1 
 
V. 
 
 I 
 
H I S T 0 K Y 
 
 OF THE 
 
 IRISH CHURCH, 
 
 •WITH THB 
 
 MONASTERIES OF EACH COUNTY, 
 BIOGEAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 
 PRELATES, AND RELIGIOUS. 
 
 COMPILED FKOM 
 
 THE MOST AUTHENTIC RECORDS, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC, 
 
 BY THE REV. THOAIAS WALSH. 
 
 Qucb regio in terris nostri non jglena Idboris . — V dsg. 
 
 Ut c4irUe '^di] 
 Cdlluif ifedfM) 
 
 NEW YORK : 
 
 D. & J. SADLIER & CO., 31 BARCLAY STREET; 
 
 149 TBEMONT STREET, BOSTON; AND CORNER OP NOTRE DAME 
 AND ST. FRANCIS XAVIER STREET, MONTREAL. 
 
 1869. 
 
Entered according to act of Congress, in the year ISSl, by 
 1). & J. SADLIER &. CO., 
 
 In the Clerk’s office of the District Court for tlie Southern District of New York. 
 
.W3 
 
 \‘^b^ 
 
 DEDICATION. 
 
 In respectfully dedicating this volume to the descendants and scatter- 
 ed children of the ever-faithful people of Ireland, and the heirs of her 
 faith, language more appropriate than that of the Pontiff Benedict XIY., 
 in his memorable brief to the Archbishops and Bishops of Ireland cannot 
 be adopted. “ Cherish in your memories,” says this illustrious Pontiff, 
 “ St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland, whom onr predecessor Celestine, 
 sent to yoa of whose apostolic mission and preaching, such an abundant 
 harvest has grown, that Ireland, before his time idolatrous, was suddenly 
 called, and deservedly is, ‘ the Island of Saints.’ Cherish in your 
 memories St. Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh, who stood forth undaunt- 
 ed in every manner, prepared to convert the wolves into sheep ; to 
 admonish in public ; to touch the chords of the heart. Cherish with 
 yet more sincerity, St. Lawrence, Archbishop of Dublin, whom, born as 
 he was, of royal blood, our predecessor, Alexander III., constituted his 
 Legate Apostolic for Ireland, and whom Honorius III. alike our prede- 
 cessor, canonized. But if yet more we were to exhort you to cherish 
 in your memories, the very holy men Columbanus, Kylian, Virgil, Rumold, 
 St. Gall and the many others, who, coming out of Ireland, carried the 
 true faith over the provinces of the continent, or established it with 
 the blood of their martyrdom. Suffice it to commend you to bear in 
 memory the religion and the piety 'of those who have preceded you, 
 and their solicitude for the duties of their station, which has established 
 their everlasting glory and happiness.” 
 
 And, in fine, cherish the virtues of your fathers, their piety and rev- 
 erence towards their pastors, their contempt of earthly goods, and though 
 
IV 
 
 DEDICATION. 
 
 the dismaatled monasteries and the ruined altars of your dear Ireland 
 do no longer remind you, by their solemn and religious appearance, of 
 the past conflicts of those fathers, cherish the faith that rendered them 
 strong and invincible ; be yours firm ‘ and immovable as the rock on 
 which it is founded ; be yours illustrated with the earnest constancy of 
 a Peter, the burning zeal of a Paul, the abiding confidence of a John. 
 
 THE AUTHOH. 
 
 New-Tork, October, 1863. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 To every lover of religion and of the country which gave him and his ances* 
 tors birth, lengthened prefatory observations are not necessary to recommend 
 a work which furnishes him with the records of those holy and sanctified men, 
 through whose labors the national church of Ireland has been nursed in its 
 infancy, watched over as its growth advanced, invigorated in its adult state, 
 adorned when in its splendor and when tried in the crucible, by whom the 
 virginal faith of the Irish Church has been bequeathed, despite the efforts of 
 persecution, pure and untainted as the virtue of Him who has redeemed us, by 
 whom the ‘sacred deposit of faith has been defended with their blood — that blood 
 giving to the evergreen tree of faith the wholesome growth and vigor of life. 
 
 The Cliurch of Ireland enjoying its season of calm during that early period of 
 her existence, which may be called her Apostolic age, sainted missionaries went 
 forth from her bosom to distant regions to raise the standard of the cross over 
 the ruinous structures of error and superstition. Other countries engulfed in 
 the horrors of deadly strife and warfare consequent on the dismemberment of 
 the Homan Empire, religion and her handmaids, science and literature, found an 
 asylum in the peaceful “ Isle of the West,” an isle into which the victorious 
 arms of the Romans never penetrated. But a season of continuous calm and 
 tranquillity was not destined for the church of Ireland. She, too, has had to 
 endure tempestuous weather. The Danes, who were the enemies of progress, until 
 the light of faith shot its beams over their intellects, ravaged the country and 
 devastated the shrines and sanctuaries of religion. Yet the incursions of those 
 savage barbarians and their ruthless attacks on everything sacred have not 
 been without their advantages to religion, as many of the ecclesiastics of Ireland 
 having sought safety in foreign countries, rendered essential service to the people 
 who inhabited those regions, and who by their genius, the purity of their lives, the 
 example of their virtues, created an oasis in the desert of error and corruption. 
 Mysterious indeed are the ways of Providence, which even lead the pagan and 
 the robber to the very door of the sanctuary, in order that his conversion be 
 effected. Though the Danes were frequently repulsed, yet their plundering 
 disposition prompted a return to the shores of Ireland, until finally overthrown, 
 their conquest to the faith and to the kingdom of God was effectually 
 accomplished. Nay, even Olaf Trygvesson the king of Denmark and the royal 
 apostle of that nation became a Christian in Ireland, while probably a captive. 
 
yi 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 When the general conversion of those pirates took place after the battle of Clon- 
 tarf, the national church of Ireland enjoyed a season of repose,, as if to give the 
 zeal of Malachy an opportunity of restoring the sacred cause of religion and 
 discipline. But much as the Church of Ireland endured, while the fury of the 
 Danish ravages desolated the land, yet, it seems the cup of Irish misery had not 
 been drained, and to a perfidious nation, not indeed through any peculiar merit 
 that is visible in her people, has been reserved in accomplishment rather of the 
 divine will for the propagation of that faith which has withstood the storms of 
 eighteen centuries, that infliction wherewith the sins of our fathers may have 
 been expiated, rendering at the same time the faith of Ireland more resplendent, 
 causing it to increase in other regions, nay, expanding itself within the very 
 bosom of that perfidious country, which has shaken ofl’ its sweet yoke, and return- 
 ing, as does the illustrious stranger, forgetful of the injuries he has received, to 
 revisit that land which has been enriched with the blood of her martyred sons. 
 
 The Irish Catholic, who has sought a home in this laud of the West, will be 
 gratified to find the chain of the Episcopal succession of Ireland unbroken and 
 uusevered from that Apostolic rock, which has protected the Irish Church in 
 all her vicissitudes, and that apostolic bond, with the see of Peter, kept np in 
 its integrity to the present hour ; many of the Irish Prelates enjoying their sees 
 without Parliamentary pretenders to contest those ancient landmarks, which 
 their predecessors possessed from the remotest ages of their national Church. 
 
 In glancing over the records of Irish Missionaries and the monastic estab- 
 lishments of the country, and of those heroic men, whose blood has been shed 
 by English persecutors, while instructed by the simplicity of their lives, as well 
 as charmed with that sublime faith whose -charity inspires such pious works, an 
 idea will be conveyed to his mind of the fame and the splendor of the Irish 
 church, as well as of that extensive robbery and spoliation which have been 
 perpetrated in the name of religion ; of those sanguinary murders which Protes- 
 tant England, in the fullness of her religious vagaries has committed, which 
 have inebriated her with the blood of the saints, which have consigned to every 
 woe the faithful but suffering people of Ireland, who have made a sacrifice of 
 everything which this world values, property, liberty, country, nay life itself, 
 rather than forego the advantages which faith pure and unsullied procures. 
 Vagaries which have consigned them to the rapacity of the greediest adventurers 
 that ever plundered a country, whose souls have been dead to every sentiment that 
 ennobles man ; dead to every impulse but that of plunder and oppression ; which 
 have consigned the people of Ireland to the horrors of protracted famine, lest an 
 English exchequer, which Irish plunder and misrule have too long replenished, 
 should be burdened with the relief of Irish distress, and finally which have doomed 
 them to the emigrant-ship, as the only hope of the oppressed Catholics of Ireland, 
 bringing with them no riches but the invaluable ones of faith, which has taught 
 them patience under privation, and forgiveness under injuries and insults. 
 
 In all the conflicts of the Irish Church there existed natural obstacles to the 
 success of those who attempted its extinction ; the mountain caverns and 
 the marshes of the country provided the faithful followers of the ancient creed 
 

 vu 
 
 with secure retreats, in which they preserved the torch of faith. Hunted as was 
 the missionary, still the glens and lonely valleys of Ireland resounded with the 
 praises of the Most High ; for the lips of the proscribed servant of the altar poured 
 forth irresistible strains in the native tongue, animating the people to bear with 
 fortitude the misfortunes of their country, and pointing out instead of transitory 
 things, tlie infinitely preferable treasures of eternal life. In the mysterious lan- 
 age of Ireland was found a barrier, which English heretics could not surmount ; 
 unknown to the rich and to the Protestant, who preferred plunder, it was aban- 
 doned to the poor but faithful people by English reformers, as the only birthright 
 of which they could not rob its ancient inheritors ; in that mysterious language, 
 which is so pure, expressive, and the only one of Europe, in which there are no 
 unmeaning words ; in that language, of whose original greatness English 
 misrule has left us nothing but the wreck, the ancient faith found its safety and its 
 stronghold. 
 
 While Protestantism is being consumed by its enormous wealth and with 
 remorse, because it has revolted against a tender parent ; without hold, because 
 of its impure contact with mammon, on even the affections of its own votaries — 
 its ministers, because the revilers of the country and the ancient faith, the scorn 
 and contempt of the public — writhing in the agony of death and its agony, as 
 if prolonged by the unwilling Minister of Great Britian, whose fiat must soon 
 put upon the monster the seal of extinction. Catholicity sends forth new germs, 
 aspires to new destinies — ancient, and still ever new and beautiful, looks fresh 
 and blooming in all the vigor of youthful life. The pastor of the ancient faith, 
 with a virginal purity beaming in his countenance, is revered and respected, 
 because his breast dilates with tenderness and compassion, offering consolation 
 to the afflicted ; revered, because he devotes his days to the confessional, recon- 
 ciling thoughtless man to the offended Deity ; because he takes long and pain- 
 ful journeys, when the soul of the dear one is to be prepared for its passage to 
 that abode in which sorrow does not dwell ; because he overcomes the most 
 serious obstacles, when the glory of God and the welfare of religion demand the 
 exercise of energy and fortitude. 
 
 Though the virginal faith of Ireland has hitherto escaped contagion, the 
 descendants of Irishmen should watch with the keen-eyedness of the American 
 eagle the present struggle as well as the future, of Ireland, against the enemies 
 of our faith ; for the maddened bigotry of England may lead on her statesmen 
 to acts of violence and persecution. “ England dreads the dark cloud in the 
 West.” Who can be indifferent to the land of the beautiful and the brave ? 
 the land of the minstrel and the sage ; the home of all that is lovely and endear- 
 ing ; the home of faith, virtue, hospitality. Our national Church is the bond 
 of our national existence ; though the political arrangements of Ireland with the 
 sister country have almost annihilated the political interests of the former, still 
 that system has given to the church of Ireland an imperial character : for she 
 is the mistress of religion in the British Empire, gives her an imperial voice, by 
 which the bigotry of England is branded with universal reprobation, and secures 
 to Ireland an imperial importance, through which Eiigland, tired and disgusted 
 
VIU 
 
 PJKEFACE. 
 
 with the husks of error and heresy, is fast returning, like unto the prodigal, to 
 the tender embrace of that parent, who, though outraged and insulted, yet 
 watched over that ungrateful country with apostolical solicitude. 
 
 In the selection of those materials, subjects have been chosen which are least 
 known to the public, and through which a void in the Church History of 
 Ireland is partially filled up. A complete history of the Irish Church is a work 
 as yet to be done, for it is one that would require the labor of many years, vast 
 research, as well as an outlay that would render it a perilous project to the 
 undertaker, and place it beyond the reach of the public! 
 
 In placing these records before the public, the humble individual, who has 
 compiled them, trusts that they will be instructive, as well as acceptable to those 
 for whom they have been intended. If a glance at the map of Ireland points out 
 the name of the spot, which is traced as the native place of him, whose memory 
 is recalling the scenes of childhood and in contemplating it, if a momentary pleas- 
 ure enraptures his imagination, how much more should his heart be gladdened 
 when he has at hand a faithful record of those sacred spots, which were hallow- 
 ed by the footsteps of saints and solitaries ; of those valleys and cloistered 
 retreats, which re-echoed with the joyous sounds of the matin and vesper bell, 
 calling their pious votaries to acts of praise and adoration ; of those ruined and 
 desolated churches, from whose tombs the trumpet of the Archangel will one 
 day summon the mouldered ashes of his fathers to life and judgment I 
 
 As it may be useful to the reader, a concise account of the great religious 
 orders, which have been cherished by the church, is annexed. 
 
 The first and the oldest is the rule of St. Basil, which that saint instituted 
 A. D., 369, according to Barbosa, or in 350 as Miranda asserts, Felix II. sitting 
 in the chair of Peter. All the Greek and Oriental Monks adopted the rule of 
 St. Basil, and among other saints who professed it, are reckoned Saints Ephraim, 
 John Crysostom, Gregory Xazianzen, John Damascene, Jerome and others. In 
 those early ages of the Church of God, St. Basil’s order became very renowned, 
 and still continues to exist. 
 
 According to the testimony of Barbosa, the Carmelites observed the rule of 
 St. Basil : but they now observe another, which Innocent III. confirmed, and ' 
 which has been ratified and approved by Honorius III., A. D. IITI. St. Teresa 
 has introduced a reform of the order, which was confirmed by Gregory XIII., 
 A. D. 1580. The “Discalced” Carmelites, as those brethren are called, seced- 
 ed from the other body, and were assigned a General of their own by Clement 
 Till, in his Constitution of the 20th of September, 1595. 
 
 The second rule of religion is called that of St. Augustine, which was insti- 
 tuted by this great saint A. D. 390, in the reign of the Pontiff Syriacus. The 
 rule, which St. Augustine compiled, was for the direction of the Community of 
 Xuns, over which his sister presided. The appellation of Canon, was originally 
 given to all such clergymen whose names were registered on the roll of a Church. 
 In the lapse of time it was appropriated to those who lived in community, and 
 inasmuch as they were bound to observe certain canons or rules relative to theii 
 institution, they were generally called Canons Regular. 
 
PEEFACE. 
 
 IX 
 
 In the eleventh century, some communities of clergymen borrowed certain reg- 
 ulations from those of the aforesaid Community of Nuns, and having undergone 
 some changes, they were adapted to communities of men, and those, who observed 
 them, were known by the name of “ Canons Regular of St. Augustine.” These 
 Canons were bound by vows, had the privilege of forming diocesan chapters, and 
 were employed in the cure of souls.. Having been introduced into Ireland by 
 the holy Imar of Armagh and by St. Malachy, they became the most numerous 
 of the Irish religious establishments. 
 
 The Eremites of St. Augustine and the Canons Regular dispute among 
 themselves regarding the priority of their institution. 
 
 Following the rule of St. Augustine, we find an order of Canons Regular, 
 called of Premonstre,- a place in the forest of Coucy, which was abandoned by 
 its proprietors, the Monks of St. Vincent at Laon, which was instituted by St. 
 Norbert, Archbishop of Magdeburg, and afterwards Primate of Germany, in the 
 Pontificate of Calixtus II., aud which was confirmed by Houorius IL, A. D. 
 1126. 
 
 The order of Preachers is also ranked under the rule of St. Augustine, which 
 was instituted by St. Dominick about the year 1205, according to Barbosa, or 
 in the year 1214 according to Miranda, in the Pontificate of Innocent III., con- 
 firmed and approved by Houorius III., A. D. 1216. 
 
 This order, one of the most celebrated in the Church, has rendered the most 
 important services to religion. 
 
