^35 it was also an in- variable usage of the Irish people to have female infants, born on the feast of the holy abbess of Kildare, baptized with the
beautiful
name of Bridget'36 or Bride.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
3, 10, registers at February the Ist, Kal.
Sanctse Brigidse Virg.
A MS.
classed B.
3, 12, contains at Februarii, Kal.
Brigidse Virg.
ix.
lect.
A MS.
classed B.
3, 13, contains at Feb- ruary 1st, Kal.
Sanctse Brigidse Virg.
non mart.
ix.
lect.
In the Kalendar of a Roman Psaltery, classed among the MSS.
, B.
3, 14, at February ist, Kal.
is noted Brigidie Vir- ginis.
In another, classed B.
3, 15, is en- tered, at February 1st, in French, So Bride.
In another Kalendar of the Breviary, accord-
"° He thus writes ;
"
Brigida Virgo potens,
Februi sibi
prima
Calendas
Scotorum miro poscit celebrata favore. "
Again: "Brigida Virgo, quae ut seribunt Lippomanus et alii, fuit e Scotia vel Hiber- nia oriunda, nata ex Dubtacho patre et qua- dam ejus ancilla ; quae multis postmodum miraculis valde illustris evasit, multaque Virginum et Monachorum Monasteria fun- davit, multa restauravit. Ilia est, quae solo attactu lignum altaris in suse virginitatis argumentum, viride effecit, mortua est cum
*" In his "
at the same day, Galasinus observes, "In Scotia S. Brigidaj Virginis, quse apud Episcopum cum virgini- tatem profiteretur, lignum altaris tetigit, quod statim viride factum, argumento fuit ejus, sanctitatis, et virginalis castitas. "
volunt, an 522. "
Martyrology"
sanctitatis— anno Alii ingtotheSarumrite,andinthesecond magna opinione 518.
part, at February 1st, Kal. , we have entered Sanctse Brigidas Virginis, with an Office of Three Lessons. This latter is classed, in both its parts, B. 3, 18, 19.
Felic. I. Febr.
"' In his Belgian Calendar, at the 1st of
February, Molanus places her among the Belgian saints. See "Natales Sanctorum
" Virginis in Scotia, alias Hibernia. "
Coloniensis, Gruen •writes:
S. Brigidjie
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 22 1
she being its patroness. In the breviaries and missals, belonging to the churches of Utrecht, of Treves, of Mentz, of HerbipoHs, of Constance, of Strasburg, and of many other places in Germany, her feast is set down as a
simplex, at the ist of February. Before Colgan's time, an office of St. Brigid had been printed at Paris, a. d. 1622. In this, the antiphons are proper and taken from the lauds, in the first vespers of her feast. The capitulum, hymn,
antiphon of the Magni/kat, and prayer, are also proper. At matins, the in- vitatorium, hymn, as at first vespers, antiphons, responses, the fourth, fifth, and sixth lessons of the second noctum, are proper, the remaining lessons
being taken from the common of virgins. The antiphons, capitulum, hymn, versicles, and responses, with the antiphons at Benedictus, and the prayer are proper for lauds. At little hours, the antiphons are taken from the
proper antiphons of lauds. At second vespers, the antiphons, psalms, capi- tulum, and hymn, as at first vespers of the feast, the versicle, response and
antiphon of the Magjiificaf, are likewise proper. The second office, taken from the Roman Breviary,"^ has the six first lessons of the various nocturns, one and two, with a prayer proper. The same observations will also apply,
"
published in Italy. We find a fourth office, taken from the Breviary of the
CanonsRegularofLateran,printedbyFrancisWauder,atMons. Besides
the prayer proper, there are apparently three proper lessons, as reprinted in Colgan's work. "7
Hymns and panegyrics of St. Brigid have been written in various lan-
to the third office of our saint, printed from the
Breviarium Giennensis,"
guages. ALatinhymn,inpraiseofSt. Brigid,andattributedtoNinnidlam- "
hzda? i, or Ninnid of the clean hand," is preserved. "^ There is an Irish poem on St. Brigid, but improperly ascribed to St. Suibne, the son of Colman,
in the Betham Manuscript Collection,"? belonging to the Royal Irish Academy,andwrittenbyO'Longan,ofCork. Amongthemanuscriptsof
Trinity College, Lhuyd"° notes an Irish hymn,"^ in which St. Brigid's praise is celebrated. Another, composed by St. Columkille, in the time of ^dh Mac Ainmerech, also celebrates her merits, and it is in the Irish language. "^ Besides the foregoing, Edmund Dwyer, Bishop of Limerick, has composed some Latin verses, on the miracles of St. Brigid. ^^3
116
Printed at Venice, by Antonio de
Quid ? nota frons floris, floris at hostis
Hymen.
Sidere se privat, velut hoste pudoris,
ocello :
An quia dat ccecis lumina, cseca manet ?
DatBellonaviros,Brigidaumbrasensibus escam
Brigida bruta facit scire, Minerva viros Res cunctas parere parum est ; en recula
inanis
Umbra capit vulnus, pondus & umbra subit.
Next follow some lines, on the inextinguish- able fire of St. Brigid :—
Giunta, A. D. 1522.
^'7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
"
Appendix Prima ad Acta S. Brigidse, pp. 599 to 602.
"^
Amongthe Trinity College Manu- scripts, Dublin, we found a copy in the MS. , classed, E. 4, 2.
See Archasologia Britannica," p.
436. "^
Itisparticularizedthus: 501. Hymni in laudem B. Patricii, Brigidse, et Columbse,
*^9 Vol. liv. , p. 176. ^^° **
Hibern. plerumque, fol. membr. I.
125.
