OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Category: Saints of Cork

  • Saint Ros of Downpatrick, April 7

    On April 7 we commemorate Saint Ros of Downpatrick. This holy man is linked by kinship in the hagiographical sources to the chieftain Dichu, who gifts a barn to Saint Patrick and becomes one of his first converts. Later hagiologists, however, attempted to identify Ros of Downpatrick with a Saint Ruisen of Inis-Picht, modern Spike Island, County Cork whose feast on this date is first noted in the Martyrology of Tallaght. Canon O’Hanlon himself remarks on the  confusion in his account below:

    St. Ruisen, of Inis-Picht.

    We have an entry of the name, Ruissen, Innse Pich, in the Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 7th of April. The name of this place has been assigned to Muscraige, a territory in Munster and, again, it has been placed, by Colgan, among the Islands of the Picts. However, the denomination is at present supposed to be obsolete. This saint was the same, we are told, as Ross, or Rus, son of Trichem, son of Fica, son of Iomchadh, who belonged to the race of Fiatach Fionn, king of Erinn. If so, he was brother to Dichuo, or Dichu, who was the first to embrace the faith, in the northern parts of Ireland. The story of his life is to be met with, in various Acts of St. Patrick, among whose disciples he is classed. He lived, at a place, called Derluss, a town in the southern part of Ulster; and, afterwards, it was known as Inreathan. It is now called Bright, and there, he seems to have resided. For further particulars related concerning him, the, reader is referred to the Life of St. Patrick,  already written. Rus, or Ros, is said to have been of Dundaleithglass, the old name for Downpatrick, which was the ancient seat of the Ulidian Kings, and where they lived in the strong fort, known as Rath-Keltair, quite near the cathedral. A doubt seems to be implied, as to whether the feast of St. Rus, or Ross, belongs to April 7th, or to April 9th; but, the latter figure seems to have been a misprint, for the 29th. The Bollandists ‘ commemorate Russonus de Insula Pich, on the 7th of April. There seems to me, however, that some confusion, in the attempt to identify St. Ruisen, of Inse Pict, or Inis-Puinc, with St. Ross of Downpatrick, must exist. An ancient Sanctilogy represents this latter person, as having been a brother to Dichu, one of St. Patrick’s first converts in Ulidia ; and, therefore, not only must the church of Downpatrick have been erected, at a very early date, but we ought even regard this Rus or Ross as presiding over it, some time in the fifth century. Although the father’s name and the place seem different, yet St. Ruisen of Inis Pict may probably be identified with a Russ, or Russen, son to Rodan, Abbot of Innisfreil. A conjecture has been offered, likewise, that this saint was identical with the Ruissin, son to Lappain, mentioned in the Life of St. Molagga. He died, it is said, A.D. 658, the comorban to St. Barr of Cork. And, we are told, moreover, that Marianus O’Gorman, as also the commentator on Aengus, say, this saint’s Natalis was celebrated, on the 7th of April. Again, we have  an account of St Russeus, or Russenus, the son of Rodan, who was one of St. Columba’s   companions, when his first missionary expedition to Britain was undertaken, and whose festival has been assigned to the 27th of December, by some Scottish writers ; but, Colgan thinks, it ought rather be referred to the 7th of April,  as noted in the Martyrologies of Tallagh, of Donegal, of Marianus O’Gorman and of Maguire. He flourished, A.D. 563, but the date for his death is uncertain. The Martyrology of Donegal, this day records a festival, in honour of Ruisen, of Inis-Picht.

    Content Copyright © Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae 2012-2015. All rights reserved.

  • Saint Berehert of Tullylease, December 6

    The Berechtuine Stone

    December 6 is the feast of another saint whose identity and day of commemoration raise the same sort of difficulties as that of Saint Gobban – Saint Berehert founder of a monastery at Tullylease, County Cork.

    The Martyrology of Donegal records:

    6. D. OCTAVO IDUS DECEMBRIS. 6

    BERETCHERT, of Tulach-leis.

    but gives no further details. So what else do we know of this saint? Below is a short paper on Saint Berehert which summarizes some of the sources for his life. I originally sourced this from the Tullylease parish website but can no longer find a working link:

    St. Berehert of Tullylease
    by V. Rev. Robert Forde, P.E. 

    At the Synod of Whitby, in northern England, held in 664 A.D., the majority of those present voted to accept the Roman system for deciding the date of Easter. St. Colman, Abbott-Bishop of Lindisfarne with others disagreed and decided to return to Ireland where they established two monasteries, one for the English monks in Mayo and an island monastery for the Irish monks. 

