The life of St. Patrick and his place in historyBury, J. B. (John Bagnell)
History
The life of St. Patrick and his place in history
Bury, J. B. (John Bagnell)
Christian saints -- Ireland -- Biography; Ireland -- Church history -- To 1172; Patrick, Saint, 373?-463?
But our other records transport us to a distant part of Ireland, far
away from the forest of Fochlad, to Pictish soil near the eastern coast
of Ulster. Here in the lands east of Lough Neagh, the old race, driven
eastward from central Ulster, still held out. The name Ulaid, which
originally designated the whole of northern Ireland—even as now in its
Danish form of Ulster—had come to be specially applied to the eastern
corner, whither the true Ulidians had been driven. It seemed now to be
the true Ulaid. Within the borders of Ulidia, in this restricted sense,
there was a marked division. In the extreme north were the Scots, and
in the south were the Picts. The small land of the Scots was known as
Dal-riada, and the larger land of the Picts as Dal-aradia.[31] It is
supposed that both peoples, those known as Scots and those known as
Picts, represented the older races, which possessed Ireland before the
coming of the Goidelic invaders, whose language ultimately prevailed
throughout the whole island.
[Sidenote: PLACE OF CAPTIVITY]
Here, it was believed and recorded, Patrick served a master whose name
was Miliucc. His lands and his homestead were in northern Dalaradia,
and Patrick herded his droves of pigs on Mount Miss. The name of this
mountain still abides unchanged, though by coalescing with _sliabh_,
the Gaelic word for “mountain,” it is slightly disguised in the form
Slemish. Not really lofty, and not visible at a distance of many miles,
yet, when you come within its range, Mount Miss dominates the whole scene
and produces the impression of a massive mountain. Its curious, striking
shape, like an inverted bowl, round and wide-brimmed, exercises a sort
of charm on the eye, and haunts one who is walking in the valley of the
Braid, somewhat as the triangular form of Pentelicus, clear-cut like the
pediment of a temple, follows one about in the plain of Athens.
It was in this valley of the Braid and on the slopes of Miss that,
according to the common tradition and general belief, Patrick for six
years did the bidding of his lord.[32] But it is certain, from his own
words, that he served near the forest of Fochlad. An attempt may be made
to reconcile the contradiction by assuming that he changed masters, and
that, having dwelled at first in the west, he was sold to another master
in Dalaradia;[33] but his own description of his bondage seems hardly
compatible with such a conjecture. The simplest solution seems to be a
frank rejection of the story which connected his captivity with Mount
Miss in the land of the Picts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account