, states they were in the vicinity of each other. I t was the royal
residence in the time of St. Columba.
6
Sith-Aedha.—Now Mullaghshee, a little to the north of Bally shannon,
county Donegal.
6
Fergus.—This Fergus was son of Conall Gulban, ancestor of the Cinel Conaill, and son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, and married to Erca, the daughter
of Loarn Mor, King of Scotland, by whom he was father of Felim, the father
of St. Columba. Ere had been previously married to Muredach, his cousin,
on of Eoghan, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages.
7
Bernas of Tir-Aedha.—Now Barnesmore mountains, in the northern part
of the barony of Tirhugh, county of Donegal.
8
Magh-Itha.—An extensive plain in the barony of Bapho.e, in which is the
church of Donaghmore, near the town of Castlefinn. It was called Magh-Itha,
from Ith, the uncle of Milesius, who, according to bardic tradition, was buried
here. This church subsequently adopted the rule of St. Columba, and is now
annexed to Derry, in place of Baphoe.—"Book of Bights," p. 124, and
Colton's "Visitation," p. 60.
9
Dudubae.—Called Dubdubanus in the Latin Tripartite. Colgan identifies
him as the Dubanus venerated at 11th November.
1
Eoghan, son of Niall.—Ancestor of the Cinel Eoghain: he had, according to
the "Ogygia," at least five sons: (1) Muireadhach, father of Muircheartach
Mac Erca, King of Ireland, the ancestor of the O'Neills, and who gave sixteen
monarchs to Ireland; (2) Fergus, ancestor of the O'Conors of Moyith;

436

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

the front of the youths, met on the way Sechnall, who was in
the rear of the host of clerics. Sechnall said to Muiredhach:
" You would have a reward from me, if you would persuade your
father to believe." " What reward f asked he. " The sovereignty of thy tribe shall for ever belong to thy heirs," said Sechnall.
" I will," answered Muiredhach. In Fidh-mor 2 it was that Eoghan
met with Patrick, where the flag (lee) is. " If you would believe
in your country," said Patrick, " the hostages of the Gaedhil
would come to you."
" I am not good-looking," said Eoghan; " my brother precedes
me on account of my ugliness." " W h a t form do you desire1?"
asked Patrick. " T h e form of the young man who is under (i.e.
ivho is bearing) your satchel; i.e. Eioc of Inis-bo-finde,"3 said
Eoghan. Patrick covered them over with the same garment, the
hands of each being clasped round the other. They slept thus, and
afterwards awoke in the same form, with the difference of the
tonsure. " I don't like my height," said Eoghan. " What size do
you desire to be V asked Patrick. Eoghan reached up his hand with
his sword. " I should like this height," said h e ; and he immediately grew to that height. Patrick afterwards blessed Eoghan,
with his sons. " Which of your sons is dearest to you V1 asked
Patrick. "Muiredhach," said he. " Sovereignty from him 4 for ever,"
said Patrick. " And next to him V asked Patrick. " Fergus,"
answered he. " Dignity from him," said Patrick. " And after
him %" asked Patrick. " Eocha Bindech," said Eoghan. " Warriors
from him," said Patrick. " And after him V asked Patrick.
(3) Oilill, from whom Muintir Kelly ; (4) Fedhlim, ancestor of the O'Duibhdhiorma of the Bredach, in Inishowen j (5) Eochy Binne, from whom the
Cinel Binny near the Foyle.
2
Fidh-more.—Now Veagh, in the parish of Raymochy, anciently called
Rath-maighe-h-Aenaigh, of which Brugach, the bishop, was venerated on 1st
November. Veagh lies between the church of Donaghmore of Magh-Ith, and
the royal palace of Ailech.
3
Bioc of Inis~bo~finde.—Colgan says St. Rioc was nephew of St. Patrick,
and son of his sister Darerca.
4
From him—i.e. the right of sovereignty was to be attached to his race.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

437

" They are all alike to me," answered Eoghan. " They shall
have united love," said Patrick.
Patrick went to Ailech of the kings,5 when he blessed the fort
and left his flag there; and he prophesied that kingship and preeminence should be over Erinn from Ailech. " When you lift
your foot out of your bed to approach it,6 and your successor after
you," said Patrick, a the men of Erinn shall tremble before you."
He blessed the whole island (Inis-Eoghain)7 from Belach-ratha ;8
and he gave a blessing of valor to Eoghan. Then it was that
Patrick said:—
" My blessing on the tuatha (territories)
I give from Belach-ratha,
On you, you descendants of Eoghan,
Until the day of judgment.
'' "Whilst plains are under crops,
The palm of battle shall be on their men.
The armies of Fail (Ireland) shall not be over your plains;
You shall attack every telach (tribe).
" The race of Eoghan, son of Niall,
Bless, O fair Brigid J
Provided they do good,
Government shall be from them for ever.
" The blessing of us both
Upon Eoghan Mac TSTeill,
On all who may be born from him,
Provided they are obedient."

Eochaidh, son of Fiachra, son of Eoghan, was baptized with
Eoghan, and Patrick's covenant was made between them; and
6
Ailech of the kings.—"Now Grenan-Ely, in the barony of Inishowen,
county Donegal.. See the Ordnance Survey Memoir of the parish of Templemore, county Londonderry, p. 217.
6
It—i. e. the flag.
7
Inis-Eoghain.—Now the island or barony of Inishowen, county Donegal.
8
Belach-ratha.—Now Ballagh, in the parish of Olonca, near Malin Head, the
most northern part of Inishowen.

438

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

whosoever transgresses it shall not have children born to him, and
his body will not rot in the clay.
Where Patrick went after this was into Daigurt in Magh-Dula.9
He built seven Domhnachs (churches) about Fochaine1 (i.e. flumen),
namely, Domhnach-Dola,2 Domhnach-Seinlis, Donihnach-Dara,
Domhnach-Senchua, Domhnach-Minchluane,3 Domhnach-Catte,
Both-Domhnaigh.4
Patrick proceeded into Tir-Eoghain of the Islands, namely into
the territory governed by Fergus, and he took to build a clisert at
a certain place ; Achaclh-Driman5 was the proper name of the land
in which he built it. But Coelbhadh, son of Eoghan, drove him
from thence, and Patrick said that in consequence thereof his race
should never have a goodly house there. Quod probatum est
super by Comman, son of Algasach, of the race of Coelbhadh, who
was at Eas-nac-Eire, who made a house there, but before he had
the roof on it it was broken down by a young cleric of the family
of Domhnach-mor-Maighe-Tochair.
" Thou shalt receive welcome from me," said Aedh, son of Fergus.
There is neither bank nor wall between him and the aforesaid, and
it was there that he erected Domhnach-mor-Maighe-Tochair, ribi
xl, dubas mansit et Mac Cairthin reliquit.
Patrick proceeded from Domhnach-mor-Maighe-Tochair, into
Bredach, and there he met the three Deachans, the sons of
Patrick's sister, in the country of Ailell, son of Eoghan, and he
9 Magh-JDula.-This name is. partly preserved in that of Moyola, a river
that passes by Castledawson, and flows into Lough Neagh
i Fochaine.— The Faughan river, which flows into Lough Foyle.
2
J?omhnach'Dola.—The site of this church has not been ascertained; probably it was near the Moyola.
3 Domhnach-Minchluane.-Thi*
is the old church of Clooney, m the parish
of Clondermot, near Deny, mentioned in Colton's « Visitation," pp. 31 and 32.
4 Both-Domhnaigh. - T h i s is now Bodoney, in the north of the county of
Tyrone and diocese of Derry. In 932, Muireacan of this place was abbot or corbe
of Armagh, and in that year crowned Aodh, son of Donnell, King of Ireland.
5 Achach-DHman.-~Dr. Reeves'(Oolton, p. 120) writes there is a townland
called Magheradrumman, in the parish of Donagh in Inishowen, probably the
place here mentioned.

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

. 439

ordained Oengus, the son of Ailell, in that place, and he remained
there on Sunday; Domhnach-Bile is its name.
When Patrick was at Ailech-Airtich in Sonnacht, in Cinel-Enda,
Enda came to him. "Da mihi hunc locum," said Patrick. "Quasinon
babussemus clericos," said Enda. On the morrow venit Enda et suus
filius secum, Echu Caech. Patrick had turned off to pray, and his
people to baptize, to confer orders, and to propagate the faith. The
two Maccairthinns were there at the time, namely, qui est at
Clochar et qui est at Domhnach-mor-Maighe-Tochair. " Confer ye
the degree of bishop upon my son," said Enda. " Let Patrick be
consulted," said Patrick's champion, Maccairthinn of Clochar. " It
is our duty," said the other; " I will confer the order." When Patrick,
he said, " Ye have conferred orders in my absence on the son of the
Wolf; there shall be strife in the church of the one for ever ; there
shall be poverty in the church of the other," Quod impletur:
strife at Clochar; Domhnach-mor-Maighe-Tochair, poverty is there.
" The son upon whom the degree was conferred, two persons, after
committing murder, shall profane his relics. One hundred and
twenty years until a son shall be born in the southern parts [who
shall reconsecrate his church], and it shall be restored to me again."
Quod totum impletum est. The first place where his relics were
was a high and beautiful spot, but they were caried thence after a
short time to a lower place ; and the first place where they were is
deserted, and robbers and murderers are accustomed to dwell there,
through Patrick's curse. And his church was ceded to Ciaran
Mac-an-tsair, but was restored to Patrick again. This Echu, son
of Enda, is at this day called Bishop Echan.
As Patrick was in Tir-Enda-Airtich at Tulach-liag, in Leitir, he
stuck [wattles for] a church there, which afterwards became a
bush. After this he went to the Lei, on the east of the Bann,
ubi non capiebant homines pisces nisi in nocte usque ad illud tempus.
Deinde imperavit eis Patricius ut in die caperent, et sic erit in
finem seculi.
Patrick went afterwards into Dal-Araidhe and Dal-Eiada.

440

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

Then he proceeded to Eori, 5 to Carn-Setna, southwards, where
he heard the screams of an infant from out of the ground. The
earn was demolished, the sepulchre was laid bare, and a smell of
wine arose around them out of the sepulchre. They saw the living
child with the dead mother, A woman that died of ague ; she was
brought across the sea to Eriu, and the child was born after death ;
and seven days, it is said, it lived in the tumulus. " That is bad
(olc),"6 said the king. " That shall be his name (Olcan)" said the
druid. Patrick baptized h i m ; and he is Bishop Olcan, of the
community of Airther-Maighe,? in the district of Dal-Biada. And
Mac Nisse, of Condere, read his psalms with Patrick. . . .
Patrick received welcome in the district from Erc's twelve sons.
And Fergus Mor Mac Erca said to Patrick, " If I am preferred
before my brothers in the division of our land, I will offer some
to you." And Patrick gave to Bishop Olcan this part, i.e. AirtherMaighe. Patrick said to Fergus, " Though thy esteem with thy
brothers is not great to-day, it is thou that shalt be king. The
kings of this land, and of Fortren, shall be from thee for ever;"
and this is what was fulfilled in Aedan Mac Gabhrain, who possessed Alba by force. Patrick left many cells and establishments
in the territory of Dal-Eiada. 8
He founded Fothraidh, and left two of his people in it, viz.,
Presbyter Cathbadh, and the monk Dimman; and he founded EathMudhain, 9 and left Presbyter Erclach in i t ; he left Bishop Nem 1
5

To Ron. —Do rorl is the reading of the MS. ; but it is probably corrupt,
and includes some wrong form of the name of the Xing of Dal-Riada, who
appears to have been present on the occasion of the finding of the child.—See
Reeves' "Down and Connor," p. 243.
6
Olc, evil; olcan, diminutive of olc.
7
Airther-Maighe—i.e. the eastern plain, now Armoy, county Antrim. See
Reeves' " Down," pp. 80, 287.
8
Dal-Riada Now the Route, in the north of county Antrim. See Reeves'
" Down," pp. 52, 72, et seq.
9
Rath-mudhain. —Now Ramoan, in the north of Antrim. St. Ereclacius
was venerated on the 3rd of March.—Reeves' " Down," p. 79.
1
Nem.—Colgan calls him Nehemias.

Tripartite Life of St Patrick.

441

in Telach-Ceniul-Aenghusa;2 Daehennindan in Domhnach-Cainri, in
Cothraighe; 8 Enan in Druim-Xndich;4 and Bishop Fiachra in Cuil-Echtrainn. 5

And Patrick blessed Dun-Sobhairce f and Patrick's well

is there, and he left a blessing upon it.
He went afterwards to Dal-Araidhe. 7
sons8 before him.
is.

He found Caelbadh's twelve

He proposed to found a place where Cill-gks

HQ was repelled from i t ; and it belongs to him y e t ; and he

left two of his people there, viz., Glaisiuc and Presbyter Libur.
And he determined that he would found a place where Lathrach-

Q
Telach-Cmiul-Aenghusa.—Dr. Reeves ("Down," p . 125) considers this to
be the Grange of Drumtullagh, adjoining Bamoan, county Antrim, having an
ancient burying-ground called Kilmoyle.
3
Domhnach-Cainri in Cathrigica.—Cathrigica is the modern barony of Carey,
in the north of Antrim, Colgan conjectured this church to be Kill-Domnach,
but both names are obsolete. The festival of St. Nehemias was celebrated on
the 3rd of May, when the Martyrology of Donegal styles him Nem, Bishop of
Drum Dallam. In the townland of Big House, parish of Cuilfeightran, barony of Carey, are the remains of an ancient church called Drumnahill, which
may be the church of the text.—Beeves' " Down," p. 282.
*Enan in Druim-Indich.—Now Kileena, in the townland of Drumeeny,
parish of Bamoan, county Antrim.—Beeves' " Down," p. 284.
6
CitU-Echtrainn.—Now Culfeightran, barony of Carey, county Antrim.—
Beeves' "Down," p. 79.
6
Dun-Sobhairce.—Now Dunseverick, three miles east of the Giant's Causeway, on the northern coast of county Antrim. For an interesting account of
this place, and its identification by Dr. O'Donovan, see " Dublin Penny Journal," vol. i. p. 361; also Beeves' "Down," p . 286.
f Dal-Araidhe.—This large region in the east of Ulster extended from
Newry, in the south of the county Down, to Slemish mountain in the barony
and county of Antrim. The portion of Antrim north of this was Dal-Biada.—
" Book of Bights," p. 23.
8
GaelbadNs twelve sons. —Caelbadh had been King of Uladh, or circumscribed
Ulster, fifteen years, and of Ireland one year, and was slain in 357. Of the
twelve sons, three are mentioned in the Life—Saran, Connla, and Nad-Sluagh.
Saran succeeded his father as King of Uladh, which he held for twelve or
twenty-six years, and was ancestor of the Macartans of Kinalarty, county
Down. Connla was ancestor of Magenis of Iveagh, same county. Several of
his descendants were also kings of Uladh, and St. Fergus, Bishop of Down,
who died in 583, was his great-great-grandson. Nad-Sluagh was grandfather
of St. Cairbre, Bishop of Coleraine, hereafter mentioned, and from him also
descended the celebrated Aengus the Culdee.

.2 P

442
Patraic 9 is.

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

I t is there Daniel, Patrick's angel and dwarf, is.

It

is there Patrick's well is—Slan is its name—which Patrick discovered there.

Saran, the son of Caelbad,1 seized his hand to expel

him ; and Patrick took heaven and land from him.

Connla, the

son of Caelbadh, however, received Patrick with humility, and gave
him Domhnach-Combair f and Patrick blessed him, and declared
that kings and chieftains should be of his race for ever.

And he

founded many churches in Dal-Araidhe, viz. : Domhnach-mor 3 of
Magh-Damhairne, and Kath-Sithe 4 (and he left two of his people
there), and Telach-Conadain,5 and Gluaire in Latharna 6 (and Mac
Laisre is in it). He founded Glenn-indechta, 7 and Imlech-[c]luana, in

9

Lathrach-Patraic.— That is, " Patrick's site ;" but the Latin Tripartite
calls it Lettir-Phadmic, signifying "Patrick's slope." Colgan, in his note ( " Tr.
Th. " p. 183), writes that this Daniel was called from his short stature " Abhac,''
signifying a dwarf, and that from this the church was denominated LannAbhaic, " t h e church of the dwarf," being then a parish in the diocese of
Connor. It is now called G-lenavy, the letter g having been prefixed by the
English settlers., though in Pope "Nicholas's Taxation (1306) it is simply called
Lennewy.—See Reeves' "Down," &c, pp. 47, 236.
1
Saran, the son of Caelbadh.—Saran succeeded his father as King of Ulidia,
and reigned twenty-six years.—"Battle of Magh-Rath," p. 330.
2
Domhnach-Combair.—Now Comber, in county Down, at the north end of
Strangford Lough. See Reeves' "Down," pp. 197, 338.
3
Domhnach-mor.---The Latin Tripartite reads, "Domnaeh-mor in agro de
Mag-damorna." Colgan, in another place, calls the latter Machaire-Morna,
now Magheramorne, a territory to the south of the town of Larne, in the county
Antrim. It was in this district the celebrated St. Comgall of Bangor was
born. The name Domhnach-mor is obsolete. See Reeves' "Down," pp. 51,
269, 338, 346.
4
Eath-Sithe. — 'Now Rashee, barony of Belfast, county Antrim. The
annals record the death of several of its bishops. Reeves' " Down," pp. QSt
258, 263.
5
Telach-Gonadain.—Dr. Reeves conjectures this to be the chapelry of St.
Cunning, now merged in the parish of Carncastle, near Larne. (Reeves'
" Down," pp. 53. 338.) The Calendar of the O'Clerys has a St. Conaing, son of
Lacunan, at 23rd Sept.
6
Gluaire in Latharna.—This is the church of Glenarm, or Tickmacrevan,
county Antrim, on the old territory of Larne, and is still called Glore. —Reeves'
"Down," pp. 87, 264, 338.
7
Glenn-indechta.—Now the church of Glynn, in the barony of Lower Belfast,
county Antrim.—Reeves' "Down," pp. 56, 329, 339.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

443

Semhne8 (where Gaemhan was left), and Rath-Escuip-Indich,9 in the
territory of Ui-Erca-chein,
After some time the aforesaid Saran bore off some men in captivity from the district of Dal-Riada. Bishop Olcan met him, and
the poor people were grievously complaining to him. Olcan interceded, but it was of no avail, unless he would assure heaven to
Saran. " I cannot do so, indeed/7 said he, "for Patrick has deprived
thee of it." " I will kill thy people about thee, but thee alone,"
said he, " and I will slay all these captives; and wherever I shall
find a priest (taikend), I shall bring him under the edge of the
sword."
Whereupon Bishop Olcan promised him heaven. He came
afterwards from the north to offer submission to Patrick. It was
reported to Patrick that Bishop Olcan had promised baptism and
heaven to the person to whom he had denied them. They met to
the north of Cluain-Fiachna,1 on the way, going in different directions.
" The chariot over him," said Patrick. " It is not allowable," said
the charioteer, "that it should go over a bishop." He told him (Bishop
Olcan) that his establishment on earth would not be high, and
that it would be thrice destroyed; as was afterwards fulfilled, for it
8
Semhne.— Sernhne or Shevny was the ancient name of Island Magee,
lying to the north-east of Carrickfergus, county Antrim.
It contained
six churches, one of which (Kilkenane) may have its name corruptly formed
from St. Caemhan, whom St. Patrick left in charge. See Reeves' "Down,"
p. 270.
8
Bath* Escuii>Indic7i.—Bishop Indich, Innoe, or Winnoc, from whom this
church derives its name, was a disciple of St. Patrick, but very little is known of
his history. The district of Ui-Erca-ehein, called variously, in English records,
Anderken and Sluthenderkeys, lay in the present barony of Castlereagh, county
Down, adjoining Strangford Lough. It is supposed to be the present Castle
Espie, the ruins of which—lying in a large rath on the.western shore of Strangford Lough—are in a townland of the same name, which has always been
ecclesiastical property.
1
Gluain-Fiachna.—This is now Clonfecle, barony of Dungannon, county
Tyrone, about five miles north of Armagh ; the old church overhanging the
river Blackwater, opposite Blackwatertown, county Armagh. I t is a mistake
for Dal-rieda.

444

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

was ruined by Scandal, 2 King of Dal-Araidhe, and by Cucuaran, 3
and by fire also. " Laechdich, son of Bresal, and his land, shall
belong to the young boy bearing the satchel," said Patrick, " one
of thy own people, i.e. Mac Nisse of Oondere,4 and to one not born
yet, i.e. Senan 5 of Inis-Altich. Thy merit in heaven will be illustrious.' '
Saran's guilt it was that was here laid upon Bishop Olcan. Saran's
brother, Nadsluagh, was submissive to Patrick; and he was in captivity on Patrick's arrival. " You shall have from me/' said he, Ci the
site of your regies" " Where will you give it me V asked Patrick.
" On the brink of the Bann, in the west," said Nadsluagh, " where
the boys are burning the ratha (ferns)." " It shall be mine, truly,"
said Patrick; " a descendant of mine and thine shall be there/' i.e.
Bishop Coirpre, 6 son of Deggell, son of Nadsluagh; it is he that is in
Cul-rathain, 7 on the eastern brink of the Bann. Bishop Bragach,
who is in Katha-Maighe-Aenaigh, 8 in Crich-Conaill, it was that conferred orders on Bishop Coirpre. Patrick, also, it was that conferred
orders on Bishop Brugach; so that he (Bishop Coirpre) is a descendant of Patrick in this wise. Patrick gave no malediction to
any of the twelve sons of Caelbad, except to the king alone, i.e.
Saran. It was he that had acted disobediently to him. It was on
2

Scandal.—This was Scannlan of the Broad Shield, father of Congal Claen,
King of Ulidia, or Dalaradia, ten years, who was slain at the battle of MaghRath, near Newry, county Down, A.D. 634, according to the chronology of the
Four Masters; A.D. 636, Annals of Ulster and Ghronicon Scotorum; and A.D.
637, according to Tigernach.
3
Gucuaran.—He was also King of Ulidia and the Cruithni, and was slain by
Finnchu O'Ronan, A.D. 706, according to the Four Masters.
4
Mac Nisse.—See Reeves' "Down and Connor," p. 237, et seq., for a full
account of Bishop Mac Nisse and his church.
6
Senan.—Colgan, in the index to his " Tr. Th." writes this was in Ulster,
but gives no clue to its locality.
6
Bishop Coirpre.—Bishop Cairbre. His festival was held on the 11th of
November. See note at Caelbadh's twelve sons.
7
Cul-rathain,—Now Coleraine, on the river Bann. It was for some time the
seat of a bishop, and also a monastery. See Reeves' "Down," p. 247.
8
Ratha-Maighe~Aenaigh.—Now Raymochy, in the barony of Raphoo
county Donegal* See Heaves' " Adamnan," p, 192*

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

445

this occasion that Patrick brought with him Bishop Guasacht, 9 son
of Milchu, from the territory of Dal-Araidhe; it was he whom
Patrick left in G-ranard, and the two Emirs also, Milchu's two
daughters: it is they that are in Oluain-Bronaigh, 1 ut diximus.
The way Patrick went was into the territory of Dal-Araidhe,
across Fertais-Tuama, 2 to Ui-Tuirtre.

He was forty nights in

Finnobair, 3 and determined to build a city there for its suitability 4
—Loch-Nechach being on one side of it, and Sliabh-Oalland on the
other.

Cairthen Mor, king of the country, went to' him and

ordered him off.
the sovereignty.

He (Patrick) deprived' him and his children of
Patrick afterwards gave the sovereignty to

Cairthend Beg, who was in exile from his brother; and Patrick
baptized him, and blessed his wife, and the being that was in her
womb.

" My debroth" said Patrick, " the being that is in thy womb

shall be full of the grace of God j and it is I that will bless a veil
upon her head."

The woman was Mogan, 3 daughter of Fergus

Mor Mac Nissi, King of Dal-Kiada;
0

and Trea, 6 daughter of

Bishop Guasacht.—His festival was held on the 24th of January.
Gluain-Bronaigh.—Now Clonbroney, to the west of Granard, county Longford. I t became a famous nunnery, and was largely endowed with lands.
2
Fertais- Tuama. —Now Toome Bridge, over the lower Bann, county Antrim.
Ui-Tuirtre was then on the west side of the Bann ; but the tribe was afterwards expelled to the east or Antrim side by the O'Neills. Colgan, not knowing the change, inverts the position of Slieve Gallien and Lough Neagiu
3
Finnobair.—There were several places of this name in Ireland, one of
which, now called Findermore, was in Magh-Lemna, or the Clossach, near
Clogher, county Tyrone (" Tr. Th." p. 184); but from the text this
appears to have been Tuirtre, between Lough Neagh and Slieve G-allen,
occupying precisely the position of the church of Ardtrea, barony of Loughinsliolin, county Derry. The ancient church of Ardtrea is in Ballyeglish, '' the
town of the church."
4
Suitability.—See Reeves' " Down and Connor," p. 293.
* Mogan.—Fergus Mor was King of Dal-Riada, and grandson of Eochaidh
Muinreamhar, Monarch of Ireland. In 503 he and his brothers conquered the
greater part of Alba, and founded there the kingdom of Scotland.
6
Trea.—Cairthen Mor was descended from Colla Uais, Monarch of Ireland.
It was from his grandfather, Fiachra Tort, that Ui-Tuirtre was named. St.
Trea's festival was held on the 3rd of August. St. Maedhog, Bishop of Ferns,
who died A.D. 624, was of her family.
1

446

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

Cairthend, was the daughter who was in her womb; and it was
Patrick who blessed a veil on her head, as he prophesied. The
angels, moreover, that brought the veil from heaven, and placed it
on her head, down over her eyes ; and Patrick began to raise it up.
"Why is not good to leave it as it was placed]" asked Trea.
" It is good, indeed," answered Patrick. She never saw anything
during her life except what she saw through that veil.
Patrick had seven Domhnachs7 in Ui-Tuirtre, viz., DomhnachFainre,8 Domhnach-Eiascad,9 Domhnach-Fothirbe, DomhnachEighduinn, Domhnach-Brain,1 Domhnach-Maelain,2 DomhnachLibuir.
Where Patrick went afterwards was to Feara-Gabrae,3 and they
were not obedient to him. Patrick said that they would go afterwards with tribute to his church in winter time, and that extern
tribes would get their country; quod impletum est. Patrick went
afterwards to Fera-Imchlair,4 and he baptized and blessed them;
7 Domhnachs.— Churches, the names of which began with "Domhnach."
8
Domhnach-Fainre.—Now Donaghenry, at Stewartstown, county Tyrone.
—Reeves' "Down," p. 294.
9
Domhnach-Riascad.—Now Donaghrisk, in the parish of Desertcreat, not
far from Stewartstown. I t is still used as the Catholic burial ground.—
Beeves' "Down," p. 294.
1
Domhnach-Brain.—Dr. Reeves' ("Down and Connor," p. 294) suggests this
was Donnabaran, erenagh land, in the deanery of Tullaghoge, county Tyrone,
to the west of Lough Neagh.
2
Domhnach-Madam.—This is probably the old church of Desertlynn, county
Derry, adjoinirig Artrea, so called from the O'Lynn family, who also gave name
to the barony of Loughinsholin, in which it is situate. The ruins of the old
church are in the townland of Ballymully.
3
Feara-Gabrae.—Dr. Reeves conjectured this territory to lie between UiTuirtre, on the west of Lough Neagh, and Donaghmore, county Tyrone.
4
Feara-Imchlair.—Dr. Reeves, on the authority of Colgan, places MaghImchlair around Donaghmore, to the west of Dungannon. The festival of
Cruimther Colum was celebrated here on the 4th June, as also at 6th September, at which day the Calendar of the O'Clerys has : "Colum of Ros-Glandai,
i.e. Glan is the name of a well which was there before Patrick, and Domhnachmor-Maigh-Imchlair is its name at this day, since Patrick blessed it. In Tir.
Eoghain it is situate. And this Colum is of the race of Laeghaire, son of
Niall." There is a fine old sculptured cross at the Catholic church, ornamented with Scriptural subjects.

Tripartite Life of St Patrick.

447

and he left with them Cruimther Colum, and Patrick's book of
orations, and his bell therewith; they are miraculous things unto
this day.
When Patrick concluded his triumphant career in the present
life, as the Apostle Paul said, " I have fought the good fight; I
have finished my course; I have kept the faith; as to the rest,
there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord the just
judge will render to me in that day," he received communion
and sacrifice from Bishop Tassach. His remains and relics are here
regarded with honor and veneration by the earthly Church.
Though great his honor and veneration on the earth, greater still
will they be in the Day of Judgment, when the fruit of his preaching will be committed to him as to each other high apostle, with
the apostles and disciples of Jesus, in the union of the nine choirs
of angels, in the union of the Divinity and the Humanity of the
Son of God, in the unity which is nobler than all unity—in the
unity of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I
beseech mercy through the intercession of Patrick. We ask that
we may all ourselves obtain this union m scecula sceculorum. Amen. 5
[It should be observed that, at the commencement of each of
the three parts of the Tripartite Life, there are several pages of
Latin, which were intended by the author as a sort of introduction or preface to what follows in each part. They are made
up principally of Scriptural quotations strung loosely together.
8

A men.—In Colgan'a version the second part concludes thus :—
" Hactenus de virtutibus et miraculis S. Patricii, qui totamvitee felicissimse,
virfcutumque ac prodigiorum plense ita consummavifc cursum ut cum Apostolo
Paulo potuerit recte dixisse; * Bonum certamen certavi, cursum consummavi,
fidem servavi: de csetero reposita est mihi corona justitisB, quam reddet mihi
Dominus in die Justus judex.'
u
Appropinquante autem hora mortis curavit advocari Fossachum Episcopuin, susceptoque ex ejus mane salutari viatico suaviter obdormivit in Domino.
Ejus sacrse exuvise, ac reliqusa in summa veneratione asservantur in Ecclesia
terrestri; in caelesti vero ejus anima triumphat seternse vitee perpetuo exultans
gaudiis : quse nobis concedat Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus. Amen.

448

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

These quotations have general reference to the establishment of
Christ's kingdom upon earth, and are obviously intended to bear
upon the happy introduction of Christianity into Ireland, through
the labors of our glorious apostle. At the end of each of the
parts, in like manner, are some paragraphs, by way of peroration,
devoted chiefly to the praises of the great saint, who dedicated
the greater part of an unusually long life to the service of God,
by the regeneration of our pagan ancestors. The language of both
prefaces and perorations, whether corrupted by the copyists in
transcription, or originally so written, is a most barbarous Latin.
For the reasons indicated, it has been deemed better to omit the
pages alluded to, merely giving a few words of the commencement
of each. In the Irish original, also, as was usual in early Irish
manuscripts, there are a considerable number of Latin quotations
or sentences, which in some cases have been translated, and in
others given as they stood, without any attempt to correct the
style.]

450

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

Patrick left Presbyter Conaedh in Domnach-Airther-Maighe, in
the territory of Hy-Briuin of the north. He rested there on Sunday, and then went after Patrick from that place as far eastwards
as the wood. " What brought you T asked Patrick. " I cannot
bear your absence, holy man," said he. " No wonder," observed
Patrick ; " the place around thee is not the place of a son of life,
but a place for pig-eaters; the soil of the place shall never be
reddened "—(which we have proved when Connacan,G son of Colman, son of Niall Frossach, went into the district with an army,
nine men moved off from a tree, which Artifex, a pilgrim, selected.
He was beheaded ; eight were liberated, however, in his land).
Patrick went afterwards to Telach-Maine,7 and received a welcome
from Maine, son of Conlaedh, who humbled himself to him ; and
Patrick blessed him, and blessed his wife, so that she was fruitful,
and brought forth two daughters. Patrick baptized them,' and
blessed veils on their heads, and left a senior with them to instruct
them.
Patrick did not visit Ard-Macha on that occasion, but went into
the territory of Hy-Cremthand, 8 where he founded churches and
residences. One time, as Patrick was coming from Clochar, from
6
Comiacan.—This and some other passages were evidently added at a later
period by the coypist to show the fulfilment of the prophecy. Mall Frossach,
who was King of Ireland seven years, resigned in 765, and died at I-ColuimCille, on his pilgrimage, eight years afterwards. The Four Masters record
the death of his son Colum, by the Cinel-Conaill, at A.D. 810, and of
Oonnegan, son of Colum, in a hosting made into Ulidia, in 853.
7
Telach-Maine.—There are some parishes and townlands called Tullamain
in the counties of Kilkenny and Tipperary, but it is obvious from the context
the place here referred to was in northern Ulster, where we only find one, in
the parish of Faughanvale, county Londonderry. I t probably was the place
indicated.
8
Hy-Cremthand.—This territory, according to Colgan, was in the barony
of Slane, county Meath. It was so called from Oreamhthann, a descendant of
Rochadh, son of Colla da Chrioch. It and its chiefs are frequently mentioned
in the ''Four Masters."—See "Book of Eights," p. 152. Colgan (" ActaSS."
p. 235) traces Crimthah's descent thus : son of Fieg, son of Deodatus, son of
Rochad, son of Colla da Crioch.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

451

the north, his strong man, i.e. Bishop Mac Carthend,9 carried him
across a difficult place; and, after lifting up Patrick, he said, " Uch,
uch." " My debroth," said Patrick, " you were not accustomed to
say that word.'7 " I am old and infirm," said Bishop Mac Carthend,
" and you have left all my early companions in churches, whilst I
am still on the road." "I will leave thee in a church," said Patrick,
" that shall not be too near us for familiarity, that shall not be too
distant for intercourse between us." And Patrick afterwards left
Bishop Mac Carthend in Clochar, and the Domhnach-Airgid1 with
him, which was sent to Patrick from heaven, when he was on the
sea coming to Erinn.
Patrick went after that to Lemhuin.2 Finnabhair is the name of
the hill on which Patrick preached. Three days and three nights
was he at the preaching, and each day did not seem to them longer
than one hour. Then it was that Brigid slept at the preaching, and
Patrick did not allow her to be awakened. Patrick asked her after9
Bishop Mac Carthend.—His proper name was Aodh or Aidus, the other
being derived from his father, Chaerthann. He was first Bishop of Clogher,
the ancient name of which, as recorded in the " F o u r Masters," was Clocharmac-n-Daimhne. According to Sir James Ware, he died on the 24th of
March, 506, on which day his festival is still held. The Calendar of the
O'Olerys states, under Oct. 6th, that he was of the race of Eochaidh, son of
Muireadh, of the seed of Heremon, and that he was called " Patrick's
champion." His life is given in Colgan's '\Acta SS."
1
Domhnach-Airgid.—This highly ornamented reliquary, enclosing Latin
copies of the four Gospels, is now in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy.
It has been described in the "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy,"
vol. xviii, from which extracts have been made in O'Curry's Lectures, p. 322,
with a translation from this Life of the passage relating to St. Mac Carthend.
(See note, p. 64.)
2
Lemhuin.— Lemhuin or Liamhain was, according to Colgan, in the county
Tyrone and diocese of Clogher, and was otherwise called Clossach. The river
Blackwater ran through it, and the fort of Augher and the village of Ballygawley were in it, having Clogher on its western, and the church of ErrigalKeeroge on its northern, boundary. As Clossach it is frequently mentioned
in O'Mellan's Irish " Journal of the Wars of 1641 ;" " Book of Rights," p. 152 ;
"Irish Topographical Poems," p. xxi. note 119 ; Colton's "Visitation," p. 126.
Finnabhair is now corruptly called Findermore, a townland in the parish and
barony of Clogher, county Tyrone.—Ordnance sheets, 58 and 64, county
Tyrone.

452

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

wards what she had seen.

She said : " I saw fair synods, and white

oxen, and white corn-fields; behind them spotted oxen, and black
oxen after these.

I afterwards saw sheep and pigs, and dogs and

wolves, fighting amongst themselves. I saw subsequently two stones,
one little and the other big.

A drop was shed on each of them.

The little stone increased at the < drop/ and silvery sparks burst
from it. The large stone withered, moreover."

" They were the two

sons of Eochaidh, son of Crimthann," 3 said Patrick.

Cairpre Damh-

airgit 4 believed, and Patrick blessed him, and blessed his seed.
Bresal, moreover, refused, and Patrick cursed him.

Patrick also

explained the whole vision of Brigid in an admirable manner.
3
Eochhaidh Mac Crimthainn.-- He was son of the Crimthainn mentioned
under the note " Hy-Cremthand." O'Flaherty (book iii. chapter lxxvi.
Hely's translation, vol. ii. p. 10), in tracing the history of the Orgiellians, the
posterity of the three Collas, writes as follows: " Achy, Prince of Orgiellia,
died in the time of St. Patrick, and was by his mediation restored to life and
baptized. He had two sons after this : Bressal, the elder, who obstinately
opposed the Gospel, on which he with his whole race were extirpated and
extinguished, in consequence of the dreadful imprecations denounced on them
by St. Patrick; his other son was Carbry, surnamed Damhairgid, who most
willingly embraced the principles of truth, and enjoyed the blessings imparted
to him and his posterity, from which a numerous succession of Orgiellian
princes and many saints are descended."
4
Cairpre Damhairgit.—From this Cairpre or Carbry, who had seven sons,
according to O'Flaherty, were descended the noble families of Maguire, Mac
Mahon, and O'Hegny ("Ogygia," iii. ch. 67). Colgan only mentions two sons,
Natsluagh, from whom MacMahon, and Cormac, from whose descendant
Udhir sprung Maguire. Colgan (" Acta £S." pages 235 and 713) enumerates
the following saints as descended from him : St. Enda, Abbot of Arran, off
the coast of Galway, whose mother, according to the O'Clerys' Calendar, was
Aibhfiun, daughter of Itonan, King of the Ards in county Down (venerated
21st March); St. Libeus of Arran, his brother (18th Feb. or 16th Dec.); their
two sisters, St. Carecha Dergain of Cluain-Boiriim (7th Feb.), St. Lochinia
(12th June); SS. Fergus (29th March), Muredach (12th August), Mochoemoc
(13th April), all of Inis-Caoin, now Inishkeen, in Lough Erne, county Fermanagh, and their sister St. Nessa (4th Sept.) ; St. Tegan or Tecce (9th S e p t ) ;
St. Dimina, or Damnada, or Damhnat (13th June) ; St. Fanchea, St. Mugan or
Moghain Og, of Cluain-Boirinn, mentioned in Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba "
(Dec. 15), and St. Darfroechea, alias Darerca, mother of St. Tighernach of
Clones, and sister of St, Cinna of Druim-Dubhain, after mentioned (11th Nov.
or 23rd March).

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

453

He resuscitated Eochaidh, son of Crimthann, from death.
Eochaidh possessed a daughter, i.e. Cinnu,5 whom her father wished
to marry to a man of noble family, i.e. to the son of Cormac,6 son of
CairpreMac Neill; she, walking along, met Patrick with his companions on the way. Patrick preached to her, that she unite herself
to the spiritual prophet; and she believed, and Patrick instructed her,
and baptized her afterwards. When her father was subsequently seeking for her, to give her to her man, she and Patrick went to converse with him. Patrick requested that he would permit her to wed
the Eternal Spouse : Eochaidh agreed to this, if heaven would be
given to him therefor, and he himself not be compelled to be baptized. Patrick then promised these two conditions, though he
thought it hard. The king afterwards consented that his daughter,
i.e. Cinnu, should be united to Christ, and Patrick made her a
female disciple to him, and commanded a certain virgin to instruct
her, i.e. Cechtumbar of Druim-Dubhain,7 in which place both virgins rest.
5

Cinnu.—The Calendar of the O'Clerys has, at ^st Feb., " Cmne, Virgin;"
and Colgan (" Acta SS.V) has her life at that day. After receiving the veil,
she was placed under St. Cechtumbria in a nunnery at Druim-Dubhain (see
infra), where she was living about 482, and was there interred. Cinne's sister,
Dearfraoich, was mother of St. Tighernach, Bishop of Clones; in county
Monaghan, according to O'Clerys' Calendar at 4th April.
6
Cormac.—He was called Cormac Caech, and was father of Tuathal Maelgarbh, who was King of Ireland eleven years, and was slain in 538, by Maelmor, tutor of Diarmaid Mac Cearbhaill, who succeeded. The Annals of Ulster
give Tuathal's death at 543; of Clonmacnois at 547; but O'Donovan, on the
authority of Tigernach, says 544 is the true year; with which agrees the
Chron. Scotorum.
7
Cechtumbar of Druim-Dubhain.—Colgan {"Acta £#." note, p. 235) writes
this was a church beside Clogher. Cechtumbar is variously designated Cethuberis and Cectamana or Ethembria, and is stated by Colgan to have been the
first of all the Irish virgins who received the veil from St. Patrick. She is
believed to have been the person to whom St. Patrick refers, in his Confession,
when he says, alluding to the conversions he had effected : " The sons of Scoti
and daughters of chieftains appear now as monks and virgins of Christ.
Especially one blessed Scottish lady, of noble birth and of great beauty, who
was adult, and whom I baptized." According to Colgan, she was interred in
her own church, with many other holy virgins, and seven bishops.

454

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

After many years, moreover, the aforesaid Eochaidh reached the
end of his life ; and when his friends would remain by him, he said,
" Let me not be buried," said he, " until Patrick comes." And when
Eochaidh finished these words his spirit departed. Patrick, moreover,
was at this time in Ulster, at Sabhall-Patrick; and the death of
Eochaidh was manifested to him, and he decided on going to
Clochar-mac-Daimhin, where he found Eochaidh, who had been
inanimate twenty-four hours. When Patrick went into the house
where the body was, he sent out the persons who were about the
body. He bent his knees to the Lord, and shed tears; and he
prayed, and said in a clear voice : "Rise, O King Echaidh, in the
name of Almighty God;" and immediately, at the voice of the servant
of God, he arose. When he had composed himself, he spoke, and the
grief and lamentations of the people were changed to joy. And
forthwith Patrick instructed the king in the rule of faith, and baptized him. He also commanded him, before the people, that he would
describe the pains of the impious, and the joy of the saints, and
that he would speak to the people, that they might believe all that
is said of the pains of hell and the joys of the blest to be true.
And he spoke of .these things, as he was commanded. And Patrick
offered him a choice, i.e. fifteen years in the chief kingship of his
country, if he would live piously and truthfully, or to go to heaven,
if he preferred it. But the king said : " Though the sovereignty of
the entire globe were given to me, and though I might live for
many years, I would count it all as nothing in comparison with the
good shown to me. Hence it is that I pray more and more that I
may be freed from the miseries of the present life, and sent to the
eternal joys exhibited to me." To whom Patrick said, " Go in
peace, and journey to the Lord." Echu (or Eochaidh) gave thanks to
God in the presence of his people, and he commended his soul to
the Lord and Patrick, and his spirit departed to heaven.
Where Patrick went afterwards was to the territory of Ui-MeithTire, 8 to Tech-Thalain; and he left Bishop Cilline there, and other
8

Ui-Meith-Tire.—There were two territories in Ulster named Ui-Meith, so

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

455

holy men of his people, and the relics of saints which he brought
with him across the sea from the east.9
robbers of Ui-Meith-Tire carried off

Then it was that three
the second goat that was

wont to be bringing water, and they came to swear falsely to
Patrick

respecting him, but the

goat cried from

of the three who had acted treacherously.

the

bodies

" My debroth" said

Patrick, " t h e goat himself announces you as thieves.

Prom this

clay forth, goats shall stick to your children and kindred:" which
has been fulfilled,
Eoghan, 1 son of Brian, son of Muiredach, son of Imchadh, son of
Colla-fo-Crich, was King of Ui-Meith when this people believed, and
he (Patrick) blessed them.

Eoghan besought Patrick to resuscitate

his grandfather, i.e. Muiredach.

Patrick afterwards resuscitated

him, and buried him again in the Erende, 2 on the borders of Mughorna and Ui-Meith; but the place belongs to Mughorna.

Then

called from Muiredhach Meth, mentioned afterwards, viz.:—XJi-Meith-Mara,
bordering on Carlingford Lough, and now known as O'Meath in Louth, opposite Warrenpoint; and the other southern portion as Cuailnge (Cooly), adjoining the town of Carlingford. The Ui-Meith-Tire of the text was sometimes
called Ui-Meith-Macha, from its contiguity to Armagh, and was situate in the
present barony and county of Monaghan. I t comprised the parishes of Tehallan (the Tech-Thalain of the text), Monaghan, Kilmore, Tullycorbet, Clontibret,
and Muckno, near Castleblayney "Book of Eights," p. 148, &c. The
Calendar of the (TClerys commemorates, at 2nd November, Aedhan, son of
Aenghus, of Cill-Mor-Aedhain; at 26th January, Cruimther Calbh, of
Telach-Carpait, both in Ui-Meith-Macha; and at 27th May, Cillin, Bishop of
Tech-Talain, in Oirghialla. These churches are all in county Monaghan.
9
East.—The Calendar of the O'Clerys commemorates, at 27th May, '* Cillin,
Bishop of Tech-Talain, in Oirghialla." Wow the parish of Tehallan, in the
north-east of county Monaghan.
1
Eoghan.—The Muiredach, grandson of Colla da Crich, here mentioned, was
generally called Muiredach Meth, from whom the Ui-Meiths were designated.
See preceding note but one.
2
Erende.—Colgan, in the Latin Tripartite ( " Tr. Th." p. 151), calls this place
O.mna Menne. It is probably the present Omra, or Oram, in the parish of
Muckno, barony of Cremorne, county Monaghan, where there is a large mound,
with a circle of stones, on the top of a mountain called Mullyash. I t borders
the county of Armagh, and is called, in the Ulster Inquisitions, Owramlisdonny.

456

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

Patrick went into the district of Mughorna, 3 to Domhnaeh-Maighen,
especially.

When Victor, 4 who was in that place, heard that Patrick

had come to it, Victor went, to avoid Patrick, from the residence
to a thorny brake at the side of the town.
digy for Patrick.

God performed a pro-

He lighted up the brake in the dark night, so

that everything therein was visible.

Victor went afterwards to

Patrick, and gave him his submission; and Patrick gave him the
church, and imposed the degree of bishop on Victor, and left him
in Domhnaeh-Maighen.

And Patrick blessed Mudhorna, and said

that the most illustrious of laics and clerics should be of them.
And he bade farewell to them, and left a blessing with them.
Afterwards Patrick went to Fera-Kos, 5 to Enach-Conglais, where
3

Mughorna.—The Irish form of this territory was Crioch-Mughdhorna,
which Colgau latinized into " regio Mugdornorum." I t is now called the
barony of Cremorne, the parish of Donaghmoyne (the Domhnach-Maighen of
the Life) having been transferred to the barony of Farney. Adamnan, in his
" Life of Colnmba," calls it " provinciaMaugdornorum," on which Dr. Beeves
writes, the name was derived from Mughdorn Dubh, son of Colla Mean {circ.
340), and that in Columba's time the Mangdorni might be considered co-extensive with the modern baronies of Cremorne and Farney, the latter of which was
formerly called Donamaine from this parish. Shirley ("Farne3 r ,"p. 162) writes
that St. Lasserins, or Lasser, was one of the patron saints of Donaghmoyne,
whose festival was held on the 18th of April, and that his well, called TubberLasair, in the townland.of Aghavilla, adjoined the church ; but, in O'Clerys'
Calendar, the entry at 18th April is, " Lassar, Virgin, daughter of Eoghan,
of Maighin." Shirley also writes that St. Clera was patroness, of whom the
O'Clerys, in their additional notes ("Martyrology of Donegal," p, xlv), write,
"Ciar and Lasair, Virgines, tutelares in the parish church of DomnachMoin, in an impropriate parish, diocese of Clogher," &c. There was preserved
here a shrine of St. Adamnan, which (the "Four Masters," at 830) was carried away by the Danes ; as also Tuathal, son of Feradach, who was Abbot of
Eechra (now Lambay, near Dublin) and Durrow.
4
Victor.—Colgan {"Acta Sanctorum," p. 424) gives a short life of Bishop
Victor, at 28th February. The Calendar of the O'Clerys has no St. Victor at
that or any other date ; but Colgan, in his notes to Jocelyn, suspects he was
one of the Buadhbeos mentioned in the Martyrologies at 17th November,
both of whom were of the Clanna Buadhraighe of Ulster; the name Buadhbeo
signifying victorious.—" Villaneuva," p. 376,
6
JPera-Eos.—The territory of Feara-ltos lay in the south of the county
Monaghan, and, according to O'Donovan ("Book of Rights," p. 154), contained
the church of Eanach-Couglais, which, on Colgan's authority (" Trias. Th." p.

Tripartite
lie remained a Sunday.

Life of St. Patrick

457

There it was that the Ui-Lilaigh gave the

poison to Patrick in the lumps of curds.

Patrick blessed the pieces,

and made stones of them.
When Patrick went on Monday across the ford southwards, the
Ui-Lilaigh went with fifty horsemen upon the ford after him, to
slay him*

Patrick turned towards them upon the bank to the

south of the ford; and he raised his left hand and said: "You
shall neither come out of the ford here, nor go the other way ; but
you shall be in that water for ever."
over them.

The water immediately went

Ath-O'Lilaigh 6 is the name of the ford for ever, and

the stone lumps are at Enach-Conglaise, in commemoration of the
miracle to this present day.
He afterwards went to Bath-Cuile, 7 where he blessed the FeraCuile, 8 i.e. the Ui-Seghain.

He went to Bile Tortan alter that, and

184, note 21), is now Killaney ; and he writes that it is almost absolutely certain that it comprised the parish of Machaire-Pos (Magheross), with the town
of Oarrickmacross. The Four Masters have, at A.B. S'25, Maenach, son of
Crunmael, Prior of the Fer-Poss, died ; and, at 815, Ceallach, son of Mael Patrick, Prior of Fer-Poss, died. The parish of Killaney extends into the
counties of Monaghan and Louth, and the ruins of the old church are in the
latter county, on the borders of the former. Mr. Shirley (" Fariiey," p. 179)
writes tliat in the townland of Aunahean, in the Monaghan portion of the
parish, is an old place of sepulture, a small stone cross marking the consecrated spot, and (p. 205) he states that, according to an old survey of 1655, there
was in this townland a Wood Hill called Armagli-Solish, which is absurdly
translated as if Ath-na-g-coils, the Ford of the Cabbages, it being evidently a
corrupt form of the old church of Enach-Gonglais, the Marsh of the Dogs
rivulet, the river Lagan separating this part of the parish from Louth.—See
Peeves' "Adamnan," p. 81.
6
Atli-O'L'ilaigh.—This name is now obsolete, nor is the tribe name mentioned
by O'Dugan or O'Heerin in their topographical poems. I t was evidently a
ford on the river Lagan, in some part of the parish of Killaney, on the borders
of Monaghan and Louth.
7
Rath-Caile.—There are several places named Pathcoole in Ireland, of
which one is in the parish and barony of Patoath, county Meath, but quite remote from the barony of Kells, in which Fera-Cuile, according to O'Donovan,
was situate. (See next note.) It was, most probably, the place now called
Coole, in the parish of Kilmainham Wood, adjoining Moybolgue to the southwest, in the barony of Lower Kells.
8
Fera-Cuile.—O'Donovan, under 693, writes this territory was in Bregia;
hence it was occasionally called Feara-Cul-Breagh, and appears to have been

458

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

constructed a church for Presbyter Justin, near Bile-Tortan, 9 which
is near the community of Ard-Breccan. When Patrick was journeyin o- to the territory of Leinster from Domhnach-Tortan, he remained a night at Drum-Urchaille. 1 Patrick went afterwards to
Naas. 2 The site of his tent is in the green of the fort, to the east
of the road, and his well is to the north of the fort (dun), where he
baptized Dunlaing's two sons, Ailill and Illann, 3 and where he
conterminous with the present barony of Kells, county Meath, comprising,
inter alia, according to O'Clerys' Calendar, the parish of Moybolgue, where
St. Sirio was bishop, and venerated on 26th November ; also Emlagh-Fiaich,
where St. Becan was venerated on the 5th of April. The chiefs of this
territory are mentioned in the " Four Masters " thirteen times. O'Dugan, in
his topographical poem, writes,
" 0 h-Ainbhith, of no stubborn meeting,
Is lord over noble CJi-Seaain,"
which O'Donovan, in his notes, states should correctly be, " Ui-Seghain—
a people situated to the north of Ardbraccan, in the county of Meath," thus
taking in Upper and Lower Kells baronies. After the introduction of surnames, we frequently find the O h-Ainbhiths, anglice O'Hanvey, lords of
Oirghiallia and Ui-Meith, as also of Farbill in Westmeath.
9
Bile-Tortan.— O'Donovan ("Book of Rights," p. 151) was unable to state
further concerning the Ui-Dortain or Ui-Torfcain than that they were seated in
that part of Meath in which was the celebrated old tree called Bile-Tortan
which stood near Ardbraccan, as stated in the Life.
1
Drum- Urchaille.—Colgan (" Trias. TV pp. 151 and 272) writes this wras a
church in Meath. At 837 the Four Masters record the death of Domhnall, its
abbot; and, in a note, O'Donovan explains the name as the "Ridge of the
Greenwood," conjecturing that it might be Cnoc-Urchoille or Spaniel Hill, in
the county Clare—a surmise indisputably wrong.
2
Naas. —The present town of Naas, in county Kildare. The great rath or
dun still stands in the centre of the town.
3
Dunlaing's two sons, Ailill and Ulan.—Dunlaing was King of Leinster, in
which he was succeeded by these sons, Ulan dying in 506. From Ailill, alias
Oilioll, descended many kings of Leinster, as also the great St. Lorcan or
Laurence O'Toole. At A.D. 489, the Four Masters record that Ailill and Ulan
assisted Muircheartach Mac Earca at the battle of Cill-Osnadha, now Kelliston, in the barony of Forth, county Carlow, where Aengus (son of Naclfraech), first Christian King of Munster, was slain. The descent of the
O'Tooles, subsequently lords of Feara-Cualann, now Powerscourt, is traced by
O'Donovan at A.D. 1590.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

459

baptized AililFs two daughters, Moghain and Feidelm. 4

And their

father dedicated them to God and Patrick, from their consecrated
virginity, and he (Patrick) blessed the veil on their heads.
Messengers went from Patrick to call the steward of the fort of
Naas, i.e. Fallen.

He avoided Patrick ; and he pretended to be

asleep, through enmity and ridicule of Patrick.
told that the steward was asleep.

And Patrick was

" My debroth" said Patrick, " I

should not be surprised if it were his last sleep."

His people went

to awake him, and they found him dead, through the disobedience
he showed to Patrick.