 Under the Augustinian rule is also found the order of St. Paul, the first 
 hermit, instituted by the blessed Eusebius, Bishop of Strigouium in Hungary, 
 A. D. 1215, in the Pontificate of Innocent, and confirmed by Cardinal Gentili, a 
 Franciscan, Legate of Clement V. in Hungary, A. D. 1308. The order of 
 Servites of Mary, which was established by seven noblemen of Florence, in the 
 year 1233, Gregory IX. being Pontiff, and confirmed by Benedict XL, A. D. 
 1303. Tire order of the Blessed Virgin for the redemption of captives, which 
 St. Peter Xolascus instituted, and which Gregory IX. confirmed A. D. 1230. 
 The order of Crossbearers, instituted by five pious secular clergymen, was estab- 
 lished over Germany, France and Belgium in the reign of Innocent IV., who 
 also confirmed it, A. D. 1246. The order of the .Tesuati, under the patronage 
 of St. Jerome, instituted by St. John Columbini, in the year 1354, under the 
 Pontiff Innocent VI. ; approved by Martin V., A. D. 1468. 
 
 The order of Brigittines, instituted by St. Brigitta, widow, of Sweden, in the 
 year 1368, and Pontificate of Urban V., who also confirmed her order. In the 
 monasteries of this order, principally instituted for religious women, were also 
 Friars to administer spiritual assistance, and who were subject to the abbess 
 in temporals, but they were separated by an inviolable enclosure. 
 The order of Theatincs, instituted by Peter Caraffa, Archbishop 
 of Naples, and afterwards Paul IV., and by St. Cajetau, whose name they also 
 bear, in the year 1524, Clement VIII. presiding over the universal fold. Besides 
 these we find Congregations in Ireland under the patronage of St. Victor ; who 
 was martyred at Marseilles by order of the Emperor Maximian, and to whose 
 
X 
 
 PEEFACE. 
 
 honor Monasteries were erected at Marseilles, near his tomb, in which his relics 
 were preserved, as well as at Paris, to which was conveyed a part of his relics ; 
 and also of St. Gilbert, who was born at Senipringham, in Lincolnshire, (Eng.) 
 Pope Eugene III. approved the institute of St. Gilbert. 
 
 Some of the military orders are also ranged under the rule of St. Augustine, 
 viz. : — The order of Malta, instituted at Jerusalem, by Gerard, the founder of 
 the Ho.spital of St. John the Baptist, A. D. 1099, Paschal II. in the chair of 
 Peter, and Honorius II. confirming it A. D. 1125. They were also called the 
 Knights of Rhodes, because they captured that island from the Turks tke 20th 
 of August, 1308, and there established themselves, retaining it as head-quarters 
 for two hundred and fourteen years, until it was retaken by the Turks the 25th 
 of December, 1522. On their expulsion from Rhodes, the Emperor Charles V. 
 granted them the island of Malta. 
 
 The order of St. Mary of the Teutons or Teutonic, instituted under the 
 patronage of the blessed Yirgiu by a German nobleman whose name is not 
 recorded, in the year 1119, Calixtus II. being Pontiff ; its object was to receive 
 and take care of Germans who visited Jerusalem as pilgrims. In the course of 
 time the Teutonic Knights assumed the defensive against barbarians, who 
 attacked the German pilgrims. Jerusalem having been stormed by the forces 
 of the Sultan, who obliged them to depart with the rest of the Christian forces ; 
 they settled at Ptolemais (now Acre), until that city was also captured by the 
 Saracens. Pope Celestine III. confirmed the order A. D. 1192. The military 
 orders of St. James in Portugal, and of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel, 
 are also enumerated among the Augustinian families. 
 
 The third great rule of the religious life is the Benedictine, which Saint 
 Benedict instituted about the year 500, in the Pontificate of Symmachus, accord- 
 ing to Barbosa, or in 520, as Brugnoli and Miranda assert. Many congregations 
 or families acknowledge the rule of St. Benedict, the oldest being the one 
 at Cluni, in France ; a Monastery having been there erected by Saint Odo, 
 a Benedictine monk about the year 900, Auastasius III. sitting in St. Peter’s 
 chair, as is related by Barbosa, or in the year 913, according to Miranda. 
 
 The order of Camaldolese, so called from the valley Camaldula, near 
 Arezzo, in Tuscany, was instituted by Saint Romuald, a Benedictine, about 
 the year 961, John XIII. being Pontiff, Alexander II. confirming the order, 
 A.D. 1072. 
 
 Under the aforesaid rule of St. Benedict, the celebrated Cistercian order flour- 
 ished. It is so called from the valley Cistercium or Citeaux, an uninhabited forest 
 in the Diocese of Chalons, (France,) and was instituted by St. Robert, abbot 
 of Molesme, about the year 1099, in the Pontificate of Urban II. Perceiving 
 a decline of discipline invade the institute, Robert selected some of the most fer- 
 vent of his disciples and retired to Citeaux, and there laid the foundation of the Cis- 
 tercian institute. Robert, recalled by the sovereign Pontiff at the desire of the 
 monks of Molesme, Stephen was appointed to undertake the government of the 
 Monastery at Citeaux, who with continual and fervent supplication to the 
 Lord besought the extension and the increase of the new institute ; nor had the 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XI 
 
 prayer been ofiFered in vain, as Bernard with three brothers, and relatives to 
 the number of thirty, embraced the Cistercian order in the year 1113, and of his 
 age the 22d. Hence the order is also called Bcrnardine from St. Bernard, 
 whose sanctity and fame adorned the church of God. 
 
 The noble military orders of Calatrava, instituted by Saint Raymund, of Al- 
 cantara and Montreza, in Spain, and those of Christ and of Avis, in Portugal, 
 were also subject to this rule, and adopted from it their rules of piety. Of the other 
 military orders, the most famous was that of the Knights Templar, which was insti- 
 tuted by nine French knights, A. D. 1158, Gelasius II. being supreme Pastor. 
 
 The fourth great institute of the religious life is the Franciscan, of which 
 Saint Francis, of Assisium, was the executor, as he received it immediately from 
 God, a fact which he himself has acknowledged, and which has been attested by 
 many Pontiffs, Nicholas III. among the number. The religion of St. Francis 
 began in the year 1208, Innocent III. being Pontiff, and who confirmed it 
 A. D. 1210, and who again, in the general council of Lateran, held in 1215, 
 publicly declared that the Franciscan order had his approval ; but whereas 
 at this period there existed no written instrument of its confirmation, the suc- 
 cessor of Innocent, Honorias III., approved the religious order of St. Francis, 
 A. D. 1223, and confirmed the rule thereof, consisting of twelve chapters. 
 
 In the history of the Franciscan institute, we find many branches of families, 
 but all engrafted on the parent stock. Some are called “ Recollects” as in France 
 and Belgium. Others “ Discalced,” of the more strict observance. Others 
 “ Minors” of the regular observance. In the government of the entire body only 
 one general sueceeds as the representative of St. Francis, who alone uses the seal of 
 the order, and who alone is empowered to declare himself general of the whole 
 order, in accordance with a special Bull to that effect, issued by the sovereign 
 Pontiff Leo X. 
 
 The religious family of the Capuchins belongs to the Franciscan institute. 
 Though they profess to the letter the rule of the order, still they constitute a 
 distinct congregation, having also a general who is distinct from the one of the 
 whole order, but who styles himself general of the Minors of the Capuchin Fran- 
 ciscans. There are other brethren of the order known as the “ Conventuals,” to 
 distinguish them from those who lived in solitude, observing literally the rule 
 of the executor of St. Francis. St. Anthony, of Padua, was a Conventual 
 Franciscan. 
 
 The Nuns of St. Clare observe the rule of Saint Francis : but the weakness of 
 their sex taken into account, the Pontiffs, Gregory XI., Innocent IV., Alexan- 
 der IV. and Urban VI., allowed them to hold property in common, though they 
 observe in the strictest manner the rule of the order, and keep within their cloisters. 
 The Tertiaries, so called because they observe the third rule of St. Francis. 
 The saint instituted three orders under three distinct constitutions. 
 
 The first was the order of Minors, who observe the rule which was dic- 
 tated by the Redeemer, whose stigmas were impressed on the body of Saint 
 Francis, an event which the Church celebrates in the divine office on the llih 
 of September, 
 
PKEFACE. 
 
 XU 
 
 The second was the one which he assigned to St. Clare. 
 
 The third was drawn up for males and females, married as well as those 
 unencumbered with that sacred bond. Many Pontiffs have confirmed this rule, 
 and have declared that this society was not merely a congregation, but pro- 
 perly and truly a religious order ; and have adorned it with many privileges and 
 indulgences. 
 
 Besides those great religious families, there are others with peculiar con- 
 stitutions, such as the celebrated Carthusian order, instituted by Saint Bruno, 
 A. D. 1084, in the Pontificate of Gregory VIII. It was so called from Chartreuse, 
 a desert place in the Diocese of Grenoble, which Hugh, Bishop of that see, 
 assigned to Bruno and his companions. The most holy and the most useful to 
 the church of God is the order of the Jesuits, which was founded by Saint Ignatius 
 Loyola, and confirmed by Pope Paul III., A.D. 1540, introduced into Ireland by 
 Robert Waucop, of Armagh, and finally the order of ^Minims, which Saint Fran- 
 cis de Paula instituted, A.D. 1436; and which Sixtus IT. confirmed, A. D. 1413. 
 
 The religious life is known as the contemplative, the active and the mixed. 
 The first is principally engaged in the contemplation of things divine, according to 
 the eulogy, which the Saviour pronounced in declaring that “ Mary had chosen 
 the better part.” The second or the active embraces principally the works of 
 mercy and charity, spiritual and corporal. The third or the mixed life in religion, 
 partakes of the contemplative and the active, or rather includes both, com- 
 prising the works of charity and mercy, by teaching, hearing, confessing, preach- 
 ing, contemplating and meditating. 
 
 The institution of Canons Regular embraced the contemplative and mixed life 
 in religion to some degree. The Benedictines and Cistercians professed the con- 
 templative and solitary life, by which they were bound to live within the enclo- 
 sures of their convents. 
 
 The orders called Mendicant, as the Friar Preachers of St. Dominick, the 
 Eremites of St. Augustine, the Minors of St. Francis and the Carmelites, 
 adopting the mixed mode of religion, were bound to observe not only poverty 
 in particular but also in common ; content solely with those things which they 
 mendicated with humility, or were liberally bestowed or were acquired by labor 
 and industry. Though such has been the original institute of the Mendicant 
 orders with respect to poverty in common, yet different Pontiffs, as well as the 
 Council of Trent (Session 25) have permitted them with the exception of the 
 Franciscans, to possess in common immovable property. 
 
USEFUL REFERENCES 
 
 Page. 
 
 Religious Corporations of the Church Preface, viii 
 
 Paschal Controversy 34, 5G, 572, 654, 842 
 
 Palliums and Synod of Kells . 38 
 
 Antiquity of Celibacy 41 
 
 Advantages of, &c 174, 834 
 
 Reverence of, &c 835 
 
 Heretics of Kilkenny 160 
 
 Question of the Veto 134 
 
 Corruption of English Ecclesiastics 174, 664 
 
 Synod of Cashell 195 
 
 Inauguration of an Irish King 636 
 
 Suppression of the Templars 366 
 
 Iconoclasm in Ireland — its Origin 388, 610 
 
 Punishment of Church Plunderers 567, 569, 581, 653 
 
 V'eneration of the Cross 591 
 
 Martyrs of Ireland 721 
 
 Martyrs, &.C., Treachery of Elizabeth 747 
 
 Enactments of English Persecutors 783, 795 
 
 Sympathy with the Catholics of Ireland 788 
 
 Rule of the Cromwellians 790 
 
 Apostates of the Irish Church 801 
 
 Doctrines of the Ancient Irish Church vindicated 812 
 
 Relics preserved in Dublin 422 
 
 Litany of St. Aengus 439 
 
 Numbers of Monks in some Monasteries 506 
 
 Sacred Wells of Ireland 556 
 
 Additions and Corrections 857 
 
/ 
 
 I 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 iNnc\ cucnoN of Christianity— mission op palladius— superstition 
 
 OF THE IRISH BEFORE THEIR CONVERSION, &c. 
 
 Ps'rEKCotJRSE witli foreign nations is assigned as tlie medium wliic.li 
 Providence employed in conveying the tidings of Redemption to Re- 
 land ; and as such intercourse rests on unquestioned authority, the sim- 
 plicity of this h}q)othesis recommends it to attention. To determine, 
 then, the precise time in which our Island has been enlightened with 
 the heavenly light of faith, we have no means ; nor is it matter of sur- 
 prise, as the early history of Christianity in other countries is involved 
 in similar obscurity, that in an Island into which the arms of the Ro- 
 mans never penetrated, a similar inconvenience should affect its eccle- 
 siastical records. ' Tertullian informs us, that in his time the name of 
 Christ reigned in places which Britons inhabited, and which the Romans 
 did not explore. Eusebius even asserts, that some of the Apostles pro- 
 ceeded beyond the ocean to the British Isles, and Stillingfleet would 
 maintain that St. Paul preached in Britain. Be this as it may, the an- 
 nalists and ecclesiastical writers of our country do not claim it, the honor 
 of having been visited by an Apostle, or by any of their immediate dis- 
 ciples. If, then, Irish Christians received the precious gift of faith from 
 Apostles, we must suppose that they lived in foreign countries. In the 
 wise and merciful economy of the new dispensation, it is remarkable 
 tliat the nations which were first gladdened with the tidings of salvation, 
 were by the bonds of commerce, or the influence of policy, linked with 
 other distant regions ; and hence an opportunity was given to persons 
 interested in civil or commercial afi’airs to inquire into the origin of a 
 religion, which miracles authenticated, and which the Deity sanctioned 
 and approved in its wonderful propagation, despite the resistance of Pa- 
 ganism, and the storms of persecution, which the votaries of the ancient 
 superstition had excited to extinguish it. Considering, then, the holy 
 1 
 
ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTOKY OF lEELAIsD. 
 
 2 
 
 ardor and tlic biirning zeal of tlie early converts, sucli as were Irish, on 
 their return to their native land, would not remain silent on a subject so 
 important as that of eternal life, without imparting a knowledge of the 
 tine God to those whom kindi’ed and country endeared the more, as cha- 
 rity, the brightest jewel of the Gospel, would have prompted. Uncer- 
 tain as is the date, it is indubitable that at a very early period the glad 
 tidings of the Gospel were conveyed to Ueland, as appeal’s from an inci- 
 dent in the mission of St. Patrick. In a part of the country, whither 
 Palladius or his fellow-laborers had not penetrated, the sacred vessels of 
 the altar were discovered immediately after St. Patrick commenced his 
 apostolic labors. {See Colgan, Triae T/iaumatu?'ga, etc.) Hence it ap- 
 pears, that the Christian religion was partially known in the Island be* 
 fore our national Ajiostle engaged in the conversion of the people. St. 
 Prosper, speaking of the mission of Palladius, asserts, that he was sent 
 to the “ Scots believing in Christ ; but though the Gospel had been pro- 
 fessed before the ai’rival of either Palladius or St. Patrick, the testimony 
 of the latter clearly evinces the fewness of its professors.” The L’ish, 
 says the saint, who till this time had not the knowledge of God, and wor- 
 shipped idols and unclean things, are now become the people of the Lord, 
 and are called the sons of God. — Conf. St. Patrick., p. 16, 
 
 According to St. Prosper, the first bishop sent to the Scots was Palla- 
 dius. If, then, the number of converts had- been large, tlieir spiritual 
 necessities would demand the exercise of those sacred functions, which 
 are exclusively attached to the episcopal order ; and, moreover, in con- 
 formity with the usage of ecclesiastical antiquity, had -there been a nu- 
 merous congregation of L’ish Christians, it should have been confided to 
 the care of a bishop. W e can then safely aver, that the seed of the Gos- 
 pel had borne but little fruit previously to the mission of Palladius ; 
 though some maintain the existence of bishops before the arrival of Pal- 
 ladius, and though they profess to be able to produce the names of some 
 who administered episcopal functions, still the candid inquirer will per- 
 ceive the difficulty of reconciling such an opinion with the narrative of 
 St. Prosper, Avho distinctly states, that Palladius having received episco- 
 pal ‘consecration from St. Celestine, Pope, was the first bishop sent to the 
 Scots who believed in Christ. — Chron. Pros., A. D. 431, 
 
 And again, spealdng of the exertions of St, Celestine to extirpate the 
 heresy of Pelagius from Britain, St. Prosper confirms the accuracy ot 
 this opinion ; and the pastoral zeal of this holy Pontiff, St. Prosper com- 
 mends, as he had ordained a bishop for the Scots, and accomplished theii’ 
 convereion, as well as preserved the integrity of faith in Britain. 
 
 If, then, the L’ish Church had been placed under the jurisdiction of 
 bishops, the zeal of St. Celestine would have but little claim to peculiar' 
 
ECCLESIASTICAI. HrSTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 3 
 
 commendation, as the appointment of a single bishop could confer no 
 great advantage on a numerous congregation, as the advocates of this 
 opinion pretend it to have been. 
 
