COIINISH DEDICATIONS. 41 



At S. Martin in Meneage, the feast is held on November 



14. 



S. Martin, Priest, Confessor. 



S. Martin in Meneage is in the midst of Irish foundations, 

 and it is possible that it may have been founded by the Irish 

 Martin from Ossory. 



This man was only Irish so far that he laboured in Ireland, 

 and belonged to S. Patrick's mission, but he was a native of 

 Britain. In the Homily on S. Patrick in the Lebar brecc we 

 read, "Patrick went into Ossory and- founded churches there," 

 (this was in 474), "and he said that there would always be nobles 

 and clerics of the men of Ossory, and that no province should 

 prevail against it so long as they remained docile to him. 

 Patrick afterwards, bidding them farewell, left with them Martin, 

 an Elder, and a party of his people, where is at this day 

 Martartech in Magh Poighne."* 



Martartech is the Cemetery consecrated for the interment of 

 the middle Ossorian plain- dwellers. 



Martin, accordingly, had the shaping of the church in Mid- 

 Ossory. He did not however confine himself to this part of the 

 kingdom, but also founded churches in Inverk and in Upper 

 Ossory. 



Kieran, who was at Saighir, held him in the highest respect. 

 From the fact that he, himself, belonged to the expelled royal 

 family and that Ossory was in the hands of conquerors, who 

 regarded him with mistrust, he was not able to travel about in 

 Ossory, and was glad of the assistance of Martin, who, as a 

 foreigner, was not looked on with suspicion. So highly indeed 

 did Kieran appreciate him, that he made Martin promise that 

 when they died they should repose side by side. 



Eventually Martin retired to Torry Isle (Tor inis) off Donegal 

 and there died. A copy of the Grospels that he valued highly 

 was laid on his breast when he was buried. S. Columba, of Hy, 

 visited Torinis, opened the tomb, and carried off the sacred 

 volume. 



• " Tripartite I^ife," II, p, 469 



