¹ The Life of the Most Blessed Father, Saint Ailbe, Archbishop and Confessor

² Saint Ailbe, bishop of the people of Emly and most blessed father—recognized as the second patron of all the island of Ireland after Saint Patrick—was born in the eastern part of the region of Cliú, which is in Munster. His father was named Olcnais, who lived under King Cronán in the land of the Artrige. While there, Olcnais secretly pledged himself to one of the king’s maidservants, a woman named Sanclit, and slept with her. When Olcnais realized that the maidservant had conceived a child by him, he feared the king’s wrath and fled in secret to avoid being put to death. Later, the maidservant gave birth to a son—Saint Ailbe. When King Cronán saw that his maidservant had borne a child, he declared, “This child, born of a maidservant, will not live under my roof, nor will he be raised among my sons.” The king commanded his servants to kill the boy. But, moved by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the servants did not carry out the order. Instead, they laid the child under a large rock and left him there. That place, where he was laid, remains revered to this day. Under that very rock lived a wild she-wolf, who came to love the holy child deeply. Like a gentle mother among her pups, she nursed and cared for him tenderly.

³ One day, while the wild beast had wandered into the woods in search of food, a certain man named Lochanus, son of Lugir—a man upright by nature—came across the child lying under the rock among the wolf’s cubs. He gently took the child and carried him home. Soon after, the she-wolf returned, and seeing that the boy was gone, let out a deep, mournful howl and quickly followed his scent. As Lochanus approached his house, the wolf caught up with him and seized the hem of his cloak, refusing to let go until she saw the child. Then Lochanus spoke to the beast, saying, “Go in peace. This child will no longer dwell among wolves—he will remain with me.” At these words, the wolf, weeping and howling, sorrowfully returned to her den. Lochanus, son of Lugir, entrusted the holy child to some Britons who lived with him in the eastern part of Cliú. They raised the boy with great care, and gave him the name Ailbe, because he was found alive beneath a rock. And the grace of God was with him.

⁴ After these events, a Christian priest—sent from the Apostolic See—came to the island of Ireland many years before Saint Patrick, with the mission of sowing the faith of Christ among its people. At that time, the Irish were still pagans; they did not receive him, nor did they believe his message, though a few were moved to faith. When this priest arrived in the region of the Mumu (Munster), he found the young Saint Ailbe outside, deep in prayer, his eyes turned toward heaven. The boy was earnestly begging to be shown true belief, saying: “I pray that I may come to know the Creator of all things, and believe in Him who made heaven and earth and every creature. For I know that all the elements could not have come into being without a Maker—no human craftsman could have made them.” As young Ailbe prayed these words, the priest, who was nearby, heard him. He approached and greeted the child, and, recognizing the desire of his heart, began to teach him about all these truths. He baptized him and confirmed the name Ailbe for him.

⁵ Afterward, the Britons who had raised the holy Albeus decided to return to their homeland. Saint Albeus walked with them all the way to the sea, wishing to cross over with them. However, they had paid for passage aboard a ship and, not wanting to bring Albeus with them, left him alone at the port. But they were tossed about all day by wind and waves, and eventually were driven back to the very place where they had abandoned him. When they saw the holy boy still standing there at the harbor, and realized that their perilous journey through the storm had happened because of him, they took him aboard the ship. From that moment on, they had a smooth and successful voyage all the way to Britain.

⁶ Then Saint Albeus desired to go to Rome, where he hoped to study the Holy Scriptures. When he reached the sea called the Icthian Sea—between Britain and Gaul—he found some men preparing to sail. But they refused to take him with them. One of them mocked him and said, “Go board that ship in front of you.” The ship he pointed to was old and had been broken for many days. At the sound of his voice, Saint Albeus immediately boarded the ruined ship. And by a miraculous journey and the guiding hand of God, he began to cross the sea. Then the man called out after him, saying, “Don’t sail in my ship!” Not wishing to remain aboard without the sailor’s permission, Albeus spread his cloak over the sea, sat upon it, and, trusting in the Lord, he blessed the ship. It returned on its own to its owner. But Albeus, seated on his cloak and praying to the Holy Trinity, crossed the sea in a wondrous way and safely arrived on the other side.

⁷ After this, Saint Albeus arrived at a Roman military outpost. News of him had reached the soldiers even before he arrived. Wanting to test him, they brought three men to him: one was blind, another deaf, and the third mute. Saint Albeus, seeing their suffering, called upon the mercy of God on their behalf—and in front of everyone, he healed them all.

