^Engus, at the 9th of August, there is a
commemoration
of Nathi—eulogized as a pious priest.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
, pp.
398, 399.
2
by
gives
See "Transactions of the Royal Irish 4 See Colgan's " Trias Thaumaturga," Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol.
p. 326.
Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, n. 67, p. 545.
i. , part i. On the calendar of Oengus, by
Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. exxiii.
3 See ibid. , p. exxx.
4 It is shown, on the " Ordnance Survey
5
nus O'Gorman and of Donegal. See notices
According tothe Martyrologies of Maria-
of her, at the 2nd of November, in the Eleventh Volume of this work.
Townland Maps for the County of Kildare," See an account of her, at that date, in . sheets 17, 18, 23. The Townland proper is
6
the Tenth Volume of this work.
7 See Colgan's " Trias Thaumaturga. " Tertia Vita S. Brigidae, cap. 124, p. 541,
on sheet 17.
s This portion contains 1,133a. or. 37p.
6
,0
Article hi.
Kelly, p. xxxi. In the Book of Leinster
copy we find beoani pin rlerfAin 1 fit) ChuiLltro.
'
•
Edited
Rer. Dr.
This portion contains 3,042a. 2r. 1 7p.
Brigid,
8 and who
"
of Sister Dora. Lives of the
IO a registers
122 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 8.
son of Neassan, and that he sprung from the race of Cathaoir Mor, of Leinster. Near the Hill of Allen, in the County of Kildare, Feigh-Cullen was the site of an ancient church, the ruins of which existed within the memory of some
still living.
Patrick,
place
was Kill-fiacle in
Tipperary ;"
so that he to appears
Martyrology
of 1 recordsthe Tallagh,
simple entry,
Curcach,CluanaLothair. 2
Kalendars of
8th Aug.
8
The rude Baptismal trough, used at this church in primitive
Christian times, is now preserved at Allen. In a field adjoining the church, the
foundation of an extensive building can be traced, regarding which, however,
history and tradition are silent. 9 A Beoan is set down as a disciple of St.
10 but his
have been dis-tinct from the present saint. The Martyrology of Donegal" records him at the 8th of August as Beoan, Bishop of Fidh Chuilinn, in Ui
In the Calendar of Drummond, he is entered at the same date. 1 ^
Failge.
In conjunction with two other saints bearing the same name, we find a
1 peculiar arrangement, in the table postfixed to this Martyrology. *
Article IV. —Blessed Ultan, the Scot or Irishman, Monk of
Lindisfarne. \_Eighth Century. '] This pious and distinguished Cenobite
seems to have been born towards the commencement of the eighth century.
He was a Scot race, to Menard. 1 At that such by according Hugh period,
adesignationimplied,thathisoriginhadbeenderivedfromIreland. Harps- feld has not forgotten to commemorate the virtues and accomplishments of this religious man. 2 His festival has been placed at the 17th of January, by Colgan,3 for no better reason, than because the first St. Ultan, occurring in the order on our National Calendars, has been assigned to that day. In a passing allusion to this reputed festival,« we promised to reserve other particulars—so far as they are revealed for us—to be inserted at the 8th day of August, when his name is inscribed in the Benedictine Martyrology.
Article V. —St. Curcach, Virgin, of Cluain-lothair, now Cloon- logher, County of Leitrtm. At the 8th of August, the published
7 See Lewis' " Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, vol. i. , pp. 616, 617.
8 They were pulled down on the occasion
of erecting the present Protestant Church.
See Right Rev. Michael Comerford's
"
to the Dioceses of Kildare and Leighlin," vol. ii , p. 62.
9 In the year A. D. 956, a great battle was
13 See Bishop Forbes Scottish Saints," p. 21.
Collections
relating
Beoan, bishop of Vitalianus) 26th Oct. J-(
3rd Dec.
here. It thus recorded in Dr. —" —of fought is^ Martyrology
Donegal," pp,
O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters. " "A victory was gained over the Ui-Dun- chadha, the Ui-Failghe, and the Clann- Ceallaigh, at Fidh-Chuilinn, namely, over Domhnal, son of Lorchan, and Domhnal, son of Maelmordha, by the Ui-Faelain, namely, by Murchadh, son of Finn ;in which were slain Cearnach, son of Lorcan, chief
305.
and Naeideanan Ua Domhnaill, and many others of the nobility
of
Clann-Ceallaigh,
besides them,'' vol. ii. , pp. 676, 677.