And hence is the proverb amongst the

Irish :" " Fallen's sleep in the fort of Naas."
Dricriu 5 was the King of Ui-Garchon at Patrick's coming, and
4
Moglian and Feidelm.—They were venerated at 9fch December, according
to O'Clerys' Calendar, which h a s : " Feidhlim, Virgin, and Mughain, two
daughters of Ailill, son of Dunlang; and Cill-na-n-ingean, in the west of
Magh-Life, by the side of Liamhain, is the name of his place. They are of the
race of Oathaoir Mor." The same Calendar, at 26th October, when mentioning Darinnill and three other virgins also venerated in this church, describes it
as by the side of Tamhlacht (now the village of Tallaght, barony of Upper
Cross, county Dublin), to the south. Two other entries at 6th March, referring
to the daughters of Leinin, of the race of Aenghus, son of Mogh JSTuadhat, call
it variously Cill-inghen-Leinin and Cill-na-ningen, and as lying in the territory
of Ui-Briuin-Cualann, which O'Donovan ( " Four Masters," 837) places in the
barony of Rathdown, county Dublin, and the northern part of county Wicklow, and identifies Cill-inghen-Leinin as Killiney. From the foregoing entries,
we consider it lay nearer Tallaght. This territory was so called from Brian,
brother of Niall of the Nine Hostages, whose descendants settled in the
district round Sliabh-Cualann, now Sugarloaf Mountain (" Wars of the
Gaedhill with the Gain"). Colgan ("Acta. SS." p. 104) states that St.
Brighit, a daughter of the Leinin before mentioned, who was honored here on
the 6th of March, was sister of the great St. Colman of Cloyne.
5
Dricriu.—This king's name does not appear in the Annals, but he was
doubtless a near connection of Nathi, who opposed St. Palladius and Patrick
in the same country, and a person of considerable importance, being member
of the same family as the Kings of Leinster, and married to the daughter of
the Irish monarch, as appears by the text. This territory took its name from
Garchu, a descendant of Ugaine More, King of Ireland; and we learn from
the Scholiast on the Marfcyrology of Aengus the Ceile De, that it was in one
of the Fotharta of Leinster (Todd's " S t . Patrick," pp. 253, 286, 290, 338).
The Calendar of the O'Clerys shows that it comprised Glenn-faidhle, now
Glenealy parish, near the town of Wicklow, where St. Momhernog was
venerated, 30th January; Cill-aird, where St. Tartinna was venerated, 3rd

460

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

the daughter of Laeghaire Mac JNeill was his wife.

And he refused

Patrick regarding his feast, at Kath-Inbhir, 6 on Laeghaire's account.
But Cilline7 gave him welcome, and killed his own cow for him,
and gave to Patrick the quantity of flour that he brought for his
support from the king's house, whereupon he (Patrick) prophesied
that Cilline's son should be king of Ui-Garchon.
He went afterwards to Magli-Lif6,8 and founded cells and houses
t h e r e ; and he left Usail in Cill-Usaille,9 and Iserninus 1 and Mac
July; Rath-noi, now Rathuew, the parish in which Wicklow town is situate,
where St. Em in, or Mernog, was venerated, IStli August, and who was also
patron of the two Kilmarnocks, and Inch Marnoc in Scotland (Reeves'
" Adamnan," p. 25). It was in this country that Palladius erected his three
wooden churches, Cell-Fhine, Teach-na-Romhan, and Domhnach-Arta. The
second is admitted to be Tig-Roney, in the parish of Castlemacadam, county
Wicklow; the third to be Donard, near Dunlavin, in the west of the same
county; and Cell-Fhine has been conjectured to be an adjoining church,
about three miles west of Dunlavin, called Killeen Cormac, situate in the
townland of Colbinstown, * parish of Davids town, in the county Kildare.—
See paper by the Rev. J. F. Shearman, " Irish Ecclesiastical Record,"
June, 18G8.
6
Hath-InbJier. — 0'Donova.n ("Four Masters," A.D. 776 and 953) believes
this to be the rath at the mouth of the river Dea, near Bray, county
Wicklow.
7
Cilline—According to the pedigree of the Ui-Garchon given by Dr.
Todd ("St. Patrick," p. 253), his name was Marcan. A Leinster chief of
the same name is mentioned by the Four Masters at 647. I t should, however, be observed that the pedigree appears to be incorrect and defective.
8
Magh-Life.—The plain of the Liffey in the counties of Wicklow, Kildare,
and Dublin, but principally in Kildare, from which the river took its name,
and not the plain from the river.—" Book of Rights ;" Todd's " St. Patrick."
9
Usail in Cill-Usaille.—TJsa.il was the Irish name for St. Auxilius. According to the Four Masters he died 27th August, 454, on which day the
Calendar of the O'Clerys has, " Usaille, son of Ua-Baird, Bishop of Cill-Usaille,
in Leinster." It is, therefore, a mistake of the writer in the " I r i s h Ecclesiastical Record " for March, 1808, p. 275, note 5, that St. Auxilius was the
"Cobhair," or "Cobuir, son of Goll," commemorated in the Irish Martyrologies on 30th July. His church is now called Killossy, or Killashee,
giving name to a parish in the barony of JSTaas, county Kildare. The deaths
of two of its abbots, Maeldobharchon, and Loingseach, son of Faellen, are
recorded at 827 and 870. O'Donovan writes, at 454, that " no part of the old
church now remains, but there is a part of an ancient round tower, with a
square base."
1
Iserninus.—Bishop Iserninus, who was one of the coadjutors of St. Patrick,

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick

461

Tail in Cella-Cuilinn, and other saints. On his going into Western
Life, the sons of Laighis prepared water-pits in the way before
him, and a covering over them. " For God's sake," said the little
boys, " drive on your horses." " Drive on, then, for God's sake,
your horses," said Patrick. But no injury was done to them ; and
he cursed Laighis (i.e. Laighis, son of Find), where Moin-Choluim2
is to-day; and Patrick said that there would be neither a king nor
a bishop from them, and that a foreign lord should be over them
for ever.
Brig, 3 the daughter of Fergnad, son of Cobtach, of the Ui-Ercain,
went to report to Patrick the enmity that was in store for him.
Patrick blessed her, and her father, and her brothers, and the UiErcain altogether, and he said that they would never be without
distinguished laics and clerics of them.
Then Patrick alighted on the hillock which was then called BileMac-Cruaich; to-day, however, it is called Forrach-Patrick ; 4 and
he said that there would never be a foreign king or steward over
and was ordained with him, founded this church in the district of Ui-BrininCualann (see note under Ailill's daughters, supra). He died 467 (" Trias
Thy p. 19). St. Mac Tail, whose proper name was Aengns, of the race of
Lughaidh, King of Minister, and brother of St. Colman of Cill-Cleitighe, succeeded, and died 11th June, 548, of the plague. He was patron of Kilcullen,
county Kildare. Several of its abbots and bishops, and other incidents in its
history, are recorded by the Four Masters.
2
Moiii-Choluim.—This is now the old church of Moone, giving name to a
parish and barony near Timolin, in the south of the county Kildare. The
Four Masters, at 1014, call it Maein-Choluim-Ohille, when recording the
death of its abbot Colum Ua-Flannagain. They also mention it as being
plundered in 1040. I t has a fragment of Colum-Cille's Cross, and eventually
it became a Franciscan house.—"Four Masters," and Reeves' "Adamnan,"
p. 2S0.
3 firig.—The name Brig was different from Brigid, as we find that the
mother of St. Comghall of Bangor, who was born in Magheramorne, near
Lame, county Antrim, was named Brig, and the Calendar of the O'Clerys
mentions four persons named Brigh, one of whom was commemorated at
Coirpre (Carberry), 7th January, and another at Cill-muine (now Kilmoone,
county Meath).
4
Forrach-Patrick.— This means " Patrick's seat." It was the name of an
old church in the south of the county Kildare, the site of which is still known.

462

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick. •

tliem; and when the King of Leinster would be distributing the
feast in his royal, house, he would have one shin (of beef),
and the king of Ui-Ercan 5 the other; they should have Patrick's
respect, Patrick's forrach (seat), the dignity of laics and clerics,
wealth, and immortality. Eight princes they had up to the reign
of Conchobhar, son of Donnchadh, 6 in Tara. Laighis, moreover,
was the tribe-name of the youths who committed the misdeed;
and neither king nor bishop shall be from them ; but strange lords
shall govern them, and they shall never have rest from persecution
and complaints.
Patrick went from Tara until he met Dubhtach Mac UiLugair at Domhnach-mor 7 of Magh-Criathar, in Ui-Cinnselaigh,
who believed for Patrick. Patrick requested from him a handsome
youth, who would not be of low family—a man of one wife, for
whom but one son was born. " Hem," said Dubhtach, " that is
Fiacc,8 son of Ere, I am afraid—the man of those qualities, who
went from me to the territory of Connacht, with poems for the
kings." At these words he (Fiacc) came. " What are you
considering ?" asked Eiacc.
" Dubhtach for the crozier," said
Patrick, " That will be a blemish to many, indeed," said Fiacc ;
" why should not I be taken in place of him f
" You will be
received, indeed," said Patrick, He was tonsured, baptized, an
alphabet was written for him, and he read his psalms in one
day, as has been related to me. ETe was ordained in the grade
of bishop, and the bishopric of Leinster was given to him by
Patrick ; and his only son, Fiachra, 9 was also ordained. This Fiacc
5

Ui-Ercan.—This tribe seems to have been seated in the south of the last
named county (Kildare).
6
Donnchadh.— Donnchadh was son of Domhnall, Monarch of Ireland, and
Conchobhar his son ascended the throne in 818, and died in 831.
7 Domhnach-mor.—O'Donovan (" Book of Rights," p. 208) places Domhnachmor near Sleaty, in Ui-Cinnselaigh. Sleaty is in the barony of Slievemargy,
in the Queen's County.
8
Fiacc.—See ante, p. 40.
9
Fiachra.— He was venerated on the 12th of October, the same day as his
father; and, from the entry in O'Clerys' Calendar, was of the same church
(Sleibhte). He received orders from St. Patrick.

Tripartite

Life of St Patrick

463

was, therefore, the first bishop ordained in Leinster. Patrick gave
Fiacc a case, viz., a bell, a reliquary, a crozier, and a book-satchel;
and he left seven of his people with him, viz., Mochatoc1 of IuisFail, Augustin of Inis-Bec, Tecan, and Diarmait, and Nainnid, Paul,
and Fedilmidh.2
He (Fiacc) afterwards resided in Domnach-Feic, and he was there
until threescore of his people died with him. Then the angel went
to him., and said to him : " It is on the west of the river (Barrow)
thy (place of) resurrection is, in Oul-maighe ;"3 and he said that
where they would meet a boar, there they should build their refectory ; but where they would meet a hind, there they should place the
church. Fiacc said to the angel that he would not go until Patrick
would come to mark out the boundary of his place, and to consecrate it, and that he might get the place from him. Patrick went
then to Fiacc, and marked out his place with him, and fixed his
site. And Orimthan presented that place to Patrick, for it was
Patrick that baptized him; and it is in Sleibhte he is buried. It
was there, afterwards, Fiacc was ordained.
They (the Ui-Ercan) were at that time persecuted by the King of
Leinster, Crimthann,4 son of Enna Ceinnselach, so that they went
into exile. Of them are the manachs in Hy-Crimthann,5 and the
manachs in Ulster, and Cenel-Enna6 in Minister. Of them is Fiacc,
1

Mochatoc.—See ante, p. 47.
See ante, p. 40-50, for all these names.
Cul-maighe.—This signifies " t h e back of the plain," and would now be
called Culmoy, or Ooolmoy. On the same Ordnance sheet with Sleaty, the
present name of Sleibhte, are several townlands having the prefix Cool, namely,
Coolanagh, Coolhenry, and Coolrain.
4
Grimthann.—It was from the latter, who was fourth in descent from
Cathaoir Mor, Monarch of Ireland, that Ui-Ceinnselach was named. He was
King of Laighin, or Leinster, about the year 358 ("Book of Rights," p.
208)—but his death, the date of which is not recorded, must have been much
later.
5
Hy-Crimthann.—This territory, distinct from that of the same name in
Meath, wTas a part of Laeighis, and is included in the present barony of East
Maryborough, in the Queen's County.—"Book of Eights," p. 216.
6
Cenel-Enna.—There was Cmel-Eima in the barony of Raphoe, county
2
3

464

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

of whom we have spoken before.

Fiacc, Aengus, 7 Ailill Mar,

Conall, and Etirscel were five brothers.

Their father was the son

of Ere. 8
Through the action of Patrick, the king granted him (Fiacc) land,
the fifth, part of his father's possessions, and thereon it was that he
built Sleibhte.
The Aengus in question afterwards killed the king, Crimthann,
son of Enna Ceinnselach, to avenge his exile.

In thirties and

forties are the churches which he gave to Patrick in the east
of Leinster, and in Ui-Cennselaigh, including Domnach-mor of
Magh-Criathar and Inis-Fail, 9 where Mochonoc and Mochatoc are,
and Erdit and Augustin in the smaller island (but- their shrines are
in Sleibhte, since the place was occupied by Gentiles) ; x Domnachmor 2 of Magh-Eeta. Patrick was a Sunday here (i.e. in Domnach-m6r
Donegal, and another sept of the same name near the Hill of Uisnech in
Westmeath, but none is mentioned as in Minister except in this Life.
7
Aengus.—This Aengus was brother to St. Fiacc, and is called in the
"Four Masters," at 465, Eochaidh Guineach, when they record that Crimthann, son of Enda Censelach, King of Leinster, was killed by the son of his
own daughter, i.e. Eochaidh G-uineach, one of the Ui-Bairrche. The true year,
however, was 479, when the entry shows that Eochaidh was assisted by the
people of Ara-Oliach, a place in Idroue, county Carlow. Eochaidh was alive
in 4S9, as in that year he assisted Muircheartach Mac Earca at the battle of
Cill-Osnadha, where Aengus, King of Minister, was slain.
8
Ere.—From an entry in the "Four Masters," at 4G5, it appears Mac
Ere was married to a daughter of King Crimthann, and consequently grandfather to St. Fiacc.
9
Inis-Fail.—Now Begery, otherwise Beg-Erin, a small island, close to
Wexford haven. Neither Colgan nor O'Douovan appears to have known
it was anciently called Inis-Fail, which was discovered by O'Curry ("Lectures," vol. i. p. 489, note 22). St. Jobhar, its bishop, was venerated on the
23rd of April, at which day the Calendar of the O'Clerys states that he died,
A.D. 500, when 104 years old. The Abbot Diarmaid died in 884, and Crunnmhael in 964. I t was plundered in 819.—" Four Masters."
1
Gentiles. —The paragraph in parentheses was evidently added by the lecturer or transcriber, after 819, when Inis-Fail, or Beg-Erin, was plundered,
as stated in the preceding note.
2
Domnach-mor. — Magh-Rechet, alias Magh-Riada, is stated by O'Donovnn,
A.M. 3,529, to be, according to Keating, in Laoighis, or Leix ; but, according to the Preface to the Feilire-Aeuguis, its position is in OfFaly ; and

Tripartite

Life of St. Pat rich

465

of Magh-Eeta), and they were on that Sunday building Kath-Baccain,3 the royal fort of the district. Patrick sent to prevent this, but
no notice was taken thereof. Patrick said, " Its building shall be
troublesome, unless ' offering' is done there every day." He also said
that the fort would not be inhabited, until the wind (gaeth) would
come from the lower part of hell. This was Gaithini, son of Cinaed,
who rebuilt the fort in the time of Fedhlimiclh, 4 and of Conchobhar
in Tara.
After that Patrick had founded churches and establishments in
Leinster, moreover, he left a blessing upon Ui-Cennselaigh, and
upon the Leinstermen all; and he afterwards ordained Fiacc Find
in Sleibhte, as bishop of the province.
He then went along Bealach-Gabhran, 5 into the district of
Ossory, and founded churches and establishments there 3 and he
said that distinguished laics and clerics should be of them, and that
no province should have command over them, whilst they remained
obedient to Patrick. Patrick took leave of them afterwards, and he
left the relics of holy men with them, and some of his people, in the
place where Martar-tech 6 is this day in Magh-Koighne. At DruimConchind, in Mairge, the cross-beam of Patrick's chariot broke,
when he was going to Munster. He made another of the wood of
the druim.7 It broke immediately. He made one again, and
now called in English Morett, a manor in the barony of Portnahinch, in
the Queen's connty, containing the church of Cuil-Beannchoir, alias White
Church. The old Map of Leis, in the " Kilkenny Journal," shows that
Muret was near the border of Leis, in that part of Offaly, called Clanmalier, of
which the O'Dempseys were chiefs. See " Book of Eights," notes, pp. 192,
205, 210. There is no place in Clanmalier now incorporated in the barony
of Portnahinch, Queen's county, named Domnach-mor, though, no doubt,
it lay in that territory.
3
Math-Baccain. —There is no place called Rath-Baccain or Beggan in the
manor of Morett, which was granted to the earls of Kildare; but there is
a townland named Rathmore in the adjoining parish and barony of Stradbally,
a little to the south.
4
FedJilimidh, son of Crimthann, King of Munster, ob. 847.—Ghron. Scot.
5
Bealach-Gabhran.—Ante, p. 326.
6
Martar-tech—i.e. " house of relics."
7
Druim—i.e. dorsum, or ridge.
0

466

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

. it broke also. Patrick said that there should never be any implement made of the timber of that wood, which has been fulfilled,
for even a pin is not made of it. Patrick's Disert is there, but it
is waste.
Patrick went afterwards to the territory of Munster, to Cashel of
the Kings.' When Aengus, son of Nadfraech, got up in the
morning, all their idols were prostrate ; and Patrick and his people
came to the side of the fort, and he (Aengus) bade them welcome,
and took them into the fort, to the place where Lee-Patrick is today. And Patrick after that baptized the sons of Nadfraech, and
the men of Munster besides, and left a blessing and prosperity upon
them. And he blessed the fort, i.e. Cashel, and said that only
one race should be there for ever. And he was seven years
in Munster. The learned calculate that he made an offering
on every seventh ridge that he traversed in Munster.
When Patrick was baptizing Aengus, the point of the crozier went
through Aengus's foot. Patrick asked, " Why was it that you did
not tell m e f "Because," said he, " I thought it was the rule of
the faith." " You shall have its reward," said Patrick; " your successors8 from this day forth shall not die of wounds." No one is
King of Cashel until Patrick's comarb ordains him, and imposes the
grade on him. Patrick said :—
" The sons of Nadfraech, of sounding fame ;
Of them shall be kings and chieftains ;
Aengus, from the lands of Feimhen,
And Ailill, his brother."

And twenty-eight kings, of the race of Ailill and Aengus, reigned
in Cashel, ordained with the crozier, until the time of Cenngegan.9
Patrick went after this to Muscraidhe-Breogain,1 and founded
churches and establishments there.
8

Successors—i.e. the descendants of Aengus and Ailill, sons of Nadfraech.
Cenngegan—i.e. Finghuine. King of Cashel, slain, A.D. 897.
1
Muscraidhe-Breogain. —This territory, otherwise called MuscraidheChuirc, from the family of O'Cuirc, now Quirk, with that of the west of
9

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

467

One day he was washing his hands in a ford there, when a tooth
fell out of his mouth into the ford. Patrick went upon the hillock
to the north of the ford ; and persons went from him to look for
the tooth; and forthwith the tooth glistened in the ford like a sun ;
and Ath-fiaclai2 is the name of the ford, and Cill-fiacla2 is the name of
the church where Patrick left the tooth, and four of his people?
viz., Cuircthe and Loscan, Oailech and Bedan. He bade them
(i.e. the Muscraidhe) farewell, and left them a blessing.
He went afterwards to Aradha-Cliach, 3 until he was in IochtarCuillenn in Ui-Ouanach; 4 and Ailill, son of Cathbadh, son of Lughaidh, of the, Eoghanacht of Airther-Oliach, met him.
His wife
went on the hillock where they (the clerics) were, and said : " The
pigs have eaten our son Ailill, through savageness," said she.
And Ailill said, " I will believe if you resuscitate my son for me."
Patrick commanded the boy's bones to be collected, and he directed
a C6le-D65 of his people, i.e. Malach Britt, to resuscitate him. " I
will not offend the Lord," said he. (He was seized with doubt.)
Patrick said, " T h a t is pitiful, 0 Malach; thy house on earth
shall not be high; thy house shall be the house of one man." His

Feimhin, are now included in the barony of Clanwilliana, in the south-west of
the county of Tipperary.—''Book of Rights," p. 46. ' * Topographical Poems,"
No. 609.
* Ath-fiaclai—Cill-fiacla.—Now Kilfeacle, in the barony of Clanwilliam,
county Tipperary.
3
Aradha-Cliach.—This territory, according to O'Donovan, comprised the
parish of Kilteely, and the entire barony of Ui-Cuanach (Coonagh), in the
east of Limerick, mentioned in next note.
^lochtar-Guillen in Ui-Cuanach.—This is now the parish of Cullen, barony
of Clanwilliam, county Limerick, formerly extending into Ui-Cuanach, now
the barony of Coonagh, in the east of same county. O'Donovan (" Topographical Poems ") writes that Ui-Cuanach was part of Ara-Cliach.
5
Cele-De.—Dr. Reeves, in his essay " On the Celi-de, commonly called
Culdees" ( " Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," vol. xxiv. p. 12J),
explains that the name Cele-De was equivalent to the special designation servus
Dei, conferred on those, in the early Church, who adopted the practices
of the monastic life. This is the earliest known application of the Irish
equivalent Cele-de, which Colgan, as Dr. Reeves observes, incorrectly rendered
in Latin by cuidam advence, instead of monacho, or servo Dei.

468

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

house is in the north-eastern angle of the southern Deise ; its name
is Cill-Malaich.6 Five persons can never be supported there.
Patrick afterwards commanded Bishops Ibar and Ailbhe to resuscitate the boy ; and he prayed the Lord with them. The boy was
afterwards resuscitated through Patrick's prayers. The boy subsequently preached to the hosts and multitudes in Patrick's presence.
Ailill and his wife thereupon believed ; and all the Ui-Cuanach
believed, and were baptized in that place. And the seat of the
four, i.e.. of Patrick, Ailbhe, Bishop Ibar, and the young boy, is in
the place where the boy was resuscitated. His father said, " God
cures by the hand of the physician." Four persons stole Patrick's
horses southwards. Patrick forgave it. One of them was a leech,
whose name was Oaencomhrac; another was a carpenter; another
was a bondman; but the fourth was a groom, whose name was
Aedh. Patrick called the latter, and blessed his hands, and told
him that his name should be Lamaedh from that day ; and from
him are the Lamhraighe.
It was then that disease seized Ailill's wife, who was enciente, so
that death was nigh unto her. Patrick asked what was the matter.
The woman answered, " An herb I saw in the air, and I saw not
the like of it on the earth; and I shall die, or the being in my womb
shall die, or we shall both die, unless I taste that herb." Patrick
asked her of what kind was the herb. "Like rushes," said the
woman. Patrick thereupon blessed rushes, so that they were
apparently the same. The woman then ate them, and was forthwith whole; and after some time she gave birth to a son, and blessed
Patrick; and it is reported that Patrick said that all women who
should eat of this herb would be healed.
He desired to remain by the side of Clar,7 at the fort of Coirpre
6
Cill-Malaich.—There are several Kilmallocks in Limerick, and three Kilmaloges in the south of Tipperary, but this appears to be Kilmaloo, in the
' parish of Kinsalebeg, in the south of the barony of Decies-within-Drum,
county Waterford, marked on old maps as South Decies. It is in the diocese
of Lismore.
7 Clar.—" SHabh-Claire, a considerable hill, on which stands a remarkable

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

469

and Brocan, but he was not permitted; and Patrick said that there
never would be a king or bishop of the race of Colman, who
opposed him. He also said that the place would belong to himself
afterwards, and left a man of his people there, after a long period, i.e.
Caemhan of Cill-Eath. 8
Ibar then selected a place of residence in Grian, 9 in AradhaCliach. Dola opposed him. Patrick said that there would not be
a house of his (Dola's) there, or if there should be, it would be
only for (the lives of) two or three. This was fulfilled. They
(Dola's descendants) removed to Airther-Cliach, and Dal-Modola1 is
their name until this day.
Nena went to him (Patrick), who refused to receive him, and
said that he would not be prosperous. No successors of his occupied
the place there since, but they are enslaved by Muscraighe-Mittine. 2
"Menraighe" they are called.
As Patrick was leaving this place, the women of Grian came to
bewail his departure from them. Patrick blessed them, and said
that the children they would bear to extern tribes would be
illustrious.
cromlech, the tomb of Oilioll Olum, King of Minister in the third century,
situated a short distance to the east of the church of Duntryleague, in the
barony of Coshlea, and county of Limerick, and about three miles to the
north-west of the village of Galbally."—O'Donovan, "Four Masters," at A.D.
1600.
8
Caemhan of Gill-Rath.—This is probably Eaheen, in the parish of Ballyscaddan, adjoining Knocklong, barony of Coshlea, county Limerick. It is
convenient to Sliabh-Claire, near which O'Flaherty, in his MS. notes to
Colgan, wrote that Kilrath was situated.—Archdall, " Mon. Uib." p. 424.
9
Grian.—Now the church and parish of Grean, containing the town
of Pallas-Green, in the baronies of Coonagh and Clanwilliam, county
Limerick.*
1
Dal-Modola.—There are two townlands named Dollas, parish of Croone,
barony of Coshma, county Limerick.
3
Mittine.—There were six territories called Muscraidhe, all in Minister,
that of Mitaiue, otherwise Muscraidhe-LFi-Fhloinn, comprised fifteen parishes,
in the north-west of the county Cork.—" Book of Eights," p. 42. In the
"Topographical Poems," O'Donovan writes that ib was in the barony of
West Muskerry. Colgan calls this place Menrighe, and says that it was in
the county Cork.

470

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

Patrick was in Aradha-Cliach, at Tedil3 (the name of a hill).
When he was bidding farewell, two of his people remained behind.
They were sent for, and found asleep under a bush there. This
was told to Patrick. " Here their resurrection will be," said he :
which is.true. Muin and Lomchu [who are] in Cill-Tidil [were
left there] by Patrick.
He went after this to Hy-Fidhgente,4 where Lonan, son of Mac
Eire, provided a banquet for him. Mullach-Cae, over against CarnFeradhaigh5 on the south; and a man of Patrick's people was preparing the banquet along with the king, i.e. Deacon Man tan. A
band of artists came up to Patrick, to solicit food, and would have
no excuse. " Go to Lonan, and to Deacon Mantan, that they
may relieve me," said Patrick. Who answered, "No, until our
banquet is blessed." Then Patrick said :—
{

' The youth who conies from the north,
To him is vouchsafed the triumph;
To Cothraige he comes,
With his little wether on his back."

3
Tedil.—Now the church and parish of Kilteely, in the baronies of Coonagh
and Smallcounty, in the east of county Limerick, forming part of the ancient
Ara-Cliach. Colgan says SS. Mumis and Lomchuo were buried there, as also
seven bishops. Archdall (' 'Mon. Hib." 425) writes that the Knights Templars
had a church on an eminence in this place.
4
Hy-Fidhgente.—This territory adjoined Ara-Cliach, from which it was
separated by the river Samhair, now the Morning Star. It lay in the south
of the county Limerick. O'Donovan, at 1560, writes that it was bounded on
the north by the Shannon, on the south by Slieve Luachra, on the east by the
rivers Maigue and Morning Star, and on the west by Kerry.
6
Carn-Feradhaigh.—Sliabh Cua, now Slieve Gua, a range of mountains in
the parish of Sheskinan, barony of Decies-without-Drum, county Waterford,
which county they separate from Tipperary. The range is sometimes called
Knockmeilidown ("Four Masters," at 3790). O'Donovan, at A.M. 3656,
writes that Carn-Fereclaigh is referred to in the Book of Lecan as on the
southern boundary of the territory of Cliu-Mail, and conjectures it to be the
ancient name of Seefin, barony of Coshlea, in the south of Limerick. If this
is correct, Slieve Gua is too far distant, and Cae should be in or near Coshlea.
It is, possibly, the mountain called Knock-Cae, in the south of Ardpatrick
parish, not far from Seefin.

Tripartite Life of St. Patriclc.

471

At that very time came another youth, attended by his mother,
carrying on her back a cooked wether to the king's supper.
Patrick begged of him to give him the -wether, to save his honor.
The son at once gave it cheerfully, though the mother was unwilling to do so, through fear of the king. Patrick gave the food to
the players; and immediately the earth swallowed them. Derc, son
of Scirire, of the southern Desi, was their chief; and Patrick said
there would not be a king, or heir apparent, or bishop of his family6
of Lonan for ever; and he assured Mantan, the deacon, that his
church would not be exalted on earth, but should be the abode of
the dregs of the people, and that swine and sheep would trample
on his own remains; but to Nessan, who had saved his honor, he
promised that he should be honored among the nations. And he
baptized him, ordained him deacon, and founded for him a church,
i.e. Mungarit.7 His mother excused herself, and he said she should
not be buried in her son's church. This came to pass, for her
grave is to the west of Mungarit, and the bell of the great church
is not heard in that place; they are almost together, only separated
by a wall.
The men of north Munster, to the north of Luimnech, went in
fleets of boats to meet Patrick, southwards as far as Domhnachmor of Magh-Aine, i.e. to Dun-Nocfene, then and now so called;
and he baptized them in Tir-glass,8 to the south-east of it. He
6

Family.—Loncis is added in a gloss, as the tribe name of the family.
Mungarit.—Now Mungrett, about three miles south-west of Limerick.
St. Nessan, who died A.D. 551, was venerated here on the 25th of J u l y ; St.
Toman, on the 26th of same month ; and St. Molua, on the 21st of December.
The Four Masters record the death of several of its abbots and airchinnechs,t
and of its devastations by the Banes. A portion of the abbey and its church
still remains.
8
Tir-glass.—Now Terry-glass, on the east side of Lough Derg, in the barony
of Lower Ormond, county Tipperary. The abbey here was founded by St.
Colum, son of Ninnidh, of the race-of king Oathaoir Mor, who died 13th
December, 548, on which day his festival was kept; as also the abbots, St.
Nathcheimhe, brother of St. Kevin of Glendaloch, who died 1st May, 584,
and St. Aidhbe, who was also bishop, on 24th May. The deaths of many of
their successors, and the burnings of the abbey, are given in the Annalists.
7

472

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

afterwards went to Finnine, to the north-west of Domhnach-mor, a
hill from which he could see the country to the north of Luimnech,
when he gave a blessing to the men of north Minister, who had
gone with a profusion of gifts to meet Patrick.
Cairthend, 9 son of Blat, the senior of the Clann-Toirdhelbhaigh,
believed in the Lord, and Patrick baptized him at Sangul 1 (i.e. a
different angel that went to converse with him that day, and not
Victor). No children were born to Cairthenn, except deformities, up to that time. It was then that Eochu Ballderg 2 was born
to Cairthenn. Patrick that procured this; and he formed a clot of
gore, which was on his (Eochu's) body, as a sign of that miracle,
Patrick himself did not go into the country, but he saw from him
about Luimnech to the west, and to the n o r t h ; and he blessed the
district and its islands, and prophesied of the saints who would
appear in them, of their names, and the time in which they would
come. " The green island in the west," said Patrick, " in the
mouth of the sea; the lamp of the people of God shall come into
it, who will be the head of counsel to this district, i.e. Senan of
Inis-Cathaigh, 3 six score years from this." (Senan, son of Gerrgenn,
son of Dubhthach.) He did not go across Luachair, 4 indeed, into
west Munster. He prophesied of Brenainn, son of Ua-Altae, who
was to be born 120 years after, which was fulfilled.
Patrick then went into the southern Desi 5 and set about building
9
Cairthend.—Cairthen Finn, son of Bloid, eighth in descent from Oliol]
Olum, was ancestor of Brian Boroimhe and the O'Briens of Thomond.
1
Sangul—A play upon the words Saiii-aingel, "particular angel.'. See
ante, p. 333.
2
Eochu i?aMder0.—Eochaidh Balldearg (Eochy of the Red Spot) was
eldest son of Cairthenn Finn. Eochy was father of St. Brecan of Ara, who,
Oolgan says, was venerated on 12th October; but the Calendar of the O'Clerys
assigns 1st May as his festival. Dimma Dubh, Bishop of Connor, whose
festival was held on the 6th of January, was son of Aenghus, brother of this
Eochy, the son of Cairthen Finn.
3
Inis-Cathaigh.—Now Scattery island, in the river Shannon.
4
Luachair.—Now Slieve-Logher, a range of mountains, which divides the
county of Limerick from Kerry, and extends into Cork. For a full description, see 0'Curry's "Battle of Magh-Lena," p. 24.
5
Desi.—This is Deis-Beag, mentioned in the "Four Masters" at 1560 and

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

473

a church in Ard-Patrick ; 6 and Lee-Patrick (Patrick's flag) is there,
and the limits of his church. Derball, son of Aedh, opposed him.
Derball said to Patrick, "If you would remove that mountain
there, so that I could see Loch-Lunga across it to the south, in
Fera-Maighe-Peine, 7 1 would believe." Cenn-Abhrat 8 is the name of
the mountain, and Belach-Legtha (melted pass) is the name of
the pass which was melted there. When the mountain began to
dissolve, Derball said that whatever he (Patrick) did would be of
no use. Patrick said to Derball, "There shall be no king nor
bishop of your family, and it will be allowable to the men of Munster to plunder you all every seventh year for ever, as bare as a
leek."
As Patrick was in the district of the Desi, awaiting the king of
the country, i.e. Fergair, son of Rossa, Patrick said to him, after
his arrival, "How slowly you come!" " The country is rough" [said
he]. " True, indeed," said Patrick. " There shall be no king from
you for ever. What delayed you to-day f asked Patrick. " The
rain delayed us," said the king. " Your meetings shall be showery
for ever," said Patrick. Patrick's well is there, and also the church
of Mac Clairidh, one of Patrick's people. And assemblies are not
1580, and which O'Donovan shows to be a territory lying around the hill of
Knockany, and containing Brugh-na-Deise, now the town of BrufF, barony of
Coshma, county Limerick. He quotes an extract from a historical tale in the
Book of Leinster, where the hero Cuchullin is introduced as standing on the
top of Knockany, near Bruff, and thus points out the mountains and other
features of the country to his tutor, Laigh : *' Say, my tutor Laigh, dost thou
know what territory we are in ?" *' I know not indeed." *' I know then," said
Cuchullin: " Ceann-Abhrat Sleibhe-Cain, this [mountain] to the south; the
mountains of Eibhlinni, these to the north; the river of Luimueach is that
bright river which thou seest; Druim-Collchoilli is this on which we are,
which is called Aini-Cliach, in the territory of Deis-Beg; to the south of us is
the army in Cliu-Mail-mic-TJgaine, in the land of Curoi, son of Dari."
Slieve Eibhlinni extended from near Roscrea to the north-eastern boundary of
Limerick;
6
Ard-Patrick.—Now a church and parish in the barony of Coshlea, south
of county Limerick. It has a round tower.
7
Fera-Maighe-Feine.—Now the barony of Fermoy, county Cork.
8
Cenn-Abhrat.—One of the Ballybowra mountains, county Cork.

474

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

held by the Desi except at night, because Patrick left that sentence
upon them, for it was towards night they went to him. Patrick
then cursed the streams of that place, because his books were
drowned in them, and the fishermen gave his people a refusal.
Patrick said that they would not be fruitful, and that there would
never be any mills upon them, except the mills of strangers, notwithstanding their great profusion up to that time. He blessed
the Suir, moreover, and the country around; and it is fruitful in
fish, except the places where those streams (glaise) flow into it.
Patrick went into Muscraighe-thire, 9 to baptize, and to preach
and plant the faith there. He met three brothers of that nation,
men of power, Furic, and Muinnech, and Mechar, the sons of
Forat, son of Conla. Muinnech believed at once, and Patrick
baptized and blessed him, and said that illustrious heroes and
clerics should descend from him for ever; and that the chief kingship of his country should be [filled up] from him for ever, as the
poet said:
' ' Muinnech the Great believes
In Patrick, before all;
That there might be over his country
Chieftains of his race for ever.
" Mechair believed,
For he was a true, just man.
Patrick gave him a lasting blessing—
The companionship of a king.
" Fuirec, the furious man,
Opposed, though he was hoary and old;
His ultimate fate, after this world,
Is not to be deplored.
'' When Cothraige imposed
A tribute (cain) upon noble Eri,
On the host of this island
He conferred a lasting blessing.
9
Muscraighe-thire.—This was the ancient name of the district now comprised in the baronies of "Upper and Lower Ormond in the north of the county
of Tipperary, and contained the churches of Cill-Cheire (Kilkeary, near the
town of Nenagh), and Leatracha (Latteragh, about eight miles south of the
same town).

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

475

" Choice was this blessing,
Which he conferred seven-fold
On each one who would observe
His plain rule, his law.
*' Whoever wTould disobey
The noble, just rule,
Should not see him, he said,
In the region of the saints.
" Patrick's cam in great Minister
Was imposed on each family,
Until Dungalach violated it,
[Who was] of the race of Failbhe Flann.
" Dungalach, son of Faelghus,
Grandson of just Nadfraech,
Was the first who transgressed
Patrick's cam from the beginning.
" It is related in histories,
All ages know it,
That his successorship is not found
In Cashel of the Kings.
" There is not of his progeny
(Though he won battles)
A noble bishop, or herenagh,
A prince, or a sage.
" Saergus the Young, also—
Violated the cam he had adopted,
For the vehement Dungalach.
(

* It is seen that illustrious men
Are not of his wondrous family ;
If there are now, they will not
Be found till Judgment comes."

Now, after that Patrick had founded cells and churches in Munster, and had ordained persons for every grade, and healed all sick
persons, and resuscitated the dead, he bade them farewell, and left
his blessing with them. He then went to Brosnacha, and the men
of Munster followed after him, as if with one accord: and their
households (hillocks % telcha) followed them, to go after Patrick.

476

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

Patrick thereupon blessed the households (hillocks V), and they
remained in their places.
Where the men of Munster overtook Patrick, men, youths, and
women, was at Brosnacha, when they raised great shouts of joy at
seeing him; hence it is called Brosnacha.1 It was here Patrick
resuscitated Pot, son of Derad, a Munsterman, who had been
twenty-seven years dead. It was here, too, he blessed the banquet
of the youth at Craibhecha, with Bishop Trian,2 a pilgrim of the
Eomans, by which the men of Munster were satisfied, and the
saints of Eri besides. He again bade farewell to the men of Munster, and gave them his blessing, saying :—
* * A blessing on the men of Muman,
Men, sons, women.
A blessing on the land
That gives them food.
A blessing on all treasures
Produced upon the plains.
A blessing upon Minister.
A blessing on their woods,
And on their sloping plains.
A blessing on their glens.
A blessing on their hills.
As the sands of the sea under ships—
So numerous be their homesteads,
In slopes, in plains,
In mountains, in peaks.
A blessing."
1
Brosnacha.—This shows that Colgan was wrong in placing Brosna in Mun
ster. There are two rivers and a small village named Brosna, in King's county,
the larger one rising at Bunbrosna, in Westmeath, and traversing the latter fifteen or sixteen miles in a westerly direction to the Shannon, which it joins at
Shannon Harbor. The little Brosna rises near the village of that name, in the
parish of Kilmurray, to the east of Shinrone, runs a few miles northwards to
Parsonstown, forming the boundary between King's county and Tipperary to
its entrance to the Shannon. The village is said to derive its name from the Irish
word brosna, a faggot, or bundle of sticks, but this Life gives a differen t and
more ancient derivation from the word brosnugad, an incentive or excitement.
2
Bishop Trian.—He is said to have lived at a place called Craibhech. There
is a place called Creevagh in the parish of Clonmacnois, King's county, and a
Creeve in the parish of Ardnurcher, or Horseleap, in the south of "Westmeath,
both of which lie near the northern Brosna river.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

477

Patrick afterwards went to the territory of Hy-Failge, 3 and Foilge
Berrad 4 boasted that, if he met Patrick, he would kill him, in
revenge of the idol Cenn Cruach; for it was this that was a god to
Foilge.

This boast of Foilge was kept back from Patrick by his

people.

One day Odran, 5 his charioteer, said to Patrick, " Since I

have been a long time driving for you, 0 Patrick, let me take the
chief seat for this
Patrick did so.

day.

Be you the charioteer, O father !"

After this Foilge came, who dealt a thrust

through Odran, in the guise of
Patrick.

Patrick.

" My curse," said

" U p o n the tree of Bridam," 6 said Odran.

replied Patrick.

" B e it so,"

Foilge died at once, and went to hell.

As to

Foilge Eoss, indeed, it is his children who are in the district at this
3

Hy-Failge.—This territory, before the English invasion, comprised the
present baronies of Ophaley (Ui-Failge), county Kildare, and parts of the
King's and Queen's counties. I t obtained the name from Ros Failge (Ross of
the Kings, eldest son of Cathaoir Mor, King of Leinster and Monarch of Ireland, who was slain A.D. 122), and from him were descended the great families
of O'Conor Faly, O'Dempsey of Clanmalier, and O'Dunne of Regan.—"Book
of Rights, " p p . 193, 210.
4
Foilge Berrad.—Colgan, in his Latin edition, writes, otherwise Failge Ros,
it being his intention to show that he was of the race of Ros Failge, as he mentions his noble descendants the O'Conors in his note. The name Failge Berrad
does not occur in the right line of the O'Conor Faly pedigree, but he is mentioned by the same name by the Four Masters, at A.D. 501, as having slain
Fiacha, son of Mall, at the battle of Freamhain, now the hill of Frewin, in
the townland of Wattstown, parish of Porfclenon, county Westmeath.
He
was probably the Bruidhe of the O'Conor pedigree, the great grandson of Ros
Failge : A.D. 648, Cillene, son of Forannan, the fourth in descent from Bruide,
and lord of Ui-Failge, was slain.
5
Odran. — Evin, in his Life of the saint, calls him St. Odran, of DisertOdhrain, of Hifalgia, Auriga. There are nine Saints Odran in O'Clerys' Calendar, but none of them refer to Hifalgia. Colgan, in his note on the parallel
passage in the Fourth Life, quotes a passage from Ferrar's Catalogue of a,
St. Odhran, martyr and disciple of St. Patrick, as venerated on the 6th of the
kalends of November. Archdall conjectured Disert-Odhrain to be Tir-Oenaichs
in the Queen's county, where his festival was held on the 19th February.
6
Bridam.—Called by Colgan, Bridamh, signifying " t h e hill of the oxen,"
the name of a hill over a stream called the Suainin, in the parish and barony
of Geshill, Queen's county. It was the site of several battles, recorded by the
Four Masters, at A.M. 3501, and A.D. 596; and Reeves' " Adamuan," note c,
p. 42.

478

Tripartite Life of St, Patrick,

clay; and Patrick blessed him, 7 and from him is the sovereignty of
the district filled for ever.
On one occasion, as Patrick was going the way of Midluachair, 8 in
order to come to Uladh, he met carpenters cutting down trunks of
yew.

Patrick saw their blood ooze from their palms in the opera-

tion.

" Whence are ye T said Patrick.

" We are slaves belonging

9

to Trian, son of Fiac, son of Amalgad, i.e. brother to Trichem, who
are in subjection and affliction, so much so that we are not allowed to
sharpen our axes (irons), in order that our work may be the heavier
and more difficulty so that blood flows from our hands."

Patrick

blessed the irons, so that they could easily cut with them; and he
went to the king, to Trian's fort.
obeyed.

Patrick fasts on him. 1

He returns on the morrow from the fort.

He dis-

He spat on

the rock which was there on his way, so that it broke into three
7

Blessed Mm.—See ante, p. 340.
Midluachair.—The Four Masters, at A.D. 123, record that in that year were
discovered five principal roads leading to Tara, of which Slighe-Midhluachra
was one. O'Donovan, in his note, writes that it is often mentioned as a road
leading into the north of Ireland, but that its exact position has not been
determined. I t is also mentioned at A.D. 1101; and from several writers it
plainly extended into the present county Down. In the " Ulster Journal of
Archseology," there is an article on the Kilnasagart stone and inscription,
where Kilnasagart is said to be close to the Slighe-Midluachra. The Slighe
is really the Moyra Pass, between Dundalk and Newry.
9
Trian.—This pedigree agrees with others given by Colgan, only that
Amalgad appears to be a mistranscript for Imchadh. Trian was therefore
brother of Dichu, St. Patrick's first convert.
1
Fasts on him.—This curious statement is fully explained in the "Introduction to the Brehon Laws of Ireland " (vol. i. p. xlvi). " The plaintiff or creditor,
having first given the proper notice, proceeds, in the case of a defendant or
debtor not of chieftain grade, to distrain. If, however, the defendant or debtor
were a person of chieftain grade, it was necessary not only to give notice, but
also to 'fast upon him.' This fasting upon him consisted in going to his residence, and waiting there for a certain time without food. If the plaintiff did
not within a certain time receive satisfaction for his claim, or a pledge therefor, he forthwith, accompanied hy a law-agent, witnesses, and others, seized
his distress. The distress when seized was in certain cases liable to a ' s t a y '
{anadh), which was a period varying according to fixed rules, during which
the debtor received back the distress, and retained it in his own keeping, the
creditor having a lien upon it." The further proceedings up to and in case of
forfeiture are also fully explained.
8

. Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick

47.9

pieces ; one-third part was cast to a distance of one thousand paces.
Patrick said, " Two-thirds of the fast on the rock, another third on
the fort and king, and on the district. There will not be a king nor
royclamhna of the children of Trian. He shall die prematurely
himself, and shall go down to a bitter hell." The wife of the king
came following Patrick. She performed penance and knelt. Patrick
blessed her womb, and the beings in it, i.e. Setna, 2 son of Trian,
and Iarlaid, son of Trian. Sechnall that baptized Setna, Patrick
that baptized Iarlaid, and Patrick said that he would be his successor afterwards. Trian himself proceeded to bind and maltreat
the slaves who reported him. His horses bore him off. in the
chariot, and his driver, so that they went into the lake. LocliTrena is its name. This was his last fall. He will not arise out of
that lake till the vespers of judgment; and it will not be to happiness even then. There was a certain wicked man in the country of
Uladh, i.e. Magh-Inis, at that time ; an impious man, and a son of
death, i.e. Mac Ouill,3 who was plundering and killing the people.
On one occasion Patrick and his companions passed by him a
certain day, and he desired to kill Patrick. This is what he
(Mac Cuill) said to his followers: " Behold the tailcenn and false
2
Setna. Setna, son of Tren, became a bishop, and, according to the Calendar
of the O'Clerys, was venerated on the 16th June. He and his twin-brother,
whose life Colgan gives, at February 11, St. Jarlath, were born at Rath-Trena,
of the noble and ancient family of the Dal-Fiatach. Colgan writes St. Jarlath
was born in the eastern parts of Ulster, and quoting Jocelyn, who writes it
was in Midernia, he corrects it to Mudorna, which Harris, in his edition of
Ware's "Bishops," writes was the present barony of Mourne, in the south of
the county Down. O'Donovan says that barony did not obtain that name till
the twelfth century, and that St. Jarlath was born in Cremorne (Crichmudhorna), county Monaghan; but there is no record of the Dal-Fiatach being
chiefs or lords in Monaghan ; their country being the present county Down.
Dimdrine is at present in Iveagh, but that name was not imparted to that territory till long after St. Patrick's time ; but the name of the district in which
it lay was Uacthar, as appears by the grant of James I. to Phelomy Magenis
of the Castlewellan estate, and which shows that Uachthar-Thire extended as
far west as Slievenaboley, and was not confined to the districts from Magheracat (now Clough) to Maghera, as supposed by O'Donovan in his note at A.D.
1046.
3
Mac Cuill.—See ante, p. 343.

480

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

prophet, who is deceiving everyone; let us arise and make
an attack on him, to see if perhaps his God will assist him."
This is what they planned afterwards : to bring one of their people
on a bier, as if dead, to be resuscitated by Patrick, and to deceive
Patrick; and they threw a cover over his body and over his face.
" Care," said they to Patrick, " our companion for us, and beseech
your God to awake him from death." " My debroth" said Patrick, " I
would not wonder if he were dead." Garban was the name of the
man; and it is of him Patrick said : " The covering of Garban shall
be the covering of a dead body; but I shall tell you more, it is
Garban who will be under it."
His friends removed the covering
from his face, so that they found it so. They afterwards became
mute, and then said, " Truly this is a man of God." They all
believed at once. Mac Cuill believed also; and he went on sea
in a cot of one hide, by the command of Patrick. Garban was
awakened from death through the prayers of Patrick. Mac Cuill,
however, went that very day on sea, and his right hand towards
Magh-Inis, until he reached Manann; and he found two venerable
persons before him on the island. It was they who preached the
word of God in Manann, and it is through their teaching that the
people of that island were baptized, and believed; their names are
Ooniimri and Eomael. When those men saw Mac Cuill in his cot,
they took him off the sea; they received him kindly; and he
learned the divine knowledge with them, and spent his whole time
with them, until he got the episcopacy of the place after them.
This is Mac Cuill, of Mann, famous bishop and abbot. May his
holy favor assist us.
One time Patrick slept on a Sunday, on a hill over the sea, at
Drombo, when he heard the noise of gentiles digging a rath on the
Sabbath. He called them, and told them to cease. They heeded
him not, but began to mock him. And Patrick said, " My debroth,
your labor shall not profit you." This was fulfilled; for on the
following night a great tempest arose and destroyed their work,
according to the word of Patrick.
Patrick said to Eochaidh, son of Muiredach, that there should

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

481

never be a king from him, nor enough of his race to constitute an
assembly or army in Ulster, but that his tribe would be scattered
and dispersed; that his own life would be short, and that he would
meet a tragic fate. This was the cause Patrick had against
Eochaidh, as the learned say : Two virgins, who had offered their
virginity to the Lord, he bound and sent on the waves to be
drowned, as they refused to adore idols and to marry. When
Patrick heard this, he besought the king regarding them, but in
vain. " Your brother Oairell4 has got thy luck since he granted
me a good request," said Patrick, " and you have lost it through
your disobedience. He (Gairell) shall be a king, and there shall
be kings and chiefs of his race over your children, and over all
Ulster;" so that of him sprung the race of kings, and of his son
Deman, 5 son of Cairell, son of Muiredhach, according to the words
of Patrick. Eochaidh's wife cast herself at the feet of Patrick. He
baptized her, and blessed the child in her womb, i.e. the excellent
and illustrious son, Domangart, the son of Eochaidh. 6 He it was
whom Patrick left in his body, and he will be there for ever. He
4

Gairell.—Oairell, brother of Eochaidh, reigned over Uladh, and died A.D.
526, when he was succeeded by another Eochaidh, of the Clanna Rury, from
whom descended St. Fergus, Bishop of Down, who died 30th March, 583
(Oolgan's "Acta SS." p. 794), the founder of Cill-m-Bian.
5
Deman.—He reigned fourteen years, and was slain A.D. 565, by the
shepherds of Boirinn; either the Burren near Dromora, or adjoining Castlewellan. On his death he was succeeded by his brother Baodan, who reigned
twenty years, and died A.D. 585.—Reeves' " Down," p. 353.
6
Domangart, the son of Eochaidh.—This was St. Domangart, or Donard, from
whom Slieve Donard, county Down, is named, where he had a church, as also
at Rath-Murbhuilg, now Maghera, between Newcastle and Castlewellan,
county Down, of which he was bishop, the entire parish being still see lands.
Colgan gives his life at 24th March, he having died on that day, A.D. 506. A
cairn marks the site of the mountain church, about half-way up. The remains
of the other, with the stump of a round tower, are still in Maghera. St.
Donard's mother was Derinilla, and, according to Aengus the Culdee, she was
also mother of St. Mura, of Fahan, in Inishowen; St. Mochumma, of Druimbo;
and, besides others, St. Cillen, of Achadhcail, in Lecale, beside the estuary of
Dundrum, the site of whose church in Ballykinler is stillfcobe seen, adjoining
Ballykinler strand, and is now called Killyglinny.

2 S

482

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick,

turned back to the Fera-Boss, 7 and commenced a church in DruimMor, 8 in the territory of Boss, over Cluain-Cain.

I t was here the

angel went to him, and said, " I t ' i s not here you have been
destined to stay."

" Where shall I go f

to Macha northwards," said the angel.
fairer," replied Patrick.
answered the angel.

said Patrick.

" Pass on

" T h e cluain below is

" Be its name Cluain-Cain " (fair cluain),

" A pilgrim of the Britons shall come and

occupy there, and it shall be yours afterwards."

" Deo gratias

ago" said Patrick. Where Patrick went then was to Ard-Phadraig, 9
on the east of Lughmadh, and he proposed to build an establishment there.

The Dal-Bunter 1 went after him, to keep him, as one

presented him to another.

He blessed them afterwards, and pro-

phesied that distinguished chiefs and clerics should be of them, and
that they should have possessions outside their territory, because
they went forth out of their own country after him.

Patrick used

7 Fera-Boss.—Colgan calls them the people of Fer-ross, a territory which
extended into the barony of Farney, in the south of county Monaghan, and
part of the present county Louth (Shirley's " Farney," p . 2). An abbey was
founded here, called Kill-Rois, by Adamnan, the obits of two of whose priors
are recorded at A.D. 825 and 845 ; and a church called, in Pope Nicholas's Taxation of 1306, Ecclesia de Eos, the name of which is preserved in the parochial
title, Magheross, and the town of Carrickmacross lying in it.
8
Druim-Mor.—Colgan, in his notes, p. 185, writes that Druim-Mor was
Druim-Charadh, in the diocese of Armagh and county Louth. The Four
Masters, at A.D. 8Q8, call this Druim-Caradh of Ard-Cianachta, which O'Donovan, in his notes, writes, is now Drumcar, a townland in a parish of the same
name, in the barony of Ferrard, county Louth. O'Donovan, at A.D. 836, identifies Cluain-Caein,. " t h e beautiful lawn or meadow," as does Dr. Eeeves
("Adamnan," note c, p. 47), as Clonkeen, in the barony of Ardee, county
Louth.
9
Ard-Phadraig.— Ardpatrick lies about a mile to the east of Louth,
where St. Mochta afterwards founded his monastery. I t was afterwards
annexed to St. Columba (Reeves' "Adamnan," pp. 7 and 461), and was a ruin
in Usher's time.
8
Dal-Bunter.—This family is called Mocnruntir, recte Mac-Ui-Runtir in
"Adamnan," ch. xviii., where it is stated St. Columba ordered one of his
monks, named Trenan, of this tribe, to proceed on a mission to Ireland. The
Book of Armagh states that the three magi who opposed St. Patrick were
members of it, and it appears the locale of the family was at Clonkeen, in Fer.
Ross.—Reeves' "Adamnan," p. 47.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

483

to come every day from the east, from Ard-Phadraig, and Mochta 2
used to come from the west, from Lughmadh, that they might converse together every day at Leac-Moctae. One day the angel
placed an epistle between them. Patrick read the epistle, and
what was in it was : " Mochta, the devoted, the believing, let him
be in the place he has taken." Patrick goes by the order of his
king to smooth Macha, and he assigned the twelve lepers left in
Ard-Phadraig to Mochta, and their food used to be given to them
each night by Mochta. Patrick went afterwards to the macha,
by order of the angel, to a place where Iiath-Daire is this day.
There was a certain prosperous and venerable person there. Daire 3
was his name, i.e. Daire, son of Finchad, son of Eogan, son of Niallan,
Patrick asked for a site for his regies from him. Daire answered,
" What place do you desire V
" In this great hillock below," says
Patrick, where Ardmacha is to-day. " I will not give it," said
Daire, " b u t I will give you a site for your regies in the strong
rath below," where the ferta are to-day.
Patrick founded a
church there, and remained a long time. One day two steeds of
Daire's were brought to him, to his regies, for the relig was grassy.
Patrick became very angry. The horses died at once. His servant
told this to Daire, saying : " That Christian," said he, " killed your
steeds, because they ate the grass that was in his regies.11 Daire was
angry at this, and ordered his servants to plunder the cleric, and
expel him from his place, i.e. the ferta, A colic seized on Daire
immediately, so that death was near him. His wife recalled the
plunder of Patrick, and told Daire that the cause of his death was
the attack on Patrick. She sent messengers to beg prayer-water
for Daire, from Patrick.
Patrick said : " Only for what the
2
Mochta.—He was a native of Britain, and landed at Omeath, on the coast
of Louth, with twelve followers. He founded the abbey of Louth, and is
called a bishop in O'Clerys' Calendar, at 19th August, though our writers
doubt as to whether he obtained the episcopal order. The Aunals of Ulster
record his death at A.D. 534, and Colgan has his acts incorrectly at 24th March.
Before his death he received the Holy Viaticum from St. Daigh of Iniskeen, as
in note under Druim-Mor. —Beeves' " Adamnan," p. 7, and Lanigan.
3
Daire.— See ante, p. 349, for identifications and other details.

