Baring-Gould’s sources: Ancient Irish Martyrologies on Feb. 3. But the Donegal Martyrology says that he was also commemorated on Oct 27. But Colman hy Fiachra is venerated on Oct. 27. S. Colman Mac Duach was, however, commemorated on Oct. 27 in the 17th cent, according to Colgan, and had been so from time immemorial at Kilmacduach. Benedict XIV., however, in 1741 transferred the commemoration to Oct. 29, so as not to interfere with the festival of SS. Simon and Jude. Authority: — A Life in Irish in Trin. Coll. Library, Dublin, and one in Latin in Colgan.] S. Colman, son of Duach, belonged, like S. Colman hy Fiachra, to the Fiochr family; both were descended from Eochaidh Breac, son of Dathi, son of Fochra Follnathach. His life opens with the interesting information that Colman had three pets — a cock, a mouse, and a bluebottle. The cock crowed at night whenever the turn came for him to rise and say his office; if he slept on, the mouse nibbled his ear, or fingers, or toes till he got up; and the fly served as a book-marker. For when he read, the bluebottle hopped on, and formed a stop at the end of each sentence. And if S. Colman was called away in the midst of his reading, the fly sat quiet at the end of the paragraph he ha d just completed till he returned and resumed his reading. Now after a while his three pets died, and S. Colman, in heartbroken despair, wrote to S. Columba at Iona a touching account of their last hours and his own desolation. The great abbot in reply rebuked him for making a fuss about trifles.

He was made bishop against his will; and disliking the duties of the office, he ran away and hid in a solitary place with one disciple for seven years, their only food being vol xii. 23 [OcLag.

watercresses and wild herbs, their drink water; and deerskins served them for clothes. One Easter Day, Colman said to his disciple, “ To-day is the Paschal Feast: mind and spread a good table in honour of the glorious mysteries we celebrate this day.” “ You perform your ministry in the church, and I will do mine in the refectory,” answered the disciple. “ I can promise you something nice. I have caught some small birds in a snare, and there are the usual vegetables.” So Colman said Mass, and then hastened to the refectory full of joy at the spiritual blessings the day afforded, and not indifferent to the prospect of roast woodcocks. Now that same day King Guair of Connaught, whose palace was at Kilalea, was preparing to enjoy his Easter dinner. He sat in his seat at the high table, looking down the hall to the buttery hatch to see what was coming up from the kitchen. In came the servants, bearing a roast boar and a roast stag whole on the spits, with two great skewers, transfixing each at right angles to the spits. u Ha ! ” said the king, rubbing his hands. “ This is something like provision for Easter Day. I only wish that the poor hermits in Burren wood had a bite at them I ” Scarcely had he expressed the wish when the roast boar and stag rose in the air, and were wafted out of the window. King Guair mounted his horse, and his nobles galloped over hill and dale after the victuals, snuffing the trail of scent in the air.

In the meantime the angels who bore the roast meat laid it on the table before Colman and his pupiL Colman admired the spits and skewers, and exclaimed, “ O spits and skewers, what has brought you hither?” And the angels chanted in chorus, “ Your prayers and the charity of King Guair.”

The saint had scarce got his teeth into a slice of venison S. Colman Mac Duach. before the king galloped up, burst in, and said, “ I have caught you ! ” After an interchange of courtesies, the king entreated Colman to go on eating, and then offered in the same breath to make Colman his spiritual director, and very handsomely to give over his corpse to him to be buried in his oratory when he died.

Next day the king sent masons to begin the erection of Kill-mac- Duach, which thenceforth became the burial-place of the descendants of King Guair. The site of the church was fixed in this way. The saint said that it should be erected wherever his girdle should fall; and one day it slipped off him in a wild thicket of the forest, and was caught on a thorn. He told Guair, and there where hung the girdle the church was reared.1 A tree, perhaps that on which the girdle caught, was long accounted holy. One who preserved a chip of wood from it could not be killed or die a violent death. This was proved once on the body of a thief, whom the hangman laboured ineffectually to strangle. The poor fellow was hung thrice, and though the hangman jumped on his shoulders, the thief only laughed at him. At last it was discovered that he had a chip of S. Colman's tree under his tongue. This was removed, and he died like an ordinary man. The Earl of Kildare invited a certain William with an unpronounceable Irish name to dine with him one day. This William began to carve the beefsteak in front of him, when, to his horror, he found it raw and bleeding. He put down his knife and fork, and did not help himself. The Count asked why he did not eat, but he, out of courtesy, did not say that the meat displeased him, but pretended that his appetite was gone. Those who sat next William, however, told the earl what was the matter, and the noble host ordered the dish to be brought before him. When he cut the meat it proved in fact very red and bleeding. The Earl of Kildare This foundation took place about 620.

also put down his knife and fork and said, “Never has such a thing happened at my table before; there must be something supernatural in it. What day is this?” On examination of the Kalendar it proved to be the vigil of S. Colman.

There are ninety-six S. Colmans in the Donegal Martyrology, and there are more in other martyrologies.