The book Arran; - Cook Clan

CHURCHES BEFORE THE REFORMATION 73
How long he remained in his island by Arran, with a
cramped cave for shelter and discomfort as his bedfellow,
we do not know. Thereafter he journeyed to Rome on two
occasions, and was ordained successively priest and bishop.
It is disappointing to find him, in contras^t with his old master
Fintan, a champion of Roman usages against those of the
Celtic Church. The rest of his career belongs to Ireland,
where he became Abbot of Leithglinn in Leinster, continuing
his display of miraculous powers ; in which oflfice he
died on April 18, 639 or 640, that day of the month being
sanctified to his memory. ^ There is some trifling doubt
about the exact date, but that does not pertain to the present
connection. The ' flame ' was for ever extinguished, but its
pale reflection still gilds with religious and historic interest
the lofty, lumpy bulk of the Holy Island. For centuries
occasional pilgrims made their way to the bare shrine
and scratched a cross upon its stones ; even curious Norsemen,
as we have seen, have left traces of their presence ;
the dead were entrusted to the sanctity of its neighbourhood
till an untimely accident induced a termination of the
practice.^ But only something like a convulsion of nature
is ever likely to root out the memory of the Saint of Lamlash,
Molaise, a flame of fire,
With his comely choristers,
Abbot of Rath-cille and King of the fire,
Son of Mathgemm of Monad.^
'A certain very old ancient vellum book states that Molaise
of Leithghlinn was, in his manners and life, like Boniface
the pope.' * The ancient book does not say which of the
seventh-century popes of that name it has in mind, but
' The Annals of Ulster say he 'rested' in 639 (638 of text, a year behind
normally).
2 See p. 75.
^ Monad or Monadh was near Loch Crinan— a Dalriadic strength.
* Martyrology of Donegal, p. 107.
VOL. 11.
K