Plummer, Bethada Náem nÉrenn I (1922) — translated from the Irish.

¹ The Life of Abban here below.

² There was once a noble king who took the lordship over Leinster, Cormac was his name. He had a wife, Milla was her name; and she was a sister to Bishop Ibar. And it happened that she was pregnant; and she sent word to her brother, to Bishop Ibar, at the time of her delivery. And Milla said on seeing her brother:

³ “Bishop Ibar, to my aid —
it is he that knew my secrets;
I crave the pardon of my guilt,
the chains of folly have bound me.”

⁴ And the bishop said:

⁵ “Bishop Ibar is with you,
the chains of folly have bound you;
you shall bear a noble famous son,
the King of the elements shall help you.”

⁶ The maiden [Milla] bears a son by the holy bishop’s prayer, without sorrow, without pain; and he was baptized, and the name Abban was given him. And he was brought to be fostered, and the craft of agility and valour was set before him, that he might be king after his father; but that was of no avail. The words of God he would sing, whatever was sung with him; and the Scripture dwelling with him without labour, without teaching. The grace of God was manifest upon him; and that was no wonder, for Patrick had prophesied of him when he first took harbour in Leinster, and of other saints besides.

⁷ Now Abban’s fosterers wondered at the utterance that was in him; and they bore him to the place where his father and mother were, and told them that it was not in pursuit of the kingdom that Abban desired his deeds to be, but cleaving to the true God and to the catholic faith. And his father and mother prayed him to remain for their inheritance; but it availed not. “Everything is nothing save God,” said he. And they made a prisoner of him, and put bonds upon him, and put him in the hostages’ pit; and they found him loosed the next day on the floor of the fort, without bond or chain. And when they saw that they had no power over him, they granted him to do his own will. He went to the place where his fosterers were.

⁸ One day when Abban was with his foster-mother’s calves, he saw a fierce wolf coming to the place where they were. “God has sung,” said Abban, “help in the need. Eat you that calf,” said he, “for the hunger (that is, the famine) is upon you.” It ate, and brought its thanks for its share to Abban.

⁹ Now it grieved the other youths that the calf had been consumed; and fear seized Abban before his foster-mother. “O Jesus,” said he, “who did create this calf without materials, create it now with the materials that are here.” The calf rose up to the place where the other calves were, and lowed, and made play with them. And Abban’s fosterers went to the place where the queen and the king were, and told them those marvels. “It is pleasing to us,” said they, “that he who wrought these marvels upon him should be worshipped by him.”

¹⁰ Abban went to the place where Bishop Ibar was, his mother’s own brother; and the bishop was gladder for his godliness than for his kinship with him. Abban was twelve years of age at that time. Many were the holy men that Ibar had, and a noble church. And he had a cell to which he brought his will over them, on an island on the south side of Leinster, and Beig Éire was its name.

¹¹ Ibar went to Rome, and besought Abban to remain over the monks till he should come back again. That was not Abban’s will, although he journeyed with Ibar towards Rome; and although his cheek and bosom were wet [with weeping]. Ibar embraced him, and laid his head upon his bosom, and sleep fell upon him; and Ibar went aboard the ship unperceived by Abban. And Abban awoke, and saw the ship in the depth of the sea; and that thing was grievous to him. “O Jesus,” said he, “speed my way to there boat. you did dry up the Red Sea,” said he, “and nothing came amiss to you; and carry me to worship you.”

¹² He arose, and set to walking upon the sea, so that angels were manifest by his sides; and it was not known whether it was divine wings that grew upon him or the human gait he made. And the ship stayed for him upon the sea. And it was a wonder to the crew, until Ibar told them that it was for Abban the ship was waiting.