484

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

woman has done, there would never be any .resurrection from
death for Daire." Patrick blessed the water, and gave it to the
servants, with orders to have it sprinkled over the horses and over
Daire.4 They did so, and immediately they all returned from
death. A brazen cauldron was brought to Patrick, as an offering from Daire. " Deo gratias," said Patrick. Daire asked his
servants what Patrick said. They answered, " Gratzicum" " This
is little reward for a good offering, and a good cauldron," said
Daire. He ordered his cauldron to be brought to him. "Deo
gratias" said Patrick. Daire asked what Patrick said when they
were bringing the cauldron from him. The servants answered: " It
was the same thing he said when we were bringing it away from
him—Gratzicum" " This is a good word with them, this Gratzicum"
said Daire; " Gratzicum, when giving it to him, and Gratzicum when
taking it away from him." Daire and his wife then went with
his submission to Patrick, and gave Patrick the cauldron willingly
back again, and the hill which he before asked; and Patrick accepted, and blessed them, and founded a church in that place called
Ard-Macha. Patrick and his divines, and Daire, with the nobles
of Airther besides, came to the hill to mark out its boundaries,
and to bless it, and consecrate it. They found a doe, with its fawn,
in the place where the Sabhall is to-day, and his people went to
kill it. Prohibuit Patricius, et dixit, " Serviat sibi postea" and sent
it out of the hill northward, to the place where Telac-na-licce5
is to-day, ibi magna mirabilia fecit,
4

Daire.—This is the subject of the illustration at p. 393. The upper part
represents the donation of the land for the church of Armagh by Daire. In
the next compartment is shown the site marked out where the fawn was
found • and below Daire is seen lying on his death-bed, and about to be
sprinkled with the holy water sent by the saint. The dead horses are on the
ground outside.
6
Telac-na-licce.—In an Inquisition taken at Armagh, 9th September, 1633,
this is called Tullyleckeny, now absorbed in the corporation, and being placed
in the same group with the Desert, as parcel of Knockadreeine, the ancient
name of the hill on which now stands the new Catholic cathedral; it was
most likely the hill a little further north, over which the old road passed to

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick

485

Daire's daughter6 loved the person Benen ; sweet to her was the
sound of his voice in chaunting. Disease seized her, so that she
died of it. Benen carried cretra to her from Patrick, and she
suddenly afterwards arose alive, and loved him spiritually. She is
Ercnait, the daughter of Daire, who is in Tamlaght-bo.
One time there came nine daughters of the King of the Longbards,7
and the daughter of the King of Britain, on a pilgrimage to Patrick;

the Callen or Geary's bridge, between Tullyelmer and Drumcairn, leading to
Oharlemont. There is a townland named Longstone adjoining the right of
the lunatic asylum, a little to the north of Armagh, which may be the place
here called Telac-na-licce, " t h e hill of the stones."
6
Daire!s daughter. —Her name was Ercnait. After a long life of religious
devotion, she died, and was buried at Tamlaght-bo, now Tamlaght, in the
parish of Eglish, to the north-west of Armagh, in the church which she had
founded, and where her memory was observed on her festival, the 8th of
January .(Reeves' " Churches of Armagh," p. 12). So Dr. Reeves writes; but
the Calendar of the O'Clerys gives Eargnat, Virgin, of Dun-da-en, in DalAraidhe, signifying, according to Joyce (" Origin and History of Irish Names,''
p. 266), " t h e fortress of the two birds," now the parish of Duneane, county
Antrim. Her story is thus told in the Calendar of the O'Clerys, when treating
of St. Benignus or Benen, at 9th November: " T h e holy Benen was benign,
was devout; he was a virgin, without ever defiling his virginity: for when he
was psalm-singer at Ard-Macha, along with his master, St. Patrick, Ercnait,
daughter of Daire, loved him. And she was seized with a disease, so that she
died suddenly; and Benen brought consecrated water to her from Patrick,
and he shook it upon her, and she arose alive and well, and she loved him
spiritually afterwards ; and she subsequently went to Patrick, and confessed
all her sins to him ; and she offered her virginity afterwards to God, so that
she went to heaven; and the name of God, of Patrick, and of Benen was magnified through it."
7
Longbards.—Monessin was the name of the King of Britain's daughter.
The question of the Longobards having settled in western Europe as early as
the time of Patrick, has been much discussed. Colgan and O'Elaherty assert
they were in Leatha or Italy at this time, in which latter country, according
to Sabellicus and Baronius, they did not settle till A.D. 568. Colgan grounds
his view on the opinion of Kranztius that they migrated from their primitive
Scandinavian settlements as early as 382. But Leatha, with ancient Irish
authors, signified Letaria, or Armorica, on the eastern coast of France, and,
writing on this very passage (p. 40), Colgan says that the connection of the
Longobard virgins with the daughter of the King of Britain gives some countenance to the conjecture that Britanny or Armorica may have been known,
in ancient times, as a seat of the Lombards.

486

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

they stopped at the east side of Ard-Macha, where Coll-na-ningean8
is to-day. There came messengers from them to Patrick, to know
if they should proceed to him. Patrick said to the messengers
that three of the maidens would go to heaven, and in that place
(i.e. Coll-na-ningean) their sepulchre is. " And let the other
maidens go to. Druim-fenneda,9 and let one of them proceed as far
as that hill in the east." And so it was done.
Oruimthir went afterwards, and occupied Oengoba j 1 and Benen
used to carry fragments of food to her every night from Patrick.
And Patrick planted an apple-tree in Achadh-na-elti, which he
took from the fort, in the north of the place, i.e. Oengoba; and
hence the place is called Abhall-Patrick, in Cengoba. It was the
milk of this doe, moreover, that used to be given to the lap-dog
that was near the maiden, i.e. Cruimthir.
Another time, when Patrick was at rest in the end of night, at
Tiprad-Cernai, in Tir-Tipraid, the angel went to him and awoke
him. Patrick said to him : " Is there anything in which I have
offended God, or is His anger upon m e f " No," said the angel;
" and you are informed from God," added the angel, " if it is it you
desire, that there shall be no share for any else in Eriu, but for you
alone. And the extent of the termon of your see from God is to
Droma-Bregh,2 and to Sliabh-Mis, and to Bri-Airghi." Patrick
8
Coll-na-ningean.—" The hazel tree of the virgins," called by Joeelyn, Ferta
Minor, but the name is now obsolete. There was the denomination Fertamore,
portion of the primatial lands of Armagh, in the territory of Dounagh-MunterCullen, alias Clonfeacle, which adjoined Blackwatertown, in the county of
Armagh.
9
Druim-fenneda.—- The ridge of the declivity. The name is now obsolete.
1
Cengoba.—Dr. Reeves explains this as " t h e hill of grief." In Oolgan it is
called a mount, in the eastern vicinity of Armagh. Dr. Petrie (" Round Towers,"
p. 345) writes it was a stone oratory, and that some of its ruins remained in
his time, which, however, Dr. Reeves was unable to discover, but writes that
the tradition of the country connected the memory of the nine pilgrim virgins
with Armagh-Breague, in Upper Fews. The latter, however, is eight or nine
miles south of Armagh ; nor can it be the great fort of Kinnigo, which lies
four miles north. A religious cell was founded here by Crumtheris, one of the
pilgrim virgins.
2
Droma-Bregh.—Droma-Bregh was part of the territory of Breagh, or

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick

487

replied : " My debroth, truly," said Patrick, " sons of life will come
after me, and I wish they may have honor from God in the country
after me," The angel responded : "That is manifest. And God
gave all Eriu to you," said the angel, " and every noble that will
be in Eriu shall belong to you." " Deo gratias" said Patrick.
Patrick was enraged against his sister, i.e. Lupait,3 for committing
the sin of adultery, so that she was pregnant in consequence.
When Patrick came into the church from the eastern side, Lupait
went to meet him, until she prostrated herself before the chariot,
in the place where the cross is in Both-Archall. " The chariot over
her," said Patrick. The chariot passed over her thrice, for she
Bregia, in the north of the county Meath, adjoining Cavan ("Four Masters,"
at 513, and "Book of Rights," p. 11). Sliabh-Mis was the well-known mountain of Slemish, in county Antrim. But Sliabh-Breagh, now Slieve Brey, in the
south of the county Louth, was mentioned by the Synod of Rath-Braesail as
the southern boundary of the diocese of Armagh; Cuaille Ciannacta, now
the mountain top of Coolkenagh, in the parish of Errigal-Keerogue, county
Tyrone, being then, as now, the northern boundary. Bri-n-aivige, called by
Colgan, Brigraidhe, lay to the west. J3ri9 signifying a hill or rising ground,
is pronounced Bree, which is the name of a townland in the parish of Muckno,
county Monaghan, on the west of the county and diocese of Armagh. Presuming the identifications to be correct, it would appear that at this period
the church of Armagh had a territorial jurisdiction over what now constitutes
the diocese of Armagh, part of Meath and Connor, and the entire of Down and
Dromore. This is an additional evidence of diocesan episcopacy to that
afforded by the synod of Uisnech, held in 1107, at which the " Chronicum
Scotorum" records the division o f the old diocese of Meath between the
Bishops of Cluain-mac-ISrois and Clonard. According to the theory of King,
Reeves, and Todd, diocesan episcopacy, in its present acceptation, was not
introduced into Ireland until 1118.
3
Lupait.—There is much obscurity and contradiction about this story of
St. Patrick's alleged sister—Colgan, in his notes, arguing that the word sister
must be taken to mean relative. In another part of the Tripartite, Lupait is
stated to have been placed over the nunnery of Druimcheo, Ardagh, county
Longford, of which her nephew, St. Mel, was bishop; and from a note of Colgan
it appears she was buried in the Ferta, beside Armagh. Her festival, though
not given by the O'Clerys, was held on the 27th of September. Innis-Lothair
is now Inish-lirroo, in Lough Erne, county Fermanagh, or Tnish-Lougher, in
the parish of Devenish, in same county. The Calendar of the O'Clerys has
St. Cassan of Iomdual, at 28th March, but does not state its situation. The
only place of that name in Ireland now known is Imdel, in the parish of
Drumballyroney, county Down.

488

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

used still to come in front of i t ; so that where she went to heaven
was at the Ferta; and she was buried by Patrick, and her ecnaire
(requiem) was sung. Colman,4 grandson of Ailill, of the Ui-Bresail,
that fixed his attention on Lupait at Imduail. Aedan, son of
Colman, saint of Inis-Lothair, was the son of Lupait and Colman.
Lupait implored of Patrick that he would not take away heaven
from Colman with his progeny. Patrick did not take it away;
but he said they would be sickly. Of the children of this Colman,
moreover, are the Ui-Faelain and Ui-Dubhdara. 5
One time Patrick's people were cutting corn in Trian-Conehobhair. They were seized with great thirst, whereupon a vessel of
whey was taken to them from Patrick, who persuaded them to observe abstinence from tierce to vesper time. It happened that one
of them died ; and he was the first man that was buried by Patrick,
i.e. Colman Itadach, 6 at the cross by the door of Patrick's house.
What Patrick said when it was told to him was, " M y debroth,
there will be abundance of food and ale and prosperity in this city
after us."
Once the angels went, and took from off the road the stone
which was before the chariot, and its name is Lec-na-naingel. It
was from that place, i.e- from Druim-Chaile, that Patrick with his
two hands blessed the mocha. The way in which Patrick measured
the rath, i.e. the angel before him, and Patrick behind, with his
people, and with the holy men of Eriu, and the Bachall Isa in
Patrick's hand. And he said that great would be the crime of any
4
Colman.—Colgan, in his text and notes, writes Colman, son of Aid, of the
family of Hi-Bressail. This territory, afterwards called Clanbrassil, lay to
the south of Lough Neagh, in the counties of Armagh and Down, being in the
latter called Clanbrassil Mac Coolechan: the former obtained its name from
Bressal, great grandson of Colla da Crioch; the latter from Breasal, son of
Aedh Roin.
5
Ui-Faelain and Ui-DubUdara.—TJi-Faelain was the name of a tribe, and of
a territory containing about one-half of the northern part of the present county
of Kildare ("Book of Eights," note, p. 205). The Ua-Dubhdaras were ancient
chiefs of Fermanagh, and sometime of Farney. See "Four Masters," at
1076, 1097, and 1118.
6
Gohnan Itadach.—That is, Colman the thirsty.

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick

491

one who would transgress in it, as the reward would be great of
such as fulfilled the will of God in it.
The way in which Patrick measured the ferta was thus, viz., one
hundred and forty feet in the Ms, and twenty feet in the great house,
and seventeen feet in the kitchen, and seven feet in the chamber;
and it was thus he always constructed the establishment.
The angel went to Patrick in Ard-Macha. " This day," said he,
" t h e relics of the apostles are distributed in Eome, throughout
the four parts of the globe; and it would be becoming in you
that you should go there." And the angel bore Patrick in the
air. At the southern cross, in Aenach-Macha, it was that four
chariots were brought to Patrick; at the northern cross, moreover,
it was that God manifested to him the form he will have in the
Day of Judgment. And he went in one day to Comur-tri-nuisce.7
He left Sechnail 8 in the episcopacy with the men of Eriu, until the
ship would come which would bear him from the shore of Letha.
Patrick went subsequently, and arrived at E o m e ; and sleep
came over the inhabitants of Eome, so that Patrick brought away
a sufficiency of the relics. These relics were afterwards taken to
Ard-Macha with the consent of God, and with the consent of the
men of Eriu.
What was brought was the relics of three hundred and sixty-five
martyrs, and the relics of Peter and Paul, and Laurence, and
Stephen, and of many more; and a cloth in which was the blood of
Christ, and the hair of the Virgin Mary. Patrick left this collection
in Armagh, according to the will of God, of the angel, and of the
men of Eriu.
His relics—the relics of Letha—were stolen from Patrick.
Messengers went from him to the Abbot of Eome. They brought
an epistle from him, directing that they should watch the relics
7
Comur-tri-nuisce.—Colgan, in his notes, writes this was a place in Lagenia
(Leinster), where the three rivers, Suir, Feor (the ivore), and Barbha (the
Barrow), met near Waterford.
8
Sechnall.—Otherwise St. Secundinus.

492

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

with lamps and torches by night for ever, and with Mass and
psalmody by day, and prayers by night, and that they should
elevate them every year (for multitudes desired to see them).
Two brothers of the Ulstermen, Dubhan and Dubhaedh, stole
Patrick's two garrons from the land (tir) to the east of the Nemhed
(Tir-suidhe-Patrick is its name). They carried them off into the
moor to the south. Dubhan said : " I will not take what belongs
to the taihenn"
" I will take what comes to me," said Dubhaedh.
Dubhan went and did penance. " Your comrade's journey is not a
good one," said Patrick. He got a fall, so that his head was
broken, and he died. Dubhan became a disciple, and was ordained;
and Patrick said: " H e r e thy resurrection' shall be." Another
time, in carrying a bag of wheat from Setna, son of Dalian, 9 to
Patrick, the manna which dropped from heaven, in a desert place,
over Druim-mic-Ublae, 1 Patrick's horse [fell] under it. A grain of
the wheat dropped out of the bag, and the horse could not rise
until there came from Patrick. " This is the reason," said Patrick
through prophecy, " a grain of wheat that fell out of the sack, in
the spot where the cross is on the way southwards to the Nemhed."
" Nemhed 2 then will be the name of the place where the horse
stopped," said Patrick; and so it is.
Another time Sechnall went to Armagh, and Patrick was not
there. He saw before him two of Patrick's horses unyoked, and
he said : " It were fitter to send those horses to the bishop, i.e. to
Fiacc." When Patrick returned, this thing was told to him. The
chariot was attached to the horses; and he sent them on without
9
Dalian.—The Calendar of the O'Clerys mentions that St. Sedna, of Druimmac-Ublai, was venerated there on the 9th of March.
1
Druim-mic-Ublae.—Colgan, in his notes, describes it as in Crimthain, in
Oirgiell, which was comprised in the baronies of Upper and Lower Slane; but
O'Donovan, in his notes, at A.D. 830, wThere its plundering by the foreigners is
described, writes that there is no church of the name to be now found in these
baronies.
2
Nemhed.—Dr. Petrie (" Round Towers," p. 61) translates Netned, or
jNeimheadh, as a sanctuary, or glebe land, a holy wood, or wood of the
sanctuary or glebe.

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

493

a man with them, until they were in the disert with Mochta.
They went right-hand-wise on the morrow to Domhnach-Sechnaill.
They then went eastwardly to Oill-Auxili. They went afterwards
to Cill-monach; then, after that, to Fiacc to Sleibhte. The reason
for giving the chariot to Fiacc was because he used to go every
Whit-Saturday as far as the hill of Druim-Coblai, where he had a
cave. Five cakes with him, as report says. On Easter Saturday
he used to come to Sleibhte, and used to bring with him a bit of
his five cakes. The cause of giving the chariot to Fiacc was that a
chafer had gnawed his leg, so that death was nigh unto him.
Sechnall said to Patrick, " When shall I make a hymn of praise
for thee f u You are not required," observed Patrick. " I have not
said to thee, i Shall it be done V " said Sechnall, " for it will be done,
truly." " My debrotk" said Patrick,-"it is time it were finished now ?
for Patrick knew that it would not be long until Sechnall's time
[arrived], for he was the first bishop who went under the clay of Eriu.
When he was composing the hymn, they were holding an assembly near him. It was commanded to them from him that they
should go away from the place. They began to mock him. He
told them that the ground would swallow them; and it swallowed
twelve chariots of them at once. Sechnall said to Patrick's people,
at Ferta-Marta, " A good man is Patrick, but for one thing." When
he heard these words with his people, he asked Sechnall for the
previous message, and Sechnall said, " 0 my lord, the reason I have
said it is because little do you preach of charity/' " Young man,"
said Patrick, " it is for charity that I preach not charity; for if I
did preach it, I would not leave a stud of two chariot horses to any
of the saints, present or future, in this island ; for all belong to me
and them."
Sechnall went with his hymn to Patrick, and Patrick went along
Belach-Midhluachra into the territory of Oonaille.3 He returned
3
Oonaille.—Crich-Oonaille, according to ODonovan's Index to the " F o u r
Masters," was another name for Oonaille Muirtheimhne, the plain which extended from the river Boyne to the mountains of Cooly or Carlingford, and is
an additional proof that the great road of Midluachar traversed the county Louth.

494

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick.

along the mountain westwards. He met Sechnall. They saluted
one another. " I should like that you would hear a [hymn of]
praise which I have made for a certain man of God," said Sechnall.
" T h e praise of the people of God is welcome,'7 answered Patrick.
Sechnall thereupon began "Beata Christi custodit," fearing that
Patrick would prohibit him at once if he heard his name. When
he sang " Maximus nam que," Patrick arose. The place where he
sang so far is called Elda. " Wait," said Sechnall, " until we reach a
secret place which is near u s ; it is there the remainder will be recited." Patrick inquired on the way how " Maximus in regno
coelorum " could be said of a man. Sechnall replied: " I t [maximus"]
is put for the positive [magnus,]" or because he excelled the men of
his race of the Britons or Scoti. They came then to a place called
Dal-Muine,4 where he, Patrick, prayed and sat; and Sechnall afterwards sang the remainder of the h y m n ; and Patrick heard his
name, and thereupon thanked him. Three pieces of cheese, and
butter, were brought up to him from a religious couple, viz., Berach
and Brig. " Here is for the young men," said the woman. " Good,"
said Patrick. A druid came there, whose name was Gall-drui
("foreign druid"), who said, " I will believe in you if you convert
the pieces of cheese into stones," which God performed through
Patrick. " Again convert them into cheese f and he did. " Convert them into stones as ain j " and he did. " Convert them again."
Patrick said, " No, but they will be as they are, in commemoration,
until the servant of God, who is Dicuill of the Ernaidhe, 5 shall come
here." The druid (magus) believed.
4

Dall-Muine.—The territory called in Irish Dal-in-Buinne, Latinized Dalmunia, and Anglicized Dalboyn and Dalvanie, embraced a tract of country on
either sides of the river Lagan, from Spencer's Bridge, near Moira, to Drum
Bridge, near Belfast, in which lay the churches of Tullyrusk, Glenavy, and
Muckamore, and those adjoining. For a full description see Reeves' "Down
and Connor," pp. 44 and 164-233. It derived its name from Buirm, son of Fergus
Mac Roigh, King of Ulster, who was dethroned in the year before Christ 12.
5
Dicuill of the Ernaidhe.—Colgan writes that Dichuill, from being Abbot of
Ernatiensis, became Abbot of Louth, A.D. 700. Ernatiensis was the Latinized
form of Ernaidhe or Urnaidhe, which in the original Irish primarily signifies a

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

495

Patrick flung his little bell under a dense bush there.
grew through its handle.

A birch

This it was that Dicuill found, the

betechan, Patrick's bell—a little iron bell—which is in the Ernaidhe
of Dicuill.

And two of the stones made of the cheese are there ;

the third one was, moreover, carried by Dicuill to Lughmagh, when
he was abbot there.

I t is to-day in Gort-Conaidh. 6

7

Sechnall asked something for the hymn.

" As many as there

are hairs in your casula" said Patrick, " if they are pupils of yours,
and violate not rules, shall be saved.

The clay of your abode

has also been, sanctified by God," said Patrick.
ceived," said Sechnall.

" That will be re-

" Whosoever of the men of Eriu," said

Patrick, " shall recite the three last chapters, or the three last lines,
or the three last words, just before death, with pure mind, his soul
will be saved."

li

Deo gratias ago," said Sechnall.

Colman Ela 8

prayer, but in a secondary sense a prayer-house, the same as the Latin Oratorium. I t is now Anglicized Urney, Nurney, and Furney (Joyce's "Irish Names
of Places," p. 294, and Colton's "Visitation," by Reeves, p. 17). Oolgan
( " i'V. Th.v ]). 115) conjectures it to have been the same as Cluain-braoin,
beside the church of Louth, probably from the fact that a St. Dichuill was
venerated in that church on the 1st of May. Archdall ("Mon. Hib." p. 452),
adopting Colgan's view, placed Cluain-braoin in county Louth, but writes it
was unknown. But the "Inquisitions," printed by Archdall himself, in his
account of the abbey of Louth, affords the proper clue to where Ernaidhe
was, the church of which it is probable Dichuill on his translation to that abbey
annexed thereto. By an Inquisition, 4th James I., it was found that the king
was seized of the priory of Louth and its possessions, inter alia the rectory of
Faghart, including with others the tithes of Orney, alias Nurney. Another Inquisition of 2nd August, thirteenth year of the same king, there was found
belonging to the same priory, inter alia, fifteen acres of glebe in the Urney; and
accordingly we find, in Lewis's "Topographical Dictionary," that there are
still some remains of the ancient church of Urney in the present small parish
of Faughart, a little north of Dundalk, county Louth.
6
Gort-Conaidh, *' Field of the fire-wood," was the name of a monastery in the
barony of Cremorne, and county Monaghan.—O'Donovan's note under A.D.
735, where the Four Masters record the death of Flann Feabhla, abbot of GortConaigh, in Mughdhorn-Maighen. There is a townland called G-orteens, in
the parish of Donaghmoyne, in Farney barony, likely to have been the site of
this monastery.
7
The original of the three following sentences is very corrupt.
8
Colman Ela.—The Calendar of the O'Clerys thus notices him : " Colman
Eala, abbot of Lann-Elo, in Fir-Ceall, in Westmeath. He was of the race of

496

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

recited it in his refectory thrice. Patrick stood in the middle of
the house, when a certain plebeian asked, " Have we no other
prayer that we could recite except this V And Patrick went out
afterwards. Oainnech, on the sea, in the south, saw the black
cloud of devils passing over him. " Come here on your way," said
Cainnech. The demons subsequently came, stating, " "We went to
meet the soul of a certain rich rustic observing the festival of
Patrick; but his sons and people ate, and he sang two or three
chapters of the hymn of Patrick ; and, by your dignity, we thought
it more a satire than praise of Patrick as they sang i t ; but by it we
have been vanquished." The miracles of Patrick are these, viz. :
The hound in the territory of Gailenga,9 at Telach-Maine ; the buck
speaking out of the bodies of the thieves in the territory of UiMeith; the travelling of the garron without any guide to Druimmic-Ublae, when he lay down beside the grain of wheat; the chariot, without a charioteer, [going] from Armagh to Sleibhte; the
appearance of the King of Britain in the form of a fox, in his country,
an ever-living miracle ; a part of Aenach-Tailten, from which nothing dead is taken ; the King of Cashel not to be killed by wounding, provided that he be of the race of Aenghus, son of Nadfraech;
these bare residences not to be demolished, viz., Kath-Airthir, and
Sen-domhnach of Magh-Ai ("Eccor Sendomhmigh" is an old saying);
Dun-Sobhairce charmed to the herenaghs, viz., an altar-sop with the
Forbraige; and the dominica of Naas, and Magh-itir-da-glas1 in
Macha; the navigation from Bertlach to Bertlach of Calry-CuileEochaidh, son of Muireadh, of the race of Heremon, by the father's side, and
Colum Cille's sister was his mother, i.e. Mor, daughter of Feidhlimidh, son of
Ferghus Oennfada, son of Oonall Gulban, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, as
Oolman's own Life states. Fifty-two was his age when he resigned his spirit
to heaven, A.D. 610." Lann-£lo is now called Lynally.
9
Gailenga.—From the allusion to the Hill of Maine, this was evidently the
territory of Gailenga, or Luighne, in the counties of Mayo and Sligo, for a
description of which see " Book of Rights," notes, pp. 103, 104.
1
Magh-itir-da-glas—i.e. the plain between the two streamlets. This place
is mentioned in the " F o u r Masters" at 879, and the death of its erenach
Flann, son of Maelfiachrach, at A.D. 950. O'Donovan conjectured it to be Moy
county Tyrone, near Charlemont, but its ancient name was quite different.

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

497

Cemadha; the streams which the gilla blessed at Drobhais ;2 the
take [of fish] at Eastern Barm; the take at Sligo every quarter [of
the year] ; the Samer, 3 which goes from the loughs of Erne to the
sea—its eastern half, against Cenel-Conaill,4 is fruitful; its western
part, towards Cenel-Cairbre,5 is unfruitful, through Patrick's word.
Finn-glas, at the martyr-house of Druim-Cain, 6 and DruimCruachni ;7 the taking of his kingship 8 from Laeghaire, from Cairbre,
from Fiacha, from Maine ; the grant of his kingship to Eoghan, to
Conall, to Crimthann, to Conall Erball; the smiths making the
bells, i.e. Mac Cecht, and Cuana, and Mac Tail; 9 the artificers making the dishes and reliquaries, and the altar chalices, viz., Tassach, 1
and Essa, and Bitiu; the nuns making the altar cloths, viz., Cochmass, and Tigris, and Lupait, and Darerca.
After these great miracles, however, the day of Patrick's death,
. and of his going to heaven, approached. What he began to do
was to go to Armagh, that it might be there his resurrection would
be. The angel Victor came to him. What he said to Patrick was :
" It is not there thy resurrection has been decreed ; go back to the
2

Drobhais.—The river Drowes, in the north of Leitrim. See before.
Samer.—The Samer is now called the Erne river, which flows from Lough
Erne to Ballyshannon.
4
Cenel-Conaill.—Now county Donegal.
5
Cenel-Oairbre.—The descendants of Cairbre, third son of Niall of the Nine
Hostages, who settled in the barony of Carbury, in the north of county Sligo.
— " Book of Bights," note u, p. 130.
6
Druim-Cain.—Dromcain was one of the ancient names of Tara.
7
Druim-Cruachni.—The Bidge of Cruaghan or Croghan, the royal palace
of Connaught.
8
Kingship.—Several instances of this are stated in the Lives of St.
Patrick.
9
Mac Cecht and Cuana and Mac Tail. —Mac Cecht is given in the list of St.
Patrick's household in the "Four Masters," at 448, as one of his smiths, but
Cuana and Mac Tail are not mentioned. They are, however, in Tirechan's list
in the Book of Armagh, and republished from Usher in Lanigan, vol. i. p.
337.
1
Tassach. —This was not Bishop Tassagh of Raholp, near Downpatrick,
who administered the Viaticum to St. Patrick, but Assach, Bishop of Elphin.
See Lanigan, i. p. 340, and Book of Armagh, Betham's translation.
3

498

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

place from whence you came (i.e. to the $abhall), 2 for it is there God
has decreed that you shall die—not in Macha. God has granted
thee," said the angel, " that thy dignity and rule, thy devotion and
teaching, shall be in Ard-Macha, as if thou thyself wert alive
there."
The angel left advice with Patrick as to how he would be buried,
saying : " Let two young, active oxen be brought," said he, " of the
herds of Conall, from Finnabhair, i.e. from Glochar; and let your
body be placed in a wagon after them; and what way soever these
young oxen go by themselves, and the place where they will stop,
let it be there your interment shall be ; and let there be a man's
cubit in your grave, that your remains be not taken out of it," It
was so done after his death. The oxen carried him to the place
where to-day is Dun-da-leth-glas ; and he was buried there with all
honor and respect.
And for a space of twelve nights, i.e. whilst
the divines were waking him with hymns, and psalms, and canticles,
there was no night in Magh-inis, but angelic light t h e r e ; and some
say there was light in Magh-inis for the space of a year after
Patrick's death, quia nulli adanti viri meritum declarandum accidisse
dubium est, et ita non visa nox in tota ilia regione in tempore
luctus Patricii, qualiter Ezechiee langenti in horologio Achaz demonstrate sanitatis indicio, sol per xv lineas reversus est, et sic sol
contra Gabon, et lima contra vallem Achilon stetit.
In the first night, the angels of the Lord of the elements were
watching Patrick's body with spiritual chants. The fragrant odors
of the divine grace which issued from the holy body, and the
music of the angels, gave tranquillity and joy to the chief clerics of
the men of Erin who were watching the body on the nights following ; so that the blessing of Jacob to his son was kept regarding
him, i.e. " Ecce odor filii mei sicut odor agri pleni, quern benedixit
dicens," etc.
There was, moreover, a great attempt at conflict and battle
2
Sabhatt. That is, to Saul, where he died, affcer having lived there, according to his bardic testament, thirty years.

Tripartite

Life of St. Patrick.

499

between the provinces of Erin, viz., the Ulidians and the Ui-Neill
and Airghialla, contending for Patrick's body. The Airghialla and
Ui-Neill were trying to take it to Ard-Macha; the Ulidians were
for keeping it with themselves. Then the Ui-Neill went to a certain
water [river] there, when the river rose against them, through the
power of God. When the flood left the river, the hosts proceeded
to quarrel, viz., the Ui-Neill and the Ulidians. I t appeared then
to each party of them, that they were bringing the body to their
own country, so that God separated them in this wise through the
grace of Patrick.
The miracles so far shall be unto to-day. They are the miracles
which the divines of Eriu heard, and which they put into order of
narration. Colum Cille, the son of Fedhlimidh, firstly, narrated
and compiled the miracles of Patrick; Ultan, the descendant of
Conchobhar ; Adamnan, the grandson of Atinne; Eleran the wise ;
Oiaran of Belach-Duin; Bishop Ermedach of Clogher; Colman
Uamach ; and Cruimther Collaith of Druim-Eoilgech.
A just man, indeed, was this m a n ; with purity of nature like
the patriarchs ; a true pilgrim like Abraham ; gentle and forgiving
of heart like Moses; a praiseworthy psalmist like David; an
emulator of wisdom like Solomon ; a chosen vessel for proclaiming
truth like the Apostle Paul. A man full of grace and of the knowledge of the Holy Ghost like the beloved John. A fair flowergarden to children of grace; a fruitful vine-branch. A sparkling
fire, with force of warmth and heat to the sons of life, for instituting
and illustrating charhVv. A lion in strength and power; a dove in
gentleness and humility. A serpent in wisdom and cunning to do
good. Gentle, humble, merciful towards sons of life; dark, ungentle
towards sons of death. A servant of labor and service of Christ.
A king in dignity and power for binding and loosening, for liberating and convicting, for killing and giving life.
After these great miracles, therefore, i.e. after resuscitating the
dead; after healing lepers, and the blind, and the deaf, and the
lame, and all diseases; after ordaining bishops, and priests, and

500

Tripartite

Life of St.

Patrick

deacons, and people of all orders in the Church; after teaching
the men of Eriu, and after baptizing t h e m ; after founding
churches and monasteries; after destroying idols, and images,
and druidical a r t s ; the hour of death of St. Patrick approached.
He received the Body of Christ from the bishop, from Tassach,
according to the advice of the angel Victor. He resigned his
spirit afterwards to heaven, in the one hundred and twentieth year
of his age. His body is here still in the earth, with honor and
reverence. Though great his honor here, greater honor which will
be to him in the Day of Judgment, when judgment will be given on
the fruits of his teaching, like every great apostle, in the union of
the apostles and disciples of Jesus ; in the union of the nine orders
of angels, which cannot be surpassed ; in the union of the divinity
and humanity of the Son of God; in the union, which is higher
than all unions—in the union of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost. I beseech mercy through the intercession of
Patrick. May we all arrive at that union; may we enjoy it for
ever and ever. Amen.
These miracles, then, which we have related, the Lord performed
for Patrick. Though one should attempt to recount them, he could
not. Nevertheless, they are but a few of many related in commemoration ; for there is no one who could remember them all.
And there is no writer who could write all the prodigies and
miracles he wrought in the countries he reached.
After the foundation, then, of numerous churches; after the
consecration of monasteries; after baptizing the men of Eriu ; after
great abstinence and great labor; after destroying idols and images ;
after degrading numerous kings who would not obey him, and
raising up those who obeyed him ; and after he had three hundred
and fifty or three hundred and seventy bishops; and after ordaining
three thousand priests and persons of all other orders in the Church ;
after fasting and prayer; after showing mercy and mildness; after
gentleness and sweetness towards sons of life; after the love of
God and his neighbor; he received the Body of Christ from the

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick

501

bishop, from Tassach; and he afterwards resigned his spirit to
heaven. His body, however, is here on earth still, with honor and
reverence. And though great his honor here, his honor will be
greater in the Day of Judgment, when he will shine like a sun in
heaven, and when judgment will be given regarding the fruit of
his teaching, like Peter or Paul. He will be afterwards in the
union of the patriarchs and prophets ; in the union of the saints
and virgins of the world; in the union of the apostles and disciples
of Jesus Christ; in the union of the Church, both of heaven and
earth; in the union of the nine orders of heaven, which cannot be
surpassed; in the union of the divinity and humanity of the Son
of God; in the union which excels every union—in the union of
the Trinity, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, for ever
and ever. Amen. I beseech the mercy of God, through the intercession of Patrick. May we all reach that union ; may we deserve
i t ; may we inhabit it, for ever and ever.
These are the four-and-twenty who were in orders with Patrick,
viz., Sechnall his bishop; Mochta his priest; Bishop Ere his brehon ;
Bishop MacCairfchen his strong man ; Benen his psalmist; Caemhan
of Cill-Ruada his youth ; Sinell, from Cill-Daresis, his bell-ringer;
Afchgein of Both-Domhnach his cook; Cruimther Mescan, from
Domhnach-Mescan at Fochan, his brewer; Cruimther Bescna, from
Domhnach-Dala, his mass-priest; Cruimther Catan, and Cruimther
Ocan, his two waiters ; Odhran, from Disert-Odhran, in Hy-Failghe,
his charioteer; Cruimther Manach his wood-man ; Rodan his
shepherd; his three smiths, MacCecht, Laeban from DomhnachLaebhan (who made the Findfaithnech), and Fortchern in EathAdine. Essa, and Bite, and Tassach, were his three artists. His
three embroiderers were Lupait, and Ere, daughter of Daire, and
Cruimthiris in Cenn-Gobha. And this is the number that were in
the company of Joseph; and it is the number that is allowed
at the table of the King of Cashel, down from the time of
Fedhlimidh, son of Crimthann, i.e. the king of the two provinces
of Munster, etc.

502

Tripartite Life of St. Patrick.

The Annals of the Lord Jesus Christ, the year this Life of St.
Patrick was written, 1477; and to-morrow will be Lammas Night.
And in Baile-in-M6inin, in the house of O'Troightigh, this was
written by Domhnall Albanach O'Troightigh; et Deo gratias
Jesu,

€fyupttv &
The Effects of Si Patricks Mission.

;-

f N tlie concluding portion of this
work, we purpose giving a brief
sketch, of the state of the ancient
Church of Ireland, as founded by
St. Patrick ; and of his influence
on the civil government of Ireland, as shown by his assistance in the compilation
of the Brehon Laws. Happily there will be little
difficulty in the former, as I am kindly permitted
by Dr. Gargan, Professor of Ecclesiastical History in

504

Life of St.

Patrick

Maynooth, to avail myself of his treatise on the Ancient
Church of Ireland.8
It appears to the present writer, that much of the
dispute between Catholic and Protestant antiquarians,
on the subject of diocesan jurisdiction in Ireland before
the eleventh century, might have been avoided by a
little consideration as to the state of the country in
the early Christian ages. It would have been impossible for the limits of any diocese to have been strictly
defined. We, who live in an age when mensuration
has become a science, when Ordnance maps are an
institution, and when the very boundaries of a parish
are defined to a hair-line, may easily forget that there
3

Ireland.—This pamphlet is entitled " T h e Ancient Church of Ireland : a
few remarks on Dr.-Todd's 'Memoir of the Life and Mission of St. Patrick.'"
I may, perhaps, remark that one cannot open a page of this excellent treatise
without finding the sharpest animadversion on Dr. Todd's work, couched in
the severest language. Yet a person, writing in an English Catholic paper,
has attacked the present writer, in language which we would be sorry
to use under any circumstances, for having shown the errors of previous
writers. The attack was evidently written by an uneducated person,
and the paper is not one of any literary repute, so that it scarcely
merits notice. We are at a loss to know what would be the use of writing
such a work as the present unless we had taken every pains to ascertain truth
and sift it froni error. The ignorance of the writer was curiously shown by
the only remark he makes about St. Patrick's life, whom he describes as " the
meekest of men.;" the fact is, as our readers will have seen, that St. Patrick's
natural character was fiery and energetic to the last degree. It was this fire,
tempered by divine grace, which gave him the zeal of an apostle; and it was
this energy, checked by divine fear, which caused the holy severity with
which he denounced and so repeatedly cursed the evil-doer. It is a pity that
a Catholic paper, however insignificant, should allow an opinion to be expressed
in its columns by the prejudiced or the ignorant. All this is deeply injurious
to the interests of true religion, and that spirit of charity, which, according to
the present statements of so many of the English Catholic papers, is so much
wanting amongst some English Catholic writers. Ireland and America are
happily free from this disgrace, which we must hope will be soon removed
from our English serials.

State of the Early Irish Church.

505

was a time of impassable morasses, of impenetrable
forests, when trigonometry was not an "applied science/'
and when theodolites were unknown. The real question, then, is not whether St. Patrick established &
diocesan system in Ireland, with exactly defined boundaries, but whether he instituted a diocesan system in
any form. The Protestant theory, as adopted by Dr.
Todd, is that^ neither archiepiscopal nor diocesan jurisdiction existed in Ireland before the twelfth century.
The historical fact, as ably shown by Dr. G-argan, is
that there was such jurisdiction, though not carried out
precisely in the same form as at the present clay.
The existence of a class of ecclesiastics known as
chorepiscopi, appears to have been the original ground
on which the doubt was founded as to the arrangements made by St. Patrick.
This order was first instituted in the east, about the
end of the third century, and was probably originated
to supply the necessities of monastic houses. It is not
mentioned in the Church history of the west until the
fifth century.
It disappeared altogether about the
twelfth century, at which time the topographical definitions of ecclesiastical sees became necessarily better
defined. The exact grade of the chorepiscopi has never
been accurately ascertained. By some it is held that
they were simply priests; by others, that they were
bishops.
The next question is, whether the order existed in
the early Irish Church; since, if it did, this would
2u

506

Life of St.

Patrick

sufficiently account for the great number of ecclesiastics
without fixed sees who are known to have ministered in
Ireland. It would be quite impossible now to prove that
this order existed in that country immediately after the
time of St. Patrick's mission ; but it can be proved that
there were chorepiscopi in Ireland in the year 1152, leaving a strong presumptive evidence that their establishment there had been many centuries anterior to that date.
In the year 1152, a great Council was held at Kells,
under the presidency of Cardinal Paparo, which enacted,
that upon the death of chorepiscopi and of bishops
who governed small sees in Ireland, arch-presbyters
should be appointed by the diocesan to succeed them.
Here we have an indisputable evidence both of the
existence of chorepiscopi, and the undue multiplicity of
bishops. We have already observed that those critics
of the Acts of St. Patrick who question the veracity of
the writers of his life, because he is said to have built
so many churches, are simply ignorant of the necessities
of the times. The early Celtic converts, like the early
Christians, had each a church in his own house ; and,
probably, there were few families who had not a son
consecrated to the priestly office, who ministered in
these primitive oratories. It was a necessity of the
times when homesteads were scattered far and wide
over mountainous tracts of country, separated by vast
plains of unreclaimed land. The life of St. Patrick
affords ample evidence of his practice of ordaining
priests in almost every family, so that it would occupy

Tke Chorepiscopi.

507

unnecessary space to quote particular instances. But
the same necessity which required a numerous priesthood required also a numerous episcopacy; while the
rapid increase of religious houses, and the extraordinary
number of those who consecrated themselves to God in
these abodes of peace and holiness, added daily to the
duties of ecclesiastical superiors. And it is worthy of
our careful observation how the Church ever provides
for the necessities of her children in the way in which
these necessities can be best met, and, when the necessity ceases, removes what might then be a hindrance
rather than a help.
Thus, although it cannot be ascertained how early the
chorepiscopi were introduced into Ireland, it can be
proved that they were an institution in that country in
the middle of the twelfth century. There is, indeed, a
great deal of incidental evidence of clearly defined
diocesan jurisdiction in the Acts of St. Patrick, and
notably in the well-known instance when he placed St.
MacCarthen over the church in Clogher, so that he might
not be too far from him for friendly intercourse, or too
near him for interference in ecclesiastical arrangements.
And, although the term archbishop was not used in the
early Irish Church, there were certainly some bishops
possessed of higher rank and jurisdiction than others.4
4
Others.—"At vero, esti quidem inter Hibernise Episcopos semper aliqui,
qui, prse quialiis quid amplioris dignitatis aut jurisdictionis ecclesiasticse haberenthincque recte dici possent primates, extiterint, ii tamen non prius, quam
ssec, circiter xii, uti ad xvii Junii diem in commentario, actis S. Molingi Farnensis Episcopi prsevi, num, viii Jam docuimus, appellari cceperunt archiepiscopi."—"-4cfo#S r ." 12th Oct.

508

Life of St.

Patrick

The stock arguments for the non-dioeesan jurisdiction
in Ireland are—first, a letter from St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, A.D. 1109, to Murtagh O'Brien,
nominal King of Ireland. The archbishop writes thus :
" I t is also said (item dicitur) that bishops in your
country were elected at random, and appointed without
any fixed place of episcopal jurisdiction." This vague
charge, made on hearsay, which might or might not be
true, can scarcely be called evidence, and at best can
only be taken to prove that some irregularities had
occurred. We have already shown that even before the
synod of Rathbreasil, A.D. 1118, when a decree was
passed for the regular division and clearer definition of
the boundaries of the various sees, such divisions existed
and were distinctly recognized.
The next argument is taken from St. Bernard's wellknown complaint of the state of the Irish Church, a
complaint also made on second-hand information,
though probably in some degree founded on fact. Yet
in the very accusation, as quoted by Dr. Todd, there is
proof that the irregularity—if it existed—existed as an
irregularity, and that it was an infringement of the
normal state of ecclesiastical society, and as such certainly could not have been the rule. St. Bernard's
statement was that " bishops were changed and multiplied at the pleasure of the metropolitan—a thing unheard of since the beginning of Christianity—without
order, without reason, so that one bishopric was not
content with a single bishop, but almost every church

Falsity of the Non-Diocesan Theory.

509

had its separate bishop." In commenting on this passage, Dr. Gargan has well observed: "Dr. Todd is
unfortunate in having brought forward a witness, who
not only does not prove his point, but who may fairly
be regarded as proving the contrary, For St. Bernard,
in the very passage cited, assumes the existence oi
metropolitical and diocesan jurisdiction, and takes it for
granted that the irregularities which he deplores are not
incompatible with that very form of hierarch government, the absence of which, Dr. Todd concludes, may
be clearly inferred from his highly colored animadversions on the state of the Irish Church. He speaks of a
' metropolitan/ of * bishoprics/ of ' churches having
separate bishops ; the very constituent element of that
form of ecclesiastical government which is contradictorily opposed to Dr. Todd's 'non-diocesan theory/ "
The third and last of the objections which have been
made to Catholicity of discipline in the early Irish Church,
is founded on the fifth canon of the Synod of Cealcythe,
A.D. 816, which prohibited Scottish [Irish] ecclesiastics
from ministering in English dioceses without the license
of the ordinary. This was simply an enforcement of a
well-known canon. From this it has been not very
logically argued, that the Irish at home acted in a similar
manner, and preached, baptized, and administered the
sacraments, regardless of episcopal supervision. The
whole Ecclesiastical History of Ireland may be adduced
in proof of the contrary theory. Indeed, the enactment
of this canon is a subject deserving of the highest con-

510

Life of St.

Patrick

sideration; it shows the care and caution used by the
Church in all cases where the sacred ministry is concerned, and that proper authorization and indisputable
testimonials of a man's ordination were required, before
he could be allowed to administer the sacraments. But
even unimpeachable testimonials are not sufficient without the permission of the bishop in whose diocese the
priest might wish to perform his sacerdotal office, and
the Irish ecclesiastic of the ninth century was as much
bound to obey this rule as the Irish ecclesiastic of
to-day.
It is probable that some unworthy persons in those
troubled times may have feigned themselves priests, in
order to secure the respect and attention which the true
religious was certain to receive. It may be, also, that
amidst the unavoidable relaxation of discipline which
followed the incursions of the barbarous Northmen, some
ecclesiastics preferred an unsettled life, and, instead of
trying to restore the monastic houses from which they
had been banished at the point of the sword, chose a
life of comparative ease in other lands.5
It not unfrequently happens that ignorance is the
source of much historical misapprehension; and that
writers are charged, by critics who know nothing of the
6
Lands.—I have entered into the subject of the discipline and doctrine of
the early Irish Church at some length, partly because a Life of St. Patrick
would be very incomplete without a full account of the doctrine which he
taught, and partly because, as some fifteen or twenty thousand copies of this
work will be in circulation, it is important that this subject should be clearly
understood. Religious controversy is the order of the day, and Catholics
cannot be too well provided with weapons of defence.

No Singularity

in a Large Episcopacy.

511

subject of which the writer has treated, with making
false or exaggerated statements, when a little more
knowledge on the part of the accuser would enable him
to discover, if not to acknowledge, his own ignorance.
The ecclesiastical student is aware that Ireland was not
singular in having a large episcopacy.
The Acts of
the Council of Jerusalem, A.D. 536, were signed by
45 bishops, and Palestine, with an area of only 160
miles, had 48 bishoprics. In the territory of Latium,
in Italy, which was not above 60 miles in extent,
there were between 20 and 30 bishoprics. "There
are n o w / says Bingham, in his " Ecclesiastical Antiquities," iii. p. 224, " a great many such dioceses in
Italy, in the realm of Naples, where the whole number
is 147; 20 of which are archbishoprics, and some of
them so small, as not to have any diocese beyond the
walls of the city." In Asia Minor, which extended 630
miles in length, and 210 in breadth, there were 400
dioceses. Thus, we find that, in the earliest ages of
Christianity, where both a moral and spiritual necessity
existed for it, there was quite as great a multiplication
of the episcopacy in other countries as in Ireland.
It is scarcely necessary to allude to the establishment
of religious houses by our saint, since his Life contains
such frequent mention of the holy virgins, whose vows
of virginity he received in his Master's name, and whom
he assisted by his ministrations to consecrate themselves
to God. We must, however, say a few words of the
doctrine taught by the saint. Enough has been written

512

Life of St

Patrick

already to prove his Roman mission ; it remains only to
draw the attention of the reader to such documents or
acts as prove that the Faith which he taught, was the
unchangeable Faith of the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic
Church of Rome. Happily, as regards this subject,
also, I have the assistance of a work devoted to the
illustration of this matter, by a priest as distinguished
for his learning as for holy life, and whom I am happily
privileged to call my friend. Even were not the religious belief taught by St. Patrick a matter which, of
necessity, should find place in his Life, I gladly avail
myself of the opportunity of making this work very
widely known, and of affording those who may not be
able to procure it, some knowledge of its valuable
contents. Our synopsis, must, however, necessarily be
very brief.
That the Irish continued the practice of devotion to
Rome, if I may use the term, which they had learned
from St. Patrick, is amply proved—first, by the hymns of
the early Irish Church, and secondly, by their frequent
pilgrimages to the shrine of Peter. One of the hymns
which Monsignor Moran gives at length, with the graceful translation of the Rev. Mr. Potter, a convert to the
old Faith, contains the two following verses :—
Elaboravit ubique
Curee datus historic.
Fundamentum dominicse
Ecclesise Catholics.

Nor clime nor space might bound
his zeal,
And pages writ his deeds reveal.
On him, the rock, so strong, so sure,
Christ's Church shall ever firm
endure.

Hymns of the Early Irish Church.
Gloriosum apostolum
Deus ornavit gloria,
Homse urbis qua in
Vivit cum victoria.

513

And now, in deathless glory
crowned,
The earth doth with his praise
resound;
And thou, the first, sweet mother, Eome,
His see, his battle-field, his
home.

A hymn by St. Cummian Fota, who was horn A.D. 590,
is still preserved. In it he commemorates each of the
apostles, and the verse in which he celebrates St. Peter
is sufficient evidence of what was taught in Ireland, by
St. Patrick, on that subject. It is as follows :—
Celebra, Juda, festa Christi gau- Eejoice, 0 new Jerusalem ! •
—
dia;
Christ's saints now celebrate;
Apostolorum exultans memoria, In apostolic praise exult—their
memory still proclaim,
Claviculari Petri, primi pastoris, And chief of Peter, key-bearer,
first pastor of the flock,
Piscium, rete evangelii, captoris. The mystic fisherman, who draws
nets in the Gospel name.

Of this writer it is said, that when he and others
prayed to God that each might obtain some special grace,
the gift of wisdom was bestowed on him. The ancient
gloss on the verse quoted above says, that Juda indicated the Church, and that the word claviculari is put
for calvicularii, which was a characteristic name for St.
Peter in the early Church, Thus, St. Clement is styled
by St. Althelm, ccelestis clavicularii primus sitccessa.

514

Life of St.

Patrick

In the Hymn of St. Sechnall, or Seeundinus, in
praise of St. Patrick, which will be given in the Appendix, he is specially extolled as being " constant in
the service of God, and immovable in the faith of Peter,
upon whom the Church is built, and whose apostolate
he received from God, against whose gates the assaults
of hell cannot prevail." It would require a separate and
a large volume to enter fully into this subject. Our
present object is, from necessity, though not from choice,
to give only such brief notices as may serve to illustrate
our subject. Usher has published a very interesting
letter from St. Cummian on the Paschal question, in
which he strongly urges the Catholic doctrine of submission to the see of Peter ; in one place he uses these
remarkable words :—
" Can anything more pernicious and injurious to Mother Church
be conceived, than to say, Rome errs, Jerusalem errs, Alexandria
errs, Antioch errs, the whole world errs—the Irish and Britons
alone are right fQ

St. Patrick's canon, which requires that all important
causes should be referred to Kome, has been already
mentioned. A glance at any Irish History is sufficient
to show how frequent pilgrimages to Eome were in the
6
Might.— "Essays on the Early Irish Church," by the Very Rev. Monsignor Moran, p. 3. Curiously enough, what almost reads as a parody on
these words may be found in the Articles of the Protestant Church. The
nineteenth Article runs thus: " A s the Churches of Jerusalem, Alexandria,
and Antioch have erred; so also the Church of Eome hath erred, not only in
their living and manner of ceremonies, but also in matters of faith." It is
remarkable that this profession of faith, or of the want ci it, has been condemned a thousand years before it was written.

Early Irish Treatise on the Mass.

