No More Learning

Veneration was paidtoCormacH. Liathain, in Dermaigh, at the 21st of June,
tothe of 2 Heisalso intermsof according Martyrology Tallagh. mentioned,
commendation, in the Feilire 3 ofSt. ^Engus,at the same date. On this, too, are someremarksofascholiast. * Hispedigreeisgiven,intheBookofLecan. He was son of Dima,s son to Coman, son of Cudumaig, son to Congal, son of Cair- bre, son to Sionach, son of Eochaidh Liathain. The pedigree of Mac Firbis is in- correct,6however,inmakinghisgrandfather,DaireCerb. EochaidhLiathain or Liathenach was a Munster chief, the sixth in descent, from Oilill Olum,? King ofMunster,a. d. 234. EochaidhLiathainwasuncletoCrimthainnMor,who
ruled as monarch of from Ireland,
to
8 From Eochaidh
Liathain,
366
Liathain, county Cork,
who flourished about the middle of the fourth century, the territory of Ui
10inthesouth-westofthe of wasnamed. 11 Thisancient
Article I. — * See the Hon. Robert
Curzon's "Visits to Monasteries in the Le-
vant," part ii. , chap, xv. , p. 185.
* See ibid. , p. cvi.
3 In the "Leabhar Breac" copy, the
rann with its — trans- following occurs, English
to this Cor»bmAC idac 'Duiia, in a Bruxelles
Manuscript,
Library, Oxford,
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
St. Columba," Additional Notes G, p.
276.
6 According to his Genealogical Manu-
script, at p. 740a.
1 St. Corbmac Ua Liathain belonged to
lation by Whitley Stokes, LL. D.
•Ainle fochba fbuAgAch £pi]-inb|\ucric4 muip milAch CopmAAC b<\CAin clepech h. tiAchain inli5«ich.
Cod. Laud.
615, p. 105.
:
" Ainle famous, host-having, against whom the race of Oilioll Flennbeg, add the
burst the monster-abounding sea. Cormac
wasafair— thebeautifuldescendantof cleric,
Clerys, son to Fiacha Muilleathan, son of
Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series,
sontoOiliollOlum. SeeRev. Liathan. " "Transactions of the Royal Drs. Todd and Reeves' Martyrology of
vol. i. , part i. p. xcv.
Oengus,
SeeRev. Dr. Reeves'Adamnan's Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 42, n. (a),
OntheCalendarof
Donegal, pp. 174, 175. 8"
378.
s In an ancient Irish poem—attributed to St. Columba on the occasion of his leaving
Eoghan Mor,
and also to one in the Bodleian
''
Life of
June 21. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
755
12 is now
natalloon ;*3 and it was not, as has been represented, in the barony of Decies,
nearly represented, by
county of Waterford. 14 By his great master, St. Columkille, this Corbmac
territory
is " of
styled, Offspring Liathan,"
1 * in allusion to his remote descent.
This saint, whose festival is celebrated, at this date, was born, probably, about
or after the beginning of the sixth century. Of his early career, however, we
have few or no records. From his youth, Corbmac seems to have embraced
a religious life. He was a disciple of the great St. Columkille, at least, dur- ing the chief incidents of his career. This celebrated saint was a person of
great enterprise and daring. He had almost a passionate love for maritime
exploration.
16 He ventured his life on the seas and sailed over track- high
less wastes of water, to spread the faith of Jesus Christ among the pagans.
This occurred apparently after he had entered into the religious state, but in
what part of Ireland is not stated. His first voyage proved to be a failure, and
after a vain effort to find a distant land in the Atlantic Ocean, it seems he
was obliged to return after great toil had been endured to his native country.
But, a second time, he had resolved on another voyage. Desirous of dis-
covering a desert land, he set out from that territory called Erris Domno,17
near the River and now known as Moy,
Erris, theAbbotunderwhomhelived. Owingtothisactofdisobedience,Cormacdid
not find the land he sought. St. Columba had an intimation of this adven- ture,andheprophesiedCormac'sfailure. Hetriedthisnauticalvoyagenoless
to be St. Brendan's Land of Promise. 20
10
he was in of quest
than three times,
yet always
disappointed.
