Insula Sanctorum et Doctorum; Or, Ireland's Ancient Schools and Scholars

Besides Cennfaeladh and Cormac Mac Cullinan, there were from the sixth to the seventh century at least twelve or thirteen other Gaedhlic writers, whose names cannot be passed ov...

"I grew to manhood by the western wave, Among the mighty mountains on the shore; My bed the rock within some natural cave, My food whate'er the seas and seasons bore; My occupat...

"Our princes of old, when their warfare was over, As pilgrims forth wandered; as hermits found rest. Shall the hand of the stranger their ashes uncover, In Bangor the holy, in A...

"Saint of the seas---- Whose days were passed in teacher's toil-- Whose evening song still filled the aisle-- Whose poet's heart fed the wild bird's brood-- Whose fervent arm up...

How solitary now she sits by the great river that once thronged City! Her gates are broken, and her streets are silent. Yet in olden time she was a queen, and the children of ma...

Munster was always celebrated for classical studies. Even within the memory of living men it attracted 'poor scholars' from every part of Ireland; and they were received, as the...

"O, pilgrim, if you bring me from some far-off land a sign, Let it be some token still of the green Old Land once mine; A shell from the shores of Ireland would be dearer far to...

The Munster Schools were of somewhat later origin than the monastic schools of the North; but during the seventh century some of them became very celebrated, especially the grea...

"You'll see the homes of holy men Far west upon the shoreless main-- In sheltered vale, on cloudy Ben, Where saints still pray, and scribes still pen The sacred page, despising...

We are frequently told that before the time of St. Patrick the Irish were an utterly barbarous people like the North American Indians. They had of course an unwritten language,...

We now come to discuss the state of learning in Ireland during the sixty years commonly assigned to St. Patrick's preaching, that is from A.D. 432 to 492. We have seen that when...

Columba was the greatest saint of the Celtic race; and after St. Patrick, he is the most striking figure in our Celtic history. He was a poet, a statesman, and a scholar, as wel...

The writings of St. Patrick and his disciples are highly interesting, both in themselves, and in the effects which they produced on the Irish Church. Fortunately several of thes...

"The chapel where no organ's peal Invests the stern and naked prayer!-- With penitential cries they kneel And wrestle; rising then with bare And white uplifted faces stand, Pass...

"'Tis a rosary of islands in the Ocean's hollow palm-- Sites of faith unchanged by storms, all unchanging in the calm, There the world-betrayed may hide them, and the weary hear...

We have said that as Aran was the novitiate, so Clonard was the great college of the Irish Saints of the Second Order. Before, however, we proceed to give an account of this gre...

"He stepped a man out of the ways of men, And no one knew his sept, or rank, or name-- Like a strong stream issuing from a glen, From some source unexplored, the Master came." -...

The first reference[367] we find made to Mungret is in the _Tripartite Life of St. Patrick_. When the saint had come into the territory of Hy-Fidhgente, which included that port...

Before we can understand the nature of a monastic school, it is necessary to get a clear idea of the general character of our Irish monasteries, such as they were before the adv...

"The Gaedhlic tongue! the Gaedhlic tongue! why should its voice be still, When all its magic tones with old and golden glories thrill-- When, like an aged bard, it sings departe...

Glendalough--the Valley of the Two Lakes--is, for a religious and cultivated mind, one of the most interesting spots in Ireland. Nature has made it wild and beautiful; religion...

From Armagh we not unnaturally turn to Kildare. If St. Patrick is the father, St. Brigid is the mother of all the saints of Erin, both monks and nuns. She may be regarded not on...

Several famous religious houses were in ancient days founded around the base of the Slieve Bloom mountains, and the great saints who founded them were mostly contemporaries and...

"A voice from the ocean waves, And a voice from the forest glooms, And a voice from old temples and kingly graves, And a voice from the catacombs." --_Aubrey de Vere._

"And, Thou, O mighty Lord, whose ways Are far above our feeble minds to understand, Sustain us in these doleful days, And render light the chain that binds our fallen land. Look...

Our Kings sat of old in Emania and Tara; These new Kings whence are they? Their names are unknown! Our saints lie entomb'd in Ardmagh and Kildara; Their relics are healing, thei...

It is not our purpose to discuss at length the state of learning and civilization in Ireland before the coming of St. Patrick. It is a question about which much difference of op...

There are two saints of the same name whom it is absolutely necessary to keep distinct in dealing with the literary history of the early Irish Church--St. Finnian of Clonard, an...

I.--ST. COMGALL OF BANGOR 364 Birth and parentage 365 Comgall enters the Monastery of Fintan 366 He visits Clonmacnoise, and receives the priesthood 367 Description of Bangor 36...

I.--ST. CIARAN OF CLONMACNOISE 258 Clonmacnoise 258 St. Ciaran at the School of Clonard 259 He goes to Aran 260 Visits St. Senan at Scattery 261 Founds Churches at Isell Ciaran...

