YEG Uy Wy TELIA WANES YY CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ign TO THE _ MOST REVEREND LAUREN CE GILLOOLY, D.D., BISHOP OF ELPHIN, THE FOUNDER AND PATRON OF MANY SCHOOLS, THIS RECORD OF IRELAND’S ANCIENT SANCTITY AND LEARNING, IS RESPECTFULLY AND GRATEFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. a Tue First Eprrion of this work has been very favourably — ' received both by the critics and by the public. It was exhausted nearly twelve monthstago; but other engrossing occupations left the author littlé time to revise the text and | prepare a new edition. In this Seconp Epition many errors of the press have been corrected ; several explanatory notes have been added, and some few inaccuracies have been rectified. Maps‘of the Aran Islands and Clonmacnoise have been inserted, and the /xdex has been greatly enlarged. It is hoped also, that the lower price of the present edition will -bring it within the range of a wider circle of readers, and still further carry out the author’s purpose of vindicating and enlarging the just renown of Ireland’s ancient Saints -and Scholars. 1. JOHN HEALY, D.D. Mount Sr. Bernarp, Easter, 1893, PREFACE. Iy the following pages it has been the author’s purpose to give a full and accurate, but at the same time, as he hopes, a popular account of the Schools and Scholars of Ancient _ Ireland. It is a subject about which much is talked, but * little is known, and even that little is only to be found in volumes that are not easily accessible to the general reader. In the present work the history of the Schools and Scholars of Celtic Erin is traced from the time of St. Patrick down to ’ the Anglo-Norman Invasion of Ireland. The first three centuries of this period is certainly the brightest page of what is, on the whole, the rather saddening, but not inglorious record, of our country’s history. It was not by any means a period altogether free from violence and crime, but it was certainly a time of comparative peace and security, during which the religious communities scattered over the island presented a more beautiful spectacle before men and angels, than anything seen in Christendom either before or since. It is an epoch, too, whose history can be studied with pleasure and profit, and in which Irishmen of all creeds and classes feel a legitimate pride. . _ It has been questioned, indeed, if the Monastic Schools of this period were really so celebrated and so frequented by “holy men, as justly to win for Ireland her ancient title of the » Insuta Sancrorum Et Docrorum—the Island of Saints and Scholars. The author ventures to hope that the following pages ‘will furnish, even to the most sceptical, conclusive evidence on this point. It has been his purpose to show not merely the extent, the variety, and the character of the studies, both sacred and profane, pursued in our Celtic Schools, but also IP ae ete ta sty ei PREFACE, vii the eminent sanctity of those learned men, whose names are found in all our domestic Martyrologies. Perhaps the most striking feature in their ‘character, speaking generally, was their extraordinary love of solitude , , and mortification. They loved learning much, it is true; but they loved God and nature more. They knew nothing’ of what is now called civilization, and were altogether ignorant , of urban life; but still they had a very keen -perception of the eandenr and beauty of God’s universe. The voice of the storm and the strength of the sea, the majesty of lofty mountains and the glory of summer woods, spoke to their _ hearts even more eloquently than the ‘voice of the preacher, or the writing on their parchments. _ The author has sought throughout to put all the infor- mation, which he could collect in reference to his subject, in a popular and attractive form. At the same time he has “spared no pains to consult all the available authorities both ancient and modern ; and he has always gone to the original ee sources, whenever it was possible to do so. He does not ' pretend to have avoided all mistakes in matters of fact, nor to be quite free from errors in matters of opinion. But he: can say that he has honestly done his best to make the study of this portion of our Celtic history interesting and profitable to the general reader. And there is no doubt that the study of the holy and self-denying lives of our ancient Saints and Scholars will exercise a purifying and elevating influence on the minds of all, but more especially of the 7 . young, will teach them to raise their thoughts to bighay things, and set less store on the paltry surroundings of thei daily life. With the single exception of Iona, which may be con- sidered as an Irish island, this volume deals only with our Monastic Schools at home. Irishmen founded during this period many schools and monasteries abroad ; but vili ’ ‘BREFACE. it would require another volume to give a full account of those monasteries and their holy founders. There aré many friends to whom we owe thanks for assistance ; but we have reason to believe that they would prefer not to have their names mentioned in this preface. In conclusion, we have only to add, that these pages have not been written in a controversial spirit; because in our opinion little or nothing is ever to be gained by writing history in a spirit of controversy, which tends rather to obscure than to make known the truth. It is better from every point of view to let the facts speak for themselves ; and hence not only in quoting authorities, but also in narrating events, we have, as far as possible, reproduced the language of the original authorities. A few of the papers here published have appeared in the Irish Ecclesiastical Record, but they are now presented in a more popular form. ; “JOHN HEALY, D.D. Patmerston House, Portumna, May, 1890. * So m-0s0 Duan Dearla poor agup Teo. “ May the tongue of Sage and Saint be lasting.” TABLE OF CONTENTS, > PAGE CHAPTER I. STATE OF LEARNING IN IRELAND BEFORE ST. PATRICK. ‘ I,—Tuez Dervis | 1 Learning of the Druids 1 Religious Worship eer i Sacrifice of Human Victims 3 Worship of the Elements... 3 Enchantments es 4 Acquaintance with Letters 4 Sun- Worship wen we «5 II,—Tue Barnes... ues ame The Files ... ; wet The Ollamh-Poet . 7 Historic Poet ia ix. 8 Neidhe ies aa we 9 Ollioli Olum ves 10 Ossian ass wt 10 TIl.—Tue Brevons ... ll Office of Brehon thrown open to all possessing necessary qualifications 11 ‘ Morann ss... 12 Their Course of Instruction 12 IV.—Tue Ocuam AtpHABET ... 13 Inscribed Stones...’ aw LS Invention ofthe Ogham ... 14 Letters of the Ogham i 1 Alphabet... oon ose’ CHAPTER II. TRISH SCHOLARS BEFORE _ ST. PATRICK. . 1.—Cormac Mac Art... Battle of Magh Mucruimhe 17 Fenian Militia... Finn Mac Cumhail Feis of Tara aes ee ““The Teach Miodchuarta” 16 18 19 19 2) Writings ascribed to Cormac 23 Saltair of Tara un ae i 23 Schools at Tara... ee HOS Book of Aicill aes wwe «25 Death of Cormac ... ws «26 Torna Eigas ey a. 28 Il.—Sepurrvs ... ar) Evidence of Irish Birth |. 29 . Religious Training we 82 Writings of Sedulius ow 36 Carmen Paschale ... «» 36 Elegiae Poems... ws, 37 IIi, --Canxestrus anp Peracius 39 Caelestius not an Irishman 39 Pelagius of British Birth, but of Scottish Origin... 40 No evidence to show that Caclestius was either a Briton orScot—His Cha- racter .., eee awe 41 CHAPTER III. LEARNING IN IRELAND IN THE TIME OF ST. PATRICK: I.—Sr. Parricr’s Epucation... 43 Life at Marmoutier we 44 St. Germanus of Auxerre... 46 Patrick accompanied Ger- manus on his journey to Britain, a.p. 429 48 St. Patrick i in the Island of Lerins ... 49 St. Patrick commissioned by St. Celestine to Preach the Gospel in Ireland ... 60 IL—Sr. Parrror’s Lrrerary ©’, LapourinIrenranp ... 50 Arrival in Ireland... 50 He lights the Paschal Fire 61 Miraculous Destruction of the two Chief Druids of . Erin 51 Patrick burns the idolatrous books at Tara and over- turned the idols in Leitrim ...