A COMPARISON and an analysis of places, dates, and names,
occurring
in the old Acts of this celebrated prelate, frequently leave modem critical historians
Ireland," vol.
Ireland," vol.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
, p.
444, his reign is set'down from A.
D.
560 only to 563.
^° See his Life at the ist of March.
^'
Ussher, the Bollandists, and Harris in- cline to the opinion that he departed a. d. 544, while various other writers place his demise respectively at A. D. 546, 547, 550, after 560, 588, 604, 607, or 608, 642, 650.
See this matter stated and discussed, in the ""
to A. D. 575.
75 See Ussher's Britannicarum Ecclesia-
rum Antiquitates. " Index Chronologicus, p, 532.
7' See O'Flaherty's "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. xciii. , p. 431.
7? See Reeves's Adamnan's Life of St.
Columba," p. 32, note e.
78 Dr. Lanigan is at issue with all these
foregoing accounts, except O'Flaherty's statement, when he says, Ainmire began his reign in a. d. 568, and ended it in the year 571. See " Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
author's Life of St. David, Archbishop of Menevia, Chief Patron of Wales, and Titu- lar Patron of Naas Church and Parish, in Ireland," chap, x. , pp. 9010 103.
^^ He is allowed a usually
life
by
ibid.
^3 Dr, Lanigan says, that St. Maidoc must
have been at least twenty-four years old when St. David of Menevia died. Thishap- pened some time iu the sixth century.
long
most writers, and varying from about ninety to one hundred and forty-seven years. See
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 529
been born later than 520 ;^4 although it does not seem probable, that he could have attained the extraordinary age of 112 years. ^5
The name of this is found written in a of forms. ^^ holy bishop great variety
The simple denomination is Aedh,^7 Oedh,^^ or Aodh,^^ which signifies " fire. "5° When borrowed into other languages, this name is rendered Aeda,9*
Aidus,9» Aiduus,93 ^deus,94 Edus,95 or Hugh. 9^ With the diminutive ter- mination an, the original name is resolved into Aedhan. 97 This is again modifiedintoAedan,^^Aedanus. 99 ItiswrittenAidanus,^°°orAidan,^°''and EdanusorEdan,^"^anditassumestheformMo-aedh-og. Thisisagaincon- tractedintoMoedoc,^°3andaccordingtoordinarychanges,it becomesMae- doc. ^°* Thesameroot when " is andthe
and the
same date thus give his name.
See
Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish
Martyrology ofTallagh," at the ^ An ancient form.
9° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. Septima Vita S. Patricii, n. 72, p. 176.
"
van's edition of " The Irish Topographical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla na
Naomh O'Huidhrin. " Introduction, p. 57. And " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. ,
p. 247, n. (p. )
9' The "Kalendarium Drummondiense. "
'"^ fol.
VitaS. Edani, CodexinMarsh'sLibrary,
51, b. " The Book of Obits and Martyr-
continues, mo,meaning my," prefixed, "
syllableocorog,denoting little,"or"dear,"issuffixed. ^°5 Otherlanguages^°^
** Dr. Lanigan deems it probable, that St.
David died at a much later period than 544,
for otherwise, St. Maidoc's birth must be
referred to the first quarter of the sixth cen-
tury. This, he thinks, cannot well be Moedocus, as we find in various passages allowed.
"
writes the name of ^dan of Lindisfame. See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglo-
rum," lib. iii. , cap. 14, 25, 26. See Gol- dast's " Rerum Almannicarum Scriptores. "
Vita S. Findani, cap. 10, p. 222. Also, Rees' "Lives of the Cambro-British Saints. "
Ricemarch's Vita S. David, pp. 130, 133. '°' This form is used by Protestants in Leinster. Among Catholics the name is *' For the many saints called Aedh and corrupted into Moses. See Dr. O'Dono-
"
Ecclesiastical His- tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xiv,, sec. ix. , n. 125, pp. 336, 337. Ussher assigns his
death to A. D. 632.
^^ See the paper of Rev. Dr. Reeves,
already cited.
^7 The "Felire" of ^ngus at Jan. 31st,
"
Aedhan, with their various . festivals, the reader is referred to nn. 4, 5, in the Life of St. Aldus, Bishop of Kildare, at the 4th day of January.
quoted by Rev. Dr. Reeves.