515

earliest ages of the national conversion, and in what a
spirit of reverence and devotion these pilgrimages were
performed.
We shall now briefly show, from authentic and
well known documents, what St. Patrick taught regarding the sacraments.
A missal exists, which is
referred by the best authorities to the sixth century,
and of which Dr. Todd has said : " It is by no means
impossible that the MS. may have been the original
missal of St. Euadhan himself, the founder of the
monastery of Lothra, who died A.D. 584." Dr. Moran
thus describes the Mass :—
" The Mass begins with the litanies of the saints, which are preceded by the antiphon Peccavimus. Then follows the Gloria in
excelsis Deo, with the collect or prayer, and the lesson from the
First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter xi, relating to the blessed
Eucharist. In the versicle which follows, the blessing of salvation
is asked for ' those who are present at the sacrifice.' The Gospel
is that of St, John, in the sixth chapter. The Creed, too, forms
part of the Mass, which is a remarkable peculiarity of this missal
at so early a period, for the use of the Creed did not become
general in the Church until many years later. What, however, is
most important for our present purpose, not only are the words of
consecration given as used at the present day, but also the subsequent prayers, ' agreeing literally with the Eoman canon down to
the memento for the dead ;' and thus, as in the nineteenth century,
so in the Church of our sainted fathers of the sixth century, was
used that beautiful prayer, ' Humbly we beseech thee, 0 Almighty
God, command this offering to be carried by the hands of thy
holy angel into thy heavenly altar, in the presence of thy divine
Majesty, that all of us who receive, through the participation

516

Life of St. Patrick

of this altar, the most holy body and blood of thy Son, may be
filled with every heavenly blessing and grace, through the same
Christ our Lord/ Such is the language of this venerable monument, whose writing, to use the words of Dr. Todd, is of itself a
sufficient guarantee that ' it is certainly not later than the sixth
century.*
" In addition to the every-day Mass, the Missa Cotidiana, this
Missal presents to us a Missa Apostolumy a Missa Martyrum, a Missa
Sanctorum et Sanctarum Virginum, also a Mass pro pomitmtibus vivis,
and, in fine, a Mass pro mortuis."

This surely is ample and most satisfactory evidence
of the pure Catholicity taught by our saint to his faithful
converts.
A Communion Hymn is preserved in the Antiphonarium Benchorense, which commences thus :—
Sancti, venite,
Christi corpus sumite )
Sanctum bibentes
Quo redempti sanguinem.
Salvati Christi
Corpore et sanguine,
A quo refecti,
Laudes dicamus Deo.

Oh! come, ye holy ones,
Christ's body receive;
Come, drink the Sacred Blood,
For life it will give.
Saved by Christ's Body,
And saved by His Blood,
Refreshed now and strengthened,
Sing praises to God.

And then this strophe, which is one of rare poetic
beauty, concludes with these words, which none but a
Catholic could write :—
Alpha et omega,
Ipse, Christus Dominum,
Venit, venturus
Judicare hominus.

He comes, the first, the last,
Himself, the Christ our Lord,
He who shall come to judge us
For every act and word.

The Hymn, " S a n c t i Venite"

517

Now, it is stated in the preface to St. Sechnall's hymn,
that when he and St. Patrick approached the church
"they heard a choir of angels chanting a hymn at the
offertory in the church, and what they chanted was the
hymn whose beginning is, 'Sancti, venite, Christi Corpus/
etc., so that, from that time to the present, that hymn
is chanted in Erin when the body of Christ is received/'
Thus we have the most direct and unimpeachable evidence on the subject of the doctrine of the sacrifice of
the Mass, as taught by St. Patrick. In fact, the expressions through the hymn are so purely Catholic, that
Mr. Eambach, a Protestant writer, who published it in
his "Anthologia," suppressed one of the verses on this
account.
It has been remarked that there is a great similarity
between this hymn and an antiphon which was used in
the early church of Gaul, during the time of the Paschal
Communion. St. Gregory of Tours mentions this antiphon in his " Treatise on the Miracles of St. Martin,"
and thus we can see how St. Patrick may easily have
brought the hymn from his old conventual home in
France, or it may have been the composition of some of
his companions. The similarity of sentiment and words
is certainly suggestive of a similarity of origin.
An interesting treatise on the ceremonies of the
Mass is still extant in the ancient Celtic tongue, in which
we find the Catholic doctrine fully and clearly explained.
Here also the holy Eucharist is declared to be " t h e
very body that was born of the Immaculate Virgin, and

518

Life of St.

Patrick.

was crucified by the unbelieving Jews ;" and yet, there
are still some Protestants who would try, however hopeless the trial, to persuade our people that the Irish Celt
was taught Protestantism by St. Patrick.
The teaching of the Church of St. Patrick on the
subject of penance was not less explicit, and differs in
no respect, except, perhaps, an excess of severity, from
the teaching of the Catholic Church of the present day.
In the eleventh canon of the Penitential of St. Columbanus, he enacts as follows :—
" Special diligence must be used in confessing our
sins and imperfections before the celebration of Mass,
lest with an unclean heart we should approach the holy
altar."
It is probable that the holy Eucharist was administered to infants immediately after baptism, as was customary in many churches on the continent in the early
ages of Christianity. We also find that strict regulations were made for the administration of the holy
Viaticum, and for the offering of Masses for the
repose of the souls of the faithful departed. The
penitential exercises enjoined for offences against
religious discipline on notorious sinners, were exceedingly severe. This, indeed, might be expected, not
only because penance was severe in the early Church,
but because there was undoubtedly a strong element of
sternness in the character of St. Patrick. To behold the
commission of a sinful act, or to witness an impenitent
sinner, was sufficient to excite his hatred of the evil,

Early Irish Litanies to Mary.

519

and a heavy punishment of the offence. To us, who
are so lax in discipline, and so little thoughtful of all
the suffering which sin has caused to a God of love, and
how little in comparison the most severe penance can
compensate for the slightest offence against divine
justice, it may seem as if his conduct was at times too
stern. But let us remember that the saints were far more
keenly alive than we are to the evil of iniquity, and the
duty of making all the atonement in our power for it. ^
Nor was devotion to the Mother of God, or the saints
of God, less fervent or less frequent in the early ages of
Irish Christianity than it is to-day. A number of
hymns, which combine the most gifted taste with the
highest devotion, are still extant, in which the praises
of the saints are sung, and their power with God
invoked. A litany still remains in which the Mother
of Jesus is invoked in the tenderest epithets which
love could devise. " 0 great Mary/" these old Celtic
worshippers cry out; " 0 Mary! greatest of Marys!
0 blessed and most blessed!" No modern saint has
ever accorded her higher attributes, or invoked her with
more confidence. " 0 Mother of the heavenly and
earthly Church! 0 temple of the Divinity! 0 cleansing
of the sins ! 0 washing of the souls !" And the tempesttossed emigrant, who sails over the stormy billows from
an Irish port to the western shores, and cries from the
depths of his soul to the " S t a r of the sea" does but
echo the words said and sung by his ancestors in honor
of the Mother of Jesus more than a thousand years ago,

520

Life of St

Patrick

in that Faithful Land which he has left ? Ah, my
friends, if, as I doubt not, these pages shall come into
the hands of voyagers outward bound to a new home,
let me pray you not to forget, amidst its prosperity, the
Faith of your fathers and the Mother of your God.
There can be no doubt whatever that the ancient
practice of honoring the relics of the saints obtained in
Ireland from the very first introduction of Christianity.
We find St. Patrick bringing relics from Eome ; and
after his death, as might well be expected, his relics
were held in the highest veneration.
There is still in existence the original manuscript of
" the Obits and Martyrology of the Cathedral of the
Holy Trinity, Dublin." It is at present preserved in
the library of Trinity College, Dublin, and the cathedral
also is in the hands of Protestants. But this valuable
and important work was published some years ago by
two Protestant clergymen.
In this work a list is given of the principal relics
which were venerated in the then Catholic cathedral.
The first of these was a crucifix which had spoken
twice. The next was the Baculus Jhesu, " which the
angel had given, to St. Patrick." The next was the
super-altar, or altar-stone, on which the leper followed
the saint to Ireland.
It is probable that all these relics were destroyed at
the same time. There are two separate accounts of the
burning of the Baculus, which is sufficient to show how
highly it was venerated, and how deeply the nation felt

Destruction of St. Patrick's Relics.
the wanton barbarity which
The first account is given in
preserved in the library of
The following entry occurs at

52 J

provoked its destruction.
a MS. volume of annals,
Trinity College, Dublin.
the year 1538 :—

" The most miraculous image of Mary, which was at Baile-AthaTruim, and which the Irish people all honored for a long time
before that, which used to heal the blind, the deaf, the lame, and
every disease in like manner, was burned by the Saxons. And the
staff of Jesus, which was in Dublin, and which wrought many
wonders and miracles in Ireland since the time of Patrick down to
that time, and which was in the hand of Christ himself, was burned
by the Saxons in like manner. And not only that, but there was
not a holy cross, nor an image of Mary, nor other celebrated image
in Ireland over which their power had reached, that they did not
burn. Nor was there one of the seven orders which came under
their power that they did not ruin. And the Pope, and the Church
in the east and at home, was excommunicating the Saxons on that
account, and they not paying any heed or attention unto that, &c.
And I am not certain whether it was not in the above year that
these relics were burned."
The second account is given in the " Annals of the
Four Masters" under the year 1537 :—
" A.D. 1537.—A heresy and a new error broke out in England,
the effects of pride, vain-glory, avarice, sensual desire, and the
prevalence of a variety of scientific and philosophical speculations,
so that the people of England went into opposition to the Pope and
to Eome. At the same time they followed a variety of opinions,
and the old law of Moses, after the manner of the Jewish people;
and they gave the title of head of the Church of God, during his
reign, to the king. There were enacted by the king and council
new laws and statutes after their own will. They ruined the orders
2X

522

Life of St,

Patrick

who were permitted to hold worldly possessions, viz., monks,
canons, nuns, and brethren of the cross; and the four mendicant
orders, viz., the Minor order, the Preachers, Carmelites, and
Augustinians. The possessions and livings of all these were taken
up for the king. They broke the monasteries, they sold their roofs
and bells, so that there was not a monastery from Arann of the
Saints to the Iccian sea that was not broken and shattered, except
only a few in Ireland which escaped the notice and attention of the
English. They further burned and broke the famous images,
shrines, and relics of Ireland and England. After that they burned
in like manner the celebrated image of Mary, which was at AthIVuim, which used to perform wonders and miracles, which used to
heal the blind, the deaf, the lame, and the sufferers from all diseases;
and the Staff of Jesus, which was in Dublin performing miracles
from the time of Patrick down to that time, and which was in the
hand of Christ while he was among men. They also made archbishops and sub-bishops iov themselves; and although great was the
persecution of the Eoman emperors against the Church, it is not
probable that so great a persecution as this ever came, even from
Eome hither. So that it is impossible to tell or narrate its
description, unless it should be told by him who saw it."
How highly this Baculus was honored in the Irish
Church is shown by the frequent mention in the Annals
of its use as a test of truth, and of the calamities which
befel those who swore falsely by it. St. Bernard mentions it, in his " Life of St. Malachy," as one of the
insignia of the see of Armagh ; and hence those who,
in unsettled times, strove to obtain the revenues of
that see without being canonically appointed to govern
it, possessed themselves by force or fraud of the timehonored and sacred Staff of Jesus.

Relic of St. Patrick's Rones.

,

523

Giraldus Cambrensis mentions that in his time it
was believed that St. Patrick had used it to drive all
noxious animals out of Ireland ; and that, for greater
safety, it was removed from Armagh to Dublin. There
are, however, two different accounts of the removal of
this relic. The first account agrees with the statement
of Cambrensis, and is contained in the Black Book of
Christ Church, Dublin. This account is further confirmed by an entry in the manuscript annals of Innisfallen, where it is recorded that " the Staff of Jesus was
brought from Armagh to Dublin by William Fitz
Adelm." According to the other account, the Baculus
was removed by Strongbow, who died A.D. 1176 ; but
as there is mention of several staffs or croziers which
St. Patrick left in different places, the account may be
true, and may refer to one of these less celebrated
relics.
The list of relics also mentions, amongst the holy
treasures of the cathedral, one of St. Patrick's bones.
This was probably obtained at the time of the discovery
of his body in Downpatrick. The first account of this
interesting and probably miraculous event is given by
Giraldus, who states that, " in the year in which the lord,
Earl John, first came into Ireland, they [Patrick, Bridget,
and St. Columba] were found, as it were, in a triple
tomb [quasi in spelunca triplici], Patrick lying in the
middle, and the others at either side. This threefold
treasure having been, discovered by divine revelation,
the relics were translated under the direction of John

524

Life of St.

Patrick

De Courcey, then governor of that province.
the verse :—
In "burgo Dono, tumulo tumulantur in uno
Brigida, Patricius, atque Columba pius.

Hence

In the city of Down, beneath the
same mound,
Bridget, Patrick, and pious Columba were found.7

The Irish Church was indebted to the piety of St.
Malachy for the discovery of those relics. It is said
that he used to pray frequently and earnestly that the
spot where the saints were interred might be discovered;
and that one night, whilst he was offering this petition
in the cathedral of Down, he beheld a ray of light traverse
the church, which stopped at the place where the bodies
were. On digging in the place thus miraculously indicated, the bones of three bodies were found, and placed
again under ground, in separate cases. A message was
then despatched to Borne, in order that fitting arrangements might be made for the translation of the bodies.
The following year, A.D. 1186, Cardinal Vivian, whose
previous knowledge of Ireland gave him a special
interest in the country, was sent to Ireland to perform
the office with all solemnity.
Before his return to Eome, however, the Cardinal
selected some relics for the Pope, Urban III., and of
these relics I am able to give an interesting and authentic description.8
7

Found.—Cambrensis, " TopograpJda Hibernica," cap. xviii. p. 742.
Description.—The Very He v. Monsignor Kirby writes thus in reply to our
inquiries:—
" On receipt of your esteemed letter I went to St. Mark's, where I had
8

Account of his Relics in Rome.

525

It is generally believed that the hand and arm of
St. Patrick were enshrined, and placed on the high altar
of the cathedral by the Cardinal. When Edward Bruce
invaded Ireland, he plundered the cathedral of Down,
a conversation with some of the leading members of the chapter, from
whom I learned that they had no documents in their archives relating to the
relic of St. Patrick which they possess, or to any miracles or other supernatural favors obtained in connection with its veneration. Before writing to
you, however, I thought it better to confer with Monsignor Bartolini, formerly
a canon of the same church, and now secretary of the Congregation of Rites;
a prelate justly esteemed by all for his erudition, especially in what appertains to the veneration of the saints. His impression is that the Papal legate,
Cardinal Paparo, on his return to Home after his Irish legation, brought it
with him, and deposited it in his title, St. Mark's. This, as you know (the
period of his legation), was about the middle of the twelfth century. When
Rome fell into the hands of the French republicans, towards the close of the
last century, the relic of St. Patrick, with others of the church of St. Mark,
were removed, to avoid their profanation, and deposited in a place of security
contiguous to the sacristy. An interval of several years having elapsed before
full confidence in the re-establishment of public order was restored, the place
of the concealment of these relics was completely forgotten. And it was
only about thirty years ago, on the occasion of some repairs being made near the
sacristy, that the concealed treasures were again brought to light, with the
seals unbroken, which verified their identity. Monsignor Bartolini told me
that he himself had the good fortune to be one of the number who made this
discovery. This is all the information which I have been able to obtain with
regard to the relic of our holy apostle at St. Mark's. The portion we possess
we received as a gift from the chapter of St. Mark's. We placed it afterwards
in the magnificent reliquary in which it is at present venerated, the gift of
some pious Irish ecclesiastics.
" I congratulate you on your most useful labors to promote the honor of
God and His saints. I trust that St. Patrick will reward you well. With
sincere esteem,
Believe me, dear Sister,
" Sincerely in Christ,
"T.
4

KIRBY.

'Rome, Irish College, 4th March, 1870."

I have thought that it would be more satisfactory to the reader to give the
account of Monsignor Kirby himself, though I am bound to say that his
letter was only intended for our own perusal. In all such matters it is one of
the first duties of the historian to give testimony either from personal knowledge or from the direct evidence of reliable witnesses.

526

Life of St.

Patrick

and the relic was carried off. But nothing further
is known of it until it came into the possession of
Magennis of Castlewellan, possibly from some of his
family, who were at various times Abbots of Down.
In the early part of the eighteenth century George
Kussell, of Rathmullen, county Down, married one of
the Magennisses, and the relic passed into the custody
of their only child, Eose, who married Eowland Savage,
styled, in the Ulster Inquisitions, Lord of the Little
Ards. He died in June, 1619, leaving one daughter,
Margaret, who married Thady O'Hara, of Crebilly,
county Antrim. Upon the failure of male issue, the
estates reverted to the descendants of Rowland, uncle
of the Rowland who married Rose Russell. The family
continued Catholics till 1725, when Edward, the then
owner, died at Bath on the 18th of March that year,
when they descended to his uncle, James Savage, of
Ballyvarley, who, being a Catholic, declined to accept
them under the then existing laws ; but his son, being
less conscientious, entered into possession as next in
remainder, and conformed to the Establishment. John
died 25th April, 1736, and James, his infant son, the
following year; whereupon the estates vested in his
uncle, Andrew, who married Margaret, daughter of
Governor Nugent. He was succeeded by his son,
Patrick, who died in March, 1797 ; and he by his son,
Andrew, who assumed the name of Nugent. 9 Colonel
9
Nugent.~l am indebted to the Rev. J. O'Laverty, P.P., M.R.I.A., of
Holywood, Belfast, and to Mr. Hanna, of the same place, for the above

Shrine of St. Patrick's Hand.

527

Nugent obtained the relic through the Savage family ;
and as he was the first Protestant who held it, he
kindly gave it into the custody of the Eev. Mr. Taggart,
then parish priest of Portaferry, in the Ards. After
Father Taggart's death, about A.D. 1765, Mr. Savage of
Portaferry, the next hereditary guardian, handed it
over to Mr. M'Henry, of Kerstown, in the Upper Ards.
It remained in the custody of this family, although they
were frequently offered large sums of money for it by
Protestants, until the late Dr. Denvir, Bishop of Down
and Connor, obtained it from them.
"The reliquary is now deposited among the archives
of Down and Connor, which are under the special custody of the Most Eev. Dr. Dorrian. The case was
opened by the late Dr. Denvir in 1856, when the Eev.
J. O'Laverty, P.P., saw it examined, and found that it
contained in the interior a piece of yew wood, about
nine inches long, which was bored lengthwise with a
hole sufficiently large to receive the wrist bone of a
human arm. This was smeared over at both ends with
wax, obviously the remains of the episcopal seals which
account. The latter observes that there are several mistakes in the account
given of the custodians of this relic in an article which appeared on the subject in the "Dublin Review." This article is quoted by Mr. Smith in a paper
on the same subject in the " Ulster Archaeological Journal," and here, also,
there are two curious inaccuracies. It states in one place that the shrine
contains " t h e mouldering remains of a human arm, if not of the patron saint
of Ireland, doubtless of some person of reputed sanctity ;" and a few pages
further on the statement of the writer in the "Dublin Review" is quoted,
who says correctly that the case is empty. From the fact of the account
given above being that of a priest who has personally examined the case, and
communicated wTith us directly, the reader may rely upon having now a trustworthy account.

528

Life of St.

Patrick

had been impressed on the inner wooden receptacle,
which appeared to have been merely intended for the
purpose of preserving the bone in its place, and preventing its rattling against the outer silver case. It
contained no bone when examined by Dr. Denvir.
The case had been despoiled of some of the Irish
diamonds with which it had been ornamented, whilst
being lent out as a judicial minna, on which voluntary
exculpatory oaths were taken. I myself recollect its
being used for that purpose in some family disputes in
Lecale, in cases where it was considered inexpedient
and improper to bring the disputed matters before a
legal tribunal. After it came into Dr. Denvir's possession, in 1840, on its purchase by the Eev. James
M'Aleanan, then P.P. of Portaferry and now of Castlewellan, he had new stones replaced in the matrices
from which the originals were stripped, by Mr. Donegan,
the eminent jeweller, in Dublin.;;1
As this relic is one of the greatest interest and importance, we have given a full page engraving of the shrine.
The shrine is of massive silver and antique workmanship ; it represents the hand and arm of an ecclesiastic
of rank, covered with the embroidered drapery of a
sleeve, and wearing a jewelled glove. It stands 1 foot
3-J inches high, but there is no inscription except the
I.H.S., shown by our artist, so that it is difficult to
estimate its probable age.
1
Dublin.—The above account has been written for this work by Mr. Hanna
and Rev. J. O'Laverty.

St Patrick's

Relics.

531

A relic, said to be the jawbone of St. Patrick, is
also at present in Dr. Dorrian's possession. A tooth,
from it was placed under the altar of Derryaghey
in 1829. Dr. Dorrian purchased this relic from
the sons of Mrs. Cullen, in whose family it had been
kept.
The Four Masters (vol. i. p. 553), under the year
894, have the following entry: " T h e foreigners were
on Loch-Eathach on the calends of January, and they
seized on Etach-Padraig " (Patrick's raiment). O'Donovan observes that this was probably a garment preserved
in some old church near Lough Neagh.
With a brief notice of the influence exercised by St.
Patrick on the laws and customs of the Irish Celt, we
must conclude a subject which has been with difficulty
condensed into a volume, which, however large it may
seem, might easily have been expanded to fully double
its present dimension^. ;
That our saint should have exercised an important
influence on the pagan laws and customs of ancient
Erin is only what might be expected from the circumstances of his life. The unexampled power which he
obtained so speedily, and exercised so wisely, could not
fail to culminate in his holding a position of some temporal superiority. We find that he was appealed to on
several occasions about the settlement of property, and
that he not unfrequently himself interfered in the same
matter also by pronouncing stern judgments on offenders
against equity.

532

Life of St.

Patrick.

We cannot here enter into the important and interesting history of the pagan laws of ancient Erin; the
subject would require, and ought to receive, a separate
and special treatment. All that we now purpose is to
give a brief outline of St. Patrick's share in the compilation or revision of the code known as the Brehon Law,
and which is now, happily, in course of translation and
publication.
According to the account given in the Seanchus MOT,
the immediate occasion of its compilation was the death
of Patrick's charioteer, Odran. This event excited considerable attention, as might be expected. Judgment
was pronounced on the case by Dubhtach Mac Ua
Lugair, chief of the royal poets and chief brehon of
Erin ; and the saint then requested the men of Erin to
come to one place to hold a conference with him.
"When they came to the conference, the Gospel of Christ
was preached to them all; and when the men of Erin
heard all the power of Patrick since his arrival in Eri,
and when they saw Laeghaire, with his druids, overcome by the great signs and miracles wrought in the
presence of the men of Erin, they bowed down in
obedience to the will of God and Patrick. It was then
that all the professors of the sciences in Erin were
assembled, and each of them exhibited his art before
Patrick, in the presence of every chief in Erin. It was
then that Dubhtach was ordered to exhibit the judgments and all the poetry of Erin, and every law which
prevailed amongst the men of Erin, through the law of

His Compilation of the Brelion Laws.

533

nature and the law of the seers, and in the judgments
of the island of Erin, and in the poets.
"Now the judgments of true nature which, the HolySpirit had spoken through the mouths of the brehons
and great poets of the men of Erin, from the first
occupation of this island down to the reception of the
Faith, were all exhibited by Dubhtach to Patrick.
"What did not clash with the word, of God in the
written law and in the New Testament, and with the
consciences of the believers, was confirmed in the laws
of the brehons by Patrick, and by the ecclesiastics and
the chieftains of Erin ; for the law of nature had been
quite right, except the Faith and its obligations, and the
harmony of the Church and people. And this is the
Seanchus"
According to the Seanchus, the work was compiled
in the reign of the Eoman emperor Theodosius, and of
the Irish monarch Laeghaire. There is an entry in the
"Annals of the Four Masters" which states that the
Seanchus and Feinechus of Ireland were purified and
written in the tenth year of Laeghaire, the age of
Christ 438. There is not, however, any date given
in the Seanchus.
As almost every date and event in the life of our
saint has been a subject of controversy, it may be supposed that his influence on and connection with the
embodying of the national code would also be disputed.
Prejudice so blinds those who are afflicted by it that
argument is useless; and anyone who will deny the

534

Life of St.

Patrick

truth of historical records because they prove facts
which conflict with his private theories, may be left to
enjoy his pleasant dream of self-confidence in peace.
Truth, however, is none the less truth; and the Irish
Celt has ample historical ground for honoring his great
saint both as a moral and religious lawgiver.
We have thought it well to add here a list of the
successors of St. Patrick in the See of Armagh, as it
seems to us a suitable conclusion to this part of our
subject.

The Successors of St. Patrick in the See of Armagh.

The names and dates in the following list are principally taken from Ware, entries in the " Four Masters,"
and the Chronicum Scotorum, so far as the early succession is concerned ; but it is almost impossible to
reconcile several of the dates of accession and periods
of sitting, as the annalists followed different computations, and* Harris frequently altered Ware's dates.
Other differences arise from the contentions for the
abbacy—some writers counting the legitimate sittings
in their integrity, while others only reckoned the de
facto sittings. There are four early lists which have
been used—one published by Colgan, which he states
was taken from the Psalter of Cashel, which Dr. Todd,
who republished it from a manuscript in the Bodleian

His Successors in the See of Armagh.

535

Library, calls the Psalter of Mac Kichard, and which
appears to have been transcribed in 1454.
The other three lists have been printed by Dr. Todd.
The second is from the Leabhar Breac, a manuscript of
the fourteenth or fifteenth century, now in the Eoyal
Irish Academy. The third is from the Yellow Book of
Lecan, written about 1390, and now in Trinity College.
The fourth is preserved in the Book of Leinster, compiled by Finn MacGorman, Bishop of Kildare, in the
middle of the twelfth century, and now also in Trinity
College.2
Armagh, according to the Annals of Ulster, was founded by St.
Patrick A.D. 444, equal to our 445, which date has been adopted
by Usher and Ware; while, according to the Four Masters, he
founded it A.D. 457, a date which is inconsistent with their entry
of the death of St. Sechnall, whom they call Bishop of Ard-Macha,
at A.D. 447, ten years prior to their entry of its erection.
1. ST. PATRICK.—Eesigned, according to Ware, in 455, in favor
of Benignus.
2. ST. SECHNALL or SECUNDINUS.—He was one of the sons of
Darerca, sister of St. Patrick, and Bishop of Dunshaughlin, county
Meath. The Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, the Four Masters, and
the O'Olerys, in the Martyrology of Donegal, style him Bishop of
Armagh; and he is so entered in the four lists mentioned in the introductory note. They differ, however, as to the period he governed
the see—the Psalter giving six years, and the other three, thirteen,
which may be the entire of his episcopate.
2
College. —This list has been carefully examined by the Very Eev. Dr.
McCarthy of Maynooth, and by Monsignor Moran, in the few moments which
he could spare during his short absence from Rome. I am indebted to Mr.
Hanna for the labor of compiling it.

536

Life of St.

Patrick

3. BENIGNUS or BENEN, succeeded A.D. 455.—He was son of

Sescnen, descended from the Cianachta of G-lenn Gemhin, county
Londonderry, and when a boy became a favorite disciple of St.
Patrick. Probus and Tirechan write he was St. Patrick's immediate successor. Usher quotes an anonymous biographer, who
wrote that ST. MOCTEUS, of Louth, immediately succeeded St.
Patrick in the See of Armagh, which he held for a few days, and
then enthroned St. Benignus. Mocteus, having only held the chair
for a few days, is not reckoned.
4. ST. JAKLATH, succeeded A.D. 465.—He was cousin of Dichu
of Saul, St. Patrick's first convert, and son of Trena, a chieftain of
the Dalfiatachian race, who resided at Eath-Trena, in county Down.
According to the Irish Life of St. Patrick he was baptized by him,
and became his disciple. In the list in the Leahbar Breac, he is
styled as having been of Cluain-Fiacla, a church mentioned in
the Lives of St. Patrick as having been on the banks of the river
Dabhal, now the Blackwater, where a tooth of our saint was preserved, and of which St. Lugud was abbot in 580. I t is now Clonfeacle, on the margin of the counties of Armagh and Tyrone, and
the Catholic parish church stands on the old site. List " P "
assigns eighteen years to his sitting, which Harris adopts in Ware's
Bishops : the other three lists allow only fourteen years. Ware
gives his death at 11th February, 482.
5. COHMAC, succeeded A.D. 482.—He was son of Enda, brother of
Laeghaire, Monarch of Ireland, and was baptized by St. Patrick,
by whom he was appointed to this see. The Four Masters call
him of Chrioch-in-Ernaidhe, which O'Donovan thought was a
corruption of Crioc-Loeguire, a territory near Trim, county Meath,
of which place Cormac had been also bishop, and where he died,
and his body was preserved ; but it was more probably of Ernaidhe
where St. Mochta, of Louth, had been abbot, and now the old
cemetery of Urney, in the parish of Faughart, county Louth. Colgan gives his life at 17th February ("Acta. SS" p. 358), and says he
died in 497. The Four Masters have 496. The lists in " P " and

His Successors in the See of Armagh.

537

" L B " give fifteen years for his sitting, the other two only fourteen. The different modes of computation easily account for this
diversity.
6. DUBHTACH I., by some called DUACH, succeeded A.D. 497.—
The Four Masters record his death at 512, and style him of DruimDearb, which O'Donovan, in his note on that passage, thinks is
probably Derver, a parish church in Louth.
The life of his successor, Ailill ("Ada. SS" p. 62), states that
Duach governed this see sixteen years, and died in 512, which is
the date given by the Four Masters. Ware has 513. In a list of
the kings of Ireland in the Book of Leinster, he is styled Abbot
of Ardmach, being the first instance known where the bishopric
and abbacy are stated to be conjointly held.
7. St. AILILL I., succeeded A.D. 513.—Colgan gives his life at
13th January ("Acta. SS"-p. 61), on which day his festival was
held, and states that he, like his predecessor, St. Jarlath, was of
the Dalfiatach family. He had been converted, with five brothers,
by St. Patrick. The Four Masters, recording his death at 525,
style him as of Ui-Breasail, which Dr. O'Donovan, in his notes,
states was a territory co-extensive with the barony of O'Neilland
East, county Armagh. But it is quite evident that O'Donovan
mistook the tribe, as he traces our bishop to Breasal, great-grandson of Colla da Chrioch, whereas Colgan expressly writes he was
descended from Bressal, grandson of Fiatach Finn, from whom the
Dal-Fiatach derived the name. There were territories in county
Down called Ui-Breasal, and the Book of Leinster states that Ailill
and his successor were both of Drumchad in Hi-Bresail. There
are the remains of the church of Drumcath, alias Drumcad, now
Drumca, near Clough, in that county, which is obviously the church
in question, though the other name is obsolete. Ware and all the
lists state that he sat thirteen years, and that he died 13th January,
526,-for which the Martyrology of Donegal has 525.
8. AILILL II., succeeded A.D. 526.—He was of the same family
as his predecessor, sat ten years, and, according to Ware, died

538

. Life of St.

Patrick

1st July, 536, for which the Four Masters and Marian Gorman
have 535.
9. DUBHTHACH or DUACH I I , succeeded 536.—He was of the

race of Colla Uais, King of Ireland. The Book of Leinster adds
that he was of the Ui-Tuirtre, a tribe descended from Fiachra Tort,
grandson of Colla Uais, originally seated on the west of Lough
Neagh, and afterwards on the east of the Bann, where they
assumed the name of O'Flyn. He sat twelve years, and died,
according to the Four Masters and Oolgan, in 547, for which Ware
gives 548.
10. FIACHRA, succeeded A.D, 548.—All the Irish lists have
Fiachra as Duach's successor, whom the Book of Leinster calls son
of Colman, son of Eogan of Enuch-Senmail. The Annals of Ulster
and Four Masters, at 550, call him David, son of Guaire Ua-Forannan, Bishop of Armagh and Legate of all Ireland, whom Colgan
(" Tr. Th" p . 293) contends are the same.
11. FEIDLIMID

FINN,

succeeded A.D. 551.—He was of

the

Hy-Mallan, a territory to the east of Armagh, and, according to the Book of Leinster, grandson of Faelan of DomnachNemaind.
Two of the lists have him sitting twenty years, the Book of Leinster only fifteen. The Four Masters record his death at 577, as
Abbot of Armagh, and Ware, at 578.
12. OAERLAN, succeeded A.D. 578.—He was of Domnach-mic-huGarba, of the Ui-Niallain. Three lists give him ten years, the Book
of Leinster only four.
The Four Masters record his death on the
24th of March, 587 (rede 588).
13. EOCHAID, succeeded A.D. 588.—The Book of Leinster
calls him son of Diarmait, and as of Domnach-Kig-Druing. The
Leahbar Breac has him sitting ten years, the Yellow Book of
Lecan fifteen, and the Book of Leinster only three. The Four
Masters record his death at 597 (rede 598), and call him both
bishop and abbot.
14. SENAOH, succeeded A.D. 598.—The Book of Leinster calls

His Successors in the See of Armagh.

539

him Senach-Garb, of Cluain-hu-mic-Gricci, of the Ui-Niallain (i.e.
the smith who was in orders of Cill-mor). Kilmore church is in
O'Neilland, about four miles to the east of Armagh. He is variously
returned as sitting fifteen, twelve, and thirteen years, all of which
are too long, as the Four Masters record his death 609—rede 610—
and Ware at the same date.
15. MAO LAISRE, succeeded A.D. 610.—The Four Masters call
him bishop and abbot, and state his death at 622 (rede 623), which
agrees with Ware. Two of the lists have him fourteen years sitting,
the Book of Leinster eighteen.
16. S T . TOMINE, succeeded A.D. 623.—The Four Masters call
him son of Ronan, and record his death at 660 (rede 661); the
Chronicum Scotorum describes him as abbot and bishop. Colgan
gives his acts at 10th January ( " A d a SS" p. 53), and quotes
from Venerable Bede the letter written by the clergy of Eome
in 640—during the vacancy of the Holy See—to the bishops and
abbots of the north of Ireland, on the Paschal controversy—among
others, to this Bishop Tomine; Columban, Bishop of Clonard;
Cronan, Bishop of Nendrum; Dima, Bishop of Connor; and the
Abbots of Moville, Bangor, and Ard-mac-Nasca, now Holywood, in
the county of Down.
17. ST. SEGENE, succeeded A.D. 661.—The Book of Leinster calls
him the son of Breasal of Achadh-Chlaidib, or Aghaclive, as the old
translation of the Annals of Kilclooney has it, to the south of
Armagh, and states that he held the see twenty-seven years, which
agrees with the time of his death on the 24th of May, 687, the
true year being 688, as corrected by Ware. All the annalists style
him Bishop of Armagh.
18. ST. FLANN FEBHLA, succeeded A.D. 688.—Son of Scanlan, and
eighth in descent from Colla-da-Crioch. He presided over a synod
held in 695 or 697, where were present thirty-nine other ecclesiastics,
among whom were St. Adamnan of Iona; St. Killen, Abbot of SaerKyran; Cenn-Faelaidh, Abbot of Bangor; andMurchuMac U-MacTeni, writer of a Life of St. Patrick in the Book of Armagh; also

540

Life of St

Patrick

Loingseach, son of Aengus, Monarch of Ireland; Bruide, King of
che Picts; and forty-seven chiefs of territories. The acts of this synod
are now in the Burgundian Library, Brussels. Ware places his
death at 24th April, 715 ; the Four Masters at 704; and the Chronicum Scotorum at 702 (recte 706); the Leabhar Breac and Psalter have
him sitting twenty-seven years, the Yellow Book twenty-four, and
the Book of Leinster twenty-six. Assuming his accession at 688,
and that he sat twenty-seven years, Ware is correct. Dr. Todd
("Life of St. Patrick," p. 481) adopts 704 for St. Flann's death,
Colgan ("Acta SS" p. 713) gives 24th July for his festival; but he
is not mentioned in the Martyrologies of Donegal or Tallaght. The
Leabhar Breac states he was the pupil of Berchan, son of Michan.
19. ST. SUIBHNE, succeeded A.D. 715.—The Four Masters, as also
the list in the Book of Leinster, state him son of Crunmall, son of
Eonan of the Ui-Niallain. The Leabhar Breac calls him In-Sui, i.e.
the sage. His death is set down at 21st June, 729 (recte 730), on
which day his festival is mentioned in the Martyrology of Donegal.
All the lists have him sitting fifteen years, but that in the Yellow
Book of Lecan, which assigns only twelve.
20. CONGUS, called the Scribe, succeeded A.D. 730.—In the
list of the Book of Leinster he is called grandson of Dasluaig,
son of Ainmire of Cuil-Athgoirt. He was confessor to Hugh
Allan, King of Ireland; and it appears that it was at his instance
that king fought the Ulidians at Faughart in 732, where Hugh
Eoin, their king, was slain, on account of some sacrilegious act
committed by some of his people at Kilcooney, county Tyrone, a
church belonging to the Bishop of Armagh. All the lists agree
that he sat twenty years. He died in 750, being styled Bishop of
Armagh.
21. OELE-PETAIR, succeeded A.D. 750.—The Book of Leinster
styles him of Druim-Ohetna, in Ui-Bresail, which O'Donovan
thought was the Ui-Bresail-Macha, where a branch of the race of
Colla-da-Crioch had settled; but it is more likely the Drumchad to
which the Ailills belonged. Three of the lists have him sitting

His Successors in the See of Armagh.

541

eight years. The Yellow Book of Lecan only seven. ^The
Four Masters record his death at 757 (rede 758) as Abbot of
Armagh.
22. FEKDA-CMOCH, succeeded A.D. 758.—Three of the lists have
him sitting ten years, the Book of Leinster being silent. The Four
Masters call him son of Suibhne, son of Ronan, son of Crunnmael,
and assign his death to 771—Ware to 768. which, if sitting only ten
years, is correct. Unfortunately, the Chronicum Scotorum is defective from 718 to 804, otherwise it might illustrate this difficulty.
23. FoENDALACH, succeeded A.D. 768.—The lists differ as to the
time he sat, which is to be accounted for by the contentions between
Foendalach, first with Dubhdaleth, and afterwards with Gormghal
The Psalter and Book of Leinster have him sitting only three years,
which agrees with Ware, that he succeeded in 768, and resigned in
771. The Four Masters have his death at 794 (rede 799). The
Yellow Book of Lecan has him sitting ten years, most likely counting part of his successor's time. Gormghal is not in any of the lists,
though the Four Masters record his death at 805 (rede 810) as
Abbot of Armagh and Clones. Perhaps he had retired to the
latter.
24. DUBHDALETH, succeeded A.D. 778.—He was son of Sinach,
according to the " Ogygia," the founder of the Clann Sinach, who
so long held the see. The Psalter list has him sitting fifteen years,
which agrees with W a r e ; the Leabhar Breac and Book of Leinster
eighteen, taking three years from his predecessor. The Four Masters
have his death at 792 ; Ware at 793.
25. AIRECHTAOH, succeeded A.D. 793.—All the lists have Airechtach as successor of Dubhdaleth, and that he sat only one year.
Ware has Affiat as successor, with the same sitting. The Four
Masters, at 793-798, record that " Affiath, Bishop of Ard-Macha,
and Aireachtach Ua-Faelain, Abbot of Ard-Macha, died on the same
night." The deaths of many Bishops of Armagh are recorded, none
of whom are styled successors of Patrick. They appear to have
been suffragans.

542

Life of St

Patrick

26. OUDINISCUS, succeeded A.D. 794.—Ware calls him son of
Conasuichus; the Book of Leinster son of Concas, grandson of
Cathbad, son of Eochad. All the lists have him sitting four years.
Ware gives 798 for his death, the Four Masters 7 9 5 ; but it is
altogether impossible to reconcile the chronology of the annalists
with Harris, the translator of Ware.
27. CONMAOH, succeeded A.D. 798.—He was son of his predecessor, Dubhdaleth of the Claim Sinach, so severely condemned by
St. Bernard, in his "Life of St. Malachy," for usurping the see for 208
years ; and the list in the Book of Leinster observes this was the
son in succession to the father, as was prophesied by Bec-mac-De.
It was at his solicitation the clergy were exempted from warlike
expeditions. The lists have him variously sitting fourteen, thirteen,
and sixteen years—that in the Book of Leinster making him successor of Foendelach; Ware, counting from his dates, only nine,
giving his death at 807; but if we accept the chronology of the
Four Masters, he sat sixteen years—the period fixed by the Book
of Lecan, counting from the death of Cudiniscus, 790 (rede 795), to
his own sudden death in 806 (rede, 811).
28. TORBACH, succeeded A.D. 807.—Son of Gorman, who had
been Abbot of Louth, of the Ui-Ceallach Breagh, of the same family
with the celebrated Conn-na-Mbocht, of Clonmacnois. He is omitted in the Book of Leinster list. The others assign him as sitting
one year. Ware and the Chronicum Scotorum have his death at
808, the Four Masters at 807-812.
29. NUAD, succeeded A.D. 808.—Had been Abbot of Loch Uamh,
in Breffny, now Lough Nahoo, in the parish of Drumlease, county
Leitrim. The Book of Leinster omits h i m ; the other lists assign
him three years' sitting. Ware writes, he died in 812, agreeing with
the Chronicum Scotorum ; the Annals of Ulster and Four Masters,
816. Colgan has his life at the 19th of February ("Acta SS."
p. 373). Ware has his death at 812, the Four Masters at
811-816. The lists have him sitting three years, with the exception of that in the Book of Leinster, where he is omitted, like

His Successors in the See of Armagh.

543

his predecessor. The Four Masters have, at 808-813, the death of;
Toictheach Ua-Tighearnaigh, Abbot of Armagh, but his name is
not in any of the lists.
30. MAO LOINGSI, succeeded A.D. 812.—He is called Fergus, son
of Loingsech, in the Chronicum Scotorum, where his death is stated
at 826; while the Four Masters call him Flannghus, son of Loingseach, and record his death at 825. Ware gives 822 as the date.
The list in the Book of Leinster omits him; the other lists have
him sitting, variously, thirteen and seventeen years.
31. AIRTRI, succeeded A.D. 822.—Upon the death of Mac Loingsi,
great contention arose for the primacy between Airtri, who was
half-brother to Oumuscagh, King of Oriel, and Eogan, Lector of
Monasterboice, and confessor of Mall Caille, presumptive King of
Ireland. Airtri had on several occasions visited Connaught and
Munster on primatial business, and, we may presume, was coadjutor
to Mac Loingsi, and on his death assumed the office absolutely, under
the protection of his powerful family. He was, however, deposed
in 825, after the battle of Lethi-Cam, where his brother was slain.
All the lists assign him but two years, which agrees with the dates
of the annalists; whereas Ware gives him eleven, counting from
his accession till his death, 833.
32. EOGAN, of Monasterboice, succeeded A.D. 825.—Ware keeps
his succession back till Airtri's death, in 833, and has him sitting
only one year; but all the lists have eight, which exactly tallies
with his death in 834. It is probable he had an assistant abbot,
as, at 829, the Four Masters record the death of Suibhne, son of
Fainneach, Abbot of Armagh—perhaps tanist abbot. The Book of
Leinster list states there were three erenaghs, who took the abbey by
force, and were not commemorated in the Mass.
33. FORANNAN, of Eath-mic-Malais, succeeded A.D. 834.—-All the
lists place Forannan as immediate successor of Eogan, instead of
Dermaid O'Tighernach; though it might be inferred from the entry
of the Four Masters, at 834, that Dermaid was first in possession, as
they state Forannan became abbot in place of the other. At 838 they

544

Life of St. Patrick.

record another change, when Dermaid succeeded. O'Flaherty rejects
all these statements, and maintains that Forannan held the see
without competition until 848; which agrees with two of the lists,
which have him sitting fourteen years ; the Book of Leinster, seventeen. He was driven from Armagh by Turgesius the Dane, resided
in Munster four years, where, in 843, he was taken prisoner at
Cluain-Comharda, now Column's Well, county Limerick, by the
Danes, and carried to their shipping, from which he was afterwards released. He resigned in 848, and died 851 or 8 5 2 ;
according to the Four Masters, in the same year as Dermaid, his
successor.
34. DERMAID O'TIGHERNACH, succeeded A.D. 848.—All the lists
state he was sitting four years. He died 851 or 852.
35. ST. FETHGNA, succeeded A.D. 852.—The Book of Leinster
calls him son of Nechtan, of the Olann Eochadh. Three of the
lists have him sitting twenty-two years, the Leabhar JBreac twentyfive. He died, according to the Four Masters, 872; to the
CJvronicum Scotorum, 874, which O'Donovan writes is the true
year. The Martyrology of Donegal has his festival at 12th
February.
36. AINMIRE, succeeded A.D. 874.—According to the list in
the Book of Leinster, he was grandson of Faelan, sovereign of
Mallain, and one of the priesthood of Armagh. The Four Masters write that he had been a priest thirty years, and only held
the see nine months, dying in 876. Ware fixes his death a year
earlier.
37. CATHASACH, son of Eobharfcach, succeeded A.D. 875.—The
Annals of Ulster, recording his death at 883, style him Prince of
Ardmach. The lists vary as to the period of his sitting, from four
to seven years. The Book of Leinster states he was grandson of
Moinach, of the Clann-Suiblme, and that he died in pilgrimage in
the island of
, the name being illegible.
38. MAELCOBHA, son of Crunnmhael, succeeded A.D. 883.—He
was taken prisoner by the Danes of Lough Cuan (Strangford), with

His Successors in the See of Armagh.

545

Moehta the Lector. The Book of Leinster states he was of the
family of Cill-mor, and makes him precede Cathasach, contrary to
the other lists, and to the Four Masters. All the lists have him
sitting five years; Ware only two, and dates his death at 885; but
Dr. Beeves' " Life of Oolumba" has 888, the date given also by
the Chronicum Scotorum, and which appears to be correct, and reconciles the differences.
39. ST. MAELBRIGDE MAC DORNAN, succeeded A.D. 888.—The

Martyrology of Donegal calls him " a man full of the grace of God,
and a vessel full of the wisdom and knowledge of his time," and
states he was of the race of Conall Gulban. He was Abbot of
Eaphoe, and in 891 succeeded Flann as Abbot of Iona, retaining
Armagh. Two of the lists have him sitting thirty-nine years ; the
Book of Lecan and Book of Leinster omitting the first ten, as
Colgan did in transcribing from the Psalter; and as he died 22nd
February, 927, on which day his feast was held, this corrects Ware's
mistake, who has him sitting forty-two years. The Four Masters
and Chronicum Scotorum have the obits, of four of his coadjutor
bishops in Armagh.
40. JOSEPH, succeeded A.D. 827.—The Four Masters, recording
his death at 936, call him a scribe, bishop, and anchorite, and the
wisest of the Irish. According to the list in the Book of Leinster,
he was son of Fathach of the Clann Fathgaeta of the Dalriatti.
They were located in county Antrim. All the lists make him sit
nine years.
41. MAELPATRIOK, succeeded A.D. 936.—Son of Mailtuile, sat
only five months, and died in 936—the same year as his predecessor.
42. CATHASACH II., succeeded A.D. 937.—He is called son of
Dulgen, by Ware and the Book of Leinster, and son of Fergus in
the Yellow Book of Lecan. He is described as of Druim-Thorraidh,
otherwise Drumtorraig, the most distinguished bishop of the Irish.
All the lists have him sitting twenty years. He died in 957.
43. MUIREADHACH, son of Fergus, succeeded A.D. 957.—Al] the

2z

546

Life of St. Patrick.

lists have him sitting nine years, and as then removed. He is
described as of Glinn-Arind, in Sliabh-Cuilenn, now one of the
glens in Slievegullen Mountain, in the south of county Armagh.
He died the following year.
44. DUBHDALETH II., son of Cellaigh, succeeded A.D. 965.—The
list in the Book of Leinster states that Deolaid, daughter of Mailtuile, was his mother. The place should be Inis-Cain-Dega, now
Inishkeen, county Louth—a monastery taking its name from its
founder, Bishop Daigh, commemorated at 18th August. Ware
places his election at 966; but Dr. Eeeves' "Life of Columba,"
p. 396, at 965, which is the corrected date in the Chronicum
Scotorum, tallies with the date of his death, 2nd June, 998, after
sitting thirty-three years, the number assigned by three of the lists,
and in his eighty-third year.
45. MUREOHAN, of Both-Domnaig, succeeded A.D. 998.—He
is variously called in the lists son of Eathach and son of Ciaracan.
Three of the lists have him sitting three years, the "Yellow Book of
Lecan nineteen, computing most likely from his appointment as
assistant to Dubhdaleth, for as such we have him acting so early
as 992, when he visited the Kin el-Owen and the rest of the north
of Ireland, and inaugurated Aedh, son of Domhnall O'Neill, as king.
He resigned in 1001, and died in 1005, in the seventieth or seventysecond year of his age.
46. MAELMUIRE, son of Eochaidh, of the race of Colla da Chrioch,
succeeded A.D. 1001.—During his prelacy the celebrated Brian Boru
visited Armagh in 1004, and presented a golden ring of twenty
ounces as an offering on the high altar of the church, at the same
time he caused an entry to be made in the Book of Armagh,
by his confessor, Maolsuthain, ratifying the ancient privileges of
the see, of which the following is a translation : " S t . Patrick,
when going to heaven, ordained that the entire produce of his labor,
as well as of baptism, and decisions, as of alms, was to be delivered
to the apostolic city, which in the Scotic tongue is called Arddmacha. Thus I have found it in the records of the Scots. This is

His Successors in the See of Armagh.

547

my writing, namely, Calvus Perennis, in the presence of Brian,
sovereign of the Scots; and what I have written he decreed for
all the terms of Maceria." The Latin form Calvus Perennis is literally Maolsuthain, whose death is recorded at 1031—as the word
Macera is the Latin equivalent for Cashel.
After the battle
of Clontarf, 23rd April, 1014, Maelmuire with his clergy conveyed the body of Brian and his son, Murchadh, to Armagh,
where they were interred. Maelmuire died 3rd June, 1020, having
sat nineteen years.
47. AMALGAID, succeeded A.D. 1020.—Son of Maelmuire, his
predecessor. In 1021 he made a visitation of Munster, the first
made by any of the successors of St. Patrick, and the next year
attended the death-bed of King Malachy. The Psalter has him
sitting thirty years, the other lists only twenty-nine, agreeing with
the record of his death in 1049. After his death some writers have
for his successor Gilla Patrick, son of Donald, but the Four Masters
distinctly state he was merely prior.
48. DUBHDALETH III., succeeded A.D. 1049.—Was brother of his
predecessor, and had been chief lector of Armagh. According to
the annals, he assumed the abbacy the day of his predecessor's
death, and the next year made a visitation of the Kinel-Owen. In
1060 there was great strife between Dubhdaleth and Cumuscagh
O'Herudan, as to the abbacy; and it appears certain, as Dr. Lanigan thought, that he resigned about that time in favor of his competitor. The four lists have him sitting twelve years, thereby
fixing his resignation in 1261. All the lists allow three years for
his successor, Cumuscagh, to have sat. Ware, though acknowledging this, allows only one, to favor his peculiar chronology; but
fixing Dubhdaleth's resignation at 1261-2 reconciles the apparent
discrepancies. He died 1st September, 1064, after praiseworthy
penance. He wrote Annals of Ireland, and a history of his predecessors, both unfortunately lost.
49. CUMUSCAGH O'HERUDAN, succeeded A.D. 1061.—AS above
stated, sat three years, and resigned on the death of his prede-

548

Life of St.

Patrick.

cessor. He died, according to the Annals of Ulster, in 1074,
being there called Head of the Irish Poor.
50. MAELISA, succeeded A.r>. 1064.—Son of Amalgaid, his predecessor, and sat, according to the lists, twenty-seven years, though
by the computation of the Four Masters he died, after penance,
20th December, 1091.
51. DOMHNALL, succeeded A.D. 1091.—Was brother of Maelisa,
his predecessor, on whose death he was immediately installed. He
made visitations of Ulster and Munster. In 1099 and 1105, he
endeavored to effect a peace between the southern O'Briens and
northern M'Loughlins, both claiming the sovereignty of Ireland.
In the latter year he took ill in Dublin, and was conveyed thence
to Swords, Duleek, and Armagh, where he died on St. Laisren's
day, 12th August, in his sixty-eighth year, and was buried in Armagh.
The Books of Lecan and Leinster have him sitting- fourteen years,
the Leabhar Breac only eight, an obvious mistranscript.
52. ST. GELLACH, otherwise CELSUS, succeeded A.D. 1105.—
Grandson of Maelisa, and nephew of Domhnall, his immediate
predecessor; was immediately consecrated on St. Adamnan's day
(23rd September), in his twenty-seventh year. He made visitations through Ulster, Munster, Connaught, and Meath, and, in
1111, presided over the synod of Fiabh-mic-Aenghusa, in Westmeath, where were assembled fifty bishops, three hundred priests,
and three thousand students. In 1126 he consecrated the great
Eegles Church of SS. Peter and Paul, which had been erected by
Imar O'Hagan. The Four Masters record his death at Ardpatrick,
in county Limerick, 1st April, 1129, in his fiftieth year, after
having spent a life of fasting, prayer, and mass-celebration—his
body being buried in Lismore. He wrote several theological works.
At his death, deploring the miseries and sacrilege which arose
from the hereditary succession in his family, he, by his will,
directed that he should be succeeded by his vicar, the great St.
Malachy, and enjoined the kings of Munster to have this object
carried out. His festival is placed in the Eoman and Donegal

His Successors in the See of Armagh.

549

Martyrologies on 6th April, having been transferred from the 1st.
On the death of Celsus, notwithstanding his dying directions, and
the wishes of the clergy and people of Ireland,
MUIRCHERTACH or MAURICE, the son of Donald, who died in
1106, assumed the abbacy, through the influence of his powerful
family, and had himself immediately installed. This uncanonical
intrusion existed for five years, till his death, 17th September,
1134, and was then continued in the person of his cousin, NIALL, the
brother of St. Celsus. Mall died in 1132, after intense penance.
53. ST. MALAOHY, otherwise MAELMAEDOG UA-MORGAIR, succeeded A.D. 1132.—He was a native of Armagh, and had been
Abbot of Bangor and Bishop of Connor, and was elected Primate
in 1132, at a synod convoked by Malchus, Bishop of Lismore, and
Gillebert, Bishop of Limerick, Legate of the Apostolic See. In 1136
he resigned the see, having accomplished the peace of the see, and
retired to the bishopric of Down, which he separated from Connor.
On the 12th of June, 1138, his brother, Christian O'Morgair,
Bishop of Clogher, died, and was interred under the great altar in
Armagh. In Down he founded several monasteries, and restored
Bangor and Saul. He afterwards proceeded to Rome, to solicit
the palls for Armagh and Cashel, and was then appointed Legate
for Ireland. In 1148 he again set out for Rome, but died on his
way at Clairvaux, in the arms of St. Bernard, on the 2nd of
November that year, in his fifty-fourth year. His festival has
been transferred to 3rd November. A valuable and exhaustive
life of this eminent saint has been written by the Rev. John
O'Hanlon, which embodies the great life by St. Bernard.
54, ST. GELASIUS, otherwise GILLA-MAC-LIAG, succeeded A.D.

1136.—The Yellow Book of Lecan calls him son of Diarmaid, son
of Rory, and the name Mac-Liag is explained as son of the poet.
He had been sixteen years Abbot of Derry, previous to his
appointment to Armagh by St. Malachy, by whom he was consecrated to this see. His visitations of different parts of the
kingdom, and the synods which he held, are noticed "in the

550

Life of St. Patrick.