^^^ It is thus described by Lhuyd " An :
hymn on S. Brigid in Irish, made by Colum- kille, in the time of Eda Mac Ainmereck, or Broccan Cloin ; cum regibus Hibern. et
*'
Success. S. Patricii, p. 14. " See Archaeo-
logia Britannica," p. 436.
*^3 We shall extract from —those portions,
**
Ardet inextinctus Brigidae focus igne pe-
renni,
Non capit augmentum coctus at inde
cinis
Quid notat ille rogus? tacitae-ne incendia
foverit ignes, Nescia mortis erit
which are given by Colgan
** Dum Brigidse fit Hymen, frondet pes ari- dus arse :
notatur amor ?
Sed si hsec flamma, suos dum Brigida
:
igne
mentis ? Vivaci vivax
;
nescia mortis erit. "
522 Livns OF THE iklSIi SAINTS.
[February i.
It is certain, from what we have already seen, the great St. Brigid's relics were preserved with great honour, at Kildare, and after\vards at Down, for many years after her death. Among other relics of our saint, Hanmer men-
""
tions a bell, called Clogg Brietta," or Brigid's Bell," which he says, the
superstitious Irish found out, in process of time, and to which they attributed great virtue and holiness. This bell, he says, and other toys, carried about, not only in Ireland, but also in England, were banished the land, in the time of Henry V. "4 Colgan indignantly takes exception to such statements ; and, he shows, that the relic in question was not a recent invention or a fraud, butthatithadexistedfromaremoteperiod,"s Yet,heAvouldnotunder- take to pronounce, whether or not, this had' been the identical bell, sent by St. Gildas to our saint as a present. "^ At the church of Serin, in Ireland, was preserved a shroud, in which St. Brigid's corpse is said to have been wrapped, together with other much venerated relics of this same church. "7 Doctor Petrie tells us, that he had in his own cabinet, that celebrated reli- quary, which contained a slipper of St. Bridget. It is said, that a part of St.
and
In art, S. Bridget is usually represented, with her perpetual flame, as a symbol ; sometimes, with a column of fire, said to have been seen above her head, when she took the veil. ^31 This flame has reference, likewise, to the portent of illumination about the house in which she was born. In allusion to her tending of cows, she is also represented, dressed as a dairy-maid, and in the act of churning. Again, one of her floral emblems is the " Laurus Nobilis," which is called the shrub of St. Bride, although it does not flower on her day. '32 We are told, furthermore, that her type among created things is the dove among birds, the vine among trees, and the sun among the stars. ^33
St. Brigid had been regarded by our ancestors as the special patroness of Leinster. '34 In many parts of Ireland, a very considerable number of mar-
the wood that became "^ were green,
sacred
preserved at Candida Casa, until these had been profaned at the period of theReformation. "9 InhiscatalogueoftheIrishsaints,RicardusConvaeus, as already mentioned, tells us, that some relics belonging to our saint, were preserved in a church of the city of Lisbon, in Portugal. It is not impro- bable, that certain mementoes of St. Brigid had been deposited in some of the churches, dedicated to her memory, as previously detailed, and more especially within those, which were built in extern countries. ^3o
Brigid's
relics,
especially
"4 See Hanmer's "Chronicle of Ireland," p. 9i«
"S For proof of this assertion, he cites the
respective martyrologies of St. i^ngus, or of his scholiast, and of Charles Maguire, at the 1st of February. See "Trias Thauma- turga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Bri- gidae, cap. xvii. , p. 625.
"^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niflB," xxix. Januarii. Vita S. Gildae Ba- donici, cap. ix. , p. 183.
"7 According to St. Adamnan's catalogue of these religious treasures.
"^
*3o gee "Trias " Colgan's Tliaumaturga.
Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidae, cap. xvii. , p. 626.
'3i See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's "Lives of the Saints," vol. ii. , February i. , p. 22.
'^^ See " Circle of the Seasons," p. 32. *33 See Professof O'Looney's Irish Life of
St.
Brigid, pp. 43, 44.
'34 The following quotation, in reference
to St. Bridget, is from a poem on the "Pa- tron Saints of the principal tribes and terri- tories of Ireland, several copies of which are preserved in the Library of the R. I. A. Especially there are two MSS. , classed 23, L, 19, and 23, L. 39. An extract is kindly furnished by Mr. Joseph OLongan, which,
In token of her purity, the altar is said
to have become virescent, and to have budded
forth flowers, according to one account. See
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix with its English translation, reads as fol-
Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. xi. , pp. 620, 621.
'^ See Camerarius " De Statu Hominis veteris simul ac novae Ecclesise, et Sanctis Kegni Scotise," lib. I. , cap. iii. , sec. 2, p. 141.
lows r—
L(\i§eAn uile a|\ cul bpl^TDe
Clu 50 fAitib^Ae.
All Leinster under the protection of Bridget,
Fame most precious.
February t. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 223
riages were solemnized within that period of the year, extending from the
EpiphanytoAsh-Wednesday. Severalpartieswerealsomostanxious,that their marriages should be celebrated before the ist of February, so that possession might then be taken of their new abode.
^35 it was also an in- variable usage of the Irish people to have female infants, born on the feast of the holy abbess of Kildare, baptized with the beautiful name of Bridget'36 or Bride. This even was a practice, when such births preceded or succeeded the festival by a week or two, and when no other sister had already received
that name in a particular family.
The sapient Irish antiquary, Ledwich, while considerately allowing St.