¹³ Abban comes into the ship, and they take harbour in Italy. And they come to a heathen city, Padua its name. And it was asked of them: “From what place have you come, or what way will you take?” “Irishmen are we,” said they, “and it is to Rome we journey, to obtain the profit of the pilgrimage that God promised to his people.” “What is that?” said the king; “what say you of our gods?” “Deaf dumb gods have you, without power of help upon themselves or upon any other of them.” “Show us some of the miracles of your own God,” said the king; “kindle there cypress-tree without fire by your breath, or you shall at once suffer a shameful death.” And Ibar and his company put their breaths in turn beneath the cypress, and it kindled not; and for Abban it was sleep after the journey he had made. They woke him; and he put his breath beneath the cypress, and it kindled at once.

¹⁴ The king’s wife died that night; and the king came the next day to the place where the saints were, and besought them to raise his wife to life for him, and he would accept baptism. “It is to Abban it is pleasing to God that the raising be done,” said Ibar. Abban prayed over the maiden, and raised her from death. And the king and his wife and all the men that were with them received baptism thereafter.

¹⁵ “Give help to this land,” said the king. “There is a venomous beast wasting it, both men and cattle. It has the shape of a lion, and I once brought the men of this country to drive it out, and it slew three hundred warriors of them, and stayed in its own den ravaging us.” Abban took some of them with him to guide him to the place where the beast was, and they turned back, for they read their terror at him only to show it to him from far away.

¹⁶ The venomous beast came to meet Abban with a great mane upon it. “I put upon you, in the name of Jesus, that the soul which God put in you,” said Abban, “by which you have done evil deeds, shall depart; and that the terrible mane that is on you shall go to nothing.” Its soul parted from it by the word of the saint. Its inhabitants spread through the land to their places and their dwellings, praising God for it.

¹⁷ The king went to the place where the saints were. “There is a lake with us,” said he, “with venomous monsters upon it persecuting the country, and it is our desire that you should help us against them.” They went together to the brink of the lake, and the monsters came to meet Abban, and lay down by his side and licked his feet. “I command you,” said Abban, “in the name of the Trinity, to go into there lake into a little corner of it, and to eat its fish, and to remain therein, and to do hurt to none at all.” And they did so; and they are seen today at the end of every seventh year on that corner, to show that they live in fulfilment of Abban’s word.

¹⁸ The saints went to Rome with the people’s blessing. And they blessed them. They come back again to Ireland.

¹⁹ Patrick and Bishop Ibar and Abban went in a ship on Loch Garman [Wexford Harbour]; and they saw a monstrous beast by their side, with a hundred heads upon it, and two hundred eyes, and two hundred ears, and it stirred a mighty storm upon the sea, and put the sun overhead, so that the ship was near foundering. Patrick and Bishop Ibar arose in the ship to pray God for help for them.

²⁰ Abban remained without going with them, for he deemed not his prayer equal to the prayer of the other saints; and the storm ceased not still. The angel said from above them: “Bring Abban to you, for it is to his prayer that the driving out of this beast is given.” And Abban was brought to them, and he made prayer to God, and drove out the beast; and it is not known what way it went. And it was the devil that caused the beast to come in that shape to them, to make destruction for the saints. The sea grew calm, and they came to land on the strand that seemed best to them.

²¹ Once as Abban was by the side of the strand, he saw the sea-wave coming towards him in mighty bulk, and it was higher than the land; and it struck against the land at the place where Abban was, and went no further. Abban set his crozier upon the wave, and went himself upon it, and the crozier bore him upon the wave into the depth of the sea; and many devils came around him. “Now,” said they, “we confess to you that you have done no injustice to us, in taking our people from you to us here with your deceitful beguilement”; when they heard the angelic voice above them:

²² “Arise,” said he, “into the depth of hell where your habitation is for ever”; and they did so; and Abban was upon his crozier all that while.