    Tradition tells us that a young Saxon Prince from Winchester left the group, travelled across Ireland and came to Tullylease, which was then a stronghold of Druidism. Despite firm opposition he established a large monastery which lasted for over 700 years – he was named Berehert. 

    In the Annals of the Four Masters the death of Berichter is recorded ‘Berichter of Tullach-leis died on 6 December, 839.’ If this entry is accurate, the monastery founded by Berehert, almost 150 years before, was well established, and here we commemorate a later Abbot. 

    In 1230 we find the following entry in the Annals: ‘A holy monk, chief Master of Carpenters in Tullach-leis died today’. This entry is important as it clearly shows the extent and the national reputation of the schools and workshops of Tullylease monastery.
    The Monastery also excelled at metalwork. The beautiful cover of St. Patrick’s Bell, now in the National Museum, was decorated by a family of Noonans, who were closely associated with Tullylease. 

    The Berechtuine Stone 

    The Monastery had large stone-carving workshops. Many of these stones are still extant. The most famous is the Berechtuine Stone, incised with a Greek cross, expertly carved and ornamented, with inscriptions in Latin and Greek. The Greek text reads : ‘XPS’ which is the abbreviation for Christus or Christ. The other corner of the stone is missing and probably contained the Greek letters for Jesus.’ IHS’ 

    The Latin inscription translates: ‘Whoever reads this inscription, let him pray for Berechtuine.” For many years, it was accepted that Berechtuine was another name for Berehert and this beautiful monument was erected to honour the Founder. A long article by Professor Henderson of Cambridge and Professor Okasha of University College, Cork on the carved stones of Tullylease showed conclusively that they were two separate people. Therefore, we honour two saints in Tullylease! 

    This Berechtuine Stone is dated about 800 A.D. The extant monastic buildings that we see today date from about 1200 to 1500 

    About 1200, the Monastery took the ‘Rule of The Canons Regular of St. Augustine’ and in 1415, Henry IV annexed the Monastery to the Priory of Kells in Kilkenny. From Tullylease, at least five other churches were founded in Munster, and probably a foundation in Leinster and one in Connaught. 

    In 1993, the historian Dr. Daphne Pochin Mould took an aerial photo of the site in mid-December, on a clear frosty evening. A large portion of the ‘massive external enclosure bank of the early monastic site’ showed clearly on photo. It is now possible to trace the external original boundaries of the monastery. 

    The people of Tullylease are very proud of the Monastery. They take great care of it, and they are most grateful that Bishop Magee chose the Tullylease as a special place of Pilgrimage for Jubilee 2000.

    Now this writer has established two conflicting traditions about Saint Berehert, one that he was a Saxon prince who came to Ireland after the Synod of Whitby and the other that he was a 9th-century monastic bearing the same name as his founder. But there is a further complication as Saint Berehert has also been identified with a saint commemorated on 18 February. This is a Saint Nem, Bishop of Drum Bertach, an even earlier figure associated with Saint Patrick. O’Hanlon in his entry for 18 February records:

    St. Nem, Bishop of Drum Berthach. This holy man is entered in the “Martyrology of Tallagh,” as Nem, Bishop of Droma Bertach. By some writers, this saint has been confounded with a St. Beretchert, Berichter or Berechtuine, of Tullylease, county of Cork—thought to be locally called St. Ben or St. Benjamin. This identification, however, admits of very great doubt. The Martyrology of Donegal records on this day Nem, Bishop of Drum Berthach. It seems difficult to identify this place, but, very possibly, it may be in or near Tullylease. We may ask, too, if the St. Nem of our Calendars could have been corrupted into the local pronunciation of Ben. This seems, at least, possible. Colgan thinks, the present saint may have been St. Patrick’s disciple, who was set over Tullachrise, in the diocese of Connor. It is said to have been one of the churches St. Patrick erected in Dalaradia. Under the head of Druim-bertach, Duald Mac Firbis records, Nemh, Bishop of Druim Bertach, at February the 18th.

    There is thus no doubt that a Saint Nem is commemorated on February 18 but how he became identified with our Saint Berehert is unclear. Interestingly, O’Hanlon also records that:

    ‘Every male child, born on St. Berechert’s day, is called by his name, which is regarded as the Irish for Benjamin. We are told, that from remote times, the saint’s day has been unaccountably transferred from the 6th of December to the 18th of February. At the former date, we shall have more to state, in reference to St. Berechert.’

