Celtic Scotland : a history of ancient Alban / by William F. Skene.

  • William Forbes Skene
Date:
1886-1890
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Celtic Scotland : a history of ancient Alban / by William F. Skene. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    505/546 (page 475)
    The father of baptism and doctrine of the Gaidel, viz., [Saint]1 Patrick, foretold him, when he was blessing Conall in Sith-Aedha, the time he placed his two hands on Conall and his son, Fergus son of Conall, to wit, his right hand on the head of Fergus, and his left hand on the head2 of Conall. Conall wondered at that, and asked him why he had placed his hands so, when Patrick uttered this rann:3 A youth shall be born of his tribe, Who ’ll be a sage, a prophet, a poet, etc. Beloved 4 * the bright, clear luminary, That will not utter falsehood. He ’ll be a sage, and will be devout, Will be an abbot with 6 the king of royal graces ; He ’ll be lasting, and be ever good ; The eternal kingdom be mine, by his protection. Brigid6 also foretold him when she said :— The son of Eithne long-side, Good is he and flourishing ; Mild Colum Cille without stain ; ’Twere not too much to observe7 him. Bishop Eoghan of Ard-Stratha8 likewise foretold him, when he said:— The son that shall be born to Fedlimidh Will be eminent above all clerics— Fedlimidh, son of Fergus, Son of Conall, son of Niall. Buite9 son of Bronach also, at the hour of his death, foretold the person Colum Cille, on which occasion he said to his people, 1 Saint, 1Vaem. Omitted in L. B. and L. 9 The head. Cenn. Omitted in A. L. and L. B. 3 Rann. Rann properly means a stanza. The text should be na ranna sa (these verses). 4 Beloved. The orig. of this line and the next are not in L. B. 6 With. La; lit. ‘apud,’ but in a secondary sense, ‘ in the sight of.’ 8 Brigid. The first letter of the name only is given in A. L. and L. B. The Booh of Lismore text has ‘ Bee mac De ; ’ but according to the Irish Annals generally, Bee mac De did not ‘begin to prophesy’ before a.d. 545, ,more than 20 years after Colum Cille’s birth. 7 To observe him. Rathugad. In other words, to perceive his coming. 8 Ard-Sratha. Ardstraw, Co. Tyrone ; anciently an episcopal see. 9 Buite. Founder of Monaster - boice; who died on the night of Colum Cille’s birth.