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A tale told in the Life of Daig (Heist, Vitae Sanctorum Hiberniae, 392-3) might be of interest. Ķenu, abbot of Clonmacnoise, was upset by Daig's mixed community and sent some of his monks to rebuke him. These men were won over by the chastity and holiness of the women, however, particularly since they could carry fire without any damage to themselves or their clothes and could carry water as if in a solid vase (Quarum quedam in sinu suo ignem sine ulla vestis lesione, quedam aquam velut in vase firmissimo, ad eos portavit). Other Irish virgins also proved their virtue by carrying fire without burning themselves or their clothes, which may be based on Proverbs 6.27, but the water feat is not as common. Betha Colaim Chille (Urbana, 1918): 167, tells of a bottomless vat able to hold water through the power of the saint. Maeve