III.—PATRICK AGAIN AT DOOGARY

It is not expressly stated that he went there on this occasion, but it is distinctly implied in the earlier portion of the Tripartite narrative. For it is said that whilst Patrick was abiding at Doogary (Duma Graid), ordaining the great host, he smiled. “What is that?” saith Benen—that caused him to smile. “Not hard to say,” saith Patrick—it was the ancient bardic formula for answering a question—“Bron and the Monk Olcan are coming towards me along the Strand of Eothaile, and my pupil, Mac Erca, is with them. The wave of the flood (of the inrushing tide) made a great dash at them, and the boy (Mac Erca) was afraid of being carried away.” ‘That,’ adds the Tripartite, ‘was a prophecy’—that is a manifestation of a thing that could only be known to Patrick by a Divine revelation. The smile seems to signify their folly in not trusting to God and Patrick.

This clearly points to Patrick’s visitation of Doogary at a later period than his first crossing the Shannon. For we have seen that these holy persons were all left in Tirawley and Tireragh by Patrick, and that Mac Erca was left there to learn his rudiments, in charge of Bishop Bron. Patrick had, it would appear, invited them to come to him in Moylurg to aid him in ordaining the bishops and clerics necessary for the new churches now founded in Tirerrill. So when, in obedience to his call, they were faring to him across the famous Strand, that inrush of the tide took place, which moved him to smile at their fears of danger in obeying the call of God. We think this passage clearly shows that Patrick on his return journey northward crossed the Boyle water at Knockvicar, and revisited Doogary in the parish of Tumna, which was the scene of his earliest labours west of the Shannon.

From Doogary then Patrick passed north under the mountain of the Hy Ailella, now called Bralieve, and about four miles further on he came to Shancough, where he had at his first visit directed Ailbe to seek for the altar and the chalices of glass in the cave under ground. Patrick had not visited the place, so far as we can judge, on his first arrival at Doogary, because it was then his purpose to go direct to the royal palace at Cruachan. But now as he was going north from Doogary, and his road certainly lay, as it lies still, close to the old church of Shancough, there was no reason why he should not visit it, and confirm all that had been done there by his disciple, St. Ailbe. Hence it is that the Book of Armagh describes ‘Cell Senchuae’—that is Shancough—as one of the churches founded by Patrick on this occasion. We have already observed that the memory of Ailbe is still vividly remembered in this locality; and that his hermitage and his ‘bed’ are still pointed out by the peasantry high on the mountain side to the east, but within view of the church and the cave with its chalices of glass.

From Shancough Patrick kept still on his way to the north, and so after about six miles he came to Kilellin in the modern parish of Kilross, which may, perhaps, be the site of the ancient church mentioned by Tirechan as one of the four churches founded by Patrick in Tirerrill, that is Cell Angle. Those familiar with Irish will easily perceive how the change of name might have taken place. It was certainly the ancient church of the district, for Kilross was founded so late as 1233, by Clarus Mac Mailin of Trinity Island, in Lough Cé, the greatest church builder of his own time perhaps in all Ireland. Kilellin had its own cemetery in ancient times, but the newer church of the Trinitarians became a more popular place of sepulture. Kilellin is quite close to Ballygawley, and hence would be near Patrick’s route either when coming into Tirerrill by Slieve da En, or when leaving it by the ancient track into North Leitrim, which certainly passed by Ballintogher, as the name implies.