The Birth and Youth of Saint Finian #

¹ The boy was born of the descendants of a noble line. Before he was born, his mother saw in a dream, concerning the son of the man whom she carried in her womb — Finian — a vision which she told to her husband, saying: “I saw a flame of fire come from my mouth; and a little after, a white bird went forth from my mouth and flew before me. And turning, I saw it sitting in a neighbouring tree and spreading its wings, and I saw many birds flying to it; and speaking with them, I saw the bird fly across the borders of the land afar off, and spread its wings, and still more and royal birds came to it.”

² And her mate answered that they must guard faithfully what was entrusted to them. So the son was born, and he was brought to be baptised, many coming together to call him, at the place where two rivers meet. And as the women were carrying the boy, they met the bishop, and the women told him what they had seen: that they had seen a young man lay his hand upon the boy’s head and pour out the anointing upon him. And the bishop said: “This is the boy.” And he baptised him. And a man of white colour appeared there, so that it was said: “A man of God is Finian.” And the place where the infant was washed was afterwards held in honour.

³ And as the holy boy grew, he laboured at drawing water; and when they had marked the place, a spring of living water burst forth and became a stream, while his mother prayed. And after this he took leave of his master and went to an elder who dwelt in the island which is called Rincanis, where his mother had gone. And there he fasted; and St Finian came to the place where the seniors were, and joined himself to them — to St David and to St Cathmael.

⁴ And Cathmael, looking intently at the young man, spoke of him to David; and David said: “I see the signs of God in him.” And Cathmael said: “I also look at him with diligence, for in him the holy things of God are made manifest.” And he was received with hospitality; and a family came to him, and he dwelt by a certain lake.

⁵ And Cathmael spoke with him, and the holy one answered him. And when at his word, in the name of the Holy Trinity, the waters fled as far as the sea, the place was afterwards held sacred, which in Welsh is called Maie Melboc. And another time, when Finian went with his companions to carry timber for the work of the saints’ monastery, an angel of God ministered to him; and Cathmael, hearing the cry that a boy had died, came to him. And he came to a certain island where the brethren dwelt, and they rejoiced at his coming; and they kept their fasts by night, and spent the night in prayer, in paleness of face and affliction of body.

⁶ And the Lagenians sought to lay waste the Britons, and they came to St Finian that he should grant their petition. And an altar was sent to him from heaven, and he taught the monks of the Lord’s household; and a certain innocent maiden ministered to them. And when a guest had been slain, the man of God gave thanks. And after he had passed seven years in pilgrimage, the man of God resolved to return to the land of his birth; and he set out with St Vigeo and St Genoc and other holy religious men of the Britons.

The Miracles of His Ministry #

¹ And sailing, they were borne by the wind to the port which is called Dubglais. And a certain noble received him; and the angel of the Lord was with him. And the land of the Lagenians was being laid waste; and there came to him two petty kings of that Briton land — Cormac and his brother — who were two sons of King Diarmid; and he prophesied concerning the kingdom.

² And Cormac the king sought to expel the holy man from his borders; and the man of God stood with his foot set against a stone, and said: “Your kingdom shall not help you.” And when cattle had been hidden by robbers in a thicket in the midst of the field, the man of God said to his men: “Go to the thicket in the midst of the field and search diligently, and you shall find them.” And a fiery appearance came forth over the thicket; and the place is called Cladaber-en-Collis to this day.

³ And he came to St Brigid, that he might enlighten the hearts of his hearers. And St Brigid gave a golden ring to the man of God; and the ring was left, for he loved the love of God more than the love of things.

⁴ And Cassan the son of Neman offered him an ounce of gold. And Finian came to the place which he had chosen; and a certain Briton, bent on killing Irishmen, came against him; and the holy man checked him, and the man, confessing his fault and doing penance, lost the light of the heavens and suddenly died. And another time, robbers came by night near the place where the man of God dwelt, where a certain boy lay hidden. And St Finian, rising at dawn, took his strong staff and went to the chief, and confirmed him and instructed him diligently and taught him the way; and a monastery succeeded him in Leinster. And on another day an angel came to him, saying: “Labour no longer here, for yours is the place where your family is.” And he rose up obedient and departed.

⁵ And the angel showed him the place, saying: “This is the place. In this place, like the sun in the midst of heaven, the rays of his life and salvation shall shine; and his fame and honour shall be in all the earth, and his discipline in wisdom and in ecclesiastical instruction shall be wondrous.” And these are the names of his disciples who were taught by him: the two Ciannans; Ciaran the son of the Wright; Columba Cille; Columba; the two Brendans — Brendan the son of Findlug and Brendan of Birr; Mobi Clairenech; Lasren the son of Nath-Fraich; Sinell the son of Maenach; Ruadan of Lorrha; Nainnid; Moinenn; Cummene; and Senach the bishop.