 As Ailbe, Declan, Ibar, and Kieran, are the ecclesiastics who are de- 
 signated as the predecessor of Palladius in the episcopal dignity, abun- 
 dant authority can be produced to show that they were posterior in time. 
 Of these saints notice will be taken in their proper place ; let it suffice 
 for the present, that the high antiquity which is assigned to them, can- 
 not be sustained. 
 
 With the inquiry into the origin of Christianity in Ireland, another 
 subject arises, to which an undue importance is given by modem con- 
 troversy. While the advocates of Catholicity, on the one hand, ascribe 
 to some western region the origin of the true faith in Ireland, the abet- 
 tors of the Deformed creed strive to point out its day-star in the East. 
 
 Until a discrepancy of belief be shewn to have existed at this early 
 period in the Eastern and Western Churches, the controversy cannot be 
 interesting, nor can it serve the cause of Protestantism, as both Churches 
 agree on those doctrines which separate the Reformed Church from them. 
 Tiie cause of this desire to fasten the origin of the Irish Church on those 
 of the East, is obvious, as the supremacy of the Holy and Apostolic See 
 is so formidable to the right of private judgment, which is set up in oppo- 
 sition to that unerring authority, which has during ages preserved unity 
 of faith and discipline. It would then be an agreeable surprise to the 
 abettore of Protestantism, to find the L-ish Church, had she received her 
 faith from the East, involved, perhaps, in the heterodox subtleties with 
 which the fervor of eastern imagination had frequently injured the sub- 
 lime doctrines of the Hew Law. 
 
 As the superstitions of the Irish people seem to be of eastern origin, 
 it will not be deemed improper to treat of its peculiar form, as adopted 
 in Ireland previously to the introduction of Christianity. 
 
 While in other countries the ritual of Paganism prescribed ordinances 
 of a cruel and sanguinary character, Ireland seems to have been free 
 from the gross and revolting practices which its dupes observed in the 
 performance of their sacrifices. Instead of the worship of the sun, moon, 
 and the elements, the religion of the Gallic Druids was idolatrous, and 
 in tlieory consisting of a multiplicity of deities, the chief of whom was 
 Apollo, Mercury, Mare, and a mass of images or idols. Among the prin- 
 cipal deities of Ireland, we find the name of Bel, Mann, and other names 
 relative to the sun. That Bel was the sun, is universally admitted ; and 
 it is well known to those skilled in the topography of the country, that 
 many places by their names designate the localities where the worship 
 of the sun was observed. As to the practical part of religion, the use of 
 
4 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOKY OF nffiLAJTD. 
 
 stutues, or idols, was not general in L-eland. However, it cannot be 
 denied, that in some instances such was the custom, as St. Patrick alludes 
 to these idols and unclean things. — Conf., p. 16. In the lives of St. Pa- 
 trick, reference is made to the idol which the monarch Leogaire adored ; 
 it is called “ Cromcruach,” i. e., Heap of the Sun, and was surrounded 
 by twelve smaller idols of brass. Admitting that idolatry was prac- 
 ticed, we are at liberty to confine its existence to that spot where it firat 
 originated. The place was called “ The Field of Adoration,” and was 
 situated in the county of Leitrim. Lynch [Cairib. Ever., p. 59,) writes, 
 that Tigernach, king of Ireland, who instituted the rites of idolatry in 
 Brefny, was cut off by lightning. 
 
 In the L'ish ritual, as well as in the Eastern, the veneration of fire 
 held an important place, and the predilection of the people for this wor- 
 ship may be inferred from the degree of earnestness with which St. Pa- 
 trick labored to detach them. In a manner worthy of his apostolic zeal, 
 he denounces in his Confessions the pervei’sity of man’s intellect, where- 
 by the homage due to the Lord of the universe, in whom all tilings 
 move, and derive their origin and pei-fection, is offered to the creature, 
 or to the work of his own hands. “For,” says the saint, “that sun 
 which we behold, rises each day for our benefit by the order of God ; 
 but that sun shall not reign for ever, nor shall his splendor endure ; but 
 all who adore him are wretched, and shall be subjected to punishment. 
 For us, we adore the true sun, who is Christ.” 
 
 The original religion of the Irish was Sabism, which begun in Chaldea, 
 and spread into Scythia, Hedea, and Pei-sia. It consisted of two kinds, 
 and was celebrated with or without images, and its public worship was 
 that of fire. The Chaldees were priests of Babylon, the first seat of idol- 
 atry, and were called Chalybes and Cepheni, words which indicate the 
 sun and its woi*ship by fire. Tlie image worship of Sabism was brought 
 into Ireland by the Tuatha de Danaans, and that without images was in- 
 troduced by the Milesians, who were originally Persiaus and Phoeni- 
 cians. — Yall. Vin. of Irish History. 
 
 The priests of the Pagan Irish were required to observe chastity 
 and purity, at least externally, nor were they permitted to marry widows, 
 virgins only being considered as worthy of being admitted to their nup- 
 tial embraces ; and certain rules at stated times, such as are found in the 
 Levitical law, were strictly enforced. K the Pagan era of Beland was 
 remarkable for its cultivation of this virtue in the ministers of its false 
 ritual, and if such rules were enforced in the lives of those who were of 
 course their models and their guides, it is no wonder that a love of this 
 virtue is still pre-eminent among the people, and that they regard with 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 5 
 
 peculiar esteem the priests of the perfect dispensation, which requires its 
 more perfect observance. 
 
 As a full inquiry into the vestiges or monuments of the Pagan reli- 
 gion will be hereafter instituted, we shall proceed with the mission ot 
 l^alladius, Avho was a deacon of the Roman Church, or, as others say, 
 archdeacon. Having distinguished himself by his exertions to deliver 
 Britain from the heresy of Pelagius, he was chosen by St. Celestine, and 
 consecrated the first bishop of the Irish, as St. Prosper, Bede, and others, 
 attest. It appears probable that he was a native of Britain. On his 
 journey to the scene of his labore, he was accompanied by some mission- 
 aries, four of whom, Sylvester, Solonius, Augustin, and Benedict, are 
 named in the Lives of St. Patrick. Where he landed is not particularly 
 recorded ; but it seems that it was not far distant from Wexford, for we 
 find him soon after laboring in the territory of Hygarchon, over which 
 Hathi, son of Garchon, was sovereign. His arrival, it appears, was early 
 in the year 431, and also the year of his departure from Rome. His first 
 efibrts in preaching the Gospel were attended with success, as he bap- 
 tized some converts, and erected three churches ; that of Cell-fine, in 
 which he deposited the sacred books and relics of Saints Peter and Paul, 
 which he brought from Rome, along with his writing materials, all of 
 which were carefully preserved for a long time ; another called the 
 Church of the Romans, and the third under the name Domnachard. 
 Tliese sacred structures are supposed to have stood in the territory, which 
 the present county of Wicklow comprises. Such pleasing information 
 os this having been conveyed to Rome, confidence of general success was 
 excited, and hence St. Prosper did not hesitate to say, that the country, 
 through the exertion of St. Celestine, was added to the universal fold. 
 Too sanguine in his expectations, he did not await the confirmation of 
 those glad tidings, nor was Prosper acquainted with the change which 
 marred the prospects of the missionary. 
 
 The enemy of man’s salvation seeing his empire invaded, alarmed the 
 zealots of the ancient superstition, who forthwith denounced Palladius 
 as a dangerous person. Tlie sovereign entered warmly into the views 
 which the opponents of Christianity put forth ; and Palladius beino- una- 
 ble to resist their violence, was forced to retire from the country, leav- 
 ing, however, some of his associates who were less known, and of course 
 less liable to persecution, to take charge of his converts, and also Avatch 
 every opportunity to enlarge the vineyard of Christ. He sailed from 
 Ireland towards the end of the same year in which he arrived, and after 
 being tossed about by storms, he landed in Britain, with the intention of 
 thence proceeding to Rome ; but heaven willed otherwise, for he died 
 at Fordun, in the district of Mearns, in Scotland. The day of his death 
 
6 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF rRFT.AX O. 
 
 is variously given, — the 15th and 25th December, 431, and the 27th Jan- 
 uary, and 6th July, 432. He did not suffer martyrdom, as some pre- 
 tend, at Fordun, the Piets of that region having been for the most part 
 Christians, by whom liis memory has been revered. 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 EXISTENCE OE ST. PATRICK ESTABLISHED— OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 The splendid work of the general conversion of the Dish people was, 
 in the counsels of the Almighty, reserved for the ministry of St. Patrick. 
 Tliough the traditions of the country, and the constant testimony of his- 
 torians, as well as the extraordinary reputation which our national Apos- 
 tle has enjoyed throughout the Christian world, attribute the conveision 
 of the Irish people to his apostolic labors, yet absurd objections have 
 been ventured against the existence of this celebrated saint. 
 
 About the year 1618, Doctor Ryves, a Master in Chancery, enter- 
 tained doubts about the time in which he flourished, but had not the 
 temerity to question liis existence. To Doctor Ledwich, in his Antiqui- 
 ties of Heland, is due the merit of this extraordinary discovery ; and in 
 propounding his audacious assertion, charges Camden and Usher, both 
 of whom admit the existence of our saint, with deviating from strict 
 veracity. “For,” continues the Doctor, “the Roman MartjTology, 
 Erric of Auxeire, Hennius, and others, never omit St. Patrick’s mira- 
 cles when they name him.” Tlie Amt in general terms (March 17) 
 asserts, that St. Patrick was distinguished by very great miracles and 
 virtues. The second merely observes, that St. Patrick illustrated Ire- 
 land by his learning, miracles, and virtues ; and Hennius attributes to 
 him the healing of the blind, deaf, lepers, the casting out devils, and 
 recalling the dead to life.” 
 
 As Ryves is the first skeptic, his argument is a negative one, founded 
 on the silence of Platina, a modern author, whom Doctor Ledwich lauds 
 as a man of superior attainment in ecclesiastical history. However, 
 Platina, in his meagre accounts of the Popes, is defleient, as well as in- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF T RKT.AN T). 
 
 7 
 
 correct. In his account of the mission of St. Palladius, he merely fol- 
 lows that of St. Prosper ; nor was it necessary to mention St. Patrick, as 
 the chief of the Irish mission was his predecessor, Palladius. In the 
 tame manner he mentions the mission of St. German to extinguish the 
 Pelagian heresy in Britain, without naming St. Lupus, and the other 
 associates. Neither does he recount those of Palladius, who were left 
 behind to watch the progress of his infant Church. Such an argument, 
 then, arrayed as it is against the constAnt agreement of L’ish writers, can 
 he of little weight. 
 
 Doctor Ledwich is the first writer who has striven to shew, that St. 
 Patrick has been an ideal or imaginary person ; his be tlie merit of doing 
 so ; and such a task is worthy of the individual who has deserted the faith 
 which St. Patrick preached and planted, in order that he might enjoy the 
 loaves and fishes which apostasy amply provides and supplies to those 
 who take refuge in the bosom of that alien Irish Church, established by 
 proscription, plunder, law, and German bayonets. Let not the reader, 
 then, be astonished at the reckless effrontery with Avhich this lying anti- 
 quarian denies the existence of St. Patrick, and the scoffing contempt 
 which he exhibits towards the miracles which St. Patrick is said to have 
 performed. 
 
 In the first place, the canons attributed to St. Patrick, and in which 
 Ids name so often occurs, establish an incontrovertible argument against 
 the position of Ledwich. Whether these canons were enacted by him, 
 or by synods over which he jiresided, is of little importance, as a very 
 high antiquity must be given them ; for those canons bespeak a time 
 when Paganism was not altogether extinct in Ireland, and that the Pa- 
 gans and Christians were mixed up in the concerns of daily life. Now 
 it is certain, that before the middle of the 6th century, there was scarcely 
 a trace of Paganism in Ireland ; and at that period the zeal of Irish mis- 
 sionaries was directed towards the propagation of the Gospel in foreign 
 parts, as the w’ants of the home missions were duly supplied. Hence, 
 as those canons were published in the name of St. Patrick, he must have 
 been well known at this distant period. 
 
 And again, Ledwich, in the fullness of his malice, declares St. Pa- 
 trick’s Confessions a compound of travels, miracles, deliverances, and 
 revelations. To such a judicious critic as the apostate antiquarian, or 
 rather the profime scofiTer of truth and religion, works of this description, 
 breathing sentiments of piety, and zeal, and thanksgiving to the Giver 
 of all good gifts, can afford no relish. Tillemont, among others, was so 
 struck with the spirit that pervaded them, and the letter which St. Patrick 
 addressed to the impious Prince Coroticus of Wales, that he considered 
 
8 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 tlie author as more resembling the Prophets and Apostles, than the 
 saints who appeared in later ages. 
 
 In the Yth centmy, we have the unquestioned authority of St. Cum- 
 mian, author of the learned letter to Segienus, abbot of St. Columba’s 
 monastery of Ily, on the Paschal controversy. This letter, which was 
 written, according to Usher, in 631, is highly praised by Ledwich ; and 
 arguing from the various cycles, Cummian refers to the one which “ St. 
 Patrick, om* Pope or Father, brought with him.” Li alluding to those 
 cycles, the Doctor refers to them, as of Patrick, Theophilus ; but in 
 another place, when reference is made to those cycles, he omits that of 
 Patrick. Here, then, the antiquarian convicts himself of a suppression 
 of tnith, and of a shameless attempt to mislead the public ; and though 
 St. Cummian speaks of St. Patrick as the “ Pope or Bishop” of the 
 Irish nation, he adduces the same writer, Cummian, to jirove that St. 
 Patrick was an ideal personage. Truly, there is no enemy of our faith 
 more artful and malicious, than that traitor who has been the domestic 
 of the household of Christ. Had the Irish Church been found unmoored 
 from the rock of Peter, — ^liad she been floating in the atmosphere of 
 error without a resting place, as a bird from the Ark, Doctor Ledwich 
 would take shelter in her bosom, without assailing the authority cf our 
 ancient monuments, and the most genuine records. 
 
 Mabillon has published a very interesting document, which belongs 
 to the 7th century. It consists of litanies for the use of the Anglican 
 Church, in which the names of St. Patrick, St. Brendan, Columba, and 
 Bridget, are found ; nor does it contain the names of English saints who 
 were celebi’ated about the close of this century, a fact which establishes 
 the antiquity of this document, and consequently proves the existence 
 of our Apostle. 
 
 The “ Antiphonary of Bangor” is another instrument of equal anti- 
 quity. It Avas the property of this monastery in Down, and is now in 
 the Ambrosian Library of Milan, w'hither it was removed from Bobbio, 
 near Naples. It has been published by Muratoii, and is considered to 
 be of the 7th or 8th century. It contains a hymn in honor of St. Pa- 
 trick, “ teacher of the Scots.” 
 
 Ledwich quotes the illustrious Adamnan of Skreene, in the dio- 
 cese of Killala, and of Hy, as well as he did St. Cummian, to prove the 
 nonentity of St. Patrick. St. Adamnan flourished in the 7th, and died 
 early in the 8th century ; he has written the biography of St. Columba. 
 Though he lived in those centuries, Ledwich tells his readers, that St. 
 Adamnan noticed the Church of Aghaboe in the 6th century. What an 
 argument ! St. Adamnan makes express mention of St. Patrick in the 
 second preface of liis work. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF lEELATO. 
 
 9 
 
 Bede, in liis Martyrology, the Roman, and those of TJsuardus, Rha- 
 bunus. Ado, Ac., mark the festival of St. Patrick on the 17th March. 
 Tlie opponent of his existence, to rid himself of such authority, rails con- 
 temptuously against calendars and martyrologies, and doubts the one of 
 Bede, as if never written. Bede himself assures us, that he wrote a 
 “ Martyrology of the natal days of sainted martyrs, in which I have dili- 
 gently studied to note down not only on what day, but in what kind of 
 contest, or under what judge, all whom I could find were able to over- 
 come the world.” Yet with this positive assurance before him, Ledwich 
 doubts the fact. 
 
 Nennius, in the 9th century, makes explicit mention of St. Patrick. 
 In the interim between the death of venerable Bede, in 735, and Nen- 
 nius, in the 9th century, there were few, if any, writers of history in 
 Great Britain. As, according to William of Malmesbury, the death of 
 the former was fatal to learning, and particularly to history in England ; 
 hence, then, it is no wonder that little notice has been taken by English 
 writers of St. Patrick in those days. It is assumed on the authority of 
 Camden and Usher, that Nennius lived in the 9th century. But Gale, 
 the last editor of his works, states, that he flourished A.D. 620. In his 
 narrative on Irish atfairs, and in his account of St. Patrick, Nennius 
 asserts that he relied on the most learned of the Scoto-Hibernians as his 
 guides. 
 