Brigid to have had an existence, in one passage of his work,^37 deems her to have been a purely imaginary personage, in another,^38 or to have been a sort of Druidess, estabHshed at Kildare to preserve fire, together with her community of Druidesses,^39 whom it would be so absurd to call nuns. We cannot even discover, when the practice of preserving fire had been at first introduced, in Kildare. ^^o Giraldus Cambrensis is the first writer who men- tions it. ^41 Whatever had been the system of the heathen Irish, with regard
to the preservation of fire, nothing occurs to prove, that the practice of Kil-
dare was in any manner derived from it ; although, it is not meant to be
denied, that some remnants of Pagan customs have been observed, without,
however, any bad intention, in Ireland, as well as in other countries. ^'^^ Even,
it was sometimes thought advisable, to allow certain time-sanctioned usages,
harmlessinthemselves; yet,withtheprecautionofhavingthemdirectedto
the worship and honour of the true and Almighty God. ^'^3 As yet happens
in the midland counties, and in parts of the South of Ireland, the custom of
"
Brigid Oge" is practised, especially by young persons ;^'*4 still, this is more likely to have had a Christian, rather than a Gentile origin. ^45 The Irish practice of making eircular^'*^ and square crosses on St.
carrying the
^33 For this information, I feel indebted to
Ven. John Kenny, D. D. , P. P. , Ennis, and
dean of Killaloe diocese, conveyed in a letter
dated Ennis, April 14th, 1875.
^^i It was kept constantly burning, in an enclosure near the monastery, as Ware says,
*'
De Hibernia et Antiquitatibus ejus, Dis- quisitiones," &c. , cap. xvii,, p. 83, for the benefit of the and of To this
^36 In Cormac's "
the name of
poor guests.
remark, Harris wantonly added, "as was in English "a fiery arrow. " See "SAriAf pretended. " This practice continued until
Glossary," V>x\^\. \^^Q. x\yt(iixQ>xa. breo-aigit,breo-shaigit,
cVioi\rnAic," translated and annotated by
Dr. O'Donovan, edited, with Notes and In-
dices, by Whitley Stokes, p. 23.
'37 Dr. Milner was induced to suppose,
that Ledwich did not deny the existence of St. Brigid. See "Tour in Ireland," letter xi. Dr. Milner, however, seems to have observed only a passage at p. 387 of the "Antiquities of Ireland," overlooking one at p. 378.
'38 See Dr. Ledwich's "Antiquities of Ireland," p. 378.
'39 Ledwich imagines, these were intended to replace the heathen Druidesses of yore. If the Pagan Irish worshipped or tended fire, however, its care was entrusted to Druids, rather than to Druidesses.
the suppression of monasteries in the reign of King Henry VIH. See Harris' Ware, vol. ii. , "The Antiquities of Ireland," chap, xxxv. , p. 238.
''^'^ See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. vi. , n. 98, pp. 459, 460.
'43 in reference to this matter, see St. Gregory the Great's letter to Mellitus in Bede's "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis An* glorum," lib. i. , cap. 30.
"*4 Yet observed in Carrigaline, and in other parts of Cork county. Letter from Very Rev. Denis Canon M'Swiney, P. P. , to the writer.
'45 According to a modern writer, the custom of carrying about an image of St. Brigid, on the eve of her festival, is said to
'40 Such account is not referred to in very
ancient documents. The writers of St. have been derived from Paganism. See
Brigid's Lives, it seems evident, knew no- thing about it. See her Third Life, at chap.
84, and her Fourth Life, book ii. , chap. 57.
Marcus Keane's "Towers and Temples of
Ancient Ireland," p. 60.
'4^ These are sometimes called bo^ bjAf-
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," pp. 537, 51'oe, 538,558,559.
Brigid's Ring," and they are invari-
"
ablymadebywomenalone. Fromadraw-
224 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
Brigid's eve, still prevailing ; and the hanging out of a ribbon or handkerchief from vvindovvs'47—yet pretty general in the South of Ireland'-^^—may be traced tothediscontinuanceofoldfestiveandChristianusages. Allourlegend-lore confirms the truth of such a conclusion. In the county of Cork, this tradi- tion prevails. St. Patrick once said in St. Brigid's hearing, that every second
"
day from her festival should be good. ^'^^ " and half of my day, too. " ^so
Yes," repUed the holy Brigid,
Although this illustrious patroness of Ireland justly deserved the title of
Thaumaturga, or " Worker of Miracles," and although she was eminently
distinguished for her faith, her spirit of prophecy, and her knowledge con-
cerning the most sublime mysteries of Christianity ; yet, she considered, with
the great Apostle of the Gentiles, that without charity, her works could not
be rendered perfect. 's^ Though she spoke words of human and angelic
wisdom or eloquence, she deemed herself as nothing, or not better than
sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, if not possessing this queen of all
virtues. In the distribution of temporal goods, she was liberal, indeed, and
almost to prodigality, especially when poor and distressed individuals claimed
herprotection. Thiswasdone,throughnomotiveofostentation,orthrough
any pride of soul, through no indirect self-seeking or ambition. She was in-
duced, neither to think evil, nor to feel indignant, even when unworthy
personsapproachedtoobtainheralms. Sheenviednotothers,whenfortune
dealt adversely with herself ; she was humble, as the lowliest of her religious,
when placed over them as a superior. She bore kindly and patiently, with
theperversenessandingratitudeofsome; while,beingaloverofwhatwas
deemed upright and just, the holy Brigid laboured indefatigably, in the cause
of religion and divine truth. Speaking and understanding as a child, in her
youth,yetshelearnedtoloveandserveGod; nor,inheradvancedyears
was it deemed necessary to put away the things she had learned, in earlier
life, since these stood the test of genuine holiness. She was only required
to glean fresher flowers, and to gather riper fruits, before her course on earth
had finally closed. Steadily keeping her own sanctification in view, she
burned with a holy zeal to secure the salvation of all other persons, especially
those immediately subject to her regular rule. She undertook many wonder-
ful labours, and her energies never failed, in bringing them to a satisfactory issue. In doing the work of God, her soul seemed to expend itself in each
particularaction; and,yet,aftersuchaccomplishment,itfeltinvigoratedfor fresher toils. Bright, indeed, is her crown in Heaven, and unfading are her rewards. If she was strong in faith, she was firm in hope ; and, as an ardent love of God and of her neighbour animated her devoted spirit, so was she a
living impersonation on earth of that virtue, greatest of all, pure and perfect charity.
ing of one, sent to the writer by Mr. Denis A. O'Leary, Kilbolane Cottage, Charleville,
County Cork, it seems in every respect to resemble St* Patrick's tastefully decorated cross, so becomingly worn by Irish female children on their right shoulder, each St. Patrick's Day. Exactly similar crosses are made by men, and put up in the thatch every
one is made on
'*7 This is said to lengthen during the night, and to cure headaches.