⁶ And Senach his disciple reported to his master what he had seen: men at their manual labour, and a debtor who at the hour of death declared what he owed. And his sister Rignach came to him. And a certain maiden who loved the yoke of chastity was sought by a man of carnal intent; and St Finian, sighing deeply in his heart, said: “It is of the mercy of God that He has mercy on every infirmity of the human race.” And the sister of St Finian came to the cell where he dwelt with other holy and compassionate men, and St Colman asked her whether any infirmity troubled her. And the man of God, a lover of chastity, sheltered the maiden who had vowed herself to God; and he bore her to the cell of St Rignach, the sister of St Finian; and the maiden flourished in virtuous ways, and she was dedicated to virginity by St Finian. And afterwards she was conveyed back to her own province; and for the consecrated maiden mighty works were done.

⁷ And a certain satirist came to St Finian by night; and his fields were barren; and Finian said to him: “Take water and sprinkle it over your fields.” And he did so, and from that day his field was made fertile, even to this day. And a disciple of St Finian named Senach, whose lands were wasted, chose Lorrha, where St Ruadan dwelt; and God gave to Ruadan a spiritual grace: a tree dripped a sweet liquor like manna, from the eighth hour of the sun until the ninth hour of the day, so that a vessel was filled from it, and half the valley flowed with that liquor, and the guests were fed. And the monks of St Finian, hearing the fame of these wonders, asked St Finian to come to the cell of St Ruadan; and he went with them to the place where Ruadan was. And when they drew near the gate of the monastery of Lorrha, the disciples said to their master: “See how great a liquor drips from the tree, and what wonders are worked here.”

⁸ And the tree dripped at the sign of the cross, and after the ninth hour it ceased to drip. And when the disciples would prove it, the man of God said: “Take the vessel to the spring and fill it to the brim.” And when they had done so and brought back the water, the water was changed into the taste of the liquor which dripped from the tree; and it was brought to the man of God and set in the kitchen. And St Finian, seeing what was done — that the water had been changed — said: “Why was this liquor not given us before?” And the disciples said to their master: “Come with us to the spring, and work the sign there as you did at the tree.” And Finian answered them: “My sons, do not flatter me; for He who did this at the tree can do the same in the water nearby.” And the disciples obtained of him the measure of the fasts, and he kept the whole observance, the master rejoicing in his disciples’ humility; and he said to them: “They are full of power.” And afterwards St Finian went to the borders of the sons of Ailill, and lodged in the house of a certain saint of Taimin; and his sister came to him.

⁹ And in the cell where a dead maiden lay, the Lord raised her, and she was restored to her kindred. And two brothers, seeing the man of God, offered themselves to him. And afterwards the man of God went to a place where a man of God named Nacchi, a presbyter, dwelt in the office of preaching; and in the same place an angel appeared to him and showed him the place where his household’s resurrection should be. And a king of that land sought to expel the man of God from his borders; and the man of God marked a great rock with the sign of the cross, and it was split into three parts. And the king bent the knee before him and gave him that place, which is called Ehorua, beside Liss; and he left the presbyter Nacchi there. And other devout maidens asked him to place the veil upon their heads; and a veil sent from heaven appeared for them.

¹⁰ And the man of God came to a certain king, and an old man there was baptised. And a king of Ireland forbade him to build a church in the place which is called Ethenach, which was a place appointed for his suffering. And two exiles of the king’s, hearing that St Finian was coming, came to him; and he prayed with them that night, and that night the king’s dearest one died.

¹¹ And he raised the king’s son from death before them all; and he taught him to work wonders. And he came to a place called Croube, where a most noble daughter sought baptism; and two petty kings — Engus the Great and Eogan — set two fierce lions upon him; and Nectan the son of Engus was the more cruel of them. And they sought to expel him from their borders, and sent their agents against him; and they were made immovable, like stones. And the prince, seeing what had happened to his own and fearing lest the same should happen to him, came and bent the knee before the man of God, and gave him the land. And the king’s son was raised before them all; and the king fulfilled his promises. And he baptised them, and left his monk Grellan in that place, and returned to his own place, where he afflicted himself with many vigils. And one day, as the man of God sat holding the psalter of David while his disciple read the psalter beside him, looking out over the great sea, he wept for the souls of men.

