Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 28, 1917.djvu/232

 200 Collectanea.

dedicated to Columba, but only his name was remembered in 1911.

St. Kieran {Ciaran mac an t saor), the founder of Clonmacnoise, was also founder of a fine church on Aranmore Teampul (or Mainistir) Chiarain, with its hole-stone and cross, well and cell. Local legend, in 1670, said he was employed to thresh corn, and he did it so thoroughly that he threshed all the straw into grain. Deprived of thatch the people built the stone- roofed cells.'

Saints of the West Coast.

St. Flannan. — The patron of Killaloe lived in the latter part of the seventh century and was son of a local prince, Thoirdhealbhagh, probably chief of the little Dalcassian tribe on the Shannon in east Co. Clare, later on known as Ui Thoirdheal- bhaigh, but sometimes called wrongly the " King of Thomond." Flannan was a voyager and worked as a missionary up the Scottish coast to the Flannan Isles, which still contain his oratory and cells. He is reverenced on Galway Bay on Dec. 1st at Ballindoon church and Irrosfiannan, or " Flannan's penin- sula."

St. Fechin. — The patron of Fore (about a.d. 630) founded a monastery on Omey Island [Imaidhe) from which Colgan obtained the oldest copy of his life, looo years later. His day is Jan. 30th, and his holy wells are at Tinnakille in Ross, Cannanagh, and Gowlannall near Tombeola. He is also venerated on Ardillaun, or High Island.

St. Smnach MacDara. — This much-feared saint is especially venerated at Cruach mac Dara Island, outside Bertraghbuy Bay. His identity is unknown ; some suppose him to be a fox hero ! his name meaning " Fox, son of oak," but the fox, and even its name, is of ill-omen, and, above all, spoils a day's fishing, while the saint (though only spoken of by his patro- nymic " MacDara ") is especially venerated by fisher folk. I have not noted his cultus further south than Oughtdara, oppo-

(as the first authority states) if it spouts upwards the birds die, or downwards then it kills the fishes, or if it spouts at the land a pestilence ensues. ^ O.S. Letters, Gahvay, vol. iii. ]>. 294.