'°°The Venerable Bede sometimes thus
*5 See Dr. Lanigan's
of Christ — xlvii. ology Church, Dublin," p.
of Tinmuth, in John Capgrave's Nova tome i. , partie ii. , chap, iii. , pp. 305, 306. Legenda Anglise. " '°3 See the Life of St. Ita or Mida, chap. 93 See the Cotton British Museum MS. , i. , nn. 8, 9, 10, 11, at the 15th of January.
Bishop
Saints," p. 4, and the Missal at the 31st of
January'.
Bishops of Ferns, pp.
3^ So called in the title of a Lite, by John ''
Harris' Ware, vol. i.
436, 437- Abbe Ma-Geoghegan's " His- toire de I'Irelande, Ancienne et Moderne,"
Vesp. A. xiv. , printed in Rees' " Lives of the Cambro-British Saints," pp. 23210 250. See Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy's "Descrip- tive Catalogue of Materials relating to the History of Great Britain and Ireland," vol.
. , p. 188.
94 See Fleming's " Collectanea Sacra,"
p. 431-
95 In the "Vita S. Edi," a MS. in Trinity
College, Dublin, classed E. 3, 11, fol. no, bb.
^ So this name Aedh is generally ren- dered in English. Thus Duald Mac Firbis and Connell Mageoghan translate it, in their versions of the Annals of Ulster and of Clon- macnoise.
97 As in the " Borumha Laighen. "
In Scholia to the "Feilire" at the 31st of this month, we read tnoe'ooc . 1. A&o . 1. tnoAet)oc, which may be rendered in Eng- lish " Moedoc," that is, Aed, that is Moae- doc.
'"-t Thus in the Tract of St. ^ngus, "On the Mothers of the Irish Saints," we read, ITlAe^oc.
^05 A very satisfactory explanation of the changes in Irish proper names from these ad- ditions is given by Colgan in his "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," p. 71, n. 2, and p. 216, n. 5. Also in "Trias Thaumaturga," p. 175, n. 54, and at p. 188, n. 122.
'°* Thus in the Italian language, as also in Latin, for instance, in deriving Paulinus from Paulus. Dr. Lanigan, likewise, in- stances Johnny, an endearing appellative of John, in the English language, as a case
9* Thus the founder of Lindisfame is called
Aedan by Bede, in " Historia Ecclesiastica
Gentis Anglorum," lib, iii. , cap. 5. We in point. See " Ecclesiastical History of
Vol. I. 2 M
are also informed that Aedan Foeddog is the Welsh name for this saint. See Rees'
Essay on the Welsh Saints," p. 227.
99 This saint is usually called Moedoc, or
530 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
have a coresponding usage. Maedocc/°7 or Maodhog,^°^ is in Latin Modo- cus,^°9 Maidocus,"° and in English Maidoc,"' Modoche,"^ Modock,"3 Ma- does,^^4Mogue. ^^s Bythisprocess,twonamessodissimilarinsoundasEh and Mogue are proved to be identical. "^
At the birth of our saint, many miraculous events are said to have oc-
curred. An extraordinary illumination was seen diffused around the place,
in which he was bom, and this continued for a considerable time. It is
stated,"^ that the flag-stone on which he had been placed to be baptized,
afterwards served the purpose of a boat or cot to convey persons over to the
islandofthatlake,wherehewasbom. Inthepagesofthissamework,we
find it asserted, that our saint's mother, while in the pains of childbirth,
leaned upon some dry wood. This withered stick of hazel then became
virescent. It assumed a bark, putting forth leaves, and it produces fmit each
year,^'^ in Inis-Breach-maighe. So mns the popular legend.
The early education of St. Maidoc, as we shall henceforth call him, be-
came an object of the greatest importance, in his pious parents' estimation. To this they sedulously contributed, by their own watchful supervision. The youth's holy dispositions were early manifested. His vocation was deter-
mined, by that care he observed, in avoiding all unlawful pleasures and pursuits. Then God's grace filled him interiorly with desires, having little relation with the perishable pursuits of earth, so that as he grew in years he increased in wisdom and virtue.
CHAPTER II.
CHRONOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES REGARDING THIS SAINT MAIDOC—DETAINED AS A HOSTAGE BY KING AINMIRE, AND AFTERWARDS RELEASED—MIRACLES DURING THE YOUTH OF MAIDOC—HIS INTIMACY WITH ST. LASERIAN OF DEVENISH—HE RESCUES THREE BOYS FROM DROWNING—HE IS ALLOWED BY KING AEDUS, THE FAIR, TO DEPART FROM BREFFNEY—ST. MAIDOC THEN GOES OVER TO WALES— HIS DISCIPLESHIP UNDER ST. —DAVID, BISHOP OF MENEVIA—HIS MIRACULOUS WORKS AMONG THE BRITONS HE OBTAINS, THROUGH PRAYER, A VICTORY FOR THEM OVER THE SAXONS.
A COMPARISON and an analysis of places, dates, and names, occurring in the old Acts of this celebrated prelate, frequently leave modem critical historians
Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xiv. , sec. ix. , n. 118, p. 336.
'°7ln the "Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman," at the 31st of January, we find,
niae," lib. ii. , cap. 47, p. 732. Camden's edition.
^"SeeRev. AlbanButler's"Livesofthe
Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principal tnAeDocc, •{:ei\nA epfcop eyrde. •Ao'6 a Saints," vol. i. , xxxi. January.
c^T) Ainm. *' he was of '" See ** Calendar of Maedocc, bishop King's
Fema. Aodhwashisfirstname. " at January 31st
Scotland,"
'°* See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," at A. D. 624. Also the
"ofatthe Martyrology Donegal," January
31st,pp. 32,33,
»°9This seems to have been—the name—of
this particular saint is uncertain in Scotland. See the " Kalendar," Pridie Kal. Feb. , and
Aberdonen-
"•' See Thomas Innes' " Civil and Ecclesi-
astical History of Scotland," book ii. , p. 161.
"
Sanctorum, Pars Hyemalis, fol. 45 b a.
"S This is the vulgar pronunciation of our saint's name, iu the counties of Wexford and Cavan.
the Also "
Registrum Episcopatus
*'* See Rev. William Reeves' " On paper
Breviarium Aberdonense," Proprium
"
deen," Ap. Proceedings of the Society of of the Lord Primate. " Read before the
vol.
Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 261. '"See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hi- bemise," viii. Martii. Secunda Vita S. Senani, cap. xviii. , p. 614, rectc, 528. Also
Giraldus Cambrensis' " Hiber- Topograpliia
sis,"
ii. , p. 3. "
Martyrology
of Aber-
Some Ecclesiastical Bells in the Collection
"* His in Perthshire is called St. parish
Madoes,formerlySt. Madois. See"New Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. x. , p, 607.
Royal Irish Academy, December 14th, 1863.
"^In the "Martyrology of Donegal,"
edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 32, 33. "* "
nise,"
xxxi.
Januarii. Appendix, cap. ii. .
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 531
in a state of perplexity and sometimes on'uncertain ground. It is considered, that an account of Maidoc, afterwards Bishop of Ferns, having been a host- agewithKingAinmire'cannotbereconciledwithchronology. ^ Ithasbeen stated, by a learned Chronologer,3 however, that the saint's boyhood must be referred to such a monarch's reign. Notwithstanding, a mistake has been admitted, in the opinion of some historians, by entering the name of An- mireus,^ for that of some king who ruled prior to him. s In accounts left us, we might just as fairly state, that such a monarch must have lived long after Ainmire'stime,ifweadmitthecomputationofcertainIrishAnnals. ^ The Genealogies of the Irish Saints? only serve to tangle more, in the attempt to unravel. Thus St. Tighernach, Bishop of Clones, who died on the 4th of April,^ A. D. 548, and who is derived from the same stock as Maidoc, Bishop of Ferns, falls a generation later than the latter saint. 9 In the natural order of things, this calculation should throw the (subject of our biography, his birth and youth, into the closing part of the fifth century. For want of the Acts of St. Maedoc, or Edan,^° Bishop of Clonmore," and of another Bishop
p. 221. — Chapter ii.
'The sonof Sedna. See
See ibid. , pp. 78, 79. " 7 As contained in the
"
"
There he is
3 See Ussher's " Britannicarum Ecclesia- rum Antiquitates,"chap. xvii. , p. 500. Also,
"
Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
Life of
St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. vii. called " Ainmerius. "
See his Life at that date.