**" The foregoing and the following infor* mation was kindly communicated in Mr.
O'Leary's letter of April 17th, 1875.
'^9 Mr. O'Longan informs me, that St. Patrick is reputed to have said these words. 'So j^ the Irish v—ersion, the saying of St.
but
Day, only
Patrick's
each festival occurring.
biM'§x)e
Patrick runs thus
"
i
Jac -oaixa La 50 itiaic
6 La Lao —AmAc. "
Then follows the reply
" :
Soa'o,"
'OtjbAipc
"blM'sit), "xxguf teAt mo lAe leif. " *si See i. Cor. xiii.
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 225
Article II. —St. Derlugdacha, Virgin, and Second Abbess of KiLDARE. \Fifth and Sixth Centuries. '] Lives of holy celibates are noted in the earliest historical annals of the Church. A nun, according to the signification of the word, in numerous languages, is a virgin or widow, consecrated to God, by the three vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and obliged to live in a convent under a certain rule. From the first age of our receiving the Christian Faith, female religious were thus distinguished in Ireland. The Acts of St. Derlugdacha, as given by Colgan^ and the Bollandists,^ afford illustrations. Other writers on ecclesiastical history and saints' lives commemorate the present holy virgin, on St. Brigid's festival day. Some brief notices of this saint are to be found,likewise,inBishopChalloner'swork,3attheistofFebruary. Itmust be allowed, that Colgan's assumption, regarding this saint having been one of St. Patrick's disciples and veiled by him, is over-strained. ^ Her holy alumna, or foster-child, however, is incidently mentioned in the Acts of St. Brigid, the illustrious patroness of Ireland. From these sources, we are in- formed, that Derlugdacha,5 or as she is less correctly called, Dardulacha,^ wasunderSt. Brigid'sguidanceandbelongedtohercommunity. Shelived inthefifth,andintheearlierpartofthesixth,century. Itismostprobable, Derlugdacha passed her novitiate, and the chief part of her life, at Kildare monastery ; but of this, we are not certain. Regarding her family and birth- place, we have no account worthy of credence. Although, it has been as- serted, by Dempster, that this saint was a sister, in his opinion, to the holy martyrs, Gunifort and Gunibald -^ that she went from Scotia in company with her two brothers and a sister to Germany, in the year 420 ; and that the Irishman will in vain claim >her as a countrywoman ; still the Scotsman's assertions rest on no trustworthy authority, and they are not truthfully appli- cable to the history of our saint. ^ This writer neither produces his authority —as indeed he could not—nor assigns any fair grounds for his several teme- rarious statements. It cannot be inferred, because we have it recorded, that two sisters of Saints Gunifort and Gunibald suffered martyrdom in Germany, and that St. Derlugdacha—or as Dempster calls her, Dardulacha—had been venerated at Frisinga, or Frisengen,9 in Germany, that our saint had been one of these sisters. They were virgins and martyrs, whilst our saint was not crownedwithmartyrdom. Andeven,thoughitbeadmitted,thatourDer- lugdacha had been venerated at Frisingan, or Freysingen,^° in Germany, it does not follow that she had travelled thither. Dempster's own assertions areevenself-contradictory. Havingbroughtthosebrothersandsisters,from their native country, to Germany, in 420 ; he makes the two latter suffer martyrdom, in the place to which they went, while their brothers were present,exhortingthemtoconstancy. " Moreover,oneofthebrothers,St.
Article n. —'See "Acta Sanctorum Sanctorum Hibernise," i. Februarii, n. i. , p. Hibemise," i. Februarii. Vita S. Derlug- 230.
dachse, pp. 229, 230.
=
ThusdesignatedbyFerrarius,Fitzsimon,
They give her Acts in eight paragraphs
in the " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Febru-
^ Dempster adds, " ut ex historia colligo, quam habet sanctuarium Paphiae. "
^ See " Historia Ecclesiastica Dempster's
arii i. , pp. 186, 187. 3 See "Britannia
Sancta," part i. , p. 95.
*< See Trias Thaumaturga. " Quinta Gentis Scotorum," vol. i. , lib. iv. , sec 391,
"
Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 270.
5 By some of our Irish vi^riters she is called Derlugacha, but more properly Derlugdacha, as the Martyrologies of Marianus Gorman, Maguire, Tallagh and Donegal have it, at the Ist of February. See Colgan's "Acta
p. 214. See the Edinburgh edition of
1829.
9 This he says is to be found in the Bre-
viary of Frisengen.
Vol II.
Q
^
Dempster, Camerarius and other authors,
'°
This city is situated in Bavaria.
" For this statement, Dempster cites the testimony of Jacobus Guallus.
226 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
Gunibald, is thought by Dempster" to have been translated to bliss, a. d. 417; both these brothers, subsequently to the martyrdom of their sisters,
and successively, having died in Italy for the faith of Christ. Here, indeed, we have a rare tissue of absurdities, and at variance with correct chronology.
