On the
following
day, Ron Kerr presented Bran Dubh with the head of the monarch, Aedh, son of Ainmire,^^ and thereupon, he obtained from the king, a privilege of dining at the royal table.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v4
M'Call's
of CIuain-mor-Maedhoc," Dublin, 1862, 8vo.
is asa Derry quoted proof.
Antiquities and History
**Mr. M'Call states, that it was formerly «' dense forest, and a local denomination,
*' See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
His feast occurs, at the 31st of January. Seevol. i. ofourwork,atthatdate.
Chapter
* See chap, iv. , with illustrative notes.
'"Dr. O'Donovan attributes to him, a dubh succeeded as monarch. He is vene-
son to Aid, King of Leinster, to whom Bran partidpation in the plan, which achieved rated, at the isth of March,
ii. Abbot,tohavebeenDichull,sontoNessan,
Colgan supposes
no LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ir.
While some have thought, this Clonmore was in the barony of Bantry, in the county of Wexford f others assert, that it was Clonmore Maodhog, in the
county of Carlow ; and that, not the patron saint of Ferns, but the patron saint of the latter place, was the person meant in our ancient records. 3 On this threatened invasion of Aedh, many of the inhabitants fled, with their substance,toSt. Maidoc. Theyhopedtoobtainprotectionthroughhim,on account of the extraordinary veneration in which he was held, as also, from the circumstance of his near relationship to the Irish monarch. But, it would appear,'*thatKingAedhwasmovedbyneitheroftheseconsiderations; and, he advanced, to make a spoil of whatever valuables had been collected, at Clonmore. Whereupon,theholyAbbotwentforthtomeetAedh'shosting. With the end of his staff, Maidoc marked the sign of the cross, at a place, beyond which this army should not march. But, a certain soldier who had the presumption to stray from the ranks, with an intention of passing that spot, fell down instantly and died. Terrified by such an example, the other
warriors returned to the king, relating what had occurred, and bearing the dead body of their fellow-soldier, as a testimony of the power, exercised by God's servant. The king immediately replied, that they could no longer presume to contend with God, and he retired with his whole army. s
Yet, a desire of being avenged for the death of his son seems to have
actuated the exasperated monarch. During the following year,'having collected a great number of men, drawn principally from the northern parts of Ireland, and from the territories of Connaught, Munster and Northern Leinster, Aedh marched towards Hy-Kinsellagh, intending to dethrone King Brandubh. The origin and issue of this remarkable expedition is recorded, with very romantic
incidents, in the historical tract, known as the Borumha-Laighean. ? In it, we are informed, that when Aedh, son of Ainmire, heard at his palace of Aileach,* in Ulster, that his son Comascach had been killed at Dun-Buchat,9 he assembled the forces of Leath-Chuinn, or the Northern half of Ireland, and marched at their head to the River Righe, or Rye,'° on the confines of the Meath and Leinster provinces, in order to avenge the death of Cumascach. From the River Rye, Aedh proceeded directly for that place,^where his son had been killed, and pitched his camp at Baeth-Eabha," close to Dun- Buaice. Then, Bran Dubh, King of Leinster, happened to he staying at a place, called Scadhaire, or Skerk," in the south of Ui-Ceinn-sealaigh. '3 Hearing of the monarch's arrival with his army, at the Righe ; the Leinster
° This Clonmore is situated on the banks
of the River Slaney. . Archdall, Dr. Lanigan, and other writers have attributed to this place the historic references, which rather belong to Clonmore, in the^County of Car- low.
3 A letter, dated Dublin, 25 Patrick-street, August 3rd, 1873, and written by Mr. John M'Call, first corrected my own impressions on this matter.
* According to the Life of St. Maidoc, Bishop of Ferns.
the Rev. John Francis Shearman, C. C. , Howth, has been lent to the author.
* The remarkable old fortress, near the present city of Londonderry,
« Probably Dunboyke, a townland in the parish of Hollywood, barony of Lower Tal- botstown, County of Wicklow. It is re- markable, that the ruins of a church, within it, are shown on the Townland Maps of the latter county, sheet 15.
'" Now dividing the present Counties of Kildare and Meath.
" Many of the ancient names, mentioned in the tract, are now obsolete.
"This place ought to be found in the
southern or south-eastern part of the present
County of Wexford, but it has not yet been identified.
'^
According to Harris' Ware, Hy-Kin- sellagh was a territory, containing a great part of the present County of Wexford, ex-
5 See Colg. in's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap. xxiv. , pp. 210, 211.
' A. D. 594, according to the " Annals of the Four Masters. "
_
' It is to be found in the Book of Leinster.
This tract has been translated into English, by the eminent Irish Scholar, William M. Hennessy, and the copy is in possession of
April ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. Ill
king moved northwards, for his principal fort of Rath-Brian Duibh,'* now Rathbran,'5 near Bealach Conghlais, or the modem town of Baltinglass,'* and he passed over Mointeach, Muinchin, Daimhne, or the Deeps,'' Etar, Ard- Choillidh, and Ard-m Bresta. '^ Crossing the River Slaine, or Slaney, Bran- dubh proceeded over the land of Fe,'9 to Bealach-Dubhthaire, now Bealach- Chonghlais. St. Maidoc, Abbot of Clonmore, is said to have had a little church dedicated to him, between Baltinglass and Hollywood, in the county of Wick- low,andinthevicinityofwhere,thebattleofDunbolghadbeenfought. When Brandubh had hastily repaired from Scadhairce—Anglicised Sherk—in the south of Ui-Ceinn-seallagh, he met the Abbot Maedoc at or near the present Baltinglass, and midway between his two religious establishments, the one in Wicklow, and the other at Cluain-mor-Maedhog, in the County of Carlow. Some presents were made, on this occasion," by Bishop Aidan, the monarch's half brother," who informed Brandubh, that the monarch of Ireland had pitched his camp near Dun Buaice. In the Book of the Boru, an eloquent speech of the Bishop before Bran Dubh is to be found, while an invocation oftheelements,andothermovingtopics,arethereintroduced. BranDubh
tending from the River Barrow to the River SUney, and eastwards of the latter. See
These presents fair for Laighen's king, A dainty fleshfork, sharply steeled,
A sword, a cauldron, and a shield. For cooking or prejjaring food Thou'lt find the fleshfork very good, The cauldron fit for boiling meat
For Christ himself commends the heat. Before thee proudly bear this shield 'Gainst those usurpers in the field. And with this sword now gleaming
bright,
O son of Eochaidh I win the fight.
Twas Condleadh, Bridget's artist, made
The fork, so deftly at his trade.
The cauldron forged without alloy. For Lcaghaire, Mai's own valiant
boy 1
This sw—ord of Crimthann's victories
won — This shield did Enna long defend
vol. ii. ,
sect. i. ,p. 50.
"
Antiquities o( Ireland," chap, vii. ,
'•* This name might well enough indicate the appearance and elevated sites of Rath- iforan and Rathnagree, on a high hill west of Baltinglass town ; the former lying partly within the parish of Rathbran, and the latter wholly so. Both are represented, with dou-
"
ble circumvallations, on the
Survey Townland Maps for the County ot Wicklow," sheet 27.
5 In or near the townland of Rathbran
proper, there were two remarkable Raths,
now partially obliterated, on the west bank of the River Slaney, as the writer has been
informed, by an intelligent and middle-aged resident of Baltinglass. Near Stratford-on- Slaney, the Rev. John Francis Shearman states, the ancient fort of Rathbran was situated.
" It lies east and west of the River Slaney. See " Ordnance Survey TownUuid Maps for the County of Wicklow," sheet 27.
' Probably, some place, on the River Slaney's banks, between the present towns of Newtownbarry and Enniscorthy.
"* The foregoing names of places do not seem to be known, at present, but probably, they should be sought for, somewhere within
the present County of Wexford.
' Probably, Fotharta-Kea, afterwards
Fotherta-Ui Nuallain, now the barony of Forth, in the County of Carlow. See Dr. CDonovan's "Annals of the Four Mas- ters," vol. i. , n. (p) p. 333.
Dubhlind.
Which Laighaire of the woes first
gave
To Dubhthach chief of Erin's bards.
And Dubhthach same to Fiacc did leave
His sister's son, with best regards.
These Fiacc gave Dunlaing the great, Which he to Ailill gave in state ; Ailill the gifts conferred on me.
