translated by Charles Plummer
Electronic edition compiled by Benjamin Hazard
Funded by University College, Cork and
Professor Marianne McDonald via the CELT Project
2. Second draft.
Extent of text: 7075 words
Distributed by CELT online at University College, Cork, Ireland.
Text ID Number: T201023
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Available with prior consent of the CELT programme for purposes of academic research and teaching only.
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
The present text represents odd pages 1–35 of the published edition, including Plummer's Introduction. All textual notes are omitted. It is envisaged to include them in a future edition.
Text has been proof-read twice.
The electronic text represents the edited text. Names are capitalized in line with CELT practice. The editor's corrections are marked corr sic resp="CP", with the erroneous form retained in the 'sic' attribute.
Direct spech is marked q.
Soft hyphens are silently removed. When a hyphenated word (hard or soft) crosses a page-break, this break is marked after the completion of the hyphenated word.
div0=the saint's life; div1=the chapter. Plummer omits chapter number 5. This has been corrected in the electronic edition. The editor's sections are marked up as milestones mls since keeping them would have caused overlapping hierarchies when tagging poems. Page-breaks are marked pb n="". Foliation is tagged mls unit="folio" n="".
Names are not tagged, nor are terms for cultural and social roles.
This text uses the DIV1 element to represent the chapter.
Created: Translation by Charles Plummer. (1913)
Beatrix Färber (ed.)
Beatrix Färber (ed.)
Beatrix Färber (ed.)
Julianne Nyhan (ed.)
Peter Flynn (ed.)
Beatrix Färber (ed.)
Benjamin Hazard (ed.)
Benjamin Hazard (text capture)
The Miracles of Senan are here edited from two of the O'Clery MSS. in the Royal Library of Brussels, nos 2324-2340 fo1.241b-248a (text A), and nos 4190-4200 fo1.277a-279b (text B). In A the miracles follow a copy of the Life of Senan similar to that printed by Stokes in Lives of Saints from the Book of Lismore1. In B they follow a copy of the 'Amra Senain', which was printed by Stokes in this Zeitschrift III 220 ff., from H. III 17. Of the B text a late 18th century copy exists in RIA 23 L 11 p.241 (Hodges and Smith no 9), but it is a wretched scrawl, and I have not collated it. Of the two texts A is, as a rule, the fuller and clearer, but there are very interesting points in B.2 A is the text here printed.
The writer himself calls attention to the fact that these Miracles of Senan are modern miracles; that is not miracles wrought by the saint in his lifetime, but contemporary, or nearly so, with the writer, and in many of them there is nothing miraculous apart from the assumption of the writer that the events narrated were brought about by the special intervention of the saint. Some of them have to do with the relations of
In A the tract concludes with a poem which gives a list of the saints with whom St. Senan had made alliance in his lifetime, and who are bound, on the performance of certain rites, to come to avenge any wrong done to his churches. I have thought it worth while to print this poem, as it possibly gives an idea of the monasteries with which Scattery had relations of confraternity in the 14th century. The former part of the poem in which the saints are enumerated5 is fairly clear, but some
Here are a few of the stories relating to Senan, the noble eminent high saint, who wrought these great and evident wonders, and excellent miracles, the man who had bare boats without hides, plying backwards and forwards across the sea; who planted his bachall between the cows and the yearlings, so that neither cow nor yearling saw each other; before whom the full tide ebbed, and came to the full again, as he was taking his father's cattle with him. And the ox which the wolves ate that night; the blame of it was laid to him. Afterwards a stag would come from the mountain to the plough and to the ploughtackle, through the grace of this son, and would get into the tackle of itself, and would plough like any ox, .
{editor's section 2}Good was the grace of this son, Senan; for there were ten, and seven scores of psalm-singing elders, folk of the yoke of ascetism, and of the true family of God, around his table every night, as this verse shows:
- 'Seven score psalm — singing elders
In his household with great courses,
Without ploughing, without reaping, without drying,
Without any activity except study'.
That was the number in his reflectory at the time of refection every night, besides the attendants and servants in the island itself; while his noble guest houses at Kilrush were satisfying the needs of poor and naked, hale and sick, by night and day . And a loaf with its kitchen was given into the hand of every man, and protection, if required, for a whole year, and full escort afterwards. And though he (the refugee) went but the length of nine furrows beyond the mound of the termon, and then turned back to the same house, he would receive the same tendance.
Now during Senan's time that house answered for all this great expense, and Senan left this blessing on each succeeding coarb, on condition of his maintaining his hospitality. And this is the last charge that he gave, when he went to heaven, that his congregation and his hospitality should be maintained, as this verse shows:
{editor's section 3}
- Maintain my poor and my guests
After me gloriously, O youth, &c.