Article v. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxi.
10
of Ireland, and whose life is to be found in the Third Volume of this work,
at the 17th of March.
" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 212, 213.
2 In the Book of Leinster copy, the
entry
Apostle
Colgan's
" Trias Thaumaturga. "
of this saint reads , Cur\chAcn CluAiti
Lochup.
3 The parish so called is described on the
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Leitrim,'' sheets 7, II, 12, 15, 16. The Townland proper is on sheet II. 4 See General Index to the
"See
Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xxxii. , p. 156, and p. 62, n. 186.
'+ Thus entered:— Beoan, bishop o
Fiodh-cuilin,
Tamlelacht, Beoan, bishop
304, Article iv. See his observations on
the " Martyrologium Benedictinum," lib. ii. ,
See Ilistoria Ecclesiastica," Saec ix. , cap. xiv.
3 See '* Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xvii Tanuarii. De B. Ultano Scoto, seu Hiberno, Lindisfarnensi Monacho, with notes, p. 109.
4 At the 17t—h day of January. '
Augusti viii. 2"
'
Alphabetical
August 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 123
This place must be Cloonlogher, in a parish of the same name,3 barony of
Dromahaire, and County of Leitrim. 4 It is a vicarage in the Diocese of
of mountain land. 5 Her name also, in Kilmore, consisting chiefly appears,
the of 6 at this same date, as Curcach, of Cluain- Martyrology Donegal,
lothair, Virgin. There is a Curcach, daughter to Dael, son of Maisine, and belonging to the race of Colla Menn, adds the calendarist. There is a Cluain Lothaire in Breifne O'Ruairc, and Curcach is patron there, follows the foregoing announcement.
Article VI. —Reputed Feast of Daig, son to Cairell of Inis-Cain-
2
fMnti) JBap of august.
ARTICLE I. —ST. NATHY, PATRON OF ACHONRY DIOCESE, COUNTY OF SLIGO.
[SIXTH CENTURY. ]
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—AUTHORITIES FOR THE LIFE OF ST. NATHI—HIS BIRTH—HIS EARLY TRAINING—THE RELATIONS BETWEEN ST. FINIAN AND ST. NATHI—FOUNDATION OF ACHONRY, AND ST. NATHI PLACED THERE AS PASTOR.
dawn of a bright and glorious era was destined for Ireland, when St. Patrick's bark first drew near her and she well
be addressed in these words of " be for inspired Isaias, Arise, enlightened;
thy light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold darkness shall cover the earth, and a mist the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the
THE
shores, might
[Sixth Century. ']
Gentiles shall walk in
thy light,
and
Kings
in the
of
1
Townlandsand
i.
Article —Chapterl—* Ix.
UndertheheadofInisCaindegha,1 DualdMac
Degha.
Firbis enters Daig, son of Cairell, who died a. d. 586,3 August 8th. In the " Chronicum Scotorum," his rest is noted at the same year. * Nothing more seems to be known regarding him.
ParishandBaronies
s 24<"
Towns, of Ireland, p. 269.
Isaias,
See Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 366, 367.
6
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 212, 213.
Article vi. -1 in the Inisbkeen,
I to 3.
In the Leabhar Breac copy is ihe
following stanza, with its English rendering, by Dr. Whitlev Stokes :—
ruh. 11 C]\et)Al crnntnchep.
"Remember thou the passion of Anto-
ninus (and) of Firmus, a mighty family. In Achad Cain is buried Nathi a pious priest. " " Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," —
the Calendar of Oengus, p. cxxiii.
