We  agree  with  the  learned  and  judicious  Skene  that  the
monastery  of  Rosnat,  the  magnum  vionasterium,  wbich  was^
also  called  Alba}-  and  Candida,  can  be  no  other  than  Whiterne
in  Galloway,  or  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  Futerna.  There  is
no  doubt  that  St.  Nennio,  ISTennius  or  Ninian,  was  the
founder  of  that  great  monastery,  and  he  may  have  been  the
teacher  of  some  of  the  great  saints  from  the  north  of  Ireland,
whose  names  are  mentioned  above.  Furthermore  it  was
through  him  and  his  great  monastery  that  monastic  life  and
discipline  were  introduced  into  those  parts  of  Ireland,  where
these  early  saints,  his  disciples,  founded  their  own  establish-
ments. St.  Nennio  or  Ninian  of  Candida  Casa  was  building
his  new  stone  church — the  White  House — in  G-alloway  when
he  heard  of  the  death  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours,  whose  disciple
he  had  been.  Now,  Martin  died  the  11th  of  November,
A.D.  397  ;  and  it  is  manifestly  out  of  the  question  to  suppose
that  this  Ninian,  or  Nennio,  could  have  lived  on  to  the  year
A.D.  570,  when  he  would  be  at  least  200  years  of  age.  This
assumes,  however,  the  identity  of  Rosnat  with  Candida  Casa.
But  if  Rosnat  were  a  Welsh  monastery,  and  that  Moinenn  is
merely  another  name  for  St.  Manchan,  or  Manchenus,  the
Master,  as  some  think ;  then  Moinenn,  Bishop  of  Clonfert,
was  very  likely  that  person,  and   derived  his  training  and

'  Life  of  St.  Tighernach.
^  Wiiiterne  in  sound  for  Irish  ears  is  nearly  the  same  as  Futeime,
the  Latin  being  Futerna.
224  THE  SCHOOL  Ol'  CLoXFERT.