¹² And at the tomb of a certain boy the mourner’s eyes were washed. And St Finian came with his disciple Columba Cille; and one of his monks said to him: “I see the angels of God ministering to him; and Finian also — his face is like the sun.”

¹³ And he was full of charity, daily fulfilling the commands of the law of God, most compassionate to the infirm, rich in alms and in works of mercy; he healed the sick in their sicknesses, and mortified himself in every way, being of pure heart. He ate only bread, and drank water; but on the Lord’s days he ate bread of wheat, and drank a cup of ale; and of flesh he never ate. His bed was the bare ground, with a stone set for a pillow; and to the afflicted he was compassionate — a second Jacob, and like Job, in that he did not sin with his lips, even from his boyhood.

¹⁴ And afterwards St Colman the son of Benignus came to visit the place of St Finian; and he was received with joy. And when they were keeping vigil in the night, Colman in the presence of all said: “O Saint Finian, I ask your dear soul.” And Finian answered him graciously; and they instructed one another, and loved one another greatly; and taking leave, Colman returned to his own place.

The Life of Saint Tigernach the Bishop #

¹ The boy Tigernach was born of royal stock, the grandson of King Eochaid who dwelt beside Clocher. For the king had three most fair daughters reared in his palace; and one of them, named Derfraich, was joined to a noble warrior, a prince of the people of Leinster; and of them this boy was born.

² And the virgin told her household, saying: “Honourable guests now come to us, whom we must receive joyfully.” And the virgin herself came to meet them; and embracing the boy, she named him, saying: “He is the grandson of this king — let him be called Tignach.” And the boy was fostered; and afterwards he was taken captive by the king of the Britons. And the queen of that land was an Irish maiden; and she saw the king’s bed burning, and said: “A fire from heaven is made against us, that it may drive us out.” And in the morning the two sons of the king were found dead in their beds. And the king and queen sent at once for the holy monk, begging him to come to them; and he commanded the dead to rise, and laying his hands upon them he restored them to life. And for the sake of this miracle the captive boy was set at liberty; and being diligently instructed, he founded a monastery which is called Alba.

³ And he came with St Ciaran the son of Eochaid to the city of St Martin; and there a dead man lay that night where they lodged. And St Ciaran his companion, lamenting with a loud voice, said to Tignach: “This whole night we must pray earnestly, that the Lord may deign to raise these dead.” And they poured out their prayers to the Lord; and the souls returned, to the praise and glory of God; and Tignach and St Ciaran raised the dead to life.

⁴ And when he came to Ireland, there was a daughter of the king of Munster named Ethnea, who was being carried off to the king of the Britons; and being led by women to the port, she saw the man of God with his disciples, and begged him, saying: “Do not permit me to remain among these infidels; for I have vowed myself to God, and I keep my vow in my mind and in my mouth.” But the soldiers, despising the holy men’s words, delivered her to the king of the Britons; and that same night, when she was laid in the king’s bed, she was found dead.

⁵ And the king commanded that the dead maiden should be brought to the holy man; and the sailors made ready and spread their sails. And in that voyage water was made wine for them. And when the body was brought, the man of God, going to the maiden, said: “O nurtured one, you have slept a long sleep — in the name of Jesus, arise.” And he took her by the hand, and at once she arose, to the wonder of all who stood by; and all the days of her life she served God in devoted chastity.

⁶ And in a certain place there was an idol in which a demon gave responses and was adored by the people; and the demon named the man of God a deceiver, and persuaded its worshippers to kill him. And the armed men came to slay him, and he placated them; and by the sign of the cross he compelled the demon to stand before them in its own most foul form; and it was made manifest that all its power was deceit.

⁷ And the king gave him possession of the place, and fields for the work of the monastery; for the king had been driven out by one of his own princes, and he made a vow in a clear voice before all who stood by, that if the man of God should pour out his prayers to the King of heaven, he would obtain the victory. And on the following day his enemies were routed, and many of them were beheaded; and the king, returning to his own country, brought the heads of the beheaded and turves of his land, and gave them to him. And a monastery was founded there, and most religious men were left in it.

⁸ And he went to visit her who had once lifted him from the baptismal font — namely St Brigid — at her monastery of Cell; and the maiden was honoured by him as was fitting, for she was a true abbess, privileged by clergy and people of all Ireland, so that she herself might ordain. And she went to King Cochobus, and he received him with joy as a grandson, and offered him the dignity of a bishop’s seat and monasteries, since the same bishop had been expelled from his own borders. But the man of God, abhorring worldly honour, departed to the mountains and dwelt in a cell; and the fame of his holiness drew religious men to him.