And I, now Brandubh, give it thee ! These presents proudly bear along, The fleshfork and the cauldron strong. The sword that Crimthann's friend oft
stood. WithEnna'sshieldasredas—bloodI I'm Maedoc of a saintly race
Thou art Brandubh, high Laighen's King—
Whilst I'm engaged in acts of grace, Thy war-shouts make the valleys
ting. "
" According to the Tract, which is num- bered H. 218, among the Trinity College Manuscripts, Dublin. The following is a me- trical English translation, by Mr. John M'Call, in which he very closely follows the Irish original ;—
" To thee, great Eochaidh's son I I bring
Ordnance
— gift poet's
This fork's the of son This, Dubhthach's cauldron from
112 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ii.
haddespatchedhim,torequestanarmisticefromthemonarch. Theobject
held in view was to muster his forces, when the King of Leinster should
come, either upon terms of peace, or to give the invaders battle. The bishop
went on this embassy, but the monarch refused to comply with his request.
Addressing his half brother. Bishop Aidan, with insulting language, the latter resented it, by predicting his doom. The monarch afterwards marched with
his forces to Bealach Dunbolg,''' which evidently extended along Hollywood Glen, and over the great, flat, rocky surface called Lee Comaigh-cnamh, or Flag of the Broken Bones. Onward he passed, through Bearna-na-Sciath, i. e. the Gap of the Shields,^^ at Kilbelat,'^* where he pitched a fortified camp, and occupied a strong posidon.
Failing in his mission, Bishop Aidan returned to Bran Dubh, and informed him, that the monarch of Ireland was encamped at Kilbelat, and that he had treated the prelate himself with indignity. The King of Leinster then asked the bishop, what was best to be done, as he had not time to muster his forces ; when the counsellor advised him, to have recourse to a stratagem, which he planned, and which ultimately proved successful. Bran Dubh and the bishop set out to reconnoitre the royal camp. They arrived, accompanied by 1 20 young heroes, on the side of Sliabh Neachtain,=5 a mountain which then received its present name of Sliabh Cadaigh,''* or Slieve Gadoe,'' and they perceived, what appeared to them like numerous flights of birds exhibiting various colours, and hovering over the camp. These they soon recognised, to be the standards and ensigns of the Ui-Neill, floating from poles and spears, over their tents and pavilions. After encouraging the King of Leinster and his attendant, by recounting the mighty deeds achieved by their ancestors, the bishop departed for his church. '^ This does not appear to have been at a very great distance from the place, '9 where their interview had been held.
Afterwards, Bran-Dubh saw a great multitude of people on the mountain
of Sliabh Neachtain, near him ; and, being reinforced by his household, with some of the men of Leinster, who were now flocking to his assistance from
every quarter, he surrounded that multitude, and took them prisoners. These
were the men of Ulidia, with their King Diarmaid, son of Aedh Roin, who,
being the hereditary enemies of the race of Conn Ceadohathach, were glad to desert. Going over to King Brandubh's side, they formed a solemn treaty
" According to the old Irish Martyrolo- gies, St. Maidoc of Clonmore was uterine brother to Aedh, son of Ainmire. See Col- gan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," Feb- ruariiviii. De S. Onchuone, nn. 11, 12, p. 277-
'' The Rev. John Francis Shearman, who
lived a considerable time in the vicinity,
having been curate at Dunlavin, has gleaned on the spot various interesting traditions of the battle, fought at Dunbolg, which he as- serts to have been situated at Holywood Glen, and near to Church Mountain. The writer, on the occasion of a visit in 1862,
had the advantage of inspecting the various sites of interest, pointed out by the Rev. Mr. Shearman.
"3 Several of these localities and circum-
stances have lingered in popular traditions,
although in a somewhat disguised form.
°5 Or Nechtan's Mountain.
^ The Mountain of the Covenant,
°' This is an Anglicised and somewhat dis-
guised form of the other name, and retained at the present day. Its extent is shown, under the denomination of various townlands, within the parish of Hollywood. It is marked, on the " Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps for the County of Wicklow," sheets 15, 16. It is now called Church Mountain, and the ruins of a very old church, on a great elevation, and in a singularly lonely position, are yet to be seen there, while the ruins are still visited by devout pil- grims.
°« This is now known as
removed from Brandubh's royal residence, at Rathbran.
'» St. Aidan, Bishop of Ferns, could not
have so conveniently gone to his church, if
he were the Aidan, who was on the scene,
as Dr. O'Donovan supposes. Were he iden-
tical with of ve- Aedh, Bishop Glendalough,
nerated at April 7 th, he could have easily re- tiredtohissecludedchurch,atthelatterplace
Kilbaylet,
not far
=^
Its position has been greatly contested.
April ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 113
of friendship with the Leinsterraen. In commemoration of this, they erected
a cairn on the mountain, and changed its name of Sliabh Neachtain to Sliabh
Cadaigh, />. , the Mountain of the Covenant. Then, Bran-Dubh told the
Ulidians, to separate from the monarch, and they retired to that insulated
piece of land, afterwards called Inis Uladh, />. , the Island of the Ulidians. s"
After this, the King of Leinster asked, who would go to spy the camp of the
monarch of Ireland, and for a rich reward. Ron Kerr, son to the chief of
Imail,3"undertookthedifficulttask,inthegarbofaleper. Herubbedhisbody
and face all over with rye-dough, moistened with the blood of a calf ; fixed
his knee into the socket of a wooden leg, which he borrowed from a cripple,
andheputonanamplecloak,underwhichheconcealedasword; while,
to complete the deception, he carried with him a begging wallet. In this
plight, he repaired to the royal camp, and presented himself, at the door of
the monarch's He was asked for pavilion.
tidings,
from Kilbelat ;3' this morning, I went to the camp of the Lcinstermen, and
in my absence, some persons—certainly not Leinstermen—came. They
destroyed my cottage and my church, they broke my quern and my spade. " The king made answer, that should he survive that expedition, he would give
the leper twenty milch cows, as an <'/-;i-, or reparation, for this injury. Inviting the lejjer into his pavilion, the king asked him, what the Leinstermen were
doing. Disguising his manly voice and martial expression of eye and fea- tures, much as he could do it, the leper said, that they were preparing vic- tuals for the monarch and his army. However, suspecting from the expression of Ron Kerr's eye, that he was not a real leper, but a warrior sent in disguise to spy the camp, the monarch despatched Dubh-duin, chief of Oirghialla, with the forces of his territory, to Bun-Aife, or Buniff, and Cruaidhabhall, in order to prevent the Leinstermen from surprising his camp.
Now Bran Dubh had all things arranged for the stratagem, which Bishop Aidan had planned. He procured 3,600 oxen, carrying hampers, in which armed soldiers were concealed, although the baskets seemed to be filled with
provisions ; he had also 150 untamed horses, for a purpose, which will pre-
sently appear, and a huge candle, the light of which was concealed, under the royal cauldron. With these, he set out, in the depth of the night, for the
monarch'scamp. WhentheOirghialla,whowerepostedatBun-. Aife,heard the din and tumult of this host, the snorting of the horses, and the lowing of the loaded oxen, they started to arms, and asked who were the people advancing. Others made answer, that they were the calories of Leinster, who were conveying victuals for the entertainment of the people of the King of
Ireland. The Oirghialla, on examining the tops of the hampers, felt the
dressed provisions, and then King Dubh-duin, or Beg Mac Cuanac'i, said,
" are the truth, let them The Leinstermen advanced to they telling pass. "
the centre of the monarch's camp, and there, on a hill, afterwards called Candle-hill, they removed the king's cauldron off the great candle, when its
light was seen far and wide.
They were followed by the Oirghialla, who
" What
is this we seei>" said the monarch to the leper. He replied, "The Leinster- men have arrived with their provisions, and this is their light. " The strata- gem was now effected. Small bags, filled with stones, were fastened to the tails of the wild horses, which were let loose among the tents of the men
wished to of the partake
of Leinster's
King
'"The Rer. Mr. Shearman pointed this spot out to the writer, on the occasion of s visit to the place.