County of Louth, according to William M. Hen-
£eich lacpaif
JMjmu po|\cj\en rnumcep 1n ^cluro cain clancajv
nessy's note. 3"
•
3
According to Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals
See Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy,"IrishMSS. series,vol. i. , parti. ,
pp. 114, 115.
of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 212, 213, and n. (k. ) ibid.
4 See William M. 62, 63.
Hennessy's edition, pp.
Irish vol. i. Manuscript series, i. , part
On
brightness
thy rising. "
Ancom
124 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 9.
One of the fruits drawn from the Irish Apostle's preaching was revealed in the number of holy converts he made, through the Divine assistance, and from these was drawn many a zealous pastor to guide souls in the way of salvation.
From the earliest times, the present holy man appears to have been held " "a
in veneration. Thus, in the Feilire of St.
^Engus, at the 9th of August, there is a commemoration of Nathi—eulogized as a pious priest. And to this is affixed a comment in Irish that Achad Cain—the name of his place - was Achad Conaire, in Luigni of Connaught. 3 In Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other principal Saints,"* at the 9th of August, St. Nathy, or David, Priest, Patron of the Diocese of Achonry, anciently called Achad, is commemorated. Also notices of him occur in the Rev. Dr. Lanigan's History,* in Archdeacon Henry Cotton's Collections6 and in the Rev. S. Baring-Gould's work. 7
8
The birth of this saint, with that of others,? is said to have been pre-
dictedbyaholyabbotinWestConnaught,andwhois namedCorbmac. 10 Such an account is to be met with in an ancient Irish life of the latter holy man, and which is to be found in the Book of Lecan, belonging to the Royal Irish Academy. Nathi is thought to have first seen the light in the earlier part of the sixth century. If a statement, according to which Nathi should have been a priest in 530, were to be admitted, it must follow, that he was born as early, at least, as 500; yet this account can hardly be reconciled
11
with his having lived until Fechin also became a priest.
However, not admitting that early date furnished by Sir James Ware, for the erection of
12
Achonry into a See, Nathi is thought to have been born not later than the
year 5 20. '3 He was the son of Conamalius, son of Neill. 14
St. Nathy is variedly called Nathi, Nathin, Nathias, Nathineus, and Nathyus. Dathyus, Dathi, and David are names also applied to him in different accounts where he is mentioned. He bore, likewise, the additional
titlesofCruimthirandofComrah. 's Heappearstohavebeenanativeof
Lugne territory.
of County Sligo,
It is now commensurate with the barony of Leyny, in the
16 and Province of
Connaught.
1 ? Some of our writers have
3 See ibid. , p. cxxx.
4 See vol. viii. , August ix.
s See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect. iii. ,and nn. 37 to
41, pp. 190 to 193.
6 See "Fasti Ecclesiae Hibernicae," vol.
iv. , p. 98.
7 See "Lives of the Saints," vol. viii. ,
" See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol ii. , chap, xji. , sec.
August 9, p. 107.
Achonry," p. 658.
I3 Such is the opinion of Rev. Dr.
Lanigan, who remarks that as he had been a priest since the days of Finnian of Clonard, who died in 552, and some time prior to his death, Nathi's birth cannot be placed later than 520. See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect, v. , n. 40, p. 192.
M See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hi*
bernioe," xxvi. Martii. Vita S. Corbmaci,
cap. xv. , p. 753.
,s See Archdeacon Henry Cotton's " Fasti
" Acta Sanctorum Hi- bernioe," xxvi. Martii. Vita S. Corbmaci Abbatis, cap. xv. , p. 753, and in 31, p. 756.
9 Namely, Luthrenna, Virgin, the daughter of Failbe, venerated on the 8th of June, at which date, notices of her may be found in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. ii. ; St. Fechin, Abbot of Fore, venerated on the 26th of January, at which date his Acts may be found, in the First Volume of this work, Art. ii. ; St. Mobian—surnamed Claireneach —whose feast is kept on the 1 2th of October, and at this date notices of him may be found
n the Tenth Volume of this work.
10 See the Life of St. Corbmac, at the 13th
8 See
Colgan's
of December.
l8
His Life may be found, at the 12th of
v. , n. 40, pp. 192, 193.
