If the date of the
Convention
of Druimceatt given in the "Annals of Ulster" be correct, he was sovereign before 575.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
210,
posed
" of
ing's History Ireland,"
chap, iv,, n. 3, p, 106.
'°
county,
This probably was written at a period,
Colgan's
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
9 We may suppose on some strand of
Wexford
book i. , i. , part
when no
a time, within which sacramental confession was to be made. In the Fourth General Council of Lateran, held A,D. 1215, under Pope Innocent III. , the xxi. Canon contains the Decree, which obliges all the faithful, who have come to the years of discretion, to
''' in n. 22 to hisLifeof St. By Colgan
Maidoc.
'S Having carefully examined the County Index of Townland Names, for the Ord-
nance Survey Maps of Wexford, I can find
nothing approaching it in orthography, either
under the compound title or its resolvable
simple derivatives. It is somewhat remark-
able, that all the places commencing with
"
Ard"inthecountyofWexford,arefound within the baronies of Shelmaliere (East and West) with the exception of Ardamine, in the barony of Ballaghkeen, and Ardross, in the barony of Bantry.
'* extracts from the "Annals of Among
the Four Masters" where a place called Ard- lathran occurs, at A. M. 2242, 3319, we are informed by Mr. O'Donovan, "this name does not exist at present in any part of the county Wexford. " See the first volume of extracts among the Ordnance Survey Re- cords for the County of Wexford, in the R. LA. , p. 7.
special
law of the Church defined
confess their sins at least once in the year. "
See Theologiae Moralis," Concinnatae a FranciscoPatricioKenrick,Episc, Vol,i. , tract iv. , pars, ii. , cap. ii. De Confessione Annua, pp. 201 to 203.
" The meaning of this passage evidently refers to the extraordinary sanctity of Mai-
and to his from the
doc, preservation guilt
of mortal sin, while it expresses a prevailing custom, and sanctions its adoption, in the recommendation given to him, that he should select as his "pater confessarius" the holy Molua.
'" This is the St. Molua, whose feast was
celebrated at Clonfert Molua. Tigemach
in his annals has his death under A. D. 591,
as "Obitus tug. LiiYmoil^ >• tnotuoc," if
we adopt Dr. O'Conor's opinion. See bably the saint so called.
" Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," torn.
ii. , p. 159, and n. 89, ibid. He died a. d. •605, according to Dr. O'Donovan's *' Annals
'^ Ardladhran is said to have been a terri- tory belonging to three of Colcu Mac Brea- sail's sons. See "Coimty Wexford Ex-
" Thou hast no need of but any confessor,^°
The
Godalone,forHeknowsthymostpureconscience. " However,ifthou desirest a director, take Molua," son of Coche, as thy father confessor. " Hereupon, St. Maidoc returned from the sea, and landed at a maritime towTi, named Ardlathrann. '3 This place is said to have been so called from a soldier of Cessara, named Ladhran, who had been there buried. His tomb is considered''* to have been in the diocese of Ferns and county of Wexford. Yet, it does not seem that its identity can be ascertained at present,'^ under any form among that county's townland denominations. ^^ However, it is
power.
angel
said to
him,
*'
antediluviansettlerinIreland. Itis thought to be the present Ardamine on the east coast of Wexford, where a curious moat still exists. See O'Mahony's Keat-
or
Ladhran," the proper name of a sup-
'7 In English
"
the height of Kevin," pro-
542 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
Hy-Kmselach. ^9 Whilehere,St. Maidoclikewisesatdownataplacecalled
Achell,^° where he bethought him of having forgotten a cymbal or bell in Britain. But when he found it necessary to sound this instrument, to his
great surprise and joy, he found it lying beside him, on the shore ; it having been miraculously conveyed from Britain, over the intervening sea. ^' Whe- ther or not this bell had been preserved as a relic of the saint does not seem to be known : for we are of the opinion, that the Clog Mogue or Bell of St.
Maidoc—we cannot be sure however it was our saint—had wished to enter Munster, by way of that arm of the sea^4 which divided the territory of Hy-Kinselach from the Desies' district. ^s This latter he had intended to visit. His companions, with himself, were on horseback. No vessel was readytotakethemoverthestrait; yetthesainttoldhisfellow-travellersto urge their horses onwards, and obeying this order, these are said to have passed, as if they had been on dry-land, not even their hoofs being wet. Thus by a miracle he reached the Nan-Desii Country. ^^ After this adven- ture, the blessed Maidoc built a monastery at a place called Disert-Nairbre. It is said^7 to have been situated in the diocese of Ardmore in the Decies Country f^ and again we are told,^9 it is identical with Bolhendesart,3° not far from the River Suir, in Upper Third barony, and in the county of Water- ford. Here he lived for some time, with some of his disciples. Being alone in his cell on a special time, while at this place, a remarkable miracle is stated tohavebeenwrought. Whileoursaintwasgrindingwheatandbeingina mill,acertainmanfromOssoryreceivedsomemealfromhim. Thebrethren, meantime, were engaged at out-door work. This same man, having changed his habit and appearance, pretended to be blind, and he returned again to the saint,
Mogue,^^ possessed by the Protestant Primate of Armagh, did not belong to the present holy bishop, but to a namesake, who was venerated as St. Mogue of Rossinver, in the county of Leitrim. ^3
for alms. Maidoc " hast thou acted in this manner ? replied, Why
asking
In the name of God, I will give to thee, but thou shalt be blind to the day
of thy death ; and so long as thy descendants continue, a bUnd man shall not be wanting to thy race. " And so it happened. 3^ However, it does not seem to be clearly established, that some of the foregoing adventures, as also many following acts, attributed to St. Maidoc, Bishop of Ferns, in his life, may not be referable to St. Maidoc, Abbot of Clonmore. s^ The mistake
tracts," vol. i. , p. 440. Such is Mr. O'Curry's statement, founded on the autho- rity of the Book of Lecan, fol. 103, a. col. a.
