s life of St. Columba, which has
been called by a competent judge "the most complete piece of such
biography that all Europe can boast of, not only at so early a
period, but throughout the whole Middle Ages." He is also the author
of a treatise on the Holy Land, valuable as being one of the earliest
produced in Europe.
Though the saint died at Iona, his relics were carried to Ireland;
but they must have been restored to Iona, as they were venerated
there in 1520. He was one of the most popular of the Scottish saints,
and many churches were named after him. The chief of these were at
Aboyne and Forvie (parish of Slains) in Aberdeenshire; Abriachan in
Inverness-shire; Forglen or Teunan Kirk in Banffshire; Tannadice in
Forfarshire; Kileunan (parish of Kilkerran) {138} in Kintyre; Kinneff
in Kincardineshire; the Island of Sanda; Dull, Grandtully and
Blair Athole in Perthshire--the latter place was once known as
_Kilmaveonaig_, from the quaint little chapel and burying ground of
the saint. There were chapels in his honour at Campsie in
Stirlingshire and Dalmeny in Linlithgow. At Aboyne are "Skeulan Tree"
and "Skeulan Well," at Tannadice "St. Arnold's Seat," at Campsie "St.
Adamnan's Acre," at Kinneff "St. Arnty's Cell." At Dull a fair was
formerly held on his feast-day (old style); it was called _Feille
Eonan_. Another fair at Blair Athole was known as _Feill Espic Eoin_
("Bishop Eunan's Fair" though St. Adamnan was an abbot only); it has
been abolished in modern times. His well is still to be seen in the
Manse garden there, and down the glen a fissure in the rock is called
"St. Ennan's Footmark." There was a "St. Adamnan's Croft" in
Glenurquhart (Inverness-shire), but the site is no longer known.
Ardeonaig, near Loch Tay; Ben Eunaich, Dalmally; and Damsey
(Adamnan's Isle) in Orkney, take their names from this saint. At
{139} Firth-on-the-Spey, near Kingussie, is a very ancient bronze
bell, long kept on a window-sill of the old church, and tradition
relates that when moved from thence it produced a sound similar to
the words, "Tom Eunan, Tom Eunan," until it was restored to its
original resting-place in the church, which stands on the hill
bearing that name. The tradition points to the dedication of the
church to this saint. Few names have passed through such various
transformations in the course of ages as that of Adamnan. It is met
under the forms of Aunan, Arnty, Eunan, Ounan, Teunan (Saint-Eunan),
Skeulan, Eonan, Ew
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