Mr. Petrie on the History and Antiquities of Tara Hill. 4t7 



urged with greater force, that there is considerable evidence to shew tliat Chris- 

 tianity itself had made no small progress in Ireland long before the middle of 

 the fifth century, the period assigned to its general establishment. This fact is 

 sufficiently manifest from the record of the mission of Palladius in the Chronicle 

 of Prosper : — " Ad Scotos in Christum credentes ordinatus a Papa Celestino pri- 

 mus episcopus mittitur." 



It even appears certain that there were bishops in Ireland before Patrick, 

 though not commissioned from Rome, as, in a passage in Tirechan's Life of 

 St. Patrick, written in the seventh century, it is stated that the Bishop Colman 

 offered his church of Cluain Cain in Achud as a votive offering for ever to Patrick, 

 who committed it to the care of the holy men, that is the priests, Medb and Sadb. 



" Colmanus episcopus aeclesiam suam, id est, cluain cain in Achud Patricio episcopo de votiva 

 immolatione in sempiternum obtulit et ipse earn commendavit Sanctis viris, id est, prespitero Medb 

 et prespitero Sadb." — Book of Armagh, fol. 17, p. a. col. 1. 



And again, in a passage somewhat obscure, it is stated that a certain Irish 



bishop came to him from Caragh, in Connaught, to MagJi Tochuir, in Donegal. 



" Et exiit ad campum Tochuir et fecit aeclesiam ibi, et in quo loco quidam episcopus venit de 

 genere Corcu Theimne ad eum de CellolaTbcA in regiones Temenrigi i Ceru contra solis occassum ; 

 episcopus cum sorore una monachi Patricii, et est locus eorum cum familia Clono et ingemescunt 

 viri loci illius." — Book of Armagh, fol. 15, p. a. col. 2. 



These passages receive corroboration from the words of St. Chrysostom, in 



his Demonstratio quod Christus sit Deus, written, according to Montfau9on, in 



the year 387, in which he states that the British islands situated outside the 



Mediterranean Sea, and in the very ocean itself, had felt the power of the divine 



word, churches having been founded there, and altars erected. 



" Kal "yap al ppsraviKaX vTitroi, al tiiq OaXarrtig iKTug K£(jtt£va£ ravrriQ, KOt ev avT(^ ovaai 

 T(^ iiKiav<^, rijc SuvojUEWc tou pi'ifiarog yrrOovTO. koI yap KqKii ticicAijiTiot, koi OvaiaaTiipia 

 wnrr]ya<jiv" — Opp. Edit. Bened. Tom. I. p. 575, B. 



And equally strong evidence, not only to this effect, but even to shew the 

 use of letters at the same time, is derived from the historical notices of Celestius, 

 the favourite Irish disciple of the heresiarch, Pelagius, as quoted by Archbishop 

 Ussher from the work of Gennadius, He Script. Eccl. Catal. : 



" Celestius antequam Polagianum dogma incurreret, imo adhuc adolescens, scripsit ad parentes 

 suos de monasterio Epistolas in modum libellorum tres, omnibus Deum desiderantibus necessarias. 

 Moralis siquidem in eis dictio : nihil ibi vitii postmodiim proditi, sed totum ad virtutis incitamen- 

 tum tenuit." 



