450 
Sinaich, and to this family the enjoyment of the abbacy of 
Armagh, styled the ‘‘coarbship of St. Patrick,” became limited; 
so that for a space of about two centuries it never left it, and 
had entailed so many abuses and relaxations of discipline, that 
St. Bernard, with justice, made the following complaint :— 
«* Vertim mos pessimus inoleyerat quorundam diabolica ambi- 
tione potentum sedem sanctam obtentum iri hereditaria suc- 
cessione. Nec enim patiebantur Episcopari, nisi qui essent 
de tribu et familia sua. Nec parum processerat execranda 
successio, decursis jam hac malitia quasi generationibus quin- 
decim. Et eo usque firmayerunt sibi jus pravum, imo omni 
morte puniendam injuriam generatio mala et adultera, ut etsi 
interdum defecissent clerici de sanguine illo, sed Episcopi 
nunquam. Denique jam octo extiterant ante Celsum viri 
uxorati et absque ordinibus, literati tamen.”* This ‘‘ Celsus” 
was Cellach of the Irish, who was abbot from 1106 to 1127. 
From the pedigrees of the Clann Sinaich, preserved in the 
Books of Lecan and of MacFirbis, illustrated by the details 
and chronology of the Irish Annals, we are able to construct 
a genealogical table of the abbots of Armagh, which answers, 
with wonderful exactness, to the statements of St. Bernard, 
founded, as they were, upon the information furnished to him 
by Malachi O’Morgair, and the abbot Congan. 
The abbey of Hy, or Iona, was founded by St. Columba, 
great-grandson of Conall Gulban, the head of the Cinel 
Conaill, or great Donegal race. St. Columba died in 597, 
and was succeeded by his first cousin, Baithene, who died in 
600; Laisre, the third abbot; Fergna, the fourth; Segine, 
the fifth ; Cumine, the seventh ; Failbhe, the eighth ; Adam- 
nan, the ninth; Donnchadh, the eleventh; Faelcu, the twelfth; 
Slebhine, the fifteenth; were all of the same race, so that 
during a period of two hundred years there are but three 
abbots whose descent is ostensibly referable to another stock ; 
* Vita S. Malachiz, cap. 7 (Messingham, Florileg., p. 358 5). 
