Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Life of St. Declan of Ardmore (Author: Patrick Power)
chapter 2
Of this same race of Eoghan was the holy bishop Declan of whom I shall speak later scil.: Declan son of Eirc, son of Trein, son of
Lughaidh, son of Miaich, son of Brian, son of Eoghan, son of Art Corp, son of Moscorb, son of Mesgeadra, son of Measfore, son of Cuana
Cainbhreathaigh, son of Conaire Cathbuadhaigh, son of Cairbre, son of Eoghan, son of Fiacha Suighde, son of Felimidh Reachtmhar, son of
Tuathal Teachtmhar.
The father of Declan was therefore Erc Mac Trein. He and
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his wife Deithin went on a visit to the house of his kinsman Dobhran about the time that Declan's birth was due. The child she
bore was Declan, whom she brought forth without sickness, pain or difficulty but in being lifted up afterwards he struck his head
against a great stone. Let it be mentioned that Declan showed proofs of sanctification and power of miracle-working in his mother's womb,
as the prophet writes:—‘De vulva sanctificavi te et prophetam in gentibus dedi te’(Before thou camest forth out of the
womb I sanctified thee and made thee a prophet unto the nations).1
Thus it is that Declan was sanctified in his mother's womb and was given by God as a prophet to the pagans for the conversion of
multitudes of them from heathenism and the misery of unbelief to the worship of Christ and to the Catholic faith, as we shall see later
on. The very soft apex of his head struck against a hard stone, as we have said, and where the head came in contact with the stone it
made therein a hollow and cavity of its own form and shape, without injury of any kind to him. Great wonder thereupon seized all who
witnessed this, for Ireland was at this time without the true faith and it was rarely that any one (therein) had shown heavenly Christian
signs. 'Declan's Rock' is the name of the stone with which the Saint's head came into contact. The water or rain which falls into
the before-mentioned cavity (the place of Declan's head) dispels sickness and infirmity, by the grace of God, as proof of Declan's
sanctity.