ON SS. BARRFINN AND COMPANIONS: COLUMBUS, ABDIAS, AND FINCHAN, IRISH SAINTS,
CommentaryBarrfinn, Irish (S.)
Columbus, Irish (S.)
Barrfinn Abdias, Irish (S.)
Finchan, Irish (S.)
BY C. D. S.
[1] Of Abdias and Finchan we know nothing; On this day four saints are commemorated in the Irish martyrologies: in Aengus indeed Barrfinn alone, but in the martyrologies of Marianus Gorman and of Donegal, besides him, Columbus, Abdias son of Uodachus, and Finchan. Of the latter two we have found nothing outside the martyrologies. Of the former, a few things must be said about each.
[2] of Barrfinn I. Barrfinn is already announced on this 8th day of November in the most ancient Festology of Aengus [Ed. Whitley Stokes (1905), pp. 232 – 33. The distinguished editor interprets the announcement thus: In heaven (is) the shout of Claudinus: a fair train went without satires, at the festival that fills territories of Barrfind the great son of Aed], thence in the martyrology of Marianus Gorman
[Ed. W. Stokes (1895), pp. 214 – 15. This note was added by the scholiast: Son of Aed, in Achad Caillten in Húi Drona, to the west of (the river) Barrow in Hui Rethe to the south of Lethglenn. Which note is read also in the Lebar Brecc added to the text of Aengus, with these words besides: and he was a brother of Findbarr of Inis Temli. See Stokes, in his first edition of Aengus (1881), p. CLXVIII; cf. the second ed., pp. 240 – 41] and in that of Donegal [In the same words as in the scholiast of whom note 2, with these added: He is of the race of Eochhaidh Finn-Fuath-Airt, from whom Brighit (is descended)]. In Latin documents he is commonly called Barrinus [So in the Drummond calendar at this day: And in Ireland of the holy confessor Barrinus], Barrindus, Barinthus.
[3] a few things on his family, The genealogy of Barrfinn, from chapter 14 of the genealogical Sanctilogium, is given by Colgan Trias thaumaturga, p. 613, c. 3, ascending as far as Feidhlimidh Rechtmar, that is, the Lawgiver, who according to the Annals of the Four Masters was king of Ireland from the year of Christ 110 to the year 119 Annals of the Four Masters at these years. Whence is gathered this succession of his forefathers: Feidhlimidh Rechtmar — Eochaidh Finn-Fothart — Aengus Meann — Cormac — Cairpre-Niadh — Art Corb — Bricc — Eoghan — Brian — Aedh — Barrfinn. — Barrfinn was related by birth to many illustrious saints among the Irish, as is established from the ancient genealogical tables [Trias thaumaturga, at the place cited. Cf. Todd, St. Patrick, pp. 252 – 53; Shearman, Loca Patriciana, table 5 (p. 90)].
[4] perhaps something of his history; It does not seem improbable, as others have already affirmed Shearman, at the place cited, that our saint is treated in the last chapter of the Life of St. Comgall [Acta Sanctorum, May vol. II, p. 588; C. Plummer, Vitae sanctorum Hiberniae (Oxford, 1910), vol. II, p. 21], where this is narrated: Much time having now passed after the death of the most holy father Comgall, the aforesaid St. Fyachra came to the monastery of Beannchor; and the relics of St. Comgall having been honourably raised from the tomb, St. Fyachra chose the arm of St. Comgall and carried it to the borders of the Leinstermen, his own province. And while he was making his journey in the region of the Leinstermen, he came to the fortress of a certain chief there, who was called Aedhus. Then the son of this chief Aedh was brought to St. Fyachra, that he might baptize him. As St. Fyachra was now opening his satchel to bring out from it the book of baptism, the arm of St. Comgall flew swiftly up into the air. There the holy men fasting and bending their knees and praying long, at last the arm came to them from heaven, and entering the earth among them appeared nowhere thereafter. And so for three days they dug the earth and did not find it. Seeing this, the chief Aedhus offered that fortress with its fields to the relics of St. Comgall for ever; and there St. Fyachra the abbot built a famous monastery in honour of our patron Comgall and in the name of the holy Trinity… Amen. Thence it would follow that Barrfinn flourished about the middle of the seventh century; for Comgall, whose disciple Fiachra was, died in the year 600 Annals of the Four Masters, ed. O'Donovan, I, 224 – 25.
[5] something more; The place Achadh Cailten, moreover, from the description which is read in the annotators of the martyrologies of Aengus and Gorman Cf. above, no. 2, was situated in the barony of West Idrone, in the county of Carlow.
[6] II. Columbus, according to Marianus Gorman son of Aed the Crooked (the scholiast adds: of Cuil-Damain, that is, of Cuil-Bruin), is announced again in the same on the 11th day of December, where in the text only his name is marked, but the scholiast added: son of Aed the Crooked, of Cuil Bruin. In the martyrology of Donegal, however, he seems to some extent to be distinguished as twofold. For on this 8th day of November is commemorated Colum, son of Aed, of Cuil-Damhain, but on the 11th day of December: Colum, son of Aedh the Crooked, scarcely anything about Columbus of Cuil-Briuin. Colgan thinks Trias thaumaturga, p. 381, note 107 that this is the Columbus of whom it is narrated in the Life of St. Columba by Adamnan Book I, c. 50 (ed. Fowler, pp. 63 – 64): At the same time Conall, bishop of Coleraine, having collected from the people of the plain of Eilne almost innumerable gifts, prepared hospitality for the blessed man as he was returning, after the conference of the kings mentioned above, with a great crowd following. And so, when the holy man arrived, the many gifts of the people, laid out in the court of the monastery, are assigned to him to be blessed. And as he looked at them, blessing them, pointing out especially the gift of a certain wealthy man, he said: "The man whose gift this is, the mercy of God accompanies him for his mercies to the poor and his liberality." And likewise he distinguishes another gift among many others, saying: "Of this gift of a wise and avaricious man I can by no means taste, unless he first does true penance for the sin of avarice." Hearing this word quickly spread abroad in the crowd, Columbus son of Aid, conscious of it, runs up and, with bended knees before the saint, does penance, and promises that for the future he will renounce avarice and pursue liberality together with amendment of his manners. And bidden by the saint to rise, from that hour he was healed of the vice of tenacity. For he was a wise man, as had been revealed to the saint in his gift. So our Columbus would have flourished at the end of the sixth century.
Of the place Cuil-Damhaim or Cuil-Briuin I have been able to find no information, nor of the other things which concern the history of this Columbus.