148 CORNISH DEDICATIONS, 



declared that the wish to visit a holy spot sufficed, if so be that he 

 who desired to undertake the journey was detained .by domestic 

 duties. He strongly condemned those who proposed to them- 

 selves pilgrimages with the object of shaking off religious 

 responsibilities and moral discipline such as they had exercised, 

 but found irksome at home. 



It is quite possible that some of the extravagancies attributed 

 to Maignenn are due to the invention of the biographer of Kil- 

 mainham, who imagined the curses so as to deter the violent 

 from laying hands on the property of the monastery. So many 

 of his sayings exhibit sound sense and real piety, that we are 

 inclined to doubt the genuineness of such as breathe a different 

 spirit. 



The authoi'ity for the brief notice here given is an Irish Life 

 published in the " Silva Gadelica ;" that is unquestionably incom- 

 plete, consequently we do not know the particulars concerning 

 the close of his life, nor can we fix with any confidence the date 

 of his death. 



Maignenn was a friend of S. Fursey before the latter left 

 Ireland, which was in the reign of Sigebert of the East Saxons, 

 in or about 637. He was also a friend of S. Findchu who was a 

 contemporary of Cairbre Crom king of Munster, who died in 

 571 ; but Findchu was certainly older than Maignenn. The 

 Maelruan he visited was not Maelruan of Tallaght, who died in 

 782, but Maelruan of Druim Ruithe in West Meath, who lived 

 earlier. He is also spoken of as visiting Diarmid, King of all 

 Ireland (544-565), so that probably Maignenn lived in the latter 

 part of the 6th century, and died about 648. The story of his 

 taking dysentery after a visit to S. Fursey may mean that he was 

 prostrated after that visit, and died of it. 



The only dedication to Maignenn in Cornwall is S. Mawnan. 

 It lies at the mouth of the Helford river, close to the sea, over 

 against S. Anthony. The church is mainly Perpendicular, and 

 has the remains of a fine screen with painted figures of saints on 

 it. 



There was a Sanctuary attached to Mawnan Church, called 

 " The Lawn," or Llan, At the extremity of the point is a rock 

 called Mawnan' s Chair. 



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