5 Thus from Araalgaidh, the great-great-
grandfather of St. Maedoc, proceeds a son
Cairpre, father to Aedh, father of Ainmire,
father of Nindiu, father of St. Tighernach. '° '' "
^See Harris' Ware, vol. i.
Ferns," p. 436. This is founded on the supposition, that St. David of Wales died A. D. 544, and that St. Maidoc had been his disciple.
rum," edited and translated by William M.
Hennessy. See pp. 58, 59.
* Dr. Lanigan thinks his reign did not
commence at the earliest until a. d. 566.
O' Flaherty states that he reigned from a. d.
568 to 571. See " Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. xciii. , p. 431.
5 Dr. Lanigan has ably reviewed the mis- takes of Ussher in reference to his Chrono- logical statements. See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. ix. , and n. 147, pp. 470, 474, 475.
*Thus in the "Chronicon Scotorum," edited by William M. Hennessy, St. Mae- doc, Bishop of Ferns, died A. D. 656. See pp. 94 to 97. This, however, appears as a
misplaced double entry ; for it only repeats what had been already given at a. d. 625.
Ainmire, ^King of Ireland, and from this second union sprung King Aedh, who was killed in the battle of Dunbolg, A. D. 598. It seems probable enough, that after Briga's second marriage, she brought her three first sons with her to the northern parts of Ire- land. See No. iv. of the "Loca Patri- ciana," by the Rev. John Francis Shearman, published in "The Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association ot Ireland. Fourth Series, vol. ii. . No. l6. October, 1873, p. 544.
"Bishops of
Index Chronologicus," A. D. DLXVI. Ac-
cording to O'Mahony's Keating's "History
of Ireland," book ii. , part i. , King Ain-
mire reigned from a. d. 560 to 563. See
chap. i. , p. 444. According to Dr. O'Dono-
van's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. ,
he was king from a. d. 564 to 566. See pp.
204, 205. The Annals of Ulster place him
from A. D, 566 to 568. Dr. O'Donovan
thinks the latter year to be the true date for
his death—yet the Ulster Annals through
error have it again at A. D. 575. The Annals
of Clonmacnoise state he died A. D. 569,
See ibid. , n. (b) This date also agrees January. Briga was afterwards married to with one found in the "Chronicon Scoto-
Neamshancus the Leabhar Breac, R. I. A.
^° See his Life at the ist of March.
^'
Ussher, the Bollandists, and Harris in- cline to the opinion that he departed a. d. 544, while various other writers place his demise respectively at A. D. 546, 547, 550, after 560, 588, 604, 607, or 608, 642, 650.
See this matter stated and discussed, in the ""
to A. D. 575.
75 See Ussher's Britannicarum Ecclesia-
rum Antiquitates. " Index Chronologicus, p, 532.
7' See O'Flaherty's "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. xciii. , p. 431.
7? See Reeves's Adamnan's Life of St.
Columba," p. 32, note e.
78 Dr. Lanigan is at issue with all these
foregoing accounts, except O'Flaherty's statement, when he says, Ainmire began his reign in a. d. 568, and ended it in the year 571. See " Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
author's Life of St. David, Archbishop of Menevia, Chief Patron of Wales, and Titu- lar Patron of Naas Church and Parish, in Ireland," chap, x. , pp. 9010 103.
^^ He is allowed a usually
life
by
ibid.
^3 Dr, Lanigan says, that St. Maidoc must
have been at least twenty-four years old when St. David of Menevia died. Thishap- pened some time iu the sixth century.
long
most writers, and varying from about ninety to one hundred and forty-seven years. See
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 529
been born later than 520 ;^4 although it does not seem probable, that he could have attained the extraordinary age of 112 years. ^5
The name of this is found written in a of forms. ^^ holy bishop great variety
The simple denomination is Aedh,^7 Oedh,^^ or Aodh,^^ which signifies " fire. "5° When borrowed into other languages, this name is rendered Aeda,9*
Aidus,9» Aiduus,93 ^deus,94 Edus,95 or Hugh. 9^ With the diminutive ter- mination an, the original name is resolved into Aedhan. 97 This is again modifiedintoAedan,^^Aedanus. 99 ItiswrittenAidanus,^°°orAidan,^°''and EdanusorEdan,^"^anditassumestheformMo-aedh-og. Thisisagaincon- tractedintoMoedoc,^°3andaccordingtoordinarychanges,it becomesMae- doc. ^°* Thesameroot when " is andthe
and the
same date thus give his name.
