him in her arms early on a summer's morning, and, as she passed along, tasted some wild fruit, the child, to her utter astonishment, exclaimed, "Es much a lungan thu a vahir," "You have an early appetite, mother." The mother answered, "Shan a lavrin thu a laniv," "You have old talk, my child." The word "shan" (or old) was then adopted by the saint for his name. He desired his mother to pluck three rushes from a valley near her dwelling, where a lake sprang up, in which she baptised the child with a form of words prescribed by himself. To this day the lake remains, and is called Loughshanan.
Senanus and the monks of his abbey at Inniscattery were so strict as to make it a matter of conscience not so much as to look at a woman, and much less to suffer one to land on the island.
A stone upon which Senanus once knelt, and in which the print of his knee is still shown at the head of the creek of Kilrush, is still held in such veneration that every countryman who passes it bows, takes off his hat, or mutters a prayer as he goes along.
An ancient bell, said by O'Halloran and many others to belong to St. Senanus's altar, is still preserved by the descendants of the family of O'Kane in "the West"; and the spot on which it is averred that it fell from Heaven for the saint's use is shown at the cross between Kildimo and Farrihy, where an altar has been erected to commemorate the event. This relic of antiquity is covered by a strong coat of silver, firmly fastened to it, and ornamented by raised figures; it is in general use for the discovery of petty thefts and the clearance of characters. Many of the country people would not swear falsely on the "Golden Bell," as it is called, for they are taught from their infancy that the consequence would be instant death.[1]
The remains of the monument of Senanus are still to be seen in Scattery Island. . . . . This is one of the most popular burial-places in the county. . . . The country people believe that all bodies buried in Shanakill, near Kilrush, are miraculously conveyed under the bed
- ↑ The bell of Saint Evan, as reported in the survey of Kildare, had the same veneration attached to it; and a large wooden image at Saints Island, in Lough Ree, is used for the same purpose in the counties of Roscommon, Longford, and Westmeath.