Moreover no tongue, unless inspired by God, could relate what Senan did in the way of miracles and mighty works through the grace of the Lord. However, the most select and noblest of them are written in ancient books with reverence and great honour. It is not of the mighty deeds and miracles wrought before our days in the time of Senan that we wish to speak now, but of things clear and recent, the evident wonders, and the stupendous miracles, while he works now, and which he wrought in the time of Tordelbach son of Tadg, son of Conchobar , son of Donnchad Cairbrech, who was the O'Brien for twenty-nine years, and in the time of Donnchad, son of Tordelbach, son of Tadg, and in the time of Diarmait son of Donnchad, son of Brian the Red, and in the time of Muirchertach son of Tordelbach, son of Tadg. For there was no boy in arms,
As to this Tordelbach son of Tadg—. He succeeded to the kingship of 'the Rough Province' to wit, Thomond; and there was all good in his time; for the earth was fruitful, &c. And so things continued for a while. But afterwards an ordinance and law was set up in the time of Tordelbach, that if any man should slay another in the land, and the full eric was not got from him (the slayer), that it should be exacted from his family, and if it were not obtained from them, it was to be exacted from his tribe, and if it was not got from them, it was to be exacted from the seven tribes most nearly connected with them. Many were harassed and stripped of their property under this ordinance; and though the regular orders of the church rose against it, they could not procure its withdrawal.
{editor's section 5}It chanced that a man of the (monastic) family of Senan slew a man; and the eric was demanded from the termon lands of Senan; and the coarb, and the prior, and the sacrist, and the convent of Scattery in general, said that they would not pay it; and that it was unjust to demand it from any man except the doer of the deed. But this plea was not accepted, for Tordelbach son of Tadg himself came against them, and reached the
Now on another occasion Murchad mac-an-espoic (son of the bishop) O'Brien came to Scattery, and there were boats there. And Murchad wished to carry off a boat by force. So the company of the place and the community mustered in full force, and they and Murchad had a sharp and rough encounter . However, Murchad got off by dint of force after wounding a clerk of the community. Senan came to him that night, and fear and dread and horror seized him at the sight, and he screamed aloud, and began offering his own land and stock to God and to Senan. And his wife and household
Another time Richard de Clare came in full force into Corcovaskin, and the land was harried by them, both clergy and laity, and he outraged the church of Senan. After this the Englishman went to his own fort and stronghold. And the company and community were sad and downcast that they should have been outraged within the sanctuary of Senan, and they made their complaint to God and Senan. And they besought God that the author of this design might be cut off, and the folk who had executed it utterly destroyed.
{editor's section 8}Senan came that night to the sacrist, and the sacrist asked him where he was going. Senan said that he was going to avenge his outraging on de Clare, and he recited this stave:
But the contest was no equal one,
- The King of heaven,
the King of the host, has granted to me the author of every design,
(and) the folk who plague my body in respect of my church,
that their bodies should be plagued without mercy.
There was once a temple of Senan's, to wit, Killnagalliach, which of all Senan's churches was his favourite, save Scattery alone. Yet such was the wickedness and infidelity of the people that they left it without rite, or mass, or altar; with wisps of thatch over it, and threshing and parching , and all the most menial offices being done there, as in any common house. The patron saint was highly incensed at this; and this is what he did. One day a woman was parching corn a stone's throw from the East end of the church, and the wind due West, when a sparrow hopped down from the top of the church to where she was, and seized a burning straw in its beak, and hopped on to the church again, and dropped the burning straw on to the thatch, and the church was burnt thatch and stick and stone; . After this the inhabitants of the place proposed to rebuild the church, and the next day they began to make a lime kiln.
{editor's section 10}However, that very night Senan came to a man of the place named Gilla-Senain O'Hettroman, and said to him: ‘Go tomorrow to the corner of the house of Ni Bruacháin and dig three feet out from the corner, and thou shalt find plenty of
As to the subsequent history of the lime-kiln:— every kind of disease in man or beast, if only (the patient) were rubbed with the lime, would be healed at once, or if a stone taken thence were heated and put in their drink, it would cure everyone, &c.
{editor's section 11}A woman in the place had a little lame kid, which had broken two of its legs and its back. She took it to the lime-kiln, and said: ‘Upon my word’, said she, ‘thou shalt not come out, till Senan displays his miracles on thee’. She left it in the kiln that night, and the next day she went to look at it, and found it standing quite healed with a great udder of milk, and the milk healed every illness and every plague in man and cattle, and was carried thenceforth to kings and bishops. Moreover everyone who fasts to God and to Senan on the site of this lime-kiln, and makes his confession afterwards, and receives the Body of Christ, shall obtain any boon he pleases, if it be not contrary to nature.