I.--ST. PATRICK'S EDUCATION 43 Life at Marmoutier 44 St. Germanus of Auxerre 46 Patrick accompanied Germanus on his journey to Britain, A.D. 429 48 St. Patrick in the Island of...

VII.--ADAMNAN, NINTH ABBOT OF HY 335 Greek Tongue taught in the School of Hy 1170 years ago 336 Adamnan's Birth 336 His Parentage 337 King Finnachta 337 Adamnan goes to Iona 338...

I.--THE SCHOOLS OF ARMAGH 110 Emania 111 Daire 111 Patrick founds Armagh 112 Ecclesiastical Buildings at Armagh 113 St. Benignus 114 Death of Benignus 116 The _Book of Rights_ a...

I.--ST. BRENDAN OF CLONFERT 209 Fostered by St. Ita 211 Brendan's progress in learning under St. Erc 211 Seminary at Cluainfois 212 Brendan's Rule 213 St. Brendan's Oratory on t...

I.--LIFE OF ST. ENDA OF ARAN 163 Monastic Character of the Early Irish Church 163 Family of St. Enda 164 His Sister, St. Fanchea 165 He goes to Candida Casa 167 Goes to Aran 169

III.--THE SCHOOL OF EMLY 149 St. Ailbe 149 Pre-Patrician Bishops in Ireland 150 Life of St. Ailbe of Emly 151 Ailbe preached the Gospel in Connaught 152 Life of St. Declan 153 S...

I.--THE SCHOOL OF LISMORE, ST. CARTHACH 447 He visits the School of Bangor 448 He founds a monastery at Rahan 449 "Effugatio" of Carthach from Rahan 450 He founds Lismore 453 Re...

III.--THE LATER SCHOOL OF DERRY 352 The Ua Brolchain 352 St. Maelisa O'Brolchain 353 Flaithbhertach O'Brolchain 354 The Abbot of Derry resolves to renovate his monastery and col...

I.--ST. VIRGILIUS, ARCHBISHOP OF SALZBURG 566 Country of St. Virgilius 566 Accusations against Virgilius 569 Doctrine of the Antipodes 570 Virgilius, the Apostle of Carinthia 57...

I.--ST. COLUMBA'S EDUCATION 291 St. Columba, a typical Celt 291 Early History 292 Goes to the School of St. Finnian at Moville 294 Columba at the School of Clonard 295 Columba a...

I.--ST. PATRICK'S CONFESSION 67 Evidence in favour of its authenticity 68 The Saint's motive in writing it 69 Patrick's parents in Britain 71 Patrick met opposition in preaching...

I.--ST. KEVIN 414 Sketch of his Life 414 Kevin is placed under the care of St. Petroc 415 He goes to Glendalough 416 Description of Glendalough 417 St. Kevin's Bed 418 Tempull-n...

ST. LAURENCE O'TOOLE 432 His Parentage 433 He goes to Glendalough 434 Lorcan as a Student 435 He is placed at the head of St. Kevin's Great Establishment 436 Consecrated Archbis...

I.--THE SCHOOL OF CORK 475 St. Finbarr 476 Gougane Barra 478 Cork in A.D. 1600 480 Death of St. Finbarr 482 His character 483 Assassination of Mahoun 484 Giolla Aedha O'Muidhin 486

I.--PRELIMINARY SKETCH OF CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS 188 The First Christian Schools 188 Schools of the Pagans 189 Episcopal Schools 190 School founded by John Cassian near Marseilles 19...

I.--THE DRUIDS 1 Learning of the Druids 1 Religious Worship 2 Sacrifice of Human Victims 3 Worship of the Elements 3 Enchantments 4 Acquaintance with Letters 4 Sun-Worship 5

I.--CORMAC MAC ART 16 Battle of Magh Mucruimhe 17 Fenian Militia 18 Finn Mac Cumhail 19 Feis of Tara 19 _The Teach Miodhchuarta_ 21 Writings ascribed to Cormac 23 _Saltair of Ta...

I.--ST. FINTAN 398 Churches founded round the base of the Slieve Bloom mountains 398 Clonenagh 398 Fintan's _Rule_ 401 St. Comgall a pupil of the School of Clonenagh 402 Miracle...

I.--GENERAL VIEW OF AN IRISH MONASTERY 91 Monasticism always existed and always will exist in the Church 92 St. Martin of Tours, the Father of Monasticism in Gaul 93

II.--THE SCHOOL OF INISCALTRA 513 Island of Iniscaltra 513 St. Columba of Terryglass 513 Death of St. Columba 515 St. Caimin 517 Round Tower of Iniscaltra 519 St. Caimin's Churc...

II.--CELTIC ART AT CLONMACNOISE 550 The Ollamh-builder 551 Gobban Saer 551 _Religh-na-Cailleach_ 552 Crosses and Architectural Ornaments in Sculpture at Tuam and Cong 554 Turlou...

I.--ST. FINNIAN OF MOVILLE 245 His Boyhood and Education 246 Candida Casa 246 Finnian at Candida Casa 247 He goes to Rome 248 Returns to Ireland and founds a School at Moville 2...