Declan, Saint, Bishop of Ardmore, active 6th century -- Legends
2. Of this same race of Eoghan was the holy bishop Declan of whom
I shall speak later scil.: Declan son of Eirc, son of Trein, son of
Lughaidh, son of Miaich, son of Brian, son of Eoghan, son of Art
Corp, son of Moscorb, son of Mesgeadra, son of Measfore, son of Cuana
Cainbhreathaigh, son of Conaire Cathbuadhaigh, son of Cairbre, son
of Eoghan, son of Fiacha Suighde, son of Felimidh Reachtmhar, son of
Tuathal Teachtmhar. The father of Declan was therefore Erc Mac Trein. He
and his wife Deithin went on a visit to the house of his kinsman Dobhran
about the time that Declan's birth was due. The child she bore was
Declan, whom she brought forth without sickness, pain or difficulty but
in being lifted up afterwards he struck his head against a great stone.
Let it be mentioned that Declan showed proofs of sanctification
and power of miracle-working in his mother's womb, as the prophet
writes:--"De vulva sanctificavi te et prophetam in gentibus dedi te"
[Jeremias 1:5] (Before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified
thee and made thee a prophet unto the nations). Thus it is that Declan
was sanctified in his mother's womb and was given by God as a prophet to
the pagans for the conversion of multitudes of them from heathenism
and the misery of unbelief to the worship of Christ and to the Catholic
faith, as we shall see later on. The very soft apex of his head struck
against a hard stone, as we have said, and where the head came in
contact with the stone it made therein a hollow and cavity of its
own form and shape, without injury of any kind to him. Great wonder
thereupon seized all who witnessed this, for Ireland was at this time
without the true faith and it was rarely that any one (therein) had
shown heavenly Christian signs. "Declan's Rock" is the name of the stone
with which the Saint's head came into contact. The water or rain which
falls into the before-mentioned cavity (the place of Declan's head)
dispels sickness and infirmity, by the grace of God, as proof of
Declan's sanctity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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