'' He is said to have been named Dubba- nach.
great light
J* The townland of Kilbaylet, Upper and Lower, is in the parish of Hollywood, to the east of Church Mountain, and both are
hospitality.
and he " I came replied :
shown, on the ''Ordnance Survey Townland "
MapsfortheCoimtyofWicklow, sheet15. B
114 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ii.
of Ireland ; oxen were disencumbered of their burdens ; and the Leinster soldiers, issuing from the hampers, grasped their swords, raised their shields,
and prepared for fighting. The leper cast off his wooden leg, also, and handled his sword. Perceiving that the camp was surprised, the Kinel-
Connall and the Kinel-Owen sprang up, and forming a rampart of spears and shields around the monarch of Ireland, they conveyed him on his steed
toBearna-na-sciath. Thepretendedleper,RonKerr,pursuedthemonarch, witli a select party of Leinstermen ; and, after much desperate fighting, the pursuer unhorsed the king, and cut off his head, on a flat rock, called Lec- Comaigh-cnamh. 33 Ron Kerr emptied his wallet of the crumbs, which he had got in the royal pavilion, and he put into it the vanquished monarch's head. He then passed unobserved, in the darkness of the night, from the confused fight which ensued, into the wild recesses of the mountain, where he remained until morning. The Leinstermen routed the Ui-Neill and Oirghialla, with great carnage. Among others, they slew Beg, the son of Cuanach, chief of Oirghialla ; while several nobles fell, in this battle of Bea- lach Duin-bolg. The monarch of Ireland was among those, who lost their lives, on this occasion. 3* The wife of Aedh is said to have composed a poem,35 on the occurrence of her husband's death.
On the following day, Ron Kerr presented Bran Dubh with the head of the monarch, Aedh, son of Ainmire,^^ and thereupon, he obtained from the king, a privilege of dining at the royal table. 37 Likewise his paternal inheri- tance became free of tribute to the King of Leinster, and to his representa- tives for ever, as a reward for the services he had rendered, on this occasion. In the ancient Life of St. Aidan, or Maidocus, pubHshedby Colgan, at the 31st of January, we find a passage, 3^ which very curiously agrees with the foregoing historical tale, as found in the Borumha-Laighean. To the successful issue of this battle, our saint's assistance contributed, in a great measure, if we credit the foregoing account. It secured the prestige of Bran Dubh's great- ness and supremacy, as sovereign of Leinster. According to the old Life of St. Mogue of Ferns, Bran Dubh became monarch of Ireland ; but, he is not numbered among the Irish kings, by any of our ancient annalists. Having made occasional irruptions, into the northern parts of Ireland, from which lie carried off spoils, a presumption exists, that his deeds of prowess were con- sidered tantamount, to a virtual supremacy over the Island; even although he was not acknowledged as supreme monarch, by the chiefs of this king- dom. 39 TheAnnalsoftheFourMastersrelatethisbattle,which,according
to them, took place, a. c. 594, after Aedh, son of Ainmire, son of Sedna, had been twenty-seven years in the sovereignty of Ireland. i" The Annals of
33 Popular tradition points it out to this
day.
3« Of Aedh's dea—th, the Irish poem, as
^o gee Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 218 to 221, n. (h). 37 This was regarded, as a great social
distinction, among the ancient Irish,
3'
". Iste(Brandub) vir astutissimuset valde probus in militia erat, et a^ens astute intravit audaciter in castra inimicorum, et occidit ipsum regem Hibernia? , jEdum filium Ain- mirech ; et maximam cjedem nobilum viro-
translated, relates
" At Buac, the wave buffets the brink, News were heard, who in weariness
slew Aedh, son of Ainmire. "
35 of it is in Dr. O'Dono- A portion given,
van's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i.
The — is an following
translation of
S. Maidoci, xxv. , cap. p.
by Bran Dubh, son of Eochaidh, in the battle ofDun-Bolg, in Leinster, after Aedh had gone to escort the Borumha, and to
avenge his son Comusgach upon them.
:
the extract:
" Three sides were dear, from which to
change is [affords] no hope,
The side of Tailltin, the side of Team- hair, and the side of Aedh, son of
"
^^ See i/>iJ. , n.
Ainmire.
English
211.
27, p. 217.
<° The O'Clearys state, that he was slain
"—" Sanctorum Hibernia;," xxxi. Januarii, Vita
rum totius Hibernias cum eo fecit.
Acta
April II. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. . 115
Ulster place the account of Dun-bolg battle, under a. d. 597, and the Annals
of Tighernach, under the year 598. This latter year, according to Mr. O'Donovan, is the true calculation. '*'
A poetic prayer of Bishop Aedhan,*' in reference to the death of Cumas- cach in 593, and of his father Aedh, son of Ainraire, is quoted, in the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland, by the Four Masters. ''^ It is generally referred to the Aedhan, who governed the house at Clonmore. We cannot be assured, that the whole of this poem is extant ; although, in the ancient his- torical tract of the Borumha-Laighean, it is stated to have been included in another part of that book. << The powerful Lord, to whom allusion is made, seems to have been no other than Brandubh, King of Leinster ; as the local denominationofCill-Rannairech*' hasbeenconnected,withthepresentKil- ranelagh, near Baltinglass, in the county of Wicklow. Here, on the side of an elevated hill, overlooked towards the north, east and west, by the higher Wick- low mountains,** there is an old and a very extensive cemetery, yet largely used for interments,*' with only the foundations of the former church barely traceable. Ifwecouldbeassuredofthegenuinecharacterandauthorshipof the poem, to which allusion has been made, St. Aedhan might deserve to rank amongst Irish Poets.
CHAPTER III.
VISIT OF ST. ONCHUO TO CLONMORE—LEGEND RELATING TO ST. MAEDOC AND CLON- MORE, IN CONNEXION WITH AGHOWLE, AND DESCRIPTION OF THIS LATTER PLACE—DEATH OF ST. MAEDOC AND HIS COMMEMORATION, IN THE KALENDARS— CONCLUSION.
As we have already seen, St. Onchuo' visited our saint at Clonmore, and there toohedied,andwasinterred; probably,beforetheAbbotMaidocwassum- moned away to bliss. Some are of opinion, that the latter had been the first bishop of ? "erns, and founder of the See ; while St. Maedoc, son to Setna,' succeeded his namesake, as second bishop there. According to Colgan, St. Maedoc spent the last thirty years of his life, at Cluain-more Maedhoc ; and,
" See O'Donovan's •' Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , p. 221, and nole (h).
*" Dr. O'Donovan erroneously supposes, that this Bishop Aedhan could only have been the first reputed founderof Ferns; but, it was reckoned aboutthreeyearsorso after the Battle of Dunbolg, when Brandubh con- yoked a synod of the clergy, for the purpose of raising Aedhan to that See. However, it is clear, that the Poem was composed some time afte' the battle.
" In Ur. O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , pp.
" According to Dr. O'Donovan, this poem is not to be found, in any known copies of that tract,
"It signifies "The Church, or cell of Rannairc "—a man's name,
*> From the site of this cemetery, most charming and varied views, extend through the valleys and defiles of the mountains, as the writer had an opportunity of seeing them, during the month of August, 1882 ; while, towards the south an uninterrupted stretch of plain brings a considerable part of Wicklow and Carlow counties under the range of vision, with a rich and fertile dis- trict to the distant Slievemarigue and Black Stairs' Mountains.
*' Deceased persons are often brought from Dublin, to be interred there, as the writer has been informed.
Chapter hi. — See an account of him, in Volume the Second, at the 8th of Feb- ruary, the date assigned for his feast.
'He died A. D. 655, according to the "Chronicon Scotorum. "
— 5iu*im in coiinT>it) coih^chcAch, 1 ftA.
216, 217, we have the following lines
:
CiLle
Rt)bp oiogdiL CumurccAig, gum
4ot>h;t mtc <\inmtj\ech.
