CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 143 



When the cliild was born, the name given to it was Loan, and 

 he was nursed at home for seven years, at which age his father 

 gave him up to some religious man to be educated for the eccle- 

 siastical estate. They brought him to Kilmacahill in the county 

 of Kilkenny, where he remained some years learning to read and 

 acquire the psahns by heart. 



One day a monk was cutting the boy's long golden curls, 

 when he was forced to say, " What shining hair yours is !" The 

 abbot standing by said, " Ah ! let Shining Hair (Finn-bar) be his 

 name amongst us henceforth ;" and so it was, and so is he known 

 to this day. 



A pretty story is told of his childhood, which indeed at once 

 shews us the kindly simplicity of these old rehgious men, and of 

 the respect with which the little Loan was regarded by them. 



They were about to trace out a new site, or perhaps only new 

 foundations for their church and monastery. With one accord 

 they agreed to let the innocent little boy with the golden locks 

 mark the lines that their habitations and church were to be reared 

 upon, because, said they, nothing but good and a blessing could 

 rest on such a site as one thus traced in the soil. 



A foster brother of S. David, known in the Lives of S. Finbar 

 as Mac Corp, came to Ireland, and our saint placed himself under 

 his direction. Mac Corp i.e. Mac Coirpre is not known to Irish 

 or Welsh Martyrologists. The name means no more than the 

 Son of Cairbre. After some years Mac Corp persuaded Barr to go 

 with him on pilgrimage to Eome. They went thither, and on 

 their way back, Finbar founded a church in Alba, — possibly by 

 this Fowey may be meant, for Alba was a name given orignally 

 to all Britain, but was afterwards limited to Scotland. It is, 

 however, much more likely that it was then that he made foun- 

 dations in Scotland where his cult was at one time considerable. 



In the Life of S. David there is a notice of a visit made to 

 him by Barr on his way back from Rome. Finbar remained with 

 S. David some httle while, and then desiring to return into 

 Ireland, and having no boat of his own, S. David lent him one of 

 his own called " the Horse," as it had a figure-head representing 

 that animal. As Finbar crossed over on it, he passed S. Brendan 



