sed to them on the
commands of God and he enjoined on them to live holily after his death,
to be submissive to authority and to follow as closely as possible the
way he had marked out and to preserve his city in a state of piety
and under religious rule. And when they had all heard the discourse it
grieved them greatly to perceive, from what he had said, he realised
that in a short time he would go away to heaven from them. But they were
consoled by his gentle words and then there came to him the holy man,
to wit, MacLiag, at his own request, already referred to. He [Declan]
received the Body and Blood of Christ and the Sacraments of the Church
from his [MacLiag's] hand--surrounded by holy men and his disciples,
and he blessed his people and his dependents and his poor, and he kissed
them in token of love and peace. Thus, having banished images and the
sacrifices to idols, having converted multitudes to the true faith,
having established monasteries and ecclesiastical orders in various
places, having spent his whole life profitably and holily, this glorious
bishop went with the angels to heaven on the ninth day of the Kalends of
August and his body was blessed and honoured with Masses and chanting
by holy men and by the people of the Decies and by his own monks and
disciples collected from every quarter at the time of his death. He was
buried with honour in his own city--in Declan's High-Place--in the tomb
which by direction of an angel he had himself indicated--which moreover
has wrought wonders and holy signs from that time to now. He departed
to the Unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost in Saecula
Saeculorum; Amen. FINIS.

The poor brother, Michael O'Clery originally copied this life of Declan
in Cashel, from the book of Eochy O'Heffernan. The date, A.D., at which
that ancient book of Eochy was written is 1582. And the same life has
now been re-written in the Convent of the Friars at Druiske, the date,
A.D., 27th February, 1629.

And this Life of St. Declan was transcribed electronically for the
public domain by Dennis McCarthy, a layman, in the city of Atlanta in
Georgia of the United States of America. He copied this life from the
1914 translation from the Irish to the English tongue by Rev. P. Power
of University College, Cork. Dennis has completed this work on February
27 in the year of Our Lord 1997, and prayerfully dedicated it to the
memory of his deceased siblings.

NOTE

The Irish