,2 "
See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , Bishops of
Ecclesiae Hibernicae," vol. iv. , p. 98. ,6 "
See The Topographical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla na Naomh
O'Huidhrin," edited by John O'Donovan, LL. D , n. 280, p. xxxix.
I7 This also is agreeing with a statement
of the O'Clerys.
August 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 135
18
too hastily assumed that Nathy was a disciple of St. Finian of Clonard. But, he was ordained priest, at or before that time, when the celebrated Abbot of Clonard visited Connaught, as may be read in the published Acts of
20 91
32 seems nearer to the fact. When St. Finian came to that place,
fifth
1? taken from the Salamanca Codex. That visit is Manuscript
St. Finnian,
incorrectly stated to have been made, so early as about the year 530. However, at this date, St. Finian had scarcely begun to teach at Clonard. A short time before St. Finian's demise, which took place in the middle of the
century,
where our saint dwelt, he was admonished by an angel to bu—ild a church, on
3
a suitable and pleasing site. * But, the king of that country called Luigne,
— wasnamed 2* his That even and who Keanfahola, opposed design. dynast
wished to expel the saint from his territory. However, in order to move his obdurate heart, and to bend his will to the obedience of Divine Faith, St. Finian wrought a remarkable miracle, by making a sign of the cross over a very large stone. This immediately split into three distinct parts. At such a miraculous exercise of power, the obdurate and inhospitable king changed from being a wolf in human form to becoming a lamb in gentleness and condescension.
2
Some of our writers ^ make Nathi a disciple of Finnian. However,
Nathi seems to have been a priest, before Finnian had been acquainted with him. About this time, according to the order of narrative in St. Finian's old Life, almost all his celebrated disciples at Clonard had left his school to foundestablishmentsoftheirown. ThedateforthistransactioninLuighne
26
year 550.
the miracle already related,
Keonfahola, on bended knees, offered St. Finnian that site, where such
2
miracles had been wrought. ? It was afterwards called Achad-Chonaire, or
Achonry, being at present a large parochial division, and the seat of an
was about the
St. Finian effected the
conversion — through
2? and at a
anciently said to have been Achad-Chaion. 28 Struck with admiration,
episcopal see, in Sligo county. 3° In the Annals of Ireland, when Latinized, "1
it is invariably called Campus Conarii. "*
Whether the holy Abbot of Clonard erected a church or a monastery
there, does not appear to be well known. He was carried off in that dreadful mortality the Crom Conaill, which broke out in Ireland, towards the middle of the sixth century. This is thought to have been a more aggravated form of that disease known as the Buidhe Chonnaill. Contemporaneous authori.
December—the chief day for his festival— in the Twelfth Volume of this work.
19 See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xxiii. Februarii. Vita S. Finniani seu Fineni, Abbatis de Cluain-Eraird, cap. xxvi. , p. 396.
20
See "Harris' Ware," vol. i. , Bishops of Achonry," p. 658.
21
According to Rev. Dr. Lanigan's cal- culations.
22 "
The "Chronicum Scotorum places it
See edition of William M.
23 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hi-
berniav* xxiii. Februarii. Vita S. Finiani,
cap, xxvi. , p. 396.
*4 This proper name is found Latinized
2? According to the series of his trans-
actions, as given in his Acts, it appears to be one of the last, and just before the close
at A. D.
tical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. ,
sect, v. , nn. 38, 39, p. 192.
28
See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops of Achonry," p. 658.
29 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hi-
berniae," xxiii. Februarii. Vita S. Finniani
seu Fineni, cap. xxvi. , p. 296.
3° See Rev. Dr. " Ecclesiastical Lanigan's
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect. iii. , n. 40, p. 192.
3I Little information has been given re-
garding the place, by Thomas O'Conor, who wrote the account of it in a dissertation, dated 21 Great Charles-street, October 10th,
551. Hennessey, pp. 50, 51.
"
25 "
wolf-headed. "
caput hipi, or
Among these are Colgan, Ware, and
Harris.