 In the first place, then, the arguments of Dr. Ledwich to prove 
 the non-existence of St. Patrick, are merely negative, and are inconclu- 
 sive and unsatisfactory ; while, on the other hand, the evidence of his 
 existence is irresistible. He is mentioned by contemporai^ authors, 
 whose works are yet extant. 
 
 Secondly, — lie is distinctly mentioned by writers who flourished in 
 the three centuries immediately succeeding, in which his early biogra- 
 phers lived. Such were Tirechan, Cummian, Adamnan, Bede, Probus, 
 and Nennius. 
 
 Thirdly, — St. Patrick’s literary works are admitted by the most com- 
 petent judges to have been his productions ; the acts of his councils are 
 still extant. He is also recognized by the Brehon laws, and acknowl- 
 edged as the Apostle of Ireland by the whole Christian Church ; and as 
 Doctor Milner urges, “there are not only written documents which 
 prove the existence of St. Patrick, but likewise other kinds of monu- 
 ments by which the memory of persons is recorded. Tlie churches which 
 he built, the dioceses which he formed, the monasteries he founded, the 
 havens where he landed, and the places in which he dwelt, have pre- 
 served his name. Tlie very conversion of the Irish nation, and the tra- 
 dition not only of Ireland, but of the whole Christian continent, are all 
 
10 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IKELAm). 
 
 SO many monuments of our illustrious saint, and have preserved his 
 memory fresh and untainted till the very hour in which Doctor Ledwich 
 wrote his hook, as the antiquarian himself acknowledges.” 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 PLACE OF HIS BIRTH— THE SAINT’S FAMILY— NO RELATIYES OF HIS IN IRE- 
 LAND IN HIS EARLY CAREER. 
 
 Among writers on the Ecclesiastical History of Ireland, an inquiry 
 into the birthplace of St. Patrick has caused much controversy. Some 
 writers claim it for Scotland, others for England, while a third class 
 award to France the glory and the dignity of his birth. The arguments 
 in favor of France are numerous and grave. It is a fact, which Colgan 
 acknowledges, that among the inhabitants of Armoric Britain, or Bou- 
 logue-sur-Mer, an ancient tradition prevails of their country being the 
 birthplace of St. Patrick, and “ that some Irishmen were of that opinion.” 
 Ho British antiquary will be able to designate a place in Great Britain 
 Avhich accords with the account of St. Patrick regarding the j)lace of his 
 birth. “ My father,” says the Saint in his Confessions, “ was Calphor- 
 nius, a deacon, son of Potitus, a priest of the town Bonavem Taberniae. 
 lie had near the town a small villa, Enon, where I became a captive.” 
 Bonavem Taberiiiie was in Armoric Gaul, being the same as Boulogne- 
 sur-Mer. The name of the town was well Imown to the Romans under 
 the name of Gessoriacum ; but about the reign of Constantine the Great, 
 the Celtic name Bonaven, or Bonaun, became more general. According 
 to Bullet, am^ a/ven, on, signify a river in the Celtic language, and the 
 town was so called from its situation at the mouth of a river. Hence 
 many places in Ireland, similarly situated, are so called. Tlie addition 
 of Taberniae marks the district of Tarvenna, alias Tarabemia, a celebrated 
 city not far from Boulogne, the ruins of Avhich still remain under the 
 modern name, Terouanne. It is often mentioned under the name ol 
 “ Civitas Morinorum,” i. e., the city of the Morini, in which Boulogne was 
 also situated. Jonas, in his life of the Abbot Eustasius, written near 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 11 
 
 twelve hundred years ago, calls Audomarus Bishop of Boulogne and 
 Tarvana. There is also a remarkable circumstance, viz., the tradition of 
 the inhabitants, that St. Patrick governed the diocese of Boulogne, or of 
 the Moriiu, as bishop before he set out for Ireland ; nay, even to tJie 
 present day, gi’een ribbons are worn there on his festival. Malbranc, in 
 order to prove the tnith of this tradition, refers to the chronicle of the 
 Morini, the catalogue of the bishops of Boulogne, and the life of St. Ar- 
 nulphus of Soissons. He, however, assigns a longer period to his minis- 
 try than can be reconciled with other circumstances of St. Patrick’s life 
 
 The most esteemed biographers of St. Patrick assure us, that it was 
 in Annorica the Saint abode when made a captive ; and he himself in- 
 forms us that the place of his captivity was not far distant from the resi- 
 dence of his family. Fiech’s Scholiast states, that certain pirates en- 
 gaged on a plundering excursion in Armoric Gaul, carried St. Patnek 
 and his family captive into Ireland. In 403, the date to which the first 
 captivity of the Saint is assigned, Hiall, an Llsh prince, ravaged succes- 
 sively the coasts of Bi-itain and of Gaul. Keating says, “ I have read in 
 an ancient Irish manuscript, whose authority I cannot dispute, that St. 
 Patrick and his two sisters were brought captive from Armorica, or Brit- 
 tany, in the kingdom of France, into Ireland,” with whom O’Flaherty 
 agrees on the point of his captivity. Probus calls St. Patrick’s country, 
 and the town where his family lived, Arimuric or Armorica. 
 
 It may be asked, how can this Armorican origin of St. Patrick be 
 reconciled with the Kemthur of Fiech ? Tliis name of In emthur is inter- 
 preted by some as “ holy tower,” nor can it be the name of the town in 
 which St. Patrick was born ; it was the name of a country or province 
 well known at the time that Fiech’s hymn was composed. Such a coun- 
 tiy we find in Gaul,, the province of Keustria or Keptria ; it comprised 
 the extensive tract situated between the Meuse and the Loire, and con- 
 sequently the territory of Boulogne. And here again Probus, consistent 
 in his account of St. Patrick’s country, gives the true meaning of Fiech, 
 by asserting that Bonavem, the birthplace of the Saint, was in the pro- 
 vince of In evtria. In chronicles and breviaries, and by Probus himself, 
 St. Patrick is styled a Briton. In older tracts of this Idnd, Britain was 
 said in general terms to be his country ; but in* later ones, it has received 
 the adjunct “ Great and hence the corrector of the Pouen breviary, to 
 guard against this interpolation, has, in the lessons of St. Patrick’s 
 office, designated his birthplace as Britanma Gallicana. Tliis was the 
 Britain of Probus, and which St. Patrick must have meant, when he 
 mentions having been with his parents in Britain ; for there is no other 
 Britain in which the town of -Bonavem Tabernise can be met with. 
 
 Though prompted by a desire to visit his friends and relatives in liis 
 
12 
 
 ECXXESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF rRELAND. 
 
 native country, lae tells us that he dare not absent himself from Ireland, 
 lest he should lose the fruits of his labors, and become guilty of a derelic- 
 tion of duty in the sight of God. Had he been a native of either Scot- 
 land or England, such a journey, including his return, would only occupy 
 a few days ; or had he been overj^ressed with the labors of his ministry, 
 a visit on the part of his friends and relatives from either of those coun- 
 tries could cause little inconvenience, as it would be more than counter- 
 balanced by his gratitude. 
 
 In his writings, St. Patrick has left but an imperfect memorial of his 
 family. Tlie peculiar distress which the conduct of Coroticus had 
 caused, and which the Saint, in his letter to that Prince, had so firmly 
 censured, induced him to allude rather particularly to his relatives. He 
 describes their position in society as respectable, and such as then enti- 
 tirled them to partake in honors, which were attached to civic functions. 
 His father, Calphurnius, was the son of Potitus, a priest, and was him- 
 self decorated with the holy order of deacon. According to the laws of 
 the empire, his father and grandfather by engaging in the sacred minis- 
 try forfeited the privileges to which they were entitled by inheritance. 
 But from a relaxation in those laws, or from some particular favor, the 
 family of our Saint were not deprived of their hereditary privileges. 
 Tliat they were of Homan origin, is sufficiently clear from the form of 
 their names ; and in his letter to Coroticus, he refers to the Remans as 
 his fellow-citizens. Of his mother, Conchessa, and of the other members 
 of his family, but little authentic has been preserved. It appears that 
 she has been born in Gaul, but of her family connection the ancient an- 
 nals are wholly silent. Some assert that she was the near relative of St. 
 Martin, Bishop of Toure. Tlie silence of those annals refutes the asser- 
 tion, as a circumstance so honorable to her family would not be omitted 
 by pemons desirous to exalt the character of St. Patrick with posterity. 
 St. Martin was a native of Pannonia ; nor is there any ground for sup- 
 posing that any brothers or sisters resided with, him in Gaul. H either 
 Sulpicius Severus, Paulinus,- or any other biographer of St. Martin, 
 made mention of them ; nor does it appear that any of his family, which 
 was settled at Pavia, followed him to Tours. He returned to Italy to 
 visit his parents, who were Pagans, and then exerted himself to bring 
 them over to the Christian faith. His father remained obstinate, but his 
 mother embraced the true faith which her son announced. 
 
 Much is related of the numerous kinsfolk of St. Patrick in Ireland, 
 by Usher and Colgan, who has collected the whole in a copious disserta- 
 tion. One sister is said to have been the mother of seventeen sons, all 
 of whom became bishops, priests, or ascetics, besides five daughters, who 
 were nuns. Another sister, blessed with as many sons as the former, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOEY OF IKELAND. 
 
 13 
 
 and equally gifted with a predilection for the Chnrchj and two nuns. A 
 third is said to have remained a virgin, although she is exhibited by 
 othem as a mother ; and a fourth, for whom Colgan endeavors to find a 
 numerous progeny, with a similar disiiosition for the ministry. Such a 
 nairative cannot stand the test of history or criticism, as we find among 
 the names of those sons many who lived at various periods, and who 
 were bom of Irish parents. Tillemont has rejected all this narrative, 
 and St. Patrick himself has plainly informed us that there were no such 
 persons with him when he wrote his epistle against Coroticus ; and that 
 desire which he expressed of seeing his relatives, clearly indicates that 
 he could not have this pleasure in Ireland. 
 
 Tlie ancient practice of designating religious women by the name of 
 “ sisters,” may have been the cause of mistaldng some pious ladies of the 
 period as real sisters of St. Patrick. 
 
 Tliat these holy females, said to have been St. Patrick’s sistera, did 
 really exist, there can be no doubt. Darerca is mentioned in the Irish 
 annals, and the date of her death is 518. According to some accounts, 
 St. Patrick in 432 was forty-five years of age, — she could scarcely be the 
 sister of the Saint. As to Liemania, Colgan was forced to conclude that 
 she was the same as Darerca. — (See Inis-norghoU^ county Galway.) 
 Cinnenum was the Saint Cinnia whose -acts are given on the 1st of Feb- 
 ruary. She lived in the nunnery of Druimdubhain, county Tyrone, 
 about A.D. 480. Being of royal parentage, she was called Eicinne, i. e. 
 Eoyal Cinne. Lupita and Tigridia are spoken of as weaving and pre- 
 paring linens for religious purposes, both of whom are said to have been 
 captives with St. Patrick. Had such been the case, St. Patrick, who 
 feelingly describes his own captivity, would not be silent regarding the 
 sufi'erings of his sisters as partners of his own misfortune. 
 
14 
 
 ECXJUiSIASTICAl, HISTOEY OF IRELAJfD. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ST. PATRICK'S BIRTH— niS CAPTITITT— ARRIVAL IN IRELAND— IIIS PRO- 
 CEEDINGS DURING HIS SLAVERY— RETURN TO HIS COUNTRY— HIS STUDIES 
 AT TOURS— VISION, BY 'WHICH HE WAS INVITED TO IRELAND. 
 
 IIatcstg treated of tlie account of St. Patrick’s country and his rela- 
 tives, the narrative will now unfold the transactions which liave been 
 personal. Regarding the year of his birth there has been a variety of 
 opinions hazarded, as well as regarding the number of years which ho 
 lived. Usher has laid down two chronological positions, upon which he 
 has founded his system. Tlie first, that he lived 120 years, and the sec- 
 ond, that he died A.D. 493. "With Usher Colgan agrees as to the year 
 of his death, hut places his birth on the 5th April, 373, — differing with 
 Usher, who places his birth in 372, in accordance with the chronicle of 
 Floi’cnce, of W orcestcr. V arious are also the yeai-s of his life, according 
 to different biographers, some of whom assign St. Patrick 92 yeai’S, 
 others 122, and even some assert that the number of his yeare reached 
 132 ; hut 120 became the favorite number, as it best agreed with the 
 similarity which was sought to be found between St. Patrick and Moses. 
 In four respects they were said to be similar, — both heard an angel 
 speaking from a bush ; they both fasted forty days and forty nights ; 
 their years were the same, viz., 120 ; their final resting-places are un- 
 known. Tliere was also a convenience in adopting his years at 120, as 
 it suited the distribution of those yeare into fom’ equal periods, disposing 
 the latter ones for his apostolic transactions and retirement from his 
 labors. As conjectures and suppositions will not supply correct data or 
 principles whereby to determine accurately the year of his birth, our ob- 
 ject should be to ascertain the truth as nearly as possible. Baronius and 
 Peta'vius were of opinion, that the number of Probus was fixed originally 
 at 82, instead of 132, and endeavor to explain the latter number as a mis- 
 take in the copyist. The Bollandists, in adopting this correction, un- 
 dertook to determine the times of our Saint’s birth and death ; but their 
 calculations must be abandoned, as there is more of conjectm-e and inge- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTORY OF IRELAAT), 
 
 15 
 
 nuitj, than of solid argument, founded on historical facts, in their chrom 
 ological system. To Tillemont, who had studied his subject with much 
 attention, is due the merit of first pointing out the true period of St. Pa- 
 trick’s birth. Observing passages in the “ Confession,” in which St. 
 Patrick speaks of his promotion to the ejiiscopal dignity, and of being 
 long known to the Irish people, Tillemont concluded that St. Patrick 
 was 45 years of age when consecrated. When St. Patrick had resolved 
 on preaching the faith in L’eland, and when he was to be consecrated 
 bishop for this holy purpose, a certain friend reminded him of a fault 
 ■which he had committed, when a boy scarcely fifteen years of age ; and 
 not content with admonishing him privately of his unworthiness for so 
 exalted a dignity, announced his sin to the whole congregation. The 
 Saint, before he became a deacon, confessed his fault, and in the bitter- 
 ness of his soiTow informed this pereon of it as his friend. Yet though 
 his youth, as it did, when receiving the order of deaconship, and the sor- 
 row which he inwardly felt and professed, might have served as a plea 
 of indulgence, however strict the discipline of the Church in admitting 
 candidates for holy orders, yet that friend, after thirty years, came for- 
 ward to denounce his fault in public. When that fault was committed, 
 he attained the age of fifteen, and in recounting the thirty years, St. Pa- 
 trick meant to convey that his life had been irreproachable, and adds, 
 that the shame of his exposure was overwhelming him with grief; but 
 informed in a vision, that this proceeding was not approved by the Al- 
 mighty, he was eneouraged to persevere in his resolve. 
 
 Tlie Saint must have, then, according to what has been stated, 
 attained his 45th year, when raised to the dignity of bishop ; it must 
 have taken place either in the year 432, or towards the end of 431. We 
 may, then, assign his birth to A.D. 387. We are now lead to the dis- 
 covery of the^ year in which he became a captive, being about sixteen 
 years, and, consequently, it happened in the year 403. This year formed 
 a remarkable iieriod in Irish history. At that time Kiall of the nine 
 hostages, king of Ireland, after ravaging the coasts of Britain, was plun- 
 dering the maritime or seaboard districts of Gaul ; the vicinity of Bou- 
 logne was the theatre of his lawless expedition; two hundred natives, 
 among whom was St. Patrick, became his prisoners, and were detained 
 in captivity. Tlie captives were sent in triumph to Ireland, but the 
 monarch never revisited his native kingdom. A prince of Leinster, 
 Eochaid, had long entertained a revengeful feeling against the monarch ; 
 walking along the banks of the river Liana, he perceived his royal ad- 
 verear}^ on the opposite side, at whom he dexterously shot a poisoned 
 aiTow, which speedily consigned its victim to the tomb. Tims the dates 
 of his birth and captivity, considering those circumstances, authorize us 
 
16 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 to place his birth in 387. The followers of Is iall now prepared to return 
 home, and on their amval in Ireland St. Patrick was sold as a slave. 
 His fidelity in performing the humble duties of his station attracted the 
 notice of Milcho, one of the four brothers in whose service he was en- 
 gaged, and at his desire he was transferred exclusively to his dominion. 
 