²³ “Bear,” said the angel, “for seventeen years and three hundred years, serving God without power of age upon you; and your soul shall go into the presence of the Trinity, and the men shall be the better to the end of doom for this seafaring you have made. God has given you power over the sea that he gave to none before you. There is none who shall go to sea in a curach or a ship, and shall say thrice in the name of the Trinity:

²⁴ Abban’s coracle on the sea —
it is Abban’s fair household there —
who shall not come safe; and thrice shall he go to Rome.”

²⁵ One day as Abban was walking by the shore of the haven, he saw three ships in the port setting out for Rome. Abban goes to meet them, and a ship went for their pilgrimage as they were going; and fifty men in each ship of them. They went out upon the sea, and perceived not the course of any one of the quarters. It was long for them on that course, and it was a wonder to them, when they heard the angelic voice above them: “It is your reproach,” said he, “that you go without head or abbot over you. Your due abbot is here,” said the angel, “and Abban is his name.” “We know not that man,” said they. “Cast these lots upon you,” said the angel, “and on whomever this lot shall fall of you, give him your headship.” And the lot fell upon Abban; and they rendered obedience to him, and their way was prosperous to them till they came to Rome.

²⁶ When it befell that one of them in Rome would give the share of the first night to every pilgrim that came in, he took them with him, and Abban was held by him in great honour; and it was a wonder to them that he kept a special care for Abban, not knowing him. “An angel gave knowledge of him to me,” said the man of the house. “That is no wonder,” said they, “that he took a standing above us on the sea, and we did homage to him.” Gregory gave him the orders of a priest, and made him an abbot.

²⁷ And they set out to return, to come to Ireland; and two hosts met them about to join battle, with their spears and their edges whetted for wounding one another. Abban went between them. “In the name of the Trinity,” said he, “cease from the madness for its sake, and forsake the worst deed for the good deed.” They put their wraths behind them, and made peace and amity, and dwelling in peace and in friendship through life; and Abban came into Ireland with the blessing of those hosts.

²⁸ He journeyed in Connaught, and made three noble churches there. And he journeyed back to the territory of Eochaid Coincinn in the territory of Corca Duibhne. Many indeed were the holy churches blessed by Abban. And he blessed Boirnech, and gave it to Gobnait. And he blessed Cell Aithfe on Mag Coincinn and gave it to Finan; and Finan prophesied a space before his birth; and he gave him Cell Eachach Coinchinn.

²⁹ And he blessed Cúl Collainge, and Brí Gobhann, and Cell Cruimthir, and Cell na Marbh; and he blessed Cluain Aird Mo-Becoc, and Cluain Finnglaise, and left Beccan therein; and many other churches besides; and he left the office of the holy church in each church of them.

³⁰ Abban went into Éile [Ely]; and the king and the men of the country were at an assembly, and they had no faith. And Abban comes to sow the word of God to them. “What sort of thing is God?” said the king. “The creator of heaven and earth, who has the knowledge of every pregnant and non-pregnant thing.” “Tell me,” said the king, “of there great stone on the hill, how much of it is in the earth as is above?” And Abban told him. And the king’s slaves were brought to dig the earth, and it was found as Abban had said; and the king with his country received baptism thereafter.

³¹ “There is a venomous beast in this country,” said the king, “with the shape of a cat; it has a fiery head and tail, bigger than a calf of our cattle; it has hound’s teeth.” “It shall not do hurt to any of this country,” said Abban. And the beast met him one day at the river named the Brosnach, and licked his feet, and smoothed the horrible bristle that was upon it. And he took it up with him, and put it into a lake beside them to live on fish. And he commanded it to do hurt to none at all; and that was fulfilled.

³² Now the king was old at that time, and had no heir save a daughter whom his wife bore at that season; and he asked Abban to baptize her; and he perceived sadness on the king for being without an heir. “If it please God,” said Abban, “you shall have an heir.” “Ah,” said the king, “it comes not to me in my old age.” Abban took the infant between his two hands, and made earnest prayer to God to obtain an heir for the king; and the girl that was put into the well [swaddling?] — he took up as a boy, and put it into the king’s bosom. “Here is your son for you,” said he. And the king and the men of the country were seized with great joy at those marvels. And Abban and the king parted from one another in amity; and Abban came to Ros mic Triuin [Rossmictruin].