-n. . 1. . 1 . I . 17 ,- 1. These are thus transUteJ mto English :—
" I implore the powerful Lord, near Cill-Rannairech,
It was he that took revenge of Comus- each, that slew Aedh mac Ainmirech. "
iv4nT>dii\ech
ii* LIVES OF 7HE IRISH SAINTS [April ii".
as it was there Onchuo died, and had been buried, it was probably the holy Abbot Maidoc of Clonmore—and not Moedoc of Ferns—that St. Finan the
Lepersaw,withtheholyVirginSt. Brigid,inhisvision. Norcouldithavebeen, in that case, on the 30th of January ;3 but, on the loth of April, that the holy
Finan had his celebrated vision, as this was the vigil for the feast of Maidoc, Abbot of Clonmore^ his predecessor. t The writer's attention has been drawn to
a local legend, which appears to connect the name of our St. Maedoc, with an old monastic establishment, at Aghowie Lower, about four miles to the south
ofClonmore. - Itformedaparish,inthebaronyofShillelagh,inthecounty Of Wicklow. The old church of Aghowie, or Aghold,5 is still in a good state
Old Church of Aghowie, County of Wicklow.
of preservation. The late Dr. O'Donovan gives a very interesting descrip- tion of this locality,^ and especially of the old church, which he considers to be one of the most curious he had then seen,? in his rambles through Ireland. He also records very interesting and accurate drawings of details,^ connected
3
Thus, the
writers have placed it.
Lanigan
Rev. Dr.
and other
' rela- See"LetterscontainingInformation
tive to the Antiquities of the County of Wick- low, collected during the progress of the Ord- nance Survey in 1838, "vol. i. , pp. 1 12 to 132.
' His letter is dated, January 1st, 1839, one o'clock, at night.
^
Among these are a ground-plan of the church ; the very curiously moulded and re- cessed doorway in the western gable ; sec- tion or thickness of wall in the external part of the doorway, on the south side ; an inside view of the two windows in the eastern gable; an external view ; the pedestal and broken shaft of St. Findan's cross ; the same subject, with the prostrate head shown in the proper position on tlie cross.
* " We have now come, that we may bless the places dedicated to us, and the persons who by their gilts and offerings honour the day of our departure," says the saint to Finan in the vision, according to Colgan's account. Bishop Moedoc of Ferns could not have said this to Finan, at Clonmore, to whom he bore no relationship whatever, as
Mr. John M'Call critically and justly ob- serves.
5 The ruins are shown, with the site of St.
"
Ordnance Sur- vey Townlnnd Maps for the County of
Finden's cross near, on the Wicklow," sheet 42.
April ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. ivf.
with this church, and minute measurements of these objects, taken oh the spot. The old granite shaft of St. Findan's cross ' rises on its solid pedestal, about thirty-six feet (rom the north-western corner of the old church. The south side wall is ruined, but the north side wall is still in good preservation, as are the eastern and western gables. '" As Mr. O'Donovan remarks, this is a regular old Irish Damliag, or Teampull Mor, measuring, on the inside, 60 feet,inlength,by24,inbreadth. " Thewallsarenearlythreefeetinthick- ness, and the church is built of granite stones. There does not appear to have been a choral arch, within this church. "
It is related, in an old Irish Life of St. Finan, or Finnen,'3 Abbot of Clo- nard, that after founding his first monastery, at Achadh Abhla, or Aghold, he erected therein a belfry. He placed in it a magnificent bell, the dulcet sounds of which could be heard for many miles around, as it regularly sum-
moned the community and congregation to their morning and evening devo- tions. After Finan's departure for Mugna Helchain, in Hy Bairrche, and during his sojourn there, the bell still performed its functions ; and even when he set up an educational establishment at Cluain-Iraird, or Clonard, it regu-i
larly rang out, in the usual course, and the people of the surrounding country! got so accustomed to its tones, that they regarded it as an object of the
greatest veneration,
without which
they
considered the — of monastery Aghold"'
must be a — When the solitary place. holy
abbot Maidoc but we are not told celebrated establishment at Cluin-mor- . Meadoc, or Clonmore, about four miles northwards, its sweet sounds aroused bothhimselfandhisbrotherhoodeverymorning. Atlength,hebeganto
covet the bell, and to wish that he himself had such a splendid one, in his' own royal monastery, so that he could, in a more solemn manner, summon his- numerous retinue to their daily devotions. Being on terms" of the closest in-
timacy with St. Finan, while permanently taking up his residence at Clo- nard, he journeyed to and fro, and during his occasional visitations to Aghold, . Finan was in the habit of looking into Clonmore, and passing a it^^ hours , with his old friend. On every visit, St. Maidoc never failed to urge on St. Finan to grant him the coveted bell. At length, weary of the saint's impor-' tunities, and resolving in his own mind, that if the bell were to be removed at aU, it should not be to the strange monastery of Clonmore, but to his own •
which holy man had founded
his
great College, in Meath, he ought to fetch it ; St Finan had the bell one
'
'
taken down from the belfry, in Aghold, and he set it with day up
great pomp in his church, at Clonard. Next morning, when the brother, appointed by St. Finan to ring the bell, repaired to the new belfry, for that purpose, to his great astonishment, he found that it had miraculously disappeared ; while, on
the contrary, the person who was in the habit of ringing it at Aghold was most '
'
agreeably surprised, at finding the bell in its usual position the very next morning. It is said, the bell never emitted more dulcet melody than it did, on thatoccasion. Itcharmedthecommunityandthewholesurroundingcountry people. Disappointed at not hearing the sweet tolling of his bell that same morning, on learning that it had most unaccountably disappeared and was
» So called in local tradition.
'° The accompanying sketch, drawn by the writer on the spot, in August, 1882, has been transferred to the wood, by William F. Wakeman, and it has been engraved by Mrs. Millard.
" We are told, by Mr. O'Donovan, that such was the regular measurement of the primitive Irish cathedrals and abbey
churches, according to the Book of Armagh, the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, and a Life of the same saint, preserved in the Book of Lismore.
" At the western end, a modem walled
up enclosure is used, as a place of entomb- ment, for a family, named Nixon.
'^ His feast occurs, at the 12th of Decern. ber, where his Life will be found.
ii8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ii.
then in its old site, St. Finan had it conveyed back again, and duly elevated to its new position, in Clonard. Once more, it broke away that very night,
and next morning, it was found suspended, in its original position, at Aghold. The bell was several times taken down, and thence removed to its new des- tination. At length, it was hung in chains at Clonard, but still every follow-
ing morning, it was again discovered, in its old place. Finally, having re- gard to its many miraculous transportations, St. Finan ordered it to be left for ever, with his early brethren, and for its former destination. When St. Finan of Clonard was called to his last account, and for generations afterwards, this Fugitive Bell, as it was long termed, continued to serve the purposes, for which it was at first destined, in the old secluded monastery of Aghold. Such was the local legend, which Cambrensis has perverted, in his story of the
is mentioned, in connexion with it, as well as Clonard ; and, it has been sug-
gested,'* that perhaps the district, in which Aghold is situated, might have been in St. Finan's time called the country of Mactalway, though the name may now be rendered obsolete.
The holy Abbot Moedoc died, at Clonmore, probably after the beginning of the seventh century ; but, the year of his demise has not been recorded. At Clonmore he was interred,"' likewise, and it would seem this place was remarkable, for the great number of holy persons,'* who reposed in its sacred
soil. '9 In the Feilire of St, Mr\g\\s,''° at the nth of April, St. Moedoc is re-
corded, with a special commendation. Again, Moedoc h Dunlaing, in Cluain Moir, is set down, in the Martyrology of Tallagh," at this date. On
this day is registered, in the Martyrology of Donegal,'^'' Maedhog, of Cluain-
" at the Fugitive Bell,"
De Campatm
he had received another version of it, in his day. The country of Mactalway's
'* He states, that there is in Leinster—
namely, in the country ofMactalway—a cer- tain bell which if not rigidly restrained by
Breac, at the same day, in which it is stated, that he was honoured at Swords, at Innis- fallen, in Loch Lene, at Clonmore-Mogue,
seems to have overlooked this note. "—Let- ter of William M. Hennessy, to the writer, and dated 71 Pembroke-road, 24th Septem- ber, 1882.
"' In the " Leabhar Breac " we find copy,
its guardian by a means prepared for that purpose, each night, it is positively declared, that if it be bound by any chains capable of being broken, in the morning it is found in Meath, in the church of St. Finnian or Finan in Clonard, the it was from.
"
and at Ardfinnan, in Munster. Mr. Stokes
place brought
The above is an affair which has certainly
thefollowingtext. TheEnglishtranslation
chapter,
Fugitiva
/'• or, most
probably,
occurred very often. See "Topographica Hi-
"
Opera Omina," vol. v. , p. 120. SMr. M'Call writes: '< I know of no place at present of that name unless Mactal- way in the County Dublin, and it is no- where on record, that St. Finan of Clonard
ever had any connexion with that locality. "
'' By Wm. M. Hennessy, Esq. , M. R.
of CIuain-mor-Maedhoc," Dublin, 1862, 8vo.
is asa Derry quoted proof.