 Dalaradia, in the county of Antrim, was the place where the Saint’s 
 master resided. To the young captive was consigned the care of tending 
 sheep, an occupation that afibrded him ample time for attending his de- 
 votional practices. Tlie labor and humiliation of his service must have 
 been distressing, but one consolation remained, — in the solitude to which 
 his occupation confined him, he recounted and wept over the tepidity of 
 his early youth, and he now began to appreciate the benedictions which 
 the Almighty had hitherto poured upon him ; and as he himself adds, 
 speaking of his captivity, “ the Lord made me sensible of my incredu- 
 lity, that 1 might, though late, call to mind my transgressions, and be 
 converted to the Lord my God, who hath regarded my humility, and 
 pitied my youth and my ignorance. I daily tended the flocks, and dur- 
 ing the day prayed frequently. Tlie love and fear of God increased 
 within me more and more, and his faith and spirit advanced in me, so 
 that I prayed a hundred times in the day, and almost as often in the 
 night. I remained in the woods, and on the mountains, and I arose be- 
 fore the dawning of the light to prayer, amidst the snow, the frost, and 
 the rain, and I suffered not any injury in consequence ; neither did sloth 
 ut all retard me, because the Holy Ghost was fervent in me.” 
 
 Such are the admirable ways by which Providence conducts us to 
 the paths of perfection, and of his holy designs. Having spent about six 
 vears in these holy exercises, the period in which his liberation was 
 destined is now at hand. His slavery was sufficient to prove tlie since- 
 rity of his repentance, and to confirm him in the virtues that are neces- 
 sary for that exalted station he was soon to assume in the Church of 
 God. His own pen gives the narrative of his deliverance, but makes no 
 mention of an angel, as some pretend. In his sleep he was informed 
 that his liberation was amved, a voice announcing to him, “ Thou fastest 
 well, and will soon return to your own country and again the voice 
 announced, “ Behold, a ship is ready for you.” And the ship, he in- 
 forms us, was two hundred miles distant, and in a part of the Island to 
 which he had been an utter stranger ; but relying on the protection of 
 Heaven, which mercifully interposed in his behalf, he left his master’s 
 house, and directed his steps to the port whence he was to embark for 
 his native land. “ And I came,” he says, “ in the power of the Lord, 
 who directed my course towards a good end, and I was under no appre- 
 hension until I arrived at where the ship was. It was then clearing out, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 IT 
 
 and I called lor a passage. Hie master of tlie sliip got angiy, and said 
 to me, ‘ Do not pretend to come witli us.’ On hearing this I retired for 
 the purpose of going to the cabin, where I had been received as a guest, 
 and while going thither I began to pray ; but before I had finished my 
 prayer, I heard one of the men crying out with a loud voice after me, 
 ‘ Come quickly, for they are calling you,’ and I immediately returned ; 
 and they said to me, ‘ Come, we receive thee on faith — be our friend 
 just as it maybe agreeable.’ 'We then set sail, and after three days 
 reached land. 
 
 According to Fiech’s Hjnnn, and the Scholiast, they disembarked 
 on Gallic ground. In two Breviaries of Eheims, one published in 1612, 
 and the other of a more ancient date, it is stated that the persons with 
 whom he sailed from Ireland were merchants from Gaul, and that they 
 brought him to Treguier in Brittany. Tliis place lay at a considerable 
 distance from his native residence, and the country through which he 
 had to journey being uncultivated and destitute of inliabitants, he and 
 his fellow-travellers were near perishing through want of food. This deso- 
 lation of the country arose from the disasters of war, of which Gaul had 
 been the theatre for two centuries. In the commencement of the 5 th 
 century, the V andals, the Alans, and the Suevi, traversed the provinces 
 of Gaul, and spread desolation wherever they passed ; and this calamity 
 was still more heightened by that of civil war — (Tillemont) ; and when 
 our Saint returned to Gaul, his native country was still suffering from 
 the disastrous effects of this Avarfare, by which the fairest provinces of 
 the kingdom were laid waste. Tliousands of his countrymen, the Saint 
 informs us, were made cajitive, and scattered among the nations of the 
 universe. In consequence of all this misery brought upon his native 
 land, St. Patrick and his fellow-travelers had to contend with hunger 
 also. Tliese men, it appears from the narrative of the Saint, accompa- 
 nied him on his journey homewards. They had heard of the Christian 
 religion, but still adhered to the Pagan superstition ; and when suffering 
 from hunger, they were induced to solicit St. Patrick to pray for relief 
 to the God whom he adored, and of whose power they had heard. The 
 chief man among them said to St. Patrick, “ Christian, what dost thou 
 say ? Tliy God is all-great and all-powerful, why then canst thou not 
 pray for us, as we are in such danger of famine ?” In reply, St. Patrick 
 exhorted the chief and his companions to faith and repentance, and 
 dilated on the greatness of the true God, with whom nothing is impossi- 
 ble. The Saint offered a fervent prayer to the Almighty Giver of all 
 good gifts, and lo ! food was supplied in abundance. A drove of swine 
 appeared in sight, of which they killed and partook, having stopped two 
 nights in order to refresh and recover themselves from the fatigue and 
 2 
 
18 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAISTD. 
 
 LuDgor wliicli tliey had endured. Nor were they unmindful of theii 
 obligations to him, through whose supplication the divine goodness was 
 so signally manifested, as with becoming gratitude they evinced their 
 sense of the favor conferred on them by their assiduous attention to the 
 Saint. During their journey an incident that occun’ed deserves to be 
 noticed. Some wild honey was discovered, of which they requested St. 
 Patrick to partake, and before he had time to taste of it, one of the party 
 exclaimed, “ This is an otfering, thanks to God.” With this exclama- 
 tion the piety of the holy youth became alarmed, uttered as it was by a 
 Gentile, who seemed to coimect the eating of the honey with the super- 
 stition of Paganism ; and unwilling by word or deed to sanction the 
 errors of superstition, St. Patrick unhesitatingly refused to partake of the 
 honey. Satan, jealous of the vigilance and tlie piety of the Saint, and 
 of his attachment to his faith, fell upon him like a stone of ponderous 
 weight on the night of the same day in which the honey was presented, 
 and deprived him of his strength. — {Confessioris^ Alarmed at his situa- 
 tion, the Saint implored the assistance of Elias. — {Cmfessioiis, p. 8.) A 
 splendor, like unto that of the sun, shone around him, and awakened 
 him from the torpor with which he was oppressed. 
 
 Having at length reached his destination, the joy which his safe re- 
 turn gave his family was soon interrupted, as another misfortune similar 
 to the timt disturbed their happiness. His second captivity was a short 
 one, as it continued only about two months. The peace of his home 
 Avas disturbed by civil contention, and also by the incursions of maraud- 
 ers Avho infested the confines of Gaul, for the purpose of carrying otf pri- 
 soner, and procuring money for their ransom ; and to whom he himself 
 alludes in his letter to Coroticus. To determine the time of his second 
 captivity is not easy. During his captivity he was excluded from the 
 benefit of education, and sensible of this loss, he resolved to repair it. 
 Having enjoyed for some time the society of his parents and friends, he 
 determined on repairing to the seminary of St. Martin, at Tours, the fame 
 of this establishment having guided him in its choice. To one disposed, 
 as St. Patrick was, this institution comprised everything desirable; 
 while a proper attention was paid to the pursuits of literature, the culti- 
 vation of those virtues which the Gospel inculcates was not neglected. 
 According to the narrative of Sulpitius Severus, the membei-s of this 
 sacred retreat joined to the practice of monastic duties, the education of 
 candidates for the holy ministry of the altar ; and to the austere disci- 
 ])line which the holy founder prescribed, each one was required to yield 
 a willing obedience ; and in his code of laws, St. Martin was careful to 
 enjoin observances calculated to restrain the propensity of its inmates to 
 vain or sensual gratification. Dress, as religion teaches, M'as instituted 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF rRELAIir). 
 
 19 
 
 to veil the deformity which original sin had caused, and its employment 
 for pm-}-)oses of show or vanity, would be to divert it from its object to ano- 
 ther and a perverse pui’pose, — hence the young ecclesiastic was reminded, 
 that the simplicity of habit should not only designate freedom from osten- 
 tation, but also display detachment from the world, and an utter disre- 
 gard to those things which the world admires. This establishment of 
 St. Martin’s was not, however, a regular monastic one, but rather a col- 
 lege in which the bishop and his clergy lived in common, or with persons 
 who retired from the world, and in which young men were instructed 
 and prepared for the service of the Church. St. Eusebius of Vercellj 
 was the first who introduced this admirable institution into the W esterA 
 Church, which St. Martin and other prelates imitated. 
 
 Every incentive to inordinate gratification, St. Martin carefully ex 
 eluded from table. Wine he particularly forbade as a dangerous induL 
 gence, and by an express regulation, prohibited its use to his disciples. 
 Kotwithstanding the austerity of this discipline, many youths belonging 
 to the noblest families in Gaul, resorted thither to drink of the fountains 
 of perfection and knowledge. Such is an outline of the retreat to Avhich 
 St. Patrick withdrew, and for the space of four years found shelter for 
 his virtue in this asylum of piety and learning. At the expiration of 
 that term, St. Patrick returned home ; and his parents, mindful of his 
 afflictions under captivity, and gladdened with the pleasure and the hap- 
 piness which his society afforded them, besought him never more to aban- 
 don them or the land of his birth. But the period was fast approaching 
 in which, according to the counsels of divine wisdom, St. Patrick would 
 be engaged in extending the fold of his heavenly Master, who requires 
 in his faithful servants a total alienation from the ties of kindi’ed and of 
 country. During the silence of the night the merciful designs of heaven 
 in favor of the Irish people, were disclosed to him in a vision. In a sim- 
 ilar manner was it declared to the Doctor of the Gentiles, that he was 
 to announce the tidings of redemption to the people of Macedonia. And 
 a vision was shewn to Paul in the night, which was a man of Macedonia 
 standing and beseeching, and saying, “Pass over into Macedonia and 
 help us.” “ And I saw,” says St. Patrick, “ in a nocturnal vision, a man 
 whose name was Yictoricius, coming as if from Ireland with numberless 
 letters, one of which he handed to me. On reading the commencement 
 of it, I found that it contained these words, ‘ the voice of the Irish and 
 while reading, I thought that I heard at the same moment the voice of 
 pemons from near the wood of Foclut, now Eocuil, which adjoins the 
 western sea, and they cried out with one voice, ‘ W e entreat thee, O holy 
 youth, to come and walk still amongst us.’ And I was greatly affected 
 
20 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI- HISTOKY OF rRELAFTO. 
 
 in my heart, and could read no longer : then I awoke.” — {Confessions, 
 p. 9.) 
 
 An illustrious saint of the name Yictoricius, preached the Gospel to 
 the Morini, and afterwards became bishop of Eouen. (Tlie wood which 
 St. Patrick mentions to have seen in his vision, is said to be in the par- 
 ish of Lacken, and diocese of Killala, — the modern name is Fochuil.) 
 St. Patrick thanked God that those people were crying out for that aid, 
 which was soon after granted by the Almighty ; but he does not assure 
 us that he then fonned an intention of preparing himself to preach the 
 Gospel in Ireland. "VY e may infer that his vision induced him soon after 
 to leave his father’s abode, in order that he might con-espond with the 
 call of heaven. Having to decide on a question of the greatest import- 
 ance to his own spiritual interests, and to those of an entire nation, he 
 understood the danger of a rash or hasty step. lie therefore resolved to 
 entrust the future guidance of his conduct to a director, in whose ex- 
 perience and judgment he could safely rely. Li St. Germanus, the illus 
 trious bishop of Auxerre, such a preceptor he hoiked to find. In early 
 life Germanus had acquired at the Homan bar a high reputation for elo- 
 quence and professional knowledge. His fame, and a matrimonial alli- 
 ance with a distinguished family at Home, were instrumental in intro- 
 ducing him to the notice of the Emperor Honorius. Honored with va- 
 rious appointments, he was at length preferred to the high rank of duko 
 in his native proAunce. His life, when thus exalted, was not stained by 
 gross or degrading passion, but he was yet a stranger to the perfection 
 of Christian virtue. Attached to the pleasure of the chase, and elated 
 with excessive joy at his success, he was wont to hang on a tree which 
 stood in the centre of AuxeiTe, the heads of the wild beasts he had slain. 
 Among the people of Auxerre a similar custom jjrevailed before their 
 conversion. Hor was it celebrated merely for the indulgence of vanity, 
 but rather viewed as a sort of religious ceremony, which the inhabitants 
 performed in honor of the false deities whom they had worshipped. Hie 
 revival of a rite so closely linked with Pagan superstition, alanned the 
 zeal of Amator, the then bishop of Auxerre, who denounced tliis practice 
 as injurious to religion. Hie remonstrance of the bishop was, however, 
 unavailing, as Germanus persuaded himself that an indulgence so harm- 
 less in itself could not be disrespectful to the Christian faith ; whereon 
 the bishop, finding Germanus imchanged, took occasion, during his ab- 
 sence from Auxerre, to have the tree removed on which Germanus hung 
 the trophies of his hunting excursions. 
 
 The news of its removal enraged him, and with bitter invectives 
 against the bishop, he avowed his resolve to have revenge. In the mean- 
 time the bishop deemed it prudent to retire from Auxerre until the anger 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAjSTD. 
 
 21 
 
 of Germamis would liave abated. During his retirement, the bishop was 
 favored with a message of a singular import, according to which, the 
 man from whose wrath he was forced to flee, was destined by Heaven to 
 be his successor in the see of Auxerre. Delighted with this manifesta- 
 tion of the divine will, Amator communicated without delay the intelli- ' 
 gence to Julius, Prefect of Gaul, as the sanction of the Prefect was 
 required by the civil law, before the clerical tonsure might be conferred 
 on any officer who was engaged in the service of the empire. Tlie con- 
 sent of Julius was obtained, and Amator watched the first opportunity 
 of initiating him in the service of the altar. Germanus having entered 
 the church, while the bishop was present and who profiting of this happy 
 occurrence ordered the doors of the church to be closed. When his or- 
 ders were attended to, Amator disclosed the infonnation he had received 
 from Heaven, and that Germanus was to be his successor in the see of 
 Auxen’e. 
 
 Fearing lest he should oppose the divine will, Germanus received the 
 tonsure, and -was advanced to the order of deaconship. Upon the death 
 of Amator, soon after, Germanus was, by the desire of clergy and people, 
 promoted to the vacant see. Germanus, now raised to the exalted dig- 
 nity of bishop, entered on the practice of the most perfect virtue ; aiid 
 during thirty years of episcopal authority, his life was distinguished for 
 extraordinary austerity ; and during this protracted period, he abstained 
 from the use of wine, of wheaten bread, and of those viands that stimu- 
 late sensuality. To the service of God and the poor, he entirely devoted 
 his property ; and thus freeing himself from its incumbrance, the faith- 
 ful performance of his sacred functions was his ambition, regarding 
 every other concern as foreign to the end for which he had been called 
 to the holy ministry. 
 
 Such Avas the holy bishop, to whose counsel the future Apostle of the 
 Irish nation proposed to submit his conduct. In obedience to the in- 
 struction of St. Germanus, St. Patrick again chose retirement, in order 
 that he might duly prepare for the arduous enterprise which he was about 
 to undertake. In the monastery of the Island of Lerins, distinguished 
 by the many eminent prelates it gave to the Church, St. Patrick found 
 a retreat. Here also Avere St. Hilarius, bishop of Arles, and St. Lupus, 
 of Troyes, the personal friends of St. German, prepared for the sanc- 
 tuary. At Lerins St. Patrick spent a term of nine years. What has 
 been said of the institution of St. Martin, at Tours, is equally applicable 
 to the one at Lerins. From this island he repaired to Auxerre ; and to 
 one anxious to be employed in the cause of religion as St. Patrick, an 
 opportunity soon offered. Tlie condition to which the Christians of Bou- 
 logne were reduced, soon called into action the charity and the zeal of 
 
22 
 
 ECCLESIASTIC^VL IIISTOKY OF IKELAI^D. 
 
