No More Learning

^° Also called Muscraighe Breoghain,
Muscraighe Chuirc, or Muscraighe Trei-
thirne. See " I'opographical Poems of John
O'Dubhagain and Giolla na Noanih generally contractedly Peacawn. O'Huidhrin," edited by John O'Donovan,
LL. D. , p. Ixx. , n. 608.
=' According to Thomas D'Arcy McGee,
this monarch seized the Irish throne in 534, and for twenty eventful years, he bore sway over Erin. He was an oppressor of the clergy, and had a leaven of paganism in his composition. See "A Popular History of Ireland," book i. , chap, iv. , p. 30.
^^ Among these are traces of incised stones.
^5 The accompanying illustration is after an original sketch by George V. Du Noyer, tory of Ireland," book ii. , pp. 364, 365, in the Irish Ordnance Survey Sketches,
*^ See Rev. Dr. Jeoffrey Keating's " His-
^5 This denomination is omitted from the Ordnance Survey Maps of Ireland. The country people call it Peecaion, or more
^^ IntheoblongBookofIrishOrdnance Survey Sketches, preserved in the Royal Irish Academy's Library. Tipperary Sketches,vol. ii. , Nos. 94to104.
^^ The stones of which it was built are scattered about its site.
570
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 26.
theoriginalpositionofitsdoorway. Abouttenyardswestofthechurch,are the pedestal and lower part of what appears to have been a stone cross. A few perches south-east of the church is Tobar Peacaion, or Peacawn's well, having a circular ring of stone work surrounding it. Several scattered frag- ments of flags, evidently tombstones, are in the north-west corner of this church. A few yards from the south-east corner and towards the east, a few stones, fixed in the ground and having the western edge cut or hammered, are called by the people " the Altar. "3° It has an associated legend. Before the year 1830, pilgrims used to visit Peacawn's church from places several miles distant. The patron day here was kept, on the ist of August, as a strict holy day by the people, and devotions were performed, also, on Good Friday. 3' From an entry, in one of our Irish Calendars, it would seem, that
Old Church of Kilpeacon, County of Tipnerary.
some doubt attaches to the exact habitation of our present saint. The ancient territory of Muscraighe Breoghain is comprised, however, in the present baronyofClanwilliam,inthesouth-westofTipperaryCounty. 3' Welearn, that St. Abban had consecrated the church, called Cill-Bhecain, in Mus- craighe-Chuirc,33 on the north side of Siiabh g Crot, during the reign of Diarmada Mac Fearghusa Ceirbheoil. 34 There, it is said,^? a great
transferred to llie wood by William F. Wakeman. It was engraved by Mrs. Mil- lard.
3° These several objects are illustrated by pencil sketches of George V. Du Noyer.
3' See " Letters containin;^ Information relative to the Antiquities of the County of Tipper. nry, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. iii. Letter of Patrick O'Keeffe, dated Cashel, September 15th, 1840, pp. 195 to 199.
3' See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (n), p. 560.
3' So called, from the i'amily name of O'Cuirc, wiiich is now Anglicized Quirk, without the prefix O', according to Dr. John O'Donovan, in his "Topogra}ihical Poems
of John O'Dubhagain and GioUa na Naomh O'lluidhrin," p. Ixx. , n. 609.
3^ According to William M. Hennessey's "Chronicum Scotorum," he began to reign A. D. 544, and he was slain at Rath Bee A. D.
565. See pp. 48, 49, 56, 57-
'5 In the Life of St. Abban, in Colgan's
May 26. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
571
and most regular monastery was established, by St. Abban ; and, it went by the name of Cluain-aird-Mobhegoc or Mobecoc, having been called after the pre- sent St. Becan, who was venerated, at that place, on the 26th of May. 3^ There St. Abban, also, as we are told, founded the monastery of Cluain. Findglaise. 37 However—according to another and probably a more reliable authority Cluain-aird-MobecocwasbuiltbySt. Becanus,andoveritheruled while,it
;
was called the monastery of Killbecain, after him. ss Even, the compiler of St. Abban's Life seems to have had some idea of this statement ;39 since it is
allowed, that St. Becan resided there until death. -t" The Life of St. Abban states,'*' that Abban himself blessed a church at Cluain-aird Mobecoc, and that he left Becan in it, and that he left the office of the holy Church, in every
4^
church which he blessed.