Probably
It is more than likely, that Cormac Ua Liathain had early attached him- self to the rule and discipline of that great master of monasticism, whose fame had become extended throughout Ireland, about the middle of the sixth cen- tury. The place, with which our saint was connected, is now known as Durrow, a parish partly in the barony of Moycashel, in the barony of Bally-
21
Anciently,
Druim-cain, or " the beautiful ridge. " Afterwards, it was known as Dairmagh,
and there St. Columcille established a famous religious institute, in which he appears to have dwelt for some time, probably about the year 553. We have
cowen, King's County.
this site was denominated agreeable
already pointed
out the
situation,
22 near Tullamore, and within the demesne
p. 166.
s See Dr. O'Donovan's " Leabhar na p. 50.
g-Ceart, n. (s).
or Book of
Rights," pp. 72, 73,
IS See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes F,
10 The lordship of this territory became hereditary in the family of O'h Anmcadha ; and after the English invasion, the Cantred of Olethan was granted to Robert Fitz- Stephen, from whom it passed to William de Barry. About the same period, when dio- ceses in Ireland were partitioned into rural deaneries, the deanery of Olethan in the dio- cese of Cloyne was established.
" See Roderick O'Flaherty's "Ogygia," pars, hi. , cap. lxxxi. , p. 381.
12
to an ancient Taxation Roll, it extended over eighteen parishes. The chief of these was Castrum Olethan, now Castle-
lyons. "
'3 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Life
of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 42, n. (a),
"
pp. 270, 271.
p.
166.
14 This error has been admitted by Harris,
According
l6
It is for this reason, probably, that Marianus O'Gorman styles him Cojwiac beir\ Ua tiAcan, or " Cormac Ua Liathain of the Sea. "
t? In Irish written lo^Uf T)orhn<jnn, also 1pr»or ChL&nn DomtiAnn, or Erris of the Damnonii, said to have been of the Firbolgic
"" race. See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga,
Quarta Vita S. Columbse," lib. i. , cap. vi. , n. 36, p. 374.
,8 A barony in the county of Mayo,
I9 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life
of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 6, p. 30, and nn. (a, b, c, d, e).
m
In Kerry, the people yet call the curraghs by the term, naomhoge, or the "saints' boat," because as they state, St. Brendan used one of themfor going over to America. This wastold to me, in June, 1887, by the Aran boatmen.
in his addition of Ware's Works, vol. ii. ,
the baronies of and Kin- Barrymore
"
Antiquities of Ireland," chap, vii. , sect, i. ,
18 without leave from asking
756
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June it.
of Lord Norbury, where the ancient cemetery is to be seen enclosed, and where a rather modern Protestant church yet stands, although now shut up
and deserted. 2* A singular and lugubrious aspect is given to the burial- ground, overcrowed with relics of humanity, as ivy extends from the cemetery walls ; it has grown completely over the graves, and even over the tombs of the dead. 2* Durrow was among the earliest and most important, yet not
Former Protestant Church and old Graveyard at Durrow, King's County.
the most enduring, of Columkille's Irish foundations. An old Irish Life calls
it the "
second son of King Diarmait, in connexion with it.
one of the three places in Erin most dear to St. Columba, and even he had
abbey-church. "
2* It also mentions the name of Colman Mor, the
visions of what occurred there, while absent from it.
2?
an Irish attri- poem
In
buted to him, the great cenobiarch celebrates the beauty and agreeable
accessories of its situation. 28 It seems probable, that St. Cormac became
Abbot of Durrow, by appointment of St. Columba. His energetic and courageous character peculiarly endeared him to the holy founder. There is an ancient Irish poem, which professes to have been composed by St.