Antiquities and History
**Mr. M'Call states, that it was formerly «' dense forest, and a local denomination,
*' See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
His feast occurs, at the 31st of January. Seevol. i. ofourwork,atthatdate.
Chapter
* See chap, iv. , with illustrative notes.
'"Dr. O'Donovan attributes to him, a dubh succeeded as monarch. He is vene-
son to Aid, King of Leinster, to whom Bran partidpation in the plan, which achieved rated, at the isth of March,
ii. Abbot,tohavebeenDichull,sontoNessan,
Colgan supposes
no LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ir.
While some have thought, this Clonmore was in the barony of Bantry, in the county of Wexford f others assert, that it was Clonmore Maodhog, in the
county of Carlow ; and that, not the patron saint of Ferns, but the patron saint of the latter place, was the person meant in our ancient records. 3 On this threatened invasion of Aedh, many of the inhabitants fled, with their substance,toSt. Maidoc. Theyhopedtoobtainprotectionthroughhim,on account of the extraordinary veneration in which he was held, as also, from the circumstance of his near relationship to the Irish monarch. But, it would appear,'*thatKingAedhwasmovedbyneitheroftheseconsiderations; and, he advanced, to make a spoil of whatever valuables had been collected, at Clonmore. Whereupon,theholyAbbotwentforthtomeetAedh'shosting. With the end of his staff, Maidoc marked the sign of the cross, at a place, beyond which this army should not march. But, a certain soldier who had the presumption to stray from the ranks, with an intention of passing that spot, fell down instantly and died. Terrified by such an example, the other
warriors returned to the king, relating what had occurred, and bearing the dead body of their fellow-soldier, as a testimony of the power, exercised by God's servant. The king immediately replied, that they could no longer presume to contend with God, and he retired with his whole army. s
Yet, a desire of being avenged for the death of his son seems to have
actuated the exasperated monarch. During the following year,'having collected a great number of men, drawn principally from the northern parts of Ireland, and from the territories of Connaught, Munster and Northern Leinster, Aedh marched towards Hy-Kinsellagh, intending to dethrone King Brandubh. The origin and issue of this remarkable expedition is recorded, with very romantic
incidents, in the historical tract, known as the Borumha-Laighean. ? In it, we are informed, that when Aedh, son of Ainmire, heard at his palace of Aileach,* in Ulster, that his son Comascach had been killed at Dun-Buchat,9 he assembled the forces of Leath-Chuinn, or the Northern half of Ireland, and marched at their head to the River Righe, or Rye,'° on the confines of the Meath and Leinster provinces, in order to avenge the death of Cumascach. From the River Rye, Aedh proceeded directly for that place,^where his son had been killed, and pitched his camp at Baeth-Eabha," close to Dun- Buaice. Then, Bran Dubh, King of Leinster, happened to he staying at a place, called Scadhaire, or Skerk," in the south of Ui-Ceinn-sealaigh. '3 Hearing of the monarch's arrival with his army, at the Righe ; the Leinster
° This Clonmore is situated on the banks
of the River Slaney. . Archdall, Dr. Lanigan, and other writers have attributed to this place the historic references, which rather belong to Clonmore, in the^County of Car- low.
3 A letter, dated Dublin, 25 Patrick-street, August 3rd, 1873, and written by Mr. John M'Call, first corrected my own impressions on this matter.
* According to the Life of St. Maidoc, Bishop of Ferns.
the Rev. John Francis Shearman, C. C. , Howth, has been lent to the author.
* The remarkable old fortress, near the present city of Londonderry,
« Probably Dunboyke, a townland in the parish of Hollywood, barony of Lower Tal- botstown, County of Wicklow. It is re- markable, that the ruins of a church, within it, are shown on the Townland Maps of the latter county, sheet 15.
'" Now dividing the present Counties of Kildare and Meath.
" Many of the ancient names, mentioned in the tract, are now obsolete.
"This place ought to be found in the
southern or south-eastern part of the present
County of Wexford, but it has not yet been identified.
'^
According to Harris' Ware, Hy-Kin- sellagh was a territory, containing a great part of the present County of Wexford, ex-
5 See Colg. in's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap. xxiv. , pp. 210, 211.
' A. D. 594, according to the " Annals of the Four Masters. "
_
' It is to be found in the Book of Leinster.
This tract has been translated into English, by the eminent Irish Scholar, William M. Hennessy, and the copy is in possession of
April ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. Ill
king moved northwards, for his principal fort of Rath-Brian Duibh,'* now Rathbran,'5 near Bealach Conghlais, or the modem town of Baltinglass,'* and he passed over Mointeach, Muinchin, Daimhne, or the Deeps,'' Etar, Ard- Choillidh, and Ard-m Bresta. '^ Crossing the River Slaine, or Slaney, Bran- dubh proceeded over the land of Fe,'9 to Bealach-Dubhthaire, now Bealach- Chonghlais. St. Maidoc, Abbot of Clonmore, is said to have had a little church dedicated to him, between Baltinglass and Hollywood, in the county of Wick- low,andinthevicinityofwhere,thebattleofDunbolghadbeenfought. When Brandubh had hastily repaired from Scadhairce—Anglicised Sherk—in the south of Ui-Ceinn-seallagh, he met the Abbot Maedoc at or near the present Baltinglass, and midway between his two religious establishments, the one in Wicklow, and the other at Cluain-mor-Maedhog, in the County of Carlow. Some presents were made, on this occasion," by Bishop Aidan, the monarch's half brother," who informed Brandubh, that the monarch of Ireland had pitched his camp near Dun Buaice. In the Book of the Boru, an eloquent speech of the Bishop before Bran Dubh is to be found, while an invocation oftheelements,andothermovingtopics,arethereintroduced. BranDubh
tending from the River Barrow to the River SUney, and eastwards of the latter. See
These presents fair for Laighen's king, A dainty fleshfork, sharply steeled,
A sword, a cauldron, and a shield. For cooking or prejjaring food Thou'lt find the fleshfork very good, The cauldron fit for boiling meat
For Christ himself commends the heat. Before thee proudly bear this shield 'Gainst those usurpers in the field. And with this sword now gleaming
bright,
O son of Eochaidh I win the fight.
Twas Condleadh, Bridget's artist, made
The fork, so deftly at his trade.
The cauldron forged without alloy. For Lcaghaire, Mai's own valiant
boy 1
This sw—ord of Crimthann's victories
won — This shield did Enna long defend
vol. ii. ,
sect. i. ,p. 50.
"
Antiquities o( Ireland," chap, vii. ,
'•* This name might well enough indicate the appearance and elevated sites of Rath- iforan and Rathnagree, on a high hill west of Baltinglass town ; the former lying partly within the parish of Rathbran, and the latter wholly so. Both are represented, with dou-
"
ble circumvallations, on the
Survey Townland Maps for the County ot Wicklow," sheet 27.
5 In or near the townland of Rathbran
proper, there were two remarkable Raths,
now partially obliterated, on the west bank of the River Slaney, as the writer has been
informed, by an intelligent and middle-aged resident of Baltinglass. Near Stratford-on- Slaney, the Rev. John Francis Shearman states, the ancient fort of Rathbran was situated.
" It lies east and west of the River Slaney. See " Ordnance Survey TownUuid Maps for the County of Wicklow," sheet 27.
' Probably, some place, on the River Slaney's banks, between the present towns of Newtownbarry and Enniscorthy.
"* The foregoing names of places do not seem to be known, at present, but probably, they should be sought for, somewhere within
the present County of Wexford.
' Probably, Fotharta-Kea, afterwards
Fotherta-Ui Nuallain, now the barony of Forth, in the County of Carlow. See Dr. CDonovan's "Annals of the Four Mas- ters," vol. i. , n. (p) p. 333.
Dubhlind.
Which Laighaire of the woes first
gave
To Dubhthach chief of Erin's bards.
And Dubhthach same to Fiacc did leave
His sister's son, with best regards.
These Fiacc gave Dunlaing the great, Which he to Ailill gave in state ; Ailill the gifts conferred on me.