⁸ But when God saw that they had unjustly tested His holy servant and acted with malice, He sent a great snowfall over their entire camp. Then, overwhelmed by the intense cold, they cried out to Saint Albeus, begging him to remove the plague of snow from them. Albeus, moved with compassion, raised his hand and blessed the sky. Immediately, the bright sun appeared and warmed the camp. And all the people, rejoicing, praised the Lord and Saint Albeus.

⁹ Then three mighty lions came out of the forests and charged into the camp. One of them killed a man, and the other two killed two of the king’s horses. As they tried to devour their prey, they took the bodies into their mouths. In terror, everyone fled from the lions. When Saint Ailbe saw the distress this caused, he said to the lions: “Even though you killed them without us seeing it, do not eat their bodies in front of our eyes.” Immediately, the lions obeyed. They dropped the bodies from their mouths and ran gently toward Saint Ailbe. It was as if they were seeking forgiveness for what they had done—they humbly licked his feet. As Saint Ailbe prayed, the man who had been killed rose from the dead and stood up, alive. Then the king said to Saint Ailbe, “O holy man of God, I know now that nothing is impossible for you through your God. I beg you—please, in the name of Almighty God, bring back my two horses, which I love dearly.” Hearing the king’s request made in the name of the Almighty, Saint Ailbe signed the horses with the sign of the holy cross. At once, the horses stood up, restored to life. He blessed the lions too, who continued to lick his feet. With their manes, they gently wiped his feet as though drying them with a cloth, like pilgrims caring for a saint. Then the king said to God’s servant: “Please, make sure these lions don’t come back here again.” But Saint Ailbe replied: “Don’t send them away empty-handed. Look—your horses were taken into their mouths because they intended to eat them, and God allowed it. Now, give them a meal so that they will leave your land and never return.” The king answered, “I don’t have anything suitable at hand to give them.” So Saint Ailbe took the king’s steward with him to a nearby mountain. When they had prayed there to the Lord, a great cloud descended from the sky down to the earth. From within the cloud came a meal, perfectly suited for the lions. Then the holy man said to the lions: “Take this with you into the wilderness, and eat it there.” The lions did exactly as he had told them. Then a great cry of praise arose from the people, amazed by this incredible miracle. With one voice, they blessed the Lord and Saint Ailbe. Saint Ailbe blessed them all, including the king, and then departed from them.

¹⁰ After these things, Saint Albeus traveled to Rome, where he studied the Holy Scriptures under Bishop Hilary. There, dearest brothers, God’s divine power revealed great and astonishing miracles for the sake of Saint Albeus, archbishop, to commend him, to show love and honor for him, and to strengthen the faith of His people in the following way. While he remained in the city of Rome with the aforementioned Bishop Hilary, growing in virtue, he received this first command of obedience from his teacher: that he should tend pigs in a nearby forest. But that forest was completely inhospitable to all animals—there was no fruit, nor any benefit or favour to be found in it. However, Almighty God granted this grace to His servant, Saint Albeus: his pigs became very fat every year, despite the forest having no fruit-bearing trees. Each day, when Saint Albeus went into the city to study under Hilary, he would trace a line around his pigs with his staff, and the pigs would not dare to cross the mark of the staff; neither thieves nor wild beasts could harm them. And so it was during the whole time that he served as their shepherd.

¹¹ One year, Saint Hilary had a very large field of grain, into which one hundred measures of seed had been sown. When the time for the harvest came and the crop had fully ripened, no harvesters could be found to reap the field. Then Saint Hilary said to Albeus, “Find harvesters, my son, so that we do not lose the grain that belongs to the brothers.” At the word of his teacher, the holy disciple immediately rose and went to see the field. By then, night had nearly fallen. The whole mind of Saint Albeus was always fixed on prayer, and there he prayed for a long time. In the first watch of the night, the angels of God came to Saint Albeus and spoke with him; and that very night, they harvested the entire field in front of him and gathered it all into one place in an orderly manner. When Saint Hilary saw this miracle worked through his servant and disciple, he glorified the name of the Lord and blessed his holy disciple Albeus.

¹² At another time, many harvesters had gathered around Saint Hilary and were working in separate fields. Saint Albeus was with one group in a different location. On that day, there was heavy rain after the third hour of the day, and all the other workers were stopped from continuing the harvest. But in the field where Albeus was, not a single drop of rain fell; instead, the bright sun shone on them all day. Everyone who witnessed this gave glory to the Lord and praised Saint Albeus.