However this may be explained, at Cluain-aird-Mobecoc St. Becan was
known as a most holy and religious recluse. We are told,'•3 that he lived contemporaneously with St. Columkille and with King Diarmit, son of Cervail. Consequently, we may infer, that he flourished in the sixth century. His whole lifetime was spent in a most penitential manner. He frequently fasted for three whole days. His nights were spent in watching, and his days in constant prayer. With tears, and on bended knees, St, Beccan bewailed his supposed manifold imperfections. He erected a stone cross,^s in the open air,andoutsideofhismonastery. Whethercoldorwarm,stormyorserene, each day he sang the entire Psalter, beside that cross ; on which account, it was afterwards held in great popular veneration. This place was also called, Ceall na nder, or " the cell of tears," by many ; on account of penitential tears shed by persons, seeking God's mercies, through the intercession of St. Becan. 4^ It would appear, also, from O'Clery's Irish Calendar, that this place had been situated, within the ancient territory of Muscraighe Breogain, which nowformspartofMuskerryBarony,inCorkCounty. Amongthelandedde- nominations of the O'Donovan property, at Montpelier, which were furnished to the Irish Ordnance Survey Department, and all of which are in the East Division of West Carberry barony, and county of Cork, we see the names of Loughrott, Upper Loughrott, alias Crott, in the parish of Dromdalyege. *? The writer is unable to state, if these etymons formed any part of the Moun- tain Crott alluded to ; nor, on the modern maps does it seem easy to identify that place, formerly called Cluain-aird-Mobhegoc, or Kilbeacan.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xvi. Martii.
3* See ibid. , n. 22, p. 622.
37 Colgan remarks, that as this lay, within
the territory of Muscraige, it must be distin- guishedfrom the Findglaise, in the diocese of Dublin, also celebrated in connexion with the memory of various saints. See ibid. , n. 24, p. 623.
3^ See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," Martii xxvi. Vita S. Cormaci, cap. ii. , p. 751-
39 See the Twentieth Chapter.
40 The biogra|)her pays him the highest encomiums, for the extraordinary austerity of his life, and for the miracles, wliich he wrought. See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xvii. , sect, iv. , n. 48. , pp. 20, 21.
"' In chapter xi.
^''See the " Martyrology of Donegal," edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 138, 139.
43 By Rev. Dr. Keating, in his " General
History of Ireland," book ii. , p. 365. Duffy's edition.
•'4 gee his Life, at the 9th of June, in the succeeding volume of this work, Art. i.
^s We can have httle doubt, it was one of that peculiar shape and construction, known as a Celtic or an Irish cross, the models for which are still to be seen in many Irish and Scottish cemeteries,
** See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nioe," xvi. Martii. Vita S. Abbani Abbatis de Magharnuidhe, cap. xx. , p. 615.
''7 in a patent of Charles II. to Murragh Donovan, the foregoing denominations are written Loghciott, and in a deed of 1619, &c. , I find them styled Loughcrotte 1624 and Croattes 1624. —"Memorandums on Antiquities and Local Names of the County of Cork," vol. iv. , p. 570, as arranged while kept in Mountjoy Barracks, the Head- quarters of the Irish Ordnance Survey, Phcenix Park, Dublin. These Records are now in the Royal Irish Academy.
—
—
^^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nioe," xvi. Martii. Vita S. Abbani, cap. xx. , p. 615.
*9 Set ibid. , p. 615.
5° See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , pp. 294, 295, and nn. (b. f), ibid.
to Leinster, in his time, it was occupied by the O'Cosgraigh septs, who were dispossessed, by the O'Tooles and U'Byrnes, shortly after the English Invasion. See '* Topogr. nphical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla na Naomh O'lluidhrin," edited by Dr. John
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 26.