³³ One day Abban was on the brink of the Siuir [the river Suir], and a flood rose in it. The ford ebbed before Abban so that it was dry flagstones. A countless pious company was with Abban at that time. “Take the way across,” said he. They crossed, and Abban followed them, and a young boy with him without his perceiving it, and the stream closed over him. They did not miss the young man among them until they were at their meal the next day. Abban went to the stream, and raised the infant to the sun without a wet spot on hair or clothing of him.

³⁴ One day Abban’s shepherds were watching their flocks, and they saw the wolves near them. “Let them be, and watch,” said Abban; and those wolves did so; for they were his shepherds as long as he lived.

³⁵ Cormac mac Diarmata, king of Uí Cheinnselaig, went to make a raid upon Cam Ross, Abban’s church. Part of his host went into Abban’s kitchen, and took the miach [measure] of meal that was there to the green, and could not take it from there, for their hands stuck to it. Fear seized the king with his host. They send word to Abban, and beseech him to do mercy on them from the strait wherein they were. Abban made the sign of the cross with his hand over them, so that the miach parted from them; and the land around the place was given to Abban; and Abban went back with the country’s blessing.

³⁶ He fell on his face [in prayer]; it was cold and dark it was, so that they could not move for the way. Angels came to meet them with a taper of light in his hand, and put it into Abban’s hand. Abban gives them guidance of the way with the taper until they reached his own church; and the angel meets him at the end in the church, and takes the taper out of Abban’s hand; and they parted from one another.

³⁷ One day when Abban saw a dumb man in his presence, who begged help of him, he made the sign of Christ’s cross upon an apple that was in his hand. “Eat this,” said he. The sick man did so, and was whole of every sickness that was on him.

³⁸ Another day Abban saw a man in paralysis, and he lacked a foot and a hand. He begged of Abban for alms and that he would help him. “Be whole,” said Abban, “in the name of the Trinity”; and he was so at Abban’s word.

³⁹ One day when Abban saw a man on whom leprosy had fallen, he besought Abban to help him: “I pray God to help you,” said Abban, and God did so at the word of the saint.

⁴⁰ Two kings near to Abban were in conflict with one another. They took to fighting in one plain till they were breast to breast. It was brought from the territories they held to Abban, that he might come to help them. He went into cross-vigil to God to do so; and he obtained it, so that the memory of the warring was not, nor the coming upon one another, so that it was made peaceable by Abban’s word.

⁴¹ There was a noble craftsman near to Abban — it was he that made the hands [?buildings] of every saint before his time — until he was blinded by the skill of the saints for his service to them, and the greatness of his recompense; Gobán was his name. Abban went to him to beg him to build him a church. He said it was not in his power, for he was blind. Abban said to him: “you shall have your sight so long as you are at the building, and it shall go from you when it is finished.” That was fulfilled; and the name of God and of Abban was magnified therefrom.

⁴² A dumb man came to Abban to help him. He said: “O Jesus,” said he, “as you gav speech once to the brutal beast, namely, the donkey; give speech to this man,” said he. It was given to him then as he asked.

⁴³ Now the monks of Abban had many cattle; and a herdsman of them came to him, and told him that he had a parti-coloured ill-favoured cow, the fairest of earthly cattle, that had had neither milk nor calf since she was born. Then he blessed the cow, so that she bore twin calves of the colours aforementioned, and a vessel the shape of a [measure] came from her udder; and she was so without failing during Abban’s time; and afterwards she died.

⁴⁴ Once the assembly of the monks came near to Abban to learn of their life and their resurrection, and to instruct and teach them. One hundred and forty clerks was their number. He served them as they asked of him, and they parted then.