Michael Barrett

“ An old legend, which was long regarded as authentic, relates that this saint was of royal birth and was a native of Hungary, and that he came to Scotland with several companions to preach the Faith. Modern historians identify him with the Irish St. Odhran, who was driven from his country by the Danes and took refuge in Scotland. He preached the Gospel to the people of Fifeshire and the eastern counties. Eventually he founded a monastery on the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth. Here he suffered martyrdom, together {36} with a great number of his disciples, in an incursion of the Danes. ”

“ In the monastery of Coldingham, over which St. Ebba presided, was a monk of great sanctity and austerity named Adamnan. It is not certain whether he was a native of Scotland or not. In his youth Adamnan had led a life of great licentiousness, and being converted by the grace of God from his evil ways was moved with a desire to do penance for his sins. Accordingly he sought the counsel of a certain Irish priest, to whom he made a general confession and confided his desire of entering upon a penitential life. ”

“ He is said to have made later a pilgrimage to Rome. The monastery he founded became the site of the well-known Cathedral of Dunblane a place which derives its name from the saint where the mediaeval building begun by David I. is still to be seen. Among the many miracles attributed to the saint is the restoration to life of a dead boy. He is also said to have rekindled the extinguished lamps in his church during the night office, on one occasion, by striking fire from his fingers as from a flint; the miracle being vouchsafed by God to clear the saint of any imputation of negligence in his duty. ”

“ At Applecross, in the vicinity of the ruins of the church, is the martyr's grave, called Cladh Maree, near the churchyard is "Maelrubha's River," while two miles away is the saint's seat, called in Gaelic Suidhe Maree. Several other traces of him are to be discovered in the place-names of the neighbourhood.
Loch Maree is the most interesting locality connected with St. Maelrubha. A small island in the loch called Innis Maree contains an ancient chapel and a burial place. Near it is a deep well, renowned for the efficacy of its water in the cure of lunacy. ”

“ Maelrubha acquired a great reputation for sanctity throughout the west coast of Scot land and the islands adjacent, where he was one of the most popular of the Irish saints in Catholic ages. An old Scottish tradition, quoted by the Aberdeen Breviary, says that he met his death at the hands of pagan Norwegians, at Urquhart, in the Black Isle, on the eastern side of Ross-shire, and that he was left lying severely wounded, but still alive, for three days, during which angels consoled him. ”

“ Ninian, but, in the course of two centuries, through constant warfare and strife, the Faith {4} had almost disappeared when, in the middle of the sixth century, St. Kentigern was raised up to be its new apostle. The saint came of a royal race, and was born about A.D. 518. He was brought up from childhood by a holy hermit of Culross called Serf, who out of the love he bore the boy changed his name of Kentigern (signifying "lord and master") to that of Mungo (the well beloved) . It is under the latter name that he is best known in Scotland. ”

“ Finbar, like so many Irish saints, made a pilgrimage to Rome. Missionary zeal led him later on to Scotland, and for some time he laboured in Kintyre.
Devotion to St. Barr was very great in Catholic Scotland, as numerous dedications attest. His churches are chiefly to be found on solitary islands, which seem to have had a special attraction for him. Thus in the parish of Kilkerran, Kintyre, is an island now known as Davar; it was formerly called St. Barre's Island. The island of Barra takes its name from him; traces of his cultus lingered on there long after the Reformation. ”

“ The shelf of the great rock of Weem, upon which the chapel formerly stood, is still called "Chapel Rock." A holy well hard by is called after the saint.
This well was once much frequented by pilgrims. It was a common opinion that St. Dabius would grant any wish made there if an offering were thrown into the water. When the well was cleaned out some years ago a large number of coins was discovered; these were {111} evidently offerings of the kind. There was an ancient burial ground at Weems which bore the name of the saint, and on his feast-day a fair was held annually there. ”

“ This saint was of Irish nationality; the precise period at which he lived is uncertain. The group of islands to the west of Lewis are called after him, the Flannan Islands. On the largest of these seven islands are the remains of a chapel known as Teampull Beannachadh (St. Flannan's Chapel) . This seems to indicate that the saint resided there at some period, though no record remains of the fact beyond the traditional designation of the ruins. The Flannan Islands have always been regarded by the people of Lewis with almost superstitious veneration. ”

