Page:Irish essays; literary and historical.pdf/13

 to the seaward of Ballyshannon. Abbey Assaroe, like most of the foundations of St. Bernard’s children in Ireland, was a great and wealthy monastery, while its hospice was always open with a hearty welcome to receive the poor and the stranger. But in Cormac O’Clery the good monks soon discovered that they had more than an ordinary guest; and we are told that they loved him much "for his education and good morals," and also "for his wisdom and intelligence." This is not to be wondered at, for Cormac O’Clery, besides being an Irish scholar and poet, was, we are expressly told, a learned proficient both in the "Canon and Civil Law." Now, you must not think that you have had the Irish monopoly of these things in Maynooth, and that our ancient Celtic scholars knew nothing about them. The Canon and Civil Law were taught, and well taught, far west of the Shannon fifty years before Cormac O’Clery went to Donegal. Under date of 1328, the Four Masters record the death of Maurice O’Gibellain, "chief professor of the New Law, the Old Law, and the Canon Law.” The New Law was the Civil or Roman Law, then recently brought to Ireland from the schools of Bologna; the Old Law was the Brehon Law; and, of course, the Canon Law they had in one shape or another from the time of St. Patrick. This O’Gibellain is described as a truly learned sage, canon chorister of Tuam, and officialis, or diocesan judge, for nearly all the prelates of the West. O’Clery, therefore, would be in no want of teachers to instruct him in the Canon and Civil Law.

Now, Abbey Assaroe was only about three miles from what was then Kilbarron Castle; and a frequent visitor at the abbey was its owner at the time, Matthew O’Sgingin, the historical Ollave of O’Donnell, who had many years before come to the banks of the Erne from his native territory near Ardcarne, in the County Roscommon. He was then an old man; his only son, Giolla Brighde, the hope of his house, and the intended Ollave of Tirconnell, was slain in battle about the year 1382; and now his hearth was very lonely and his house was desolate, for save one only daughter, he had no child in his castle by the sea; above all, no son to be heir of his name and of his learning amongst the gallant chiefs of Old Tirconnell. Just then it was the old man met Cormac O’Clery at Abbey Assaroe, a gracious and learned youth, moreover, one of gentle birth, and well skilled in history, although now a friendless and homeless poor scholar. So old Matthew took young Cormac down to Kilbarron; he