And I, now Brandubh, give it thee ! These presents proudly bear along, The fleshfork and the cauldron strong. The sword that Crimthann's friend oft
stood. WithEnna'sshieldasredas—bloodI I'm Maedoc of a saintly race
Thou art Brandubh, high Laighen's King—
Whilst I'm engaged in acts of grace, Thy war-shouts make the valleys
ting. "
" According to the Tract, which is num- bered H. 218, among the Trinity College Manuscripts, Dublin. The following is a me- trical English translation, by Mr. John M'Call, in which he very closely follows the Irish original ;—
" To thee, great Eochaidh's son I I bring
Ordnance
— gift poet's
This fork's the of son This, Dubhthach's cauldron from
112 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ii.
haddespatchedhim,torequestanarmisticefromthemonarch. Theobject
held in view was to muster his forces, when the King of Leinster should
come, either upon terms of peace, or to give the invaders battle. The bishop
went on this embassy, but the monarch refused to comply with his request.
Addressing his half brother. Bishop Aidan, with insulting language, the latter resented it, by predicting his doom. The monarch afterwards marched with
his forces to Bealach Dunbolg,''' which evidently extended along Hollywood Glen, and over the great, flat, rocky surface called Lee Comaigh-cnamh, or Flag of the Broken Bones. Onward he passed, through Bearna-na-Sciath, i. e. the Gap of the Shields,^^ at Kilbelat,'^* where he pitched a fortified camp, and occupied a strong posidon.
Failing in his mission, Bishop Aidan returned to Bran Dubh, and informed him, that the monarch of Ireland was encamped at Kilbelat, and that he had treated the prelate himself with indignity. The King of Leinster then asked the bishop, what was best to be done, as he had not time to muster his forces ; when the counsellor advised him, to have recourse to a stratagem, which he planned, and which ultimately proved successful. Bran Dubh and the bishop set out to reconnoitre the royal camp. They arrived, accompanied by 1 20 young heroes, on the side of Sliabh Neachtain,=5 a mountain which then received its present name of Sliabh Cadaigh,''* or Slieve Gadoe,'' and they perceived, what appeared to them like numerous flights of birds exhibiting various colours, and hovering over the camp. These they soon recognised, to be the standards and ensigns of the Ui-Neill, floating from poles and spears, over their tents and pavilions. After encouraging the King of Leinster and his attendant, by recounting the mighty deeds achieved by their ancestors, the bishop departed for his church. '^ This does not appear to have been at a very great distance from the place, '9 where their interview had been held.
Afterwards, Bran-Dubh saw a great multitude of people on the mountain
of Sliabh Neachtain, near him ; and, being reinforced by his household, with some of the men of Leinster, who were now flocking to his assistance from
every quarter, he surrounded that multitude, and took them prisoners. These
were the men of Ulidia, with their King Diarmaid, son of Aedh Roin, who,
being the hereditary enemies of the race of Conn Ceadohathach, were glad to desert. Going over to King Brandubh's side, they formed a solemn treaty
" According to the old Irish Martyrolo- gies, St. Maidoc of Clonmore was uterine brother to Aedh, son of Ainmire. See Col- gan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," Feb- ruariiviii. De S. Onchuone, nn. 11, 12, p. 277-
'' The Rev. John Francis Shearman, who
lived a considerable time in the vicinity,
having been curate at Dunlavin, has gleaned on the spot various interesting traditions of the battle, fought at Dunbolg, which he as- serts to have been situated at Holywood Glen, and near to Church Mountain. The writer, on the occasion of a visit in 1862,
had the advantage of inspecting the various sites of interest, pointed out by the Rev. Mr. Shearman.
"3 Several of these localities and circum-
stances have lingered in popular traditions,
although in a somewhat disguised form.
°5 Or Nechtan's Mountain.
^ The Mountain of the Covenant,
°' This is an Anglicised and somewhat dis-
guised form of the other name, and retained at the present day. Its extent is shown, under the denomination of various townlands, within the parish of Hollywood. It is marked, on the " Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps for the County of Wicklow," sheets 15, 16. It is now called Church Mountain, and the ruins of a very old church, on a great elevation, and in a singularly lonely position, are yet to be seen there, while the ruins are still visited by devout pil- grims.
°« This is now known as
removed from Brandubh's royal residence, at Rathbran.
'» St. Aidan, Bishop of Ferns, could not
have so conveniently gone to his church, if
he were the Aidan, who was on the scene,
as Dr. O'Donovan supposes. Were he iden-
tical with of ve- Aedh, Bishop Glendalough,
nerated at April 7 th, he could have easily re- tiredtohissecludedchurch,atthelatterplace
Kilbaylet,
not far
=^
Its position has been greatly contested.
April ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 113
of friendship with the Leinsterraen. In commemoration of this, they erected
a cairn on the mountain, and changed its name of Sliabh Neachtain to Sliabh
Cadaigh, />. , the Mountain of the Covenant. Then, Bran-Dubh told the
Ulidians, to separate from the monarch, and they retired to that insulated
piece of land, afterwards called Inis Uladh, />. , the Island of the Ulidians. s"
After this, the King of Leinster asked, who would go to spy the camp of the
monarch of Ireland, and for a rich reward. Ron Kerr, son to the chief of
Imail,3"undertookthedifficulttask,inthegarbofaleper. Herubbedhisbody
and face all over with rye-dough, moistened with the blood of a calf ; fixed
his knee into the socket of a wooden leg, which he borrowed from a cripple,
andheputonanamplecloak,underwhichheconcealedasword; while,
to complete the deception, he carried with him a begging wallet. In this
plight, he repaired to the royal camp, and presented himself, at the door of
the monarch's He was asked for pavilion.
tidings,
from Kilbelat ;3' this morning, I went to the camp of the Lcinstermen, and
in my absence, some persons—certainly not Leinstermen—came. They
destroyed my cottage and my church, they broke my quern and my spade. " The king made answer, that should he survive that expedition, he would give
the leper twenty milch cows, as an <'/-;i-, or reparation, for this injury. Inviting the lejjer into his pavilion, the king asked him, what the Leinstermen were
doing. Disguising his manly voice and martial expression of eye and fea- tures, much as he could do it, the leper said, that they were preparing vic- tuals for the monarch and his army. However, suspecting from the expression of Ron Kerr's eye, that he was not a real leper, but a warrior sent in disguise to spy the camp, the monarch despatched Dubh-duin, chief of Oirghialla, with the forces of his territory, to Bun-Aife, or Buniff, and Cruaidhabhall, in order to prevent the Leinstermen from surprising his camp.
Now Bran Dubh had all things arranged for the stratagem, which Bishop Aidan had planned. He procured 3,600 oxen, carrying hampers, in which armed soldiers were concealed, although the baskets seemed to be filled with
provisions ; he had also 150 untamed horses, for a purpose, which will pre-
sently appear, and a huge candle, the light of which was concealed, under the royal cauldron. With these, he set out, in the depth of the night, for the
monarch'scamp. WhentheOirghialla,whowerepostedatBun-. Aife,heard the din and tumult of this host, the snorting of the horses, and the lowing of the loaded oxen, they started to arms, and asked who were the people advancing. Others made answer, that they were the calories of Leinster, who were conveying victuals for the entertainment of the people of the King of
Ireland. The Oirghialla, on examining the tops of the hampers, felt the
dressed provisions, and then King Dubh-duin, or Beg Mac Cuanac'i, said,
" are the truth, let them The Leinstermen advanced to they telling pass. "
the centre of the monarch's camp, and there, on a hill, afterwards called Candle-hill, they removed the king's cauldron off the great candle, when its
light was seen far and wide.
They were followed by the Oirghialla, who
" What
is this we seei>" said the monarch to the leper. He replied, "The Leinster- men have arrived with their provisions, and this is their light. " The strata- gem was now effected. Small bags, filled with stones, were fastened to the tails of the wild horses, which were let loose among the tents of the men
wished to of the partake
of Leinster's
King
'"The Rer. Mr. Shearman pointed this spot out to the writer, on the occasion of s visit to the place.