¹³ One day, Saint Hilary said to the blessed Albeus, “Look, our trees have not borne fruit this year, and we have no apples.” Then Saint Albeus replied, “It is not for someone as lowly as me to pray against the will of God, but rather for good men; and the One who made everything out of nothing can give us apples even without fruit coming from our trees.” God the Father Almighty, hearing the humility in Saint Albeus’ words, according to his prophetic saying, rained down an abundance of apples upon the monastery, so much so that the whole monastery was filled among the hedges with apples of wondrous size; and they tasted like honey. All who saw this marvellous event gave thanks to God, amazed at the holiness of the blessed Albeus.

¹⁴ A certain man from the household of Saint Hilary, out of hatred and envy, offered a bowl of wine mixed with poison to Saint Albeus. Then the blessed Albeus, filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit and the gift of prophecy, tilted the bowl downward with his lips, and the wine remained fixed in the bowl while the poison fell to the ground. At once, the poison turned into a serpent; and that serpent, seeing the man who had given the poison to Saint Albeus, ran toward him and entered into him—and he died immediately. When Saint Albeus saw that the man was dead, he remembered the command of the Lord, which says, “Repay evil with good”, and he prayed for him and raised him to life in front of everyone. That man gave strong testimony about Saint Albeus, and the serpent turned back into poison so that it could no longer harm anyone.

¹⁵ Seeing the great holiness of Saint Ailbe and the many great and miraculous works God performed through him, Saint Hilary, recognising him as proven in all wisdom, sent him to the pope so that he might be ordained a bishop. The holy pope rejoiced at his arrival, and he stayed with him for one year and fifty days. Then fifty holy men from Ireland followed Saint Ailbe and journeyed to Rome. When they arrived where the holy pope and Ailbe were, the pope gave them a separate lodging and sent Saint Ailbe to be with them. Among them were many who shared the same names—twelve named Colman, twelve named Comgall, twelve holy men named Fintan, and the most blessed Declan along with the others. The pope sent to these holy guests the finest breads, wine, oil, and other good foods. Then Saint Ailbe said to Saint Declan and Colman, “Which one of you will be our steward for this meal?” But they replied, “We are all tired and unable to serve.” Immediately, Saint Ailbe got up and served them himself, rejoicing in his heart, because he had wanted to serve. The Lord Jesus Christ gave Saint Ailbe such grace that the brothers found food every day with him just as good as that which the pope had sent them. Saint Ailbe also distributed food to his brothers every night, and afterwards to the poor, so that he emptied all the vessels completely—but the next day they were found full again; and the same was true for drink, for many days. When the holy pope heard of this, he gave thanks to God and honoured Saint Ailbe and his brothers.

¹⁶ At another time, many saints asked the supreme pontiff to ordain Saint Ailbe as a bishop and to send him to the Irish to preach there, because they were still pagans. The holy pope said, “I would like to ordain him, but I am reluctant to lay my hand on his head because of the greatness of the spiritual grace which the Almighty Lord has so abundantly given him.” These words greatly displeased Saint Ailbe, and he did not want to accept the office, for he was meek and humble of heart. Again, the holy pope said, “Let what you desire be done; but I cannot do this until the feast day of the apostles Peter and Paul, because the angels of God who spoke with me have commanded it so; and on that day, we shall see the angels of God blessing him after his ordination.” This prophecy of the holy pope was truly fulfilled, for on the feast day of the apostles Peter and Paul, the angels of God, in the sight of the blessed pope and all the people of the apostolic see, blessed Ailbe. When the blessing was complete, all who saw it gave glory to God, praising Saint Ailbe along with the angels.

¹⁷ After this, Saint Ailbe said to the pope, “Where will all these people eat today?” But the pope, knowing that the blessed Ailbe had food and drink in his cell without lack, replied, “On the day of your ordination, it is for you to feed us all.” Ailbe said, “This is not difficult for my Lord Jesus Christ; and with His help, I will feed you.” Then all the people followed the holy pope to the lodging. God Almighty then rained down five showers upon Saint Ailbe’s storerooms: a shower of honey, of oil, of fish, of the whitest bread, and of wondrous wine. From these, the Roman people together with the holy pope, by the grace of God, were abundantly fed for three days and three nights, praising and blessing the Lord and honouring His servant, Saint Ailbe. This was the feast of the ordination of Saint Ailbe. For a long time, Saint Ailbe lived among the Romans, and they loved him dearly.