“ He was an Irish saint, who became Bishop of Dromore, and was renowned for miracles. There is no record of St. Colmoc having ever {88} lived in Scotland, but Scottish writers number him among the saints of the country, and the dedications still existing in his honour show that he had some connection with that kingdom. The monastery of Inchmahome, for instance, a priory of Austin Canons on an island in the Lake of Monteith, Perthshire, is named after him. Another dedication is Kilmochalmaig, the site of an ancient church on the west coast of Bute. ”

“ His remains, first laid to rest at Iona, were afterwards carried over to Ireland and enshrined in the Cathedral of Down by the side of those of St. Patrick and St. Bridget. All these relics perished when the cathedral was burned by Henry VIII's soldiers.
St. Columba was a man of singular purity of mind, boundless love for souls, and a gentle, winning nature which drew men irresistibly to {91} God. His labours were furthered by Divine assistance, which was evidenced by numerous miracles. Among the saints of Scotland he takes a foremost rank, and in Catholic ages devotion to him was widespread. ”

“ Then, when morning dawned, he advanced courageously to confront his murderers, and met a barbarous death with Christian fortitude. The only Catholic cathedral in Scotland which remains entire still shelters the body of a saint. It may be that God has spared it to restore it to Catholic worship through the merits of St. Magnus. The feast, known in the Middle Ages as "Magnusmas," was restored by Pope Leo XIII. His fair was formerly held at Watten-Wester in Caithness. A holy well at Birsay, in Orkney, bears his name. ”

“ The Innes family, who chose the saint as their patron, had a particular devotion to that relic.
Traces of the cultus of St. Marnock are to be found in many districts of Scotland. Besides the church in which his remains were honoured, a holy well at Aberchirder still bears his name. A fair on the second Tuesday in March, held there annually, was known as Marnock Fair. There was a Marnock Fair at Paisley also, which lasted for eight days. The church of the well-known parish of Kilmarnock, in Ayrshire, is another of his dedications. ”

“ Dr. Skene, in his "Celtic Scotland," expresses the opinion that this saint was a contemporary and associate of St. Modan. It is remarkable that where a foundation of one saint exists, traces of the other are found in the vicinity. Thus near Rosneath is Kilmaronock, where is St. Maronock's Well, and on the opposite side of Loch Etive, not far from Balmodhan, is Kilmaronog. Both names signify "Church" or "Cell of Ronan." ”

“ Many old churches in Scotland bear the dedication of St. Mungo; the chief of these is Lanark parish church. There is a parish bearing his name in Dumfries-shire, and many holy wells are called after him; one of these is in Glasgow Cathedral, others are in the precincts of Glasgow, and at Huntly, Peebles, Ayr, Dumfries, Glengairn (Aberdeenshire) , also at Currie, Penicuik and Mid-Calder, near Edinburgh. There is also St. Mungo's Isle in Loch Leven. Besides these Scottish dedications, there are seven churches in Cumberland which bear his name. ”

“ The Shaws' Fair probably the patronal feast of the church was formerly held on the last Friday in May every year. This saint was also the patron of the churches of Cumnock and Ochiltree, as ancient documents attest. Many miracles have been attributed to him. It seems probable that the chapel known as St. Conall's, at Ferrenese in Renfrewshire, whose ruins still remain, and the holy well hard by, were named after St. Conval; the designation (often written Conual) might easily become corrupted to Connal in the course of centuries. ”

“ The church of Killernan, in Ross-shire, is named after him. Another dedication to this saint is thought by some to be Kilviceuen in Mull.
4—St. Chroman or Ghronan, A.D. 641.
On account of the destruction of so many ecclesiastical records at the Reformation, many {2} particulars regarding some of our Scottish saints have been irrevocably lost. This is the case with the holy man before us. All that we know of him may be told in a few words. He lived in the Cunningham district of Ayrshire, where he was revered during life and venerated after death for his great sanctity. ”

“ A fair used to be held annually at Houston and another at Struan, both known as Fillan's Fair. In Strathfillan are the ruins of St. Fillan's chapel, and hard by is the Holy Pool, in which the insane were formerly bathed {19} to obtain a cure by the saint's intercession. Scott refers to it in Marmion (Cant. I. xxix) :
"St. Fillan's blessed Well,
Whose spring can frenzied dreams dispel
And the crazied brain restore."
Pope Leo XIII re-established the saint's feast in Scotland. ”

“ Magnus bitterly lamented for the rest of his days the excesses into which he had fallen in the life of constant warfare and strife which had been his lot with the Norwegians; whatever their guilt may have been, it was his constant endeavour to atone for them by penance and prayer. ”