'9 A notice of Ardladhran occurs in Halli- da^s Keating's "History of Ireland," in these following words : Caojatd iomtno]\^A beAn CAni'c, •ajui' r;|\iA|\ peAp Latjiaa Ainmfi|\ 'oio'b Aguf if tiAi"6 xMnmni5ceAi\ ^]\x)La'6]\ati.
'^ I can find no place thus named on the County Index to Names on Ordnance Sur- vey Maps for the County of Wexford.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
=''* Now known as Waterford Harbour.
^s in the southern part of Waterford
xxi. , p. 210.
^^ By Colgan.
^ In his n. 23, to the life of St. Maidoc,
p. 217.
^ In Smith's " Natural and Civil History
of the County and City of Waterford," chap, iii. , p. iio,
so Smith states, that St. Maidoc founded an abbey for Canons Regulars of St. Augus- tine, at this place, and in the sixth century.
3' See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
nise," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap. xxiii. , p. 210,
32 in a certain passage, Colgan calls him Maidoc, Aid or Aidan, son of Eugene, of the royal family of the Lagenians or Leinster people. See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," viii. Februarii. DeS. Onchuone,cap. viii. ,
*' See
nise," xxxi. Januarii. XX. , p. 210.
" On this
Colgan's
see the Rev. William Reeves' paper read December 14th, 1863. " On Some Ecclesiastical Bells in the Col- lection of the Lord Primate. " See " Pro- ceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," vol.
viii. , pp. 441 to 450.
'3 See notices of him at the 5th of Janu-
ary,art. iii.
subject,
county. ^* See
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
Colgan's
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 543
might arise from these probabiHties, that both belonged to the north of Ire- land by family descent, both lived near each other in Hy-Kinsellagh, and
they appear to have been nearly, if not quite, contemporaneous. 33 Under such circumstances, the biographer may have confounded the series of their respective transactions. That Maidoc, who went into the Nan-Desii terri- tory—where probably he only continued for a short period,—is afterwards stated to have built many monasteries through the circuit of Hy-Kinsellagh. 34 Among these is specially mentioned Cluain Dicholla Garibh, or DichoUa Gairbir. 35 It appears to have been so called from a St. Dicolla,3S who was abbothere,yetunderthejurisdictionofSt. Maidoc. Atalaterperiod,this placewasknownasClonmore. Here,itseemstous,fadifferentpersonfrom the holy bishop of Ferns may have obtained a place in his acts, and the suc- ceeding account of Aedh,37 the son of Ainmerech, having fallen in the battle of Dunbolg, owing in a great measure to the intervention of St. Maidoc, is re- ferable rather to him venerated at the nth of April. 3^ For this day and per- son must we reserve a detailed account of that celebrated historical event.
At or soon after the time when St. Maidoc returned to Ireland, a very
able and powerful provincial king ruled over Leinster. 39 He is called Bran
Dubh, the son of Eochaidh. 4° How early his reign commenced over the
Lagenians does not appear to be very clearly defined, although it is said to
have lasted ^ thirty years. ''
However,
in the we find he year 586,*^ stated,43
the stratagem, which gained the battle over that Monarch of Ireland, and he favoured Brandubh, King of Leinster, who resisted the unjust aggressor, as noticed in the "Borumha Laighean. " See Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves' " Martyrology of Done- gal," pp. icxD, loi. Also Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 218 to 221.
39 The Annals of Tigemach place the death of Aedus Cerr {i. e. , Acer), son of Colman, King of Leinster, at A. D. 596. Brandubh, the son of Each, is made his successor at the same date. See Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibernicarum Scrip- tores," tom. ii. , p. 159.
p. 277. For this statement, he quotes the
" Menologic Sanctilogy," chap. xx. See n. 12, ibid.
33 It does not appear to have occurred to any writer, that there might have been only one Maidoc here, although the genealogists and calendarists give a difference of ancestry, of place and of festival for St. Maidoc of Ferns and for St. Maidoc of Clonmore.