2 Columkille,ontheoccasionofhisleavingDurrow,forthelasttime. ? Thus,
" There is a very interesting and beauti-
fully written description of Durrow, with its holy associations and memories revived in
"
the Rev. A. Cogan's
Ancient and Modern," vol. ii. , chap, xix. ,
84 The accompanying illustration is from a sketch taken on the spot, by the author, in August, 1888. This has been transferred, by William F. Wakeman, to the wood, en- graved by Mrs. Millard.
"
to
See the Life of St. Columba, at the
9th of June, in the present vol. , Art. i. , chap. iii.
23 A new and elegantly designed Pro- testant church has been lately erected on the road side, and without Lord Norbury's de- mesne.
ss Thus written in the 5 .
sect. 10, 22
pp. 543
553.
original peeler See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
Diocese of Meath,
26
26
This establishment was
G, pp. 276, 277.
37 See Dr. George Petrie's "Ecclesiastical
Architecture and Round Towers of Ireland,"
part H. , sect, iii. , subs. 3, p. 389.
28
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life
June 21. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
757
it refers to the seven disciples, who remained after him, to guide and govern
his community. Among these Cormac, the son of Dima, is first named,3° while all are alluded to in terms of the highest eulogy.
According to a gloss
on a copy of the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, and belonging to the O'Clerys, this St. Corbmac was an anchorite. 31 Moreover, the glossographer states he was a bishop, but we are not informed over what See he had been placed. Again, he is said to have founded a monastery, yet history appears to be silent, as to its name and site. 3*
CHAPTER II.
VISIT OF ST. CORBMAC UA LIATHAIN TO ST. COLUMBA IN SCOTLAND—ST. CORBMAC'S ARRIVAL IN THE ORKNEY ISLANDS—THEIR SETTLEMENT AND HISTORY—ST. CORB- MAC'S VOYAGES—PLACE OF HIS DEATH AND BURIAL—MEMORIALS AND COMMEMO- RATIONS IN IRELAND AND IN SCOTLAND—CONCLUSION.
Afterwards, Cormac appears to have relinquished his charge in Durrow, at leastforatime,andtohavegoneonavisittoSt. Columba,atIona. There is an account of his having been present, with three other celebrated Irish Saints, and all holy founders of monasteries, who sailed with him from Scotia or Ireland. These are named as * Mocu 2
Comgellus Aridi, Cainnechus, Mocu-Dalon, and Brendenuss Mocu Alti. All of these are noticed, as having visited the great Caledonian Apostle, in the Island of Hinba/* and as having assisted there in the church, while St. Columba consecrated in the Mystery
of the Holy Eucharist.
After this visit, it seems likely, that Cormac took charge of a mission to
the who were then 6 He had been recommended Orkney Islanders. s pagans.
to the king or chief of these people, in the presence of King Brudeus, while St. Columba had been staying in Drum Alban. Brudeus held hostages of the Orkney ruler—who seems to have been subordinate to him—at that time. Then Columba stated, that Cormac and some companions had sailed away in quest of a desert in the ocean, and that if they happened after their long
of St. Columba," Additional Notes F, pp. 274, 275.
29 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. x. , num. 37, p. 489. Also Quinta Ap- pendix, cap. iv. , sect, ii. , p. 507.
30 T—he following is an English transla- tion :
They are the seven pillars,
And they are the seven chiefs, Whom God has surely commanded To dwell in the same abode. "
— Adamnan's " Life of St. Rev. Dr. Reeves'
Columba," Additional Notes G, pp. 276,
277.
31 See note 3, by Rev. Dr. Todd, to the
**
Beloved the excellent seven,
Whom Christ has chosen to his king-
dom ;
To whom I leave, for their purity, The constant care of this my church.
Three of whom are here at this side, Cormac, son of Dima, and ^Engus,
**
32 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life
And Collan of
Who has join himself to them.
Libren, Senan, comely Conrach, The son of Ua Chein, and his brother, Are the four, besides the others, Who shall arrive at this place.
of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 17, n. (e), p. 222.
ChapterII. —1 Seeanaccountofhim in the Fifth Volume of this work, at the 10th of May, the date for his festival, Art. i.