{editor's section 12}Once upon a time Donnchad son of Domnall son of Brian Roe (the red) assumed the chiefship of Corcovaskin, and he quartered his bands and bonaghts in on the land, and so many were his kernes and attendants that the bonaghts would find out (lit. reach) three cows that existed in the land. And as if that was not enough for them, Donnchad O'Brien himself went to outrage the churches of Senan, and to carry off their cattle from them whether they
On another occasion Mathgamhan son of Domnall, son of Muirchertach, went to carry off forcibly some cattle that were at Carnaun under the protection of Senan's coarb. And proceeded through the booley of the community. And a hue and cry was raised; and the coarb came at the top of his speed in pursuit of the protected cattle (lit. protection)--[gt ] and the community also, and a sharp struggle took place between them in the midst of the community's booley. And Mathgamain
Another time thieves came to the booley of the community, , and they took a single heifer belonging to a noble elder of the place ; and they carried it off to a remote spot, and killed it, and hid the hide, and the calf that was in its womb, in a hole in a bog, . The (loss of the) heifer was cried after this, but no one confessed to the theft. And the senior, that is the priest O'Huiginn, besought God and Senan to make known to him about his cow. At the end of a month the aforesaid thieves came to the hole in the bog where they had left the hide and calf of the cow, and took them out of the hole. And when they unwrapped the hide, the calf stood up, and bellowed three times. And great was the astonishment and horror of the thieves at this, and they prostrated themselves before God and Senan, and came to the priest, and offered him his own terms. And they promised not to do anything displeasing to Senan till doom.
{editor's section 15}Another time the clerks of the place held a chapter ; and they resolved to build a chapel to the Virgin,
A dreadful vision appeared to the elder, O'Cairill, a priest of Scattery, one night at mattins; and thus it came to him as a tanned jet-black form. ‘Christ's cross (be) between me and thee’, said the priest, ‘and who art thou?’ ‘Macbeth, son of Niall, son of Murchad’, said he. ‘What has blackened thee like that?’ said the elder. ‘That is soon told’ (said he) ‘the enormity of my torment and my sins; for thus I am, with a great horde of demons hovering about me, with many iron flails which they ply upon my head. And though this be grievous to me, more grievous is it to me that my father is settled on the boundary (lit. wall) of a saint, and woe to him who is there. And woe to me beyond anything that my father should be near the church, for whoever shall trespass on the boundary (lit. wall) of any saint, and especially Scattery, the three thousand saints who made alliance and union with Senan will avenge it on the doer, and on his seed after him. And when wrong or trespass is done to this sacred island these saints come from every quarter to avenge it on the perpetrators.’ And he recited this lay.
- {editor's section 17}Glorious the beauteous city to night,
Scattery, fair its array.
Blessed the corpse that goes under its soil;
many a quiring angel is in its harbour.- Woe to him who provokes the emaciated noble one,
farfamed Senan of the melodious sages.
This is the punishment which will be to him therefor,
deprivation of heaven and earth.- The avengers of the saint's wrath,
{editor's section 18}
promptly they come at the call;
three thousand saints
come nobly across the brine.- Goodly the company of the saints
of Derry which comes from the north at the cry;
the company of Mochuda from afar,
and Barry himself to meet them.- There comes from Clonard afar
a lean troop of clerics
and the noble company of Ciaran of Clonmacnois,
westwards to the meeting of Magh Mail.- There comes Coemgen from Glendalough,
{editor's section 19}
there comes Berach the prince in sooth;
Subach comes, noble the sage,
comes goodly Beoog from the great wave.- Moinend and Mac Sol aim in the West,
promptly they come at the cry,
fair noble Fergus the bishop, with eager
fervid strength to meet them.- Thither comes Maelcorgais
to Iarlaithe on the bright path,
from the East comes Follan,
and Coman with a hundred monks.
- Fair Brendan of the hosts comes,
{editor's section 20}
come a hundred from Cell wic Ronain;
great Nessan comes across the brine
— profitably come the Cronans.- Cairell will come, venerable the champion,
across the brine from Aran without fail;
Feichin the fair of Fore
comes across the water to help the churches.- Lughna the warlike of Nenagh comes,
and the host of Mughna comes willingly,
reverently come the Colmans;
Ah God, wondrous is the help.- Eralt comes thither with (good) augury,
{editor's section 21}
and a host of the saints of Luigne,
Manchan comes by dear God's will,
and Berchan with his companies.- Glorious Tigernan of Errew comes,
Mocúa of Balla comes at last,
reverently comes the devout foreigner;
not gentle is the help at hand.- Grellan of Creeve, hardy in battles,
a favourite who attained every grace in his course;
Fursa will come, generous the prince,
though far off, quickly will he come.- Cellach comes, the venerable son of Conmac,
{editor's section 22}
and the fierce generous Flannan,
Úa Suanaigh comes here
at the call with the fair hosts of Cannan.- Colum son of Crimthan with grace,
his voice was a stream which never dried,
Caimin of Inishcaltra in battle came
from his island at the sound.- Ailbe, who surpassed the sun,
comes hither at his will,
and Mac Luighne and Macduach
swiftly, and Mochuille.