572
The author of St. Abban's Life appears to have visited the monastery of Becan; for,thiswritersays,hecouldconfidentlyassert,heneverheardofamore religious community than that of our saint, nor did he ever see a mere beau- tiful and regular monastery. t^ In the Life of Abban published by Colgan, there is a glowing eulogy pronounced on this saint Becan, or Mobecoc. 49 Twice do we find the entry of the death of Beccan of Cluain-Iraird or Ard, in the Annals of the Four Masters. 5° The first entry, at a. d. 687, is evidently a mistake. The second entry, at 689, " Dabhecog, of Cluain-ard, died," agrees with that, in the Annals of Ulster. \w the " Feilire "s" of St. ^ngus, at the 26th of May, it is remarked of St. Beccan, that he loved vigils, and Cluain Ard was his house. However, the scholiast in the " Leabhar Breac " copy of this Metrical ALartyrology states, 5^ that he was of Cluain Mobecoc in Mus- craige Breogain in Munster, or at Tech hui Conaill in Hui-Briuin Chualann.
At this date, the published 53 Martyrology of Tallagh simply enters the name, Becan of Cluana aird ;54 but, his name has been associated with another l)lace, and in quite a different province. In the Martyrology of Donegal,S5 we read, that on the 26th of May was venerated, Becan of Cluain-aird Mobe- cog, in Muscraighe Breoghain, or of Tigh Chonaill, in Ui Brinin Cualann. This territory was called, likewise, Feara Cualann, or Fercuolen, in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and of King James I. Then, it was considered to be co- extensive with the manor of Powerscourt, near Bray, in the county of Wicklow
; but, anciently, it was more extensive. 5^ Its old church is sometimes called
Temi'le Becan,57 after the present saint. It was also denominated Tegh- gumnill, or Tigh-Chonaill, and it is now known as Stagonnell, or Stagonil.
The ancient territory of Ui-Bruin Cualaun embraced the greater part of Rath- down barony, in Dublin County, with some of the northern part of Wicklow County. ^^ The former parochial name of Stagonil has now been merged into that of Powerscourt. 59 The church of this place seems to have been of ancient date ; but, we cannot ascertain by whom it had been founded. Hovv-
5' In the "Leabhar Breac" copy we O'Donovan, pp. 74, 75, and o. xlvii. , n.
read :
365-
57 In the Inqui-itions of 38, Henry VIII.
and I, of Edward VI. , as also in Archbishop Alan's ' Repertorium Viride," voce Kil- rothery, it is called Temi. lebeacon. See William Monck Mason's " History and Anti- quities of the Collegiate and Cathedral Cliurch of St. Patrick, near Dublin," &c. , book i. , chap, x. , sect, xvii. , p. 66, n. (u).
5"* See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (n), p. 340.
59 In the barony of Rathdown. It is de- scribed, on the "Ordnance Survey Town- land M. ips for the County of Wicklow," sheets 2, 3, 6, 7, 12.
'° The rank of Stagonil prebendary has
not been distinctly ascertained although in ;
old records, he is more frequently placed be- fore than after the prebendaries of Tipper- kevin and Donoughniore, all of which are styled prebenils of the subdiaconal order, by Archbishop Alan.
^i|Aiciu [clioi]\] ColnuMii SceliAin pLuiiTO ceniATDHAi
1 CluAin Aii\t) [a] A'obAi
It is thus translated into Englisli by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , "The meet reception of Colman and Stellan declare witliout dumb- ness. Beccan who loved vigils, in Cluain Ard (was) his house. "—"Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," Iri>h Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. Ixxxi.
5^ See ibid. , p. xc.
5' See Rev. Dr. Kelly's " Calendar of Irish Saints," p. xxv.
^* Thus : " Hecani Cluana aird. "
55 See edition of Rev. Drs. Todd and
Reeves, pp. 364. 365.