We do not find it stated, by any reliable author, that St. Derlugdacha had either a brother or sister. Nor do we find it well authenticated, that she even
leftherowncountry. ShewasveneratedprobablyatFrisingia,inGermany, and also in Scotland. One account has it, that Darlugtach, virgin, and the
disciple of St. Brigid, went over to North Britain,'3 during the third year of the reign of Nectan, son of Morbet, the thirty-ninth King of the Picts. ^* She is said to have concurred with him, during her second year's sojourn^s in the first foundation of an ancient church at Abernethy.
"° He thus writes ;
"
Brigida Virgo potens,
Februi sibi
prima
Calendas
Scotorum miro poscit celebrata favore. "
Again: "Brigida Virgo, quae ut seribunt Lippomanus et alii, fuit e Scotia vel Hiber- nia oriunda, nata ex Dubtacho patre et qua- dam ejus ancilla ; quae multis postmodum miraculis valde illustris evasit, multaque Virginum et Monachorum Monasteria fun- davit, multa restauravit. Ilia est, quae solo attactu lignum altaris in suse virginitatis argumentum, viride effecit, mortua est cum
*" In his "
at the same day, Galasinus observes, "In Scotia S. Brigidaj Virginis, quse apud Episcopum cum virgini- tatem profiteretur, lignum altaris tetigit, quod statim viride factum, argumento fuit ejus, sanctitatis, et virginalis castitas. "
volunt, an 522. "
Martyrology"
sanctitatis— anno Alii ingtotheSarumrite,andinthesecond magna opinione 518.
part, at February 1st, Kal. , we have entered Sanctse Brigidas Virginis, with an Office of Three Lessons. This latter is classed, in both its parts, B. 3, 18, 19.
Felic. I. Febr.
"' In his Belgian Calendar, at the 1st of
February, Molanus places her among the Belgian saints. See "Natales Sanctorum
" Virginis in Scotia, alias Hibernia. "
Coloniensis, Gruen •writes:
S. Brigidjie
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 22 1
she being its patroness. In the breviaries and missals, belonging to the churches of Utrecht, of Treves, of Mentz, of HerbipoHs, of Constance, of Strasburg, and of many other places in Germany, her feast is set down as a
simplex, at the ist of February. Before Colgan's time, an office of St. Brigid had been printed at Paris, a. d. 1622. In this, the antiphons are proper and taken from the lauds, in the first vespers of her feast. The capitulum, hymn,
antiphon of the Magni/kat, and prayer, are also proper. At matins, the in- vitatorium, hymn, as at first vespers, antiphons, responses, the fourth, fifth, and sixth lessons of the second noctum, are proper, the remaining lessons
being taken from the common of virgins. The antiphons, capitulum, hymn, versicles, and responses, with the antiphons at Benedictus, and the prayer are proper for lauds. At little hours, the antiphons are taken from the
proper antiphons of lauds. At second vespers, the antiphons, psalms, capi- tulum, and hymn, as at first vespers of the feast, the versicle, response and
antiphon of the Magjiificaf, are likewise proper. The second office, taken from the Roman Breviary,"^ has the six first lessons of the various nocturns, one and two, with a prayer proper. The same observations will also apply,
"
published in Italy. We find a fourth office, taken from the Breviary of the
CanonsRegularofLateran,printedbyFrancisWauder,atMons. Besides
the prayer proper, there are apparently three proper lessons, as reprinted in Colgan's work. "7
Hymns and panegyrics of St. Brigid have been written in various lan-
to the third office of our saint, printed from the
Breviarium Giennensis,"
guages. ALatinhymn,inpraiseofSt. Brigid,andattributedtoNinnidlam- "
hzda? i, or Ninnid of the clean hand," is preserved. "^ There is an Irish poem on St. Brigid, but improperly ascribed to St. Suibne, the son of Colman,
in the Betham Manuscript Collection,"? belonging to the Royal Irish Academy,andwrittenbyO'Longan,ofCork. Amongthemanuscriptsof
Trinity College, Lhuyd"° notes an Irish hymn,"^ in which St. Brigid's praise is celebrated. Another, composed by St. Columkille, in the time of ^dh Mac Ainmerech, also celebrates her merits, and it is in the Irish language. "^ Besides the foregoing, Edmund Dwyer, Bishop of Limerick, has composed some Latin verses, on the miracles of St. Brigid. ^^3
116
Printed at Venice, by Antonio de
Quid ? nota frons floris, floris at hostis
Hymen.
Sidere se privat, velut hoste pudoris,
ocello :
An quia dat ccecis lumina, cseca manet ?
DatBellonaviros,Brigidaumbrasensibus escam
Brigida bruta facit scire, Minerva viros Res cunctas parere parum est ; en recula
inanis
Umbra capit vulnus, pondus & umbra subit.
Next follow some lines, on the inextinguish- able fire of St. Brigid :—
Giunta, A. D. 1522.
^'7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
"
Appendix Prima ad Acta S. Brigidse, pp. 599 to 602.
"^
Amongthe Trinity College Manu- scripts, Dublin, we found a copy in the MS. , classed, E. 4, 2.
See Archasologia Britannica," p.
436. "^
Itisparticularizedthus: 501. Hymni in laudem B. Patricii, Brigidse, et Columbse,
*^9 Vol. liv. , p. 176. ^^° **
Hibern. plerumque, fol. membr. I.
125.
^^^ It is thus described by Lhuyd " An :
hymn on S. Brigid in Irish, made by Colum- kille, in the time of Eda Mac Ainmereck, or Broccan Cloin ; cum regibus Hibern. et
*'
Success. S. Patricii, p. 14. " See Archaeo-
logia Britannica," p. 436.
*^3 We shall extract from —those portions,
**
Ardet inextinctus Brigidae focus igne pe-
renni,
Non capit augmentum coctus at inde
cinis
Quid notat ille rogus? tacitae-ne incendia
foverit ignes, Nescia mortis erit
which are given by Colgan
** Dum Brigidse fit Hymen, frondet pes ari- dus arse :
notatur amor ?