- Luchtigern comes quickly at our summons,
{editor's section 23}
Scenmán bears his shield into the contest;
gracious their speech in this world,
Blathmac with the host comes to our profit.- Mac Leinin of the keen bright spear,
Molaga at last, like a hero,
Finnchu of Brigown of the garden;
he will not stay till he comes to the contest (lit. trouble).- Comgall, Cainnech, Lachtin with him,
Mochua of Balla, venerable his conflict,
Ruadhan of Lorrha comes with the host
swiftly to the fort to aid us.- Flann, son of glorious Airchellach comes,
{editor's section 24}
and the fierce generous Findan;
Carthach comes who is a match (?) for three,
and great Mainech son of Lairin.- From the West comes the company of Aran
across the brine of the rough crested sea;
the saints of the venerable covenant come
to the abbot who is glorious indeed.- To Senan the venerable in his church,
to the station of the slender noble ships,
though his time was poor in his life,
he has power with God's bosom Son.- Great the company of the saint in sooth
{editor's section 25}
from Carn ui Neit to the Fews,
three thousand is the sum
of those who come to the onset.- Woe to him who rouses up this host
by outraging the city (monastery),
short and scant will be his grace;
long and lasting will be his ruth.
- Woe to him who brings this host hither
from the distant bounds of Cime;
'tis no peace-making that will result from it,
from outraging the church.- I say a word which is not boastful of the venerable church,
{editor's section 26}
the most beauteous ever heard of;
a company of angels is there unweariedly...
A line missing; space left blank in the MS.- A son of a son of life not lasting
among the ranks of hosts not free,
a firebrand for evermore were I,
but for Senan of the noble hosts.- Woe to him who steals the land of the saint,
ill is it to have to meet them (i. e. the saints);
woe to each man who contrived
to be oppressively in his (Senan's) venerable store.- Alas! my saint has stripped me bare,
{editor's section 27}
on me has fallen his headlong wrath;
this it is which evilly separates me from him,
my being oppressively in his sacred harbour.- Woe to him who is near churches,
woe to him who frequents not mass;
better to be in the shelter of stone churches,
than with evil men of the spear.- A man who is under the wrath of the saint,
I well know will not profit by it;
his children and cattle perish,
and himself will be in evil case in the other world.- Though every road were thronged with my seed,
I would not rely on them;
I would not take his land from him,
however numerous my mighty hosts.
- Though it (the land) were called my field in clear possession,
{editor's section 28}
and though it were my father that occupied it,
I will not enter on it save under security,
if it be near the church.- To take a sod of the land of the saints
is displeasing to the Holy Spirit;
woe to him who appropriates even a little of it,
on his own 'sod of death' it will be avenged.- Woe to him who makes a house on the wall (boundary) of a saint;
woe to the sept which supports him (in doing so);
woe to his sons and his men,
he shall receive heavy pains for it.- There is danger for a king who attacks a church,
{editor's section 29}
he shall fall by blade or point,
without property, without security he goes forth;
the Lord places him with Judas.- Of all the ill I did in my body of clay,
of all the rebellion,
that which has ruined me most,
is taking land from Senan.- I bid every layman after me,
though he obtain no land but (mere) heath,
not to attack church lands,
lest he go with his deed to hell.- If I were to return to the meagre world,
I would fight on behalf of study;
I would not be cheek by jowl with his church
for all the gold of Erin.- This is my covering (lit. plumage) and my mantle,
his soil thus under the side of my head;
it is true that the church is a portion, even Leighlin (?)
is a protection of the soul
{editor's section 30}- It is good for every unhappy soul
that the sound of the bell's voice be not evoked (lit. struck),
though it be carried (lit. though it go) over it round its grave
on a winter's night clear and cold.- Good for every strong bright body its grave about it,
though it be but short;
I give thanks to the God of the stars
for not being far from mass.- Woe to the man who is neighbour (?) of the saint,
of the fair pilgrim of the hosts;
he will not be powerful (?) in his land,
unless he be generous of his tribute.- Not better is the man who owes rent or tribute
{editor's section 31}
to his (Senan's) own monk,
than the cunning bright foreigner
who comes with kine to consume pasture.- The stone of the covenant in every contest
is with the venerable and righteous band;
a pool in the venerable monastery
does service to the holy abbot.- The field of the monastery is good in its site,
abundant its increase since the beginning;
the Angels' Height is there near it,
a fortress which was never assailed by violence.- The support of his fair generous ploughmen
is the acre of the field of the glorious angels;
the doe's milk is their fair portion,
on the edge of the cemetery of the glorious saints.Glorious.