    Alas, O’Hanlon did not live to publish his December volume so we cannot know what other evidence he might have presented.

    So, it would seem that we cannot identify the person of Saint Berehert commemorated on December 6 with any certainty. I am intrigued by the process which has led the monastic founder of Tullylease to be identified with a 5th-century Patrician Bishop, a seventh-century Saxon refugee and a ninth-century Irish monastic. Which is the real Saint Berehert? I’m not sure if we can ever know.

    Content Copyright © Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae 2012-2015. All rights reserved.

  • Saint Colman of Cloyne, November 24

    November 24 is the commemoration of a poet-saint, Colman of Cloyne. Below is a short account of his life taken from the Moran revision of Archdall’s famous text on the monasteries of Ireland, the Monasticon Hibernicum, serialized in the Irish Ecclesiastical Record.

    COUNTY OF CORK.

    Cloyne. The account given by Archdall of this ancient and venerable see is meagre in the extreme. The see of Cloyne was founded by St. Colman Mac Lenin, who was closely allied by blood with the reigning family of Munster. His genealogy in the Book of Lecan traces back his family to Mogha Nuadhat ; but the Martyrology of Donegal leaves us in uncertainity as to whether he was descended from that Prince, or from another distinguished chieftain named Lughaidh Lagha. In his early years he was famed for his rare poetic talents, and was honoured with the title of Royal Bard of Munster. In after times he dedicated his minstrelsy to religion, and composed several poems on sacred subjects a fragment of one of these, being an elegant metrical Life of St. Senanus was known to Colgan, who describes it as “stylo vetusto et pereleganti patrio sermone conscriptum.” (Acta SS., page 339). In the Book of Lismore, there is another short poem in Irish, composed by St. Colman, in praise of St. Brendan. It thus begins:

    “Brendan, flame of victorious lightning ;
    He smote the chafer, he ploughed the waves
    Westward to the populous assemblative place
    The fair-sided Land of Promise.”

    At the request of St. Ita, St. Brendan, on a certain occasion, went forward to meet the youthful Colman, and admonished him to enter on a life of penance, saying ” God has called thee to salvation, and thou shalt be as an innocent dove in the sight of God.” Colman, throughout the remainder of his life, was docile to the inspirations of grace, and became illustrious among the saints of Ireland by his learning and virtues. Towards the close of his earthly pilgrimage, hearing of the fame of the school of Lough Eirce, he wished, though himself a master in the paths of perfection, to visit that monastery, and to enrol his name among the disciples of St. Finbarr. Our annalists do not mark with precision the year in which St. Colman founded the Monastery of Cloyne. It was certainly not before the year 550, for it is recorded that, at the inauguration of Aodh Caomh, King of Cashel, about that time, our saint took part as the royal minstrel of Munster.

    There seems, however, no ground for doubting the acccuracy of the statement made by O’Halloran in his History of Ireland (vol. 3rd, page 76) on the authority of the Psalter of Cashel that Eochaidh, Monarch of Ireland in the year 560, founded the Church of Cloyne for St. Colman.

    According to the Annals of The Four Masters, St. Colman died in the year 600 (i.e., 601 of our present computation), and the 24th of November is the day on which his festival is marked in all the ancient calendars, and on which it is still observed in the Diocese of Cloyne. Our patron of Cloyne must not be confounded with another St. Colman, who was honoured on the same day : both these saints are thus commemorated by St. Oengus in his Felire, at the 24th November:

    “With Cianan of Daimliac,
    A beautiful ear of our wheat.
    Mac Lenine the most excellent,
    With Colman of Dubh-chuillenn.”

    The Martyrology of Donegal preserves the following quatrain, from the ancient poem Naemhsheanchus, on the Saints of Ireland:

    ” Colman, son of Lenin, the full,
    And Mothemneog, son of Cerban,
    Were of the race of two brothers
    Oilioll Oluim, and Lughaidh.”

    The old Latin Life of St. Brendan passes the following eulogy on St. Colman:

    “This Colman, the son of Lenin, was for learning and a holy life chief among the saints. He founded the Church of Cloyne, which is at this day a cathedral, and famous throughout the province of Munster.”

    Monasticon Hibernicum in Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Volume 7 (1871) 436-437

    Content Copyright © Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae 2012-2015. All rights reserved.