¹⁸ After this, Saint Albeus was sent from the Apostolic See to the nations so that, in the apostolic way, he might preach the Gospel of Christ to them; and through him, a great number of people from among the Gentiles believed in the Lord and were baptized. However, in that crowd, there was a lack of water. Then the blessed Albeus, having compassion on the people because they were without water and suffering greatly from it, went to a nearby mountain. There he found a large rock and struck it four times with his staff. Immediately, four streams flowed out from that rock and filled that region in four directions. When the people saw this great miracle worked by the man through whom they had come to believe in God, they gave thanks to God and were strengthened in the Catholic faith. In that region, Saint Albeus built a monastery, in which he left his holy sons, Guill and others. He then blessed the whole region and departed from them.

¹⁹ Then Saint Albeus came to a city called Dolomoir, on the farthest borders of Lethe, and there he stayed in a lodging with his people. When the bishop of that city, named Samson, began to offer the Body of Christ before the people, it happened that both his chalice and flask were broken at the same time. The bishop was deeply saddened, and a great outcry arose among all the people in the church. Then Saint Albeus entered the church and asked about the cause of this commotion. When he learned the reason for their distress, he took the broken pieces of the chalice and flask, blessed them, and they were made whole again, so that no trace of the break could be seen. And all who saw this glorified the Lord through His servant, Saint Albeus.

²⁰ In those same regions, a man and a woman sinned grievously against Saint Albeus, speaking against him in front of everyone without cause. Because of this, they were brought to punishment and killed. But when Albeus heard that they had been killed, he was deeply grieved. He went to them and prayed to God on their behalf, and he raised them from the dead in the sight of all, since they had been handed over to death because of dishonouring him. Then everyone gave glory to God, seeing this great miracle.

²¹ At that same time, Saint Albeus found a priest standing before the altar in a certain church, preparing to offer the sacrifice, but he was unable to do so because his tongue was bound. Then Albeus looked around at the people who were in the church and saw among them a pregnant woman. Then the spirit of prophecy filled Saint Albeus, and he said to the priest, “The reason you cannot speak is because God has willed that the fame of the child this woman carries in her womb should be heard first. He will be God’s chosen one, a distinguished bishop, and will be called David. Now you will have this as a sign: when the people present hear these words, you will sing with a clear voice.” And when the people heard this prophecy, the priest sang the Mass, and all the people with one voice blessed the blessed Albeus, who had revealed this hidden matter through God’s grace. Afterwards, the child was born. Patereius gave him to Saint Albeus to be raised for God. This is David, the holy bishop, whose relics rest in the city of Cell Muni, which is in Britain.

²² After these things, Saint Ailbe, like a wise and diligent bee, returned to his homeland of Ireland, carrying the sweetness of his spiritual labour, with God as his guide. When he reached the sea, he blessed it, and with great calm and peace, he and all his followers crossed over in a very humble vessel without harm. They arrived at a harbor in the northern part of Ireland. There, at the instruction of Saint Ailbe, one of his companions named Colmán built a small cell, which came to be known as Cell Ruaid. Because the place had no water, Saint Ailbe blessed a certain stone there in the name of Almighty God, and at once a stream of water burst forth from it. Then Saint Colmán said to Ailbe, “This is only a little water.” But Ailbe replied, “Though it is small, it will never run dry; this stream will flow without end until the end of this world.” The stream is called Buanán Chill Ruaid, meaning “the unfailing stream of Cell Ruaid.”

²³ Afterward, the king of the region called Dál nAraidi—which was also the ancestral land of Saint Ailbe—was at war with the people of Connacht during those days, but he was utterly defeated and fled in great distress, and three of his sons were killed. Carrying the bodies of his sons, he came to Ailbe and said, “Look at me, a broken man. I have come to you, holy man of God, to ask for your help, for I have heard that you work great wonders.” The king’s name was Fintan, and he was still a pagan. Ailbe said to him, “If you believe, and are baptized, then I will ask divine help for you and for your sons”. Then the king believed and was baptized. Saint Ailbe went to where the sons were lying, and he prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ for them. And they rose up alive and stood before their father. They were all strengthened in the faith of Christ. Then Ailbe blessed them and said, “Because you have believed in Christ, you will overcome your enemies.” And immediately, the king, trusting in the word of Saint Ailbe, went out again to battle against the Connachtmen, and he took vengeance for the wrongs done to him. Taking hostages from them, he returned to his home with great joy and triumph.

