OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Category: Saints of Wicklow

  • Saint Affine of Killaffan, June 3

     

    June 3 is the feastday of one of the most famous of the Irish saints, Kevin of Glendalough. Saint Kevin shares this day with a number of lesser-known Irish saints, one of whom is another County Wicklow saint, Affine of Killaffan, with whose foundation Saint Kevin is linked. What the relationship of the Wicklow Affine is to the saint who gave his name to a locality in County Galway, Killafeen, I am unsure. The website of the Galway Library quotes Joyce’s classic study of Irish place names as saying:

    Killafeen in Galway; St. Aiffen’s church. There was a Killafiein near Glendalough, but its name and position are forgotten. See Effin [reproduced below].Effin in Limerick; St. Eimhín or Effin, who had his church here, was a contemporary of St. Kevin of Glendalough (sixth century), and had another church near Glendalough. The full name of this place was Cill-Eimhín or Killeffin; but the “Kill” was dropped out and the patron’s name alone remained, like “Columkill”, parishes in Kilkenny and Longford.

    In his account of Saint Affine, Canon O’Hanlon brings us the details only of the saint’s link with Glendalough. He also brings an account of a miracle of Saint Kevin involving some ungracious travelling harpers, some details of which I have transferred from the footnotes into the main text:

    St. Affine, Effinus, or Iiffen, of Cill Aiffein, or Killaffan, County of Wicklow.
    [Probably Sixth or Seventh Century]

    This day, the Martyrology of Tallagh simply enters Affine, at the 3rd of June. His locality is not even mentioned, in this record. In an Irish Life of St. Kevin, it is stated, that St. Effinus or Ifinus had a convent of monks, at Killeffin, under St. Kevin; and, in it, two legends are given connected with his church. The latter of these is thus rendered into English, by John O’Donovan: One day, minstrels came with their harps to Killeffin, where St. Kevin had a convent of monks. They asked entertainment from them, but the convent had no food. For that reason, St. Kevin and inmates of the convent became very much ashamed. It happened, however, that a small quantity of seed remained; yet, this not being sufficient to entertain the strangers, St. Kevin bethought him of an expedient, to prevent his getting the name of being inhospitable. He sent a party of the monks to dig plots,in which the small quantity of seed they had might be sown, and in order that the produce might be prepared for the strangers’ dinner towards evening. In the meantime, St. Kevin himself and another party of the monks remained to entertain the minstrels, and to kill time by kind and friendly conversation; but, this was of no avail to them, for the minstrels began pressingly to demand refreshments. These not being at hand, they took their leave of St. Kevin against his will, muttering their disapprobation, because the convent had not satisfied their requirements. [Afterwards, Saint Kevin is said to have prayed, that the harps which they bore might be turned into stones; and when they were crossing a river, which lies to the south of the church, their harps were metamorphosed into stones, and they fell into the stream. There they remained in the ford, under the feet of all, from that day to the time of the written legend.]   The legend relates, furthermore, that the seed, which St. Kevin had sown at Killeffin, grew up before evening, and of its produce the monks were fed that same night. There is more tillage, and the land is more fertile around Our Lady’s Church than any other in the valley; wherefore it is thought to be more than probable that it is the Kill Effin above mentioned.

    [We are told, that Solomon, the disciple of St. Kevin, states this occurrence, in the following translation of an Irish Rann:
    “The seed which was sown in the morn
    At Kill Effin of divine prosperity,
    Of its produce flourishing at night
    Sages were respectively fed.”]

    …A festival in honour of Aiffen of Cill Aiffein—now Killaffan—near Gleann-da-loch, is entered in the Martyrology of Donegal, as having been celebrated on this day… In the posthumous List of Colgan’s Manuscripts, the Acts of a St. Alphinus had been prepared for publication, at this date. He may possibly be identical with the present St. Affine or Aiffen.

     

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  • Saint Rufin of Glendalough, April 22