3* According to another account, I find that St Maidoc of Ferns was venerated at Ross Inbher, in the county of Leitrim,
already stated at the 5th of January the feast day for St. MacCoge, of Rosinver, county of Leitrim.
3S Mr. John M'Call places it in the county of Wexford. Here it is noted, St. Maidoc of Ferns was, at that time when the battle of Dunbolg, not far from Dunlavin, in the county of Wicklow, had been fought.
3* Colgan thinks his feast occurs on the 15th of March, where notices of him will be found.
3'' He was sovereign of Ireland and died
in598. Thereisagooddealofuncertainty, as to the year of his accession.
If the date of the Convention of Druimceatt given in the "Annals of Ulster" be correct, he was sovereign before 575.
3^ He is said to have been a uterine or half-brotherofKingAedh; yetheplanned
"mAe'ohog 6 i:ei\n4m6i|\, o Tloff 1nbe]^
o T)|\uim teAuhAn. " H. lO, 129 a. This
note is found in Wm. M. Hennessy's copy
of the Donegal Martyrology, added to the
account of St. Maedhog. But to the writer,
it seems clear, that St. Aidan, Mogue, son to ^ngus, son of Feidlimidh, son to Moeg or Mac Coge, of Rosinver, must be Enna Kennselach, from whom the Hy-Kin- distinguished from St. Maidoc, of Ferns. sellagh family had its origin. This latter The reader is referred to what has —been
4° This Eochaidh was son of Muredach,
prince successfully contended against
of Ireland, from A. D. 353 to 360, according to O'Mahony's Keating's "History of Ire-
Eochaidh Muigh-Medoin, fArd-Righ
land," book i. , part ii. , chap, vii. , pp. 368, 369, and book ii. , part i. , chap, i. , p. 466.
^' According to the computation of the UlsterAnnals. Followingsuchacalcula- tion he must have began it, A. D. 574, as his reignisbroughttoacloseatA. D. 604. See "Annales Ultonienses. " Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tom. iv. , p. 36.
4» Tigemach places the accession of Aedh,
son of Ainmire to the throne of Ireland in "
this year. See Tigernachi Annales," ibid. , tom. ii. , p. 157-
<3 By the Four Masters, whose chronology is usually reliable.
544 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
gained a battle over the Ui-Neill on the southern side of the hill of Cloncurry,
in the plain known as Magh-Ochtair. ** Again, in the year 592'*5 or 593,''^ or at a later period/7 as some accounts have it, he obtained a victory over
Cumuscach, son to King Aedh Mac Anmirech, at Dunboyke''^ in the parish ofHollywood,countyofWicklow. Th—isresultedinthedeathofCumuscach.
The — a. d. following year 593'^^'
or
to other authorities
594^° according 597^^
Aedh, Monarch of Ireland, marching to avenge the death of his son, was himself defeated and slain,53 by Brandubh, in the battle of Dun- bolg. s4 The King of Leinster afterwards collected an army, with which he
or 59852
marched northwards, and in a. d. 597, he appears to have over-ran East "
Meath, delivering his sword-blows" in Bregia or Magh Breagh. ss Not- withstanding, his victorious career was brought to a premature issue in a. d.
6oi,s<5 or 604,57 or 605,5^ when the Ui-NeiU, his persistent enemies, gained the battle of Slaibhre over him ; and that very same year he was treacher- ously killed by the Airchinneachss of Senboithe,^ and by his o^vn tribe. ^^
The life of St. Maidoc is very unsatisfactory, owing to its inexact chrono-
logical array of statements ; but probably from the previous data, we may very closely arrive at the period, when the monastery of Ferns^^ had been firstfounded. ThatKingBrandubh^3wasamunificentpatronofMaidoc seems to be thoroughly well established. ^^ Now it is most likely, that in the earlier part of his reign, he must have given that land, on which Maidoc founded his establishment, and most probably soon after the saint's return
<* This battle the Ulster Annals place at
A. D. 589.
<s See " Annales Inisfalenses," p. 9.
** See *' Annales iv. Magistrorum," pp.
59 Dr. O' Conor tells us, that some think
"
this word, or its equivalent
to have been derived from " Archidiaconus. " This seems to have been an office of a mixed kind, partly ecclesiastical and partly civil. They were not ordained as deacons to have a part in sacred ministrations. They were
merely laics, who by hereditary right ma- 597, p. 160. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's naged ecclesiastical lands and religious es-
" Rerum Hibemicarum Scriptores," torn, ii. , torn, iii. , and torn. iv.
'^ Some popular traditions regarding this
event are yet preserved.
*9 See "Annales Inisfalenses," torn, ii. ,
p. 9.
5° See the "Annales iv. Magistrorum,
176, 177.
<7 The "Annales Ultonienses,
"
assign the victory of Brandubh to A. D. 596, p. 33. The "Tigemaci Annales" place it at a. d.
torn, iii. , pp. 177, 178.