5" According to O'Dugan's Poem relating
May 26. LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
573
ever, it was one of the tliirteeii prebendal churches,^° originally appropriated to the Cathedral of St. Patrick, in Dublin, by Archbishop John Comyn ^' or Comin; although, it was not established as a distinct prebend, until a. d. 1303. Then, the incumbent was taxed witli the payment of ;^io Irish to the Oeconomy; and, at the time of his installation, he was sworn for the faith- ful discharge of that debt. Notwithstanding, from its close proximity to the Irish territories, this church was frequently reported, as being unable to sup- port its burthens. Two chapels were subservient to it, viz. : Kilruddery,^^ Kilrothery, or Kilraly,^3 and Kilcrony. ^4 To the latter, in the time of Arch- bishop Alan, the monks of St. Mary's Abbey, near Dublin, laid claim. Tlie
i
Stigonnell, in Powerscourt Demesne, County of Wicklow.
former church of Stagonil, or Temple-Becan, is now to be seen, as a pictur- esque ruin, almost completely covered with ivy,^5 but yet well preserved, and within a cemetery, in Powerscourt demesne, while the glebe itself has been lost
*' He immediately succeeded the re-
nowned Archbishop St. Laurence O'Toole
in the See of Dublin, and he ruled over it
from A. D. 1 181 to A. D. 1212, when he died in
Dublin, on the 25th of October, and he was
buried in Christ Church, where on the south
side of the choir a marble monument was
erected to his memory. See Harris' Ware, niihi," the two last-named chapels follow
vol. i. " Archbishops of Dublin," pp. 314 to 318.
*^ In the barony of Rathdown, and repre- sented, on the "Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps for the County of Wicklow," sheet 8.
Stagonyl, and this countenances the opinion, that these chapels had been annexed to the latter. One of the townlands in Stagonil parish is called Kilbride, while in Delgany, there is a townland denominated Temple- carrick or Killencarrick.
^3 Besides Kilrothery, Archbishop Alan, in his " Repertorium Viride, " mentions three other chapels dependent on Stigonel ; but, afterwards, he calls the two which follow next after Kilcrony, viz. , Kilbride and Car- rie, chapels of Delgany. However, in that account of the diocese given in the " Crede
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 26
among the lands of Lord Powerscourt/^ About two miles and a-half from the mansion is the much admired waterfall, especially after continuous rain. ^7 In the Irish Martyrology ^^ of tlie Irish Ordnance Survey Office, now pre- served in the Royal Irish Academy's Library, there is a notice of this saint, at the 26th of May. ^9 At this date, likewise, the Kalendar of Drummond7o
records the veneration entertained for our St. Beccan, even in Scotland. Eachdayofthissaint'slifewasmarkedbysomemiracle,whichis foundre- corded in a very ancient Life, written, it has been supposed, by a contempo- rary. Most probably, this Life had been composed, at least some little time after his death. It may have abounded in legendary matter, like that found in the acts of many other native saints ; but, as a learned French author observes, the traditions of Irish legends comprise within themselves an interest and a charm, which cannot entirely disappear, even when recorded by the least
accomplished writer. ? '
Article II St. Colman Steallan, of Terrvglass, County of TiPPERARV. {^Sixth and Sa'Oith Centuries. '\ At the 26th of May, we find inserted, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' the name of Colman Stellain, Tir- doghlass, now Terryglass,'' as having been venerated. The BoUandists 3 also follow this statement, and have some references to Colgan's work,* where allusions are made to our saint. The present holy man is placed in order of succession,5 after the Abbot Natchoemius or Mochoeminus^—said to have been brother to St. Coemgenus,^ and who died, a. d. 584. ^ The festival in honour of Steallan—as simply entered—of Tir-dd,-glas, was celebrated on this day, as we read in the Martyrology of Donegal. 9 In the table, postfixed to
this work, we find his name Latinized Stellanus. '° It would seem, that this record, as published, distinguishes a St. Colman from the present St. Stellan, forthereappearsaseparateentryofboththesenames. MarianusO'Gorman follows the Martyrology of Tallagh, in uniting both names, apparently for one
574
** See a description and an illustration of this ruined chapel, in the First Volume of this work, at Januaiy 27th, Art. ii.
