Aodh, son of Eochuidh Tiorm-carna; wherefore Diarmuid killed him in revenge for that, because he committed murder at the feast of Tara, against law and the sanctuary of the feast; and before Curnan was put to death he fled to the protection of Columcille, and notwithstanding the protection of Columcille he was killed by Diarmuid. And from that it arose that Columcille mustered the Clanna Neill of the North, because his own protection and the protection of the sons of Earc was violated: whereupon the battle of Cuile Dreimhne was gained over Diarmuid and over the Connaghtmen, so that they were defeated through the prayer of Columcille.

"The Black Book of Molaga assigns another cause why the battle of Cul Dreimhne was fought, viz., in consequence of the false judgment which Diarmuid gave against Columcille when he wrote the gospel out of the book of Finnian without his knowledge. Finnian said that it was to himself belonged the son-book [copy] which was written from his book, and they both selected Diarmuid as judge between them. This is the decision that Diarmuid made that to every book belongs its son-book [copy], as to every cow belongs her calf. So that this is one of the two causes why the battle of Cuile Dreimhne was fought.

"This was the cause which brought Columcille to be induced to fight the battle of Cuil Rathan against the Dal n-Araidhe, and against the Ultonians, viz., in consequence of the controversy that took place between Colum and Comgall, because they took part against Colum in that controversy.

"This was the cause that occasioned the fighting of the battle of Cuil Feadha against Colman Mac Diarmada, viz., in revenge for his having been outraged in the case of Baodan, son of Ninneadh (king of Erin), who was killed by Cuimin, son of Colman, at Leiman-eich, in violation of the sanctuary of Colum."1

The book which St. Columba is supposed to have transcribed from St. Finnian's original is not a manuscript of the Gospels, as stated in the above extract, but the copy of the Psalms, which forms, with its silver case, the ancient reliquary called the Cathach, of which O'Donnell gives us this curious account:

"Now The Cathach is the name of the book on account of which the battle was fought, and it is the chief relic of Colum-cille in the territory of Cinel Conaill Gulban; and it is covered with silver under gold; and it is not lawful to open it; and if it be sent

1 For the original Irish of this and other passages given in the translation only, see Dr. Reeves's Additional Notes to the original Edition.-W. F. S.

thrice, right-wise, around the army of the Cinell Conaill, when they are going to battle, they will return safe with victory: and it is on the breast of a cowarb or a cleric, who is to the best of his power free from mortal sin, that the Cathach should be, when brought round the army."

The record of the battle in the Annals of the Four Masters, at the year 555, is as follows.

"The seventeenth year of Diarmaid. The battle of Cul-Dreimhne was gained against Diarmaid, son of Cearbhall, by Fearghus and Domhnall, the two sons of Muircheartach, son of Earca; by Ainmire, son of Sedna; and by Nainnidh, son of Duach; and by Aedh, son of Eochaidh Tirmcharna, king of Connaught. It was in revenge of the killing of Curnan, son of Aedh, son of Eochaidh Tirmcharna, while under the protection of Colum-cille, that the Clanna Neill of the North and the Connaughtmen gave this battle of CulDreimhne to King Diarmaid; and also on account of the false sentence which Diarmaid passed against Colum-cille about a book of Finnen, which Colum had transcribed without the knowledge of Finnen, when they left it to the award of Diarmaid, who pronounced the celebrated decision, To every cow belongs its calf," etc.

It is to be observed that the Annals both of Tighernach and Ulster attribute the success of the Northerns to St. Columba's intercession: per orationem Coluim-cille dicentis, etc., while the Four Masters, with their usual caution, merely state that Colam cille do raidh, " Colum-cille said," adding, from Tighernach, the verses which were supposed to have produced so marvellous a result.

Diarmait, who was now on the throne, was the head of the Southern branch of the Hy-Neill race; and the chiefs of the two main sections of the Northern branch, namely, the Cinel Eoghain and Cinel Conaill, had already distinguished themselves by military enterprise, for in 543 the very same individuals won the battle of Sligo, and slew Eoghan Beul, king of Connaught; and again, in 549, the Cinel-Eoghain brothers slew Ailill Inbanna, the succeeding king of Connaught, at the battle of Cuil-Conaire in Carra, in the county of Mayo. They now espoused the cause of the Connacian chief, and it may be that some affront offered to their kinsman Columba, seconded by his instigation, produced the battle of Cul-Dreimhne, which,

like that of Sligo, was fought on Connacian ground, but near the boundary between it and Ulster. The relation of the parties who engaged in this strife will be most readily understood from the following genealogical view:

The promoter of this sanguinary contest became now, according to O'Donnell's authorities, the subject of ecclesiastical censure: "Post hæc in Synodo sanctorum Hiberniæ gravis querela contra Sanctum Columbam, tanquam authorem tam multi sanguinis effusi, instituta est. Unde communi decreto censuerunt ipsum debere tot animas, a gentilitate conversas, Christo lucrari, quot in isto prælio interierunt."1

This sentence was the result, it is stated, of a decision, " ut factum suum temeritatis speciem præferens, solemni pœnitentia ad S. Molassii arbitrium expiaret." This arbitrator was St. Molash of Daimh-inis (now Devenish), whose sentence is thus given in his Life:

"Sanctus vero Columba visitavit S. Lasrianum confessorem suum post bellum de Culdremne, petens ab eo salubre consilium; quo scilicet modo post necem multorum occisorum, benevolentiam Dei ac remissionem peccatorum obtinere mereretur. Beatus igitur Lasrianus divinarum scripturarum scrutator, imperavit ut tot animas a pœnis liberaret, quot animarum causa perditionis extiterat; et cum hoc ei præcepit, ut perpetuo moraretur extra Hiberniam in exilio."-c. 28.2

1 Colgan, Acta SS., p. 645.

2 Colgan, Tr. Th., p. 410 a.

The remorse of St. Columba for the expenditure of human life in the battle is thus expressed in the Life of St. Abban:

"Alio quoque tempore S. Columba cum pluribus discipulis venit ad sanctum Patrem: qui, cum devotione magna ab eo susciperetur, dixit ei; Ideo nunc ad te venimus, ut ores pro animabus illorum, qui occisi fuerunt in bello commisso, nuper nobis suadentibus causa Ecclesiæ. Scimus enim quod per tuam intercessionem Dei misericordiam consequentur. Rogamus etiam, quod ab Angelo, qui tecum quotidie loquitur, quæras super hoc Dei voluntatem. Cumque sanctus senior instantius ab eis pulsaretur, respondit; propitius sit eis Deus, et ego libenter pro eis orabo. Accessit igitur vir sanctus ad secretum locum, in quo consueverat Deum orare, et Angelum Dei videre, et audire. Ubi cum se toto conamine in oratione dedisset, S. Columba volens sanctum Patrem orantem videre, et audire quid Angelus ei loqueretur, post eum abiit, callide observando. Cum igitur S. Abbanus sic orasset, ecce Angelus Domini dicit ei; Sufficit Abbane quod fecisti, quia Deus tibi petitionem tuam donavit. Qui respondit; tantum nunc petivi a Domino requiem animabus illis, quarum curam habet S. Columba. Et Angelus ait; Requiem habebunt."

But Columba himself, according to O'Donnell, declared his determination to become a voluntary exile, accusing himself for the disastrous consequences not only of Culdremhne, but also of two other battles which had been caused by his means. He is represented as saying to his kinsmen,—

"Mihi, juxta quod ab Angelo præmonitus sum, ex Hibernia migrandum est, et dum vixero exulandum, quod mei causa plurimi per vos extincti sint, tùm in hoc ultimo prælio; tùm etiam in præliis de Cuilfedha et Cuilrathain olim initis: in quorum altero Colmanum Magnum filium Diermitii, cujus filius Cumineus Boetanum filium Ninnedii, Hiberniæ Regem, mea protectione innixum in loco quì Leim-aneich dicitur, interemerat; fudistis: in altero Fiacnium filium Boadani, suosque confœderatos nepotes Roderici."2

Of the other battles here spoken of, mention has been already made in the extract from Keating; but the fullest notice is that contained in the argument of the hymn beginning Altus Prosator, which is attributed to St. Columba, and which is said to have been composed as a religious exercise after his transgression:

1 Colgan, Acta SS., p. 624.

2

Colgan, Tr. Th., p. 409 b.

"Causa quare voluit Deum laudare,' i.e. to beseech forgiveness for the three battles which he had caused in Erin, viz., the battle of Cul-Rathain, between him and Comgall, contending for a church, viz., Ross-Torathair; and the battle of Bealachfheda of the weir of Clonard; and the battle of Cul-Dremhne in Connacht: and it was against Diarmait mac Cerball he fought them both."

As the battle of Cul-Dremhne arose in part from a religious dispute with St. Finnian, so that of Cul-Rathain or Coleraine is described as the result of a quarrel with St. Comgall of Bangor. The modern name of Ros-Torathair is not known, but the place was somewhere near Coleraine; and it is very possible that some collision did take place between the saints about jurisdiction, as St. Comgall's abbey church of Camus was situate close to Coleraine, and St. Columba is recorded to have been occasionally in that neighbourhood. Besides, the territory west of Coleraine was the debateable ground between the Dal-Araidhe, St. Comgall's kinsmen, and the Hy-Neill of St. Columba's tribe. Fiachna, son of Baedan, with his men of the ClannaRudhraighe, are described as the belligerents on the Dalaradian side. Now this Fiachna was lord of Dalaradia, and is spoken of in the Life of Comgall as residing at Rath-mor in Moylinny, and a devoted friend of the Saint. He was an enterprising chief, and in 573 won the battle of Tola in the King's County. In 589 he became king of Uladh; and in 594 won the battle of Edan-mor from the Ciannachta of Meath. In 597 he won the battle of Sliabh Cua in Waterford; and in 602 that of Cuil-caol in Down. In 623 he took Rath-Guala in Uladh; and fell at the battle of Leth-Midhin in 626. Now, supposing that he had taken part in the battle of Cul-rathain before St. Columba's departure, that is, the year 563, a period of 63 [years] would have intervened between that and his last achievement, a suspicious interval in a warrior's life. That the battle of Cul-rathain, though not recorded in the Annals, was fought, that he was a leader therein,—and that it took place in consequence of the jealousies of the Dalaradians and the Hy Neill, quickened into action by the influence of their respective arch-ecclesiastics, is