See
Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish
Martyrology ofTallagh," at the ^ An ancient form.
9° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. Septima Vita S. Patricii, n. 72, p. 176.
"
van's edition of " The Irish Topographical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla na
Naomh O'Huidhrin. " Introduction, p. 57. And " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. ,
p. 247, n. (p. )
9' The "Kalendarium Drummondiense. "
'"^ fol.
VitaS. Edani, CodexinMarsh'sLibrary,
51, b. " The Book of Obits and Martyr-
continues, mo,meaning my," prefixed, "
syllableocorog,denoting little,"or"dear,"issuffixed. ^°5 Otherlanguages^°^
** Dr. Lanigan deems it probable, that St.
David died at a much later period than 544,
for otherwise, St. Maidoc's birth must be
referred to the first quarter of the sixth cen-
tury. This, he thinks, cannot well be Moedocus, as we find in various passages allowed.
"
writes the name of ^dan of Lindisfame. See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglo-
rum," lib. iii. , cap. 14, 25, 26. See Gol- dast's " Rerum Almannicarum Scriptores. "
Vita S. Findani, cap. 10, p. 222. Also, Rees' "Lives of the Cambro-British Saints. "
Ricemarch's Vita S. David, pp. 130, 133. '°' This form is used by Protestants in Leinster. Among Catholics the name is *' For the many saints called Aedh and corrupted into Moses. See Dr. O'Dono-
"
Ecclesiastical His- tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xiv,, sec. ix. , n. 125, pp. 336, 337. Ussher assigns his
death to A. D. 632.
^^ See the paper of Rev. Dr. Reeves,
already cited.
^7 The "Felire" of ^ngus at Jan. 31st,
"
Aedhan, with their various . festivals, the reader is referred to nn. 4, 5, in the Life of St. Aldus, Bishop of Kildare, at the 4th day of January.
quoted by Rev. Dr. Reeves.
'°°The Venerable Bede sometimes thus
*5 See Dr. Lanigan's
of Christ — xlvii. ology Church, Dublin," p.
of Tinmuth, in John Capgrave's Nova tome i. , partie ii. , chap, iii. , pp. 305, 306. Legenda Anglise. " '°3 See the Life of St. Ita or Mida, chap. 93 See the Cotton British Museum MS. , i. , nn. 8, 9, 10, 11, at the 15th of January.
Bishop
Saints," p. 4, and the Missal at the 31st of
January'.
Bishops of Ferns, pp.
3^ So called in the title of a Lite, by John ''
Harris' Ware, vol. i.
436, 437- Abbe Ma-Geoghegan's " His- toire de I'Irelande, Ancienne et Moderne,"
Vesp. A. xiv. , printed in Rees' " Lives of the Cambro-British Saints," pp. 23210 250. See Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy's "Descrip- tive Catalogue of Materials relating to the History of Great Britain and Ireland," vol.
. , p. 188.
94 See Fleming's " Collectanea Sacra,"
p. 431-
95 In the "Vita S. Edi," a MS. in Trinity
College, Dublin, classed E. 3, 11, fol. no, bb.
^ So this name Aedh is generally ren- dered in English. Thus Duald Mac Firbis and Connell Mageoghan translate it, in their versions of the Annals of Ulster and of Clon- macnoise.
97 As in the " Borumha Laighen. "
In Scholia to the "Feilire" at the 31st of this month, we read tnoe'ooc . 1. A&o . 1. tnoAet)oc, which may be rendered in Eng- lish " Moedoc," that is, Aed, that is Moae- doc.
'"-t Thus in the Tract of St. ^ngus, "On the Mothers of the Irish Saints," we read, ITlAe^oc.
^05 A very satisfactory explanation of the changes in Irish proper names from these ad- ditions is given by Colgan in his "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," p. 71, n. 2, and p. 216, n. 5. Also in "Trias Thaumaturga," p. 175, n. 54, and at p. 188, n. 122.