2 His festival was held at the nth of October.
3SeehisLife,atthe 16thofMay,inthe
Fifth Volume of this work, Art. i.
* See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
pure
heart,
Martyrology of Donegal," p. 174.
of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 17, pp. 219 to 222, and nn. (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i).
"
Life
758 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 21.
voyage to touch at the Orkneys, he desired a guarantee, that they should there receive no injury. St. Columkille had a foreknowledge, likewise, that after a long and toilsome navigation, Corraac should be driven to the Ork- neys through stress of weather. This event actually took place, accordingly, while Cormac and his companions received protection from the Orkney king, when they landed on his shores. —
— inhabited those Islands, and that subsequently the Picts became possessors. Their occupation continued probably, until the close of the sixth century. With these appear to have been some Irish fathers, called Papse, who are supposed to have followed the rule of St. Columkille ; nor is it at all unlikely, that St. Cormac Ua Liathain had there formed a first establishment, and had thus helped to introduce Christianity. However, he does not seem to have remained long in this field of labour, nor to have left behind him any Culdee missionaries. ? Afterwards, the Papse were found in part possession with the Peti or Picts, when the Northmen formed their settlements in those Islands. The Orkney and Shetland Islands were invaded by the celebrated Norwegian King Harold Harfager, or the Fair Haired, in 876, and they were subjected
Inearlytimes,itisstated,thattheFir-Galeoin atribeoftheFirbolgs
to his rule. 8 On to he left Ronald or Count returning Norway, Rognovald,9
of Merca, as their administrator. There are yet many curious legends and ballads, recited in the Orkney IO and Shetland " Islands, and which some writers suppose to be of Scandinavian origin. " In 920, Sigurd, the brother of Ronald, became Orcadian King. The secular history of the Orkneys is traced, through the Earldoms of the respective lines of the Norse Angus, Stratherne, and Clair. '3 The antiquarian remains found in the Orkney and
Shetland Islands are
and Druidic colonization. 15
1 * Those found indicate a Celtic chiefly
Only during late years have—those monuments
quently encroached upon by the Saxons and Scandinavian pirates of Northern Europe. The great Theodosius pursued the fleet of
II, 12.
9 fie was father to the celebrated Rollo,
these to the pirates
in which ,0 See Dr. " 366, Barry's
of Ork-
very interesting.
Orkneys,
he stained with their blood, according to the ney. "
History
:
poet Claudian — "
"Maduerunt Saxone fusio Orcades; incaluit Pictorum sanguine
Thule,
Scotorum cumulus flevit glacialis Ier- See
ne. "
6 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life
of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 42, pp. 166
to 171. 7 See
"
vol. ii. , p. 540.
'« Our
8
Petiie, LL. D. , after a visit to Orkney, in
1854, prepared an interesting paper, witli
Gazetteer of Scotland," In the time of Alfred, the Great King
distinguished antiquary, George
Imperial
of one Otter or Other a England,
and headed M of An- Description
Norwegian navigator gave that king an interesting
drawings,
tiqnities in Orkney recently examined, with
account of his
and discoveries, dur-
illustrative See " Drawings. "
voyages
ing the reign of Harold Harfager. See
Henry Wheaton's "History of the North-
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland,"
men,
or Danes and
Normans,
from the ear-
'5 See "
Imperial
Gazetteer of
Scotland,"
6
been
manythatremaininIreland. '? ThetumulusofMaes-Howe,intheOrkneys,
which was in 1861, was found to contain various Runic 8 opened inscriptions,'
ndicating former pillagers of the tomb. '? It is remarkable, that the Shetland
s The aborigines appear to have been best Times to the Conquest of England by Ficts or Celts, although these were subse- William of Normandy," chap, i. , pp.
Several of—
representing the most ancient specimens have a decided resemblance to
properly
examined. '
the illustrations those
the invader of Normandy,
See Dr. Samuel Hibbert's
of the Shetland Islands, comprising an Ac-
countoftheirGeology,Scenery,Antiquities, and Superstitions. " Edinburgh, 4to, 1822.