⁹ And a certain venerable man named Doach, of the province of Essi, came to him; and the bishop received him gladly and refreshed him; and on the third day they poured out devout prayers to the Lord. And afterwards, as he journeyed, he came to his death at Temagglas — that is, “in the plain”. And he ordered his charioteer to be lifted up, that he might see the heavens; and the charioteer beheld the angels and the glory prepared for him, and the promise that they should return for him; and with angelic escort he beheld the heavenly plain.

Further Wonders Told of Saint Finian #

¹ God honoured His friend; and through him He worked signs and wonders — for it is God alone who does great wonders, and by him He fittingly showed forth His marvels. And his sister, a most holy virgin, sleeps in the Lord; and at her tomb many miracles are still worked, as is told by the report of the faithful. And whatsoever the Lord willed, He did — in heaven and on earth, in the sea and in all the deeps. Many were the signs and wonders of his life, and also after his death; but for zeal of brevity we shall recount a few of them.

² There was a certain religious king in the land which is called Calathmag, of the sept of the Eoganacht; and St Finian purposed to come to him, and arrived with a crowd of his companions and monks. And when they came to the water which is called Beallrus, certain robbers would not let them pass; and St Finian blessed water and told his monks to sprinkle it upon them. And at once great thunders and lightnings and a burning heat arose, so that the robbers, fleeing, were blinded by the great smoke. And at last the wretched men begged pardon of Finian, and that the light of the heavens might be restored to their sight; and again the holy man blessed water, and at once their place received light. And the king himself, with his goods and his sons and grandsons and great-grandsons, was received into the faith, even to the seventh generation.

³ And a certain monk of St Finian’s was in the house of St Comgall; and one day he was told to pasture the beasts, and thinking the office of St Finian of small account, he prayed that the cattle and the oxen should stray. And another time the same man asked Finian of Magbile to lend him the book called Cumaigli for reading; and his master St Comgall said that he should have it. And that night, as Finian lay with his companions in the harbour, the spirit of St Comgall came and spoke to him; and that night the book Cumaigli was brought to the port of Finian of Magbile.

⁴ And when they were brought to the monastery of St Comgall for a meal, a great crowd was gathered there; and the field was sown with seed, and it grew and ripened in one day, and bread was made of the new corn. And he dwelt in the place which is called Cell-Fuita; and the stench of his body and his toil and his patience were known to all. And when the brethren prepared a bath, he made the sign of the cross over the water, and it was warmed; and the Britons who were there were baptised. And he came by night to the place called Lach-Bennain, wishing to abide there; but the Briton pilgrims drove him out, saying: “We who are in this place will not suffer a stranger to dwell here.”

⁵ And as certain monks came in great force against St Finian, he set his staff in the ground, and the men of the place departed from him. And he came to the hill which is called Galba; and staying there in the morning, an angel appeared to him and said: “Here is destined for you; and this is the sign: the bell which flies here to you.” And the bell, which was of black colour, came sounding through the air and returned again. And a certain religious man came to visit St Finian, and the devil came against him, breathing flames of fire; but St Finian took pity on them, and God delivered them, so that the devil could do him no hurt.

⁶ And afterwards St Finian came by night to the place which God had destined for him; and Columban the son of Kynth received him with joy and entertained him; and a cow with her calf and milk was presented to him for the feast. And one who was with him, named Imlog, spoke; and St Finian answered him: “You have done this thing before, and hid it from us; and if you have done ill, let no such thing be done to a guest again.”

⁷ And it was said to him: “In this island of all Ireland shall your resurrection be.” And of St Findlog, his memory is celebrated in many places. And blessed Finian with his holy companions and Columban; and as they journeyed, Columban’s beast bore his load upon its horns; and two servants ran and placed them there, as was their custom. And Finian said to Columban: “Follow this beast until it stops; and where it stops, there shall be your dwelling.” And Findlog likewise placed his load upon the horns of his beast, and it went before him to the sea, where he found a ship; and he crossed to Alba, where Findlog laboured and died, raising the dead, awaiting the resurrection.

⁸ And afterwards Finian, seized with pain, fell sick; and his steward Seuand came to him and said: “The sign of health and gladness has appeared today in your face.” And Finian said: “Great is my joy, for a most beloved friend, Columba, comes to visit us.”

⁹ So lived this blessed man, wounding none, condemning none, striking none with his hand; of one mouth with all in Christ, in piety and in peace; and like a great flame he shines in the heavens.