 St. German, Deprived of its chief pastor, the interests of religion had 
 sufiered, and the negligence of pastore, or perhaps the ravages of plun- 
 dering hordes that infested those territories, had retarded the progress of 
 Christianity, and obstructed its benign influence on the natives Avho had 
 been converted. To aid in rescuing religion from its fallen condition, 
 St. Patrick was eminently qitalitied by the long and severe probation 
 ^ which he underwent in the establishments of Tours and Lerins ; and, 
 moreover, a native of the country in wliich his missionary career was to 
 commence, he had an opportunity of becoming accpiainted with the cha- 
 racter of the people whom he wished to i-efonn. Having the approba- 
 tion of St. Germanus, he entered on the duties of the ministry in the dio- 
 cese of Boulogne, and that his label’s were successful, the veneration of 
 his memory among the people of Boulogne sufficiently attests ; and in his 
 selection by St, Germanus to accompany him to Britain, we know’ that 
 his conduct merited the approval of his holy patron. The poison of Pe- 
 lagianism having infested the Church of Britain, it was requisite to select 
 the most holy, as well as the most learned ecclesiastics, to be sent thither 
 to eradicate its erroi’s. Consummate prudence was necessary in treat- 
 ing this disease, as W’ell as discrimination in distinguishing truth from the 
 shades of error, w’ith which the Pelagian heresy was mixed. In combat- 
 ing error, the minister of tnith must, in his own person, exhibit virtues 
 Avhereby to attest the superior excellence of his doctrine, and in exposing 
 doctrinal frauds or sophistry, the advocate of sound dogmas must have 
 regard to the infirmities of his opponents, w’ithout w’ounding or irritating 
 their feeling-s or their passions. The author of this heresy was himself a 
 Briton — {Prosper. Poem, de ingraiis ) — and this circumstance of birth 
 was calculated to produce a partiality to his doctrines among liis coun- 
 trymen. In Saints Gei’manus and Lupus, the Homan pontiff, to whom 
 belong-s the solicitude of all churches, foun^ skillful and experienced phy- 
 sicians. Their zeal soon triumphed over the difficulties they had to en- 
 counter. Tliey met the adherents of Pelagius in a s}’nod, which w’as held 
 at Yerulam. Unavailing disputes consumed the early part of the day, 
 wdthout settling the questions at issue, until at length the doctrine ot 
 Germanus was miraculously sanctioned by Heaven, and convinced those 
 •ndio w’ere present. The adlierents of Pelagius obeyed the voice of 
 Heaven, and professed belief in the faith w’hich Germanus advocated. 
 And the object of their mission having been happily accomiflished, Ger- 
 manus and his associates returned home to Gaul. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAX IIISTOKI' OF BRELAXD 
 
 23 
 
 CHAPTEF. V. 
 
 FURTHER TRANSACTIONS OF ST. PATRICK WITH ST. GERMAN OF AUXERRE 
 —APPOINTED BY POPE CELESTINE, ASSISTANT OP ST. PALLADIUS— CONSE- 
 CRATED BISHOP— SOME COMPANIONS OF ST. PATRICK 
 
 The visit of Germanus to Britain must have given liiin an opportu- 
 nity of learning the condition of tliat country, in which St. Patrick re- 
 sided during liis captivity of six years, and wliich he knew was destined 
 to be the theatre of his labors and his zeal, must have made him solicit- 
 ous for the conversion of a jieople who were yet strangers to the salutary 
 maxims of the Gospel. It appeai-s that to such a consideration St. Ger- 
 manus was not inattentive, for on his arrival at Auxerrc, he directed St. 
 Patrick to proceed to Rome. Segetius, a priest, by whom it is supposed 
 instructions from the Roman pontiff regarding the mission to Britain, 
 were conveyed to St. Gennan, was the companion of St. Patrick’s jour- 
 ney to the eternal city. St. Celestine then filled the chair of Peter. 
 "Whether he arrived there or not before the departure of Palladius, can- 
 not be ascertained ; but certain it is that he was well received by the 
 Pope, as a recommendation from St. German was calculated to ensure. 
 Information which St. Celestine had received, probably from the bishop 
 of Auxerre, directed his attention to the state of Christianity" in Belaud. 
 To guard the spiritual welfare of the nascent Church of Ireland, the pas- 
 toral superintendence of a bishop was required ; and in the fii-st instance 
 to Palladius, a deacon of the Roman Church, was confided the charge of 
 the Irish mission. Tlie reader is already acquainted with the result of 
 his mission and his death ; his associates, a few only excepted, returned 
 to Gaul. Sylvester and Solinus remained to watch the progress of tlieir 
 infant Church. Tliey have been buried in the church of Domnachard, 
 and their memory held in great veneration by the peojile. 
 
 Tlie object of St. Patrick’s journey to Rome, is clearly stated by Erric 
 of Auxerre, from whom we leam, that St. Patrick being approved by the 
 Pope, received his benediction, and was directed to proceed to Boland. 
 Instituted as he was by the Roman pontiff, it does not appear that he was 
 
24 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAl, HISTORY OF IRELAm). 
 
 consecrated at Home ; and as it was the custom to send only one bishop 
 to a country in the beginning of its mission, it is more consistent to lay 
 down that he was appointed to be the principal assistant of Palladius. 
 
 St. Patrick having arrived in Gaul, the disciples of his predecessor 
 repaired thither, and informed the saint of the death of Palladius. It now 
 became necessary that he should prepare to receive episcopal consecra- 
 tion. For this purpose he applied to a prelate of distinguished sanctity, 
 who lived in the vicinity of Eboria, probably Evreux in Normandy. 
 Probus says the name of this bishop was Amatorex. But before the 
 bishop could comply with the request of St. Patrick, his friends came in 
 numbem and impoi-tuned him to abandon an enterprise, which they re- 
 presented as hazardous, and fraught with danger. Tliey pressed on his 
 attention the anguish which his absence and separation from his friends 
 would cause ; they accompanied their entreaties with presents, as pledges 
 of their ardent affection, with tears and lamentations, as they hoped by 
 tills strong expression of grief to accomplish what remonstrance could 
 not effect. Having maturely adopted his future coui-se of action, he was 
 not to be diverted from the path which Providence pointed out. 
 “ Guided,” he says, “ by the directing providence of God, I neither con- 
 sented to their entreaties, nor acquiesced in them. This I did not by my 
 own strength, but by the grace of God who enabled me to withstand and 
 overcome every opposition, in order that I might go and preach the Gos- 
 pel to the Irish people.” — {Conf. p. 14.) 
 
 Another stratagem was tried, from which a more favorable result was 
 anticipated. A fault, as the reader is aware, committed in early life, 
 and disclosed to a friend in the bitterness of sorrow, and with the assur- 
 ance of confidence, blotted out in the sincerity of repentance, now drag- 
 ged into light, overwhelmed him with shame and confusion. But those 
 circumstances of resistance made to the promotion of St. Patrick, must 
 have convinced Amatorex that his friends were influenced by motives 
 as selflsh as unworthy ; and that to a remonstrance suggested by such 
 motives, he could not attend, neither was he disposed to defer the ful- 
 fillment of St. Patrick’s wishes, — without further delay he conferred the 
 eacred rite of consecration. 
 
 From the preceding narrative, the reader will perceive the link be- 
 tween the Homan Church, the centre of unity, and the fountain of all 
 jurisdiction, and that of tlie early Church of Ireland, — a link that time 
 has not severed, and that persecution has been imable to snap asunder. 
 Tliough Catholic writers maintain the connection, and though Protestant 
 historians apjirove by their affirmative this important subject, (Usher 
 and Ware,) still some recent advocates of the Eeformation have been 
 skeptical enough to dissent from the authority of such men. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 25 
 
 Tlie mission of St. Patrick might have been derived from Pome as 
 its source, and sanctioned by her supreme authority, in either of the fol- 
 lowing ways : — It could have been “ explicitly and immediately” ap- 
 proved of by the Pojie, or “implicitly and mediately” only. In the 
 “ implicit or mediate” way, it would have been sanctioned, if undertaken 
 with the approbation of any bishop united in communion with the Ro- 
 man Pontiff. Instances in the history of the Irish Church, without re- 
 cuiTing to that of Pome, illustrate this assertion. When the Danes, 
 who settled at Waterford, were converted, that city was erected into an 
 episcopal see, and a bishop elected and consecrated without explicit or 
 immediate reference to the Holy See, though the persons chiefly con- 
 cerned in this transaction were strenuous upholders of Roman supre- 
 macy. Tims we also find, that the riiissions undertaken by Saints Co- 
 lumhanus, Aidan, and others, had no other sanction than that of their 
 own immediate superiors in Ireland. 
 
 Tliere can he no difficulty then in showing, that the mission of St. 
 Patrick had at least this implicit sanction. That between St. Germanus, 
 bishop of Auxerre, and the Roman See, there had been constant com- 
 munion, no one will deny. The Roman Pontiffs employed him on mat- 
 ters of the gravest importance to religion. It cannot he supposed that 
 such a prelate would sanction St. Patrick’s mission to Ireland, were he 
 not fully competent to authorise such an enterprise, or that St. Patrick 
 woidd have entered on such a mission without the concurrence and ap- 
 proval of a prelate, by whose counsels he was guided in preparing for 
 the apostleship of Ireland. In every age the pastors and the people of 
 Ireland have venerated Rome, as the parent of their National Church. 
 In Rome, and in illustrious Churches united with Rome, the memory 
 of St. Patrick has been recorded with veneration, his name consecrated 
 in their calendar, and temples dedicated under his patronage to the 
 worship of the Almighty, and to Rome as their parent in religion, 
 the Irish people always looked for instruction on Avhatever related to 
 the faith and morals of their national Church ; and may she always 
 remain attached to the chair of Peter — that she may always drink ot 
 the refreshing waters which the pure and apostolical fountain perpetu- 
 ally supplies. 
 
 W e have now arrived at the period, 432, in which St. Patrick land- 
 ed in Ireland. The important rite of consecration performed, a vessel 
 bound for the British shores wafted him safely thither, and from Bii- 
 tain he set sail for L-eland, the country which he was destined to annex 
 to the fold of the universal Church. Tlie vessel directed her course to 
 the eastern shores of the Island and entered one of the principal har- 
 bors. Some give the honor to the port of Wicklow — others say that 
 
26 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF lEELAND. 
 
 Dublin -R’as the port first dignified 'witli tlie presence of the Apostle. 
 Ills fii'st attempt to make converts is said to have been unsuccessful — 
 nay, he Avas repulsed by the natives and obliged to re-cmbark, and re- 
 flecting that the long captiAuty AA'hich he had endured in the north of the 
 kingdom, made him better acquainted Avith that part of the country — 
 he therefore hoped that his labors would be of more advantage. While 
 he Aras yet a youth, the people there saAV him practice the most exalted 
 virtues. There he served his master AA’ith fidelity, and there he endured 
 jirivations Avith cheerfulness, and Avhile his fidelity to his temporal mas- 
 ter AA'as conspicuous, they saAV him unceasingly attentive to those of re- 
 ligion. It is, then, not unreasonable to suppose that his former edifying 
 life Avould liaA'e disposed many of those people to embrace the saAung 
 doctrines of the cross. Still a considerable distance from the abode of 
 his captivity, and as a journey by land Avould be accompanied AA'ith in- 
 conA'enience, it happened ojiportunely, that the ship in AA'hich he sailed 
 for Ireland, still lay in the eanxe harbor ; having again embarked, the 
 vessel reached her destiruition in safety, and entered a creek Avhich ad- 
 joins the port of Sti'angford or Dundrum. Here he and his companions 
 landed, and eager to commence the AA’ork of salvation, they proceeded 
 into the adjacent country to repose themselves, and Avithout delay con- 
 A'ei’se Avith the inhabitants and announce the object of their mission. 
 Before they advanced far in the country, they Avere met by a herdsman 
 ij the service of the chieftain of the country, and imagining that they 
 were robbers, he hastened to give information to his master, Avho imme- 
 diately issued forth A\’ith an armed force to repel those supposed aggres- 
 sor. The appearance of the holy missionaries soon convinced the chief- 
 tain, Dicho — thus Avas he named — that his suspicions Avere unfounded : 
 moved internally by the Almighty, and impressed A\'ith the meek and 
 gentle demeanor of St. Patrick, he, in terms of good-Avill and kindness, 
 invited the missionaries to partake of the rites of hospitality. St. Pat- 
 rick accepted his invitation, and aA'ailing himself of this favorable con- 
 juncture, he proclaimed to his host the truths of redemption and exhorted 
 him to profit of the grace Avhich Avas otiered. Tlie chieftain listened 
 Avith respect and attention to the Saint’s instruction, and professed him- 
 self ready to embrace the proffered gift of faith. On due instruction 
 being imparted, he and his family A\'ere initiated in the sacred rite of 
 regeneration. Such Avas the first fruit, small indeed like the grain of 
 mustard, of St. Patrick’s apostolic labor. .Having accomplished the 
 conversion of Dicho and his family, the next object of his zeal Avas 
 Milcho, the Saint’s master while in bondage. To the Pagan superstition 
 ililcho Avas obstinately attached, — imfortunately guided by this unhappy 
 feeling, he resolved to defeat the zeal of the missionary by refusing to hold 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 27 
 
 any converse with him. Finding his effort to convert this obstinate Hea- 
 then unavailing, St. Patrick retraced his steps to the residence of Dicho. 
 In order that this first convert might eAnnce the sincerity of his conversion, 
 and his gratitude to God for the spiritual favors which he had received 
 through the ministry of St. Patrick, Dicho desired to set apart a place 
 contiguous to his own habitation, for the celebration of divine Avorship. 
 St. Patrick, though at first disposed to emulate the disinterested zeal of 
 St. Paul, the illustrious Apostle of the Gentiles, accepted this ofiering 
 of piety from the hands of his convert. Here a temple to the living 
 God was erected, and subsequently a monastery, to which the Saint in 
 the latter stage of his apostolic career oftentimes Avithdrew, that he might 
 freely commune with his heavenly Master, and indulge his loA’e of soli- 
 tude and prayer. 
 
 It is related that Auxilius, Iserninus, and others, received holy orders 
 on the same day that St. Patrick was consecrated — ^and from the same 
 bishop ; these persons are spoken of as his companions on the mission 
 of Ireland. Whether they accompanied him from Pome, or whether 
 they Avere selected in Gaul, is not easily determined. In the course of 
 our narratiA’e mention AV’ill be made of those companions — in the sequel 
 of those records will be found the transactions of St. Patrick, as the 
 liistory of each proAunce of the Irish Church Avill be developed. 
 
28 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAX, mSTOKY OF IRELA^TD. 
 
 - CnAPTER VL 
 
 PROVINCE OF ARMAGH— THE PRIMATIAL SEE OF THE IRISH CHURCH. 
 
 St. Patrick Laving devoted twenty yeai-s to Lis arduous and extra* 
 ordinary mission tlirougli tLe wilds and desert places of tlie kingdom, 
 cverywLere spreading tLe liglit of faitL Ly Lis preaeliing and miracles, 
 tLereby overtLrowing tLe long and dismal empire of Paganism, deter- 
 mines on erecting a Metropolitan See. Instructed by a vision from 
 Leaven, Le proceeds to tLe territory of MacLa, tLe royal city of Emania, 
 and tlie residence of tLe kings of Ulster. Tlie kill on wLicL tLe city 
 was built was formerly called “ DruimsaellecL,” tLe Hill of Sallows. 
 Here Le was kindly received by Daire, an opulent man, wLo gave a 
 grant of a convenient site on tbis eminence for tLe erection of a catLe- 
 dral. Tins LigL ground is tliat on wLicL tLe city of ArmagL now 
 stands, and Lere tLe ecclesiastical metropolis of Ireland was establisLed 
 A. D. 455. Suitable edifices were attacLed for tlie accommodation of 
 tlie clei’gy, and adjacent were structures for tLe pious of botL sexes 
 wLo were inclined to forsake tlie world and make a sacrifice of tlieir 
 wLole being to tlie Author of tLe universe. 
 
 TLe remaining yeai’S of St. Patrick were spent in tLe management of 
 Lis see, and occasionally at Lis favorite retreat of Saul, where Le Lad 
 converted Lis beloved DicLo. Tlie wonderful power of the Most High 
 was signally displayed tlirougb the apostolic labors of St. Patrick : the 
 congregations were provided with bishops and pastors, all subject to the 
 Primatial See ; cLurcLes were consecrated ; Louses of education cov- 
 ered the face of the country : in short, a regular Hierarchy and a Na- 
 tional Church was estabbslied ; the sanctity and zeal of the people won 
 the admiration of distant nations, and the isle which they inhabited was 
 universally known as the land of “saints and learned men.” At this 
 period, our Saint held two sjuiods, in which salutary laws relating to 
 morals and discipline Avere enacted. Tlie first of these synods is entitled 
 “ TLe Synod of St. Patrick the second bears the title of the Synod 
 of Bishops, of Patrick, Auxilius, and Iserninus. 
 
Catijctiral Cburcb of Srmagb- 
 
/ \ • 
 
 •• A 
 
 
 
 
 
 y.: 
 
 '"t ., • ., . ^ 
 
 V 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 f 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 t 
 
 \ 
 
 \ 
 
 
 ^v• 
 
‘.CCLESIASTICAL mSTOEY OF IKELAOT). 
 
 29 
 
 Tlie designs oi 3eaven accomplished in the conversion of the Irish 
 nation, the time is fast approaching when he is to be summoned to meet 
 his Lord and receive the reward of his labors. Of this event he was 
 forewarned by Heaven, and wishing to bequeath his mortal remains to 
 the Ecclesiastical Metropolis of Ireland, he prepared to return from Saul, 
 where he was then tarrying. It is related that on his way to Armagh, 
 he was stopped by an angel and directed to return to Saul, where he 
 was attended by Tassach, bishop of Eathcolpa, near Down, and having 
 received from him the holy viaticum, he departed this life on W ednes- 
 day, the 17th March, A. D. 465. 
 