Sed si hsec flamma, suos dum Brigida
:
igne
mentis ? Vivaci vivax
;
nescia mortis erit. "
522 Livns OF THE iklSIi SAINTS.
[February i.
It is certain, from what we have already seen, the great St. Brigid's relics were preserved with great honour, at Kildare, and after\vards at Down, for many years after her death. Among other relics of our saint, Hanmer men-
""
tions a bell, called Clogg Brietta," or Brigid's Bell," which he says, the
superstitious Irish found out, in process of time, and to which they attributed great virtue and holiness. This bell, he says, and other toys, carried about, not only in Ireland, but also in England, were banished the land, in the time of Henry V. "4 Colgan indignantly takes exception to such statements ; and, he shows, that the relic in question was not a recent invention or a fraud, butthatithadexistedfromaremoteperiod,"s Yet,heAvouldnotunder- take to pronounce, whether or not, this had' been the identical bell, sent by St. Gildas to our saint as a present. "^ At the church of Serin, in Ireland, was preserved a shroud, in which St. Brigid's corpse is said to have been wrapped, together with other much venerated relics of this same church. "7 Doctor Petrie tells us, that he had in his own cabinet, that celebrated reli- quary, which contained a slipper of St. Bridget. It is said, that a part of St.
and
In art, S. Bridget is usually represented, with her perpetual flame, as a symbol ; sometimes, with a column of fire, said to have been seen above her head, when she took the veil. ^31 This flame has reference, likewise, to the portent of illumination about the house in which she was born. In allusion to her tending of cows, she is also represented, dressed as a dairy-maid, and in the act of churning. Again, one of her floral emblems is the " Laurus Nobilis," which is called the shrub of St. Bride, although it does not flower on her day. '32 We are told, furthermore, that her type among created things is the dove among birds, the vine among trees, and the sun among the stars. ^33
St. Brigid had been regarded by our ancestors as the special patroness of Leinster. '34 In many parts of Ireland, a very considerable number of mar-
the wood that became "^ were green,
sacred
preserved at Candida Casa, until these had been profaned at the period of theReformation. "9 InhiscatalogueoftheIrishsaints,RicardusConvaeus, as already mentioned, tells us, that some relics belonging to our saint, were preserved in a church of the city of Lisbon, in Portugal. It is not impro- bable, that certain mementoes of St. Brigid had been deposited in some of the churches, dedicated to her memory, as previously detailed, and more especially within those, which were built in extern countries. ^3o
Brigid's
relics,
especially
"4 See Hanmer's "Chronicle of Ireland," p. 9i«
"S For proof of this assertion, he cites the
respective martyrologies of St. i^ngus, or of his scholiast, and of Charles Maguire, at the 1st of February. See "Trias Thauma- turga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Bri- gidae, cap. xvii. , p. 625.
"^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niflB," xxix. Januarii. Vita S. Gildae Ba- donici, cap. ix. , p. 183.
"7 According to St. Adamnan's catalogue of these religious treasures.
"^
*3o gee "Trias " Colgan's Tliaumaturga.
Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidae, cap. xvii. , p. 626.
'3i See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's "Lives of the Saints," vol. ii. , February i. , p. 22.
'^^ See " Circle of the Seasons," p. 32. *33 See Professof O'Looney's Irish Life of
St.
Brigid, pp. 43, 44.
'34 The following quotation, in reference
to St. Bridget, is from a poem on the "Pa- tron Saints of the principal tribes and terri- tories of Ireland, several copies of which are preserved in the Library of the R. I. A. Especially there are two MSS. , classed 23, L, 19, and 23, L. 39. An extract is kindly furnished by Mr. Joseph OLongan, which,
In token of her purity, the altar is said
to have become virescent, and to have budded
forth flowers, according to one account. See
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix with its English translation, reads as fol-
Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. xi. , pp. 620, 621.
'^ See Camerarius " De Statu Hominis veteris simul ac novae Ecclesise, et Sanctis Kegni Scotise," lib. I. , cap. iii. , sec. 2, p. 141.
lows r—
L(\i§eAn uile a|\ cul bpl^TDe
Clu 50 fAitib^Ae.
All Leinster under the protection of Bridget,
Fame most precious.
February t. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 223
riages were solemnized within that period of the year, extending from the
EpiphanytoAsh-Wednesday. Severalpartieswerealsomostanxious,that their marriages should be celebrated before the ist of February, so that possession might then be taken of their new abode.
^35 it was also an in- variable usage of the Irish people to have female infants, born on the feast of the holy abbess of Kildare, baptized with the beautiful name of Bridget'36 or Bride. This even was a practice, when such births preceded or succeeded the festival by a week or two, and when no other sister had already received
that name in a particular family.
The sapient Irish antiquary, Ledwich, while considerately allowing St.
Brigid to have had an existence, in one passage of his work,^37 deems her to have been a purely imaginary personage, in another,^38 or to have been a sort of Druidess, estabHshed at Kildare to preserve fire, together with her community of Druidesses,^39 whom it would be so absurd to call nuns. We cannot even discover, when the practice of preserving fire had been at first introduced, in Kildare. ^^o Giraldus Cambrensis is the first writer who men- tions it. ^41 Whatever had been the system of the heathen Irish, with regard
to the preservation of fire, nothing occurs to prove, that the practice of Kil-
dare was in any manner derived from it ; although, it is not meant to be
denied, that some remnants of Pagan customs have been observed, without,
however, any bad intention, in Ireland, as well as in other countries. ^'^^ Even,
it was sometimes thought advisable, to allow certain time-sanctioned usages,
harmlessinthemselves; yet,withtheprecautionofhavingthemdirectedto
the worship and honour of the true and Almighty God. ^'^3 As yet happens
in the midland counties, and in parts of the South of Ireland, the custom of
"
Brigid Oge" is practised, especially by young persons ;^'*4 still, this is more likely to have had a Christian, rather than a Gentile origin. ^45 The Irish practice of making eircular^'*^ and square crosses on St.
carrying the
^33 For this information, I feel indebted to
Ven. John Kenny, D. D. , P. P. , Ennis, and
dean of Killaloe diocese, conveyed in a letter
dated Ennis, April 14th, 1875.