²⁴ Saint Ailbe traveled throughout all of Ireland, preaching baptism, and he converted many to the faith, but not all; for it was the will of Almighty God that the blessed bishop Patrick, who came to Ireland after Ailbe, would bring the entire Irish people to faith. And so it came to pass: Bishop Patrick converted all of Ireland from paganism to faith and baptism. When blessed Ailbe heard that Patrick was converting the king of the Munstermen, Óengus son of Nad Froích, and was with him in the royal city of Cashel, he came to greet them. The king and Patrick rejoiced at Ailbe’s arrival, and Ailbe rejoiced when he saw them. There, Saint Ailbe accepted Patrick as his teacher, for he was very humble. Then King Óengus and Patrick decreed that the city and episcopal seat of Saint Ailbe would always be the archbishopric of all the Munstermen.

²⁵ One day, a woman who had secretly given birth to a child conceived through adultery was brought before Saint Patrick so that he might reveal who the father of the child was; but the woman refused to name him. Then Saint Patrick said to Saint Ailbe, “An angel told me that this question will be answered through you.” Saint Ailbe replied, “In obedience to the word of the angel, I will do as you ask.” He said, “Bring to me all the men who live in the same village as this woman.” And they all came—except for one. Saint Ailbe said to them, “There is a man in the fields who did not come with you.” That man was a charioteer, and everyone was amazed by such a revelation. When that man arrived, the child was brought to Saint Ailbe, and he baptized him. Then he said to the child, “Now go to your father and show him to us.” Immediately, the little boy stood up, went to the charioteer, and said to the people, “This is my father.” The man then confessed that the child had spoken the truth. At that, everyone gave glory to God for the revelation of this matter.

²⁶ One day, as Saint Ailbe and Bishop Ibar were walking through the plain of Femún on their way to the city of Cashel to speak with Bishop Patrick and King Óengus, Saint Ailbe said to Ibar, “Father, you go ahead of us first, and greet the people in the manner of lords.” Ibar replied, “If that is better, let it be done.” Then an angel said to Saint Ibar, “It is not for you to go ahead, but for Ailbe.” When Saint Ibar went ahead anyway, even by a single step, he lost the light of his eyes. Then he said to Ailbe, “Bless my eyes so that I may see the light again.” Saint Ailbe, blessing his eyes, said, “May the one God, the Triune God, heal you and restore the light to your eyes.” Immediately, his eyes were opened and he saw the light. After that, with Saint Ailbe leading the way, they came to Cashel.

²⁷ As Saint Ailbe was returning from Cashel, Abbot Énna met him and said, “Return with me to the king, and ask him to give me that island, Ára, so that I may build a monastery there in the name of the Lord.” Then Saint Ailbe turned back and went to the king, greeted him, and said, “Give us that island which lies in the ocean, so that we may build a monastery there.” The king said, “I have neither seen nor heard what that island is like, or how large it is; and for that reason I will not give it to anyone until I first know what it is like.” Then, by divine power, the king was made to see the whole island across great distances of land, and he understood both its nature and its size. The king then granted the island of Ára to the saints; and under Saint Ailbe, Saint Énna built there a noble monastery. Both the island and the monastery bear the same name, Ára. And the island is great, and it is a land of saints, for no one knows the number of saints buried there except God alone.

²⁸ Saint Ailbe went to visit Saint Brigid, who was in the region of Mag Liffe, and he stayed with her for several days; they devoted themselves to the mysteries of God and spoke together daily about divine matters. One day, while Saint Ailbe and Saint Brigid were together in prayer in a certain place, a glass vessel full of wine was thrown down from heaven between them; but it landed closer to Saint Ailbe. Ailbe took the vessel and gave it to Saint Brigid. Then they gave thanks to God. After this, with Saint Brigid’s blessing, the blessed Ailbe departed and went to the borders of the people of Munster.

²⁹ When Saint Ailbe came near a river called Berua, which is in the land of the Leinster people, a good man—Dara’s son—came to him weeping and crying out, saying: “Man of God, have mercy on my sorrow. Look, my only son has just drowned in this river, and my heart is deeply anguished. I ask you, in the name of Jesus Christ in whom we believe, pray for him; and I hope that God will raise him up through you.” Hearing these words and seeing the man’s grief, the holy man of God was moved with compassion, and he said to him: “Because of your faith, I will pray for him; and may God do what He sees is good.” Then Saint Ailbe knelt down and prayed earnestly to God; and, with God’s help, the boy rose up alive and unharmed before everyone. From that event, the place has been called to this day Ath Dara, that is, “Dara’s Ford,” where the boy had drowned.

