Religion and Learning
Above: The Church
The spread of the faith suffered no check by the death of St. Patrick; for churches, monasteries, and convents continued to be founded all over the country. The founders of monasteries in Ireland may be said to have been of two classes. Those of the one class settled in the inhabited districts, and took on themselves functions of education and religious minis- tration. Those of the other class gave themselves up to a life of prayer and contemplation; and these took up their abode in remote islands or mountain valleys, places generally hard to reach, and often almost, in- accessible.
Here they lived with their little communities in cells, one for each individual, poor little places, mostly built by the 11 onks themselves. They supported themselves by the work of their hands, lived on hard fare, slept on the bare floor, and occupied their spare time in devotions. There was a very pronounced tendency to this solitary monastic life in the early Christian ages; and on almost all the islands round the coast, as well as on those in the lakes and rivers, the remains of churches and primitive eremitical estab- lishments are found to this day.
The three patron saints of Ireland are Patrick, Bngit, and Columba or Columkille. St. Brigit of Kildare was born about the year 455 at Faughart near Dundalk, where her father, who was a Leinster chief, then lived. She became a nun when very young; and soon the fame of her sanctity spread through the whole country. Having founded convents in various parts of Ireland, she finally settled-about the year 480-at a place in Leinster, where she built her first cell under the shade of a great oak-tree, whence it got the name of Kill-dara, the church of the oak, now Kildare. This became the greatest and most famous nunnery ever established in Ireland. She died on the 1st of February, 523. St. Brigit is venerate in Ireland beyond all other Irishwomen ; and there a places all through the country still called Kilbride, and Kilbreedy (Bn git’s church) which received their names from churches founded by or in commemoration of her
St. Columba or Columkille of lona was born in 521, at Gartan, in Donegal. He belonged to the Northern Hy Neill, his father being grandson of Conall Gulban son of Niall of the Nine Hostages; hut he gave up all the worldly advantages of his high birth for religion. In the year 546 he built the monastery of Derry; after which, during the next fifteen years, he’ founded a great number of churches and monastery all over the country, among others those of Kells Swords, Tory Island, Lambay near Dublin, and Durrow in King’s county, the last of which was his chief establishment in Ireland.
In the year 563 he went with twelve companions to the little island of lona on the west coast of Scotland which had been granted to him by his relative the km; of that part of Scotland. Here he settled, and founded the monastery which afterwards became so illustrious He converted the Picts, and he traversed the Hebrides preaching to the people and founding churches wherever he went. After a life of incessant activity in the service of religion, he died kneeling before the altar of his own church of lona, in the year 597, in the seventy sixth year of his age, and was buried within the monastery.
Besides the three Patrons, the following are a few of the most eminent of the Irish Saints: St. Ailbe of Ernly in Limerick, who was ordained bishop by St. Patrick. St. Enna. or Endens of Aran in Galway Bay; dice about 542. This island was afterwards called Ara-na- Naemh [naive], Aran of the saints, from the number of holy men who lived in it. St. Ciaran or Kierran, the patron of Ossory; born in the island of Cape Clear; died about 550. St. Finnen. of Clonard, the founder of the great school there : died 549.