'' He is said to have been named Dubba- nach.
great light
J* The townland of Kilbaylet, Upper and Lower, is in the parish of Hollywood, to the east of Church Mountain, and both are
hospitality.
and he " I came replied :
shown, on the ''Ordnance Survey Townland "
MapsfortheCoimtyofWicklow, sheet15. B
114 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ii.
of Ireland ; oxen were disencumbered of their burdens ; and the Leinster soldiers, issuing from the hampers, grasped their swords, raised their shields,
and prepared for fighting. The leper cast off his wooden leg, also, and handled his sword. Perceiving that the camp was surprised, the Kinel-
Connall and the Kinel-Owen sprang up, and forming a rampart of spears and shields around the monarch of Ireland, they conveyed him on his steed
toBearna-na-sciath. Thepretendedleper,RonKerr,pursuedthemonarch, witli a select party of Leinstermen ; and, after much desperate fighting, the pursuer unhorsed the king, and cut off his head, on a flat rock, called Lec- Comaigh-cnamh. 33 Ron Kerr emptied his wallet of the crumbs, which he had got in the royal pavilion, and he put into it the vanquished monarch's head. He then passed unobserved, in the darkness of the night, from the confused fight which ensued, into the wild recesses of the mountain, where he remained until morning. The Leinstermen routed the Ui-Neill and Oirghialla, with great carnage. Among others, they slew Beg, the son of Cuanach, chief of Oirghialla ; while several nobles fell, in this battle of Bea- lach Duin-bolg. The monarch of Ireland was among those, who lost their lives, on this occasion. 3* The wife of Aedh is said to have composed a poem,35 on the occurrence of her husband's death.
On the following day, Ron Kerr presented Bran Dubh with the head of the monarch, Aedh, son of Ainmire,^^ and thereupon, he obtained from the king, a privilege of dining at the royal table. 37 Likewise his paternal inheri- tance became free of tribute to the King of Leinster, and to his representa- tives for ever, as a reward for the services he had rendered, on this occasion. In the ancient Life of St. Aidan, or Maidocus, pubHshedby Colgan, at the 31st of January, we find a passage, 3^ which very curiously agrees with the foregoing historical tale, as found in the Borumha-Laighean. To the successful issue of this battle, our saint's assistance contributed, in a great measure, if we credit the foregoing account. It secured the prestige of Bran Dubh's great- ness and supremacy, as sovereign of Leinster. According to the old Life of St. Mogue of Ferns, Bran Dubh became monarch of Ireland ; but, he is not numbered among the Irish kings, by any of our ancient annalists. Having made occasional irruptions, into the northern parts of Ireland, from which lie carried off spoils, a presumption exists, that his deeds of prowess were con- sidered tantamount, to a virtual supremacy over the Island; even although he was not acknowledged as supreme monarch, by the chiefs of this king- dom. 39 TheAnnalsoftheFourMastersrelatethisbattle,which,according
to them, took place, a. c. 594, after Aedh, son of Ainmire, son of Sedna, had been twenty-seven years in the sovereignty of Ireland. i" The Annals of
33 Popular tradition points it out to this
day.
3« Of Aedh's dea—th, the Irish poem, as
^o gee Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 218 to 221, n. (h). 37 This was regarded, as a great social
distinction, among the ancient Irish,
3'
". Iste(Brandub) vir astutissimuset valde probus in militia erat, et a^ens astute intravit audaciter in castra inimicorum, et occidit ipsum regem Hibernia? , jEdum filium Ain- mirech ; et maximam cjedem nobilum viro-
translated, relates
" At Buac, the wave buffets the brink, News were heard, who in weariness
slew Aedh, son of Ainmire. "
35 of it is in Dr. O'Dono- A portion given,
van's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i.
The — is an following
translation of
S. Maidoci, xxv. , cap. p.
by Bran Dubh, son of Eochaidh, in the battle ofDun-Bolg, in Leinster, after Aedh had gone to escort the Borumha, and to
avenge his son Comusgach upon them.
:
the extract:
" Three sides were dear, from which to
change is [affords] no hope,
The side of Tailltin, the side of Team- hair, and the side of Aedh, son of
"
^^ See i/>iJ. , n.
Ainmire.
English
211.
27, p. 217.
<° The O'Clearys state, that he was slain
"—" Sanctorum Hibernia;," xxxi. Januarii, Vita
rum totius Hibernias cum eo fecit.
Acta
April II. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. . 115
Ulster place the account of Dun-bolg battle, under a. d. 597, and the Annals
of Tighernach, under the year 598. This latter year, according to Mr. O'Donovan, is the true calculation. '*'
A poetic prayer of Bishop Aedhan,*' in reference to the death of Cumas- cach in 593, and of his father Aedh, son of Ainraire, is quoted, in the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland, by the Four Masters. ''^ It is generally referred to the Aedhan, who governed the house at Clonmore. We cannot be assured, that the whole of this poem is extant ; although, in the ancient his- torical tract of the Borumha-Laighean, it is stated to have been included in another part of that book. << The powerful Lord, to whom allusion is made, seems to have been no other than Brandubh, King of Leinster ; as the local denominationofCill-Rannairech*' hasbeenconnected,withthepresentKil- ranelagh, near Baltinglass, in the county of Wicklow. Here, on the side of an elevated hill, overlooked towards the north, east and west, by the higher Wick- low mountains,** there is an old and a very extensive cemetery, yet largely used for interments,*' with only the foundations of the former church barely traceable. Ifwecouldbeassuredofthegenuinecharacterandauthorshipof the poem, to which allusion has been made, St. Aedhan might deserve to rank amongst Irish Poets.
CHAPTER III.
VISIT OF ST. ONCHUO TO CLONMORE—LEGEND RELATING TO ST. MAEDOC AND CLON- MORE, IN CONNEXION WITH AGHOWLE, AND DESCRIPTION OF THIS LATTER PLACE—DEATH OF ST. MAEDOC AND HIS COMMEMORATION, IN THE KALENDARS— CONCLUSION.
As we have already seen, St. Onchuo' visited our saint at Clonmore, and there toohedied,andwasinterred; probably,beforetheAbbotMaidocwassum- moned away to bliss. Some are of opinion, that the latter had been the first bishop of ? "erns, and founder of the See ; while St. Maedoc, son to Setna,' succeeded his namesake, as second bishop there. According to Colgan, St. Maedoc spent the last thirty years of his life, at Cluain-more Maedhoc ; and,
" See O'Donovan's •' Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , p. 221, and nole (h).
*" Dr. O'Donovan erroneously supposes, that this Bishop Aedhan could only have been the first reputed founderof Ferns; but, it was reckoned aboutthreeyearsorso after the Battle of Dunbolg, when Brandubh con- yoked a synod of the clergy, for the purpose of raising Aedhan to that See. However, it is clear, that the Poem was composed some time afte' the battle.
" In Ur. O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , pp.
" According to Dr. O'Donovan, this poem is not to be found, in any known copies of that tract,
"It signifies "The Church, or cell of Rannairc "—a man's name,
*> From the site of this cemetery, most charming and varied views, extend through the valleys and defiles of the mountains, as the writer had an opportunity of seeing them, during the month of August, 1882 ; while, towards the south an uninterrupted stretch of plain brings a considerable part of Wicklow and Carlow counties under the range of vision, with a rich and fertile dis- trict to the distant Slievemarigue and Black Stairs' Mountains.
*' Deceased persons are often brought from Dublin, to be interred there, as the writer has been informed.
Chapter hi. — See an account of him, in Volume the Second, at the 8th of Feb- ruary, the date assigned for his feast.
'He died A. D. 655, according to the "Chronicon Scotorum. "
— 5iu*im in coiinT>it) coih^chcAch, 1 ftA.
216, 217, we have the following lines
:
CiLle
Rt)bp oiogdiL CumurccAig, gum
4ot>h;t mtc <\inmtj\ech.
-n. . 1. . 1 . I . 17 ,- 1. These are thus transUteJ mto English :—
" I implore the powerful Lord, near Cill-Rannairech,
It was he that took revenge of Comus- each, that slew Aedh mac Ainmirech. "
iv4nT>dii\ech
ii* LIVES OF 7HE IRISH SAINTS [April ii".
as it was there Onchuo died, and had been buried, it was probably the holy Abbot Maidoc of Clonmore—and not Moedoc of Ferns—that St. Finan the
Lepersaw,withtheholyVirginSt. Brigid,inhisvision. Norcouldithavebeen, in that case, on the 30th of January ;3 but, on the loth of April, that the holy
Finan had his celebrated vision, as this was the vigil for the feast of Maidoc, Abbot of Clonmore^ his predecessor. t The writer's attention has been drawn to
a local legend, which appears to connect the name of our St. Maedoc, with an old monastic establishment, at Aghowie Lower, about four miles to the south
ofClonmore. - Itformedaparish,inthebaronyofShillelagh,inthecounty Of Wicklow. The old church of Aghowie, or Aghold,5 is still in a good state
Old Church of Aghowie, County of Wicklow.
of preservation. The late Dr. O'Donovan gives a very interesting descrip- tion of this locality,^ and especially of the old church, which he considers to be one of the most curious he had then seen,? in his rambles through Ireland. He also records very interesting and accurate drawings of details,^ connected
3
Thus, the
writers have placed it.