³⁰ At a certain time, when Saint Ailbe was in a place called Cluain Damdáin, Saint Sinchell came to him, seeking a place where he might live. Then Saint Ailbe said to his distinguished disciple Cuánán: “God has sent Saint Sinchell to us; let us give him our place along with everything we have there, and may God provide another place for us in return.” Then Cuánán gave Saint Sinchell the entire cell with all that was in it. Later, Saint Ailbe left from there and instructed his disciples not to take anything with them from that cell. But one young boy secretly took a small bronze vessel, disregarding Saint Ailbe’s command. When they reached a certain place, Saint Ailbe said to the boy: “Why have you stolen from us?” And when the boy said nothing, the blessed Ailbe said: “Give me the vessel you stole from among Saint Sinchell’s things.” Then the boy bowed before him and placed the vessel at his feet. Saint Ailbe took the vessel in his hands and then placed it back on the ground. He was deeply grieved, because the place where the vessel had been taken from was far away. But Almighty God, seeing Saint Ailbe’s distress of heart, which came from a burning love, caused the vessel to fly through great distances across the land back to its proper place. All who saw this miracle gave thanks to God; they feared Saint Ailbe, and they loved Christ.

³¹ After these things, the angel of the Lord came to Saint Ailbe and said, “Come and follow me, and I will show you the place of your resurrection.” When they arrived at the spot where the most holy Ailbe’s tomb now lies, the angel of the Lord said to him, “You will be buried here; and in this place, a great city will arise in your honour. Here, through you, God will perform many miracles—both after your death and during your life.” When he had said this, the angel vanished from his sight. There, Saint Ailbe fasted for three days; and when the fast was finished, he said to Saint Cehennan, “Go to your right, and whatever you find there, bring it back with you.” So Cehennan went and found a meal sent by the Lord: a loaf of the purest white bread and a portion of roasted fish. Taking it, they gave thanks to God. Then the angel returned to Saint Ailbe and led him to the place where the noble cross now stands, called the Cross of the Angels, because angels often spoke with Saint Ailbe there. The angel said to him, “Sit here and build a church for God, for in this place a great city will arise in your name, just as I told you. It will be called Imlech Ibuir.” And it happened just as the angel had said.

³² One day, the daughter of the man who owned the land marked by the angel for Saint Ailbe sowed hyacinth there, against Saint Ailbe’s wishes. But Saint Ailbe, who did not want women coming so near to him and his disciples while they worked, prayed to God, and the hyacinth was transformed into flax. From that time on, neither she nor anyone else contested that field against the will of Saint Ailbe.

³³ At one time, while Saint Ailbe was walking through the land of the Hua Carpre and Hua Conuill, he came to a group of virgins who welcomed him joyfully and offered him their place, which was called Acah Cumrech. These holy women were raising a boy named Cummene, the son of Echdach, whose life turned out to be opposed to God and to the holy virgins. When he reached manhood, he left the virgins and became a violent robber, arrogant in his warfare. So the holy women asked Saint Ailbe to preach the word of God to him, hoping he might turn him from his error. Ailbe preached divine words to him, and the man said, “Let me go today wherever I please, and tomorrow I will do whatever you tell me.” Having received permission, he went out that day with his companions; and it seemed to him that he found his enemies in the field and, as they thought, he beheaded them and carried the heads with him. But when they returned, they saw pieces of wood in their hands, which had looked like the heads of the slain; and likewise, the bodies appeared to be wood. The man said, “I know that God has done this through Saint Ailbe, so that pieces of wood walked against us in the form of men; and therefore, whatever Ailbe tells me, I will do.” And he bowed at Ailbe’s feet, offered him his land, and later proved himself worthy.

³⁴ At another time, Saint Ailbe came to a certain hermit named Mac Chire, and the hermit said to Ailbe, “In this place nearby, we have no water.” Then Ailbe and the hermit went outside, and as they prayed, a clear spring burst forth from the ground, which flows there to this day. Giving thanks to God, the saints departed from that place.

³⁵ The most holy virgin Scletha, daughter of Mec Chier, sent a messenger to Saint Ailbe, asking him to send a scribe to her to write out the four books of the Gospels. He did so, and the scribe wrote two of the books; but afterward, he was struck with illness and died. When the blessed bishop Ailbe heard that the scribe was ill, he went immediately to him and found him already dead. Saint Ailbe and Saint Scletha prayed for him, and Ailbe said to him, “Rise now, brother, for God has given your soul back to us so that you may write the other two books of the Gospels which you did not complete. But know this—you will die immediately afterward.” At these words, the man rose; and after he had written the remaining two Gospels, he died at once. Ailbe’s disciples took his body and buried him in Ailbe’s monastery, which is in the city of Imlech.

