10 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



past events may be gleaned from Dr. Keating' s quotations, and front 

 what shall be mentioned in the sequel. 



About the beginning of the year 1869, Mr. John B. Bray, then clerk 

 in the Hibernian Bank, Castle-street, Dublin, and at present in the 

 chief branch of that institution, Dame-street, called upon the writer, 

 and stated he was in possession of traditional information, which should 

 be communicated, he thought, through some agency to those who felt 

 a special interest in rescuing the remains of our Irish literature from 

 oblivion. He declared, that several years ago, while visiting the 

 ruins of Clonenagh, near Mountrath, in company with his father, 

 Mr. Martin Bray, of the latter town, their conversation having turned 

 naturally on St. Fintan and the old ruined monastery, his father 

 told him about a remarkable and curious old vellum MS., which 

 was written in quaint ancient characters — supposed to have been 

 Irish — but which no person knew how to read, although most of 

 the leaves were perfectly legible. This was called "The Book of 

 St. Fintan," and it formerly belonged to the Monks of Clone- 

 nagh. It was said to have been written by St. Fintan. Mr. Martin 

 Bray's father — who also bore the name of Martin, and who died 

 about 1 844, at the age of ninety years — saw this ancient book in the 

 library of Ballyfin House, not far from Clonenagh, some time about 

 the commencement of the present century. At that period, the house 

 and estates of Ballyfin belonged to the Right Hon. William "Wellesley 

 Pole, afterwards Lord Maryborough and Earl of Mornington, who was 

 born at Dangan Castle, in the county of Meath, A. D. 1760 ; and who 

 died at Grosvenor- square, London, on the 22nd of February, 1845.* 

 Mr. John B. Bray heard his father state, likewise, that the crozier 

 of St. Fintan, with many other relics, said to have belonged formerly 

 to the old churches of Clonenagh and Cromogue — both within a 

 mile of each other — had been kept subsequently at Ballyfin House ; but 

 these had perished in a fire which there broke out, and they are now 

 irrecoverably lost. 



Immediately after the foregoing communication had been made to 

 the writer, he mentioned it to several members of the Academy, and, 

 among others, to the late Rev. Dr. James Henthorne Todd, who advised 

 him to communicate with General Dunne, of Brittas House, who lived 

 not far from Ballyfin. I wrote also to the Rev. Dr. "William Reeves 

 on the subject; and in a reply, he observed that the disinterment of 

 the " Book of Clonenagh" should be regarded as a memorable event, 

 as we might be able to learn something more concerning ' ' that 

 mysterious council, the Synod of Rathbreasail, and its place of 

 meeting."! Lieutenant-General Dunne stated, in reply to my first 



* See a biographical sketch of this nobleman in the " Gentleman's Magazine" 

 for April, 1845. 



t The exact locality where this ancient synod had been held is not yet known. 

 In the fourth series of " Notes and Queries," vol. iv., at the months of August and 

 December, 1869, pp. 184, 523, references are made to the opinions of our Irish An- 

 tiquaries on this subject. 