'= The accompanying illustration, drawn on the spot, by William F. Wakeman, has been tran-ferred by him to the wood, en- graved by Mrs. Millard.
•^ According to a Report furnished to the
Irish Parliament in 174S ; and, in another Maii xxvi. Among the pretermitted saints,
Ecclesiastical Report to Parliament in 1807,
the incumbent had neither glebe nor glebe-
house. See William Monck Mason's " His-
tory and Antiquities of the Collegiate and iii. Februarii, Vita S. Colmani vulgo Mac- Cathedral Church of St. Patrick, near duach, n. 2.
Dublin," &c. , book i. , chap, x. , sect, xvii. , p. 66.
^^ A very beautiful description of the scenery about Powerscourt will be found, in J. Norris Brewer's "Scenery of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 286 to 290.
** See Common Place Book F, p. 49.
** Thus : "bec^ii 6 Clu,jin a^to . 1. illn- Ijec65i niufcpAige 'b^xeoJAin, no A5 C15 txMlbm tub Djuuin Cii<il,4nn. "
'° At vii. Kalend. Junii : " Et apud Hiber- niam N. ntale Sanctorum Confessorum Col- mani ct Beccani. " —Bishop Forbes' " Ka- Icndars of Scottish Saints," p. 14.
5 See Archdall's " Monasticon Hiberni- cum,"p. 676.
* See his Life, at the ist of May, in the present volume, Art. iv.
' See his Life, at the 3rd of June, Volume the . Sixth of this work, Art. i.
* See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 210, 211.
' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 138, 139.
'° See ibid. , pp. 472, 473.
" See Archbishop Ussher's " Britannica- rum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 501, and '• Index Chronologicus," p. 538.
'' See "Legendary History of Ireland," by L. Tachet De Barneval, Professor in the Lyceum at Douay, translated from the French by John Gilmary Shea, p. 12.
Article ii. — ' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxv.
° In the county of Tipperary.
^ See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vi. ,
p. 352.
'^ The "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," at
xx. Januarii, Vita S. Molagga, n. 10, and at
——— ;
May 26. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
575
person, who was venerated on this day, at Terryglass, on the eastern border of Lough Dearg, Other writers—such as Archbishop Ussher" and our annalists—call him by the name of ColmanusStellanus. However, there can hardly beany doubt, thatthislattermustbe the proper entry, for in the "Annals of the Four Masters,"'^ we read, that St. Colman Stellan of Tir-da-ghlas, died on the 26th of May, a. d. 624. With this agrees, likewise, the entry of his departure, in the " Chronicum Scotorum. "'3 Other accounts'* place his death at 625 ; while. Archbishop Ussher 's has it so late as 634. Tlie festival of Stellan was observed on the 25th of May, as we find it in the "Feilire " of St, ^ngus;'^ and, appended to this notice is an Irish comment,'? in that copy, contained in the " Leabhar Breac," which is followed by a Latin one, giving the series of Abbots,'^ for Tir-da-glas and Cluain eidnech. It seems doubtful, notwithstanding, whether Colman should oe separated from Stellan
;
but, many writers regard them as one and the same person.
Article III St. Colman. The feast of Colman was kept on this date, as we find it recorded, in the Calendar of St. ^ngus,' and as if he were dis- tinguisliable from the preceding saint, In a distinct manner, also, the name of Colman appears, and in a separate line, as if he were a different person from Steallan or Stellain. It is entered, in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ that Colman, 3 simply and undistinguished, had been venerated, on this day. Ac- cording to the Martyrology of Drummond/ this holy man's name was cele-
brated, also, in Scotland, at the 26th of May.
Article IV. Festival of St. Augustine, Bishop of Canterburv, England. [_StxthandSeventhCenturies? ^ ThefestivalofthisgreatApostle of the Saxons was formerly celebrated, with an office of nine Lessons, in Ire- land, as we find from the Calendars and Martyrologies;' but, chiefly was his memory held in benediction, by its inhabitants of the Anglo-Norman race. The Bollandists ^ have very fully set forth his Acts ; however, as he was not
" See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i.