334

BRECC FELE.

BRENDAN

Shannon, in the territory of Tir-Briuin, co.Roscommon. ( Four Masters , by O’Donov. i.327, n. 8 ; Mart. Doneg. by Todd and Reeves,214.)

(3) Of Cluain-catha and Ard-bracan—July16. In Mart. Doneg. he is Brecan, of Cluain-catha (battle-field), in Inis-Eoghain (Inishowen,county Donegal), bishop of Ard Brecain, andabbat of Magh-bile (Movilla, county Down). Hewas of the race of Eoghan, son of Niall. Anotherdedication may be April 29 (Martt. Doneg. andr fall .; Colgan, Acta SS. 650, c. 8).

(4) Of Ros-tuirc—Sept. 17. Mart. Doneg.calls him Bracan, and that of Tall. Broccan, ofRostuirc, in Magh Raighne, in Osraighe, or ofCluain-iomorohuir. His name is still found inKill-braghan, a townland in the parish of Kill-aloe, co. Kilkenny ( [Journ. Kilk. Arch. Soc. v.212, new series). In Colgan’s Life of St. Abban(March 16) an account is given of a meetingbetween the two saints Abban and Brecan, thelatter being abbat of the two monasteries in theregion of Ossory, Rostuirc and Cluain-imurchuir.St. Abban had come for the recovery of some ofhis monastic property; and after the purposewas effected by means of a miracle, their friend-ship was cem°nted by a perpetual bond; but wemust doubt the legend, which says this bondincluded St. Brendan of Clonfert (May 16),St. Moling (June 17), St. Flaunan (Dec. 18),and St. Munna(Oct.21). (Colgan, Acta SS. p.618,t. 34; p. 624, nn. 4<M .)

(5) Bishop—May 1. This was Brecan of Ara,

and of Cillbreacain, in Thomond (North Munster),of the race of Corbmac Cas, son of Oilill Olum.He was son of Eochaidh Balldearg, son ofCarthiune or Carthen Finn, both princes ofThomond, and the latter being baptized bySt. Patrick. (Colgan, Tr. Thaum. p. 158, c. 45;Acta SS. 17, n. 5 ) In the island of Inishmore,in Galway Bay, and diocese of Tuam, formerlycalled “ Ara-na-naomh,” i.e. “ Ara of thesaints,” there is, says Colgan (though heentirely errs in his geographical account of theArran Isles, and gives it as if this church stoodin Inisheer, or the Eastern Island), a beautifulchurch, once a parish church, called 11 TemplumBrecani,” Brecon’s church ( Acta SS. p. 715, c.7. n. 13 ). This Temple-braccan was S. Brecan’sprincipal establishment, but he also founded andgave his name to Ardbraccan, the diocesan seatof the bishop of Meath, near Navan, co. Meath.(Petrie, Round Towers , 139; Four Mast, byO’Donov. i. 268 n. e ; Journ. Hist, and Arch. Ass.Ir. 3 ser. i. 78-9.) [A. P. F.]

BRECC FELE, of Bealach-Fele—Jan. 15.Mart. Doneg. adds that he is of the family ofFiacha Suidhe, son of Feidhlimidh Reachtmhar.His father was Silan, descended from the familyof St. Ita and house of the Desii (countyWaterford), and Bealach Fele is now identifiedwith Ballyfoyle in Kilkenny. (Journ. Kilk. Arch.Soc. iii. 376, v. 191 ; O’Hanlon, Ir. Saints , i.220; Colgan, Acta SS. p. 73, c. 2.) [A. P. F.]

BRECNAT, Y.—July 3. She was also Brig-nat, received the veil from St. Patrick, and isnamed among the disciples or attendants of St.Monenna or Modwenna, St. Brigida’s mistress.(Colgan, Tr. Thaum. 270, c. 1; 623, c. 13;Yit. 8. Monenn. c. 14, 16.) [A. P. F.]

BREGUSUID (Beorhtswith, FI or. WigM. H. B. 632), the mother of St. Hilda and wife,of Hereric; she had a vision of her daughter’sgreatness in her infancy (Bed. II. E. iv. 23).[See Hilda.] [S.]

BREGWIN, Bregowinus, the twelfth arch-bishop of Canterbury, succeeded archbishop Cuth-bert, who died in 758, and was consecrated onSt. Michael’s Day, 759 (Chr. S. Flor. Wig.M. H. B. 545). His appointment is dated 761,in the Chronicle of Mailros, but the weight oievidence is in favour of the earlier date. Hispontificate lasted* according to Osbern, for sevenyears (Ang. Sac. ii. 76), according to Eadmer foronly three (lb. 187). Although the majorityof the historians follow Eadmer, the evidence otOsbern is confirmed by the charters, and hisdeath may be fixed to the year 765, the day be-„vng Aug. 24 (Flor. Wig.) or Sept. 1 (Osbern), orAug. 26 (Obit. Cant. Ang. Sac. i. 52). He wasburied in the chapel of St. John the Baptist,at the east end of the cathedral church. Hislife was written by Osbern and Eadmer, neitherof whom, however, gives any historical parti-culars about him, simply the dates of his ponti-ficate and a few miracles (Ang. Sacra , ii. 75-77,184-190). The historians of St. Augustine’s(Elmham, 328) say that he repeated the artificeof his predecessor, directing the clergy to con-ceal his death until he was buried, lest themonks of St. Augustine’s should claim his body.The most important relic of him is a letter ad-dressed by him to Lullus, archbishop of Mentz,about 762, in which he offers him presents, andinforms him of the date of the death of the ab-bess Bugge (S. Bonif. ep. 130). From the sameletter we learn that Bregwin had visited Rome,and had met Lullus there, probably about 751.A synod held by Bregwin is mentioned in an actof the council of Clovesho, in 798, the subjectbeing the detention of one of the estates of thesee, which had been granted by Ethelbald ofMercia (Haddan and Stubbs, iii. 399). Ralph deDiceto (Ang. Sac. i. 87) says that Bregwin re-ceived the pall from pope Paul I., but this wasprobably a mere matter of calculation. Thecharters which bear his name are from the car-tularies of St. Augustine’s, dated 761 (Kemble,C. D. i. 129, 131), 762 (lb. 132, 133, 137), andRochester, dated 762 (Kemble, C. D. i. 134),764 (lb. 135), and 765 (lb. 137, 139). Seealso Acta Sanctotnim , Bolland. August, v. 827-835. [S.]

BRENDAN (BRANDAN, BRENAINN) isthe name, according to Colgan, of fourteen Irishsaints: the Mart. Doneg. attaches ten to dif-ferent days. But two of these are so conspicuousas to cast all others into the shade. Withthe exception of Brendan, abbat of Fobhar(nowFore, county Westmeath), on July27th, thereis scarcely anything known beyond the place anddav of dedication of the other minor saints. Thename is recognised now as belonging generally toSt. Brendan of Birr and St. Brendan of Clon-fert, who are counted among those who composethe second order of Irish saints : they are also twoof the twelve apostles of Ireland.

(1) St. Brendan of Birr—Nov. 29. Hewas son of Neman and Mansenm, of the race itCorb Olum, son of Fergus, grandson of Rudii-