5' See Annales Ultonienses," torn, iv. ,
P- 34-
5^ See " Tigemaci Annales," tom. ii. , pp.
160, i6x.
S3 A brief account of this transaction is to
be seen in Mrs. M. C. Ferguson's "Story of
the Irish before the Conquest," chap, vii. ,
p. 203.
5* This is rendered "fort of the Belgse,"
ss See "Annales iv. Magistrorum," tom. iii. , p. 180.
of the cill'-churches, whether they had or had not taken protection, were ex-
empt from the liability of supplying food, and from liability on account of kinsmen. "The Book of Aicill. " Edited by Rev.
Thaddeus O'Mahony and Alexander George "
5* See " Annales iv. iii. , pp. 185, 186.
Magistrorum,"
tom.
the Ulster and Annals,
"Feama" is " Anglicized
by Tigemach, by
by those of the Four Masters. See Rev. C. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibemicarum Scrip- tores," tom. ii. , iii. , iv,
Alderground. " See his paper " On Some Ecclesiastical
Bells," &c.
*3 The equivalent of his name in English is "the black crow. " See "Annales it.
Magistroram," tom. iii. , p. 185.
*"" Forbes ' ' On the success Bishop says,
of his half-brother, King Brandubh, he had Ferns assigned to him as a see. "—" Kalen- dars of Scottish Saints," p. 403. This re- lationship, however, did not exist, as an ex- amination of the Genealogies will prove.
S7 See "Annales Ultonienses," tom. iv. , p. 36.
^ See "Tigemaci Annales," tom. ii. , pp. 178, 179.
tablishments or hospitals. See ' ' Rerum Hibemicarum Scriptores," tom. iv. , n. 2, PP- 36, 37-
^ His slayer is called Saranus, manus
rubrse, by the Four Masters, S-a^aii ]-Aeb-
oe]\c, by Tigemach, and Saran Saebderg, in the Annals of Ulster.
^' We leam that the " Airchinnechs" "'
Richey. See Ancient Laws of Ireland," vol. iii. , p. 113.
*^
By the Rev. William Reeves the name
Oircinneach,"
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 545
from the south of Ireland. It appears irreconcilable, with the busy occupa- tion of those wars in which he was engaged towards the close of life, and from some casual allusions to Brandubh in our saint's acts, to suppose, that Ferns monastery had not been built some years before the close of the sixth century. ^s Even after this building and occupation took place, a town or city gradually grew up near it, and this caused Brandubh to intend its subse- quent precedence over Sletty, which since the time of St. Fiech^^ had been regarded as the chief ecclesiastical see in Leinster. Hence, perhaps, about A. D. 570 we may regard the foundation of the church at Ferns^7 as having been laid. Maidoc was certainly the first bishop over this see. ^^
When this saintly superior had erected a noble monastery at Femas, or Guerwin, as Ricemare calls it, the experienced director collected together some disciples, and proposed to them a state of life formed on the rule and observanceofholyDavid. ^9 Itappearsreconcilablewithprobability,that St. Scuthinus7° was one of those, before he founded for himself a religious establishment at Tascoffin. 7' At Ferns, the holy superior led a most per- fect life, giving edification, not only to his brethren in the monastery, but to extems. While here, too, his life was characterized by the performance of several miracles. ? ^ When Maidoc was engaged in building Ferns monas- tery, his disciples complained to him that no water could be found in the place. He told them to cut down a certain tree, which stood before him, and he promised, that a clear fountain should spring up, on the spot. His orders having been obeyed, a well of pure water was found substituted for the fallen tree, and this spring was afterwards called Tiobrad Moedoc. 73 Certain women were accustomed to visit a rivulet, flowing from this fountain, for the purpose of washing their garments. A man in humble circumstances named Beec, had a place of residence, near our saint's monastery ; and his fieldextendedtothebanksoftherivuletalreadymentioned. Maidocre- quested the women not to come so near his monastery, but they refused to attend to his injunctions, asserting they had a right to act as they did, not having intruded on any portion of his ecclesiastical property. A daughter
of Beec ranked among the number of these recusants. She was engaged at the time washing garments, which she pressed beneath her feet. At length these were found firmly fastened to the clothes, which could not be removed
from the spot, on which they rested.
Thus she became immovable as a
^ See Rev. S. " Lives o Baring-Gould's
the Saints," vol. i. , January xxxi. , p. 468. "
*5 In the
appendix
to the Dublin edition
of the Rev. Alban Butler's "Lives of the
Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal
*' See Giraldus Cambrensis' Opera," ""
Saints, published in 1802, a strange ana-
chronism seems to be admitted, viz. : that
the present saint was consecrated Bishop of
Ferns about a. d. 598, that he was bishop
there about fifty years, and that he died
January 31st, A. D. 632. It is evident that
such computation must leave him only thirty-
four a See '* A Chrono- years bishop.
edited by J. S. Brewer, vol. iii. Historia de Vita S. Davidis Menevensis Archiepis- copi," lect. v. , sec.
posed
" of
ing's History Ireland,"
chap, iv,, n. 3, p, 106.