^^i It was kept constantly burning, in an enclosure near the monastery, as Ware says,
*'
De Hibernia et Antiquitatibus ejus, Dis- quisitiones," &c. , cap. xvii,, p. 83, for the benefit of the and of To this
^36 In Cormac's "
the name of
poor guests.
remark, Harris wantonly added, "as was in English "a fiery arrow. " See "SAriAf pretended. " This practice continued until
Glossary," V>x\^\. \^^Q. x\yt(iixQ>xa. breo-aigit,breo-shaigit,
cVioi\rnAic," translated and annotated by
Dr. O'Donovan, edited, with Notes and In-
dices, by Whitley Stokes, p. 23.
'37 Dr. Milner was induced to suppose,
that Ledwich did not deny the existence of St. Brigid. See "Tour in Ireland," letter xi. Dr. Milner, however, seems to have observed only a passage at p. 387 of the "Antiquities of Ireland," overlooking one at p. 378.
'38 See Dr. Ledwich's "Antiquities of Ireland," p. 378.
'39 Ledwich imagines, these were intended to replace the heathen Druidesses of yore. If the Pagan Irish worshipped or tended fire, however, its care was entrusted to Druids, rather than to Druidesses.
the suppression of monasteries in the reign of King Henry VIH. See Harris' Ware, vol. ii. , "The Antiquities of Ireland," chap, xxxv. , p. 238.
''^'^ See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. vi. , n. 98, pp. 459, 460.
'43 in reference to this matter, see St. Gregory the Great's letter to Mellitus in Bede's "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis An* glorum," lib. i. , cap. 30.
"*4 Yet observed in Carrigaline, and in other parts of Cork county. Letter from Very Rev. Denis Canon M'Swiney, P. P. , to the writer.
'45 According to a modern writer, the custom of carrying about an image of St. Brigid, on the eve of her festival, is said to
'40 Such account is not referred to in very
ancient documents. The writers of St. have been derived from Paganism. See
Brigid's Lives, it seems evident, knew no- thing about it. See her Third Life, at chap.
84, and her Fourth Life, book ii. , chap. 57.
Marcus Keane's "Towers and Temples of
Ancient Ireland," p. 60.
'4^ These are sometimes called bo^ bjAf-
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," pp. 537, 51'oe, 538,558,559.
Brigid's Ring," and they are invari-
"
ablymadebywomenalone. Fromadraw-
224 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
Brigid's eve, still prevailing ; and the hanging out of a ribbon or handkerchief from vvindovvs'47—yet pretty general in the South of Ireland'-^^—may be traced tothediscontinuanceofoldfestiveandChristianusages. Allourlegend-lore confirms the truth of such a conclusion. In the county of Cork, this tradi- tion prevails. St. Patrick once said in St. Brigid's hearing, that every second
"
day from her festival should be good. ^'^^ " and half of my day, too. " ^so
Yes," repUed the holy Brigid,
Although this illustrious patroness of Ireland justly deserved the title of
Thaumaturga, or " Worker of Miracles," and although she was eminently
distinguished for her faith, her spirit of prophecy, and her knowledge con-
cerning the most sublime mysteries of Christianity ; yet, she considered, with
the great Apostle of the Gentiles, that without charity, her works could not
be rendered perfect. 's^ Though she spoke words of human and angelic
wisdom or eloquence, she deemed herself as nothing, or not better than
sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, if not possessing this queen of all
virtues. In the distribution of temporal goods, she was liberal, indeed, and
almost to prodigality, especially when poor and distressed individuals claimed
herprotection. Thiswasdone,throughnomotiveofostentation,orthrough
any pride of soul, through no indirect self-seeking or ambition. She was in-
duced, neither to think evil, nor to feel indignant, even when unworthy
personsapproachedtoobtainheralms. Sheenviednotothers,whenfortune
dealt adversely with herself ; she was humble, as the lowliest of her religious,
when placed over them as a superior. She bore kindly and patiently, with
theperversenessandingratitudeofsome; while,beingaloverofwhatwas
deemed upright and just, the holy Brigid laboured indefatigably, in the cause
of religion and divine truth. Speaking and understanding as a child, in her
youth,yetshelearnedtoloveandserveGod; nor,inheradvancedyears
was it deemed necessary to put away the things she had learned, in earlier
life, since these stood the test of genuine holiness. She was only required
to glean fresher flowers, and to gather riper fruits, before her course on earth
had finally closed. Steadily keeping her own sanctification in view, she
burned with a holy zeal to secure the salvation of all other persons, especially
those immediately subject to her regular rule. She undertook many wonder-
ful labours, and her energies never failed, in bringing them to a satisfactory issue. In doing the work of God, her soul seemed to expend itself in each
particularaction; and,yet,aftersuchaccomplishment,itfeltinvigoratedfor fresher toils. Bright, indeed, is her crown in Heaven, and unfading are her rewards. If she was strong in faith, she was firm in hope ; and, as an ardent love of God and of her neighbour animated her devoted spirit, so was she a
living impersonation on earth of that virtue, greatest of all, pure and perfect charity.
ing of one, sent to the writer by Mr. Denis A. O'Leary, Kilbolane Cottage, Charleville,
County Cork, it seems in every respect to resemble St* Patrick's tastefully decorated cross, so becomingly worn by Irish female children on their right shoulder, each St. Patrick's Day. Exactly similar crosses are made by men, and put up in the thatch every
one is made on
'*7 This is said to lengthen during the night, and to cure headaches.