Annalists. The Four Masters record his death at 27th March,
1173 (on which his festival is held), in the eighty-seventh year of
his age, as a son of chastity, filled with purity of heart towards all
mankind.
55. CORNELIUS MAC CONOALEDE, succeeded A.D. 1174.—The

family of Mac Concalede appear to have been Erenachs of Derry,
though the Ohambery Life makes our bishop a native of Armagh,
and to have been born there 17th September, 1120. The Book of
Leinster calls him the Bishop Hua Muireadhach. He succeeded
St. Gilla Mochaibeo in the abbacy, and the same year became
Primate. Having proceeded to Rome on matters relating to the
see, he died on his return home, at the church of St. Peter's,
Lemenc, near Chambery, in Savoy, 4th June, 1176, where his
body is still preserved, on which day his festival is held in that
church as St. Concord. A portion of his relics, procured by
the late Primate Dixon, is now in the church of Armagh.
56. GILBERT O'CARAN, succeeded A.D. 1176-7.—Was promoted from the bishopric of Eaphoe. He was taken prisoner
by the English at Down, with the canon and finnfaidhech of
St. Patrick and other relics, but afterwards released. He died
in 1180,
57. THOMAS or TOMALTAGH O'CONOR, succeeded A.D. 1181.—
The Four Masters record his consecration at 1181, and his resignation at 1184, when Maelisa O'Carrol was consecrated. After
Maelisa's death in 1187, he resumed the Primacy, and died in 1207,
and was buried in Mellifont. He was son of Hugh, son of Torlogh
O'Conor, King of Connaught. He assisted with Cardinal Yiyian
at the translation of the relics of SS. Patrick, Columba, and Brigid,
in Downpatrick, in 1184.
58. MAELISA O'CARROL, succeeded A.D. 1184.—Ware states he
had been previously Bishop of Clogher, but if the Four Masters are
correct he was only bishop-elect, as they record his consecration to
Armagh in 1184, and, at 1187, his death, as Bishop of Oriel. Ware
has for his successor in Armagh, Amlave O'Murid; but the Ordnance

His Successors in the See of Armagh.

551

Memoir of Derry shows that hg was Bishop of Ardstraw and
Kinel-Farry in Tyrone,, and not of Armagh.
59. EUGENE, otherwise EGHDOUN MAC G-ILLA-UIDHIR, succeeded

A.D. 1202.—Appointed by the Pope, who set aside the pretensions
of three other claimants, and was finally acknowledged by the royal
authority. He assisted at the Council of Lateran, and died in Eome
in 1216.
60. LUKE NETTERVILLE, Archdeacon of Armagh, succeeded A.D,
1217.—Having been confirmed by the Pope, he was consecrated by
Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, and died 17th April,
1227, and was buried in Mellifont, according to his request.
61. NICHOLAS, a canon of Armagh, succeeded A.D. 1227.—He
was unanimously elected by the chapter, confirmed by Pope Gregory
IX., and consecrated by the Bishop of Tusculum, but resigned in
favor of his successor, who during his absence had received royal
institution.
62. DONAT O'FIDABRA, succeeded A.D. 1227.—Translated from
Clogher, which he had governed nine years. Died in England,
returning from Eome, October, 1237.
63. ALBERT OF COLOGNE, succeeded A.D. 1240.—A Franciscan
friar, consecrated at Westminster, 30th September, 1240, by the
Bishop of Worcester, in presence of King Henry III. and Otho,
the Pope's legate. He resigned in 1246, and was appointed
Archbishop of Livonia. De Burgo (Hib. Dom.) has one Henry, a
provincial of the Dominicans, as appointed in 1245, but the Bull
must have been issued under a misconception of Albert's death.
64. REINER, succeeded A.D. 1246.—On the resignation of Albert,
the Annals of Ulster state that the Bishop of Rath-Luraigh, now
Maghera, county Derry, was elected, but Beiner, a Dominican
friar of Irish birth—in the opinion of De Burgo, one of twelve who
had been sent into England by St. Dominic himself—being then at
Rome, was appointed by Pope Innocent IV., and there consecrated.
He returned to Borne in 1253, and died there in 1256, having separated the old see of Louth from Clogher, and annexed it to his own.

552

Life of St. Patrick.

65. ABRAHAM O'CONNELLAN, succeeded A.D. 1257.—Was ArchPresbyter of the church of Armagh; confirmed by the Pope in Kome,
at same time receiving the pallium. He died 21st December, 1260.
66. PATRICK O'SCANLAIN, succeeded A.D. 1261.—A Dominican
friar, and Bishop of Baphoe. He died at Dundalk, 16th March,
1270-1. The Four Masters record his being honorably received
by the King of England in 1270.
67. NICHOLAS MAC MOLISSA, succeeded A.D. 1272.—Ware writes
he died 10th May, 1303; but the Four Masters record his death at
1299, calling him " t h e most godly and devout ecclesiastic of his
time in Ireland." While he sat, the Four Masters relate that, in
1293, it was revealed to him where the relics of St. Patrick,
Columba, and Brigid, were deposited, at Saul, near Downpatrick,
and that he had them taken up, whereby great miracles were
wrought. In his annotations on this passage, Dr. O'Donovan most
unwarrantably and illogically argues against the former translation
of the same relics in 1185, under the supervision of Cardinal Vivian,
Thomas O'Conor, Bishop of Armagh, and Malachy, Bishop of
Down, and about forty other bishops, because not recorded by the
Irish annalists, and only by English historians, and in the Office of
the Translation, published in Paris in 1620, andreprinted by Colgan;
asserting that it was a scheme of De Courcey to add dignity to
Down, then in his possession. But the omission by our annalists
proves nothing, for many other important events are unnoticed; and
his argument that it is hard to believe that the relics, after having
been deposited in a costly shrine, could be lost in the course of the
next century, betrays great forge tfulness of the disturbed state of
Ulster in that period; that in 1260 Brian O'Neill made a desperate
effort to drive the English from Down; and that, previous to this, in
1220, as Eymer states, the prior and monks of St. Patrick transmitted, or intended to transmit, to Henry III. of England, the
feretrum in which those relics were enshrined, and sought from
him a resting-place in England. It was perhaps about this period
the relics were secretly buried in Saul.

His Successors in the See of Armagh.

553

MICHAEL, 1303.—A Franciscan friar of Armagh, was elected by
•the dean and chapter, and received the royal assent and certificate
for the Pope's confirmation, but died before consecration.
68. JOHN TAAEE, succeeded A.D. 1305.—Was appointed by Pope
Clement V., and consecrated in Borne, where he died in 1306, the
business of the see having been transacted by his Vicar-General,
Eeginald Taafe.

69. WALTER DE JORSE, succeeded A.D. 1306.—A Dominican

friar, and brother to Thomas Jorse, Cardinal of St. Sabina; was
appointed by the Pope, and consecrated by Nicholas, Cardinal of
Ostium. He was an eminent writer, and resigned the see, according to De Burgo, in 1307; but according to Ware, on 16th November, 1311; which Harris shows to have been too late, as in the
Pope's letter appointing his successor, the church of Armagh is
stated to have been long vacant.
70. ROLAND DE JORSE, succeeded A.D. 1311;—A Dominican,
and brother of his predecessor; was appointed by the Pope, 13th
November, 1311, and consecrated in Rome by Berengar, Bishop of
Tusculum. He resigned 20th March, 1321-2. De Burgo quotes
several authorities, showing that Martin of Bologna was appointed
successor to Walter in 1307, possibly on some misapprehension as
to the latter's death ; but this appointment wasnot carried out.
71. STEPHEN SEGRAVE, succeeded A.D. 1322.—Dean of Lichfield,
appointed by Pope John XXIL, died 27th October, 1333.
72. DAVID MACOIRECHTOIGH, succeeded A.D. 1334.—Dean of
Armagh; elected by the Chapter, and confirmed by Pope John
XXIL, the 4th of July, 1334, and consecrated at Avignon. According to the Four Masters he died in 1343 ; but OTlaherty has
1346 as the true year, and Ware, from the Annales Nenaghtenses,
gives 16th May in that year.
73. RICHARD FITZRALPH, succeeded A.D. 1347.—A native of
Dundalk, and successively Chancellor of Lincoln, Archdeacon of
Chester, and Dean of Lichfield; appointed by Pope Clement VI.,
31st July, 1346, and consecrated at Exeter, 8th July, 1347. Several

554

Life of St. Patrick.

of his works have been published, and some remain in manuscript.
He died at Avignon, 16th November, 1360, and in 1370 his bodywas removed to his native town by Stephen deValle, Bishop of Meath.
74. MILO SWEETMAN, succeeded AD. 1361.—Treasurer of Kilkenny cathedral, in diocese of Ossory, to which see he had been
elected. He proceeded to Avignon for the Pope's confirmation;
but the Pope, having already conferred Ossory on John of Satenale,
appointed him to Armagh. He died at Dromiskin, county Louth,
11th August, 1380.
75. JOHN COLTON, succeeded A.D. 1382.—A native of Norfolk,
in England, in which country he held several livingsn In 1374 he
was elected Dean of St. Patrick's, being then treasurer of Ireland.
In 1379 he became lord chancellor, and in 1382 was advanced by
Pope Urban VI. to this see. He was lord justice of Ireland some
years. Early in 1404 he resigned Armagh, and, dying 27th April
that year, was buried in St. Peter's, Drogheda.
76. NICHOLAS FLEMING, succeeded A.D. 1404.—A secular priest;
was appointed by Pope Boniface IX, and consecrated 1st May, 1404;
died in June, 1416, and was also buried in Drogheda.
77. JOHN SWAYN, succeeded A.D. 1417.—Rector of Galtrim, in
Meath, and a prebendary of St. Patrick's, Dublin. Appointed by
Pope Martin I I I . ; was consecrated in Eome, February, 1417. Resigned in 1439, and, dying a few years afterwards, was buried in
St. Peter's, Drogheda.
78. JOHN PRENE, succeeded A.D. 1439.—Archdeacon of Armagh;
was appointed by Pope Eugene IV., and consecrated November,
1439.
He died at Termon-Fechin, county Louth, 13th June, 1443?
and was there buried.
79. J O H N MEY, succeeded A.D. 1444.—Official of Meath, and
vicar of Delvin and Kilmessan in that diocese; appointed by Pope
Eugene IV., and consecrated 20th June, 1444. He died 1456.
80. JOHN BOLE, succeeded A.D. 1457.—Appointed Abbot of Navan
in 1450; was advanced to this see by Pope Oalixtus III., and consecrated June, 1457. He died 18th February, 1470.

His Successors in the See of Armagh.

555

81. JOHN FOXALLS, succeeded A.D. 1475.—A Franciscan, appointed by Pope Sixtus IV. He died in England, 1476-7, having
never visited the see.
82. EDMUND COUNESBURGH, succeeded A.D. 1477.-—Appointed

by Pope Sixtus IY. Eesigned, 10th November, 1478.
83. OCTAVIAN DE PALATIO, succeeded A.D. 1480.—A native of
Florence, who had been Apostolic Nuncio and Administrator to the
see to his predecessor; was appointed by Pope Sixtus IV., and consecrated, March, 1480-1. He died, June, 1513, and was buried in
St. Peter's, Drogheda.
84. JOHN KITE, succeeded A.D. 1513.—A native of London,
became chaplain to Henry VIII., sub-dean of the Chapel Eoyal,
and, in September, 1510, rector of Weyhill, in the diocese of
Worcester, from which he was appointed to the primacy by Pope
Leo X. In February, 1518, he went as ambassador to Spain with
John Lord Berners, from which he returned in 1519. In 1521, he
resigned the primacy; was subsequently appointed Archbishop of
Thebes in Greece, and commendatory Bishop of Carlisle in England.
He died 18th June, 1537, and was buried in St. Margaret's church,
Westminster.
85. GEORGE CROMER, succeeded A.D. 1521.—An English presbyter j was appointed by Pope Leo X., and consecrated in April,
1522. He died 16th March, 1542.
86. ROBERT WAUCOP, succeeded A.D. 1540.—A Scotchman ; was
appointed bishop by Pope Paul III., with right of succession to
this see. He took an active part in the negociations of the Irish
princes with the French king; was present at the conference of
Worms, and assisted at the Council of Trent. He died 10th November, 1551.
87. GEORGE DOWDALL, succeeded A.D. 1553.—A native of the
county Louth; had been official to Dr. Cromer, and on his death was
schismatically appointed to the see, 28th November, 1543, although
then full. He, however, warmly opposed the Eeformation, and was
obliged to go into exile. After Waucop's death he was canonically

556

Life of St. Patrick

appointed in consistory, 1st March, 1553. He died in London,
15th August, 1558.
88. DONATUS TEIGE FLEMING, succeeded A.D. 1560.—A priest
of the diocese of Limerick; was appointed in consistory, 7th
February, 1560; sliortly after consecrated, and received the pallium
27th March following. He died in 1563.
89. BICHARD CREAGH, succeeded A.D. 1564.—A native of Limerick; was appointed in consistory, 22nd March, 1564, and after
enduring much persecution and imprisonment, was poisoned in the
Tower of London, 14th October, 1585.
90. EDMUND MACGAURAN, succeeded A.D. 1587.—He was ap-

pointed Bishop of Ardagh, 1584, and translated to Armagh, 1st
July, 1587. He was killed near Tulsk, county Eoscommon, June,
1593.
91. PETER LOMBARD, succeeded A.D. 1601.—A native of Waterford and an eminent Franciscan; was appointed in consistory, 9th
July, 1601, and died 1625.
92. HUGH MACOAGHWELL, succeeded A.D. 1626.—A native of

Saul, near Downpatrick; was also an eminent Franciscan, and
appointed in 1626. He died 24th September, 1626. When young
he was selected by Hugh, Earl of Tyrone, as tutor for his sons,
Hugh and Henry. Several of his works have been published.
93. HUGH O'EEILLY, succeeded A.D. 1628.—Promoted from the
bishopric of Kilmore, 21st August, 1628; died, 7th July, 1651,
or February, 1653; was buried in Trinity Island, county Cavan.
94. EDMUND O'EEILLY, succeeded A.D. 1654.—Had been a parish
priest and Vicar-General of the diocese of Dublin. Was appointed
on 15th March, 1657; consecrated in the following year. Died in
1669.
95. OLIVER PLUNKET, succeeded A.D. 1669.—A native of Lough
Crew, county Meath. Appointed in consistory, 9th July, 1669,
and consecrated by the Bishop of Ghent, 30th November following.
Suffered martyrdom in London, 1st July, 1681.
96. DOMINICK MAGUIRE, succeeded A.D. 1681.—A native of Fer-

His Successors in the See of Armagh.

557

managhj was appointed in 1681. After the Kevolution he was
obliged to seek exile in France, where he died in 1708, and was
buried in the College des Lombardes.
97. H U G H M'MAHON, succeeded A.D. 1715.—Had been appointed
Bishop of Clogher in 1707, and translated to Armagh, 1715. Died
2nd of August, 1737, and buried in Drogheda.
98. BERNARD M'MAHON, succeeded A.D. 1738.—Had been appointed Bishop of Clogher in 1715, and translated to Armagh in
1738.
Died 27th May, 1747, and buried in Ematris, county
Monaghan.
99. Eoss M'MAHON, succeeded A.D. 1747.—Brother of his predecessor. Had been appointed Bishop of Clogher, 1738, and translated to Armagh, 1747. Died 29th of October, 1748.
100. MICHAEL O'EEILLY, succeeded A.D. 1749.—Had been VicarGeneral of Kilmore; consecrated Bishop of Derry, 4th April, 1739,
and translated to Armagh, 1749. Died 1758, and was buried in
Drogheda.
101. ANTHONY BLAKE, succeeded A.D. 1758.—Appointed Warden
of Gal way, circ. 1750, and Bishop of Ardagh, 1754; translated to
Armagh, 1758, and died in Galway, December, 1787.
102. EICHARD O'EEILLY, succeeded A.D. 1787.—Was consecrated
coadjutor to Dr. O'KeefFe, Bishop of Kilclare, and thence translated
to Armagh in 1782, with full powers. Died 31st January, 1818.
103. PATRICK CURTIS, succeeded A.D. 1819 A native of county
Meath, and had been President of the College of Salamanca, in
Spain, for thirty years. Consecrated 28th October, 1819, and died
26th July, 1832.
104. THOMAS KELLY, succeededA.D. 1832.—A native of Escragh,
county Tyrone; was junior Dean and Professor of Theology in
Maynooth. Consecrated Bishop of Dromore, 27th August, 1826 ;
translated to Armagh 23rd December, 1828, as coadjutor to Primate
Curtis, whom he succeeded in 1832. Died 13th January, 1835.
105. WILLIAM CROLLY, succeeded A.D. 1835.—A native of Ballykilbeg, near Downpatrick, county Down. Was a Professor in

558

Life of St.

Patrick.

Maynooth, and Parish Priest of Belfast. Consecrated Bishop of
Down and Connor 1st May, 1825, and translated to Armagh, 8th
May, 1835. He died at Drogheda, 6th April, 1849, and was
buried in the new cathedral, Armagh.
106. PAUL CTJLLEN, succeeded A.D. 1850.—Appointed in consistory, 8th January, and consecrated at Eome, 24th Februry, 1850,
and translated to Dublin, 15th August, 1852.
107. JOSEPH DIXON, succeeded A.D. 1852.—A native of Killyman, county Tyrone ; was Professor of Hebrew and Sacred Scriptures in Maynooth. Appointed in consistory, 4th October, and
consecrated in Maynooth, 21st November, 1852. Died 29th April,
1866.
108. MICHAEL KIERAN, succeeded A.D. 1866.—A native of
Darva, county Louth, and Parish Priest of Dundalk. Consecrated
3rd February, 1867, by Cardinal Cullen. Died at Forthill, near
Dundalk, September, 1869.
109. DANIEL M'GETTIGAN, succeeded A.D. 1870.—A native of

county Donegal. Consecrated coadjutor Bishop of Raphoe, 18th
May, 1856, and translated to Armagh, 8th March, 1870.

St. Fiacc1 s Hymn or Poem on the Life of St. Patrick.
As we are anxious to include in the present volume
every document relating to St. Patrick, in order to put
the reader in possession of a complete repertory of his
life and acts, we append the Hymn of St. Fiacc and
the Hymn of St. Sechnall or Secundinus. The translation of the Hymn of St. Fiacc is given from the
"Ecclesiastical Kecord" for March, 1868, and was published from the O'Curry MSS. in the Catholic University.

Hymn of St. Fiacc.

559

It has also been translated by Mr, Whitley Stokes in his
" Goidilica" For further information as to the authenticity and probable date of this most interesting composition, we refer the reader to chapter ii. p. 43, of the
present volume :—
1. Patrick was born at Emptur: this it is that history relates to us.
A child of sixteen years (was he) when he was taken into
bondage.
2. Succat was his name, it is said; who was his father is thus told
He was son of Calpurn, son of Otidus, grandson of Deochain
Odissus.
3. He was six years in slavery; human food he ate it not.
Cothraige he was called, for as slave he served four families.
4. Victor said to Milcho's slave : " Go thou over the sea :"
He placed his foot upon the leac (stone): its trace remains, it
wears not away.
5. He sent him across all the Alps; over the sea marvellous was
his course,
Until he staid with G-ermanus in the south, in southern Letha.
6. In the islands of the Tyrrhene Sea he staid; therein he meditated :
He read the canon with Germanus: it is this that history relates.
7. To Ireland he was brought back in visions by the angels of God :
Often was he in vision solicited to return thither again.
8. Salvation to Ireland was the coming of Patrick to Fochlaidh;
Afar was heard the sound of the call of the youths of OaillFochladh.
9. They prayed that the saint would come, that he would return
from Letha,
To convert the people of Erin from error to life.
10. The Tuatha of Erin were prophesying that a new kingdom of
faith would come,
That it would last for evermore : the land of Tara would be
waste and silent.

560

Life of St.

Patrick

11. The druids of Loegaire concealed not from him the coming of
Patrick;
Their prophecy was verified as to the kingdom of which they
spoke.
12. Patrick walked in piety till his death : he was powerful in the
extirpation of sin :
He raised his hands in blessing upon the tribes of men.
13. Hymns, and the Apocalypse, and the thrice fifty (psalms) he
was wont to sing;
He preached, baptized, and prayed; from the praise of God he
ceased not.
14. The cold of the weather deterred him not from passing the
night in ponds :
By heaven his kingdom was protected; he preached by day
on the hills.
15. In Slan, in the territory of Benna-Bairche, hunger or thirst
possessed him not.
Each night he sang a hundred psalms, to adore the King of
angels.
16. He slept on a bare stone, and a wet sack-cloth around him ;
A bare rock was his pillow ; he allowed not his body to be in
warmth.
17. He preached the Gospel to all; he wrought great miracles in
Letha;
He healed the lame and the lepers ; the dead he restored to life.
18. Patrick preached to the Scoti: he endured great toil in Letha :
With him will come to judgment everyone whom he brought
to the life of faith.
19. The sons of Emer, the sons of Eremon, all went to Cisal,
To the abode of Satan—they were swallowed up in the deep
abyss,
20. Until the apostle came to them: he came despite the raging
tempests :
He preached, for three-score years, the cross of Christ to the
tribes of Feni.

Hymn of St. Fiacc.

561

21. On the land of Erin there was darkness ; theTuatha adored the
sidhi;
They believed not in the true Deity of the true Trinity.
22. In Armagh there is sovereignty ; it is long since Emain passed
away;
A great church is Dun-Lethglasse ; I wish not that Tara should
be a desert.
23. Patrick, when he was in sickness, desired to go to Armagh :
An angel went to meet him on the road in the middle of the day.
24. Patrick came southwards towards Victor ; he it was that went
to meet him :
The bush in which Victor was, was in a blaze ; from the flame
he (the angel) spoke.
25. He said: Thy dignity (shall be) at Armagh; return thanks
to Christ :
To heaven thou shalt come; thy prayer is granted thee.
26. The hymn which thou chosest in life shall be corselet of protection to all.
Around thee on the Day of Judgment the men of Erin will come
for judgment.
27. Tassach remaineth after him (in Sabhall), having given the
communion to him :
He said that Patrick would return : the word of Tassach was
not false.
28. He (St. Patrick) put an end to night; light ceased not with him :
To a years' end there was radiance ; it was a long day of peace.
29. At the battle fought around Beth-horon against the Canaanites
by the son of Nun,
The sun stood still at Gaboan ; this it is that the Scripture
tells us.
30. The sun lasted with Josue unto the death of the wicked :
this indeed was befitting;
It was more befitting that there should be radiance at the
death of the saiuts.
3 A

562

Life of St.

Patrick.

31. The clergy of Erin went from every part to watch around
Patrick;
The sound of harmony fell upon them, so that they slept
enchanted on the way.
32. Patrick's body from his soul was severed after pains ;
The angels of God on the first night kept choir around it
unceasingly.
33. When Patrick departed (from life), he went to visit the other
Patrick;
Together they ascended to Jesus, Son of Mary.
34. Patrick, without arrogance or pride, great was the good which
he proposed to himself,
To be in the service of Mary's Son; happy the hour in which
Patrick was born.

The Hymn of St. Sechnall or Semndinus.

The hymn of St. Sechnall, was, we believe, first
published in the " Catholic Layman/' vol. ii. No.
24, December, 1853 ; and I am indebted to my kind
friend, Mr. Hanna, for a copy of this serial, long since
out of print. It was published again in 1855, in the
first Fasciculus of the Liber Hymnorum, or Book of
Hymns of the ancient Irish Church. In this edition
the two sets of glosses are published, and valuable
notes are added by the late Dr. Todd.
St. Sechnall was the son of Kestitutus, one of the
Longobards, and Limania, a sister of St. Patrick. He
was, consequently, nephew of our glorious apostle. For

Hymn of St. Sechnall.

563

the circumstances connected with the composition of
his alphabetical hymn, see ante, pages 359-362. We
append the Latin original, with a metrical English
translation. We have had some difficulty in preserving
the alphabetical character of the hymn in the translation, but it seemed desirable at least to make the
attempt:—
Audite, omnes amantes
Deum, sancta merita
Viri in Christo beati,
Patricii episcopi;
Quomodo bonum ob actum
Simulatur angelis,
Perfectamque propter vitam
JEquatur apostolis.

A l l ye who love God
The praises now hear
Of Patrick, the bishop,
To Christ ever near ;
Who, like unto angels,
In glory is found,
And, like the apostles,
For ever is crowned.

B e a t i Christi custodit
Mandata in omnibus;
Cujus opera refulgent
Clara inter homines;
Sanctumque cujus sequuntur
Exemplum mirificum ;
Unde et in coelis Patrem
Magnificant Dominum.

Brightly his light shines,
He keepeth the word
Of Christ, ever blessed,
And so like his Lord;
Then follow him, praising
The good he hath done,
To the Father give glory, .
And unto the Son.

Constans in Dei timore
Et fide immobilis;
Super quern sedificatur.
U t Petrum, ecclesia ;
Cujusque apostolatum
A Deo sortitus e s t ;
In cujus portse adversus
Inferni non prevalent.

Christ's fear still upholds him,
In faith he stands fast,
With the Church he will conquer
And triumph at last,
Like Peter, whose mission
From God cannot fail,
For hell's gates shall never
Against him prevail.

564

Life of St

Patrick

Dominus ilium elegit
Ut doceret barbaras
Nationes, ut piscaret
Per doctrine retia;
Ut de seculo credentes
Traheret ad gratiam,
Dominumque sequerentur
Sedem ad aetheriam.

Divinely he's chosen
A fisher of souls;
With the net of the Gospel
He gathereth shoals;
From barbarous nations
He wins God a race
Who in heaven hereafter
Shall be crowned by His grace,

Electa Christi talenta
Vendit evangelica,
Quae Hibernas inter gentes
Cum usuris exigit;
Navati hujus laboris
Turn operae pretium
Cum Christo regni celestis
Possessurus gaudium.

Each talent he uses,
For God he would win
The people of Erin
From the evil of sin ;
And he gets for his labor
Eternal reward,
And usury tenfold,
From Jesus, his Lord.

Eidelis Dei minister,
Insignisque nuntius,
Apostolicum exemplum
Formamque praebet bonis ;
Qui tarn verbis quam et factis
Plebi praedicat Dei,
Ut quern dictis non convertit
Actu provocet bono.

Erom his actions he preaches,
So that all men may see
What a faithful apostle
In his conduct should be.
By deeds thus he winneth
When words cannot gain,
So great is the grace
Of a life without stain.

Grloriam habet cum Christo,
Honorem in seculo;
Qui ab omnibus ut Dei
Veneratur angelus;
Quern Deus misit, ut Paulum
Ad Gentes, apostolum,
Ut hominibus ducatum
Praeberet regno Dei.

Great glory Christ gives him,
By men still revered ;
As an angel of God
He is honored and feared;
To the Gentiles, like Paul,
He is sent to proclaim
The kingdom of heaven,
And to preach in God's name.

Hymn of St. Sechnall.

565

Humilis Dei ob metum
Spiritu et corpore;
Super quern bonum ob actum
Requiescit Dominus :
Cujusque justa in carne
Christi portat stigmata
In cujus sola sustentans,
Gloriatur cruce.

H e sets on each, action
God's Spirit, a seal
Of heav'nly grace places,
And blesses his zeal :
The marks of Christ bearing,
Still humble and meek,
God's glory alone
In each action he'll seek.

Impiger credentes pascit
Dapibus celestibus,
Ne qui videntur cum Christo
In via deficiant;
Quibus erogat ut panes
Verba evangelica,
In cujus multiplicantur,
Ut manna, in manibus.

I n all things like his master,
He tendeth the weak,
And the faint and the weary
He ever will seek ;
Like the manna increasing,
While giving to each,
The word of the Gospel
To all he will teach.

Kastam qui custodit carnem
Ob amorem Domini;
Quam carnem templum paravit
Sanctoque Spiritui,
A quo constantur cum mundis
Possidetur actibus;
Quam ut hostiam placentem,
Yivam offert Domino.

Keeping pure, for God's sake,
His flesh undefiled,
By no evil ensnared,
By no tempter beguiled;
A holocaust living,
A sacrifice true,
He offers to God
Each moment anew.

liumenque mundi accensum
Ingens, evangelicum,
In candelabro levatum,
Toti fulgens seculo ;
Civitas regis munita
Supra montem posita, Copia in qua est multa
Quam Dominus possidet.

Like a candlestick placed
To diffuse Gospel light,
He shines through the world,
Dispelling its night;
A city established
On a hill ever sure,
He keepeth Christ's riches
In his fortress secure.

566

Life of St.

Patrick

M.aximus namque in regno
Coelorum vocabitur,
Qui quod verbis docet sacris
Factis adimplet bonis.
Bono praecedit exemplo
Formaque fidelium,
Mundoque in corde habet
Ad Deum
fiduciam.

Meetly honored in heaven,
The greatest is he
Whose words and whose actions
In virtue agree ;
Good example he giveth,
With heart ever pure,
A pattern of virtue
To rich and to poor.

Women Domini audenter
Annuntiat gentibus,
Quibus lavacri salutis
^Eternam dat gratiam ;
Pro quorum orat delictis
Ad Deum quotidie,
Pro quibus, ut Deo dignas
Immolatque hostias..

-N ow to Gentiles he preaches,
In the name of the Lord,
Of salvation's pure laver,
And God's holy word ;
For them, too, he prayeth,
And ofFereth each day
A holocaust worthy
All evil to stay.

Omnem pro divina lege
Mundi spernit gloriam ;
Qui cuncta ad cujus mensam
.ZEstimat quisquilias,
Nee ingruenti movetur
Mundi hujus fulmine,
Sed in adversis laetatur,
Cum pro Ohristo patitur.

Opposing things earthly,
For God's holy law,
As the pure wheat is severed
From chaff and from straw;
Unmoved by affliction,
He heeds no rebuke,
Nor the threats of the sinner,
JSTor the scoffer's proud look.

Pastor bonus ac
fidelis
Gregis evangelici,
Quern Deus Dei elegit
Custodire populum,
Suamque pascere plebem
Divinis dogmatibus;
Pro' qua, ad Christi exemplum,
Suam tradit animam.

Pastor most faithful,
He guards Gospel sheep,
Whom God in His wisdom
Hath given him to keep ;
He hopes, like his Master,
That his life may be given
For the souls whom he teacher
And guides on to heaven.

Hymn of St. Sechnall.

567

Quern pro meritis Salvator
Provexit pontificem,
Ut in celesti monerefc
Clericos militia,
Celestem quibus annonam
Erogat cum vestibus,
Quod in divinis impletur
Sacrisque affatibus.

Quite plain are his merits :
As a bishop, he'll guide
The clergy to conflict,
With truth on their side;
He clothes them in vestments,
He gives them true bread,
And they learn from his teaching
How Christ'sflockmust be fed.

Hegis nuntius invitans
Oredentes ad nuptias,
Qui ornatur vestimento
Nuptiali indutus;
Qui celeste haurit vinum
In vasis celestibus,
Propinansque Dei plebem
Spiritali poculo.

Raised up as a herald,
He calls rich and* poor
To come to the nuptials
In raiment all pure ;
In vessels celestial
He gives heavenly wine,
And pledges the people
In a chalice divine.

Sacrum invenit thesaurum
Sacro in volumine,
Salvatorisque in carne
Deitatem pervidit;
Quern thesaurum emit Sanctis
Perfectisque meritis ;
Israel vocatur hujus
Anima videns Deum.

Scripture's rich mine he openeth,
Well taught in its lore,
And daily he gaineth
Of merit yet more;
As an Israel counted,
For in all things he sees
His God and his Saviour,
' And from evil he flees.

T e stis Domini
fidelis
In lege Catholica,
Cujus verba sunt divinis
Condita oraculis ;
Ne humane putrent carnes
Esaeque a vermibus,
Sed celesti saliuntur
Sapore ad victimam.-

The witness most faithful,
All truth he'll unfold,
And the Catholic Faith
.By his preaching is told;
No human taint ever
His words shall profane,
The salt of true wisdom
Shall keep him from stain.

568

Life of St. Patrick.

Verus cultor et insignis
Agri evangelici,
Cujus semina videntur
Christi evangelia,
Quae divino serit ore
In aures prudentium,
Quorumque corda ac mentes
Sancto arat Spiritu.

Vast Gospel fields tilling,
He sows the good seed
Of the Gospel of Christ,
Without tare or weed;
And the words which he speaks
In the ears of the wise,
In a rich crop of grace
From their hearts shall arise.

X P S ilium sibi legit
In terris vicarium,
Qui de gemino captivos
Liberat servitio;
Plerosque de servitute
Quos redemit hominum,
Innumeros de Zabuli
Absolvit dominio.

X t . Jesus hath chosen,
That here in His place
He should liberate captives
From two-fold disgrace ;
From slavery some,
But from Satan still more,
Thus freed from all chains
Which in bondage they wore,

Tmnos cum Apocalypsi
Psalmosque cantat Dei,
Quosque ad ^dificandum
Dei tractat populum ;
Quam legem in Trinitate
Sacri credit nominis,
Tribusque personis unam
Docetque substantiam.

Y e t hymns and Apocalypse
This great chanter sings,
And with psalmody sweet
To his Lord honor brings ;
The people thus teaching
The God One in Three,
He worships Three Persons
In one Unity.

Zona Domini prsecinctus
Diebus ac noctibus
Sine intermissione
Deum orat Dominum :
Cujus ingentis laboris
Percepturus proemium,
Cum apostolis regnabit
Sanctis super Israel.
Audite omnes.

Zoned with God's cincture,
By night and by day,
With fervor unceasing,
He fails not to pray,
And with the apostles,
As reward for his pains,
A saint over Israel
In glory he reigns.
All ye, &c.

£ t . #att'tck Cameti to Momz fcg tfje &nsei.

Hfyapttv &%+
St, Patrick's Confession,—Introductory BemarJcs.

EE

CONFESSION OF ST. PATRICK is

undoubtedly one of the most ancient and important of our earlyIrish documents. Its authenticity
has never been questioned, and
the most illustrious Protestant
writers have agreed with the most learned Catholic
archaeologists in ascribing it to the pen of our saint:
at this point, however, their opinions diverge. The
Protestant, or, at least, a certain class of Protestants,
whose idiosyncracy consists in a morbid horror of
Popery, can see nothing in the Confession but Pro-

572

Life of St.

Patrick

testantism pure and undefiled. Happily, individuals
afflicted with this peculiar mode of viewing historical
documents are becoming daily more and more rare.
The Catholic finds it just what he would have expected ; though even Catholics have, perhaps, scarcely
given the attention to this important document which
it merits.
There are four ancient copies of St. Patrick's Confession known to exist at present, and in order to secure
for the reader the immense advantage of having an
original, we have procured carefully executed copies of
these four documents. Former editors of St. Patrick's
Confession have, for the most part, contented themselves
with second-hand information, or have compiled a copy
of the Confession from the versions given by others ; so,
in point of fact, however good their intentions, the
reader has not had the original. To the present writer
this seems a most unsatisfactory method of procedure.
It is the duty of an author to spare no pains to procure
for his readers the most accurate information regarding
whatever subject he may treat of. Where there is
question of documents, it seems to us little less than an
injustice to give anything but the original, and the original as it stands, not as we fancy it ought to stand. In
some cases, indeed, more particularly in dealing with
palimpsests, an editor may suggest a word, or the outline of a sentence, which may be useful; but where the
MS. exists complete, and can be read, at least by an
expert, no tampering with it can be justifiable.

The MS. Copies of St. Patrick's Confession. 573
The four MS. copies of St. Patrick's Confession known
to exist at present are, (1) the copy in the Book of
Armagh; (2) the copy in the Cottonian collection, at
present in the British Museum; and (3 and 4) two
copies contained in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and.
known as Fell 1, 3.
As the copy contained in the Book of Armagh is
undoubtedly the most ancient, we have used this as the
text, without making the slightest alteration, believing
this to be the arrangement which would prove most
satisfactory to our readers. A tolerably fair version
has already been published by Betham, in his " Irish
Antiquarian Besearches," part ii. ; but as this could
not be relied on, from the known inaccuracy of the
editor, and as we make it a rule never to take documents on second hand, we applied to the Bev. Dr.
Beeves, the well known and distinguished Irish archaeologist, for permission to have an accurate copy made
from the original, which is his property, although at
present in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin.
This copy was made for us by the Bev. T. O'Mahony,
Professor of Irish in that University, with a kind promptness for which we must always feel grateful to him. In
order to secure the most perfect accuracy, he has also
been so obliging as to compare the proofs word by word
with the original; the reader is thus put in possession
of a copy of the Confession as it is believed to have been
written by the saint himself. The copy of the manuscript in the Cotton collection was made for us by a

574

Life of St.

Patrick

gentleman connected officially with the Library of the
British Museum. For the copies of Fell 1 and 3, from
the Bodleian Library, we are indebted to the courtesy of
the librarian, the Eev. H. 0. Coxe, who obtained the
services of an expert, when he found that the collation
of the two manuscripts would occupy so much time
that he could not himself attend to the matter as he
had most kindly wished to do.
The copy of the Confession given by the Bollandists,
and by Villaneuva from the Bollandists, is said to have
been taken from a MS. preserved in the library of the
celebrated Abbey of St. Vaast, at Arras, in the province
of Artois, in France. This abbey was destroyed at the
time of the French Eevolution; hence it is impossible
to verify this version. The well-known accuracy of the
Bollandist writers, however, is a sufficient guarantee for
general accuracy. Villaneuva gives various readings,
but does not say from where they were taken, which
is unsatisfactory.
In his preface to the Confession, he observes :—
" Leland, in his book on Irish writers, has: < Patrick wrote a
Journal or Itinerary, entitled—I cannot conceive why—a " Confession," frequently quoted by William of Malmesbury in the
first book of the Life of St. Patrick.' Leland's manuscript is
to be found in the library at Oxford. Ballaces, referring to British
writers, contradicts Leland, and says that the Journal and the
Itinerary were different works. Ware, in reply, says : 6 A matter
easily, in my opinion, disproved, not only from the passage quoted
above from William of Malmesbury's book, but even from the very
Confession itself, in which St. Patrick frequently refers to his two

Authority for these M$S.

575

captivities, his peregrinations, his trials, &c. From various passages in the Confession, especially from the words, "That you
may have the benefit of my presence, and that I may enjoy you
always in the Lord," it is pretty clear that it was sent to the Irish
in form of an epistle/ And Ware adds that an old writer of the
Life of St. Patrick praises it highly as such.
" The texts of Scripture quoted in the Confession, as well as in
the Epistle to Coroticus, being taken from the Septuagint, and not
from the then recent version of St. Jerome—not generally accepted
in the time of St. Patrick—would of themselves prove the antiquity of these works."

As many of the variations in the readings of the
four ancient manuscripts are merely orthographical, and
as others are merely constructive, and do not affect the
sense, it would occupy valuable space uselessly to give
them. Hence, we have simply selected such as seemed
of real value and interest. The MSS. from which the
collations have been taken are distinguished thus:—
B. The copy in the Cotton collection, British
Museum.
F. 1 or 3, the copies in the Bodleian library, Oxford.
V. Villaneuva, which, it will be remembered, coincides with the Bollandists.
W. Ware's version.
The text being that of the Book of Armagh, we
refer the reader to pages 58-67 of the present work
for a full description of this important and interesting
MS. It will be seen that, although the copy of the
Confession contained therein cannot be said to have been
written by St. Patrick himself, yet that there can be

576

Life of St.

Patrick.

little doubt, from the inscription at the end, that it was
copied from the very autograph of the saint himself.
The copy of the Book of Armagh, at present extant, is
supposed, by the most competent authorities, to have
been written before the year 845.
It should be observed, however, that a considerable
portion of the Confession as given by the writers of
the copies in the British Museum and the Bodleian
Library, is not contained in the version given in the
Book of Armagh. It is quite impossible to decide
whether these portions are interpolations or part of
the original. It would appear probable that the copy
in the Book of Armagh is the most, authentic, as it
certainly is the oldest; but the critical reader need not
be reminded that the oldest copies in point of date are
not necessarily the most reliable.
Still it would seem
very improbable that an Irish writer in the ninth century
should have curtailed or should have been ignorant of
any portion of so important a document.
Be this as it may, for the satisfaction of the reader, we
have supplied the portions not contained in the Book of
Armagh from the Bodleian copy. These portions are
enclosed in brackets.
It remains only to draw attention to the whole tenor
and style of St. Patrick's Confession. As a literary
composition it has been very much criticized; but when
the circumstances of St, Patrick's early life are remembered, we cannot suppose that it would have been
possible for him to have devoted more time to the study

Spirit of the Confession.

577

of languages or composition than was absolutely necessary for the ecclesiastical state. What he wrote is
certainly of infinitely more importance than how he
wrote, and the whole tone and style of his Confession
is as purely Catholic as might be expected from his
training under St. Germanus of Auxerre. As this subj ect
has been already discussed in the early part of the
present work, a few words here will be sufficient. Perhaps the most notable point is the strong and earnest
language in which the saint inculcates reverence and
obedience towards ecclesiastical superiors. In the commencement of his Confession he attributes the captivity
and sufferings which he and others endured, to their
disobedience to their priests. He writes several times
of his zeal in ordaining priests to baptize and teach the
Irish, and quotes the divine command (precisely as
any Catholic priest would do under similar circumstances
in the present day) given to the Church to teach and
baptize all nations. And even while speaking of himself
with the utmost humility, he never fails to magnify his
office. He speaks of the constant repetition of prayer
as an act most pleasing to God, and of good works as
meritorious.
But his heart seems to go out most especially towards
those who had been consecrated as virgins to Christ.
Perhaps it is through his prayers, which must, indeed,
be all-powerful with God, that there is scarcely any part
of the world where the Irish maiden may not be found
consecrated as a virgin to Christ, even as her ancestors

578

Life of St.

Patrick.

were in the days of Patrick. In every part of America,
in Australia, in the burning sun of Indian climes, in
the cold north, in the sunny south, go where you will,
you can never travel far without hearing of a convent, and if you visit it you are to sure find more than
one, and frequently very many Irish nuns.
But perhaps that part of the Confession which has
obtained least attention is the account which the saint
gives of the supernatural favors granted to him. We
have already discussed his invocation of Elias, and that
he intended the prophet Elias there can be no possible
doubt, from his statement that he knew not how it
occurred to him to invoke him, an expression which he
could not have used had he applied the name Elias to
our Lord; thus he showed, what, indeed, no unprejudiced person can doubt, that he not only invoked the
saints, but also believed that he did so by a special
inspiration of God. We next find that he mentions a
divine prediction made to him in the silence of night,
which was subsequently verified. Such heavenly communications were evidently frequent, and there can be no
doubt that the saint had attained a most blessed state
of sublime contemplation, even before his escape from
slavery. It was in the night, in a dream, that he was
warned, like St. Joseph, to seek his ship, and that he
was commended for fasting. It was in the night that
he saw the vision of Victorious coming from Ireland,
and. heard the voices from the wood of Fochlut. It
was in the night also that he heard an interior voice,

St. Patrick's

Visions.

579

after which he awoke rejoicing. It is quite possible
that the " sleep" from which he was thus blessedly
•wakened was not the sleep of nature, but the mystic
sleep of ecstacy in which the saints, even in our own
day and time, have been abstracted from earthly things,
and only conscious of heavenly communications. It
was in the night also that he was favored with that
remarkable vision to console him for the charges made
against him by those in whose friendship he, had formerly confided.
There are some difficulties about the
details of this vision, but enough remains clear to show
its scope and intention. It is indeed evident that the
saint gloried in those revelations, as well he might,
since in his deep humility he refers them wholly to the
grace of God, and takes no merit to himself. In one
place he declares that he will not conceal the wonders
which God had wrought for him, and in him, no matter
who might deride or insult him for his manifestations : a plain evidence that then, as now, while the
multitude were credulous enough as to all superstitious
practices, the favors granted by God to His saints were
objects of contempt to many.
St. Patrick's Letter or Epistle to Coroticus has been
given from the text of the Cotton MS. in the British
Museum.
I have not thought it necessary to give
any collations, as there are only two other manuscript
copies extant, Fell 1 and 3. There is no important
variation in the readings.

580

Life of St.

ST.

PATRICK'S

Patrick

CONFESSION.

Incipiunt Libri Sancti Patricii
Episcopi.

The beginning of the Boohs of the
Bishop St. Patrick.

l i p l p l G O Patricius peeeator, rusM ^ M ticissimus et minimus
| ! H ^ g | omnium iidelium, et contemptibilissimus apud plurimos,
patrem habui Calpornium Diaeonum,1 filium quenclam Potiti Presbyteri :3 qui fuit vico Bannavem
Tabernige4 villulam enim5 prope
habuit ubi ego in capturam dedi.
Annorum eram tunc fere xvi. Deum
verum ignorabam, et Hiberione in
captivitate adductus sum cum tot
millia hominum, secundum merita
nostra: quia a Deo recessimus, et

| S | H | PATRICK, a sinner, the
t | | i | s rudest and least of all
l ^ a M the faithful, and contemptible to very many, had for
my father Calpornius, a deacon,
the son of Potitius, a priest,2 who
lived in Bannavem Tabernise, for
he had a small country house
close by, where I was taken captive when I was nearly sixteen
years of age. I knew not the true
God, and I was brought captive to
Ireland, with many thousand men,
as we deserved, for we had for-

1
F. 1, 3, and B. agree with the above. Fell 1 is headed thus; " Incipit
confessio Sancti Patrici Episcopi quod est xvi. Kal. April." Fell 3 : "Incipit
confessio Sancti Patricii Episcopi, xvi. Kal. Aprili.',
2
The student of early ecclesiastical history need not be reminded that,
although priests were never allowed to marry, persons who had been married
were sometimes ordained priests, if they separated from their wives. It maybe
observed that the purely Catholic tone of St. Patrick's teaching is manifest in
the very beginning of his Confession, in his strong reprobation of the crime of not
being " obedient to priests."
3
All agree; but the Armagh copy has filii odlssi in margin. It is not given
by Ware or Villaneuva.
4
F. 1, 3, Banauem ; B. aud W. Banavem ; V. Benaven.
5
F. 1, 3, Villulam enim prope ; W. enon; V. enim (enon); B. enim. It is
difficult to ascertain how the enon was introduced; it is not in any of the oldest
MSS. See ante, p. 83.

St. Patrick's Confession.
prseceptaejus non custodivimus, et
sacerdotibus nostris non oboedientes fuimus, qui nostram salutem
admonebant: et Dominus induxit
super nos6 iram animationis7 suae,
et dispersit nos in gentibus multis,
etiam usque ad ultimum terrae, ubi
nunc parvitas mea videtur esse
inter alenigenas. Et ibi Dominus
aperuit sensum incredulitatis meae
utserorememoraremdilictamea,ut
confirmarem toto corde ad Dominum Deum meum, qui respexit humilitatem meam, et missertus est
adoliscentiae et ignorantiae mese, et
custodivit me antequam scirem
eum, et antequam saperem vel distinguerem vel bonum et malum, et
munivit me, et consolatus est mei
ut pater hlium.

Unde autem tacere non possum,
neque expedit quidem tanta beneficia, et tantam gratiam quam mihi8
dignatus in terra captivitatis meae :
quia haec est retributio nostra, ut
post correptionem vel agnitionem
Dei, exaltare et confiteri mirabilia
ejus coram omni natione, quae est
sub omni cselo.
Quia non est alius Deus, nee urnquam fuit, nee ante, nee erit post
hoc, praeter Dominum Patrem in-

6

581

saken Gocl, and had not kept His
commandments, and were clisobedient to our priests, who admonished us for our salvation,
And the Lord brought down upon
us the anger of His Spirit, and scattered us among many nations, even
to the ends of the earth, where now
my littleness maybe seen amongst
strangers. And there the Lord
showed me my unbelief, that at
length I might remember my iniquities, and strengthen my whole
heart towards the Lord my Gocl,
who looked down upon my humiliation, and had pity upon my youth
and ignorance, and kept me, before
I knew him, and before I had wisdom, or could distinguish between
good and evil, and strengthened
and comforted me as a father
would his son.
Therefore, I cannot and ought
not to be silent concerning the
great benefits and graces which the
Lord has bestowed upon me in the
land of my captivity, since the only
return we can make for such benefits is, after God has reproved us,
to extol and confess His wonders
before every nation under heaven.
For there is no other Gocl, nor
ever was, nor shall be hereafter,
except the Lord, the unbegotten

7
The six fol. words omitted in B.
Indignationis, V.
8
Dominus prcestare, B. F. 1, 3, and V.

582

Life of St

Patrick

genitum, sine principio, a quo est Father, without beginning, by
omne principium : omnia ten en- whom all things have their being,
tern (ut diximus); et ejus filium who upholds all things, as we have
JesumChristumquicumpatrescilisaid; and His Son, Jesus Christ,
cet semper fuisse testamur, ante whom, together with the Father,
originem sseculi spiritualiter apud we testify to have always existed
Patrem inerrabiliter9 genitum ante before the origin of the world, spiomne principium, et per ipsum facta ritually with the Father, ineffably
sunt vissibilia, hominem factum begotten before every beginning;
morte devicta in cselis.1 Et dedit and by Him were the visible
illi omnem potestatem super omne things made ; was made man,
nomen cselestium, terrestrium et death[being overthrown, in the heainf ernorum, ut omnis lingua confi- vens. And He hath given Him all
teatur ei, quia Dominus et Deus est power over every name of things
Jesus Christus quern credimuset ex- in heaven, and earth, and hell,
pectamus2 adventum mox futurum
that every tongue should confess to
judex vivorUm atque mortuorum : Him that Jesus Christ is Lord, and
qui reddet unicuique secundum fac- whose coming we expect ere long
ta sua et effudit in nobis habunde to judge the living and dead; who
Spiritum Sanctum donum et pignus will render to every one according
inmortalitatis, qui facit credentes to his works; who hath poured
et oboedientes, ut sint filii Dei3 et forth abundantly on us both the
coheredes Christi, quern confitemur gift of His Spirit and the pledge
et adoramus unum Deum in Trini- of immortality; who makes the
tate Sacri nominis. Ipse enim dix- faithful and obedient to become
it per prophet am : " Invoca me the sons of God and co-heirs with
in die tribulationis tuse, et libera- Christ; whom we confess and adore
bo te, et magnificabis me." Et one God in the Trinity of the holy
iterum inquit: " Opera autem Dei Name. For he Himself has said

9
Inerrabiliter literally means " unerringly;" perhaps it was intended for
innarrdbiliter,6' ineffably."—T. O'M.
1
Ad Patrem receptum, B. F. 1, 3, W. and V.
2
Between the ex and the p of this word there is what seems to be ce—the
whole looks like excepectamus.—T. O'M.
3
Patris, W. The reading in V. varies very much here, but as there is no
authority given for it, we do not insert it. B. and F. 1, 3, have Patris also, but
read as above.

St. Patrick's Confession.
revelare, et confiteri, honorific urn
est."
,

Tamenetsi in multis imperfectus
sum, opto fratribus et cognotatis
meis scire qualitatem meam, ut possint perfice're votum animas mese.
Non ignoro testimonium Domini
mei,quiinPsalmotestatur: "Perdes
eos5 qui loquuntur mendacium/ 6
et iterum inquit: " Os, quod mentitur occidit animam."7 Et idem
Dominus :8 " Yerbuin otiossum
quod locuti fuerint homines reddent rationem de eo in die judicii."9
Unde autem vehementer cum timore et tremore metuere hanc sententiam in die ilia, ubi se nemo poterit subtrahere, vel abscondere,
sed omnes omnino reddituri sumus
rationem etiam minimorum pec-

583

by the prophet: Call upon me in
the day of thy trouble: I will deliver
thee, and thou shalt magnify me%
And again he says : It is honorable
to reveal and confess the works of
God.*
Although I am imperfect in many
things, I wish my brothers and acquaintances to know my dispositions that they may be able to understand the desire of my soul. I
am not ignorant of the testimony
of my Lord, who declares in the
Psalm : Thou wilt destroy all that
speak a lie. And again: TJie
mouth that belieth, killeth the soul.
And the same Lord: Every idle
word that men shall speak, they
shall render an account for it in
the Day of Judgment. Therefore
I ought, with great fear and trembling, to dread this sentence in
that day, when no one shall be
able to withdraw or hide himself,

4
God.—The quotations from what Protestants call the Apocrypha, but what
St. Patrick, as a Catholic, accepted as part of the canon of Scripture, have been
a great perplexity to those who are anxious, for controversial reasons, to make
out that the early Irish Church was not taught the same faith by him as it is
taught now by his successors. All the quotations from Scripture are given
from the translation of the Bible published by Dolman, with the approbation of
the late Right Rev. Dr. Denvir. My non-Catholic readers, and I am happy to
say many such have expressed and shown great interest in this work, will
kindly remember this.
6
B. has perdes qui locunter ; P. 1, 3, eos qui locunter.
6
Ps. v. 7. The Vulgate has perdes omnes.
7 Sap. i. 11.
8
B. and F. 1, 3, in Evangelio inquit; W. in Evangelis dixit.
9
Matt. xii. 36.

584
catorum ante
Christi.