26 To this period Dr. Lanigan assigns it.
1836. See Letters containing Information collected during the Progress of the Ord- nance Survey in 1836," pp.
2
by
gives
See "Transactions of the Royal Irish 4 See Colgan's " Trias Thaumaturga," Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol.
p. 326.
Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, n. 67, p. 545.
i. , part i. On the calendar of Oengus, by
Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. exxiii.
3 See ibid. , p. exxx.
4 It is shown, on the " Ordnance Survey
5
nus O'Gorman and of Donegal. See notices
According tothe Martyrologies of Maria-
of her, at the 2nd of November, in the Eleventh Volume of this work.
Townland Maps for the County of Kildare," See an account of her, at that date, in . sheets 17, 18, 23. The Townland proper is
6
the Tenth Volume of this work.
7 See Colgan's " Trias Thaumaturga. " Tertia Vita S. Brigidae, cap. 124, p. 541,
on sheet 17.
s This portion contains 1,133a. or. 37p.
6
,0
Article hi.
Kelly, p. xxxi. In the Book of Leinster
copy we find beoani pin rlerfAin 1 fit) ChuiLltro.
'
•
Edited
Rer. Dr.
This portion contains 3,042a. 2r. 1 7p.
Brigid,
8 and who
"
of Sister Dora. Lives of the
IO a registers
122 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 8.
son of Neassan, and that he sprung from the race of Cathaoir Mor, of Leinster. Near the Hill of Allen, in the County of Kildare, Feigh-Cullen was the site of an ancient church, the ruins of which existed within the memory of some
still living.
Patrick,
place
was Kill-fiacle in
Tipperary ;"
so that he to appears
Martyrology
of 1 recordsthe Tallagh,
simple entry,
Curcach,CluanaLothair. 2
Kalendars of
8th Aug.
8
The rude Baptismal trough, used at this church in primitive
Christian times, is now preserved at Allen. In a field adjoining the church, the
foundation of an extensive building can be traced, regarding which, however,
history and tradition are silent. 9 A Beoan is set down as a disciple of St.
10 but his
have been dis-tinct from the present saint. The Martyrology of Donegal" records him at the 8th of August as Beoan, Bishop of Fidh Chuilinn, in Ui
In the Calendar of Drummond, he is entered at the same date. 1 ^
Failge.
In conjunction with two other saints bearing the same name, we find a
1 peculiar arrangement, in the table postfixed to this Martyrology. *
Article IV. —Blessed Ultan, the Scot or Irishman, Monk of
Lindisfarne. \_Eighth Century. '] This pious and distinguished Cenobite
seems to have been born towards the commencement of the eighth century.
He was a Scot race, to Menard. 1 At that such by according Hugh period,
adesignationimplied,thathisoriginhadbeenderivedfromIreland. Harps- feld has not forgotten to commemorate the virtues and accomplishments of this religious man. 2 His festival has been placed at the 17th of January, by Colgan,3 for no better reason, than because the first St. Ultan, occurring in the order on our National Calendars, has been assigned to that day. In a passing allusion to this reputed festival,« we promised to reserve other particulars—so far as they are revealed for us—to be inserted at the 8th day of August, when his name is inscribed in the Benedictine Martyrology.
Article V. —St. Curcach, Virgin, of Cluain-lothair, now Cloon- logher, County of Leitrtm. At the 8th of August, the published
7 See Lewis' " Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, vol. i. , pp. 616, 617.
8 They were pulled down on the occasion
of erecting the present Protestant Church.
See Right Rev. Michael Comerford's
"
to the Dioceses of Kildare and Leighlin," vol. ii , p. 62.
9 In the year A. D. 956, a great battle was
13 See Bishop Forbes Scottish Saints," p. 21.
Collections
relating
Beoan, bishop of Vitalianus) 26th Oct. J-(
3rd Dec.
here. It thus recorded in Dr. —" —of fought is^ Martyrology
Donegal," pp,
O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters. " "A victory was gained over the Ui-Dun- chadha, the Ui-Failghe, and the Clann- Ceallaigh, at Fidh-Chuilinn, namely, over Domhnal, son of Lorchan, and Domhnal, son of Maelmordha, by the Ui-Faelain, namely, by Murchadh, son of Finn ;in which were slain Cearnach, son of Lorcan, chief
305.
and Naeideanan Ua Domhnaill, and many others of the nobility
of
Clann-Ceallaigh,
besides them,'' vol. ii. , pp. 676, 677.