 The account of his death having spread througnout Ireland, the pre- 
 lates and clergy hastened to Annagh from all quarters of the kingdom 
 and celebrated his obsequies with unusual pomp. As the prelates and 
 priests arrived at Saul, each according to his dignity, offered the divine 
 mysteries, and hence the funeral service was kept up several days : the 
 chanting of the divine office was continued without interruption, and by 
 the profusion of torches, the darkness of the night was expelled. In 
 the simple and ancient language of Fiech’s Hymn, it is compared to 
 the “ long day caused by the standing of the sun for Joshua against 
 Gabaon.” 
 
 The inhabitants of Armagh and the people of Down were equally 
 anxious that his remains should be deposited among them. It was how- 
 ever an-anged that his body should remain in Down, and a great portion 
 of his reliques should be conveyed to Armagh. 
 
 Saint Beni gnus succeeded, A. D. 465, was the constant companion 
 and the favorite disciple of St. Patrick. Benignus was the son of 
 Sesgnen, a chieftain of Meath. On his conversion and baj)tism he re- 
 ceived from his kind preceptor the name Benignus, as it was expressive 
 of his mild disposition and good qualities. Instructed by our apostle in 
 learning and religion, he became eminent in piety and \'irtue, and 
 though as yet a priest he was entrusted with the care of remote places, 
 and so great were his services to religion that he was considered a second 
 apostle. Like his master, he foresaw the approach of his end. Having 
 sent for J arlath, he received the body of the Lord. His soul departed 
 to eternal rest on the 9th November, A. D. 468. 
 
 Jarlath succeeeded A. D. 468. He was the son of Trena, and was 
 bom in a place called Kathtrena, in the present County of Down. Ilis 
 father had been, it appears, the uncle of Dicho, St. Patrick’s first con- 
 vert. The father of Jarlath obstinately rejected the truths of the Gos- 
 pel and remained inflexible in his attachment to Paganism ; yet his two 
 sons, J arlath and Sedna, were not only the disciples of St. Patrick, but 
 were also emulous of his great virtues. Jarlath made a rapid profi- 
 
30 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL niSTOEY OF LRELAJCD. 
 
 ciency in piety and virtue, and tlirougli his zeal had the faith preached 
 in places not before favored with its light. Mindful of the example of 
 Ins predecessor in the cause of education, he supplied the literary estab- 
 lishment at Armagh with teachers, encouraged its scholars, and when 
 duly qualified, he advanced them to the dignity of the priesthood 
 Having governed the see about fourteen years, Jarlath died abounding 
 in merit, on the 11th of February, A. D. 482. 
 
 Cormac succeeded same year ; was the son of Enda and nephew of 
 the monarch Leogaire. Ilis father was converted by St. Patrick, and 
 the son Cormac, then a young man of engaging manners and consider- 
 able acquirements, was placed by his parent under the peculiar care 
 and instruction of St. Patrick himself ; distinguished by his learning as 
 well as sanctity, lie was deservedly looked to as a person qualified to 
 fill the chair of the primatial see ; he died on the 17th February, 
 A.D. 497. 
 
 Dubtach or Duach the 1st, succeeded A.D. 497. He is called in the 
 life of St. Tigernach, the “ venerable” and the famous archbishop of St. 
 Patrick’s see. Hie scanty fragments of Irish history, which have 
 escaped the wreck of English persecution during the 16th and 17th cen- 
 turies, give us to understand, that this primate made the life and actions 
 of St. Patrick his constant model, while he governed for sixteen years 
 the see of Armagh. He took care to have churches erected on the 
 northern and western coasts, which, until his time, were uncon- 
 verted : othera he enlarged and adorned. Young and active, as well as 
 holy men ivere always ready to go forth and instnict the people. He 
 watched over the education and morals 6f the people, and devoted 
 much time to the establishment and superintendence of schools, particu- 
 larly the celebrated one of Aimagh. This venerable prelate died A.D. 
 513. 
 
 Ailild the 1st succeeded ; was the son of Trichen, prince of East 
 Ulster, and of royal blood. Ailild and his five brothers were disciples 
 of St. Patrick ; he departed this life on the 13th January, A.D. 526. 
 
 Ailild the 2d succeeded ; was of the same illustrious stock, and 
 after an incumbency of ten years, died on the 1st July, A.D. 536. 
 
 Duach the 2d succeeded ; was the descendant of Colla Huas, an 
 ancient king of Ireland. He presided over the see of Armagh twelve 
 years, and died A.D. 548. 
 
 David MacGuaire Hua Farannan succeeded the same year ; he is 
 called in the psalter of Cashel, Fiachrius ; he is also styled legate of 
 Ireland. David governed the see only three years, and died A.D. 551. 
 
 Feidlimid Fin of Hy Hellan succeeded the same year. He was a 
 great encoimager of learning, and enlarged the seminary of Armagh, to 
 
ECCLESLVSTICAL HISTORY OF niELAKD. 
 
 81 
 
 which he was a great benefactor ; he was also very active in organizing 
 the new sees that were springing up in the provinces of the kingdom. 
 He died A.D. 578. 
 
 Cairlan, a native of Ily Hielan, in the county of Armagh, succeeded 
 the same year ; governed the see ten years, and died A.D. 588. 
 
 Eochaid Mac Dermott succeeded the same year ; is called Abbot and 
 Bishop of Armagh ; he presided over the see ten yeai-s, and died A.D. 
 598. 
 
 Senach succeeded the same year, and was consecrated Archbishop of 
 Armagh. He is mentioned by several annalists as a learned man, and 
 is said to have written valuable tracts on the Scri])tures and the works 
 of the Fathers, which are now lost ; having governed the see twelve 
 years, he died A.D. 610. He is omitted in some catalogues of the 
 Prelates of Armagh. 
 
 Mac Laisir succeeded same year. According to Colgan this prelate 
 ought to be more properly called St. Terennan. He is said to have held 
 a correspondence with Laurence of Canterbury on the paschal question ; 
 he died on the 2d September, A.D. 623. 
 
 Thomian Mac Ronan succeeded same year ; he was a man of illus- 
 trious descent. Tlie primacy was justly due to his superior learning 
 and piety. Venerable Bede has preserved a fragment of a letter writ- 
 ten from Rome to this prelate, in the year 639 — it related to the ] aschal 
 controversy ; he was distinguished for discipline and zeal, and was a 
 groat patron of learning. This illustrious prelate departed life on the 
 10th January, A.D. 661. See App. the 3d, on the Pasehal question. 
 
 Segen succeeded same year. Of his prelacy little is recorded. His 
 incumbency continued until the 21:th May, A.D. 688, the year of his 
 death. 
 
 Flan or Florence Febla succeeded. He was a lineal descendant ot 
 Colla Dacrioch ; and this prelate, assisted by Killene Mac Lubney, 
 abbot of Sayghir, and forty bishops, held a synod in the year 695 ; hav 
 ing governed the metropolitan see with great advantage to religion for 
 twenty-seven years, he died on the 24th April, A.D. 715. 
 
 Suibne or Sweeny succeeded ; he was the son of Cronmail. He was 
 the encourager of learning, and during his primacy several scribes and 
 eminent men presided over the schools of Ireland ; among these are re- 
 corded Colman, surnamed Huamachensis, author of the Acts of St. 
 Patrick; EochadMac Colgan, an anchoret and professor at Armagh ; Fer 
 domnach, a learned scribe and philosopher ; Dochumna, surnamed 
 Bolga, an anchoret and teacher of the holy Scriptures ; he governed the 
 see fifteen years, and died on the 21st June, A.D. 730. 
 
 Congus succeeded same year ; he was a descendant of Amniracus, 
 
32 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 monarch of Ireland, Before his consecration he was called a scribe, a 
 title which belonged to men of lettei-s, professors, and, above all, to 
 authors ; was well versed in poetry, and when primate, addressed a 
 poem to Aidus Ollain, king of Ireland, recommending that monarch to 
 punish Aid Ronan, king of Ulster, for having sacrilegiously plundered 
 some churches and religious houses in the diocese of Armagh ; he pre- 
 sided over the see twenty years, and died A.D. T50. 
 
 In the days of this prelate, Flathbert, king of Beland, abdicated 
 his sceptre and embraced a monastic life at Armagh, in 731, and died 
 there in 760. 
 
 Cele-Peter succeeded the same year ; was of Ily Brassail or Claii- 
 brasseil, in the county of Armagh. This prelate died A.D. 758. 
 
 Ferdachry succeeded the same year ; he was the son of Suibne. lie 
 died A.D. 768. 
 
 Fendaloch, son of IVIoenach, succeeded the same year : he resigned or 
 died A.D. 771. 
 
 Dubdalethy 1st succeeded. He was the son of Smach ; was conse- 
 crated in 778. He died A.D. 793. Affiat is placed next, and is said to 
 have died the same year. 
 
 Arectac succeeded, and died A.D. 791. 
 
 Cudiniscus succeeded ; died A.D. 798, 
 
 Conmach succeeded same year, is said to have died suddenly, A.D. 
 £07. 
 
 Torbac Mac Gorman succeeded same year ; died A.D. 808. In the 
 time of this prelate the bishop of Armagh and his suffragans were ex- 
 empted from attending the monarch on his military expeditions. 
 
 Hiiad, son of Segene, succeeded. He was abbot of a convent in 
 Breffny, county Cavan ; an anchoret, he reluctantly accepted the pri- 
 matial dignity. Like his predecessor Cormac, he visited the ecclesi- 
 astical province of Connaught. He died on the 19th April, A.D, 812. 
 
 Flangus, son of Longsech, succeeded ; he presided thirteen years. 
 During the latter part of his incumbency, it seems, he was assisted by 
 Artrigius. Ilis death is recorded A.D. 822. 
 
 Artrigius succeeded, and was consecrated in 822, and visited the 
 province of Munster in 823 ; and as the annals of Ulster relate : “ The 
 law of St. Patrick was propagated throughout Munster by Feidhlim, son 
 of Crimthan, king of Munster, and the primate of Armagh. Tlie object 
 of this visitation was to enforce the rights of the primatial see, and the 
 establishment of, as it was called, St. Patrick’s law ; in consequence of 
 the confusion which the piratical incursions of the Danes had caused, 
 the rights of the primacy were in some places disregarded. About the 
 middle of the eighth century, and in the reign of Hugh Ollain, king of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANT). 
 
 83 
 
 all Ireland, arrangements were made for augmenting the revenues of 
 the metropolitan see of Armagh, and a law enacted for that purpose, 
 though the primatial rights were acknowledged over all Ireland, and 
 though that see had enjoyed ample possessions. Hugh Ollan, the 
 monarch, with a view of advancing the dignity of that see, engaged to 
 enact a law, by which each of the four provinces was to he taxed and 
 the funds arising therefrom to be applied as a supplemental revenue to 
 the see of Armagh ; an interview took place at Tirdaglass, in Ormond, 
 between the monarch and Cathal MacFingin, king of Munster, and in 
 this conference the measures proposed by Hugh Ollan, the monarch, 
 were adopted. The enactment of a law, by which this national tribute 
 was enforced, became pregnant with ruin and woe to the see of 
 Armagh ; it was the basis of an union with the temporal power, and 
 engendered public scandal and heavy and grievous calamities to reli- 
 gion. Tlie facts that took place in the succeeding century illustrate 
 the truth of this observation, as w'ell as the proceedings of Artrigius 
 liimself. On the death of Flangus, in 826, Eugene, abbot of Armagh, 
 was elected his successor, and consecrated in the cathedral church ; his 
 election being canonical, gave satisfaction to the clergy and people. 
 Artrigii's, however, did not agree with either. Being a man of influence 
 and intrigue, and his coffers stocked wflth the revenue wfliich the laAV 
 provided, he found means of seizing on the see, and removing the law- 
 ful pastor ; having been deposed in 828, his usurpation lasted only two 
 years, and Eugene was replaced in the archiepiscopal chair. Artrigius 
 died A.D. 833. 
 
 Eugene, elected in 826, succeeded 828, died A.D. 834. 
 
 Farannan succeeded, and was consecrated archbishop of Armagh. 
 During the primacy of Farannan, the Danes frightfully ravaged all L-e- 
 land, and Armagh was marked out as the principal object of vengeance. 
 In 849 the city was taken by storm, the primate, clergy, students and 
 religious were expelled or put to death ; the bishop was, however, 
 spared, and being allowed to take wflth him the relics of his church, he 
 was sent in custody to the Danish fleet, then lying at Limerick. Im- 
 mediately after the expulsion of Farannan, Dermod O’Tigemach was 
 consecrated, and continued to direct the government of the see during 
 four years. Farannan resigned A.D. 848. 
 
 Dermod O’Tigemach was a man of literature and its patron, and is 
 styled in the annals of Ulster “ the wisest of all the doctors in Europe.” 
 Again the Danes attacked Armagh on Easter Sunday, laid waste the 
 sanctuary, as well as the habitations of man, while the primate, afiiicted 
 at these repeated calamities, languished for a time, and died A.D. 852. 
 
 Factna succeeded same year ; he presided twenty-two years. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IKELAKD. 
 
 3i 
 
 Tlie Danes again sacked and burned Annagh, baling plundered the 
 churches and destroyed one thousand persons. Factna died on the 6th 
 of October, A.D. 874. 
 
 Ainniire succeeded same year, and entered on the government of the 
 see, which be held only nine months, and died A.D. 875. 
 
 Catasach Mac Kabartach succeeded same year, and died in peace, 
 A.D. 883. 
 
 Malcob Mac Crunvail succeeded same year, and died, worn out with 
 old age, A.D. 885. 
 
 Malbrigid Mac Dornan, of the royal house of iN’iall, was consecrated 
 in the year 886 ; he had been abbot of Derry and bishop of Raphoe. 
 This prelate possessed uncommon erudition, and was called “ the orna- 
 ment of Europe.” He was a man of inflexible justice, and in private 
 or political contests was chosen umpire by the princes and nobles of the 
 country. Such was his benevolence, that in the year 908 he traveled 
 to a remote part of Ulster to redeem a captive Briton. lie is ranked 
 among the saints of Ireland. This holy prelate died on the 22d Feb., 
 A.D. 926 or 7. 
 
 Joseph succeeded, and is styled in the annals of Ulster “ Prince of 
 Armagh, a wise man, and an anchoret.” lie held the see nine years, 
 and died in a good old age, A.D. 936. 
 
 Malpatrick Mac Maoltule, and of the family of Daire, who seized on 
 the temporalities of the see of Armagh, succeeded, and is allowed to 
 have received episcopal consecration. Ilis primacy lasted only five 
 months, and he died the same year as Joseph, A.D. 936. 
 
 Catasach 2d, Mac Dulgin, of Dromtorraig, succeeded, called Comor- 
 ban, or successor of St. Patrick ; he died A.D. 957. 
 
 Muiredach, son of Fergus, succeeded, appointed as his predecessor 
 by the family of Daire, and was consecrated ; he held the see nine 
 years, and was deposed A.D. 966. 
 
 Dubdaleth the 2d succeeded, and was consecrated archbishop of 
 Armagh ; he was elected superior of all their monasteries by the Colum- 
 bians of Ireland and North Britain, though, according to their pi'imitive 
 rule, no ecclesiastic could be raised to that dignity beyond a simple 
 priest. He governed the see thirty-two years, and died A.D. 998. 
 
 Murechan succeeded, and governed the see three years ; his conse- 
 cration is generally admitted. He resigned A.D. 1001. 
 
 Melmurry, son of Eochad, succeeded. Tins learned prelate is styled 
 in the Annals of the Four Mastei-s “ the head of the clergy of western 
 Europe — the principal of all the holy orders of the West — a most wise 
 and erudite doctor were he a laic, such eulogies as these would bo 
 improperly applied. He died A.D. 1020. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 35 
 
 In 1011 a pestilence raged in Armagh from November till the be- 
 ginning of May, Ac. ; many frious and learned men fell victims of this 
 deadly disease. 
 
 Amalgaid succeeded ; visited Munster in order to enforce the law of 
 St. Patrick ; a usage which referred to the temporalities of the prima- 
 tial see. He is supposed to have been a layman, as during his time 
 there resided a bishop, regularly consecrated (named Maeltule). Amal • 
 gaid died A.D. 1050. 
 
 Dubdaleth the 3d, succeeded ; was one of the eight laymen to 
 whom St. Bernard alluded. When he assumed the management of the 
 see, Hugh O’Fairreth, who succeeded him in his professorship, was 
 consecrated and was constantly styled bishop of Armagh, till his death, 
 in 1056. Dubdaleth was a learned annalist, and wrote an account of the 
 archbishops of Armagh, to his own time ; having resigned, he died most 
 penitently, A.D. 1064. 
 
