Devotion to St. Barr was very great in Catholic Scotland, as numerous dedications attest. His churches are chiefly to be found on solitary islands, which seem to have had a special attraction for him. Thus in the parish of Kilkerran, Kintyre, is an island now known as Davar; it was formerly called St. Barre's Island. The island of Barra takes its name from him; traces of his cultus lingered on there long after the Reformation. At Kilbar (sometimes called Shilbar), for example, an image of the saint, which was long preserved, used to be clothed with a linen robe on his feast-day in comparatively recent times. Other curious customs also prevailed in the island in connection with him; his holy well is there. St. Barr was the patron saint of the churches of {141} Dornoch, and of Eddleston (Peebles-shire); at both places a fair was annually held on his feast-day. In Ayrshire is the parish of Barr, and in Forfarshire that of Inch bare. At Midd Genie, in Tarbat, is Chapel Barre.
28—St. Machan or Mahon, Bishop, about 6th century.
St. Machan, born in Scotland, was like many of his contemporaries, sent to Ireland, then renowned for its schools, to be educated. After he had returned to his native land and had become a priest, he laboured in various provinces of Scotland.
At Rome, whither he had gone as a pilgrim, he was consecrated bishop in spite of protestations from his humility; later he returned to Scotland and to the apostolic ministry. After many years of fruitful labour he died and was laid to rest at Campsie in Lennox. His name still survives in Ecclesmachan (Church of Machan) in Linlithgow, of which he is patron. The parish of Dalserf, Lanarkshire, formed at one time the chapelry of St. Machan, and was known as Machanshire. It was connected {142} with the church of Cadzow (now Hamilton). An altar in St. Mungo's Cathedral, Glasgow, was dedicated to him. A fair in honour of this saint was held annually at Kilmahog, Perthshire.
OCTOBER
8—St. Triduana, Virgin, 7th or 8th century.
St. Triduana devoted herself to God in a solitary life at Rescobie in Angus (now Forfarshire). While dwelling there, a prince of the country having conceived an unlawful passion for her is said to have pursued her with his unwelcome attentions. To rid herself of his importunities, as a legend relates, Triduana bravely plucked out her beautiful eyes, her chief attraction, and sent them to her admirer. Her heroism, it is said, procured for her the power of curing diseases of the eyes. Many instances are related of such miracles worked after her death.
St. Triduana died at Restalrig in Lothian, and her tomb became a favourite place of {143} pilgrimage. Before the Reformation it was the most important of the holy shrines near Edinburgh. On account of this prominence her church was the very first to fall a victim to the fanatical zeal of the Puritans. After being honoured for a thousand years her relics were desecrated by the destruction of her shrine. The General Assembly, decreed on December 21, 1560, that "the Kirk of Restalrig, as a monument of idolatrie, be raysit and utterlie castin downe and destroyed." An interesting discovery was made in 1907 in connection with this church, which had long been used as a Presbyterian place of worship after restoration. An octagonal building, standing near, was thought to have been a Chapter House in Catholic times; it was filled with earth and rubbish, after having served as a burial place, and a mound of earth surmounted it on the outside on which trees had rooted. The Earl of Moray, superior of the village, offered to restore the church to its original state, and, when examined by competent authorities, the supposed Chapter House was found to be a beautiful little Gothic chapel with groined roof supported {144} by a central pillar, similar to the building which once covered St. Margaret's well at Restalrig. Further explorations proved that the little octagonal building had evidently been raised over the miraculous well of St. Triduana, so much scoffed at by Reformation satirists. Steps led down to the water, thus covered in, and a chapel, which must have formed an upper story above the well, is thought to have been the "Triduana's Aisle" alluded to in ancient documents. The building has now been thoroughly restored after its original form and is regarded as a valuable monument of antiquity. Thus do more enlightened ages condemn the foolish fanaticism of bygone days!
This saint was honoured in various parts of Scotland, and her name has undergone so many changes in the different districts as to be often unrecognisable. It occurs under the various forms of Traddles, Tredwell, Tradwell, Trallew, Trallen, etc.
Among these dedications are Kintradwell in Caithness and Trad lines in Forfarshire. Near the island of Papa Westray in the Orkneys is St. Tredwell's Loch, and on the east side of {145} the loch is a small peninsula containing the ruins of a little building measuring 20 feet in length and 22 feet in breadth, known as St. Tredwell's Chapel. At Rescobie a fair used to be held on her feast-day, but in the beginning of last century it was transferred to Forfar. It was known as "St. Trodlin's Fair." Relics of this saint were honoured in Aberdeen Cathedral in Catholic ages. Devotion to St. Triduana has been revived in the modern Catholic church at Restalrig.