**" The foregoing and the following infor* mation was kindly communicated in Mr.
O'Leary's letter of April 17th, 1875.
'^9 Mr. O'Longan informs me, that St. Patrick is reputed to have said these words. 'So j^ the Irish v—ersion, the saying of St.
but
Day, only
Patrick's
each festival occurring.
biM'§x)e
Patrick runs thus
"
i
Jac -oaixa La 50 itiaic
6 La Lao —AmAc. "
Then follows the reply
" :
Soa'o,"
'OtjbAipc
"blM'sit), "xxguf teAt mo lAe leif. " *si See i. Cor. xiii.
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 225
Article II. —St. Derlugdacha, Virgin, and Second Abbess of KiLDARE. \Fifth and Sixth Centuries. '] Lives of holy celibates are noted in the earliest historical annals of the Church. A nun, according to the signification of the word, in numerous languages, is a virgin or widow, consecrated to God, by the three vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and obliged to live in a convent under a certain rule. From the first age of our receiving the Christian Faith, female religious were thus distinguished in Ireland. The Acts of St. Derlugdacha, as given by Colgan^ and the Bollandists,^ afford illustrations. Other writers on ecclesiastical history and saints' lives commemorate the present holy virgin, on St. Brigid's festival day. Some brief notices of this saint are to be found,likewise,inBishopChalloner'swork,3attheistofFebruary. Itmust be allowed, that Colgan's assumption, regarding this saint having been one of St. Patrick's disciples and veiled by him, is over-strained. ^ Her holy alumna, or foster-child, however, is incidently mentioned in the Acts of St. Brigid, the illustrious patroness of Ireland. From these sources, we are in- formed, that Derlugdacha,5 or as she is less correctly called, Dardulacha,^ wasunderSt. Brigid'sguidanceandbelongedtohercommunity. Shelived inthefifth,andintheearlierpartofthesixth,century. Itismostprobable, Derlugdacha passed her novitiate, and the chief part of her life, at Kildare monastery ; but of this, we are not certain. Regarding her family and birth- place, we have no account worthy of credence. Although, it has been as- serted, by Dempster, that this saint was a sister, in his opinion, to the holy martyrs, Gunifort and Gunibald -^ that she went from Scotia in company with her two brothers and a sister to Germany, in the year 420 ; and that the Irishman will in vain claim >her as a countrywoman ; still the Scotsman's assertions rest on no trustworthy authority, and they are not truthfully appli- cable to the history of our saint. ^ This writer neither produces his authority —as indeed he could not—nor assigns any fair grounds for his several teme- rarious statements. It cannot be inferred, because we have it recorded, that two sisters of Saints Gunifort and Gunibald suffered martyrdom in Germany, and that St. Derlugdacha—or as Dempster calls her, Dardulacha—had been venerated at Frisinga, or Frisengen,9 in Germany, that our saint had been one of these sisters. They were virgins and martyrs, whilst our saint was not crownedwithmartyrdom. Andeven,thoughitbeadmitted,thatourDer- lugdacha had been venerated at Frisingan, or Freysingen,^° in Germany, it does not follow that she had travelled thither. Dempster's own assertions areevenself-contradictory. Havingbroughtthosebrothersandsisters,from their native country, to Germany, in 420 ; he makes the two latter suffer martyrdom, in the place to which they went, while their brothers were present,exhortingthemtoconstancy. " Moreover,oneofthebrothers,St.
Article n. —'See "Acta Sanctorum Sanctorum Hibernise," i. Februarii, n. i. , p. Hibemise," i. Februarii. Vita S. Derlug- 230.
dachse, pp. 229, 230.
=
ThusdesignatedbyFerrarius,Fitzsimon,
They give her Acts in eight paragraphs
in the " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Febru-
^ Dempster adds, " ut ex historia colligo, quam habet sanctuarium Paphiae. "
^ See " Historia Ecclesiastica Dempster's
arii i. , pp. 186, 187. 3 See "Britannia
Sancta," part i. , p. 95.
*< See Trias Thaumaturga. " Quinta Gentis Scotorum," vol. i. , lib. iv. , sec 391,
"
Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 270.
5 By some of our Irish vi^riters she is called Derlugacha, but more properly Derlugdacha, as the Martyrologies of Marianus Gorman, Maguire, Tallagh and Donegal have it, at the Ist of February. See Colgan's "Acta
p. 214. See the Edinburgh edition of
1829.
9 This he says is to be found in the Bre-
viary of Frisengen.
Vol II.
Q
^
Dempster, Camerarius and other authors,
'°
This city is situated in Bavaria.
" For this statement, Dempster cites the testimony of Jacobus Guallus.
226 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
Gunibald, is thought by Dempster" to have been translated to bliss, a. d. 417; both these brothers, subsequently to the martyrdom of their sisters,
and successively, having died in Italy for the faith of Christ. Here, indeed, we have a rare tissue of absurdities, and at variance with correct chronology.
We do not find it stated, by any reliable author, that St. Derlugdacha had either a brother or sister. Nor do we find it well authenticated, that she even
leftherowncountry. ShewasveneratedprobablyatFrisingia,inGermany, and also in Scotland. One account has it, that Darlugtach, virgin, and the
disciple of St. Brigid, went over to North Britain,'3 during the third year of the reign of Nectan, son of Morbet, the thirty-ninth King of the Picts. ^* She is said to have concurred with him, during her second year's sojourn^s in the first foundation of an ancient church at Abernethy.