Article v. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxi.
10
of Ireland, and whose life is to be found in the Third Volume of this work,
at the 17th of March.
" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 212, 213.
2 In the Book of Leinster copy, the
entry
Apostle
Colgan's
" Trias Thaumaturga. "
of this saint reads , Cur\chAcn CluAiti
Lochup.
3 The parish so called is described on the
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Leitrim,'' sheets 7, II, 12, 15, 16. The Townland proper is on sheet II. 4 See General Index to the
"See
Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xxxii. , p. 156, and p. 62, n. 186.
'+ Thus entered:— Beoan, bishop o
Fiodh-cuilin,
Tamlelacht, Beoan, bishop
304, Article iv. See his observations on
the " Martyrologium Benedictinum," lib. ii. ,
See Ilistoria Ecclesiastica," Saec ix. , cap. xiv.
3 See '* Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xvii Tanuarii. De B. Ultano Scoto, seu Hiberno, Lindisfarnensi Monacho, with notes, p. 109.
4 At the 17t—h day of January. '
Augusti viii. 2"
'
Alphabetical
August 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 123
This place must be Cloonlogher, in a parish of the same name,3 barony of
Dromahaire, and County of Leitrim. 4 It is a vicarage in the Diocese of
of mountain land. 5 Her name also, in Kilmore, consisting chiefly appears,
the of 6 at this same date, as Curcach, of Cluain- Martyrology Donegal,
lothair, Virgin. There is a Curcach, daughter to Dael, son of Maisine, and belonging to the race of Colla Menn, adds the calendarist. There is a Cluain Lothaire in Breifne O'Ruairc, and Curcach is patron there, follows the foregoing announcement.
Article VI. —Reputed Feast of Daig, son to Cairell of Inis-Cain-
2
fMnti) JBap of august.
ARTICLE I. —ST. NATHY, PATRON OF ACHONRY DIOCESE, COUNTY OF SLIGO.
[SIXTH CENTURY. ]
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—AUTHORITIES FOR THE LIFE OF ST. NATHI—HIS BIRTH—HIS EARLY TRAINING—THE RELATIONS BETWEEN ST. FINIAN AND ST. NATHI—FOUNDATION OF ACHONRY, AND ST. NATHI PLACED THERE AS PASTOR.
dawn of a bright and glorious era was destined for Ireland, when St. Patrick's bark first drew near her and she well
be addressed in these words of " be for inspired Isaias, Arise, enlightened;
thy light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold darkness shall cover the earth, and a mist the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the
THE
shores, might
[Sixth Century. ']
Gentiles shall walk in
thy light,
and
Kings
in the
of
1
Townlandsand
i.
Article —Chapterl—* Ix.
UndertheheadofInisCaindegha,1 DualdMac
Degha.
Firbis enters Daig, son of Cairell, who died a. d. 586,3 August 8th. In the " Chronicum Scotorum," his rest is noted at the same year. * Nothing more seems to be known regarding him.
ParishandBaronies
s 24<"
Towns, of Ireland, p. 269.
Isaias,
See Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 366, 367.
6
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 212, 213.
Article vi. -1 in the Inisbkeen,
I to 3.
In the Leabhar Breac copy is ihe
following stanza, with its English rendering, by Dr. Whitlev Stokes :—
ruh. 11 C]\et)Al crnntnchep.
"Remember thou the passion of Anto-
ninus (and) of Firmus, a mighty family. In Achad Cain is buried Nathi a pious priest. " " Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," —
the Calendar of Oengus, p. cxxiii.
County of Louth, according to William M. Hen-
£eich lacpaif
JMjmu po|\cj\en rnumcep 1n ^cluro cain clancajv
nessy's note. 3"
•
3
According to Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals
See Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy,"IrishMSS. series,vol. i. , parti. ,
pp. 114, 115.
of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 212, 213, and n. (k. ) ibid.
