Canice
Martyrological notice
Like his holy contemporaries he often exercised his influence against barbarous customs. All the people being one day assembled with their king, a little boy was dragged out by the common men to suffer the dreadful torture called " giallcherd," the punishment inflicted probably on the hostages of those who violated their engagements. The spears were fixed upright in the ground and the boy was seized, when St. Canice seeing the horrible preparation, earnestly remonstrated with the king, but in vain. Custom would have its victim had not the Almighty, at the prayer of St Canice, miraculousy saved the child, who when flung on the spears was neither killed nor torn. However, the terror of the horrible death to which he was doomed had distorted his eyes, so that he was called, thenceforward, Lebdearc. Struck by his wonderful preservation, the king gave him lands ; and he became a great and a holy man, and he founded a church, around which grew up a town, called from his name Killdolne Lebdearc.
Historical martyrology witness · Calendar of Irish Saints / Martyrology of Tallaght (1857)
Like his holy contemporaries he often exercised his influence against barbarous customs. All the people being one day assembled with their king, a little boy was dragged out by the common men to suffer the dreadful torture called " giallcherd," the punishment inflicted probably on the hostages of those who violated their engagements. The spears were fixed upright in the ground and the boy was seized, when St. Canice seeing the horrible preparation, earnestly remonstrated with the king, but in vain. Custom would have its victim had not the Almighty, at the prayer of St Canice, miraculousy saved the child, who when flung on the spears was neither killed nor torn. However, the terror of the horrible death to which he was doomed had distorted his eyes, so that he was called, thenceforward, Lebdearc. Struck by his wonderful preservation, the king gave him lands ; and he became a great and a holy man, and he founded a church, around which grew up a town, called from his name Killdolne Lebdearc.