³⁶ A holy man named Mundanus, in whose honour the monastery called Tuam Dindach was founded, asked Saint Ailbe for two oxen to plow his fields. So Ailbe sent him two beautiful white oxen with red ears. The oxen made their way to Mundanus by the straight road without anyone leading them. And so, every year, at plowing time, the oxen came to Saint Mundanus without being led; and after the plowing was finished, they returned in the same way to Ailbe. But one day, a certain man tried to slaughter the oxen. As he raised his hand, the spear broke in his grasp, and a splinter from it flew off and struck his eye, blinding it. Then the man repented and offered his field to Saint Ailbe, and the oxen departed from him unharmed.

³⁷ At another time, while Saint Ailbe was traveling through the lands of the Connacht people, the king of that region intended to execute a prisoner who was bound and held in custody. Ailbe sent one of his disciples to the king to ask that the prisoner be released. But the king rejected the message of Saint Ailbe and ordered that the prisoner be crucified. However, despite their attempts, they could not crucify him. At that very moment, the king’s son suddenly died. The king then summoned Ailbe and gave him both the prisoner and a piece of land, so that churches of God might be built there, and he begged Ailbe to raise his son back to life. Saint Ailbe prayed for the boy, and immediately the child rose alive. Many people came to believe in Christ through the witness of Saint Ailbe and were baptized, as it is written: “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective”.

³⁸ In that same region of Connacht, there was a barren river that had no fish. The people of that area asked Saint Ailbe to bless the river in the name of the living God. Saint Ailbe blessed the water in the name of God the Almighty Father, and then he pointed out five places in the river where they should cast their nets to catch fish. From that day forward, the river was filled with an abundance of fish. The people were strengthened in the Catholic faith by Saint Ailbe, and they built five monastic cells in his honour, as it is written: “You give them their food in due season”.

³⁹ At a certain time, Saint Ailbe sent two holy men, Lugith and Sailchín, to Rome on an important mission. With them went a faithful servant named Gobban, in whose honour the monastery called Cenn Sali was later founded. Before they left, they said to Saint Ailbe: “Grant us this request—that we may return safely and joyfully from Rome to Ireland.” Saint Ailbe promised them, in the name of Christ, that it would be so. As they traveled by sea, however, their servant Gobban died aboard the ship. Then Saint Lugith declared, “We will not eat until what Ailbe promised us in the name of Christ is fulfilled.” After they had fasted for three days and three nights, the servant Gobban came back to life. He then told them many testimonies about Saint Ailbe and said, “Because of the promise made by Saint Ailbe, God has returned my soul to my body.” Afterwards, they returned from Rome to Ireland safely and full of joy, as it is written: “Those who trust in the Lord will not be put to shame”.

⁴⁰ At another time, Saint Ailbe left the land of Osraige and stayed alone in a place for three days and three nights. On the fourth day, the king of that region came to visit him. As he greeted the saint, a sweet and powerful fragrance came from Saint Ailbe’s mouth, which overwhelmed the king like wine and caused him to fall asleep for three days. When the king finally woke up, Saint Ailbe said to him, “You still have not completed a three-day fast—that is why this happened to you.” The king then promised to become a devout man, and he truly did. The place where this occurred—Imlech—was given to Saint Ailbe by a man named Scanlan.

⁴¹ While Saint Ailbe was walking through that same region, some holy women were traveling with him—namely, Bige and Betach. Along the way, one of the nuns became ill and urgently asked for milk to taste. But when no milk could be found in the area, they saw a deer coming out of the forest. Bige called to the deer, and it waited patiently and without fear. Then Bige said to one of the nuns, “Go and milk the deer, and our sister will be healed by its milk.” As soon as the virgin tasted the milk, she rose up completely well. Then the disciples of Saint Ailbe murmured against the women because of this miracle. But the angel of the Lord came to Ailbe and said, “Do not be envious of the virgins of the Lord, as your disciples are. For if you wish this mountain to move from its place to another, it will obey you immediately—and nothing is impossible under heaven when it comes to miracles for you.” And the angel added, “Christ, the Son of God, has promised such things to his servants—and you are a proven servant of God.” After saying this, the angel departed. The virgins and all those who were with Saint Ailbe gave thanks to God.

⁴² One day, some guests came to Saint Ailbe, and it was very cold. When Saint Ailbe heard that they were freezing, he compassionately said to the servant who was before him, “Quickly carry some burning coals to the guests, and let us show mercy to them in the name of Christ.” The devout disciple, obeying the holy teacher’s word, not having a vessel at hand, took the coals with his bare hands and placed them in his cloak. But by the grace of God, not only were his hands and clothes not burned, but even the fringes of his garment were untouched by the fire.