'°
county,
This probably was written at a period,
Colgan's
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
9 We may suppose on some strand of
Wexford
book i. , i. , part
when no
a time, within which sacramental confession was to be made. In the Fourth General Council of Lateran, held A,D. 1215, under Pope Innocent III. , the xxi. Canon contains the Decree, which obliges all the faithful, who have come to the years of discretion, to
''' in n. 22 to hisLifeof St. By Colgan
Maidoc.
'S Having carefully examined the County Index of Townland Names, for the Ord-
nance Survey Maps of Wexford, I can find
nothing approaching it in orthography, either
under the compound title or its resolvable
simple derivatives. It is somewhat remark-
able, that all the places commencing with
"
Ard"inthecountyofWexford,arefound within the baronies of Shelmaliere (East and West) with the exception of Ardamine, in the barony of Ballaghkeen, and Ardross, in the barony of Bantry.
'* extracts from the "Annals of Among
the Four Masters" where a place called Ard- lathran occurs, at A. M. 2242, 3319, we are informed by Mr. O'Donovan, "this name does not exist at present in any part of the county Wexford. " See the first volume of extracts among the Ordnance Survey Re- cords for the County of Wexford, in the R. LA. , p. 7.
special
law of the Church defined
confess their sins at least once in the year. "
See Theologiae Moralis," Concinnatae a FranciscoPatricioKenrick,Episc, Vol,i. , tract iv. , pars, ii. , cap. ii. De Confessione Annua, pp. 201 to 203.
" The meaning of this passage evidently refers to the extraordinary sanctity of Mai-
and to his from the
doc, preservation guilt
of mortal sin, while it expresses a prevailing custom, and sanctions its adoption, in the recommendation given to him, that he should select as his "pater confessarius" the holy Molua.
'" This is the St. Molua, whose feast was
celebrated at Clonfert Molua. Tigemach
in his annals has his death under A. D. 591,
as "Obitus tug. LiiYmoil^ >• tnotuoc," if
we adopt Dr. O'Conor's opinion. See bably the saint so called.
" Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," torn.
ii. , p. 159, and n. 89, ibid. He died a. d. •605, according to Dr. O'Donovan's *' Annals
'^ Ardladhran is said to have been a terri- tory belonging to three of Colcu Mac Brea- sail's sons. See "Coimty Wexford Ex-
" Thou hast no need of but any confessor,^°
The
Godalone,forHeknowsthymostpureconscience. " However,ifthou desirest a director, take Molua," son of Coche, as thy father confessor. " Hereupon, St. Maidoc returned from the sea, and landed at a maritime towTi, named Ardlathrann. '3 This place is said to have been so called from a soldier of Cessara, named Ladhran, who had been there buried. His tomb is considered''* to have been in the diocese of Ferns and county of Wexford. Yet, it does not seem that its identity can be ascertained at present,'^ under any form among that county's townland denominations. ^^ However, it is
power.
angel
said to
him,
*'
antediluviansettlerinIreland. Itis thought to be the present Ardamine on the east coast of Wexford, where a curious moat still exists. See O'Mahony's Keat-
or
Ladhran," the proper name of a sup-
'7 In English
"
the height of Kevin," pro-
542 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
Hy-Kmselach. ^9 Whilehere,St. Maidoclikewisesatdownataplacecalled
Achell,^° where he bethought him of having forgotten a cymbal or bell in Britain. But when he found it necessary to sound this instrument, to his
great surprise and joy, he found it lying beside him, on the shore ; it having been miraculously conveyed from Britain, over the intervening sea. ^' Whe- ther or not this bell had been preserved as a relic of the saint does not seem to be known : for we are of the opinion, that the Clog Mogue or Bell of St.
Maidoc—we cannot be sure however it was our saint—had wished to enter Munster, by way of that arm of the sea^4 which divided the territory of Hy-Kinselach from the Desies' district. ^s This latter he had intended to visit. His companions, with himself, were on horseback. No vessel was readytotakethemoverthestrait; yetthesainttoldhisfellow-travellersto urge their horses onwards, and obeying this order, these are said to have passed, as if they had been on dry-land, not even their hoofs being wet. Thus by a miracle he reached the Nan-Desii Country. ^^ After this adven- ture, the blessed Maidoc built a monastery at a place called Disert-Nairbre. It is said^7 to have been situated in the diocese of Ardmore in the Decies Country f^ and again we are told,^9 it is identical with Bolhendesart,3° not far from the River Suir, in Upper Third barony, and in the county of Water- ford. Here he lived for some time, with some of his disciples. Being alone in his cell on a special time, while at this place, a remarkable miracle is stated tohavebeenwrought. Whileoursaintwasgrindingwheatandbeingina mill,acertainmanfromOssoryreceivedsomemealfromhim. Thebrethren, meantime, were engaged at out-door work. This same man, having changed his habit and appearance, pretended to be blind, and he returned again to the saint,
Mogue,^^ possessed by the Protestant Primate of Armagh, did not belong to the present holy bishop, but to a namesake, who was venerated as St. Mogue of Rossinver, in the county of Leitrim. ^3
for alms. Maidoc " hast thou acted in this manner ? replied, Why
asking
In the name of God, I will give to thee, but thou shalt be blind to the day
of thy death ; and so long as thy descendants continue, a bUnd man shall not be wanting to thy race. " And so it happened. 3^ However, it does not seem to be clearly established, that some of the foregoing adventures, as also many following acts, attributed to St. Maidoc, Bishop of Ferns, in his life, may not be referable to St. Maidoc, Abbot of Clonmore. s^ The mistake
tracts," vol. i. , p. 440. Such is Mr. O'Curry's statement, founded on the autho- rity of the Book of Lecan, fol. 103, a. col. a.