Lanigan
Rev. Dr.
and other
' rela- See"LetterscontainingInformation
tive to the Antiquities of the County of Wick- low, collected during the progress of the Ord- nance Survey in 1838, "vol. i. , pp. 1 12 to 132.
' His letter is dated, January 1st, 1839, one o'clock, at night.
^
Among these are a ground-plan of the church ; the very curiously moulded and re- cessed doorway in the western gable ; sec- tion or thickness of wall in the external part of the doorway, on the south side ; an inside view of the two windows in the eastern gable; an external view ; the pedestal and broken shaft of St. Findan's cross ; the same subject, with the prostrate head shown in the proper position on tlie cross.
* " We have now come, that we may bless the places dedicated to us, and the persons who by their gilts and offerings honour the day of our departure," says the saint to Finan in the vision, according to Colgan's account. Bishop Moedoc of Ferns could not have said this to Finan, at Clonmore, to whom he bore no relationship whatever, as
Mr. John M'Call critically and justly ob- serves.
5 The ruins are shown, with the site of St.
"
Ordnance Sur- vey Townlnnd Maps for the County of
Finden's cross near, on the Wicklow," sheet 42.
April ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. ivf.
with this church, and minute measurements of these objects, taken oh the spot. The old granite shaft of St. Findan's cross ' rises on its solid pedestal, about thirty-six feet (rom the north-western corner of the old church. The south side wall is ruined, but the north side wall is still in good preservation, as are the eastern and western gables. '" As Mr. O'Donovan remarks, this is a regular old Irish Damliag, or Teampull Mor, measuring, on the inside, 60 feet,inlength,by24,inbreadth. " Thewallsarenearlythreefeetinthick- ness, and the church is built of granite stones. There does not appear to have been a choral arch, within this church. "
It is related, in an old Irish Life of St. Finan, or Finnen,'3 Abbot of Clo- nard, that after founding his first monastery, at Achadh Abhla, or Aghold, he erected therein a belfry. He placed in it a magnificent bell, the dulcet sounds of which could be heard for many miles around, as it regularly sum-
moned the community and congregation to their morning and evening devo- tions. After Finan's departure for Mugna Helchain, in Hy Bairrche, and during his sojourn there, the bell still performed its functions ; and even when he set up an educational establishment at Cluain-Iraird, or Clonard, it regu-i
larly rang out, in the usual course, and the people of the surrounding country! got so accustomed to its tones, that they regarded it as an object of the
greatest veneration,
without which
they
considered the — of monastery Aghold"'
must be a — When the solitary place. holy
abbot Maidoc but we are not told celebrated establishment at Cluin-mor- . Meadoc, or Clonmore, about four miles northwards, its sweet sounds aroused bothhimselfandhisbrotherhoodeverymorning. Atlength,hebeganto
covet the bell, and to wish that he himself had such a splendid one, in his' own royal monastery, so that he could, in a more solemn manner, summon his- numerous retinue to their daily devotions. Being on terms" of the closest in-
timacy with St. Finan, while permanently taking up his residence at Clo- nard, he journeyed to and fro, and during his occasional visitations to Aghold, . Finan was in the habit of looking into Clonmore, and passing a it^^ hours , with his old friend. On every visit, St. Maidoc never failed to urge on St. Finan to grant him the coveted bell. At length, weary of the saint's impor-' tunities, and resolving in his own mind, that if the bell were to be removed at aU, it should not be to the strange monastery of Clonmore, but to his own •
which holy man had founded
his
great College, in Meath, he ought to fetch it ; St Finan had the bell one
'
'
taken down from the belfry, in Aghold, and he set it with day up
great pomp in his church, at Clonard. Next morning, when the brother, appointed by St. Finan to ring the bell, repaired to the new belfry, for that purpose, to his great astonishment, he found that it had miraculously disappeared ; while, on
the contrary, the person who was in the habit of ringing it at Aghold was most '
'
agreeably surprised, at finding the bell in its usual position the very next morning. It is said, the bell never emitted more dulcet melody than it did, on thatoccasion. Itcharmedthecommunityandthewholesurroundingcountry people. Disappointed at not hearing the sweet tolling of his bell that same morning, on learning that it had most unaccountably disappeared and was
» So called in local tradition.
'° The accompanying sketch, drawn by the writer on the spot, in August, 1882, has been transferred to the wood, by William F. Wakeman, and it has been engraved by Mrs. Millard.
" We are told, by Mr. O'Donovan, that such was the regular measurement of the primitive Irish cathedrals and abbey
churches, according to the Book of Armagh, the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, and a Life of the same saint, preserved in the Book of Lismore.
" At the western end, a modem walled
up enclosure is used, as a place of entomb- ment, for a family, named Nixon.
'^ His feast occurs, at the 12th of Decern. ber, where his Life will be found.
ii8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ii.
then in its old site, St. Finan had it conveyed back again, and duly elevated to its new position, in Clonard. Once more, it broke away that very night,
and next morning, it was found suspended, in its original position, at Aghold. The bell was several times taken down, and thence removed to its new des- tination. At length, it was hung in chains at Clonard, but still every follow-
ing morning, it was again discovered, in its old place. Finally, having re- gard to its many miraculous transportations, St. Finan ordered it to be left for ever, with his early brethren, and for its former destination. When St. Finan of Clonard was called to his last account, and for generations afterwards, this Fugitive Bell, as it was long termed, continued to serve the purposes, for which it was at first destined, in the old secluded monastery of Aghold. Such was the local legend, which Cambrensis has perverted, in his story of the
is mentioned, in connexion with it, as well as Clonard ; and, it has been sug-
gested,'* that perhaps the district, in which Aghold is situated, might have been in St. Finan's time called the country of Mactalway, though the name may now be rendered obsolete.
The holy Abbot Moedoc died, at Clonmore, probably after the beginning of the seventh century ; but, the year of his demise has not been recorded. At Clonmore he was interred,"' likewise, and it would seem this place was remarkable, for the great number of holy persons,'* who reposed in its sacred
soil. '9 In the Feilire of St, Mr\g\\s,''° at the nth of April, St. Moedoc is re-
corded, with a special commendation. Again, Moedoc h Dunlaing, in Cluain Moir, is set down, in the Martyrology of Tallagh," at this date. On
this day is registered, in the Martyrology of Donegal,'^'' Maedhog, of Cluain-
" at the Fugitive Bell,"
De Campatm
he had received another version of it, in his day. The country of Mactalway's
'* He states, that there is in Leinster—
namely, in the country ofMactalway—a cer- tain bell which if not rigidly restrained by
Breac, at the same day, in which it is stated, that he was honoured at Swords, at Innis- fallen, in Loch Lene, at Clonmore-Mogue,
seems to have overlooked this note. "—Let- ter of William M. Hennessy, to the writer, and dated 71 Pembroke-road, 24th Septem- ber, 1882.
"' In the " Leabhar Breac " we find copy,
its guardian by a means prepared for that purpose, each night, it is positively declared, that if it be bound by any chains capable of being broken, in the morning it is found in Meath, in the church of St. Finnian or Finan in Clonard, the it was from.
"
and at Ardfinnan, in Munster. Mr. Stokes
place brought
The above is an affair which has certainly
thefollowingtext. TheEnglishtranslation
chapter,
Fugitiva
/'• or, most
probably,
occurred very often. See "Topographica Hi-
"
Opera Omina," vol. v. , p. 120. SMr. M'Call writes: '< I know of no place at present of that name unless Mactal- way in the County Dublin, and it is no- where on record, that St. Finan of Clonard
ever had any connexion with that locality. "
'' By Wm. M. Hennessy, Esq. , M. R.