    April 22 is the commemoration of a saint of Glendalough, the famous monastic foundation of Saint Kevin. As Canon O’Hanlon explains, Saint Rufin (Rufus, Ruiffine, Ruffinus) may also have a connection with the northern monastery of Bangor:
    ST. RUFIN, BISHOP OF GLENDALOUGH, COUNTY OF WICKLOW, AND OF BANGOR, COUNTY OF DOWN.
    [SEVENTH CENTURY.]
    ACCORDING to accounts, furnished in our Calendars, this holy man appears to have enjoyed the episcopal dignity—or, at least, he led a religious life, in two different and very distant localities of Ireland. Thus, St. Rufin, or Rufiinus, is said to have been Bishop of Glendalough, in the county of Wicklow, and, likewise, to have been of Bangor, in the county of Down, according to a statement, furnished by Archdall, and, on the authority of Ward. This is to be found, in the Historic Dissertation concerning the country of St. Rumold, as postfixed to his Acts. In the Tallagh Martyrology, the festival “Rufini Glinn da locha” is entered, at the x. of the Kalends of May, corresponding with the 22nd of April. In this instance, therefore, nothing is to be found, which warrants an assumption, that he was bishop. Nor, do we find any reference to him, in the Annals of the Four Masters. He seems to have had a religious connexion, both with Bangor and with Glendalough; and, probably, he exercised the monastic profession, in both places. We are inclined to believe, however, that Rufin possibly received his education, only at Bangor; for, his name does not appear in the list of its abbots, or bishops, which has come down to our times. It may be, that this holy man, attracted by the reputation of the great St. Kevin, left Bangor, to place himself under direction of such a master of the spiritual life, and, in his quiet retreat, at Glendalough; for, both appear to have lived as contemporaries, some time after that monastic establishment had been built by the founder…
    …St. Kevin is said to have died,in the year 617, or 618; while St. Rufus is made to precede St. Colman, Abbot of Glendalough, who departed on the 2nd of December, 659. Therefore, we may suppose him to have lived, about the middle of the seventh century. From notices regarding St. Rufin, and the position he is made to occupy, we should be inclined to infer, that he must have immediately succeeded St. Kevin. Our holy bishop’s name, Rufin, sometimes rendered Rufus, usually occurs after that of Molibba; but, the date for his death has not transpired. It is likely, St Rufin had been interred at Glendalough. According to Ward and Archdall, St. Rufin’s commemoration was observed, on the 22nd of April. His name appears, in the Martyrology of Tallagh, at the same date, and it is entered, as Rufin Glinn da locha, while to this should probably be added, Bennchair. It is registered, in the Martyrology of Donegal, that veneration was paid, on this day, to Ruiffine, Bishop of Gleann-da-loch, and of Bennchar. The name of this saint has received the Latin form, Ruffinus. At the x. of the May Kalends—corresponding with April 22nd—the Irish Calendar, which is in the Royal Irish Academy, has an entry of this saint, in connexion with Glendalough and Bangor. Under the head of Glenn-da-locha, Duald Mac Firbis enters, Ruifin, Bishop of Glenn-da-locha, and of Bangor, at April 22nd.
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  • Saint Coine of Kilkine, April 4

    April 4 is the commemoration of yet another of our obscure female saints, Coine of Kilkine, County Wicklow. The saint is referred to as Coine in the earliest of the Irish martyrologies and as Caoimhe in the latest. Caoimhe (pronounced ‘Keeva’) is the feminine version of the male name Caoimhin or Kevin, and thus tradition seeks to associate this holy woman with the great saint of Glendalough, also in County Wicklow. Saint Kevin’s hagiography seeks to provide him with various family members, all of whose names embody the same element as his own, caomh ‘fair’ – thus his father is called Caomhlugh, his mother Caoimheall, his brother Caomhán, so it is no surprise to find that today’s saint is said to be his sister. Canon O’Hanlon, having a dearth of information on this saint, concludes with some remarks on the veiling of women:

    St. Caemh, or Coine, Virgin, of Cill-Caoimhe, or Coine, probably Kilkine, County of Wicklow.

    The great ones of earth pass away from life obtaining human applause, often undeservedly bestowed;but, the good should be held, in each Christians grateful and affectionate remembrance, as the present holy woman deserved to be known in her day. On the 4th of April, in the Martyrology of Tallagh, we find her name and place inserted, as Coini i-Cillé Coine. The Bollandists have it, Coina de Kill-Coine. There is a Kilkine old church, in the parish of Ballykine, in the County of Wicklow. The present saint may have been the sister of St. Kevin, founder of Glendalough, and, it seems not improbable, that she lived in the place previously mentioned; or, at least, we do not find any nearer corresponding denomination, on the Irish Ordnance Maps.

    The old graveyard of the place is still much used, but only a few fragments of the old church walls are to be seen there; and the situation—a peculiarly retired one—lies within a well-wooded demesne, known as Whaley Abbey, near Avondale House and Demesne, as also, near the celebrated Meeting of the Waters.



    The festival, in honour of Caemh, Virgin, of Cill Caoimhe, was celebrated on this day, as we read, in the Martyrology of Donegal. The first successor of St. Peter, in his chair at Rome, had decreed, that all women should enter the churches, with their heads veiled, as a mark of respect for the holiness of God’s House. In after time, this veiling of pious females was peculiarly a distinctive usage of religious Virgins.

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