'9 A notice of Ardladhran occurs in Halli- da^s Keating's "History of Ireland," in these following words : Caojatd iomtno]\^A beAn CAni'c, •ajui' r;|\iA|\ peAp Latjiaa Ainmfi|\ 'oio'b Aguf if tiAi"6 xMnmni5ceAi\ ^]\x)La'6]\ati.
'^ I can find no place thus named on the County Index to Names on Ordnance Sur- vey Maps for the County of Wexford.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
=''* Now known as Waterford Harbour.
^s in the southern part of Waterford
xxi. , p. 210.
^^ By Colgan.
^ In his n. 23, to the life of St. Maidoc,
p. 217.
^ In Smith's " Natural and Civil History
of the County and City of Waterford," chap, iii. , p. iio,
so Smith states, that St. Maidoc founded an abbey for Canons Regulars of St. Augus- tine, at this place, and in the sixth century.
3' See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
nise," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap. xxiii. , p. 210,
32 in a certain passage, Colgan calls him Maidoc, Aid or Aidan, son of Eugene, of the royal family of the Lagenians or Leinster people. See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," viii. Februarii. DeS. Onchuone,cap. viii. ,
*' See
nise," xxxi. Januarii. XX. , p. 210.
" On this
Colgan's
see the Rev. William Reeves' paper read December 14th, 1863. " On Some Ecclesiastical Bells in the Col- lection of the Lord Primate. " See " Pro- ceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," vol.
viii. , pp. 441 to 450.
'3 See notices of him at the 5th of Janu-
ary,art. iii.
subject,
county. ^* See
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
Colgan's
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 543
might arise from these probabiHties, that both belonged to the north of Ire- land by family descent, both lived near each other in Hy-Kinsellagh, and
they appear to have been nearly, if not quite, contemporaneous. 33 Under such circumstances, the biographer may have confounded the series of their respective transactions. That Maidoc, who went into the Nan-Desii terri- tory—where probably he only continued for a short period,—is afterwards stated to have built many monasteries through the circuit of Hy-Kinsellagh. 34 Among these is specially mentioned Cluain Dicholla Garibh, or DichoUa Gairbir. 35 It appears to have been so called from a St. Dicolla,3S who was abbothere,yetunderthejurisdictionofSt. Maidoc. Atalaterperiod,this placewasknownasClonmore. Here,itseemstous,fadifferentpersonfrom the holy bishop of Ferns may have obtained a place in his acts, and the suc- ceeding account of Aedh,37 the son of Ainmerech, having fallen in the battle of Dunbolg, owing in a great measure to the intervention of St. Maidoc, is re- ferable rather to him venerated at the nth of April. 3^ For this day and per- son must we reserve a detailed account of that celebrated historical event.
At or soon after the time when St. Maidoc returned to Ireland, a very
able and powerful provincial king ruled over Leinster. 39 He is called Bran
Dubh, the son of Eochaidh. 4° How early his reign commenced over the
Lagenians does not appear to be very clearly defined, although it is said to
have lasted ^ thirty years. ''
However,
in the we find he year 586,*^ stated,43
the stratagem, which gained the battle over that Monarch of Ireland, and he favoured Brandubh, King of Leinster, who resisted the unjust aggressor, as noticed in the "Borumha Laighean. " See Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves' " Martyrology of Done- gal," pp. icxD, loi. Also Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 218 to 221.
39 The Annals of Tigemach place the death of Aedus Cerr {i. e. , Acer), son of Colman, King of Leinster, at A. D. 596. Brandubh, the son of Each, is made his successor at the same date. See Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibernicarum Scrip- tores," tom. ii. , p. 159.
p. 277. For this statement, he quotes the
" Menologic Sanctilogy," chap. xx. See n. 12, ibid.
33 It does not appear to have occurred to any writer, that there might have been only one Maidoc here, although the genealogists and calendarists give a difference of ancestry, of place and of festival for St. Maidoc of Ferns and for St. Maidoc of Clonmore.
