THE  SCHOOL  OF  INISCALTRA.  517

were  taken  by  Moclioemlie  of  Terryglas^,  and  by  Odhran  the
Master,  on  a  wain  southwards  over  Esge,  to  Caimin  of  Inis-
caltra.  Esge  is  a  corruption  of  Ecbtge,  the  ancient  and  cor
rect  name  of  the  Slieve  Aughty  mountains,  that  sepnratc
Gralway  from  Clare.  As  St.  (Jaimin  was  certainly  not  then  in
Iniscaltra,  this  would  seem  to  point  to  a  subsequent  trans-
lation of  the  holy  relics  once  more  to  the  beautiful  island
where  Columba  had  spent  so  many  years.  His  successor,
Caimin,  had,  it  would  seem,  rendered  the  island  once  more  a
celebrated  home  of  learning  and  piety,  and  wished  to  possess,
at  least  a  portion  of  the  blessed  body  of  his  illustrious
predecessor.
Columba  died  a.d.  552  ;  St.  Caimin,  the  still  more  famous
saint  of  Iniscaltra,  and  who  has  always  been  regarded  as  its
patron,  died,  according  to  the  Annals  of  Innisfallen,  just  one
hundred  years  later,  in  a.d.  653;  so  that  Caimin  cannot
have  been  a  disciple  of  Columba.  He  came,  howevei-,  of  the
same  royal  Lagenian  race  of  Cathair  Mor,  for  his  father
Dima,  or  Dimma,  belonged  to  Hy-Kinsellagh,  but  his  mother
Cumaine,  who  was  also/i^  is  said,  the  mother  of  Guaire,  King
of  Connaught,  and  of  Ciimmian  Fada,  Bishop  of  Clonfert,
belonged  originally  to  the  west  of  the  County  Kerry.