Life of St. Patrick.
tribunal Domini

Quapropter ollim cogitavi' scribere, sed usque nunc hessitavi:
timui enim ne incederem in linguamhominum: quia non dedicisicut et caeteri, qui optime itaque jure
et sacras literas utroque pari moclo
combiberunt et sermones illorum ex
infantia numquam motarunt, sed
inagis ad perfectum semper addider u n t : nam sermo et loquela nostra
translata est in linguam alienam,
sicut facile potest probari ex salive
seripturse mese, qualiter sum ego in
sermonibus instructus, atque eruditus; quia inquit sapiens : " Per linguam dignoscetur sensus et scientia
et doctrina veritatis."1 Sed quid
prodest excussatio juxta veritatem,
prsesertimcumprsesumptionelquotinus modo ipse adpeto in senectute2 mea quod in juventute non
comparavi quod obstiterunt ut
confirmarem quod ante perlegeram.
Sed si quis mini credit ] Et si
dixero (quod ante prsefatus sum),
adoliscens, immo pene puer in verbis capturam dedi, antequam scirem quid peterem vel quid adpeterem vel quid vitare debueram. Unde ego hodie erubesco, et vehemen-

1

but all must give an account, even
of the least sins, before the judgment-seat of the Lord Christ.
Therefore, although I thought
of writing long ago, I feared the
censure of men, because I had not
learned as the others who studied the sacred writings in the best
wray, and have never changed their
language since their childhood, but
continually learned it more perfectly, while I have to translate my
words and speech into a foreign
tongue ; and it can be easily proved
from the style of my writings how
I am instructed in speech and
learning, for the Wise Man says :
By the tongue wisdom is discerned,
and understanding and knowledge
and learning by the word of the
wise. But what avails an excuse,
however true, especially when accompanied with presumption % for
I, in my old age, strive after that
which T was hindered from learning in my youth. But who will
believe me ? And if I say what I
have said before, that as a mere
youth, nay, almost a boy in words,
I was taken captive, before I knew
what I ought to seek and to avoid,
Therefore, I blush to-day and
greatly dread to expose my igno-

Eccl. iv. 29. The Vulgate reads differently, but this is the sense.
B. omits four words, and reads, non compari que; F. 3 has them after prohibite.
2

St. Patrick's Confession.
ter protimeo3 clenndare imperitiam
meam, quia non possum de decritis
brevitate sermone explicare neque
sicutenimspiritusgestit,et animas
et sensus monstrat adfectus. Sed si
itaque datum mihi fuisset, sicut et
ceteris ; verumtamen non silerem
propter retributionem, et si forte
vicletur apucl aliquantos me in hoc
proponere cum mea inscientia4 et
tardiori lingua ; sed scriptum est,
"Linguae balbutientes velociter
discent loqui pacem :"5 quanto
magis nos adpetere debemus, qui
sumus nos sepistola Christi in salutern usque ad ultimum terrae ; et si
non deserta, sed ratum et fortissimum—scriptum in cordibus vestris,
" non atramento testatur sed
Spiritu Dei vivi:" et iterum Spiritus testatur, " Kusticationem ab
Altissimo creata est."6
Unde ego primus rusticus perfuga, inductus scilicet qui nescio
in posterum providere ; sed illud
scio certissime, quia utique, priusquam humiliarer, ego eram velut
lapis, qui jacet in luto profundo;
veniens7 qui potens est in sua mis3

585

ranee, because I am not able to
express myself briefly, with clear
and well-arranged words, as the
spirit desires and the mind and
intellect point out. But if it had
been given to me as to others,
I would not have been silent for
the recompense; and although it
may seem to some who think thus
that I put myself forward, with my
ignorance and too slow tongue;
nevertheless it is written, "The
tongues of stammerers shall speak
readily and plain;" how much more
ought we to undertake this who are
the epistle of Christ for salvation
unto the ends of the earth, written
in pure heart, if not with eloquence,
yet with power and endurance, not
lorilten with ink, but zvith the Spirit
of the living God; and again the
Spirit testifies, "Husbandry, it was
ordained by the Most High."
Therefore I undertook this work
at first, though a rustic and a fugitive, and not knowing how to provide for the future; but this I know
for certain, that before I was
humbled I was like a stone lying
in deep mire, until He who is

F. 1, 3, and B. perlimeo, and V. pertimesco.
F. 1, 3, reads as above. B. and W. have inscitia.
Isa. xxxii. 4. Reads as above in all the copies, but the Vulgate reads differently.
6
Ec. vii. 16.
7
For Veniens, which was written down at first, the scribe seems to have
suggested a change, which would make the reading venit ens. — T. O'M. F. 1, 3,
and B. have venit.
o n
4
5

586

Life of St. Patrick

sericordia sustulit me, et quidem
scilicet sursum adlevavit, et collocavitmeinsuaparte;etindefortiter
debueram exclamare ad retribuendam quoque aliquid Domino, pro
tantis beneficiis ejus, hie et in seternum, quse mens hominum sestimare
non potest. Unde autem admiramini magni et pusilli, qui timetis
Deum; rhetorici8 et vos dominicati,
audite et scrutamini quis me stulturn excitavit de medio eorum qui
videntur esse sapientes, et leges
periti et potentes in sermone, et in
omni re et me quidem detestabilis
hujus mundi de cseteris inspiravit,
si talis essem ; dummodo autem
ut cum metu et reverentia, et sine
querella, fideliter genti, ad quam
charitas Christi transtulit et donavit me in vita mea, si vivus fuero:
denique ut cum humilitate et
veraciter deservirem illis.

In mensura itaque fidei Trinitatis oportet distinguere sine reprehensione periculi notum facere
donum Dei, et consolationem seternam, sine timore flducialiter Dei
nomen ubique expandere, ut etiam
post obitum meum ex a Gallias9
relinquere fratribus, et filiis meis,

8
9

powerful came and in His mercy
raised me up, and indeed again
succored and placed me in His
part; and therefore I ought to cry
out loudly, and thank the Lord
in some degree for all his benefits,
here and after, which the mind of
man cannot estimate. Therefore,
be amazed, both great and small
who fear God; rhetoricians, and ye
of the Lord, hear and inquire who
aroused me, a fool, from the midst
of those who seem to be wise, and
skilled in the law, and powerful
in speech, and in all things, and
hath inspired me (if indeed I be
such) beyond others, though I am
despised by this world, so that,
with fear and reverence and without murmuring, I should faithfully
serve this nation, to whom the
charity of Christ hath transferred
me, and given me for my life, if I
shall survive ; and that at last with
humility and truth I should serve
them.
In the measure therefore of the
faith of the Trinity it behoves me to
distinguish without shrinking from
danger, and to make known the
gift of God, and everlasting consolation, and, without fear, confidently to spread abroad the name
of God everywhere, so that after

"F. 3, and B. have nethorici.
B. has Gallia. F. 1, ex Gallias ; 3, ex Gallicis.

St. Patrick's Confession,
quos in Domino ego baptizavi, tot
millia hominum ; et non eram
dignus, neque talis, ut hoc
Dominus servo suo concederet; et
post serumnas et tantas moles, post
captivitatem, post annos nniltos, in
gentem illam tantem gratiam mihi
donaret, quod aliquondo in juventute mea numquam speravi, neque
cogitavi.

Sed postquam Hiberione deveneram, cotidie itaque pecora pascebam, et frequens in die orabam,
magis ac magis accedebat amor
Dei, et timor ipsius et fides augebatur, et spiritus agebatur, ut in
die una usque ad centum orationes
et in nocte prope similiter, ut etiam
in silvis et monte manebam, ante
lucem excitabar ad orationem per
nivem, per gelu, per pluviam,1 et
nihil mali sentiebam, neque ulla
pigritia erat in me, sed modo
video, quia tunc spiritus in me
fervebat. Et ibi scilicet quadam
nocte in somno audivi vocem dicentern sibi mihi :2 "Benejejunas, cito

1

587

my death I may leave it to my
Gallican brethren and to my sons,
many thousands of whom I have
baptized in the Lord. And I was
neither worthy nor deserving that
the Lord should so favor me,
his servant, after such afflictions
and great difficulties, after captivity, after many years, as to grant
me such grace for this nation, a
thing which, still in my youth, I
had neither hoped for nor thought
of.
But after I had come to Ireland
I was daily tending sheep, and I
prayed frequently during the day,
and the love of God, and His faith
and fear, increased in me more and
more, and the spirit was stirred;
so that in a single day I have said
as many as a hundred prayers, and
in the night nearly the same, so
that I remained in the woods,
and on the mountain, even before
the dawn, I was roused to prayer,
in snow, and ice, and rain, and I
felt no injury from it, nor was
there any slofchfulness in me, as I
see now, because the spirit was
then fervent in me. And there

Pluiam in MS.—T. O'M.
Sibi has two dots over it, marks which usually indicate an erasure.—T. O'M.
Adhering to our rule of giving the version of the Book of Armagh as it is, and
not as we think it ought to be, we give the version as it stands : thus the repetition of jejunans is obviously a mistake of the scribe. Moreover, these mistakes, to our thinking, are a strong evidence that the work was copied from
some older MS.; such mistakes would scarcely occur in an original composition.
2

588

Life of St.

jejunans iturus ad patriam tuam."
Et iterum 3 post paullulum tempus
audivi responsum dicentem mihi:
ecce navis tua parata est. Et
non erat prope, sed forte habebat
cc. millia passus, et ibi numquam
fueram, nee ibi notum quemquam
de hominibus habebam.

Et deinde postmodum conversus
sum in f ugam : et intermissi hominem cum fueram vi annis: et veni
in virtute Domini, qui viam meam
ad bonum4 dirigebat, et nihil metuebam, donee perveni ad navem
illam. Et ilia die qua perveni profecta est navis cle loco suo, et locutus sum ut abirem unde navigarem cum illis, et gubernatori displicuit illi et acriter cum interrogatione respondit: " Nequaquam ut
nobiscum adpetes ire." Et cum
hsee audiissem, separavi me ab
illis, ut venirem ad tegoriolum ubi
hospitabam : et in itenere coepi
orare: et antequam orationem consummarem, audivi unum ex illis et
fortiter exclamabat post me: "Veni

3

Patrick
one night I heard a voice, while
I slept, saying to me, " Thou
dost fast well; fasting thou shalfc
soon go to thy country." And again,
after a very short time, I heard a
response, saying to me : " Behold,
thy ship is ready." And the place
was not near, but perhaps about
two hundred miles distant, and I
had never been there, nor did I
know any one who lived there.
Soon after this I fled, and left
the man with whom I had been
six years, and I came in the
strength of the Lord, who directed
my way for good; and I feared
nothing until I arrived at that ship,
And the clay on which I came
the ship had moved out of her
place : and I asked to go and
sail with them, but the master
was displeased, and replied,
angrily : " Do not seek to go with
us." And when I heard this I
went from them to go thither
where I had lodged ; and I began
to pray as I went; but before I
had ended my prayer, I heard one
of them calling out loudly after
me, " Come quickly, for these men

B. has terram.
We have here a curious evidence of how the wildest theories may be built
up upon the purest conjecture. When writing on this subject, ante, p. 136,
we had not got the collations of the Cotton and Bodleian MSS.; they quite set
the subject at rest, all giving the same version, qui viam meam ad bonum dirigebat. Ware has this also ; but V. on pure conjecture, qui viam meam dirigebat,
veni ad Benum.
4

St. Patrick's Confession.
cito, quia vocant te homines isti:"
et statim ad illos reversus sum ; et
coeperunt mihidicere: " Veni, quia
ex fide recipimus te, fac nobiscum amicitiam quomodo volueris."
Et in ilia die itaque reppuli
sugere mammellas eorum propter
timorem Dei; sed verumtamen
ab illis speravi, venire in fidem
J esu Christi,5 quia gentes erant; et
obhoc obtinui cum illis;6 et post triduumterramca3pimus;etxxviiidies
per disertum iter fecimus, et cibus
defuit illis, et fames invaluit super
eos; et alio die coepit gubernator
mihi dicere : " Quid Christiane tu
dicis 1 Deus tuus magnus et omnipotens est, quare ergo pro nobis
orare non potes ? Quia nos fame periclitamur Difficile enim umquam
ut aliquem hominem videamus."
Ego enimevidenter dixiillis: "Convertimini ex fide7 ad Dominum
Deum meum, cui nihil est inpossibile, ut cibum mittat nobis in
viam vestram, usque dum satiamini, quia ubique habundat illi."
Et adjuvante Deo, it a factum est,
ecce grex porcorum in via ante
oculos nostros apparuit8 et multos

5

589

are calling you;" and I returned to
them immediately, and they began saying to me : " Come, we receive thee in good faith; make such
friendship with us as you wish.'A.nd
then that day I disdained to supplicate them, on account of the fear of
God; but I hoped of them, that
they would come into the faith of
Jesus Christ, for they were Gentiles;
and this I obtained from them;
and after three days we reached
land, and for twenty-eight days we
journeyed through a desert, and
their provisions failed, and they suff ered greatly from hunger; and one
day the master began to say to me,
" What sayest thou, 0 Christian 1
your God is great and all-powerful;
why canst thou not then pray for us,
since we are perishing with hunger,
and may never see the face of
man again T And I said to them
plainly, " Turn sincerely to the
Lord my God, to whom nothing is
impossible, that He may send us
food on your way until ye are satisfied, for it abounds everywhere for
Him." And with God's help it was
so done, for lo, a flock of swine ap-

B. and E. 1, 3, have et protinus navigavimus.
The whole of this passage is very obscure; it would make nonsense to
translate sugere mammellas literally. It was, probably, some proverbial expression. If any one acquainted with Celtic colloquialisms knows any corresponding one, I shall be obliged for information. The expression venire injidem, &c,
is also difficult to render.
7
B. and F. 1, 3, have et ex toto corde.
8
Not in F. 1, 3, or B., but W. has i t ; V. reads in via veniebat ante, &c.
6

590

Life of St.

Patrick.

exillisinterficerunt: et ibi ii. noctes peared in the way before our eyes,
manserunt bene refecti et canes9 and they killed many of them, and
eorum repleti sunt, quia multi ex remained there two nights, much
illis1 secus viam semivivi relicti refreshed and filled with theii
sunt. Et post hsec summas gratias flesh, for many of them had been
egerunt Deo, et ego honorificatus left exhausted by the wayside,
sum sub oculis eorum.2
After this they gave the greatest
thanks to God, and I was honored
in their eyes.
Etiam mel silvistre invenierunt,
They also found wild honey,
et mihi partem obtulerunt, et and offered me some of it, and
unus ex illis dixit: " Immolaticum one of them said : " This is offered
est, Deo gratias," exinde nihil in sacrifice, thanks be to God,"
gustavi. Eadem vero3 eram dor- after this I tasted no more. But
miens, et fortiter temptavit me the same night, while I was sleepSatanas, quod memor ero quandiu ing, I was strongly tempted by
fuero in hoc corpore, et cicidit enim Satan (of which I shall be mindful
super me veluti saxum ingens, et as long as I shall be in this body),
nihil membrorum prevalens. Sed and there fell as it were a great
unde mihi venit* in spiritum ut stone upon me, and there was no
Heliam vocarem, et in hoc vidi strength in my limbs. And then it
in cgelum solem oriri; et dum came into my mind, I know not
clamarem, Heliam,5 viribus meis how, to call upon Elias, and at
ecce splendor solis illius decidit the same moment I saw the sun
super* me, et statim discussit a rising in the heavens, and while
me gravitudinem. Et credo quod I cried out Elias with all my
a Christo Domino meo6 clama- might, behold, the splendor of the
bat pro me et spero quod sic erit in sun was shed upon me, and immedie pressuarse meas, sicut in M van- diately shook from me all heaviness.

0

B. has carnes eorum.
F. 1, 3, and B. have defecerunt et.
B. and F. 1, 3, have M ex hac die dbundantur cibum habuerunt.
3
F. 1, 3, and B. have node.
4
F. 1, and B. have ignarum.
5
B. andF. 1, 3, have Heliam Heliam.
c
B. and 0. 1, 3, have (suhventus sum, et spiritus ejus jam tunc) clamauam,
&c., and give the whole .of the text, non vos estis, &c, Matt. x. 20.
1
2

St. Patrick9s Confession.
gelio inquit Dominus : " Won vos
estis/' &c.

Multos adhuc capturam dedi :
ea nocte prima itaque mansi cum
illis, responsum autem divinum
audivi: "Duobus autem mensibus
eris cum illis :;; quod ita factum
est. Nocte ilia sexagensima liberavit me Dominus de manibus
eorum. Etiam in itenere proevidit
nobis cibum etignem, et siccitatem
cotidie donee decimo die pervenimusomnis. Sicut superius insinuavi, viginti et octo disertum iter fecimus, et ea nocte qua pervenimus
omnis de cibo nihil habuimus.
Et iterum post paucos annos,7
in Britannis eram cum parentibus
meis, qui me ut filium susciperunt,
et ex fide rogaverunt me, ut vel
modo ego post tantas tribulationes
quas ego pertuli, nusquam ab illis
discederem.
Et ibi scilicet in
sinu noctis8 virum venientem quasi
de Hiberione, cui nomen Yictoricus, cum sepistolis innumera-

591

And I believe that Christ my Lord
cried out for me ; and I hope that
it will be so in the day of my
adversity, as the Lord testifies in
the Gospel: It is not you that
speak, &c.
Some time after I was taken
captive, and on the first night I
remained with them I heard a
divine response, saying: " You shall
be two months with them/ 7 and
so it was. On the sixtieth night
the Lord delivered me out of their
hands, and on the road He provided for us food, and fire, and dry
weather daily, until on the fourteenth day we all came. As I
have above mentioned, we journeyed twenty-eight days through
a desert, and on the night of our
arrival we had no provisions left.
And again, after a few years, I
was with my relations in Britain,
who received me as a son, and
earnestly besought me that then,
at least, after I had gone through
so many tribulations, I would go
nowhere from them. And there
I saw, in the midst of the night,
a man who appeared to come from
Ireland, whose name was Vic-

7
B. and IP. 1, 3, have Et iterum post annos ; B. has non multos; ¥. 1, 3,
annos multls. It is evident both B. and F. copied from very similar MSS. We
have here the first great variation from the version of the Book of Armagh, where
the Et iterum post paucos annos is only given once, and comes after nihil
habuimus.
8
Sinu noctis—Literally, the " bosom of the night."

592

Life of St.

bilibus vidi, et cledit mihi imam ex
his ; et legi principium sepistolse
continentem Vox Hiberionacum.
Et dum recitabam principium
eepistolse, putabam enim ipse in
mente audire vocem ipsorum, qui
erant juxta sylvam Focluti,9 qua3
est prope mare occidentale. Et
sic exclamaverunt, " Rogamus te,
sancte puer, ut venias, et adhuc1
ambulas inter nos." Et valde compunctus sum corde, et vald [e]2 amplius non potui legere: et sic expertus sum. Deo gratias, quia post
plurimos annos praestitit illis
Dominus secundum clamorem illorum.
Et alia nocte, nescio, Deus scit;
utrum in me, an juxta me, verbis
peritissime quos ego audivi, et
non potui intellegere, nisi ad
postremum orationis sic efEciatus
est: " Qui dedit pro te animam
suam,3 pro te ipse est qui loquitur
inte." Et sic expertus sum gaudibundus. Et iterum vidi in me
ipsum orantem : et eram quasi4 intra corpus meum, et audivi hoc est,
super interiorem hominem, et ibi
fortiter orabat gemitibus. Efc inter
9

Patrick.
toricus, and lie had innumerable
letters with him, one of which he
gave to me ; and I read the commencement of the epistle containing " The Yoice of the Irish f and
as I read aloud the beginning of
the letter, I thought I heard in
my mind the voice of those
who were near the wood of Focluti, which is near the western
sea ; and they cried out: " We
entreat thee, holy youth, to come
and walk still amongst us." An d my
heart was greatly touched, so that
I could not read any more, and so
I awoke. Thanks be to God that,
after very many years, the Lord
hath granted them their desire.
And on another night, whether
in me or near me God knows, I
heard eloquent words which I
could not understand until the end
of the speech, when it was said :
" He who gave His life for thee is
He who speaks in thee;" and so I
awoke full of joy. And again I saw
one praying within me, and I was,
as it were, within my body, and I
heard, that is, above the inner man,
and there he prayed earnestly with
groans. And I was amazed at

B. and F. 3, have viryultl ; F. 1, sylvam vlrgultique.
B. and F. 1, 3, have quasi ex uno ore.
2
This valde has marks of erasure over it. The scribe had written vald, when
he seems to have discovered his error.—T. O'M.
3
B. and F. 3, have qui pro te animum suam posini; F. 1, the same, except
posuil.
4
B. omits quasi
1

St. Patrick's Confession.
hsec stupebam, et admirabam, et
cogitabam quis esset qui in me orabat. Sed ad postremum orationis
sic efficiatus est ut sit'episcopus,6 et
sic expertus sum et recordatus sum
Apostolo dicente : " Spiritus adjuvat infirmitates orationis nostrse :
nam quod oremus sicut oportet nescimus : sed ipse Spiritus postulat
pro nobis gemitibus inerrabilibus,
quae verbis exprimi non possunt."6
Et iterum : " Dominus advocatus
est noster postulat pro nobis/' 7
[Et quando temptatus sum ab
aliquantis senioribus meis, qui
venerunt, et peccata mea, contra
laboriosum episcopatum meum,
utque in illo die fortiter impulsus sum, ut caderem hie et in
seternum. Sed Dominus pepercit
proselyto et peregrino propter nomen suum, benigne et valde mihi
subvenit in hac conculcatione, quod
in labe et opprobrium non male
deveni. Deum oro ut non illis in
peccatum reputetur occasionum ;
post annos triginta invenerunt me,
et ad versus verbum quod conf essus
f ueram antequod essem diaconus ;
6

593

this, and marvelled and considered
who this could be who prayed in
me. But at the end of the prayer
it came to pass that it was a bishop,
and I awoke, and remembered
that the apostle said : Likewise the
Spirit also helpeth our infirmity,
for we hioiv not what ive should
pray for as toe ought, but the Spirit
himself aslceth for us with unspeahable groanings. And again, The Lord
is our advocate, who also maheth
intercession for us. [And when
I was tried by some of my elders,
who came and spoke of my sins as
an objection to my laborious episcopate, I was on that day, sometimes, strongly driven to fall away
here and for ever. But the Lord
spared a proselyte and a stranger
for His name's sake, and mercifully
assisted me greatly in that affliction,
because I was noteniirely deserving
of reproach. I pray God that they
may not be found guilty of giving
an occasion of sin ; they found me
after thirty years, and brought
against me words that I had confessed before I was a deacon ; from

All read thus except F. 3. F. 1 has eps. Probably the original had sps, and
was thus mistaken for eps.
6
Rom. viii. 26.
7 B. has Deus. Probably a loose quotation from Rom. viii. 34. The paragraphs from Et quando to supra dictis are wanting in the Book of Armagh.
I give them above, in brackets, from the Cotton MSS. 1 must confess myself
very doubtful of the value of anything purporting to be a part of the Confession which is not contained in the Book of Armagh. However, as the above is
found in all the three versions, I give it.

594

Life of St.

propter anxietatem moesto ammo
insinuavi amicissimo meo quae in
pueritia mea una die gesseram,immo
in una hora, quia necdum prsevalebam. Nescio, Deus scit, si habebam tunc annis quindecim, et I) eum
vivum non credebam neque ex in
fantia mea; sed in morte et in incrudelitate mansi, donee valde castigatus sum, et in veritate humiliatus sum a fame et nuditate; et
cotidie contra Hiberione non
sponte pergebam, donee prope deficiebam. Sed hec [sic] potius bene
mihi fuit: quia ex hoc emendatus
sum a Domino, et aptavit me ut
hodie essem quod aliquando longe
a me erat, ut ego curas haberem
aut satagerem pro salute aliorum,
quando etiam de me ipso non cogitabam.
Igitur in illo die quo reprobatus
sum a memoratus supra dictis ad
noctem illam]. Vidi in vissu noctis
scriptum erat contra faciem meam,
sine honore. Et inter haec audivi
responsum dicentem mihi: " Male
audivimus faciem designate nudato
nomine," nee sic praedixit: " male
vidisti;" sed: "male vidimus;"
quasi ibi se junxisset, sicut dixit:
" Qui vos tanguit, quasi qui
tanguit pup illam oculi mei."9

8
9

Patrick
anxiety, with, sorrow of mind I told
my dearest friend what I had done in
my youth, in one day, n ay, rather in
one hour, because I was not then
able to overcome. I know not, God
knows, if I was then fifteen years of
age, and from my childhood I did
not believe in the living God, but
remained in death, and unbelief
until I was severely chastised, and,
in truth, I have been bumbled by
hunger and nakedness; and even
now I did not come to Ireland of
my own will, until I wTas nearly
worn out. But this proved a blessingto me, for I was thus corrected
by the Lord, and he made me fit
to be to-day that wdiich was once
far from my thoughts, so that I
should care for the salvation of
others, for at that time I had no
thought even for myself.
And in the night of the day in
which I was reproved for the
things above mentioned, I saw in
the night.] I saw in a vision of
the night a writing without honor
before me. And then I heard an
answer saying to me, "We have
heard with displeasure the face of
the elect without a name." He did
not say "thou hast badly seen,"
but " we have badly seen," as if he
had there joined himself to me, as

F. 1, 3, have deisignali. F. 1, 3, and B. read male vidimus.
Zach. ii. 8. Not as in the Vulgate.

St. Patrick's Confession.
Iclcirco gratias ago ei, qui
me in omnibus confortavit, ut
non me inpediret a profectione
qua statueram, et de mea quoque opere, quod a Christo Dominus meo dedideram : sed magis
ex eo sensi virtutem non parvam,
et fides mea probata est coram
deo et hominibus.

Uncle autem audenter dico, non
me reprehendit conscientia mea
hie et in futurum ; teste Deo ab
eo, quia non sum mentitus in
sermonibus quos ego retuli vobis.1 [Sed magis doleo pro amicissimo meo, cur hoc meruimus
auclire tale responsum, cui ego
credidi et etiam animam. Et
comperi ab aliquantis fratribus
ante defensionem illam, quod ego
non mterfui, nee in Britanniis
eram, nee a me orietur, ut et ille
in mea absentia pro me pulsaret.
Etiam mihi ipse ore suo dixerat:
"EccedandusestuadgradumEpiscopatus," quod non eram dignus.
Sed unde venit illi postmodum ut
coram cunctis bonis et malis in me
puplice dehonestaret, quod ante
sponte et lsetus indulseraf? Et
Dominus qui major omnibus est?

1

595

he said : He that toucheth you, is
as he whb toucheth the apple of my
eye. Therefore I give thanks to
Him who comforted me in all
things, that He did not hinder me
from the journey which I had
proposed, and also as regards my
work which I had learned of
Christ. But from this thing I felt
no little strength, and my faith
was approved before God and
man.
•
Therefore, I dare to say that
my conscience does not reproach \
me now or for the future.
I
have the testimony of God now,
that I have not lied in the words
I have told you. [But I feel the
more grieved that my dearest
friend, to whom I would have
trusted even my life, should have
occasioned this. And I learned
from certain brethren that, before
this defence, when I was not
present, nor even in Britain, and
with which I had nothing to do,
that he defended me in my absence.
He had even said to me with his
own lips : " Thou art going to
be given the rank of bishop/7
though I was not worthy of it.
How, then, did it happen to him
that, afterwards, before all persons, good and bad, he should

The paragraphs from sed magis down to ultra est are wanting in the Book
of Armagh, but are given from the Cotton MSS. for the reasons stated above.

596

Life of St

Satis dico. Sed tamen non debeo
abscondere donum Deo, quod largitus est nobis in terra captivitatis
mese, quia tunc fortiter inquisivi
eum, et ibiinveni ilium, et servavit
me ab omnibus iniquitatibus, sic
credo propter inhabitantem Spiriturn ejus, qui operatus est usque
in hanc diem in me audentur rursus. Sed scit Deus, si mini homo
hoc effatus fuisset forsitan tacuissem propter charitatem Christi.

Patrick

detract me publicly, when lie had
before this freely and gladly praised
mel And the Lord who is greater
than all 1 I have said enough. Still
I ought not to hide the gift of God
which He gave me in the land of
my captivity, for I sought Him
earnestly then, and found him
there, and He preserved me from
all iniquity, I believe, through the
indwelling of His Spirit, which
worketh within me unto this clay
more and more. But God knows
if it were man who spoke this to
me I would perhaps be silent for
the love of Christ.
Unde ego indefessam gratiam
Therefore, I give unceasing
ago Deo meo, qui me fidelem ser- thanks to my God, who preserved
vavit in die tentationis mese; ita me faithful in the clay of my
ut hoclie confidenter ofTeram illi temptation, so that I can, to-clay,
sacrificium, ut hostiam viventem offer him sacrifice confidently, the
animam meam Christo Domino living sacrifice of my soul to Christ
meo, qui me servavit ab omnibus my Lord, who preserved me from
augustiis meis,ut et dicam: " Quis all my troubles, so that I may say
ego sum, Domiue 1 vel qua3 est in- to Him : " Who am I, 0 Lord 1 or
vocatio mea, qui mini tantam divi- what is my calling, that divine grace
nitatem cooperuisti 1 Ita ut hodie should have so wrought with me *
?
in gentibus constanter exultarem So that to-day I can so rejoice
et magnificarem nomen tuum ubi- amongst the nations, and magnify
cunque loco fuero, necnon in Thy name, wherever I am, not only
secundis, sed etiam in pressuris :" in prosperity but also in adversity;"
ut quicquicl mini evenerit, sive and I ought to receive equally whatbonum, sive malum, sequaliter ever happens to me, whether good
clebeo suscipere, et Deo gratias or evil, giving God thanks in all
semper agere, qui mihi ostendit, things, who hath shown me that
ut inclubitabilem eurn sine fine I should, undoubtingly, without
crederem, et qui me audierit ut et ceasing, believe in Him who hath
ego inscius sim in novissimis die- heard me though I am ignorant,

St. Patrick's Confession.
bus hoc opus tarn pium et tarn
mirificum adire aggreder' ita ut
imitarem quispium illos, quos ante
Dominus jamolimprsedixeratpraenuntiaturos Evahgelium suum in
testimonium omnibus gentibus ante finem muncli.2 Quod ita ergo
ut vidimus itaque suppletum est.
Ecce testes sumus, quia Evangelimn prsedicatum est ubique ubi
nemo ultra est.]
Longum est totum per singula enarrare laborem meum,
vel per partes. Breviter dicam
qualiter pissimus Deus de servitute sepe liberavit, et de periculis
xii qua periclitata est anima mea ;
praster insidias multas, et quae
verbis exprimere non valeo, nee
injuriam legentibus faciam. Sed
Deum3 auctorem qui novit omnia
etiam antequam fiant4 [ut me panperculum pupillum. Ideo tamen
responsum divinum creberrime admoneret,5 unde mihi hsec sapientia, quae in me non erat, qui nee
numerum clierum noveram, neque
Deum sapiebam % Unde mihi
postmodum donum tarn magnum
tarn salubre Deum agnoscere
vel diligere, sed ut patriam et

2

597

and that I should undertake, in
those days, so holy and wonderful
a work, and imitate those of whom
our Lord predicted of old that
they should preach His Gospel to
all nations for a testimony before
the end of the world ; which has
been accomplished, as we have seen.
Behold, we are witnesses that the
Gospel has been preached to the
limits of human habitation.]
But it is too long to detail
my labors particularly, or even
partially. I will briefly say how
the good God often delivered me
from slavery and from twelve
dangers by which my soul was
threatened, besides many snares,
and what in words I cannot express,
and with which I will not trouble
my readers. But God knows all
things, even before they come to pass
[as he does me, a poor creature,
Therefore the divine voice very often
admonished me to consider whence
came this wisdom, which was not
in me, who neither knew God nor
the number of my days. Whence
did I obtain afterwards the great
and salutary gift to know or love
God, and to leave my country

A reference to St. Matth. xxviii. 20. It is evident that St. Patrick was
very familiar with Scripture ; there are many indirect references to it throughout the Confession, which it seems scarcely necessary to verify.
3
F. 1, 3, and B. read diim authorem.
4
F. 1, 3, and B. have the paragraphs inclosed in brackets.
5
B. creberrime admomtit, and V.

598

Life of St.

parentes amitterem, et munera
mnlta mihi offerebantur cum fletu
et lacrimis?
Et offendi illos
necnon contra votum aliquantis cle
senioribus meis. Sed gubernante
Deo, nullo modo consensi neque
adquievi illis : non mea gratia sed
Deus,quivincitinme,et resistit illis
omnibus, ut ego veneram, ad Hibernas gentes Evangelium prsedicare, et ab incredulis contumelias
perferre, ut aurem obprobrium
peregrinationis mese, et persecutionis multas usque ad vincula, et
ut darem ingenuitatera meam pro
utilitatem aliorum. Et si dignus
fuero, promptus sum ut etiam
animam meam incunctanter et
libentissime pro nomine ejus ; et
ibi opto inpendere earn usque ad
mortem, si Dominus indulgeret.]
Quia valde debitor sum Deo,
qui mihi tantam gratiam, donavit
ut populi multi per me in Deum
renascerentur,6 et ut clerici ubique illis ordinarentur ad plebem
nuper venientem acl credulitatern, quam stimsit Dominus ab
extremis terrse, sicut olim promiserat per profetas suos :7 " Sicut falso comparaverunt patres
nostri idola, et non est in eis

6

Patrick.
and my relations, although many
gifts were offered to me with sorrow and tears. And I offended many
of my seniors then against my will,
But, guided by God, I yielded
in no way to them—not to me,
but to God be the glory, who conquered in me, and resisted them
all; so that I came to the Irish
people to preach the Gospel, and
bear with the injuries of the unbelieving, and listen to the reproach
of being a stranger, and endure
many persecutions, even to chains,
and to give up my freedom for the
benefit of others. And if I be
worthy, I am ready to give up my
life unhesitatingly and most cheerfully for His name, and thus, if
the Lord permit, I desire to spend
it even until my death.]
For I am truly a debtor to God,
who has given me so much grace,
that many people should be born
again to God through me, and that
for them everywhere should be ordained priests for this people, newly
come to the faith, which the Lord
took from the ends of the earth, as
He promised formerly by His Prophets: "Our fathers falsely prepared
idols, and there is no profit in

B. and F. 1, 3, have et-portmodumconsummarentur.
13. and F. 1, 3, have ad gentes venient ab extremis terroa et dicent, sicut, &c.
The text seems to be taken from Jer. xvi. 19 ; but is more a paraphrase thaii a
quotation.
7

St. Patrick's Confession.
utilitas, ad te gentes veniunt et dicent." Etiterum: "Posuite lumen
in gentibus, ut sis salutem usque
ad externum terrae."8 Et ibi volo
expectare promissum ipsius, qui
utique numquam fallit, sicut in
Evanguelio pollicetur: "Yenient
ab oriente et occidente, ab austro
et ab aquilone et recumbent cum
Abraham et Issac et Jacob :"9 sicut
creel imus ab omni mundo venturi
sunt credentes.

Idcirco itaque oportet bene et
cliligenter piscare, sicut Dominus
praemonet et docet dicens: " Venite
post me, et faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum." Et iterum, 1
' 'Ecce mitto piscatores et venatores
multos, dicit Dominus," &c.2
Unde autem valde oportebat retia
nostra tendere, ita ut multituclo
copiossa et turba Deo caperetur :
et ubique essent clerici qui baptizarent, et exhortarent sic populum indegentem et dissiclerantem :
sicut Dominus in Evanguelio
amonet et docet dicens: " Euntes ergo nunc docete omnes
gentes, baptizantes eas in nomine Patris, et Eilii, et Spiritus sancti usque ad terminum
8

599

them, to thee the Gentiles come
and will say/' And again, I have
set thee to be the light of the Gentiles, that thou mayest be for salvation unto the utmost parts of
the earth. And thus I wait the
promise of Him who never fails,
as He promises in the Gospel:
They shall come from the east and
the west [from the north and from
the south] and shall sit doivn with
Abraham, and Isaac, and'Jacob. So
we believe that the faithful shall
come from all parts of the world.
Therefore we ought to fish well
and diligently, as the Lord taught
and said : Come ye after me and I
will make you fishers of men.
And again: Behold, saith the Lord,
I send many fishers and many hunters, &c. Therefore we should, by
all means, set our nets in such a
manner that a great multitude and
a crowd may be caught therein
for God, and that everywhere there
may be priests who shall baptize
and exhort a people who so need
it and desire it ; as the Lord
teaches and admonishes in the
Gospel, saying : Going, therefore,
teach ye all nations, baptizing them
in thename of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, even to

Acts, xiii. 47 : nearly as in Vulgate.
B. and P. 1, 3, omit the following words.
Matt. viii. 11.
2
B. and F. 1, 3, have dicit per prophetas ; F. 1 has peccatores for piscatores.

9
1

'

\
\

600

Life of St.

seculi." 3 E t iterum : " E u n t e s
ergo in n m n d u m universum, praedicate Evanguelium omni creaturse. Qui crediderit, et baptizatus f uerit, salvus erit, qui vero non
credideret condemnabitur." 4 Reliqua sunt exempla. [Et iterum :
" P r ^ d i c a b i t u r lioc E vangelium regni in universo munclo in testimonium omnibus gentibus et tunc veniet
finis." E t item Dominus per proplietam prasnuntians, inquit : " E t
eritinnovissimiscliebus,dicitDomimis, emmdam de Spiritu meo super
omnem carnem, et prophetabunt
filii vestri, et filifB vesta©, et filii vestri visiones videbunt, et seniores
vestri somnia somniabunt.
Et
quidem super servos meos et ancillas meas in diebus illis eflundam
de Spiritu meo, et prophetabunt." 5
E t Osee dicit: "Vocabo non piebem meam ; et non misericordiam
consecutam; et erit in loco u b i
dictum e s t : N o n plebs mea vos,
, ibi vocabuntur filii Dei vivi."] 6

Patrick.
the consummation
of the world.
A n d again : Go ye into the whole
world and preach the Gospel to
every creature; he that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved, but he
that believeth not shall be condemned.
The rest are examples.
[And again: This Gospel of the Icingdom shall be preached in the whole
world for a testimony to all nations,
and then shall the consummation
come. A n d again, i h e Lord, speaking by the prophet, says : A n d it
shall come to pass in the last days,
saith the Lord, that I will pour out
my spirit upon all flesh, and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, and your young men shall
see visions. Moreover, upon m y
servants and handmaids in those
days I will pour forth m y spirit and
they shall prophesy.
A n d Osee
s a i t h : And I will say to that ivhich
was not my people: Thou art my
people: and to her who hath not
found mercy ; and they shall say ;
Thou art my God. A nd in the place
where I said to them, You are not
my people, it shall be said to them,
Ye are the sons of the living God.]

3

Matt. iv. 18.
B. and F. 1, S, have sancti docentes eos observare omnia quwcunque mandai
vobis: et eece ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus, usque ad consummatio?iem seculi
—Matt, xxiii. 19.
6
Mark, xvi. 16. The four following words are not in B. or F. From Et
iterum to Dei vivi is wanting in Book of Armagh.
6
Joel, ii. 18.
4

St. Patrick's Confession.
Unde autem Eiherione, qui
numquam notitiam7 habuerant,
nisi idnla et himunda usque nunc
semper coluerunt, quomodo nuper
efTecta est plebs Domini, et filii
Dei nuncupabuntur 1 Filii Scottorum8 et filiae Kegulorum monachi
et virgines Ghristi esse videntur.9
[Et etiam una benedict a Sotta,1
gentiva, nobilis, pulcherrima, adu.1ta erat, quam ego baptizavi: et
post paucos dies una causa venit
ad nos : insinuavit nobis responsum accepisse a nutu Dei, et
monuit etiam ut esset virgo
Christi, et ipsa Deo proximaret.
Deo gratias, sexta ab hac die optime
et avidissime arripuit illud, quod
etiam omnes virgines Dei ita hoc
faciunt, iron sponte patrum earum ;
sed persecutionem patiuntur, et
inpropria falsa apparentibus suis,
et nihilhomin.us plus augetur numerus; et de genere nostro qui ibi
nati sunt, nescimus numerum
eorum, praeter viduas et continentes. Sed et illas maxime laborant, quse servitio detinentur:

601

Wherefore behold how in Ireland they who never had the knowledge of God, and hitherto only
worshipped unclean idols, have
lately become the people of the
Lord, and are called the sons of
God. The sons of the Scoti and
the daughters of princes are seen
to be monks and virgins of Christ,
[And there was one blessed Irish
maiden, of adult age, noble and
very beautiful, whom I baptized,
and after a few days she came to
us for a reason, and gave us to
understand that she had received
a command from God, and was
informed that she was to become
a virgin of Christ, and to draw
near to God* Thanks be to God,
six days after this she most excellently and eagerly entered on
this state of life, which all the
virgins of God now adopt, even
against the will of their parents,
even enduring reproaches and persecution from them, and notwithstanding they increase in number ;
and as for those who are born

7 Os. ii.. 1, et i, 10*
8
B. and F. 1, 3, have Dei habuerant,
9
In B. the c in Scottorum and in Scotta has been erased. On the first word
in the Book of Armagh the Rev. T. O'Mahony gives me the following note:
" I t is doubtful whether the word here should be Scottorum—the MS. has
Scorum only; but there is a small mark not unlike an inverted comma over
the c, which may have been intended as a contraction."
1
From M etiam to animabus vestris is wanting in the Book of Armagh. In
the Cotton MS., from which the text is taken, the letter c in Scotta has been
erased. It is probable that, causa, three lines further on, is a mistake for Scotta.
However, we prefer giving the text, to a letter, as it stands, g p

602

Life of St.

suque ad terrores et minas asidue
persuaserunt. Sed Dominus gratiam dedit multis ex ancillis meis :
nam sive tantum, tamen fortiter
imitantur.

Unde autem etsi voluero amittere illas, et ut pergens in Brittanniis, et libentissime paratus
eram, quasi ad patriam et parentes :
non id solum, sed etiam usque
Gallias visitare fratres, et ut
viderem faciem sanctorum Domini
mei: scit Deus quod ego valde
optabam. Sed alligatus spiritu qui
mihi protestatur, si hoc f ecero, ut
futurum reum esse designat, et
timeo pendere laborem, quern inchoavi; et non ego, sed Christus
Dominus, qui me imperavit ut
venirem, esse cum illis residuum
aetatis meae; si Dominus voluerit,
et custodierit me ab omni via mala,
ut non peccem coram illo. Spero
autem hoc debueram : sed memet
ipsum non credo, quamdiu fuero in
hoc corpore mortis : quia fortis est
qui cotidie nititur subvertere me a
fide etpropositacastitate religionis
non ficte usque in finem vitae meae
Christo Domino meo: sed caro inimicasempertrahitadmortem,idest
ad inlecebras in inlicitate perficiendas, et scio ex parte ququare vitam

Patrick.
again in this way, we know not
their number, except the widows
and those who observe continency.
But those who are in slavery are
most severely persecuted, yet they
persevere in spite of terrors and
threats. But the Lord has given
grace to many of my handmaids, for
they zealously imitate Him as far
as they are able.
Therefore, though I could have
wished to leave them, and had been
ready and very desirous to go to
Britannia, as if to my country
and parents, and not that alone, but
to go even to Gallia, to visit my
brethren, and to see the face of
my Lord's saints ; and God knows
that I desired it greatly. But 1
am bound in the spirit, and He who
witnesseth will account me guilty if
I do it, and I fear to lose the labor
which I have commenced—and not
I, but the Lord Christ, who commanded me to come and be with
them for the rest of my life ; if the
Lord grants it, and keeps me from
every evil way, that I should not
sin before Him. But I hope that
which I am bound to do, but I
trust not myself as long as I am
in this body of death, for he is
strong who daily tries to turn me
from the faith, and from the sincere religious chastity to Christ
my Lord, to which I have dedicated myself to the end of my life;
but the flesh, which is in enmity,

St. Patrick's Confession.
perfectamego non egi sicut et ceteri
credentes. Sed confiteor Domino
meo, et non erubesco in conspectu
ejus, quia non mentior, ex quo
cognovi eum in iuventute mea,
crevit in me amor Dei, et timor
ipsius, et usque nunc, favente
Domino, fidem servavi.

Eideat autem et insultet qui
voluerit, ego non silebo, neque
abscondo signa et mirabilia, quae
mihi a Domino ministrata sunt
ante multos annos quam fuerunt,
quasi qui novit omnia, etiam ante
tempora ssecularia. Unde autem
debuero sine cessatione Deo gratias
agere, qui saepe indulsit insipientise meae, negligentiae meae de loco
non in uno quoque, ut non mihi
vehementer irasceretur, quiadjutor
clatus sum, et non cito adquievi,
secundum quod mihi ostensum
fuerat et Spiritus suggerebat, et
misertus est mihiDominus in millia
millium : quia vidit in me quod
paratus eram; sed quod mihi pro
his nesciebam de statu meo quid
facerem, quia multi hanc legationem prohibebant, et jam inter
se ipsos post tergum meum narrabant et dicebant: " Iste quare se
mittit in periculum inter hostes,
qui Deum non noverunt T Non

603

always draws me to death, that is,
to unlawful desires, that must
be unlawfully gratified, and I
know in part that I have not
led a perfect life like other
believers. But I confess to my
Lord, and do not blush before Him,
because I tell the truth, that from
the time I knew Him in my youth
the love of God and His fear increased within me, and until now,
by the favor of the Lord, I have
kept the faith.
Let him who pleases insult and
laugh at me, I will not be silent,
neither do I conceal the signs and
wonders that the Lord hath shown
to me many years before they
took place, as He who knew all
things even before the world
began. Therefore I ought to give
thanks to God without ceasing,
who often pardoned my uncalledfor folly and negligence, who did
not let His anger turn fiercely
against me, who allowed me to
work with Him, though I did not
promptly follow what was shown
me, and what the Spirit suggested;
and the Lord had compassion on
me among thousands and thousands, because He saw my good
will; but then I knew not what to
do, because many were hindering
, my mission, and were talking behind my back, and saying : " Why
does he run into danger among
enemies who know not Gocl 1" This

604

Life of St.

ut causa malitiae, sed non sapiebat
illis, sicut et ego ipse testor, intelligi propter rusticitatem meam;
et non cito agnovi gratiam, quae
tunc erat in me : nunc mihi sapit
quod ante debueram.

Nunc ergo simpliciter insuavi
fratribus et conservis meis qui
mihi crediderunt, propter quod
prsedixi et prsedico ad roborandam et confirmandam fidem vestram. Utinamutimiteminimajora,
et potiora faciatis. Hoc erit gloria
mea; quia filius sapiens gloria
patris est. Vos scitis et Deus
qualiter apud vos conversatus sum
a juventute mea, et fide veritatis
et sinceritate cordis; etiam ad
gentes illas inter quas habito,
ego fidem illis praestiti et praestabo. Deus scit, neminem illorum circumveni, nee cogito,
propter Deum et Ecclesiam ipsius,
ne excitem illis et nobis omnibus
perseeutionem, et ne per me biasphematur nomen Domini i quia
script am est : " Vae homini per
quern nomen Domini blasphematur." Nam etsi imperitus
sum in nominibus, tarn en conatus sum quippiam servare me,
etiam et fratribus Christianis et
virginibus Christi, et mulieribus
religiosis ; quas mihi ultronea
munuscula donabant, et super
altare jactabant ex ornamentis

Patrick
was not said with malice, but because they did not approve of it,
but, as I now testify, because of my
rusticity, you understand • and I
did not at once recognize the
grace which was then in me, but
now I know I should have known
before.
Therefore, I have simply related to my brethren and fellow
servants who have believed me,
why I have preached and still
preach to strengthen and confirm your faith* Would that you
also might aim at higher things and
succeed better. This shall be my
glory, because a wise son. is the
glory of his father. You know
and God knows how I have lived
among you from my youth up,
both faithful in truth and sincere
in heart; also I have given the faith
to the people among whom I dwell?
and I will continue to do so. God
knows I have not overreached any
of them, nor do I think of it* because of God and His Church, lest
I should excite persecution for
them and all of us, and lest the
name of the Lord should be biasphemed through me * for it is
.
written,. "Woe to the man through
whom the: name of the Lord is
blasphemed." For though I am
unskilled in names, I have endea,vored to be careful even with my
Christian brethren, and the virgins
of Christ, and devout women,, who

St Patrick's Confession,
suisj et iterum reddebam illis :et
adversum me scandalizabantur cur
ego faciebam. Sed ego propter
spem perennitatis, ut me in omnibus caute proterea conservare : ita
ut me in aliquo titulo infideli carperent, vel ministerium servitutis
mese, nee etiam in minimo, incredulis locum darem infamare
sive detractare*

Forte autem quando baptizavi
tot millia hominum, speraverim ab
aliquo illorum vel dimidio scriptulse. Dieite mihi, et reddam vobis ;
aut quando ordinavit ubique Dominus clericos per modicitatem
meam et ministerium gratis distribui illis ? Si poposci ab aliquo LU
lorum vel pretium vel calceamenti
mei, dieite adversus me et reddam
vobis magis. Ego impendi pro vobis, ut me caperent: et inter vos
et ubique pergebam causa vestra,in
multis periculis, etiam usque ad
extras partes, ubi nemo ultra
erat, et ubi numquam aliquis pervenerat qui baptizaret, aut clericos
ordinaret, aut populum consummaret :3 donante Domino, diligenter et libentissime pro salute

605

freely gave me gifts, and east of
their ornaments upon the altar,
but I returned them, though they
were offended with me because
I did so. But I, for the hope
of immortality, guarded myself
cautiously in all things } so that
they could not find me unfaithful,
even in the smallest matter, so that
unbelievers could not defame or
detract from my ministry in the
least.
But when it happened that I
baptized so many thousand men,
did I expect even half a "screpall"2
from them ] Tell me, and I will
return it to you. Or when the Lord
ordained clergy through my humility and ministry, did I confer the
grace gratuitously 1 If I asked of
any of them even the value of my
shoe, tell me, and I will repay you
more. I rather spent for you, as
far as I was able ; and among you
and everywhere for you I endured
many perils in distant places, where
none had been further or had ever
come to baptize, or ordain the
clergy, or confirm the people. By
the grace of the Lord I labored
freely and diligently in all things for
your salvation. At this time also

2
This was an ancient Celtic coin, value about three pence, weighing twentyfour grains. See Petrie's "Round Towers," p. 214. There is an obvious
allusion here to I. Kings, xii. 3 ; Protestant version, I. Sam. xii. 3.
3
The word consummate was used for the sacrament of Confirmation, as by
St. Cyprian, Ut signaculo Domini consummenlur, quoted by Potter, p. 190.

606

Life of St.

vestra omnia generavi. Interem
prsemia dabam regibus, propter
quod dabam mercedem filiis ipsorum, qui mecuni ambulant
et nihil4 comprehenderunt me
cum comitibus meis ; et ilia
die avidissime cupiebant interficere me; sed tempus nondum venerat; et omnia qusecumque nobiscum rapuerunt, ilia et meipso
ferro vinxerunt: et quarto decimo
die absolvit me Dominus de potesta eorum, et quicquid nostrum
fuit, redditum est nobis propter
Deum et necessarios amicos, quos
ante previdimus.
Yos autem experti estis quanta
erogavi illis, qui iudicabant per
omnes regiones, quos ego frequentius visitabam. Censeo enim non
minus quam pretium quindecim
hominum distribui illis ita ut me
fruamini, et ego vobis semper fruar
in Domino. Non me pcenitet, nee
satis est mihi; adhuc inpendo, et
superinpendam, x>ro animabus vestris.] Ecce testem Deum invoco
in animam meam, quia non mentior, neque ut sit occassio vobis neque ut 6 honorem spero ab aliquo
vestro. Sufficit enim honor qui non6
mentitur. Sed video jam in prae4

Patrick
I used to give rewards to kings,
whose sons I hired, who travel
with me, and who understood
nothing but [to protect] me and my
companions. And on one day they
wished to kill me; but the time had
not come yet; but they put me in
irons, and carried off all we possessed. But on the fourteenth day
the Lord released me from their
power, and what was ours was
restored to us through God, and
through the friends we had before
secured.

You know how much I expended
on the judges in the districts which
I visited most frequently. For I
think I paid them not less than the
hire of fifteen men, that you might
have the benefit of my presence, and
that I might always enjoy you in
the Lord. I do not regret it, nor is
it sufficient for me. I still spend,
and will still spend, for your souls.]
Behold, I call God to witness on my
soul that I do not lie, neither that
you may have occasion, nor that I
hope for honor from any of you ;
sufficient for me is the honor of
truth. But I see that now in the

V. reads correctly nihilominus, and two lines above prceter.
B. F. 1, 3, and Y. read ut sit ocasio adulationis vel avaritice scripserim vobis
neque ut, &c.
6
B. and F. 1, 3, read non videtur sed corde creditur,fidelisautem qui promis'it
nunquam mentitur.
5

St. Patrick's Confession,
senti sseculo me supra modum
exaltatus sum a Domino : et non
eram dignus, neque talis ut hoc
mihi prsestaret: dum scio7 melius
convenit paupertas et calamitas,
quam divitise et delicise. Sed et
Christus Dominus pauper fuit pro
nobis.
Ego vero miser et infelix, et si
opes voluero jam non habeo, neque
meipsum judico, quia quotidie
spero aut internicionem, aut circumveniri, aut redigi in servitutem,
sive occassio cujuslibet.8 [Sed nihil horum vereor propter promissa
coelorum: quia jactavi meipsum
in manus Dei omnipotentis, quia
ubique dominatur; sicut Propheta
dicit: " Jacta cogitatum tuum in
Dominum, et ipse te enutriet."9

607

present world I am greatly exalted
by the Lord; and I was not worthy
nor fit to be thus exalted, for I
know that poverty and calamity
are more suitable for me than
riches and luxury. But even
Christ the Lord was poor for us.

Truly, I a poor and miserable
creature, even if I wished for
wealth, have it not; neither do I
judge myself, because I daily expect either death, or treachery, or
slavery, or an occasion of some kind
or another.
[But I fear none
of these things, relying on the
heavenly promise, for I have cast
myself into the hands of the omnipotent God, who rules everywhere,
as the Prophet says : Cast thy care
upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.
Ecce nunc commendo animam
Behold now I commend my
meam, fldelissimo Deo meo, pro soul to my most faithful God,
quo legationem fungor in igno- whose mission I perform, notwithbilitate mea : sed quia personam standing my unworthiness; but
non accipit, et elegit me ad hoc because He does not accept perofficium, ut unus essem de suis sons, and has chosen me for this
minimis minister. " Unde autem office, to be one of the least of
retribuam illi pro omnibus quae His ministers. What shall I renretribuat mihi V'1 Sed quid dicam, der to Him for all the things
vel quid promittam Domino meo ? that He hath rendered to me ? But
Quia nihil video, nisi ipse mihi what shall I say or promise to my
7 B. and P. 1, 3, certissime quod mihi,
8
From Sed nihil to vix evaserum is wanting in the Book of Armagh,
a Psalms, liv. 23.
1
Psalms, cxv. 12.

608

Life of St.

dederit; sed scrutatur corda et
renes, quia satis et nimis cupio, et
paratus eram ut donaret mihi bibere calicem ejus, sicut indulsit
ceteris amantibus se. Quia propter non contiiigunt mihi a Domino
meo, ut nunquam amittam plebem
meam, quam acquisivit in ultimis teme.
Oro Deum ut det
mihi perseverantiam, et dignetur
ut reddam illi testem fidelem usque ad transitum meum propter
Deum meum. Et si aliquid boni
umquam imitatus sum propter Deum meum, quern diligo; peto illi det
mihiutcumillisproselitisetcaptivis
pro nomine suo effundam sanguinem meum, etsi ipse etiam caream
sepulturam, et miserrissime cadaver per singula dividatur canibus,
aut bestiis asperis, aut volucres coeli
ut comederunt illud. Certissime
reor si mihi hoc incurrsit, lucratus
sum animam cum corpore meo ;
quia sine ulla dubitatione in die
illa resurgemus in claritate solis,
hoc est, in gloria Christi Jesu,
redemptoris nostri quasi filii Dei,
cohseredes Christi, et conformes
futurse imaginis ipsius.2

Patrick.
Lord % For I see nothing unless
He gives Himself to me ; but
He searches the heart and reins,
because I ardently desire and am
ready that He should give me
to drink His cup, as He has
permitted others to do who have
loved Him. Wherefore, may my
Lord never permit me to lose His
people whom He has gained in the
ends of the earth. I pray God,
therefore, that He may give me
perseverance, and that He may
vouchsafe to permit me to give
Him faithful testimony for my
God until my death. And if I
have done anything good for my
God, whom I love, I beseech Him
to grant to me that with those
proselytes and captives I may pour
out my blood for his name, even
if my body should be denied burial,
and be miserably torn limb from,
limb by dogs or fierce beasts, or
that the birds of heaven should devour it. I believe most certainly
that if this should happen to me, I
have gained both soul and body;
for it is certain that we shall rise
one day in the brightness of the
sun—that is, the glory of Christ
Jesus our Kedeemer, as sons of
God, but as joint heirs with Christ,
and to become conformable to His
image.