4 See William M. 62, 63.
Hennessy's edition, pp.
Irish vol. i. Manuscript series, i. , part
On
brightness
thy rising. "
Ancom
124 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 9.
One of the fruits drawn from the Irish Apostle's preaching was revealed in the number of holy converts he made, through the Divine assistance, and from these was drawn many a zealous pastor to guide souls in the way of salvation.
From the earliest times, the present holy man appears to have been held " "a
in veneration. Thus, in the Feilire of St.
^Engus, at the 9th of August, there is a commemoration of Nathi—eulogized as a pious priest. And to this is affixed a comment in Irish that Achad Cain—the name of his place - was Achad Conaire, in Luigni of Connaught. 3 In Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other principal Saints,"* at the 9th of August, St. Nathy, or David, Priest, Patron of the Diocese of Achonry, anciently called Achad, is commemorated. Also notices of him occur in the Rev. Dr. Lanigan's History,* in Archdeacon Henry Cotton's Collections6 and in the Rev. S. Baring-Gould's work. 7
8
The birth of this saint, with that of others,? is said to have been pre-
dictedbyaholyabbotinWestConnaught,andwhois namedCorbmac. 10 Such an account is to be met with in an ancient Irish life of the latter holy man, and which is to be found in the Book of Lecan, belonging to the Royal Irish Academy. Nathi is thought to have first seen the light in the earlier part of the sixth century. If a statement, according to which Nathi should have been a priest in 530, were to be admitted, it must follow, that he was born as early, at least, as 500; yet this account can hardly be reconciled
11
with his having lived until Fechin also became a priest.
However, not admitting that early date furnished by Sir James Ware, for the erection of
12
Achonry into a See, Nathi is thought to have been born not later than the
year 5 20. '3 He was the son of Conamalius, son of Neill. 14
St. Nathy is variedly called Nathi, Nathin, Nathias, Nathineus, and Nathyus. Dathyus, Dathi, and David are names also applied to him in different accounts where he is mentioned. He bore, likewise, the additional
titlesofCruimthirandofComrah. 's Heappearstohavebeenanativeof
Lugne territory.
of County Sligo,
It is now commensurate with the barony of Leyny, in the
16 and Province of
Connaught.
1 ? Some of our writers have
3 See ibid. , p. cxxx.
4 See vol. viii. , August ix.
s See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect. iii. ,and nn. 37 to
41, pp. 190 to 193.
6 See "Fasti Ecclesiae Hibernicae," vol.
iv. , p. 98.
7 See "Lives of the Saints," vol. viii. ,
" See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol ii. , chap, xji. , sec.
August 9, p. 107.
Achonry," p. 658.
I3 Such is the opinion of Rev. Dr.
Lanigan, who remarks that as he had been a priest since the days of Finnian of Clonard, who died in 552, and some time prior to his death, Nathi's birth cannot be placed later than 520. See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect, v. , n. 40, p. 192.
M See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hi*
bernioe," xxvi. Martii. Vita S. Corbmaci,
cap. xv. , p. 753.
,s See Archdeacon Henry Cotton's " Fasti
" Acta Sanctorum Hi- bernioe," xxvi. Martii. Vita S. Corbmaci Abbatis, cap. xv. , p. 753, and in 31, p. 756.
9 Namely, Luthrenna, Virgin, the daughter of Failbe, venerated on the 8th of June, at which date, notices of her may be found in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. ii. ; St. Fechin, Abbot of Fore, venerated on the 26th of January, at which date his Acts may be found, in the First Volume of this work, Art. ii. ; St. Mobian—surnamed Claireneach —whose feast is kept on the 1 2th of October, and at this date notices of him may be found
n the Tenth Volume of this work.
10 See the Life of St. Corbmac, at the 13th
8 See
Colgan's
of December.
l8
His Life may be found, at the 12th of
v. , n. 40, pp. 192, 193.
