200 Froceedings of the Royal Irish Acadeiny. 



the frontage looking from the sanctuary and lying on the western 

 side of Gilbeknit Church. 



{In doi'so) Quit claim of the land of the Church of Dalkey. 



In the 24th Eeport, 26th May, 1892, there is the entry :— 



P. 161, 1302— Lessors in No. 1298, and the Vicars choral of Holy 

 Trinity Church leave to Shane Kennay, alias Shane McDonaghe 

 "inclaune" of Saint Begnete's, Co. Dublin, fisherman, a house and 

 land in St. Begnete's for 41 years. Dated 8th Jany. 1565-6 & 28th 

 EKz. {In dorso) Dalkey, Kilbegnet. 



P. 77, 1374 — Lessors in No. 1298, lease to John Dongane, second 

 Remembrancer of the Irish Exchequer, a moiety of a messuage, 

 castle, orchard, and land, in St. Begnett's, alias Dalkey, Co. Dublin, 

 for 61 years. Dated 20th March, 1585-6 & 28th Eliz. 



There will thus be remarked the great variation in the form of 

 the name applied to the church, as regards the name of the saint, and 

 the further fact that, according to the entry 1374, " St. Begnett's" 

 •was at one time an aliter name for Dalkey Town. 



As regards the St. Begnet to whom the churches are said to be 

 dedicated, and whose festival is mentioned as occurring on the 12th 

 Nov., there is no such saint mentioned in Butler's "Lives of the 

 Saints," and none such under the date 12th November. The name 

 " Begnet " appears to be the diminutive form of Beg or Bee ; and the 

 question arises what particular saint of that name is thereby referred 

 to. In this respect the following citation from the " Book of Obits 

 and Martyrology of the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity," with 

 introduction by Jas. H Todd, d.d. (1844), is of interest. P. xiv. 

 Nov. 12th, " St. Begneta or Begnait is not mentioned in the Martyr- 

 ology of iEngus. In the calendars of two ancient manuscript 

 breviaries, now in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, she is styled 

 ' Virgo non-martyr.'* One of these (B. 1, 3) belonged to the Church 

 of Clondalkin; the other (B. 1, 4) to the Parish Church of St. John 

 the Evangelist, Dublin. The ancient church, now in ruins, on the 

 Island of Dalkey, near Dublin, is dedicated to St. Begnet; although, 

 in Lewis's ' Topographical Dictionary,' it is eiToneously said to 

 have been dedicated to St. Benedict. Mr. D'Alton also, in his 

 ' History of the County Dublin,' improves upon this mistake. He 

 says (p. 885) : ' On the shore, in a little rock-cove, the tourist will 

 find a ready boat to facilitate his pilgrimage to the island, where, 

 surrounded by cliffs, and a frequently tempestuous sea, an ancient 

 mariner's chapel was erected and dedicated to St. Begnet or Benedict.* 