3* According to another account, I find that St Maidoc of Ferns was venerated at Ross Inbher, in the county of Leitrim,
already stated at the 5th of January the feast day for St. MacCoge, of Rosinver, county of Leitrim.
3S Mr. John M'Call places it in the county of Wexford. Here it is noted, St. Maidoc of Ferns was, at that time when the battle of Dunbolg, not far from Dunlavin, in the county of Wicklow, had been fought.
3* Colgan thinks his feast occurs on the 15th of March, where notices of him will be found.
3'' He was sovereign of Ireland and died
in598. Thereisagooddealofuncertainty, as to the year of his accession.
If the date of the Convention of Druimceatt given in the "Annals of Ulster" be correct, he was sovereign before 575.
3^ He is said to have been a uterine or half-brotherofKingAedh; yetheplanned
"mAe'ohog 6 i:ei\n4m6i|\, o Tloff 1nbe]^
o T)|\uim teAuhAn. " H. lO, 129 a. This
note is found in Wm. M. Hennessy's copy
of the Donegal Martyrology, added to the
account of St. Maedhog. But to the writer,
it seems clear, that St. Aidan, Mogue, son to ^ngus, son of Feidlimidh, son to Moeg or Mac Coge, of Rosinver, must be Enna Kennselach, from whom the Hy-Kin- distinguished from St. Maidoc, of Ferns. sellagh family had its origin. This latter The reader is referred to what has —been
4° This Eochaidh was son of Muredach,
prince successfully contended against
of Ireland, from A. D. 353 to 360, according to O'Mahony's Keating's "History of Ire-
Eochaidh Muigh-Medoin, fArd-Righ
land," book i. , part ii. , chap, vii. , pp. 368, 369, and book ii. , part i. , chap, i. , p. 466.
^' According to the computation of the UlsterAnnals. Followingsuchacalcula- tion he must have began it, A. D. 574, as his reignisbroughttoacloseatA. D. 604. See "Annales Ultonienses. " Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tom. iv. , p. 36.
4» Tigemach places the accession of Aedh,
son of Ainmire to the throne of Ireland in "
this year. See Tigernachi Annales," ibid. , tom. ii. , p. 157-
<3 By the Four Masters, whose chronology is usually reliable.
544 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
gained a battle over the Ui-Neill on the southern side of the hill of Cloncurry,
in the plain known as Magh-Ochtair. ** Again, in the year 592'*5 or 593,''^ or at a later period/7 as some accounts have it, he obtained a victory over
Cumuscach, son to King Aedh Mac Anmirech, at Dunboyke''^ in the parish ofHollywood,countyofWicklow. Th—isresultedinthedeathofCumuscach.
The — a. d. following year 593'^^'
or
to other authorities
594^° according 597^^
Aedh, Monarch of Ireland, marching to avenge the death of his son, was himself defeated and slain,53 by Brandubh, in the battle of Dun- bolg. s4 The King of Leinster afterwards collected an army, with which he
or 59852
marched northwards, and in a. d. 597, he appears to have over-ran East "
Meath, delivering his sword-blows" in Bregia or Magh Breagh. ss Not- withstanding, his victorious career was brought to a premature issue in a. d.
6oi,s<5 or 604,57 or 605,5^ when the Ui-NeiU, his persistent enemies, gained the battle of Slaibhre over him ; and that very same year he was treacher- ously killed by the Airchinneachss of Senboithe,^ and by his o^vn tribe. ^^
The life of St. Maidoc is very unsatisfactory, owing to its inexact chrono-
logical array of statements ; but probably from the previous data, we may very closely arrive at the period, when the monastery of Ferns^^ had been firstfounded. ThatKingBrandubh^3wasamunificentpatronofMaidoc seems to be thoroughly well established. ^^ Now it is most likely, that in the earlier part of his reign, he must have given that land, on which Maidoc founded his establishment, and most probably soon after the saint's return
<* This battle the Ulster Annals place at
A. D. 589.
<s See " Annales Inisfalenses," p. 9.
** See *' Annales iv. Magistrorum," pp.
59 Dr. O' Conor tells us, that some think
"
this word, or its equivalent
to have been derived from " Archidiaconus. " This seems to have been an office of a mixed kind, partly ecclesiastical and partly civil. They were not ordained as deacons to have a part in sacred ministrations. They were
merely laics, who by hereditary right ma- 597, p. 160. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's naged ecclesiastical lands and religious es-
" Rerum Hibemicarum Scriptores," torn, ii. , torn, iii. , and torn. iv.
'^ Some popular traditions regarding this
event are yet preserved.
*9 See "Annales Inisfalenses," torn, ii. ,
p. 9.
5° See the "Annales iv. Magistrorum,
176, 177.
<7 The "Annales Ultonienses,
"
assign the victory of Brandubh to A. D. 596, p. 33. The "Tigemaci Annales" place it at a. d.
torn, iii. , pp. 177, 178.