⁴³ Saint Ailbe, wanting to withdraw from people and seeing that he was being honoured by everyone and that many places were under his care, decided to sail to the island of Thule in the ocean, so that he could live there in secret, alone for God. But by God’s will, Óengus, the king of Cashel, prevented this; for the king ordered guards to watch all the sea ports, so that Saint Ailbe could not flee from those whom he had made children of God through baptism and the preaching of His word.

⁴⁴ At a certain time, the noble and most holy deacon Nessan came to Saint Ailbe to ask him about certain questions. It was Saint Ailbe’s custom to remain alone from the ninth hour until the third hour of the following day, devoted to divine prayer, and no one dared to go to him except the guest attendant. When the blessed Ailbe heard from the attendant that Nessan was coming, he said to him, “Go to Nessan and sing this verse to him in the Irish language, and tomorrow I will speak with him.” And the attendant went and sang it.

⁴⁵ “God’s gifts are not taken away, Their possessions are not diminished; What is given will be given, For we are not strangers to one another.”

⁴⁶ And on the following day, Saint Ailbe and Saint Nessan spoke together about the mysteries of God and the questions that Nessan had sought to have answered. Then, having received permission after a few days, Saint Nessan went on his way.

⁴⁷ At another time, a large number of cranes gathered into a single flock and caused serious harm to the people by eating a great amount of hay and grain. Then the people of that area cried out loudly to Albeus, saying, “Help us, because the cranes have devastated the land and we are completely unable to stop them.” When Albeus heard about this strange event, he sent his servant, named Buairnen, to bring the cranes under control. Buairnen went out and, like someone herding sheep, drove the cranes before him and confined them under guard. The next day, Saint Albeus went out to speak to the cranes and said, “Leave this land and scatter your flock into different places.” At once, they obeyed and dispersed in small groups here and there, just as Saint Albeus had told them.

⁴⁸ At one time, the people of that region, that is, Arath, along with their leader, went out hunting in order to drive wolves away from their land. But one she-wolf ran toward the place where Albeus was; and as the horsemen chased her, she placed her head in the lap of Saint Albeus. Albeus said to her, “Do not be afraid, because not only will you be safe, but your cubs will also come to you unharmed.” And so it happened. Then Albeus said, “I was raised among you in my childhood, and you have done well to come to me in my old age. From now on, you and your cubs shall eat bread daily before me at my table, and no one will harm you.” So the wolves came to Saint Albeus every day and ate in front of him, and afterwards they returned to their places. No one harmed them, and they harmed no one.

⁴⁹ When Saint Albeus was in the region called Corcumruad, he had a place by the sea where he prayed to God and witnessed the wonders of God. Every day, the sea would flood and rise up high around Albeus’s dwelling, but it never dared to enter the place where Saint Albeus was.

⁵⁰ At another time, when Saint Albeus was staying in the same region by the seashore, they saw a bronze ship with a covering around it coming toward them from the ocean, and they could hear the voices of people singing in choirs from within it. But the ship remained at a distance, out on the sea. Then Saint Albeus sent one of his disciples to greet them, but he received no reply. One by one, all the others also went out to the ship, but none of them received an answer either. Finally, the blessed Albeus himself walked over the sea on his cloak and went to them, and the covering of the ship opened for him. When Saint Albeus entered the ship, it immediately turned back into the ocean. Albeus’s disciples, seeing this, wept bitterly until the angel of the Lord said to them, “Do not be sad; the servant of God, your patron Albeus, will return to you.” The brothers remained there for nearly three hours, and then they saw the ship returning toward them again. Albeus immediately came down from the ship, carrying in his hand a branch with fruit on it, and that branch was held in great honour by Albeus for three years. Afterward, the angel of the Lord took the branch away from Saint Albeus, saying, “Soldier of Christ, Albeus, go to your city Ymlech, for the time has come for you to depart from this world, so that you may be buried there, just as the Lord has told you.”

⁵¹ Then the blessed Albeus came to the city of Ymlech, and he was immediately seized with pain. But Saint Albeus was joyful, while all the people and all the Irish were sorrowful. Then it was reported that angels of God appeared before all the clergy, declaring that Saint Albeus had fulfilled all the commandments of God day and night. Indeed, after baptizing many people and converting numerous nations to the Christian faith, and after building many churches in the name of the Lord, and after crucifying himself through nightly vigils, three-day fasts, and constant prayers, he departed to the Lord Jesus Christ amid the sweet songs of the angelic choirs—to whom be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.

⁵² Here ends the Life of Saint Ailbe, Archbishop and Confessor.