“ He was born of noble race in Ireland, and in early life began his monastic life under the rule of his relative, St. Comgal, at Bangor. When he reached the age of twenty-nine he passed over the sea to Scotland, and founded at Applecross, in Ross, a monastery, over which {68} he ruled for more than fifty years. During his residence in Scotland he founded a church on a small island in the beautiful lake now known as Loch Maree, which takes its name from this saint. ”

“ Columba, and was one of that saint's companions in the journey to Inverness and the miraculous conversion of King Brude. St. Comgall did not remain permanently in Scotland; he died in Ireland, and was laid to rest at Bangor. The date of his death is given by Irish authorities as the 10th of May, but his feast has always been celebrated in Scotland on the 9th. The church of Durris, Kincardineshire, bore his name, and an annual fair, the only remains of his festival in Protestant times, was formerly held there on this day. ”

“ He seems to have preached the Faith at Dairy, in Ayrshire, also; for a hill hard by is called Caer-winning, and there, as at Kilwinning, is a holy well bearing the saint's name. An annual fair, still known as "St. Wynnin," is held at Kilwinning.
The saint departed this life at Lucca, where his body is venerated in the church of St. Frigidian. His feast occurs in March in some calendars, and in others in September. By some writers the names of Finian, Wynnin, and Frigidian have been considered as representing distinct persons ”

“ Scottish calendars give short notices of this saint, who is said to have been an illustrious and saintly bishop during the reign of King Achaius, a Scottish king contemporaneous with Charlemagne. Very few particulars can be ascertained as to his life. All that is at present known of him is gathered from the traces of his cultus which remain in various districts of the country. Thus the parish of Kinglassie, near Kirkcaldy, seems to have been named after him, and in the neighbourhood is a spring of fine water known as St. Glass's Well. ”

“ Tyningham Church, in the same county, and also that of Prestonkirk, were dedicated to him. The former was burnt by the Danes in 941. The old parishes of Aldhame and Tyningham are now united under the designation of Whitekirk. At Prestonkirk there is a well which bears the saint's name, whose water, as a Protestant writer notes, is excellent for making tea! An eddy in the Tyne is called St. Baldred's Whirl. A century ago Prestonkirk churchyard possessed an ancient statue of St. Baldred. The ruins of a chapel dedicated to the saint are still discernible on the Bass Rock. ”

“ Marnock laboured as a missionary in Moray, being specially noted for his zeal in preaching. He died at Aberchirder in Banffshire, and was buried in the church there. The place after wards received the additional name of Marnock from its connection with the saint. St. Marnock's shrine became a favourite place of pilgrimage, and miracles were wrought through his relics, which were religiously preserved there. The head of St. Marnock was frequently borne in procession to obtain fair weather. ”

“ His simple and holy life and the miracles he worked had an immense influence in spreading the light of faith amongst the ignorant and half-barbarous people to whose welfare he had devoted himself, and many were converted to the Truth. ”

“ He was a holy priest, probably from Ireland, who was killed by robbers when passing through France on a pilgrimage to Rome. His body was buried at Rheims, and remained unknown and unhonoured for many years. Miracles at length revealed the saint's tomb, and his body was found on examination to be entire and fresh, exhaling a delicious odour. The sacred remains were afterwards translated to the {83} Church of St. Symphorien in the same city. In 1618 the Cardinal-Archbishop of Rheims presented an arm-bone of the saint to the Scots College in Rome. ”

“ The monastery of Coldingham, in the ancient kingdom of Northumbria, founded in the seventh century by St. Ebba, sister of the kings Oswald and Oswy, was governed in the ninth century by another Ebba, who presided over a band of holy virgins following the Rule of St. Benedict. About the year 867 several thousand {60} Danish warriors, under the command of the brothers Hinguar and Hubba, landed on the coast of East Anglia and desolated the whole north country. ”

“ The remains of a pillar with a sculptured cross may still be seen there. Portmahomack in Tarbet, Easter-Ross, refers either to this saint or to St. Colman, patron of the church of Tarbet (see February 18) . A chapel in the burial-ground of Kirriemuir (Forfarshire) bore the name of St. Colmoc.
9—St. Colum Cille or Columba, Abbot, A.D. 597.
The apostle of the northern regions of Scotland was born in Ireland in A.D. 521. Both father and mother were of royal race. Though offered the crown of his native province, Columba preferred rather to enrol himself in the monastic state. ”