2
B. and 0. 3 read here quoniam ex ipso, et per ipsum, et in ipso, regnaturi
mmus.

Death of St. Patrick.

St. Patrick's Confession.
Nam sol iste, quern videmus,
jubente, propter nos cotidie
oritur: sed numquam regnabit,
et neque permanebit splendor
ejus; sed et omnes, qui adorant
eum, in poenam miseri male devenient. Nos autem qui credimus
et adoramus solem verum Christurn, qui nunquam interibit,
neque qui fecerit voluntatem
ipsius sed manebit in aeternum,
qui regnat cum Deo Patre
omnipotente, et cum Spiritu
Sancto, ante saecula, et nunc,
et per omnia ssecula sseculorum.
Amen.
Ecce iterum iterumque breviter
exponam verba confessionis mese.
Testificor in veritate, et in exultatione cordis coram Deo et Sanctis
Angelis ejus, qui numquam habui
aliquam occasionem, prater Evangelium, et promissa illius, ut unquam redderem ad gentem illam,
unde autem prius vix evaseram.]
Sed precor credentibus et timentibus Deum, quicumque dignatus
fuerit inspicere, vel recipere hanc
scripturam, quam Patricius peccator, indoctus scilicet, Hiberione
conscripsit, ut nemo umquam dicat
quod mea ignorantia si aliquid
pussillum egi, vel demonstraverim
secundum. Sed arbitramini, et
verissime credatur, quod donum
Dei fuisset. Et ha3C est confessio
mea antequam moriar.

611

For that sun which we see
rises daily for us, but it will not
rule or continue in its splendor
for ever, and all who adore it shall
suffer very miserably. But we who
believe in and adore the true sun,
Christ, who will never perish,
neither he who shall do His will,
but; even as Christ shall abide for
ever, who reigns with God the
Father Almighty, and with the
Holy Spirit, before the ages, and
now, and for ever and ever. Amen.

Behold, again and again, I shall
briefly declare the words of my
Confession. I testify in truth and
in joy of heart, before God and His
holy angels, that I never had any
occasion, except the Gospel and its
promises, for returning to that peopie from whom I had before with
difficulty escaped.]
But I beseech those who believe
in and fear God, whoever may condescend to look into or receive this
writing, which Patrick, the ignorant sinner, has written in Ireland,
that no one may ever say, if I have
ever done or demonstrated anything, however little, that it was
my ignorance. But do you judge,
and let it be believed firmly, that
it was the gift of God. And this
is my Confession before I die.

612

Life of St.

Hue 3 usque quod Patricius manu
conscripsit sua : septima decima
Martii die translatus est Patricius
ad coelos.

ST. PATRICK'S

Patrick
Thus far is what Patrick wrote
with his own hand : he was translated to heaven on the seventeenth of March.

EPISTLE

TO

COROTICUS.

S. Patricii Epistola ad Christianos
Corotici Tyranni Subditos.*

St. Patrick's Epistle to the Christian
subjects of the tyrant Coroticus.

| | | ^ | A T R I C I U S peccator inl i P P i foetus, scilicet Hiberione
*Bi=zM constitutis episcopum me
esse futeor eertissime reor, a Deo
accepi id quod sum. Inter barbaras itaque habito proselitus et
parfuga ob amorem Dei. Testis
est ille, si ita est. N"on quod obtabam tarn dure et tarn aspere
aliquid ex ore meo effundere, sed
cogor zelo Dei ac veritatis Christi
excitavit pro dilectione proximorum atque filiorum pro quibus
tradidi patriam, et parentes, et
animam meam usque ad mortem,
si dignum sum, vovi Deo meo
docere gentes, etsi contemptior a
quibus manu mea scripsi atque con-

f ^ M l PATRICK, a sinner and
rffli|H unlearned, have been apI ^ S B M pointed a bishop in Ireland, and I accept from God what
I am. I dwell amongst barbarians
as a proselyte and a fugitive for the
love of God. He will testify that
it is so. It is not my wish to pour
forth so many harsh and severe
things ; but I am forced by zeal for
God and the truth of Christ, who
raised me up for my neighbors and
sons, for whom I have forsaken my
country and parents, and would
give up even my life itself, if 1
were worthy. I have vowed to my
God to teach these people, though
I should be despised by them, to

3
This sentence is separate from the text in the Book of Armagh, but seems written by the same hand.—T. O'M. Ware does not give it, but quotes it in a note.
Fell 1 concludes : " Explicit liber primus ; incipit secundos." Fell 3 : " Explicit
liber i.; incipit liber ii." The Bodleian MS. : " Explicit liber i.; incipit ii."
4
This is the title given by Villaneuva. It will be remembered that the Epistle
is not in the Book of Armagh, though it might be inferred from the title of the
Confession there, " Incipiunt libri^ that it was the intention of the scribe to
add more. The title iv- Fell and the Bodleian have been given already above.

St Patrick's Epistle
didi verba ista danda et tradenda
militibus mittenda Corotici—non
dico civibus meis, neque civibus
sanctorum Eomanorum, sed civibus daemoniorum ob mala opera
ipsorum ritu hostili. In morte
vivunt, socii Scotorum atque Pictorum apostatarum, quae sanguenalentos sanguinare de sanguine
innocentium Christianorum, quos
ego innumerum Deo genui, atque
in Christo confirmavi.

to Coroticus.

613

whom I have written with my own
hand to be given to the soldiers
to be sent to Coroticus—I do not
say to my fellow-citizens, nor to the
fellow-citizens of pious Eomans,
but to the fellow-citizens of the
devil, through their evil deeds and
hostile practices. They live in
death, companions of the apostate Scots and Picts, bloodthirsty men, ever ready to redden
themselves with the blood of innocent Christians, numbers of whom
I have begotten to God and confirmed in Christ.
Postera die, qua crismati neoOn the day following that in which
fiti in veste Candida, dum flagrabat they were clothed in white and rein fronte ipsorum crudelifcer truci- ceived the chrism of neophytes,
dati atque mactati gladio supra die- they were cruelly cut up and slain
tis. Et misi epistolam cum sancto with the sword by the above menpresbytero, quam ego ex infantia tioned ; and I sent a letter by a
docui, cum clericis, ut nobis aliquid holy priest, whom I have taught
indulgerent de praeda, vel de cap- from his infancy, with some
tivis baptizatis, quos coeperunt, clerics, begging that they would
cachinos fecerunt di illis. Idcirco restore some of the plunder or
nescio quid magis lugebam; an the baptized captives, but they
qui interfecti vel quos ceperunt, laughed at them. Therefore, I
vel quos graviter zabulus inlaque- know not whether I should grieve
avitperhenne poena gehennam pari- most for those who were slain, or
ter cum ispo mancipabunt. Quia for those whom the devil insnared
utique qui facit peccatum servus into the eternal pains of hell, where
est et filius zabuli nuncupatur.
they will be chained like him. For
whoever commits sin is the slave
of sin, and is called the son of the
devil.
Quare propter sciat omnis homo
Wherefore, let every man know
timens Deum, quod me alieni sunt, who fears God that they are eset a Christo Deo meo, pro quo tranged from me, and from Christ

614

Life of St. Patrick.

legationemfungor, patricida, fratricida, lupi rapaces, devorantes piebem Domini ut cibum panis ; sicut
a i t : "Iniqui dissipaverunt legem
tuam, Domine:" quoniam insupremis temporibus Hiberione optime
benigne plantaverat atque instructa
erat favente Deo non usurpo partern habeo cum his, quos advocavit
at prsedestinavit Evangelium praedicare in persecutionibus non parvis, usque ad extremum terrae : etsi
invidet inimicus per tyrannidem
Corotici, qui Deum non veretur,
nee sacerdotes ipsius, quos elegit,
et indulsit illis summam divinam
sublimam potestatem, " Quos ligarent super terram, ligatos esse et
in ccelis."

Unde ergo quaeso plurimum,
sancti et humiles corde, adulari
talibus non licet, nee cibum, nee
potum, sumere cum ipsis, nee
elemosynas ipsorum recipere debere donee crudeliter poenitentiam
effusis lacrymis, poenitentiam satis
Deo faciant, et liberent servos
Dei, et ancillas Cristi baptizatas, pro quibus mortuus est et
crucifixus. " Dona iniquorum, reprobat Altissimus : qui offeret sacrificium ex substantia pauperem,
quasi victimat filium in conspectu patris sui." "Divitie, inquit, quas congregabit injuste, evo-

my God, whose ambassador I a m ;
these patricides, fratricides, and
ravening wolves, who devour the
people of the Lord as if they were
bread; as it is said:" The wicked have
dissipated thy law; ; ; wherein in
these latter times Ireland has been
well and prosperously planted and
instructed. Thanks be to God, 1
usurp nothing; I share with these
whom He hath called and predestinated to preach the Gospel in
much persecution, even to the ends
of the earth. But the enemy hath
acted invidiously towards me
through the tyrant Coroticus, who
fears neither God, nor His priests,
whom He hath chosen, and committed to them the high, divine
power, "Whomsoever they shall
bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven."
I beseech you, therefore, who
are the holy ones of God and humble of heart, that you will not be
flattered by them, and that you
will neither eat nor drink with
them, nor receive their alms, until
they do penance with many tears
and liberate the servants of God and
the baptized handmaids of Christ,
for whom he was crucified and
died.
He that offereth sacrifice
of the goods of the poor, is as
one that sacrificeth the son in the
presence of tlie father., "Biches, he
saith, which the unjust accumulate, shall be vomited forth from

St. Patrick's Epistle to Coroticus.

615

mentur de ventre ejus, trahit ilium his belly, the angel of death shall
angeleni mortis, ira draconum mu- drag him away,he shall be punished
crabitur interficiet ilium linguam with the fury of dragons, thetongue
coluris comedit eum ignis inextin- of the adder shall slay him, inextinguibilis." Ideoque : " Vae qui re- guishable fire shall consume him/
plent se qui non sunt sua." Vel, Hence, "Woe to those who fill them"quid prodest homini, ut totum selves with things which are not
mundum lucretur, et animae suae de- their own." And what doth it protrimentum patiatur V Longum est fit a man if he gain the whole world
per singula discutere, vel insinuare and suffer the loss of his soul ? It
per totam legem carpere testimo- were too long to discuss one by
nia de tali cupiditate. Avaritia one, or to select from the law, tesmortale crimen. " Non concupisces timonies against such cupidity,
rem proximi tui." " Non occides." Avarice is a mortal sin. "Thoushalt
Homicida non potest esse cum not covet thy neighbor's goods."
Christo : " Qui odit fratrem suum, "Thoushalt not kill." Thehomicide
homicida adscribitur." Vel, " Qui cannot dwell with Christ. He tv/io
non diliget fratrem suum, in morte hateth his brother is a murderer,
manet." Quanto magis reus est, qui and he who loveth not his brother
manus suas coinquinavit in san- abideth in death. How much more
guine filiorum Dei, quos nuper ad- guilty is he who hath defiled his
quisivit in ultimis terrae per exta- hands with the blood of the sons
tionem [sic] parvitatis nostras !
of God, whom He hath recently acquired in the ends of the earth by
our humble exhortations!
Numquidsine Deo, vel secundum
Did I come to Ireland according
carnem Hiberionem veni 1 Quis to God or according to the flesh'?
me compulit alligatus Spiritu ut "Who compelled me, I was led by the
videam aliquem de cognatione Spirit, that I should see my relatives
mea. Numquid a me piam mi- no more % Have I not a pious mercy
sericordiam, quod ago erga gen- towards that nation which formerly
tern illam, qui me aliquando cepe- took me captive1? According to the
runt et devastaverunt servos et flesh I am of noble birth, my father
ancillas domus patres mei ? Inge- beingaDecurio. I do not regret or
nuus fui secundum carnem; De- blush for having bartered my nocorione patre nascor.
Vendidi bility for the good of others. I am
enim nobilitatem meam non eru- a servant in Christ unto a foreign
besco, neque me pcenitet pro utili- people, for the ineffable glory of

616

Life of St. Patrick.

tate aliorum. Denique servus sum
in Christo genti extere ob gloriam
ineffabilem perennis vite, que est
in Christo Jesu Domino nostro ;
etsi mei non cognoscunt, "Propheta in patria sua honorem non
habet." Forte non sumus ex uno
ovili neque unum Deum patrem
bemus sicut ait: " Qui non est
mecum, spargit." Non convenit
" turns destruit, alter sedificat."
Non qusero quae mea sunt.
Non mea gratia, sed Deus quidem hanc sollicitudinem in corde
meo, ut unus essem de venatoribus, sive piscatoribus, quos olim
Deus in novissimis diebus ante
prenuntiavit.
Invidetur mihi :
quid faciam, Domine % Yalde despicior. Ecce, oves tuae circa me
laniantur, atque depraedantur et
supra dictis latrunculis, jubente
Corotico hostile mente longe est a
caritate Dei traditor Christia.
norum in manus Scottorum atque
Pictorum. Lupi rapaces deglutierunt gregem Domini, qui utique
Hiberione cum summa diligentia
optimecrescebat:etfilii Scottorum,
et filise regulorum monachi et
virgines Christi enumerare nequeo.
Quamobrem injuriam justorum
non te placeat, etiam usque ad
inferos non placabit.
Quis sanctorum non horreat
jocundare, vel convivium fruere

eternal life, which is in Christ
Jesus my Lord : though my own
people do not acknowledge me:
A prophet is without honor in his
own country. Are we not from
one stock, and have we not one
God for our Father 1 As He has
said : He that is not with me is
against me, and he that gathereth
not with me scattereth. Is it not
agreed that one pulleth down and
another buildeth % I seek not my
own.
Not to me be praise, but to God,
who hath put into my heart this
desire, that I should be one of the
hunters and fishers, whom, of old,
God hath announced should appear
in the last days. I am reviled—what
shall I do, O Lord % I am greatly
despised. L o ! thy sheep are torn
around me, and plundered by the
above-mentioned robbers, aided by
the soldiers of Coroticus : the betrayers of Christians into the hands
of the Picts and Scots are far from
the charity of God. Eavening
wolves have scattered the flock of
the Lord, which, with the greatest
diligence, was increasing in Ireland; the sons of the Irish, and the
daughters of kings, who are monks
and virgins of Christ, are too many
to enumerate. Therefore, the oppression of the great is not pleasing
to thee now, and never shall be.
Who of the saints would not dread
to share in the feasts or amuse-

St. Patrick's Epistle to Coroticits.
cum talibus? De spoliis defunctorum Christianorum repleverunt
domus suas : de rapinis vivunt:
nesciunt misereri venenum, letale
cibum porrigunt ad amicos et filios
suos, sicut Eva non intellexit quod
mortem mortem perennem, pcenam
operantur.

Consuetudo Eomanorum Gallorum Christianorum, mittunt viros
sanctos idoneos ad Francos et
cseteras gentes cum tot mil solidorum ad redimendos captivos baptizate. Tu interficis, et vendis illos
genti exterae ignoranti Deum: quasi
in lupanar tradis membris Christi. Qualem «pem habes in Deum 1
Vel qui te consentit, aut qui te
communicat verbis adulationis 1
Deus judicabit. Nescio quiddicam,
vel quid loquar ampliusdedefunctis
filiorum Dei, quos gladius supra
modum dure tetigit. Scriptum est
enim : " Flere cum flentibus :" et
iterum: " Sidolet unum membrum,
condoleant omnia membra." Quapropter Ecclesia ploret et planget
filios et filias suas, quas adhuc
gladius nondum interfecit, sed prolongati et exportati in longa terrarum ubi peccatum manifeste gravetur impudenter habundat: ibi
venundati in genui homines Christiani in servitute redacti sunt, prsesertim indignissimorum pessimorum apostatarumque Pictorum.

617

ments of such persons? They fill
their houses with the spoils of the
Christian dead, they live by rapine,
they know not the poison, the
deadly food which they present to
their friends and children : as Eve
did not understand that she offered
death to her husband, so are all
those who work evil; they labor to
work out death and eternal punishment.
It is the custom of the Christians
of Eome and Gaul to send holy
men to the Franks and other
nations, with many thousand solidi,
to redeem baptized captives. You,
who slay them, and sell them to
foreign nations ignorant of God,
deliver the members of Christ, as
it were, into a den of wolves.
What hope have you in God1?
Whoever agrees with you, or commands you1? God will judge him.
I know not what I can say, or what
I can speak more of the departed
sons of God slain cruelly by the
sword. It is written : Weep ivith
them that weep. And again : If one
member suffers anything, all the
members suffer with it. Therefore,
the Church laments and bewails
her sons and daughters, not slain
by the sword, but sent away to
distant countries, where sin is more
shameless and abounds. There
free-born Christian men are sold
and enslaved amongst the wicked,
abandoned, and apostate Picts.

618

' Life of St.

Idcirco cum tristitia et moerore
vociferabo. O speciosissime, atque
amantissimi fratres, et filii, quos in
Christo genui, enumerare nequeo,
quid faciam vobis % Non sum dignus Deo neque hominibus subvenire. Prsevaluit iniquitas iniquorum supra nos. Quasi extranei
facti sumus. Forte non credunt
unum baptismum percepimus, vel
unum Deum Patrem habemus. Indignum est illis Hibernia nati sumus :sicut ait :"N"onne unum Deum
habeas? quid dereliquistisunisquisque proximum suum T Idcirco doleo pro vobis, doleo carissimi mei:
sed iterum gaudeo intra meipsum,
non gratis laboravi, vel peregrinatio mea in vacuum non fuit: et
contigit scelus tarn horrendum ineffabile. Deo gratias, creduli baptizati de celo recessistis ad paradisum. Cerno, vos migrare coepistis
"ubi nox non erit, neque luctus,
neque mors amplius :" sed"exul-'
tabitis sicut vituli ex vinculis resoluti, et conculcabitis iniquos, et
erunt cinis sub pedibus vestris."

Yos ergo regnabitis cum Apostolis et Prophetis atque Martyribus
seterna regna capietis ; sicut ipse
testatur inquit: " Venient ab oriente et occidente, et recumbent cum
Abraham, et Isaac, et Jacob, in

Patrick
Therefore, I cry out with grief
and sorrow. 0 beautiful and well
beloved brethren and children,
whom I have brought forth in
Christ in such multitudes, what
shall I do for you? I am not
worthy before God or man to come
to your assistance. The wicked
have prevailed over us. We have
become outcasts. It would seem
that they do not think we have
one baptism and one Father, God.
They think it an indignity that
we have been born in Ireland: as
He said: " Have ye not one God 1—
why do ye each forsake his neighbor T Therefore, I grieve for you,
I grieve, O my beloved ones. But,
on the other hand, I congratulate
myself I have not labored for nothing—my journey has not been in
vain. This horrible and amazing
crime has been permitted to take
place. Thanks be to God, ye who have
believed and have been baptized
have gone from earth to paradise,
Certainly ye have begun to migrate
where there is no night, nor death,
nor sorrow, but ye shall exult, like
young bulls loosed from their
bonds, and tread down the wicked
under your feet as-dust.
Truly you shall reign with the
apostles and prophets and martyrs,
and obtain the eternal kingdom, as
He hath testified, saying : They
shall come from the east and the
west, and shall sit down with Abra-

St. Patrick's Epistle to Coroticus.
regno ccelorum.", " Foris canis, et
veneficos et homicidae et mendacibus et perjuris;" "pars eorum in
stagnum ignis asterne." Non inmerito ait Apostolus : " Ubi Justus
vix salvus erit, peccator, et impius,
et transgressor legis ubi se recognoscitT Unde enim Coroticus
cum suis sceleratissimis rebellatores Cristi ubi se videbunt quam
mulierculas baptizatas, prsemia
distribuuntur ob misere regnum
temporale, quod utique in momento transeat sicut nubes vel f umus, qui utique vento dispergitur.
Ita peccatores et fraudulenti a facie
Domini peribunt: justi autem epulentur in magna constantia cum
Cristo, judicabunt nationes, et
regibus iniquis dominabuntur in
secula seculorum. Amen.

Testificor coram Deo efc AngeKs
suis, quo ita erit, sicut intimavit
inperitia mese. ISFon mea verba
sed Dei, et Apostolorum, atque
Prophetarum, quod ego Latinum
exposui qui numquam enim mentiti
sunt: " Qui crediderit salvus erit:
qui vero non crediderit, condemnabitur."
Deus locutus est. Quaeso plurimum ut quicumque famulus Dei
ut promptus fuerit, ut sit gerulus

619

ham and Isaac and Jacob, in the
kingdom of heaven. Without are
dogs, and sorcerers, and murderers,
and liars, and perjurers, and they
shall have their part in the everlasting lake of fire. Nor does the
Apostle say without reason: "If
the just are scarcely saved, where
shall the sinner, the impious, and
the transgressor of the law appear?"
Where will Coroticus and his wicked
rebels against Christ find themselves, when they shall see rewards
distributed amongst the baptized
women 1 What will he think of
his miserable kingdom, which
shall pass away in a moment,
like clouds or smoke, which are
dispersed by the wind 1 So shall
deceitful sinners perish before the
face of the Lord, and the just shall
feast with great confidence with
Christ, and judge the nations, and
rule over unjust kings, for ever
and ever. Amen.
I testify before God and His
angels that it shall be so, as He
hath intimated to my ignorance.
These are not my words that I
have set forth in Latin, but those
of God and the prophets and
apostles, who never lied : He that
believeth shall be saved,- bat he
that believeth not shall be condemned.
God hath said it. I entreat
whosoever is a servant of God,
that he be a willing bearer of this

620

Life of St.

litterarum harum, ut nequaquam
subtrahatur a nemine, sed magis
potms legantur coram cunctis piebibus, et prsesente ipso Corotico.
Quod si Deus inspiret illos, ut
quandoque Deo resipiscant, et vel
sero poeniteat quod tarn impie gesserunt homicidse erga fratres Domini etliberent cap tivas bap tizatas,
quos ante ceperunt; ita ut mererentur Deo vivere, et sani efficiantur hie et in aeternum. Pax Patri,
et Pilio, et Spiritui Sancto. Amen.

Patrick.
letter, that lie be not drawn aside
by any one, but that he shall see
it read before all the people in the
presence of Coroticus himself, that,
if God inspire them, they may
some time return to G-od, and
repent, though late ; that they
may liberate the baptized captives,
and repent for their homicides of
the Lord's brethren ; so that they
may deserve of God to live and
to be whole here and hereafter,
The peace of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen.

Chapter XII.
Mediaeval Devotions to St. Patrick.

His Purgatory.

IAINT PATKICK'S Purgatory was one
J of the most widely spread devotions of
the middle ages, though it is impossible
to ascertain now when and how it was
originally established. There is no
doubt that it was known for many
years before Henry of Saltrey wrote the account of the
wonders which the knight Owen saw there, and thus
contributed so largely to its fame.
Jocelyn alludes to a Purgatory, or, at least, to a place
of pilgrimage and devotion to the saint, which, however,
he places on Croagh-Patrick, in the county Mayo. There
is certainly no ground for supposing that the saint

622

Life of St.

Patrick

established the devotion personally ; and there are some
serious discrepancies in the statements of the earliest
writers who notice it, which are at least sufficient to
show that very little was really known, even then, as
to its origin. It is stated by some that it was established
by St. Patrick himself; by others that it owed its origin
to an abbot Patrick in the eighth century; and it is
added, that it was entrusted to the care of the canons of
St. Augustine, who were not established in Ireland before
the twelfth century.
Under these circumstances we have no choice but to
leave the early history of the Purgatory shrouded in the
mist of ages, and to describe it as it was described by
the earliest writers who wrote of it as an established fact.
About the year 1152, a monk of the English Benedictine abbey of Saltrey, in Huntingdonshire, wrote an
account of this Purgatory, stating that he had obtained
the material for his narrative from Sir Owen Miles, an
Irish knight, who served in the army of Stephen, King of
England. Sir Owen wished to revisit his native land, and
obtained the royal permission. "While in Ireland, perhaps touched by the revived recollections of the teachings
of his childhood, he became penitent for a life of crime,
and anxious to repair the past, as far as possible, by some
act of severe penance. The result was a determination
to make a pilgrimage to St. Patrick's Purgatory. It
would appear that he then returned to England, and
Henry of Saltrey thus accounts for his knowledge of the
knight's visions :—

St. Patrick's Purgatory.

623

" It happened at this time that Gervasius, Abbot of Luda [Louth,
in Lincolnshire], had obtained from Stephen, King of England, a
grant of land on which to build an abbey in Ireland, and he sent
one of his monks, named Gilbert, to the king, to take possession of
the land, and to build on it the abbey. But Gilbert, coming before
the king, complained that he did not know the language of that
country; to which the king replied that he would, with God's help,
soon find him an able interpreter; and calling Owen before him,
he bade him go with Gilbert and remain in Ireland, This was
agreeable to Owen, who gladly went with Gilbert, and served him
faithfully; but he would not assume the habit of a monk,
because he chose rather to be a servant than a master. They
crossed into Ireland, and built an abbey, wherein the knight,
Owen, acted as the monk's interpreter and faithful servant in all
he did.
" Whenever they were alone together the monk asked him minutely
concerning Purgatory, and the marvellous modes of punishment
which he had there seen and felt; but the knight, who could never
hear about Purgatory without weeping bitterly, told his friend, for
his edification, and under the seal of secrecy, all that he had seen
and experienced, and affirmed that he had seen it all with his own
eyes. By the care and diligence of this monk, all that the knight
had seen was reduced to writing, together with the narratives of
the bishops and other ecclesiastics of that country, who, for truth's
sake, gave their testimony to the facts.
" Lately, also, I did speak with one who was nephew of Patrick,
the third of that name, the companion of St. Malachius, by name
Florentianus, in whose bishopric, as he said, that Purgatory w a s ;
of whom having curiously inquired, he answered : ' Truly, brother,
that place is within my bishopric, and many perish in that Purgatory ; and those who by chance return, do, by reason of the
extreme torments they have endured, ever look pale and languid.7
The aforesaid narrative the said Gilbert did often repeat in my
hearing, according as he had often heard it from the knight."

624

Life of St.

Patrick.

As might be supposed, Protestants, and even some
Catholics, entirely discredit this account. It is, however, clear that it was believed at the time at which it
was written, for we cannot suppose that Henry of
Saltrey made up a purely imaginary narrative like the
vision of Dante. The way in which he writes of persons as his informants, and of having verified the
narrative of Owen Miles by reference to others, to test
his accuracy, quite forbids any idea of voluntary deception on his part. The question remains whether he was
not deceived by the knight; yet there was the constant
tradition of the country in favor of supernatural
occurrences of this kind having taken place.
A Protestant will, of course, credit the whole matter
to the imagination of Miles or the monks.5 Many Catholics will consider it a mere poetical legend. It may
not be true;—and undoubtedly Henry of Saltrey has
made the most of the original story, even granting it to
be true. But before we condemn it as altogether false,
it would be well to remember that there are many
instances on record in the Lives of the Saints which
show that it has, at certain times, pleased Almighty
God to manifest to them the terrors of hell, the pains
of purgatory, and the bliss of heaven, and tins by no
merely imaginative impression, but by a vision seen
with the corporeal eyes. We might fill a chapter with
6
Monks.— Mr. Wright gives % long account, in his " S t . Patrick's Purgatory," London, 1844, of thr carious works, ancient and modern, which
have been written on this subject. Bat, of course, not being a Catholic, he
quite misunderstands the subject, and unintentionally misrepresents it.

St. Patrick's Purgatory.

625

instances; but if one example would not convince, manyexamples would be of little utility. We only wish to
show that there is no reason why the knight may not
have seen the vision described by Saltrey, if God was
p]eased to show it to him. Those who deny the possibility of such miraculous interventions have the burden
of proof thrown on them, and are bound to show why
they discredit the testimony of those who, at different
periods of the Church's history, have manifested such
revelations.
We read in the " Life of St. Catherine of Sienna," as
written by her Confessor, what she said to him on one
occasion, when he was asking her to give an account
of what had happened to her during an ecstacy of four
hours, in which her soul appeared to be, and, as she
declared, actually was separated from her body. Her
words are thus recorded :—
" Know, father, that my soul entered into an unknown world,
and beheld the glory of the just and the chastisement of sinners.
But here also memory fails, and the poverty of language prohibits
a full description of these things. I tell you, however, what I can
be assured, that I saw the Divine Essence; and for this I suffer so
much in remaining enchained in this body. Were I not retained
for the love of God and love of the neighbor, I should die of grief.
My great consolation is to suffer, because I am aware that by
suffering I shall obtain a more perfect view of God. Hence, tribulations, far from being painful to my soul, are, on the contrary, its
delight. I saw the torments of hell and those of purgatory; no
words can describe them. Had poor mortals the faintest idea of
them, they would suffer a thousand deaths rather than undergo the
3 F

626

Life of St.

Patrick.

least of these torments during a single day
Whilst my soul
contemplated these things, its Celestial Spouse, whom it believed
it possessed for ever, said : i Thou seest what glory they lose and
torments they suffer who offend me. Eeturn, therefore, to life,
and show them how they have strayed, and what appalling danger
menaces them/ And as my soul was horrified at the idea of returning to life, the Lord added : ' The salvation of many souls
demands i t ; thou shalt no longer live as thou hast done : henceforth
thou must renounce thy cell, and continually pass through the city
in order to save souls.' "

The explanation which our divine Lord condescended
to give to St. Catherine as to His reason for showing
her this vision, is the explanation of other similar
manifestations. We are slow to realize the great truths
of eternity; and for the good of the many, as well as for
the sanctification of the individual, God, in His infinite
mercy, from time to time, permits, or, perhaps, we
should rather say, ordains certain supernatural occurrences; and these occurrences, we must believe, since
they are directed by Infinite "Wisdom, are precisely
what are most suitable to the age and time in which
they occur. Thus, the Protestant theory, that these
visions are due to the peculiar tone of mind of the
century in which they occurred, is simply begging the
question.
We cannot but think it probable that the account
given by Miles of his vision was a true one, and that
vision actually took place. At a time when men gave
rein to lawless passions, and were most easily moved by
what touched these passions, so vivid an account of the

St. Patrick's Purgatory.

627

other world must Lave made, and, indeed, whether true
or not, did make a strong impression on those who
most needed it. What was needed in Italy in the
fourteenth century, was not less, indeed, in Ireland in
the twelfth. If St. Catherine was told by our divine
Lord Himself to manifest to the sinners of Sienna the
appalling dangers of their state, it was not less necessary
that a similar manifestation should be made to sinners of
another age. It should, however, be remembered, that
the narrative of Miles Owen's vision was not written by
himself, that it would be clearly impossible for any
other person to give an accurate description of what he
had seen, and that, even admitting the vision to be
true, it by no means follows that the account given of
it is verbally correct.
There is one important point connected with the
whole subject, which seems to the present writer to
have been entirely overlooked. Those who have
written about the Purgatory, wrote merely from secondhand information, and, consequently, the accounts they
give cannot be considered perfectly reliable.
Henry of Saltrey and Giraldus were the two principal writers ; and undoubtedly the continental fame of
the Purgatory (of which more hereafter) is due to the
former. Now, they obtained their information from
many sources; and we all know, even in our own day
and time, that accuracy of information is not always
insured by multiplicity of witnesses. Neither of these
writers had visited the Purgatory, and, therefore, they

628

Life of St.

Patrick

could not tell what was taught about the Purgatory by
the ecclesiastics who had the charge of it. This should
be remembered before a sweeping accusation of credulity
or imposition is made against them. It by no means
follows, because Miles Owen saw a vision there, that
every one who entered saw visions. It is true, that
both Giraldus and Saltrey state that this was the
popular belief; but, as we have said, they had no
accurate means of knowing this belief, and if the belief
existed, it may have been spread, as popular fictions
are spread, without the concurrence of the clergy.
Again, the very name of Purgatory led also to grave
misapprehensions. It is more than probable that the
name was used only in a generic sense. It is quite
clear, from all the testimony on record, even from what
appears most fanciful, that the devotion to visiting
Lough Derg was simply to do penance in a very severe
manner for the sins of the penitent's past life; and
there was nothing whatever contrary to Catholic doctrine
or practice in such a proceeding. Even in our own
day, the pilgrimage continues, and is carried on in
the same spirit in which most probably it originated
Catholics will not need to be told what their catechism
teaches them, that "prayer, fasting, and alms-deeds,
are most useful to Christian people ;" and also, that
the temporal punishment due to our sins may be
cancelled " by indulgences, or by acts of penance, or
other good works/'
Both Giraldus and Saltrey have left descriptions of

St. Patrick's Purgatory.

629

the Purgatory, as well as of the manner in which, it
was visited. As might naturally be expected, there
are some discrepancies in their statements. Saltrey
says that " any person truly penitent and armed with
true faith, entering this pit, and spending one night
and day in it, shall be cleansed from all the sins of his
whole life, and shall, even as he passes through it,
behold, not only the torments of the wicked, but also, if
he has constantly acted through faith, the joys of the
blessed/' Giraldus merely says that those who spent
the night in the pit or cave would be tormented by evil
spirits, but he says nothing of their seeing the joys of
heaven. He adds, that " any person suffering these torments once by the injunction of his confessor, will
never incur the pains of hell, unless he relapse into
more grievous sins."6
Henry of Saltrey, however, distinctly states that " i t
was a custom approved by St. Patrick and his successors, that no person should be allowed to enter that
Purgatory without the licence of the bishop of the
diocese ; the bishop ordinarily dissuaded him from the
project; but if he persevered, the bishop gave a letter
which the penitent carried to the prior of the place ;
again, the prior, after reading the letter, dissuades him
6
Sins.—There are a number of very valuable notes on this subject in the
edition of Cambrensis Eversus published by the Celtic Society, and edited,
with notes and translation, by the late Rev. M. Kelly, of St. Patrick's College,
Maynooth. Dr. Kelly says that, for reasons which he gives, and which are too
long for insertion here, " i t is not rash to conclude that Lough Derg owed
its fame and its connection with St. Patrick to the soldier Owen and his contemporaries "—vol. i. p. 144, n. b.

630

Life of St. Patrick

from his project; but if lie persevere lie is conducted to
the church, where he devotes fifteen days to prayer and
fasting." Dr. Lynch, the author of Cambrensis Eversus,
. considers that this was an ample proof of the care and
caution used by the Church in this matter. He certainly believed that the Purgatory was a holy institution, for he condemns Giraldus for censuring it, and
says : "He [Giraldus] rashly points his sneer against a
pilgrimage instituted by Christ Himself, strongly recommended by St. Patrick, and confirmed by many
miracles, the approbation of several writers, and the
usage of centuries."7
Lough Derg, the site of St. Patrick's Purgatory,
must not be confounded with the lough of the same
name on the Shannon. The small lake, of mediaeval
fame, is situated in the county Donegal, and is no
way remarkable except for the historical circumstances
connected with it. It contains two islands, one laid
down on the Ordnance map as Saint's Island, which
was accessible from the mainland by a wooden bridge,
the stone piers of which still remain. The other island
is called Station Island, and contains the Purgatory.
There is a tradition amongst the people that the Pur7

Centuries.—Dr. Kelly says that Dr. Lanigan insinuates that the monks of
Lough Derg conspired to establish their Purgatory as a rival to that on Croagh
Patrick. He adds : " T h e Bollandists and Feijoo suppose that St. Patrick,
like many other saints, spent some days of retreat in the solitary cave; that
his example was followed by the monks, who used the cave as a duirtheach;
that some had visions, others imagined they had, and others still, according
to Feijoo, pretended they had been so favored."
This is precisely our own
view of the case, and we are glad to support it by such respectable authority.

St. Patrick's Purgatory.

631

gatory was originally situated on Saint's Island. However this may have been in remote ages, it certainly
was not so in Lombard's time, for lie says :8 " On the
other island is a convent of Canons Eegular of St.
Augustin, subject to the abbot and monastery of the
Apostles Peter and Paul, situated in the see of Armagh;
yet he who on this lake is chief of the monks, is
honored with the title of Prior of the Purgatory.
Two of these monks, in turn, always reside on the
island of the Purgatory, to receive and instruct as
spiritual fathers those pilgrims who come here to expiate their sins/'
Allowing for possible exaggerations, or, perhaps we
should say, for the much more severe religious discipline
of the early ages of the Church, there was not so very
much difference between the penance practised then
and that which is now customary. Dr. Kelly says :—
" The order of penance in the sixteenth century was substantially the same as at the present day. Nine days was the term
of pilgrimage, during which a rigorous fast, on the water of the lake
and oaten bread, was observed. The pilgrim was first conducted,
barefooted, to the church of St. Patrick, around which he moved seven
times inside and the same number outside, in the cemetery, repeating some prayers of the Church. The same ceremonies were observed
at each of the penal beds or oratories of the saints on the island
—the pilgrim moving on his knees inside the churches. He next
prayed around a cross in the cemetery, and another which was
fixed in a mound of stones. Thence he proceeded (over a rough
8

Says.—tl Commentarius de Regno Hibemice," edited by Very Rev. Monsignor Moran.

632

Life of St. Patrick

and rocky path to the border of the lake, a spot on which it was
believed St. Patrick had prayed; and there he recited the Lord's
Prayer, the Angelical Salutation, and the Apostles' Creed, which
closed the station.'
"This station was repeated three times each day—morning,
noon, and evening—during the first seven days. On the eighth,
the stations were doubled; on the ninth, after confession and
communion, and an admonition from the prior, the pilgrims entered
the cave, where they remained fasting and in meditation during
twenty-four hours; some, however, did not enter the cave, but
spent the twenty-four hours of solitude in some of the little
churches. This exceedingly painful penance was regarded then,
as it is this day, as a means of obtaining a remission of the temporal
punishment which the Catholic Church believes may remain due,
in the other life, to venial sin, or to mortal sin after the mortal guilt
has been remitted by the sacraments. Neither Eothe nor Lombard had visited Lough Derg; but in modern times it was visited
by Dr. Burke, author of the i Hibernia Dominicana,' according to
whom there was not a more severe penance in the Catholic world.
So highly did Benedict XIII. approve the penitential austerities of
Lough Derg that he preached a sermon on the subject, while he
was yet cardinal, which was printed; and indeed well might Dr.
Burke exclaim that it was a most rigid penance, for—exclusive of
preparation for confession, attendance at Mass, sermon, fasting,
vigils, morning and night prayer—the pilgrims repeat each day
the Lord's Prayer and Angelical Salutation nearly three hundred
times, and the Apostles' Creed about one hundred times, together
with the entire Eosary three times.
" In Dr. Burke's time the pilgrims kept vigil in the chapel called
' the prison,' during twenty-four hours ; but at present it is kept
on the first night of the station, which may be three, six, or nine
days. As in pilgrimages to other places, a prayer is repeated when
the lake comes in view, and a popular hymn, 'Fare thee well, Lough
Derg,' is sung when the boat pushes from the island. As to the

St. Patrick's Purgatory.

633

stations around the penal beds where little churches formerly stood,
the reader will find much interesting information regarding analogous institutions in the Bollandists—namely, stations established
by St. Gregory in the basilicas and cemeteries of Rome, which were
frequented in Lent, Advent, Rogation days, and the four great festivals of our Lord; also in Martene, ' de Ritibus Antiquis,' where he
publishes, from the archives of Lyons, Strasburg, Milan, Vienna,
&c, rituals more than nine hundred years old, giving the offices
celebrated at each station. At Lough Derg the station continues
from the 1st of June to the 15th of August. From the middle of
July to the close, the average number on the island, each day,
is 1,200 or 1,400. The boatman pays the landlord of the place
£200 or ,£300 a year, which is levied off the pilgrims."

Saltrey wrote his narrative in Latin prose, and his
account of the knight's vision was soon spread all over
Europe. It was subsequently translated into various
languages in the metrical style then popular. Two
English metrical versions are still in existence. One is
contained in the Cotton collection, and is supposed to
date from the fifteenth century. The other is a MS. of
the fourteenth century, in the Auchinleck collection in
Scotland. The narrative was also versified by Marie of
France, 9 the celebrated Anglo-Norman poetess of the
twelfth century. There are, besides, two other metrical
versions in the British Museum.1
The vignette at the head of this chapter is taken
from an illuminated MS. of the fifteenth century in the
9
France.—"Poesies de Marie de France"—poe'te Anglo-Normand du
xiii. siecle. Par Roquefort : Paris, 1820.
1
Museum.—Cot. Dom. A. iv., and Harleian, No. 273.

634

Life of St. Patrick

Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, No. 7588, A. F. : "Ici
commence le Purgatoire de Monseigneur St. Patrice."
It represents a pilgrim entering the Purgatory, and
attended by the monks chanting psalms.
In the metrical version of Owayne Miles his entrance
is thus described :—
" Every prest and every man
Went with hym, yn processyoun,
And as lowde as they myghte crye
For hym they songe the letanye,
And browte hym fayre ynto the entre,
Ther as Syr Owayne wolde be."

Here the Prior of the Purgatory gives the pilgrim his
last instructions, and then he shuts the door of the cave
into which the pilgrim has entered. A most graphic
description of his adventures is then given, which we
must condense into the briefest possible form. He is first
met by fifteen venerable men, clothed in white garments,
who receive him kindly, but inform him that he must
act manfully, or he will perish, body and soul, as, when
they leave him, he will be assailed by a number of
demons, who will torment him, and try to terrify, or
persuade him to turn back, and if he does turn back
he will perish. The moral in this part of the legend
is obviously the necessity of persevering in virtue.
The English metrical version has the following very
beautiful words, which we have given precisely as they
stand in the original, only altering the orthography for

St. Patrick's Purgatory.

635

the sake of such of our readers as may not be accustomed
to old English :—
" But if they will thee beat or bind,
Look thou have these words in mind :
* Jesus, as thou art full of might,
Have mercy on me, sinful knight T
And evermore have in thy thought
Jesus, that thee so dear hath bought."

There certainly is no superstition in these beautiful verses; and those who read the legend, whether they
took it as an allegory, or an actual narrative of fact,
could not fail to obtain great spiritual instruction from
it. We could wish that there was no worse reading
circulated amongst learned or unlearned in this so-called
enlightened century. What better could we teach our
people than this, which was taught them by the Benedictine monk of the twelfth century :—
" And evermore have in thy thought
Jesus, that thee so dear hath bought."

The knight is then attacked by the demons, whose
whole object is to make him turn back. But he is
steadfast, and is then seized by them, and flung into a
furnace, where he calls upon Jesus to help him :—
" * Jesus,7 he said, ' full of pity,
Help, and have mercy on me.' "

He is at once rescued by thus invoking the holy
name. He is then taken through different places of

63G

Life of St.

Patrick.

punishment, and in each, he is delivered by invoking the
holy name. At last the demons fling him into hell, and
he sinks down deeper and deeper, forgetting, in his
terror, to call on God for deliverance. This he remembers at last, utters the usual aspiration, and is safe
again. He has to pass a bridge which is so slippery, so
narrow, and so lofty, that it seems impossible for any
human being to cross it. It is called the bridge " of
the three impossibilities." But the knight has recourse
to prayer:—
" Sir Owayne then kneeled Mm down,
And made to God his oraison:
* Lord God,' he said, * full of might,
Have mercy on me, sinful knight;
Send me, Lord, thy sweet grace,
That I may this bridge pass ;
Help, Lord, I may not fall,
For to lose my labor all.' "

The bridge was then crossed safely, and the good
knight comes to a wall, bright as glass, in which was a
gate adorned with gold and jewels. Here he was met
by a procession of the blessed, wearing crowns and
carrying golden palms in their hands, and they show
him their beautiful garden, which is " green and full of
flowers," where there " is mirth and never strife."
This place is shown to Owen by a venerable bishop,
who informs him that it is " the earthly paradise,"
where Adam and Eve, "who were not wise," once
dwelt, and where there are many souls detained who

St. Patrick's Purgatory.

637

have left purgatory, but are not yet admitted to
heaven.2
At the conclusion of this strange interview, the bishop
shows him the celestial paradise and the hill which leads
up to it. Owen desires very ardently to remain in the
earthly paradise, but his companion tells him it must
not be, that he must return to the world, and tell
" other men what he has seen ;" and that when he has
left his flesh and bones on earth his soul will be welcomed there.
Sir Owen then returned easily to the door of the cave
where he had entered, and found the priests waiting for
him. He remained fifteen days with, them, and told
them all he had seen, " to make them wise." Then he
took cross and staff in hand and went off to the Holy
Land. He lived some years after his return from Palestine, but at last
" He died, and went the bright way
To the bliss that lasts for aye ;
To that bliss may He us bring
That of all is Lord and King."

And thus ends the legend of the knight Owen.
2
Heaven.—In the last century a Spanish monk, the general of the Benedictines, Fray Benito Geronymo Feijoo, published a series of essays against
popular errors, which have obtained a European reputation. He treats of
" St. Patrick's Purgatory," and in particular notices this heretical statement,
for which it is certainly difficult to account. Dr. Lynch, in his note on this
subject, in his edition of * Cambrensis Fversus," says : " Feijoo excuses Henry
*
of Saltrey and Matthew Paris, on the ground that they lived before the
Council of Lyons—an answer which cannot extricate Colgan, who attempts to
solve the difficulty by saying that the non-possession of the beatific vision by

633

Life of St.

Patrick

There are some curious similitudes between the vision
of Dante and that of the knight Owen ; but no one
can carefully peruse the wrapt poetry of the Italian, and
compare it with the quiet prose of the Englishman, without seeing at once that the former was pure fiction, and,
in fact, a resume of the legends of centuries, and that
the latter bore some probability of being founded on
fact, at least to those who do not pride themselves
on disbelieving everything which does not agree with
their own limited experience.
There can be but little doubt that Dante was acquainted with the legend of the knight; and we find, in
" Orlando Furioso," a passage in which Ariosto plainly
mentions the Purgatory, 3 about half a century after the
narrative of Owen's descent or vision was made public.
Csesar of Heisterbach, in his dialogues on the miracles
of his time, says : " I f any one doubt of Purgatory, let
him go to Scotia [Ireland], and enter the Purgatory of
St. Patrick, and his doubts will be dispelled." The
earliest record of a pilgrimage to Lough Derg is published in Kymer's " Fcedera" it is found in the Patent
the souls in that earthly paradise was a punishment. But they are represented
as saying: *A poenis liberi sumus;' and, moreover, the idea that Adam's
terrestrial paradise is a part of purgatory, is as strange in theology, as Lough
Derg's being the gate of paradise is in Irish topography."— " Gam.. Ev." p. 146,
n. d. The fact is, there seems to have been some confusion in the mediaeval
popular traditions on this subject; even Dante, after leaving Purgatory, is
conducted to the terrestrial paradise before he enters heaven,
3
Purgatory,—"E vide Ibernia fabulosa, dove
II santo vecchiarel fece la cava
In che tanta meree" par, che si trove
Che l'uom vi purga ogni sua colpa prava."

St. Patrick's Purgatory.

639

Rolls of the Inver, under the date 1358, and consists of
letters granted by Edward III. to Malatesta Ungarus of
Rimini, and Nicholas de Beccariis, a Lombard, to certify
that they had performed the pilgrimage.
Lough Derg is described in the Registry of John Bole,
Primate of Ireland, who died in 1470. Campion, the
celebrated English Jesuit, mentions it in his " Historie
of Ireland," written about 15 70, and wrote most shrewdly
and sensibly on the subject, condemning popular superstitions, but declaring that he "saw no cause but a
Christian man, assuring himself that there is both
heaven and hell, may, on sufficient information, be
persuaded that it might please God, at some time, for
considerations to His infinite wisdom known, to reveale
by miracles the vision of joyes and paines eternal."
Stanihurst, who wrote in 1586, also condemned the
popular opinion, that all who entered the Purgatory
saw visions; but admitted, with the saintly and martyred Jesuit, that such visions may have been given
to some. I regret very much that the limited space
which remains at the conclusion of this work will
not admit of a fuller discussion of this subject; but as
the bishop of this diocese, and several of the clergy of
this and other dioceses, are desirous that I should write
a Life of St. Brandon, I hope to do so, and to add to
it an account of St. Patrick's Purgatory, and to give the
original legend of Miles Owen in full. I must admit
that, if I had not this plan in view, it would cause me
considerable regret to give so imperfect a sketch of a

640

Life of St

Patrick

subject so full of interest, and to omit so many most
valuable and interesting details.
In concluding this Life of St. Patrick, our great and
glorious apostle, I would say, with the devout chronicler
of the vision of Owen Miles, who described the bliss of
heaven and the joy of the blessed ones—

%B t\$t Miss iMg f t m taring
m\a at all is fffrtran* ptjj.

Index to Persons, Events, etc.
Aelamnan, the miracles of Patrick
known to, 391.
Aen-Adharrac, baptism at, 425.
Aengus, brother of St. Fiacc, 464.
Aengus, property of, 425.
Aengus, son of Nadfraich, King of
Minister, 285 ; baptism of, 327, 466;
daughter of, 391.
Agabus, the prediction of, 23.
Agreda, Mary of, miraculously carried
to Mexico, 358.
A.gricola, the Pelagian, 97.
Aiibhe, St., ordination of, 401.
Ailiinn, origin of the name, 402.
Aillinn, Lughaidh's queen, 391.
Aithcen, St. Patrick's cook, 249.
Alban, St., and St. Aaron, martyrdom
of, 97.
Alcantara, St. Peter of, 119.
Alcluaidh, traditions of St. Patrick
connected with, 83.
Allan de Dunfres, an account of the
Fealty of, 80.
All Hallows' Eve, ancient name of,
287.
Alphabets, St. Patrick's distribution
of, 46, n. 6, 412, 413, 428.
Altar stone at Domnach-Patric,
county Meath, emits streams of
blood, 280.
Altus, the centurion, his visit to Ireland, 95.
Amalgaidh, the children of, 285; agreement made by St. Patrick with the
sons of, 286; twelve sons of, 421.
Amatho, King of the Romans, 378.
Amator,St., his miracles, 157; journey
to xVutun, 159; death, 163.
Amator or Amatorex, the consecrator
of St. Patrick, 213.
Ambrose, St., comparison made by,
146, Catholic teaching of, 181.
.ngel marks out the site of the
church at Armagh, 352; see also
under Victor; carries St. Patrick to
Rome, 357; conversation with on
Croagh Patrick, 414.

Annals of the Four Masters, 9, 222,
230.
Annals of Ulster, 372.
Annotations of Tirechan, 387, n.
Antony, St., visions appearing to, 4.
Antrim, the saint's captivity in, 75.
Apparizio, Life of Blessed Sebastian
of, 123.
Archbishop not the same as Ardepscop, 50.
Ardagh, St. Patrick at, 398.
Ardmacha, relics preserved in, 360.
Ardpattan, St. Patrick's visit to, 434
Aries, Council of, 97.
Armagh, Book of, Life of St. Patrick
contained in the, 44, 66 ; erasures
in, 59 ; probable date of, 59 ; proofs
of date, 60; great importance of,
61; annotations on bishops of, styled
successors of St. Patrick, 61 ; life of
St. Martin of Tours in, 63 ; Brian
Boru's inscription in, 64; hereditary
keepers of, 6 5 ; now in Dr. Reeves'
possession, 66; annotations of Tirechan in, 67, 314.
Armagh, Lupita's remains in, 5 1 ;
plundered by the Danes, 62 ; Brian
* Boru's visit to, 64 ; townlands near,
65 ; the angel desires St. Patrick to
go to, 346 ; foundation of the church
of, 3 5 1 ; relics in, 358.
Asicus, St., Bishop of Elphin, 306.
Assaroe, St. Patrick's visit to, 305,
433.
Assicus, an altar-maker, 402; death
of, 403.
Augustine of Inisbec, 46.
Augustine, St., records visions, 4 ;
contemporary with St. Patrick, 147;
his declaration of papal infallibility,
185.
Auxilius, St. Patrick's companion, 378.
Bachall Iosa, or Staff of Jesus, 178,
186, 190; destruction of idols with,
289 ; see also Staff of Jesus ; Conall
of the, 427.

3G

642

Index to Persons, Events, etc.

Baile Chuinn, Conn's Ecstacy, 397.
Ballyshannon, St. Patrick's visit to,
305.
Baptism of St. Patrick, 104, 372; of
Dichu, his first Irish convert, 229;
of Conall, son of Endeus, 284; of
the princesses Ethna and Fethlema,
292 ; at the well of Aen-Adharrac,
297 ; of Aengus at Cashel, 327, 466.
Barach, Connor Mac Nessa's druid,
93.
Bauban, St. Patrick's nephew, 251.
Bealltaine, the, 253.
Beda Ferdan bound to entertain pilgrims to St. Patrick's church, 80.
Bede, quotations from, 73.
Bell, St. Patrick's, the sweet sounding,
250, 299 ; rung on Croagh-Patrick,
301, 495.
Benen, St. Patrick's psalmist, 249.
Benignus, St., conversion of, 244;
miracle at Tara, 260, 389.
Benum a mistake for bonum, 136.
Bernan Brighte, the bell called, 299,
414.
Berraidhe, the chieftain, 339; Odran
slain by, 340.
Bescna, son of Alprann, 250.
Birds appearing to St. Patrick, 298.
Bite or Beoadh, Bishop of Ardcarne,
. 306, 402.
Black Book of Caermarthen, 248.
Blind man, curing of the, 29.
Bollandists, opinion of the, 50; copy
of Confession used by the, 69, 136,
221.
Book of Orders, St. Patrick's, 407.
Book of Eights, 123, 127, 253.
Boulogne, the saint's connection with
the see of, 72.
Brehon Laws, St. Patrick's assistance
in the compilation of, 581.
Brenainn, St., prophecy of, 472.
Brendan, St., visits Paul, 47.
Bresal, murder of, 397.
Brian Boru, visit to Armagh, 64 ; inscription of in Book of Armagh, 64;
ancestors of, 332.
Brigid, St., the administration of the
Holy Viaticum to, 47.
Britain, St. Patrick's arrival in, 75;
St. Patrick accompanied St. Germanus to, 184; visit of St. Germanus to, 196.
Britanniis, assertion that St. Patrick
was born in, 85.
j

British Museum, documents in, 380, n.
Britons, the, plunder made on, 86; of
Alcluaid, 85; of Letha, 87; an
assembly held by, 374.
Brogan, St, Patrick's nephew, 251.
Brosna, St. Patrick blesses the Munstermen at, 338.
Buas, the river, now Buch, crossed by
St. Patrick, 315.
Cadoc, the same as Muchatocc, 46 .
honored in Wales and Brittany, 47.
Cairbre opposes St. Patrick, 305.
Cairpre Niafer, Monarch of Ireland,
419, n.
Cairpre, son of Nial, desires the murder
of Patrick, 396.
Cairthenn's son, cure of, 333.
Calphrann, 248.
Calpurn, St. Patrick's father, 70, 372 ;
the murder of, 128.
Cambrensis Eversus, quotation from,
283.
Canoin Phadraig, 63.
Canons, St. Patrick taught the, by
Germanus, 159, 180 to 183.
Captivity, St. Patrick's, 91 ; the date
of, 126; cause of, 375.
Carrickmacross, the saint's visit to
346.
Cashel, vision on the walls of, 111 ,
destruction of the idols at, 327.
Casula, St. Patrick's, cleansed by an
angel, 299; of Bishop Mel's sister,
398.
Catan, St., 251.
Cathal Mac Fergus, death of, 80.
Cauldron, a, given by Daire to St.
Patrick, 351.
Cecinit, Abbot of Mainister-Buithe.
county Louth, 248.
Cele De, disobedience of Malach, 467.
Celestine, Pope, St. Patrick sent by4
98; gave St. Patrick his name, 112,
St. Patrick ordained by, 211, 378.
Cethire, the bishop, 285.
Ciaran of Belach-Duin, the miracles of
Patrick known to, 391.
Cill-Garad founded by St. Patrick,
407.
Cinaeth, son of Irgalach, violates sanctuary, 280.
Cinel-Eoghain, miracle performed for
the ancestor of, 307.
Cinne, daughter of Eochaidh, a virgin
at Clogher, 317, 453.

