486 OORNISH DEDICATIONS. 



restore her to liberty, " Never ! " — said he — " till I hear the 

 cuckoo call at day-dawn and arouse me from sleep." 



It was winter time, and a deep snow lay on the ground and 

 crested the castle walls. As the gates were shut, Kieran and 

 his companions had to spend the night in the snow outside. 

 They passed it in prayer. Lo ! next morning a cuckoo was 

 perched on every turret of the chieftain's castle, uttering its 

 plaintive call.* Surprised and alarmed at this marvel, Dimma 

 released the maiden. 



Putting aside what is fabulous in this story, we see the 

 venerable saint's enthusiasm for the protection of innocence, and 

 there is something very pathetic in the thought of his spending 

 the winter night in the snow, outside the gate, rather than 

 abandon his efforts to save the poor girl. 



What actually took place was that Piran or Kieran " fasted 

 against " Dimma. This was a practice among the Irish. If a 

 man wanted something very particular, and was refused it, he 

 went to the door of the man of whom he made petition and 

 remained there exposed to the inclemency of the weather, and 

 refused aU food, till he died. This was literally laying his 

 death at the door of the other, and it entailed on the man who 

 let him die all the consequences of a blood-feud. The practice 

 is not unknown now in India. 



When, in the 12th century, the life of S. Kieran was re- 

 written, the editor could not understand the practice, which 

 had long ago been abandoned, so he invented the story of the 

 cuckoo to give point to the incident, and account for the 

 surrender of Dimma. 



As soon as Bruinech had been released, Kieran took her 

 back to his mother at Killyon. 



After a few days the chieftain repented of having released 

 her his passion for the girl was not overcome, and he returned to 

 the convent to again carry her off. In her fright, Bruinech 

 fainted away, and Dimma was shewn her, lying unconscious. 

 He stormed at Kieran, who he thought had killed her rather 

 than give her back to him, and he threatened to drive him out 

 of the country. 



* Mr. Adams says "a Swan," the word is " Duculus," but according to 

 another version the bird was a heron. 