,2 "
See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , Bishops of
Ecclesiae Hibernicae," vol. iv. , p. 98. ,6 "
See The Topographical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla na Naomh
O'Huidhrin," edited by John O'Donovan, LL. D , n. 280, p. xxxix.
I7 This also is agreeing with a statement
of the O'Clerys.
August 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 135
18
too hastily assumed that Nathy was a disciple of St. Finian of Clonard. But, he was ordained priest, at or before that time, when the celebrated Abbot of Clonard visited Connaught, as may be read in the published Acts of
20 91
32 seems nearer to the fact. When St. Finian came to that place,
fifth
1? taken from the Salamanca Codex. That visit is Manuscript
St. Finnian,
incorrectly stated to have been made, so early as about the year 530. However, at this date, St. Finian had scarcely begun to teach at Clonard. A short time before St. Finian's demise, which took place in the middle of the
century,
where our saint dwelt, he was admonished by an angel to bu—ild a church, on
3
a suitable and pleasing site. * But, the king of that country called Luigne,
— wasnamed 2* his That even and who Keanfahola, opposed design. dynast
wished to expel the saint from his territory. However, in order to move his obdurate heart, and to bend his will to the obedience of Divine Faith, St. Finian wrought a remarkable miracle, by making a sign of the cross over a very large stone. This immediately split into three distinct parts. At such a miraculous exercise of power, the obdurate and inhospitable king changed from being a wolf in human form to becoming a lamb in gentleness and condescension.
2
Some of our writers ^ make Nathi a disciple of Finnian. However,
Nathi seems to have been a priest, before Finnian had been acquainted with him. About this time, according to the order of narrative in St. Finian's old Life, almost all his celebrated disciples at Clonard had left his school to foundestablishmentsoftheirown. ThedateforthistransactioninLuighne
26
year 550.
the miracle already related,
Keonfahola, on bended knees, offered St. Finnian that site, where such
2
miracles had been wrought. ? It was afterwards called Achad-Chonaire, or
Achonry, being at present a large parochial division, and the seat of an
was about the
St. Finian effected the
conversion — through
2? and at a
anciently said to have been Achad-Chaion. 28 Struck with admiration,
episcopal see, in Sligo county. 3° In the Annals of Ireland, when Latinized, "1
it is invariably called Campus Conarii. "*
Whether the holy Abbot of Clonard erected a church or a monastery
there, does not appear to be well known. He was carried off in that dreadful mortality the Crom Conaill, which broke out in Ireland, towards the middle of the sixth century. This is thought to have been a more aggravated form of that disease known as the Buidhe Chonnaill. Contemporaneous authori.
December—the chief day for his festival— in the Twelfth Volume of this work.
19 See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xxiii. Februarii. Vita S. Finniani seu Fineni, Abbatis de Cluain-Eraird, cap. xxvi. , p. 396.
20
See "Harris' Ware," vol. i. , Bishops of Achonry," p. 658.
21
According to Rev. Dr. Lanigan's cal- culations.
22 "
The "Chronicum Scotorum places it
See edition of William M.
23 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hi-
berniav* xxiii. Februarii. Vita S. Finiani,
cap, xxvi. , p. 396.
*4 This proper name is found Latinized
2? According to the series of his trans-
actions, as given in his Acts, it appears to be one of the last, and just before the close
at A. D.
tical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. ,
sect, v. , nn. 38, 39, p. 192.
28
See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops of Achonry," p. 658.
29 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hi-
berniae," xxiii. Februarii. Vita S. Finniani
seu Fineni, cap. xxvi. , p. 296.
3° See Rev. Dr. " Ecclesiastical Lanigan's
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect. iii. , n. 40, p. 192.
3I Little information has been given re-
garding the place, by Thomas O'Conor, who wrote the account of it in a dissertation, dated 21 Great Charles-street, October 10th,
551. Hennessey, pp. 50, 51.
"
25 "
wolf-headed. "
caput hipi, or
Among these are Colgan, Ware, and
Harris.
26 To this period Dr. Lanigan assigns it.
1836. See Letters containing Information collected during the Progress of the Ord- nance Survey in 1836," pp.