Index to Persons, Events, etc.

643

Choirs, the three, at St. Patrick's ordiConor Mac ISTessa, the legend of, 93 ;
nation, 378.
death of, 94.
Christopher Cruice, 391.
Consecration, St. Patrick's episcopal,
Clare, the O'Troighthighs of, 58.
210.
Clebach, conversion of the princesses at
Constantius, the life of St. Germanua
the well of, 292.
^
written by, 180, n.
Clock-Lobhrais, a rock celebrated in
Controversy on miracles, 3.
pagan times, 288.
Corco-Themne, St. Patrick's visit to,
Clogher, idol stone preserved at, 288 ;
301.
see of, founded by St. Patrick, 316.
Cormac, King of Ireland, 453.
Clonard, county Meath, 417.
Cormac, the priest who baptized the
Clonshanville, the bishop of, 114.
saint, 251.
Coemhan, St. Patrick's chamberlain,
Cormac Mor, son of Lebrinth, 248.
249.
Cornelius, vision of, 23.
Colenzo, Dr., theories on miracles, 30.
Coroticus, statements in St. Patrick's
Coleraine, St. Patrick's visit to, 315,
letter to, 7 3 ; original and transla444.
tion of letter to, 612.
Colette, St., miracle performed for,
Cothraige, a name for St. Patrick, 111.
307.
Cows, miraculous cure of, 374.
Colgan, his second Life of St. Patrick,
Crimthann was King of Leinster, 463.
5 1 ; alters the narrative of St.
Crimthann, King of Hy-Kinsellagh, 48.
Patrick's being carried to Rome miCrom Cruach, the Irish idol, 287 ;
raculously, 358; remarks on his
destruction of, 399; probable site
Trias Th. 379.
of, 399, n.
Olman, St., of Dromore, 239.
Cross, St. Patrick's reverence for, 302 ;
Columba, St., bis birth predicted by
miracle at, 420.
St. Patrick, 306.
Crowe, translation of the Lorica by,
Columcille, the miracles of St. Patrick
264.
known to, 391; prophecy of his
Crozier, Aengus' foot pierced by, 327.
birth, 435.
Cruachan, meeting of St. Patrick with
Comitius, Bishop of Clonshanville,
the princesses at, 404.
county Roscommon, 114.
Crucifixion, Irish legend of, 93.
Conall-Sciath-bachall, 427.
Cruimther Collait knew Patrick's miConall, son of Niall, 280 ; baptism of, I
racles, 391.
284; measures a church for Patrick,
Cullen, county Limerick, child restored
396.
to life at, 330.
Conches, sister of St. Martin of Tours,
and St. Patrick's mother, 85, 372.
Daire, St. Patrick's visit to, 348; he
Conchessa, another form of her name,
offers him a rath, 349; his illness and
86, 103; Cochinas, another form,
miraculous cure, 350, 483.
248.
Dalaraida, St. Patrick's servitude in,
Confession, St. Patrick's, four MSS.
131, 164; visits to, 313, 441.
of, 6 9 ; ancient lives founded on,
Dal-Riada, St. Patrick's visit to, 313,
70; important remarks on the parts
314.
not in the Book of Armagh, 286;
Dal-Runter, the people of, follow the
original from the Book of Armagh,
saint, 348.
580; version as given in the Book
Danes, Armagh plundered by the, 62.
of Armagh, 580; collations of it
Daniel, Patrick's angel and dwarf, 314,
with other versions, 581.
442.
Conn, prophecy of, 95.
Darerca, St. Patrick's sister, 247, 307.
Connaught, visit of St. Fiacc to, 4 5 ;
Daughters, baptism of Laeghaire's, 293.
ancient palace of the kings of, 290 ;
Deachnans, the three, 312.
St. Patrick's visit to, 295; St.
Deacon, Palladius, the ; importance of
Patrick remained seven years in,
"the office in the Roman Church, 99. •
304; left crosses and bells in, 304.
Death, St. Patrick's, at Armagh, 363,
Connell's bohereen, 335.
497.

644

Index to Persons, Events, etc.

Deisse mentioned, 248.
| Edward Lhuyd, Welsh philologist, 65.
De Vere, Aubrey, his poems, 11.
Eileran the Wise, author of the Vita,
Devil, power of the, 259.
Quarta, 205; the miracles of Patrick
Diarmaid Mac Cerbhaill, banishment
known to, 391.
of, 397 ; marks out the site of ClonEimhin, St., or Evin, Life of St. Pamacnoise church, 398.
trick written by, 54, 56, 249.
Diarmid, son of Restitutus, St. PaElias, St. Patrick invoking, 2, 143.
trick's nephew, 114, 280.
Elphin, in Connaught, plain near,
Diarmid left by St. Patrick at Domvisited by the saint, 290.
nach Fiacc, 46.
Elymas struck blind by St. Paul, 23.
Dichu, the saint's first convert, 231,
Embroiderers, St. Patrick's, 250.
382 ; St. Patrick's visit to, 235.
Emptur, St. Fiacc states St. Patrick's
Domangart, St., blessed by St. Patrick
birthplace was at, 84.
before his birth, 346.
Endeus, son of Amalgaid, 284; his
Donegal blessed by St. Patrick, 306.
visit to Tara, 285.
Donegal, Martyrology of, 49.
England, MacMoyer's visit to, 6 5 ; a
Donough, son of Flann, 64 ; encasetheory that St. Patrick's birthplace
ment of the Canon of Patrick by, 64.
might be in, 7 1 ; Roman legion in,
Donnchadh, Monarch of Ireland, 462.
74 ; Roman camps in, 77 ; ReforDownpatrick, Loarne Bishop of, 51.
mation in, 141 ; strange misconcepDr. O'Donovan, (opinion of the late),
tion of Protestant clergymen in,
253.
142, n.
m
#
Dricrin, King, the saint's visit to, 323.
Eochach, son of Muredach, cruelty of,
Dricriu, King of the Ui-Garchon, 459.
346.
Drogheda, St. Patrick's arrival at,
Eochaidh, resuscitation of, 316, 453.
244.
Eoghan, son of Nial, miracle performed
Drombo, building the rath at, 345.
for, 307,436; blessing on the race of,
Dromore, St. Colmanof, 239.
437.
Druids—Barach, 9 3 ; Lochra and LuEpiscopal jurisdiction in the early Irish
chat Mael, 96 ; names of the king's,
Church, 503.
252, 254 ; at Tara, 258, 379 ; burned
Ephesians, St. Paul burning the books
in the fire at Tara, 390.
of the, 23.
Drumconrath, county Meath, a church
Ere, daughter of Daire, 250.
founded there, 280; visit to, 313,
Ere, marriage of, 464.
314.
^
Ere, prophecies of, 251.
Dublin, Book of Lecain preserved in,
Ere, son of Dega, first Bishop of Slane,
52.
St. Patrick's judge, 249 ; his converDubhtach Mac Lugair, the king's chief
sion and baptism at Tara, 283, 385.
bard, 258.
Ere, twelve sons of, 313.
Dubthach Mac Ui-Lugair, the poet,
Erca, daughter of Loarn Mor, 306.
4 5 ; he asks St. Patrick to tonsure
Erin, lives of the saints of, 4 4 ; the
Fiacc, 45.
cause of Patrick's coming to, 112,
Dun-da-leth-glaisse, county Down, St.
127, 375.
Patrick buried at, 365.
Es-Ruaidh, St. Patrick's visit to, 305.
Essays, Monsignor Moran's, great
Eadberth, an account of the army of,
value of, 99 ; quotations from, 206;
83.
opinion about St. Patrick's conseEaster, St. Patrick's visit to Tara at,
cration, 215.
243, 385, 387.
Essays and Reviews, immense circuEcchu Baldearg cured at the well of
lation of, 12; arguments against
Sangul, 333.
miracles in, 32.
Ecclesiastical Record, valuable articles
Ethna the Fair, conversion of, 291,
in, 45, 215.
404.
Echtra, resuscitation of, 426; her grave
Etymologisch Forsch, 78.
still known at Kilmore Moy, 426, n.
Europe, a description of Christian life
Ecstacy, the, of Conn, 379.
I
in, 145.

Index to Persons, Events, etc.
Failge, death of, 340.
Faith, on the necessity of, 34.
Faith of the Irish, 37, 209.
Fallen, proverb about his sleep at Naas,
320.
'
Famey, visit of St. Patrick to, 346.
Fast, St. Patrick's, on Croagh Patrick,
297.
Fasting, St. Patrick, on Trian, 341.
Fedelmid, left by St. Patrick at Domnach Fiacc, 46.
Fedhlidhmidh, Columcille son of, 391.
Fedhlimidh, the dun of, at Trim, 394.
Fedhlimidh, son of Laeghaire, receives
the Gospel, 246.
Feidelm, the resuscitation of, 296, 424.
Felim, St. Columba's father, 306.
Ferdomnach, important inscription in
Book of Armagh, 61.
Fergus, son of Conall Gulban, 312 ;
promised donation of, 313.
Ferguson's, Mrs., Irish before the Conquest, 95.
Ferguson, Dr., quotations from his
poems, 95.
Ferta, the, at Cruachan, 294; at Armagh, 353.
Fes, the, of Tara, 252, 253, 384.
Festology of iEngus, the Culdee, 57Fetid, the grandfather of St. Patrick,
70.
Fethlema the Ruddy, conversion of,
291, 404.
Fiacc, St., Life of St. Patrick by, 43;
the baptism of, 46 ; interview between St. Patrick and, 46, n. ; an
angel appears to him, 4 7 ; retiremeat of, 4 8 ; death of, 4 8 ; St.
Patrick sends him a chariot miraculously, 359, 493 ; translation of
his hymn, 559.
Fiachra, ordination of, 48.
Finn-faidheach, the sweet-sounding
bell, 250.
Finnian, St., of Moville.
Finnime, the Munstermen blessed from
the hill of, 332.
Fishes, St. Patrick's, 177.
Flowers strewn over St. Patrick by
Benignus, 244, 381.
Fochlut, the saint's visit to, 295.
Fotaide, 248.
Four Masters, record the arrival of St.
Patrick, 222; foundation of Trim
recorded by, 247; quotations from,
on Strangford Lough, 230, 381.

645

France, a suggestion of St. Patrick's
birthplace being in the north of, 71,
75 ; Roman stations in, 77 ; intercourse with, 97 ; St. Patrick's return
to, 184; St. Germanus' return to,
196.
Francesca, St., of Home, 333.
Francis, St., of Assissi, similarity between, and St. Patrick, 194, 297.
Freamhain, the battle of, 340.
Frion, Bishop, 338.
Furseus, St., Life of, 75.
Gaeidhil, St. Patrick loosens the bondage of the, 378.
Garment of invisibility, St. Patrick's,
387.
Gaul, journey of the leper from, 106 ;
the monks of, 146.
Genealogy of Niall's sons, 273.
Gentiles, the saint's voyage with the,
138.
German, St. Patrick's tutor, 251.
Germanus, St., St. Patrick's study
under, 79; mission of, 97; birth and
education of, 156; return to Gaul
of, 157; his teaching, 158; revelation of, 158; austerities practised by, 164; St. Patrick's intercourse with, 177; amiable qualities
of, 183 ; the miracles of, 183; consecration as Bishop of Auxerre, 184;
visits Britain, 196; great devotion
to relics of, 199.
Gleaghrann, Cribri and Lasri daughters
of, 251; meeting of St. Patrick with
at Fochlut, 295.
Gnasacht, ordination of, 233.
Goat, miracle of the, 455.
Gormias, the saint baptized by, 104.
Gospels, Lomman reading the, 394.
Grada (orders) read over Patrick,
378.
Graif, St. Patrick's fell from him when
destroying the idols, 400.
Granard, Gnasacht, Bishop of, 233.
Gratzacham when I give, 351.
Graves, Dr., identifications made by.
59; important discovery of, 60.
Gregraighe, stones flung at St. Patrick
by, 429.
Hand, St. Patrick's, shrine of, 526.
Hanna, Mr., identifications of sites and
facts given by, 7 ; paper on St.
Patrick's landing place by, 231.

646

Index to Persons, Events, etc.

Hennessy, W., an eminent Celtic
scholar, 7; translation of the Tripartite by, 369.
Henry VIII., establishment of the
Protestant religion by, 19.
Kermon, Mount, St. Patrick receives
Staff of Jesus on, 188; description
of, 191; probable origin of name, 192.
Eiberuia, visit of Palladius to, 101.
Hilary, St., of Poictiers, the instructor
of St. Martin, 148.
Historic tale of Conor Mac Nessa, 95.
History, details of miracles in Catholie, 40.
Hono, a mass of gold given to, 401.
Honorat, St., his power over animals,
151.
Horses, St. Patrick helps his charioteer
to find, 303.
Household, St. Patrick's, 227.
Hungary, removal of St. Martin's parents from, 103.
Hymn, St. Patrick's Lorica, 264; preface to St. Sechnall's, 360 ; original
Latin and translation of St. Sechnail's, 563 ; St. Fiacc's, 559.
Hymns of the early Irish church, 512.
Hy-Nialls, prophecy of the, 311.
larlaid, son of Trian, blessing of, 479.
Ice changed into fire, 373.
Idols, the destruction of, 288.
Ignatius, St., similarity between his
prayer, Animamea, and St.Patrick's
Lorica, 267.
Imagined, visions not always, 4.
Indies, the Apostle of the, 105.
Inis-an-ghoill, discovery of tombstone
on the island of, 115.
Inishowen, county Donegal, blessed by
St. Patrick, 437.
Innes, a description of KiJpatrick by,
78.
Innisfalien, the Annals of, 222.
Innocent, Pope, his letter to Decentius, 98.
Ireland, evangelization of, 16; poem
written on the history of, 57 ; pedigree from Conary More, Monarch
of, 62; Flann, King of, 64 ; journeying of the saint towards, 72 ;
St. Patrick's escape from, 74; St.
Patrick's return to, 79 ; St. Patrick
carried off to, 86; visit of Altus to,
95; the advent of St. Patrick to, 96 ;
evidence of Christians being in, 9 8 ; |

Ireland—continued.
St. Patrick's altar-stone brought to,
109 ; saints in, 112 ; Reformation in,
141; command given to Sb. Patrick
to go to, 192; St. Patrick's journey
to, 206; Palladius returning from,
207; date of St. Patrick's arrival in,
2 2 1 ; banishment of demons from,
222 ; Fiatach Finn,Monarch of, 2 3 1 ,
faithfulness of, 367.
Irish Celt, form of oath by the ancient, 271.
Irish liturgy, treatise on, 179.
Irish, the faith of the, 37.
Isabella, Duchess of Albany, church
founded by, 80.
Isernirms, St. Patrick's companion,
324; bishop in county Kildare, 460.
Isidore's, St., College at Rome, copy of
St. Fiacc's hymn preserved at, 85.
Italy,ravaged by the Goths, 74 ; Longobards of, 113 ; called Letha, 358.
Jarleth, St., third Bishop of Armagh,
232.
Jocelyn, his Life of St. Patrick, 5 3 ;
details given by, 237 ; mystical interpretation of, 238, n.
John of the Bosom, 63.
John of Tinmouth, 215.
John, St., miracles performed by, 21,
22.
John the deacon, 99.
Julianus Campania, character of, 185.
Joyce, Mr., his Origin of Irish Names,
137.
Kells, first public baptism in Ireland
at, 275.
Kermand-Kelstach, idol at Clogher,
288.
Kerry, O'Connell of, 57.
Kienan, St. Patrick captured by,
139.
Kilcullen, Mac Fail patron of, 324.
Killala, episcopal see founded by St.
Patrick, 424.
Kilmacthomas, pagan remains at,
288.
Kilmore, Fedhelim venerated as patron of, 47.
Kilpatrick, description of, 7 8 ; termination of the Roman wall at, 86.
Kirby's, Monsignor, account of St. Patrick's relics in Rome, 524.
Knock-Cae, miracles performed on, 331,

Index to Persons, Events, etc.
Laeghaire, prophecy of Conn, about,
95; King of Ireland, 221, 384; taken
prisoner by the Leinsterinen, 271;
mode of burial, 272; conversion of
the two daughters of, 292.
Lagenians (Leinstermen) 46, n. 5.
Lauding place of St. Patrick, 230.
Languedoc, Astrac's Hist, de, 78.
Lamgan, Dr., on St. Patrick's birthplace, 7 1 , Ecclesiastical History of,
88, n., inclined to be sceptical, 293;
unintentional mistakes of, 340.
Lazarus, raising from the dead of, 33.
Leabhar Breac, Life of St. Patrick in,
68, 104; on St. Patrick's obtaining
relics miraculously from Borne, 359.
Leinster, Book of, 95.
Leinster, O'Devrans in, 55; Palladius'
arrival at, 101; St. Patrick's labors
in, 305; great number of churches
erected in, 325 ; St. Patrick's arrival
in, 377.
Lenihan, Mr., quotation from his History of Limerick, 334.
Lent, Lorn man left at the Boyne during, 394.
Leper, legend of the, and jbhe flag-stone,
108.
Lerins, St. Patrick's visit to, 187.
Lia Fail, the, or stone of destiny, 288.
Liber Hymnorum preserved in Home,
44.
Limerick, identifications made by Dr.
Graves of, 59 ; St. Patrick's arrival
in, 329 ; piety of the people of, 332 ;
History of, by Mr. Lenihan, 397.
Lives of St. Patrick, ancient, 50, 53.
Lives of the saints, miraculous occurrences in, 25.
Loarne, Bishop of Bright, now Downpatrick, 51.
Lobineau, Histoire de Bretagne, 71.
Lochru raised in the air and killed, 256.
Logha, St. Patrick's helmsman, 251.
Lornman left at the Boyne, 245, 394;
found by Fortchern, 394.
Lonan's banquet on Cae, 330, 470.
Longobards, on the origin of the,
114, n.
Lorica, St. Patrick's, 264; St. Sechnail's, 362.
Luchat Mael and Lochra, 96.
Luchat Mael, proposal of, 259.
Lughaidh, the son of Laeghaire, 270,
309, n.; memoir of the exemption of,
270; assumed the sovereignty, 391.

647

Lugnath, discovery of the tombstone
of, 115.
Lupita, St. Patrick's sister, 51; mother
of the Ui Baird, 112; an error for
Limania, 113; cure of, when a child,
374.
Lupus, St., of Troyes, 9 7 ; consecration
of, as bishop, 197.
Luther, reference to the life and career
of, 19; organization of the Protestant
religion by, 19.
Mac Caerthinn, baptism of, 431.
Mac Carthainn consecrated Bishop of
Clogher, 136.
Mac Carthend, Bishop of Clogher, 451.
MacCarthy, D. P., his poems, 11.
Mac Cuil, St., his character and attempt to impose on St. Patrick, 342;
his conversion, 343, 479; death of,
345.
Mac Erca ordained bishop, 315.
Mac Pail, Bishop of Cill-Usaile, 324.
Machin baptized by St. Patrick, 251,71.
Mac Moyer visited England, 65 ;
pledged the Book of Armagh, 65 ;
betrayed Dr. Plunket, 65.
MacNessa, Conor, 93.
MacNessa, Fergus, 93.
Macraith, the wise, 251.
Mael, the druid, 291, 406.
Magh-Dala, the saint's visit to, 311.
Magh-Life, the river Liffey takes its
name from, 323.
Magh-Slecht in Cavan, description of,
288 ; idols destroyed at, 399.
Magus, Simon, the conversion of, 22.
Maisach, the saint's wood supplier, 251
Malone, Rev. A., of Limerick, description of St. Patrick's well by, 337, n.
Manchen, St., left to govern the
church at Aen-Adharrac, 297.
Mantan's disobedience, 331, 471.
Martin, St., mentioned as St. Patrick's
mother's brother in the list of his
household, 251.
Martin, St., of Tours, the Life of, 63 ,
visit of St. Patrick to, 79 ; miracles
performed by, 118, teaching of,
150 ; St. Patrick journeyed to Tour
to visit, 173.
Martyrology of Tallaght, 49; of Donegal, 49, 233, 285.
Mathona, sister of St. Benignus, 403.
Matter, miracles not a violation of the
laws of, 39.

648

Index to Persons, Events, etc.

Maximus, St., of Turin, probably St.
Moran, Very Kev. Monsignor, his
Patrick's eonsecrator, 218.
important literary labors; assistMeath, St. Patrick in, 272, 394; St.
ance giv© by him to the author of
Patrick leaves, after destroying the
this work, 7 ; his Essays, 99, 180,
idols, 289 ; St. Patrick's return to,
279; on the history of St. Mac304.
cuil, 345.
Mel, St., patron of diocese of LongMount Hermon, our divine Lord apford, 107 ; bishop, 398.
peared to St. Patrick on, 188.
Merlin, a dialogue between Taliessen
Moville, St. Finnian of, 239,
and, 248.
Muchatocc, of Inisfail, 46.
Mescan, St. Patrick's particular friend,
Muirchu-Maccu-Mactheni, the writer
249.
of St. Patrick's Life in the Book of
Mexico visited by a Franciscan nun
Armagh, 66, 138.
in ecstasy, 358, n.
Mungret, county Limerick, foundation
Milcho purchases St. Patrick, 129,
of the church of, 330.
131 ; vision of the servant in flames Munis, brother of Lomman, 394.
of fire by, 133 ; St. Patrick's escape
Minister, Oilioll Oluim, King of, 57 ;
from, 138; St. Patrick's visit to,
Flann, King of, 110; Aengus Mao
232; prediction on the family of,
Nadfraich, King of, 391; blessing
233 ; remains of his rath, 234.
of the people of, 475.
Miliuc, Patrick sold to, 376.
Munsterman, resuscitation of a, 338.
Miracles, St. Patrick's compared with
Munstermen, St. Patrick's blessing
those of Scripture, 13 ; performed
to the, 332, 338.
by the saints in all ages, 19 ; by the
oiPr?fe
tioned by the Pharisees, 26 ; careful
examination of all alleged miracles
by the Church, 27; objections made
bymodernscepticsto,35;occurat
the present day, 124; peculiar fitness in St. Patrick's, 310.
Miracles of St. Patrick—ice changed
to fire, 119 ; cure of his sister, 120 ;
taming the mad ox, 123; changes
snow into curds and butter for
tribute, 123; tames a wolf, 125;
restores the use of Rius'limbs, 237;
destruction of the druids at Tara,
258; finding the horses, 303; known
at the time of writing the Tripartite, 391; known by Columcille,
^92
&c
Mocliac, St., description of the staff of,
< 239 384.
Mochaembrog, St., of Cashel, 110.
|
Mochonnoe, the saint's hospitaller,
251.
Mochta, St., conversion of, 249, n.\
left at Louth by the saint, 348.
Monasterevin founded by St. Evin,
Monastery, a description of St. Fiacc's,
49.
Monies of theWest, quotations from, 154.
Montepulciano, St. Agnes of, her miracles, 177.
I

Naas baptism at 320; Fallen's sleep
™ ™\e f™ ?*> *£°- , . , , ^
Namnid left by St. Patrick at Domia c
£ ' ~b;
, ,,
F™<£
00/l
^athi St. Patrick repulsed by, 224.
^emthur, opinions about the meaning
$ *°'>v a n o u s readings of the name,
, T *'** . ,
. , , .,
• . nnn
£ e s s a n m s t r ? o t e d , b y *£? *£**> *l2' ,
N e
^ r mentioned in the Black Book
of Carmarthen, 248.
£ l a i \ 0 a T p r ™ ° n &> f6' T •* f «*
Nicholson's, Mr. Steele, Life of St,
a ' ' ?« J.I j
AT. .
J m f St.,ofScotland.
North of I ^ l a n d » t h e saint s residence
m the
> t ^ * • i» ion o™
c.
XT
Nurse, St. Patrick's, 120, 3 7 3 ; St.
Benedict's similarity between, and
St. Patrick's, 123.
O'Briens, their ancestor baptized by
St. Patrick, 332.
Obsequies, St. Patrick's, 365.
O'Clerys, Calendar of the, 427.
O'Connor, Dr., opinion of, 252.
O'Curry, E., remarks on the hymn of
St. Fiacc by, 44; Manuscript Mate*
rials of Irish History by, 52, n. ;
discovery of Tripartite by, 57; on
the prophecy of Conn, 95.

Index to Persons, Events^ etc.
O'Donovan, Dr., notes on the list of
St. Patrick's household, 250.
Odran, St. Patrick's charioteer, 250,
339; his death, 340, 477.
O'Laverty, Be v. J., assistance given
by, 7.
Olcan, St., baptism of, 313, 440.
Ordination of Aengus, 312; account of
St, Patrick's, 378.
Origines Parochiales, 78.
O'Troighthighs, the, of Clare, 58,
Paisley, monks of, 80.
Palladius the Deacon, 9 7 ; sent by
Celestine, 98, 377 ; failure of his mission, 99, 100.
Pallas-green, county Limerick, the
women of, bewail St. Patrick's departure, 330.
. Paris, journey of St. Patrick and St.
Germanusto, 197.
Paschal fire lit by St. Patrick, 254.
Patricius, a name of power, 378.
Patrick, St., Nicholson's memoir of the
mission and life of, 2 ; Elias invoked by, 2; the angel Victor appearing to, 3 ; an account of the
visions of, 3 ; an account of the mission of, 16; the magician Lochru
killed by, 23 ; hymn or poem on the
life of, 43; St. Fiacc's life of, 4 3 ; St.
Fiacc baptized by, 46; ordination
of Fiachra by, 4 8 ; Jocelyn's life
of, 53; observation on the acts
of, 53; ancient lives of, 53; uncertainty about his birthplace, 69;
the parents of, 70; baptism of, 81,
104; birthplace, disputes about, 85:
capture of, 86, 126 ; the early life of,
90; druidical prophecies of the comiug of, 95; mission of, 95 ; memoir
of, 106 n.; relatives of, 113; miracles performed by, 119; the mad
ox tamed by, 120; the restoration
of animals to life by, 123; escape
from servitude of, 133, 135; embarkation of, 137 ; Satan tempting,
143; visit to the monastery of Tours,
147; bell of, 166 ; Irish vision, 168 ;
four years in Tours, 177; visit to
Lerins, 187; his journey to Rome,
188, 203; receives the Staff of Jesus,
189; our divine Lord appears to,
191; the teaching of, 209; episcopal
consecration of, 217; on the trials
of, 219 * date of hia arrival in Ire*
,

649

Patrick, St.—continued.
land, 221; the landing place of,
229; his household, list of persons
of, 249 ; poem on the friends of,
249; three artificers, 250; three
embroiderers, 250; ancient lives
of, 253; his companions from
Home, 252 ; his five sisters, 257 ;
Mochin baptized by, 257; the king
commands his people to seize, 257;
Magus attempted to poison, 259;
Lorica, 264; Cairbre's wish to kill,
273; visit to Cairbre and Conall
273; missionary labors of, 273
churches founded by, 283; Amalgadh baptized by, 285; visited Foch
lut, 285 ; instructing the two vir
gins, 292 •, conversation between th
angel and, 300; conversation between
Fochain and, 307; journey to Ail
each, 311; prophecy of, 311, angel
of, 314; disobedience of his disciples
331 ; memoir of, 341 w.; charity of,
341; Dare presented a cauldron to,
351; Dr. Todd's memoir of, 354;
Bera and Bright's visit to, 361; the
death of, 363; offerings made by
Fedhlimidh to, 395; journey to
Tethbha, 399; Ona presented his
house to, 402; alphabets written
by, 412, 413 ; episcopal see founded
by, 426; the Gregraighe flung stones
at, 427; seven sons of Draighen
baptized by, 431.
Patrick, St., junior, 51.
Patrick's, St., Confession, manuscripts
of, 69 n., 135; remarks on, 5 7 1 ;
original and translation, 580.
Paul, St., miracles performed by touch ing his body, 2 1 ; Elymas struck
blind by, 23.
Paul's retirement to a desert island, 47.
Pelagianism, Britain corrupted by, 97.
Peter, St., miracles performed by, 9;
the angel releasing from prison, 22 ;
his miracles, 35; authority of the
see of, 98; the teaching at Rome
of, 181.
Peter, St., of Alcantara, miracles performed by, 119 n.
Petrie, Dr., opinion of date of Book of
Armagh, 6 1 ; opinion given by, 252 ,
suggestion about Lorica, 269.
Pharisees, miracles denied by the, 26
Philip, St., conversion of Simon Ma|
gus by, 22; caught up by angel, 24.

650

Index to Persons, Events, etc.

Philological Transactions for 1855, 78.
Rome—continued.
P. J. Kennedy, author of Legendary
ducted there to receive authority,
Fictions, 248.
205 ; St. Patrick's return from, 222 ;
Plunket, Dr. Oliver, Mac Moyer's
the angel took St. Patrick to, 355;
betrayal of, 65.
St. Patrick desiring to obtain relics
Poetry, proverbial quatrain on St.
from, 356 ; the saint's arrival in,
Patrick, 221; Hymn of St. Fiacc,
357 ; St. Sechnall's visit to, 359; St.
558; Hymn of St. Sechnall or SePatrick sent Sechnall to, 360.
cundinus, 562; Sb. Patrick's blessRoscommon, plain near, visited by
ing on Dichu, 229, 382 ; quotations
the saint, 290.
from Aubrey de Vere's, 234.
I Ross, the men of, visited by St.
Poly carp, St., the acts of the martyr,
Patrick, 346.
142 n.
Ross, son of Trichim, 383.
Potid, grandfather of St. Patrick, 372.
Rothe, David, elucidations of, 53.
Prayer-water, 483.
Probus, Life of St. Patrick by, 67, 138,
Sabhall, now Saul, St. Patrick meets
275.
Dichu at, 231; foundation of monPromises made to St. Patrick, 300.
astery at, 238 ; presented to him by
Psalms, St. Patrick's devotion to the,
Dichu, 282.
236.
Sacraments administered to St. PaPublic penance performed by St.
trick, 363.
Patrick, 176.
Sadducees, disbelief in angels and dePurgatory, St. Patrick's, history of,
mons, 18.
621.
Saints, on the miracles of, 117.
Samhain, All Hallows' Eve, 287.
Quinta Vita} 53, 178, 257.
Sanan, St. Patrick's brother, 128.
Sangul, county Limerick, description
Rath, Milcho's, remains of, 235, 383.
of, 334 to 337.
Rechred burnt by fire from heaven,
Santaliora, St. Paul of the Cross
423.
preaching at, 259.
JRecord, the Irish Ecclesiastical, 45, n.
Scholiast on St. Fiacc's hymn, 85, 89.
Reeves, Dr., his Down and Connor,
Scothnoe receives St. Patrick, 246, 394.
131, 238; Adamiian, 324; Report
Scotland, St. Patrick's journey to,
of late Ec. Com. 395.
147.
Relatives, St. Patrick's, 395.
Scribes, indignation of the, 26.
Relics, miracles performed with, 21 ;
Sebastian, Blessed, his miracles, 123.
given to St. Patrick by Pope CelesSechnall, St., hymn of, 68, 113,
tine, 205; brought miraculously by
495 ; St. Patrick's bishop, 249 ;
St. Patrick from Rome, 357, 491;
his nephew, 249, n.; his visit to
destruction of, 521; kept at present
Rome, 359 ; preface to his alphain Rome, 524; of St. Patrick's
betical hymn in praise of the saint,
hand, 526.
360; original Latin and translation
Rioc of Inis-bo-fuide, St. Patrick's
of the hymn, 562.
nephew and satchel-bearer, 307.
Sectmaide, plunder made on the BriRius cured by St. Patrick, 237.
tons by, 8Q, 127.
Rodan, St. Patrick's shepherd, 250.
Segetius, sent with St. Patrick by
Roman mission, Sb. Patrick's, 223.
Germanus, 179, 376.
Rome, Liber Hymnorum preserved in,
Senan, St., of Iniscalach, prophecy of
r
44; w e should be children of, 69 ;
his birth, 334.
deacons of, 99 ; Palladius, Bishop
Senell, St. Patrick's bell-ringer, 249.
of, 100; the empire of, 139; the
Shankill, church of, near Elphin,
saint's journey to, 149 ; Pelagius'
founded by St. Patrick, 403.
visit to, 184; St. Patrick receives
Shannon, Ferdomnach probably retired
authority from, 203; his visit to,
to a monastery on the banks of, 62;
mentioned by Tirechan, 204; prayer
miraculously forded by St. Patrick,
of St. Patrick that he might be con- '
290.

Index to Persons, Events, etc.
Shepherds, vision of angels to the, 4.
Sidhe, meaning of, 291.
Simon Magus, death of, 256.
Sinell, the first who believed in Erinn,
378.
Sisters, St. Patrick's, 128, 247, 251.
Skene, Mr., identifications of, 248.
Skerry, famous pilgrimage at, 132.
Sletty, St. Fiacc's monastery in, 47 ;
St. Fiacc's relics preserved in, 4 9 ;
meaning of, 49; bishop of, 66.
Sliabh'Hermoin, St. Patrick's visit to,
377.
Sligech river blessed by St. Patrick,
429.
Smiths, St. Patrick's three, Macecht,
Laebham, and Fortehern, 250.
Soldier, the angel appearing to the, 23.
Sorcerers at Ephesus; their books
burned by the apostles, 23.
Soul-friend, Irish name for confessor,
64.
Spain, the Arians traversing, 140.
Sparks of fire seen by Ere on St.
Patrick's lips, 283.
Staff of Jesus given to St. Patrick,
178, 186, 190; destruction of the
idols with, 288, 377.
Staff given to St. Mochae, 230.
Stone, St. Patrick's, in the Clyde, 81 ;
flag-stone of the leper, 106, 108 ;
predictions of, 108 ; of Lugnaed,
113; flight of an altar-stone, 280 ;
left by St. Patrick at Oashel, 328;
thrown behind him, 397.
Stones, St. Patrick writing names on,
408; cross onf 426.
Strabane, Aitchen patron saint of,
249, n.
Strokestown, plain near, visited by the
saint, 290.
Strongman, St. Patrick's, 315.
Succat, a name for St. Patrick, 111.
Successors, list of St. Patrick's, in the
see of Armagh, 535.
Sulpicius Severus, St. Martin's bio-,
grapher, 150.
Superstition condemned by the Church,
177.
Swift, Edmund, his translation of
Jocelyn, 53; remarks on the life
and acts of St. Patrick by, 53.
Synod of clerics at Clebach, 291, 404.
Tabernse, name of Roman stations in
France, 77.

651

Taileenn, prophecy of the, 95, 111,
379; meaning of doubtful, 96.
Taliessen, poems attributed to, 248.
Tallaght, Martyrology of, 49.
Tara, visit of St. Patrick to, 4 5 ; desertion of, 4 9 ; prophecy about, 50;
St. Patrick preaching at, 201; reign
of Laeghaire Mac Niall at, 223 ;
Laeghaire's court at, 252; Laeghaire requested the saint to. return
to, 256 ; banquet hall of, 257 ; the
chieftains of old Erinn at, 259; St.
Patrick teaching at, 274; conclusion of St. Patrick's visit to, 278;
St. Patrick blessing the plain of, 279,
Ere baptized at, 283 ; Endeus' visit
to, 285; the saint's departure from,
287; the men of Erin feasting at,
387.
Tassach, St. Patrick's artificer, 250
administered the last sacraments to
the saint, 363.
Teach-na-Roman founded by Palladium,
100.
Tecan, St. Patrick's disciple, 46.
Telltown, St. Patrick at the fair of,
272, 396.
Temptation, St. Patrick's, 149.
Terryglass, public baptism at, 332,
471.
Theodosius, Emperor of Rome when
St. Patrick landed in Ireland, 221.
Tiernmas, worship of idols introduced
by, 287; death of, 287.
Tillemont, Ec. Hist., quotations from,
159, 180, 200.
Tirawley, St. Patrick preaches to the
people of, 296.
Tirechan, Annotations of, their antiquity, 67 ; mention of St. Patrick's
visit to Rome, 204; quotations from,
283, 284 ; on St. Patrick's. visit to
Eochlut, 285; important quotation
from, 286 ; on Laeghaire, 387 n.
Tobar-Finnmaighe, St. Patrick's visit
to, 301.
Todd, Dr., Memoir of St. Patrick re
ferred to, 1 ; his objections to the
invocation of saints answered, 3
theory of imagination, 5; theory o
St. Patrick's Roman mission, 205, n.,
grave misstatements, 238 ; on St.
Patrick's visit to Tara, 257 ; supposition that St. Patrick invoked
the elements, 269.
Tooth, St. Patrick's, 428, 467.

60'2

Index to Persons, Events, etc.

Tours, life of St. Martin of, 63 ; St.
Patrick's visit to the monastery of,
147 ; St. Patrick's visit to St. Martin at, 173; the austerity of the
monks of, 174.
Tresi, sister of Aengus Mac Nadfraich,
285.
Trian's slaves, St. Patrick's charity to,
341, 478.
Trian, Bishop, 476.
Trias Thaumaturgas, 379.
Trim, ancient name of, 245; veneration of St. Patrick's disciple at,
250 ; dun at, 394; notices of by
Dr. Butler, 395.
Tripartite, quotations from, 4 9 ; three
ancient MSS. of, 55; discovered by
O'Curry, 55 ; antiquity of, 56;
translated by Mr. Hennessy for this
work, 70; commencement of the
translation, 372.
Tullyhaw, barony of, important events
in, 287.
Tu es Petrus, 207.
Tuohy, Dr., grave of, 335.
Tyrone, flight of the Earl of, 311..
Tyrrhene Sea, St Patricks visit to
the islands of, 195.
, , ,, .
XT ^ . .
T
Ua Bairds, or Longobards, 114.
Ui-Ercan, a tribe in county Kildare,
TTI-v
x. 1,4. x, G*. -D 4. • i OOK
Ulidians taught by St Patrick 235
Lister Annals of, 80 222 ; St Pat n c k s landing in, 229 ; St. Patrick
m, 6ii).
Ultan St., his charity to the poor 68.
TJsail, St., Irish name for Auxilius, 324.
Usher, opinion of St. Patrick's Confession 6 9 ; ancient Life of St..
Patrick mentioned by, 174 ; opinion
about his consecration, 214.
Veagh, remarkable miracle at, 306.
Vedastus, St., the monastery of, 69.
VeMistlora Latinorum
Saiptorum
Chronica, 98.

Vico Varo, the monks of, 259.
Victor, the bishop, consecration of,
319, 456.
Victor, St. Patrick's angel, apparitions of, 134, 179, 299, 379.
Vincent, St., of Lerins, his Catholic
teaching, 154.
Visions, St. Patrick's, 134, 170, 175,
192, 221.
VitaQuarta, quotations from, 102,107,
188, 205, 344.
Vita Quinta, quotations from, 173,
178, 243.
Vita Secwida, quotations from, 101,
107, 212, 225 ; compared with Book
of Armagh, 227 ; abrupt conclusion
of, 278.
Vita Sexta, quotations from, 225,
244.
Vita Tertia, quotations from, 107, 144,
188.
Voice of the Irish calling St. Patrick,
170, 211.
Wale8 and

Brittany, Mochatoce hon-

ored as an apostIe in

46#

work
65 .
Patrick's Confession,
69, n. 9 : opinion about his consecration 215
| Water changed into honey, 375.
Wattle, house of, 80.
W e l l a t T o b a r . F inn-Maighe, 301, 418 ;
a t A e n . A d h a r r a c > 2 97 ; at MaigheS l e c h t ? 4 0 0 . ftt U a ran-Gar, 406 ; at
Tara 422
Whitsuntide, St. Patrick spends, at
0
h patrick
414
W icklow, the leper's arrival at, 109;
^ P a t r i c k landed in, 226 ; visit of
the saint to, 323.
7
J
Xavier, St. Francis, his mission in
Japan, 19.
|
| Young, Dr., tombstone of, 335,
Ware>

j

Sir

Jamegj

o p i n i O I 1 o f S t.

his

infla to g«tf*&
Achadh-farcha, field of lightning, 391. | Braid, the river, 131.
Achadh-Fobhair, well of, in county
Brig, in county Meath, 461.
Mayo, 413.
Bright, ancient name for Downpatrick,
Aen-Adharrac, the well of, 297.
. 51, 385.
Aileach, royal palace of, 306.
Bri-leith, in Longford, 399, n,
Airdne-Caemhan, in Connaught, 408.
Britain, country of St. Patrick's
Al-Cluaid, 372; the royal palace at,
parents, 71.
375.
Aonach Mac7ia, near Armagh, 357.
Caisel-Irra, Sligo, 428.
Ardd-Mach93, city of, 351.
Callraighe, in Westmeath, 431.
Ard-Patrick, county Limerick, 334.
Callraighe, in Sligo, 431.
Ard-Phadraig, in Louth, 348.
Callraighe, in Mayo, 430.
Ard-senlis, county Roscommon, 406.
Carlow, county, St. Fiacc's monastery
Ardsratha, a church in Tyrone, 403.
in, 46, 49.
Ardstraw, in county Tyrone, 315.
Cashel, the rock of, 110.
Ath-carpait, a ford on the river Boyle,
Castlerea, county Roscommon, 290,
430.
394, n.
Ath-da-lorg, in Kells, 406.
Cechtumbar, a church beside Clogher,
Ath-O'Lilaigh, a ford bordering Mo453.
naghan, 457.
Cenel-Enna, in county Donegal, 464.
Ath-Trim, ancient name of Trim, 245.
Ciarraighe-Airne, in county Mayo,
411

\

Badhghna North, county Roscommon,
Ciarraighe, in Connaught, 394, n.
401.
Cill-Alaidh, county Mayo, 296, 424.
Ballina, 296.
Cill-Buaidh, 290.
Ballintober, well of, 413.
Cill-Corcaraidhe, in county WestBallisakeery, parish of, 296.
meath, 428.
Ballybrindar, holy well at, 230.
Cill-Garad, now Oran, county RosBally Loughdalla, 425.
common, 407.
Ballymagauran, county Cavan, 399.
Cill-roe-mor, now Kilroe, in Mayo,
Ballytigpatrick, townland of, 133.
428.
Bantry, ancient name of, 137.
Cill-Tog, in Mayo, 419.
Barrow, the river, celebrated monasClebach, the well of, 291.
tery on, 46.
C-Locha-na-n-Airneadb, in Mayo,394.
Baslick, church of, Roscommon, 407.
Clonard, county Meath, 417.
Bealach - Gabhran, ancient name of i Clonbroney, nunnery of, 399.
Gowran, 326.
! Clonburren, 290.
Bertlacha, an island belonging to Sligo,
Clonmacnoise ford, near where St.
427.
Patrick crossed the Shannon, 290.
Bile-Tortan, in Meath, 458.
Cluain - Bronaigh, county Longford,
Binbulbin, county Sligo, 417.
399, n,
Blackwater in Meath, 396.
Cluain-Iraird, county Meath, 417.
Bodoney, church of, 438.
Cnoc-a-tirrol, the hill of the meeting,
Boulogne, 77.
296.
Boyle, ancient name of, 430.
Conaille-Muirthemne, county Louth,
Boyne, ancient name of, 243; mouth
128, 229, 376.
of the, 394.
| Corann, county Sligo, 423.

654

Index to Localities.

Corco-Themne, county Mayo, 418.
Corcu-Achland, east of Roscommon,
401.
Coshlea, county Limerick, 473.
Costello, county Mayo, 411.
Coyle river, ancient name of, 345.
Croch-Cuile-Conmaicne, in Connaught,
408.
Cross-Patrick, in Killala, 296, 423.
Cruachan, Cruachan-Aighle, a mountain in Mayo, now Croagh-Patrick,
297, 414.
Cruachan, palace of the kings of Connaught, 290.^
Cuil-Tolaigh, in county Mayo, 412.
Cuircne, in Westmeath, 394, n.
Domhnach, in Killala, 424.
Domhnach-Patric, miraculous altarstone at, 280.
Domnach-Bile, 312.
Donlnach-Fiacc, 46.
Domnach-mor, barony of Clare in Galway, 402.
Domnach-mor, in Queen's county,
325, n.
Domnachs, the seven, 446.
Donagh-Patrick, county Meath, 396.
Dorsum Salicis at Armagh, 349.
Drobhais, a river in Leitrim, 432.
Druim-Chorcorthri, in county Meath,
280.
Druim-lias, in county Leitrim, 431.
Druim-raithe, in Westmeath, 398.
Drumconrath, county Meath, 280.
Drumma, in Sligo, 408.
Drumnacooha, in Killoe, 399, n.
Drumanna-bregh, in Meath, 417.
Drummana, county Sligo, 411, n.
Drummut, county Roscommon, 411, n.
Drum-Urchaille, a church in Meath,
458.
Drynaghans, in Sligo, 428.
Dubh, river in Sligo, 432.
Dublin, Library of Trinity College, 66.
Duin-Sebuirgi, now Dunseverick, 315.
Duleek, Kieran's church at, 139.
.Dumbarton, 83, 86, 372.
Dumha-graidh, in county Mayo, 403.
Dumha-Selca, in Roscommon, 407, n.
Dunlaing, King of Leinster, 458.
Dunseverick, Patrick's well at, 441.
Eborea, probably the same as Ivrea,
where St. Patrick was consecrated,

218.

Emlagh, county Roscommon, 395.
Emptur, see Nemtor.
Erende, in county Monaghan, 455.
Es-Ruaidh, in Donegal, 305.
Feidelm, a church mcountyDublin, 459.
Eenagh, county Leitrim, 399.
Fera-Ros, south of Monaghan, 456.
Eera-Cuile, in Kells, 457.
Ferta-fer-fec, ancient name of Slane,
257^
Fidharta, county Roscommon, 407.
Fidh-mor, 307.
Finnine, the-hill of, 472.
Fochlut, the wood of, in Killala, 284,
295.
Forrach-Mac-Amalghaidh, near Killala, 296, 425.
Forrach-Patrick, a church in county
Kildare, 461.
Ford of the two tribes, in Meath, 279.
Freamhain, now Frewin, a hill in Westmeath, 340.
Glenarm, church of, 442.
Glenavy, in Down, St. Patrick's church
at, 314.
Glynn, church of, 442.
Gowran, ancient name of, 326.
Grean, county Limerick, 330, 469.
Gregraighe, in Sligo, 427.
Grenan Ely, anciently Ailech, 437.
Gulban-Guirt, a hill in county Mayo,
417.
Gullen, in King's county, 251.
Hy-Cremthand, in county Meath, 450,
463.
Hy-Failge, county Kildare, 250, 339.
Hy-Fiachrach, in Connaught, 427.
Hy-Figente, county Limerick, 331.
Hy-Garchon, 227, 323.
Hy-Kinsellagh, the, 4 7 ; Crimthann,
King of, 48.
Inbher-Boinne, mouth of the Boyne,
394, n.
Inbher-Dea, mouth of a river near
Wicklow, 224, 381.
Idrone, county Carlow, church at, 250.
Imgoe, in Castlereagh, county Roscommon, 407.
Inisfail, an island in Wexford harbor, 464.
Inishowen, St. Patrick's hermitage at,

J 311.

Index to Localities.
Inis-Patrick, 228, 381.
Inver-Brena, probable identification of,
230,382.
Inver-Domnand, Malahide river, 381.
Inver-Nainge, Nanny river, near Duleek, 381.
Island, St;, Patrick's, near Skerries,
227; of Maccuehor identification
doubtful, 228.
Island-Magee, ancient name of, 232.
Ivrea, probably the same as Eboria,
where St. Patrick was consecrated,
218.
Kerry, coast of, 339.
Kilfeacle, county Tipperary, 467.
Kilian, anciently Ciil-Loebhain, 250.
Kilkenny, barony of, 394, n.
Kilkenny, 290.
Killala, church near, 251; 296.
Killaraght, county Sligo, 408.
Killemry, church founded by St. Patrick at, 290.
Killfhorclann, church of, 296.
Killossy, county Kildare, 324, n.
Kilpatrick, in Lennox, 78.
Kilteely, parish of, county Limerick,
330.
Kisse, a mountain in Donegal, 434.
Knock-Cae, 331.

655

Magh-Foimsen, in county Mayo, 413.
Magh-Glas north, county Roscommon,
401.
Magh-Life, a plain in Wicklow, 460.
Magh-Luirg, in Roscommon, 430.
Magh-Nai, a plain in Roscommon, 290,
400, n.
Magh-Slecht, county Leitrim, 287,
399, n.
Magh-Slecht, in county Cavan, 287.
Mantan, county Wicklow, 331, n.
Meath, Ford of the Two Tribes in,
279.
Mohan, a church in county Dublin, 459.
Moin-Choluim, church south of Kildare, 324, 461.
Morning Star, the river, 331.
Mount Herinon, 191.
Mourne mountains, the ancient name
of, 231.
Moy-alvy, south of county Kildare,
390, n.
Moylogue, parish of, 280.
Mughorna, near Dublin, 456.
Muirisk, in county Sligo, 429.
Mulloch-Fharraidh, the Hill of Assembly, 296.
Mungret, county Limerick, 330.
Muscraidhe-Tire, in county Tipperary,
337.

Lathrach-Patraic, well at, 314.
Latteragh, county Tipperary, 337.
Leac Phatraic, the rock of Cashel, 110.
Lee-Patrick, 432, 433.
Lemhuin, a church in county Tyrone,
451.
Lerins, the monastery of, 151.
Letha, or Latium, Brittany so called
by early Irish" writers, 87.
Limerick, Aradha-Cliach in, 330 ; St.
Patrick's Well near, 334:; St. Patrick's church, 335.
Loch-Pi, expansion of the Shannon,
397.
Loch-Techet, in south of Sligo, 408.
Loigles, fountain of, at Tara, 283.

Naas, county Kildare, 458.
Nemthur, the native town of St. Patrick, 248.
Nenagh, church near, 337.
Neustria, name of a province, 85.
Nevtur, 248.
Newry, county Down, commencement
of the ancient district of Dalariada,
131.
Nodain, a lake in county Roscommon,
433.
Normandy called Neustria, 75.
Northern and Southern Letha, 87.

Mac-Ercae, plain in Roscommon, 421.
Magh-Ai, Connaught, 406.
Magh-Airtich, county Roscommon, 411.
Magh-Bregh, plain of, in Meath, 243.
Magh-Cera, now Carra, county Mayo,
412.
Magh-Dala, 311.
Magh-Eni, south of Donegal, 435.

Pallas-green, county Limerick, 330.
Pannonia, St. Martin's birth-place at,
103.
Partree, county Mayo, 418.

Oran, county Roscommon, 407.
Oxford, Bodleian Library at, 69.

Rashee, church of, 442.
Rathcolpa, now Raholp, county Down,
250.

656

Index to Localities.

Rath-Cuile, in county Meath, 457.
Sugar-loaf Mountain, anciently called
Rath-Cunga in Seirthe, Donegal,
Sliabh-Cualann, 226.
403.
Rath-Murbhuilg, now Maghera, in
Taltenam, county Meath, 396.
Down, 418
•
Tamhnagh, a church in Sligo, 404.
Rath-Noi m Wicklow, 460.
Telach-Maine in Londonderry, 450.
Rath-Righbhaird, inL Sligo 428.
Telach-na-cloch, in Roscommon,411, w.
Rock of Cashel, called also Patricks
Telltown, in Meath, 272, 396.
Rock, 110.
Tethbha, partlyin Longford and WestRosses, m Sligo, 432.
meath, 399, W
.
n
i
,, , o«o
Timolin, ancient name of, 324.
Bangui, well 6of,333.w a t e r m M e a t h
Tirawley, in county Mayo, 285, n.
%
Se e
Black
o ;o n °o^
>
Tir-Eoghan, hermitage at, 311.
,
a ,- i,'2r
• t.
t, T. •
x
Tirglass, now Terryglass, 332,471.
Senchell-Dumaighe, church m county
Tobar-Einnmaighe, Mayo, 418.
Roscommon, 403.
Tobar-Mucno, county Mayo, 412.
Senchill, county Roscommon, 412.
To bar-Patrick, a well at Tara, 422.
Senclnia, m Ui-Ailella, now Shancoe,
Tobar-Stringle, county Mayo, 413.
county bligo, 401.
Traig-Eothaili, in county Sligo, 404.
Sen-Domnach, a church m RoscomTubernacool holy well, 132.
mon, 406.
•
Singland, county Limerick, 334.
•
.
Slan well of 231.
Ui-Uremntnainne, m county Meath,
Slane, ancient name of, 243; hill of,
TT 391.
254 384.
Ui-Dorthain, m Meath, 395.
Sletty, 44, 47, 49, 68.'
;
Ui-Meith-Tire, in Monaghan, 455.
'Sliabh-Liag, in Tir-Boghaine, a mounUi-Meith-Mara, bordering on Longtain in county Donegal, 402.
T ford, 455.
Slieve-Mis (Slemish), place of St. PaUisneach, hill of, in Westmeath, 253,
4
trick's captivity, 129, 131.
:
64.
Sliabh-Slainge, a mountain in Down,
Uladh, territory of, 235 ; the eastern
41g#
part of Down, 383, n.
Slievemargy, Queen's county, 49.
Umhall, county Mayo, 413.
Sligech, ancient name of the river that
Uran-Garad, well of, 407.
flows through Sligo, 429.
Usail, in county Kildare, 460.
Snamh-da-en, ford on the Shannon,
county Roscommon, 290, 400.
Vartry River, ancient name of, 377.Srath-Patrick, in Leitrim, 432.
Strangford Lough, probable site of Sfc»
Wexford Harbor, 408.
Patrick's landing, 230, 382.
I White Plain, the, 301*

Printed by J. M. O'TOOLE & SON, 6 and 7, Great Brunswick-street, Dublin.