'°* Thus in the Italian language, as also in Latin, for instance, in deriving Paulinus from Paulus. Dr. Lanigan, likewise, in- stances Johnny, an endearing appellative of John, in the English language, as a case
9* Thus the founder of Lindisfame is called
Aedan by Bede, in " Historia Ecclesiastica
Gentis Anglorum," lib, iii. , cap. 5. We in point. See " Ecclesiastical History of
Vol. I. 2 M
are also informed that Aedan Foeddog is the Welsh name for this saint. See Rees'
Essay on the Welsh Saints," p. 227.
99 This saint is usually called Moedoc, or
530 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
have a coresponding usage. Maedocc/°7 or Maodhog,^°^ is in Latin Modo- cus,^°9 Maidocus,"° and in English Maidoc,"' Modoche,"^ Modock,"3 Ma- does,^^4Mogue. ^^s Bythisprocess,twonamessodissimilarinsoundasEh and Mogue are proved to be identical. "^
At the birth of our saint, many miraculous events are said to have oc-
curred. An extraordinary illumination was seen diffused around the place,
in which he was bom, and this continued for a considerable time. It is
stated,"^ that the flag-stone on which he had been placed to be baptized,
afterwards served the purpose of a boat or cot to convey persons over to the
islandofthatlake,wherehewasbom. Inthepagesofthissamework,we
find it asserted, that our saint's mother, while in the pains of childbirth,
leaned upon some dry wood. This withered stick of hazel then became
virescent. It assumed a bark, putting forth leaves, and it produces fmit each
year,^'^ in Inis-Breach-maighe. So mns the popular legend.
The early education of St. Maidoc, as we shall henceforth call him, be-
came an object of the greatest importance, in his pious parents' estimation. To this they sedulously contributed, by their own watchful supervision. The youth's holy dispositions were early manifested. His vocation was deter-
mined, by that care he observed, in avoiding all unlawful pleasures and pursuits. Then God's grace filled him interiorly with desires, having little relation with the perishable pursuits of earth, so that as he grew in years he increased in wisdom and virtue.
CHAPTER II.
CHRONOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES REGARDING THIS SAINT MAIDOC—DETAINED AS A HOSTAGE BY KING AINMIRE, AND AFTERWARDS RELEASED—MIRACLES DURING THE YOUTH OF MAIDOC—HIS INTIMACY WITH ST. LASERIAN OF DEVENISH—HE RESCUES THREE BOYS FROM DROWNING—HE IS ALLOWED BY KING AEDUS, THE FAIR, TO DEPART FROM BREFFNEY—ST. MAIDOC THEN GOES OVER TO WALES— HIS DISCIPLESHIP UNDER ST. —DAVID, BISHOP OF MENEVIA—HIS MIRACULOUS WORKS AMONG THE BRITONS HE OBTAINS, THROUGH PRAYER, A VICTORY FOR THEM OVER THE SAXONS.
A COMPARISON and an analysis of places, dates, and names, occurring in the old Acts of this celebrated prelate, frequently leave modem critical historians
Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xiv. , sec. ix. , n. 118, p. 336.
'°7ln the "Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman," at the 31st of January, we find,
niae," lib. ii. , cap. 47, p. 732. Camden's edition.
^"SeeRev. AlbanButler's"Livesofthe
Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principal tnAeDocc, •{:ei\nA epfcop eyrde. •Ao'6 a Saints," vol. i. , xxxi. January.
c^T) Ainm. *' he was of '" See ** Calendar of Maedocc, bishop King's
Fema. Aodhwashisfirstname. " at January 31st
Scotland,"
'°* See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," at A. D. 624. Also the
"ofatthe Martyrology Donegal," January
31st,pp. 32,33,
»°9This seems to have been—the name—of
this particular saint is uncertain in Scotland. See the " Kalendar," Pridie Kal. Feb. , and
Aberdonen-
"•' See Thomas Innes' " Civil and Ecclesi-
astical History of Scotland," book ii. , p. 161.
"
Sanctorum, Pars Hyemalis, fol. 45 b a.
"S This is the vulgar pronunciation of our saint's name, iu the counties of Wexford and Cavan.
the Also "
Registrum Episcopatus
*'* See Rev. William Reeves' " On paper
Breviarium Aberdonense," Proprium
"
deen," Ap. Proceedings of the Society of of the Lord Primate. " Read before the
vol.
Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 261. '"See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hi- bemise," viii. Martii. Secunda Vita S. Senani, cap. xviii. , p. 614, rectc, 528. Also
Giraldus Cambrensis' " Hiber- Topograpliia
sis,"
ii. , p. 3. "
Martyrology
of Aber-
Some Ecclesiastical Bells in the Collection
"* His in Perthshire is called St. parish
Madoes,formerlySt. Madois. See"New Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. x. , p, 607.
Royal Irish Academy, December 14th, 1863.
"^In the "Martyrology of Donegal,"
edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 32, 33. "* "
nise,"
xxxi.
Januarii. Appendix, cap. ii. .
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 531
in a state of perplexity and sometimes on'uncertain ground. It is considered, that an account of Maidoc, afterwards Bishop of Ferns, having been a host- agewithKingAinmire'cannotbereconciledwithchronology. ^ Ithasbeen stated, by a learned Chronologer,3 however, that the saint's boyhood must be referred to such a monarch's reign. Notwithstanding, a mistake has been admitted, in the opinion of some historians, by entering the name of An- mireus,^ for that of some king who ruled prior to him. s In accounts left us, we might just as fairly state, that such a monarch must have lived long after Ainmire'stime,ifweadmitthecomputationofcertainIrishAnnals. ^ The Genealogies of the Irish Saints? only serve to tangle more, in the attempt to unravel. Thus St. Tighernach, Bishop of Clones, who died on the 4th of April,^ A. D. 548, and who is derived from the same stock as Maidoc, Bishop of Ferns, falls a generation later than the latter saint. 9 In the natural order of things, this calculation should throw the (subject of our biography, his birth and youth, into the closing part of the fifth century. For want of the Acts of St. Maedoc, or Edan,^° Bishop of Clonmore," and of another Bishop
p. 221. — Chapter ii.
'The sonof Sedna. See
See ibid. , pp. 78, 79. " 7 As contained in the
"
"
There he is
3 See Ussher's " Britannicarum Ecclesia- rum Antiquitates,"chap. xvii. , p. 500. Also,
"
Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
Life of
St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. vii. called " Ainmerius. "
See his Life at that date.
5 Thus from Araalgaidh, the great-great-
grandfather of St. Maedoc, proceeds a son
Cairpre, father to Aedh, father of Ainmire,
father of Nindiu, father of St. Tighernach. '° '' "
^See Harris' Ware, vol. i.
Ferns," p. 436. This is founded on the supposition, that St. David of Wales died A. D. 544, and that St. Maidoc had been his disciple.
rum," edited and translated by William M.
Hennessy. See pp. 58, 59.
* Dr. Lanigan thinks his reign did not
commence at the earliest until a. d. 566.
O' Flaherty states that he reigned from a. d.
568 to 571. See " Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. xciii. , p. 431.
5 Dr. Lanigan has ably reviewed the mis- takes of Ussher in reference to his Chrono- logical statements. See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. ix. , and n. 147, pp. 470, 474, 475.
*Thus in the "Chronicon Scotorum," edited by William M. Hennessy, St. Mae- doc, Bishop of Ferns, died A. D. 656. See pp. 94 to 97. This, however, appears as a
misplaced double entry ; for it only repeats what had been already given at a. d. 625.
Ainmire, ^King of Ireland, and from this second union sprung King Aedh, who was killed in the battle of Dunbolg, A. D. 598. It seems probable enough, that after Briga's second marriage, she brought her three first sons with her to the northern parts of Ire- land. See No. iv. of the "Loca Patri- ciana," by the Rev. John Francis Shearman, published in "The Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association ot Ireland. Fourth Series, vol. ii. . No. l6. October, 1873, p. 544.
"Bishops of
Index Chronologicus," A. D. DLXVI. Ac-
cording to O'Mahony's Keating's "History
of Ireland," book ii. , part i. , King Ain-
mire reigned from a. d. 560 to 563. See
chap. i. , p. 444. According to Dr. O'Dono-
van's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. ,
he was king from a. d. 564 to 566. See pp.
204, 205. The Annals of Ulster place him
from A. D, 566 to 568. Dr. O'Donovan
thinks the latter year to be the true date for
his death—yet the Ulster Annals through
error have it again at A. D. 575. The Annals
of Clonmacnoise state he died A. D. 569,
See ibid. , n. (b) This date also agrees January. Briga was afterwards married to with one found in the "Chronicon Scoto-
Neamshancus the Leabhar Breac, R. I. A.