"
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. i. , pp. S6
to 89.
' 3 In the " Orkneyinga Saga," as edited
by Joseph Anderson.
vol. ii. , pp. 561062.
especially
"Description
June tx. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
759
Islands are singularly deficient in finds of Celtic remains. 20 Under the influ- ence of Olaf, the first Christian King of Norway, it is thought, that Christi- anity had been introduced among those northern islanders. In 996, Sigurd, who married the daughter of Malcolm II. , King of Scotland, succeeded to the rule of the Orkneys, and to some territories on the north coasts of Scotland;
Bryan Boroimhe, King of Ireland, a. d. 10 14. Einar and Torfin, the sons of Sigurd, were his successors, and the latter was a renowned sea-rover. Those who followed them were redoubtable foes, and loved to indulge in maritime adventures, epecially against the British shores. Swein Aslief was a distin- tinguished Orkney Viking of the twelfth century, and his life was full of adventure. 22 About the year 1325, the male line of Ronald's descendants failedinthepersonofMagnusV. ThesuccessionoftheScandinavianJarls is carried down to its 2 3 when a new current of
but, this warlike Jarl fell in the celebrated battle of Clontarf, fought against 21
close,
had place. The Orkney and Zetland Islands became subject to the crown
of Norway, until they were annexed to the kingdom of Scotland, in the year
2 i468.
In an ancient Irish poem 2 s yet preserved, there is a Dialogue between Columcille and Cormac in Hy, after escaping from the Coire Brecain. According to the allusions in it, we are to infer, that at this time Cormac had returned from a voyage—probably his third great maritime enterprise—which lasted for two years and a month, during which time he had been wandering from port to port, and over the wide ocean. He had reached, likewise, regions of intense cold. It also conveys an intimation, that Cormac had greatly desired to end his days, in the distant imaged land of his long search. In a spirit of self-sacrifice, he seems to have desired, that his labours should be crowned with a successful result, so that he might become an exile from Erinn. 26 However, St. Columcille predicts, that his last days must terminate
4
vol. ii. , p. 359.
16 The of the Isle of Antiquities, Eday,
one of the Orkneys, were examined in 1855
and 1856. The results have been published,
in the "Proceedings of the Society of Anti-
quaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , pp. 154 to
158, and pp. 178 to 179. James Farrer, Esq. ,
M. P. , reported these investigations, which were communicated to the Society, by John
Stuart, Esq.
17 For a very exact pictorial and descriptive
representation of those in remote situations,
the reader is referred to a valuable work,
quite recently published, Lieut-Colonel W. at the 23rd of April, in the Fourth Volume G. Wood-Martin's " Rude Stone Monu- of this work, Art. i.
ments of Ireland. " Dublin, 1888, 8vo. " See " Proceedings of the Society of An-
18 These characters led Mr. Ferguson to a tiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , pp. 278 to
conclusion in favour of its erection for Earl Havard, who fell at Stennis about A. D. 970. He bases a considerable portion of his theory for ascertaining the dates of objects men- tioned in his "Rude Stone Monuments," upon the few instances in which any record exists regarding their origin. See chap, vii. , pp. 297 to 300. Mr. Anderson does not agree with Mr. Ferguson, in his well-argued
287.
3} Their exploits are fully set forth, in a
compilation from the Sagas and Northern Chronicles, in the work of Torfseus, known
in reference to this matter. We must remark, however, that no attempt is made to disprove Mr. Ferguson's criticisms, and we merely have Mr. Anderson's
opinions, without any arguments to back them, in the course oi his observations.
reasoning,
tion by Eugene O'Curry, is printed in Rev. «'
possessors and events
I9 See a most interesting paper in refer-
ence to this
subject
:
" Notice of Excava-
tions in the Chambered Mound of Maes-
Howe, in Orkney, and of the Runic Inscrip-
tions onthe walls of its central Chamb—er," by "
John Stuart, Esq;, Sec. S. A. Scot. Pro- ceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of
Scotland," vol. v. , part ii. , pp. 247 to 279.