5' See Annales Ultonienses," torn, iv. ,
P- 34-
5^ See " Tigemaci Annales," tom. ii. , pp.
160, i6x.
S3 A brief account of this transaction is to
be seen in Mrs. M. C. Ferguson's "Story of
the Irish before the Conquest," chap, vii. ,
p. 203.
5* This is rendered "fort of the Belgse,"
ss See "Annales iv. Magistrorum," tom. iii. , p. 180.
of the cill'-churches, whether they had or had not taken protection, were ex-
empt from the liability of supplying food, and from liability on account of kinsmen. "The Book of Aicill. " Edited by Rev.
Thaddeus O'Mahony and Alexander George "
5* See " Annales iv. iii. , pp. 185, 186.
Magistrorum,"
tom.
the Ulster and Annals,
"Feama" is " Anglicized
by Tigemach, by
by those of the Four Masters. See Rev. C. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibemicarum Scrip- tores," tom. ii. , iii. , iv,
Alderground. " See his paper " On Some Ecclesiastical
Bells," &c.
*3 The equivalent of his name in English is "the black crow. " See "Annales it.
Magistroram," tom. iii. , p. 185.
*"" Forbes ' ' On the success Bishop says,
of his half-brother, King Brandubh, he had Ferns assigned to him as a see. "—" Kalen- dars of Scottish Saints," p. 403. This re- lationship, however, did not exist, as an ex- amination of the Genealogies will prove.
S7 See "Annales Ultonienses," tom. iv. , p. 36.
^ See "Tigemaci Annales," tom. ii. , pp. 178, 179.
tablishments or hospitals. See ' ' Rerum Hibemicarum Scriptores," tom. iv. , n. 2, PP- 36, 37-
^ His slayer is called Saranus, manus
rubrse, by the Four Masters, S-a^aii ]-Aeb-
oe]\c, by Tigemach, and Saran Saebderg, in the Annals of Ulster.
^' We leam that the " Airchinnechs" "'
Richey. See Ancient Laws of Ireland," vol. iii. , p. 113.
*^
By the Rev. William Reeves the name
Oircinneach,"
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 545
from the south of Ireland. It appears irreconcilable, with the busy occupa- tion of those wars in which he was engaged towards the close of life, and from some casual allusions to Brandubh in our saint's acts, to suppose, that Ferns monastery had not been built some years before the close of the sixth century. ^s Even after this building and occupation took place, a town or city gradually grew up near it, and this caused Brandubh to intend its subse- quent precedence over Sletty, which since the time of St. Fiech^^ had been regarded as the chief ecclesiastical see in Leinster. Hence, perhaps, about A. D. 570 we may regard the foundation of the church at Ferns^7 as having been laid. Maidoc was certainly the first bishop over this see. ^^
When this saintly superior had erected a noble monastery at Femas, or Guerwin, as Ricemare calls it, the experienced director collected together some disciples, and proposed to them a state of life formed on the rule and observanceofholyDavid. ^9 Itappearsreconcilablewithprobability,that St. Scuthinus7° was one of those, before he founded for himself a religious establishment at Tascoffin. 7' At Ferns, the holy superior led a most per- fect life, giving edification, not only to his brethren in the monastery, but to extems. While here, too, his life was characterized by the performance of several miracles. ? ^ When Maidoc was engaged in building Ferns monas- tery, his disciples complained to him that no water could be found in the place. He told them to cut down a certain tree, which stood before him, and he promised, that a clear fountain should spring up, on the spot. His orders having been obeyed, a well of pure water was found substituted for the fallen tree, and this spring was afterwards called Tiobrad Moedoc. 73 Certain women were accustomed to visit a rivulet, flowing from this fountain, for the purpose of washing their garments. A man in humble circumstances named Beec, had a place of residence, near our saint's monastery ; and his fieldextendedtothebanksoftherivuletalreadymentioned. Maidocre- quested the women not to come so near his monastery, but they refused to attend to his injunctions, asserting they had a right to act as they did, not having intruded on any portion of his ecclesiastical property. A daughter
of Beec ranked among the number of these recusants. She was engaged at the time washing garments, which she pressed beneath her feet. At length these were found firmly fastened to the clothes, which could not be removed
from the spot, on which they rested.
Thus she became immovable as a
^ See Rev. S. " Lives o Baring-Gould's
the Saints," vol. i. , January xxxi. , p. 468. "
*5 In the
appendix
to the Dublin edition
of the Rev. Alban Butler's "Lives of the
Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal
*' See Giraldus Cambrensis' Opera," ""
Saints, published in 1802, a strange ana-
chronism seems to be admitted, viz. : that
the present saint was consecrated Bishop of
Ferns about a. d. 598, that he was bishop
there about fifty years, and that he died
January 31st, A. D. 632. It is evident that
such computation must leave him only thirty-
four a See '* A Chrono- years bishop.
edited by J. S. Brewer, vol. iii. Historia de Vita S. Davidis Menevensis Archiepis- copi," lect. v. , sec.