 Cumasach O’Herudan was next in succession ; resigned the year ol 
 his consecration, 1064 ; was not a lay usurper. He is supposed to have 
 died A.D. 1075. 
 
 Maelisa, the son of Amalgaid, was an usurper, held the see twenty- 
 seven years ; he visited Munster for the purpose of exacting the usual 
 revenues ; he died at Armagh on the 24th of December, A.D. 1091. 
 
 Donald Mac Amalgaid and brother to Mselisa usurped the prima- 
 tial see ; he visited Munster and other places for the purpose of exact- 
 ing the usual revenues. A dreadful plague raged through the country, 
 as if in punishment of this abominable practice ; a general fast was pro- 
 clo imed, in order to appease the anger of Heaven, with which prelates 
 and people complied. Coimcomerach O’Boil was consecrated as acting 
 bishop of Armagh. St. Bernard alludes to eight lay usurpers, four of 
 whom are already noticed, but of the others our annals are silent ; all 
 are said to have died penitent. Domnald, in whom terminated this 
 dreadful abuse, died very penitent on the 12th August, A.D. 1105. 
 
 St. Cellach or Celsus, son of Aid, son of Maelisa, was elected arch- 
 bishop by the clergy and people ; was consecrated on the festival of St. 
 Adamnan, the 23d of September, 1106. Uneasy at the scandals which 
 the usurpers had caused, he resolved to put an end to an abuse which 
 so long afflicted the Irish Church. He accordingly visited Ulster, 
 Munster and Connaught ; he everywhere preached and labored, leaving 
 an example of charity and zeal. During his visitation he perceived the 
 necessity of two measures that he hoped would be beneficial to the 
 Irish Church : the holding of a national synod and the appointment of 
 an archbishop to the see of Cashel. Accordingly in the year 1111, this 
 synod was held on the hill of Dsney, in the barony of Eathconrath and 
 
36 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL niSTOKY OF IEEI.AND. 
 
 county of "VYestmeatb. Celsus attended, together -with Mffilinurrj 
 O’Dunain, archbishop of Cashel, and fifty other bishops, three hundred 
 and seA'enteen priests, and a vast number of inferior clergy. The mo- 
 narch and all the princes of the kingdom were also present. From the 
 decrees i)assed at this synod, salutary results were soon apparent, — the 
 Church of Ireland enjoyed repose, — breaches in discipline and morals, 
 which crept in during two centnries, were repaired. Tlie see of Cashel 
 was raised to metropolitan dignity or canonical jurisdiction, with charge 
 over the southern province ; to this important act of the synod the con- 
 firmation of Innocent 11. gave strength and eflicacy. Celsus was 
 intent on other improvements. Hie number of small or minor sees 
 caused much inconvenience ; to remedy this, Celsus convened another 
 synod in 1118, at Eathbrassail, in the county of Armagh, at which Gill- 
 bert, bishop of Limerick presided, in capacity of legate apostolic for 
 L’cland. Besides Celsus, Mcelisa, archbishop of Cashel, and other 
 bishops were present, along with clergy of various ranks. In this synod 
 tlie number of dioceses was reduced to twenty -four, leaving Dublin still 
 subject to Canterbury. Tlie lands of the church were exempted from 
 tribute, rents, and other contributions, and were to remain free and in- 
 dependent forever. Tlie legate closed the synod with a benediction on 
 those who would observe its ordinances, and on the other hand a curse 
 on those who would violate its decrees. Celsus ivas an author, and 
 wrote “ Sumnia Theologicce,” “ Testamentum ad Ecclesias,” “ De suc- 
 cessione Malachiie.” AY as only twenty-seven yearn of age when pro- 
 moted to the primacy. Celsus manifested great anxiety that Malachy 
 O’Moore should succeed him, and therefore sent him his stalf as a token 
 of his desire ; he moreover ardently exhorted the princes of the country, 
 if they venerated St. Patrick, to establish Malachy as their metropolitan 
 of Armagh and primate of the Irish Church. AY orn by care and incessant 
 labor, this illustrious prelate died at Ardpatrick, in the county of 
 Limerick, on the 1st of April, A.D. 1129 ; he was interred at Lismore. 
 
 Maurice MacDonald, a man of noble birth, usurped the see, and, as 
 St. Bernard says, “ ruled not as a bishop, but grievously oppressed, as a 
 tyrant.” blotwithstanding his usurpation, he maintained possession of 
 the see three yearn — at length evicted, he expiated his crime, and died, 
 full of remorse, in 1134. 
 
 St. Malachy O’Moore, in the year 1134 succeeded the usurper. 
 After being ordained priest by Celsus in 1120, he repaired to Lismore to 
 complete his theological studies, which he already begun under the 
 pious and learned Imar, of Armagh. On his return to Armagh he was 
 placed over the Monastery of Bangor, .which he rebuilt and restored to 
 its ancient discipline. In 1124 he was made Bishop of Connor, a dig- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 37 
 
 nity wliicli he accepted with reluctance. His pastoral duties he per- 
 formed with patience and zeal, and so effectually reformed the morals 
 of the people, that he was more endeared to the meek and pious Celsus 
 of Armagh. In 1132, Malachy moved towards Armagh, hut prudence 
 dictated that he should reside at some distance until the death of the 
 usurper. Great indeed were his trials and afflictions during the three 
 years which he devoted to the government of the Primatial See. His 
 efforts toward the re-estahlishment of order, discipline, and morals, were, 
 however, crowned with success, and above all, towards the extinction of 
 those hereditary abuses by which the See was distracted. Tliat he 
 might return, as he resolved, to his fonner See of Connor, he resigned 
 the See of Armagh and appointed with the consent of clergy and peo- 
 ple, as his successor, Gelasius, Abbot of Derry and Archdeacon of that 
 diocese. At this period the Sees of Down and Connor were united, and 
 Saint Malachy, content with a competence, divided them into two bish- 
 oprics, thus embracing, as he himself expressed, “ his former spouse and 
 his beloved state of poverty.” 
 
 In 1139, he went to Pome and solicited from Pope Innocent two 
 palls for the Sees of Armagh and Cashell — neither of which had been 
 as yet honored with this symbol of unity and jurisdiction. On his 
 journey to Pome, he visited the Monastery of Clairvaux and then con- 
 tracted with its celebrated abbot, St. Bernard, a friendship that was 
 never dissolved. Having arrived at Pome, he presented himself to the 
 Sovereign Pontiff, by whom he was received in the most gracious man- 
 ner. To the request of St. Malachy relating to the palliums, the pope 
 replied that it was a matter requiring due solemnity and slmuld be 
 sought by the common suffrage of a national synod, which the Pontiff 
 advised him to convene. The Father of the faithful then placed his 
 mitre on Malachy’s head, investing him with the stole and maniple 
 which he himself used, and also dismissing and saluting him with the 
 apostolic benediction and the kiss of peace. 
 
 Vested with legatine authority over all Ireland, as this offlce was v^ 
 cant by the resignation of Gillbert, the Saint allowed himself little re 
 pose until at length in 1148, and in the pontificate of Eugenius the 
 Third, a synod was held at Ilolmpatrick. St. Malachy and Gelasius, 
 with fifteen bishops, two hundred priests, and many of the inferior 
 clergy, attended. It was agreed that a formal application for the palli- 
 ums should be made, and in accordance with their synodical resolve, 
 St. Malachy undertook a second journey to Pome. Having arrived at 
 Clairvaux, his friend, St. Bernard, received him with joy. However, in 
 in a few days after, on the Feast of St. Luke, he was seized with a fever 
 
38 
 
 ECCI^SIASTICAI. HISTORY OF TRELAITD. 
 
 and exjjired in this favorite monastery on the 2d of Kovemhei, A.D. 
 1148, in the 54th year of his age. 
 
 St. Bernard, in whose arms he died, plaintively lamented his death. 
 Ilis body was interred at Clairvaux, hut in the year 1194, his relics were 
 translated to Ireland, and received with great honor in the Ahhcy of 
 Mellifont. St. Bernard preached the funeral oration on the day of his 
 interment, and pronounced a second panegyric on the annivemary. 
 
 It is highly probable that St. Bernard acquainted the Sovereign Pon- 
 tiff, who was formerly a monk of Clairvaux, with the death of Malachy, 
 and also, with the nature of his mission to Borne. 'With Malachy, the 
 Pontiff had been well acquainted. At all events. Cardinal Paparo ac- 
 companied by Christian, Bishop of Lismore and Legate Apostolic, ar- 
 rived in L-eland in the year 1151, bringing with him four palliums for 
 the Sees of Armagh, Dublin, Cashel, and Tuam. 
 
 It may be asked, why St. Malachy seemed so solicitous to have this 
 sacred badge conferred on the Archiepiscopal Sees of Ireland ? A few 
 observations on the use of the pallium will answer the interrogatory. 
 Tlie pallium is the j^rincipal ornament of ecclesiastical jurisdiction, taken 
 from the body of St. Peter and given by the reigning pontiff to arch- 
 bishops, conferring the plenitude of the j^astoral office. It is made of 
 white wool and of the fleeces of lambs which virgins tend and rear, as 
 it is an emblem of innocence and integrity. It is like a stole with four 
 crosses of either black or pui'ple color, and surrounds the shoulders and is 
 also dependent from the breast. Its signification is mystical, and reminds 
 the prelate who weais it that he is the spiritual shepherd, and that he is 
 to exercise due vigilance lest any of his flock should stray from his fold, 
 and that he is obliged to raise, as if on his shouldei-s, and bring back to 
 the pastures of salvation the lost sheep, as it has been redeemed by the 
 blood of the immaculate Lamb. 
 
 The pallium is blessed and consecrated by the Boman Pontiff on the 
 altar of St. Peter, laid over his tomb, and then received by the arch- 
 bishops, if present, or by their procurators. Tliis ceremony denotes that 
 by the pallium is conferred a portion of the pontifical authority, which, 
 by the concession of Christ, principally resides in Peter and his lawful 
 successors. 
 
 In order then, that a matter of such importance would be conducted 
 with becoming solemnity, a national council was held at Kells, in the 
 county of Meath, on the 9th of March, A.D. 1152. Besides the cardi- 
 nal, who presided, and Christian, Bishop of Lismore and Apostolic Legate 
 of Ireland, there were present Gelasius, Primate ; Domnald O’Lunergan, 
 Archbishop of Cashell ; Gregoiy, Bishop of Dublin ; Giolla na Koemhe, 
 or Kehemias Laigneach, Bishop of Glendaloch ; Dungal O’Coellaidhe, 
 
KCCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IKELAJvD. 
 
 39 
 
 Bisliop of Leiglilin ; Fostius, Bishop ofWaterford ; Domnald O’Fogarty, 
 Vicar-General of the Bishop of Ossory ; Finn Mackienan, Bishop of 
 Kildare : Gillda an Choimdhe O’llardmaoil, Vicar of the Bishop of 
 Einly ; Giolla Aidus O’Maighin, Bisliop of Cork ; Mac Honan, Comor- 
 ban of St. Brendan, i. e., Bishop of Clonfert ; Brendan, Bishop of Kerry ; 
 Torgest, Bishop of Limerick ; Murchertach O’Malluidhir, Bishop of 
 Clonmacnois ; Maelisa O’Conachtain, Bishop of Boscommon ; O’Euad- 
 han. Bishop of Aclionry ; Macgrath O’Morain, Bishop of Conmacne, of 
 Ily Bruin ; Muiredach Ocohhtaich, Bishop of Kinel Eogain ; Molpat- 
 rick O’Banain, Bishop of Connor ; and Maelisa Macclerichcorr, Bishop 
 of Down. A large number of abbots and priore, and a vast multitude of 
 inferior clergy (three thousand) were also present. 
 
 When it was loiown that the pallium was intended for the Sees of Dub- 
 lin and Tuam, many of the clergy were dissatisfied, and particularly those 
 of Armagh and Down. It is supposed that the prelates of several sees 
 were absent, as they did not approve of having this dignity conferred 
 on those sees. Tlie council assembled, the distribution of the palliums 
 took place in order — Armagh, Cashell, Dublin and Tuam. Cardinal 
 Faparo then declared, as was right, the Archbishop of Armagh, Pri- 
 mate of all Belaud. He then proceeded to the arrangement of tlie Suf 
 fragan Sees. Under Armagh were the Sees of Connor, Down, Louth, or 
 Clogher, Clonard, Kells, Ardagh, Eaplioe, Bathlure in Tjn-one, Duleek, 
 and Derry. Under Cashel, Killaloe, Limerick, Inniscathy, Kilfenora, 
 Emly, Eoscrea, Waterford, Lismore, Clo}me, Cork, Eoss, and Ardfert. 
 Under Dublin were placed the Sees of Glendaloch, Ferns, Ossory, Leigh- 
 lin and Kildare. Under Tuam, were Mayo, Killala, Eoscommon, Clon- 
 fert, Achomy, Clonmacnois, and Kilmacduagh. 
 
 A decree was passed unanimously against simony, a crime that has 
 been too prevalent in many countries. The council of Kells took cog- 
 nisance of this vice : however, it does not appear that the vice here con- 
 demned was the one to which Ledwich (Antiq. p. 133) alludes, but the bad 
 practice of receiving money for the conferring of holy orders : the sale of 
 bishoprics and abbacies was not a traffic, which the lords or potentates 
 carried on, yet Ledwich, desirous of misleading, informs his readers that 
 the lords who had embraced the Eomish tenets, as if the adulterous 
 Church of the eighth Henry and Cranmer were then in existence, found 
 a better market in its bosom than in their Sept. Usury was also con- 
 demned. Nothing relative to matters of faith had been discussed, as 
 the doctrine fii-st taught and preached by St. Patrick, was then as it is 
 at the present day, the same unchanged, unchangeable, and consecrated 
 by antiquity, the learning, wisdom and sanctity of ages. Yet notwith- 
 standing the clear account that remains of the proceedings at the Coun- 
 
40 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF rRELANTJ. 
 
 cil of Kells, Ledwich gravely assures us that the object of Paparo’s le* 
 gatiou was to extinguish the ancient doctrines and discipline of the Irish 
 Church, He also affirms that the coffei-s of the Cardinal Legate were 
 on this occasion replenished by tlie bestowal of the palliums, and in 
 doing so, he gives a sample of falsehood and malice wliich well accords 
 with his desertion from the ancient faith. 
 
 In this synod the first attempt to introduce the payment of tithes was 
 made ; but the Legate could not succeed, as his proposition was iinmo 
 diately rejected. That such an innovation would be agreeable to Led- 
 wich is plain, as he asserts that human wisdom could scarcely discover 
 a more equitable and less burdensome provision for the clergy. 
 
 The Legate having terminated the proceedings of the council remani- 
 ed a short time in Ireland, and on the 24th March, 1152, set out on his 
 journey to Pome. 
 
 Some Irish Protestant writere, anxious to assimilate the ancient doc- 
 trines and practices of our church to those of their own, insist, that 
 marriage was not prohibited among the clergy, and that St. Malachy 
 and St. Bernard were the firet to introduce the salutaiy discipline ot 
 clerical celibacy. If tlie zeal of St. Malachy had been directed against 
 the violation of this holy practice, its occasional infraction is no reason 
 that it should displease modern sectaries ; as well abolish the sacred tie 
 of marriage, because those in its holy bonds, by acts of turpitude and 
 faithlessness scorn its sanctity ; as well censure the honest pursuits of 
 commerce, because unprincipled traders commit frauds the most shame- 
 ful and acts the most dishonorable. In the annals of our church, very 
 little, if any, can be traced, which would require the zeal of a Malachy 
 in this respect ; had lie lived until English invadere came to civilize and 
 reform, the abuses of British ecclesiastics would call forth all his energy 
 and authority. If there be mention of men who were in the state of 
 marriage, having entered the sanctuary, it must be understood that they 
 were free to choose this state, either released by the death or by mu- 
 tual consent, of their wives, as was the practice all over the Church. 
 Hie discipline which the Pagan priesthood of Ireland observed, and 
 which resembled the Levitical law, cannot be tolerated even in the 
 priests of the perfect dispensation, — nay, even the glory of pagan Italy 
 in its vestal virgins, cannot be endured by those, who boast of their pri- 
 vate judgment and their evangelical liberty. Here then they are con- 
 sistent, as the disciples are not above their German patriarch Luther, 
 who, weary of obedience and of continence, cast off all restraint, and 
 married a nun, who proved to be a mate swayed with similar impulses 
 as his own ; and their Cranmer, of Canterbury, who imported in a cask 
 a German wife, lest the knowledge of his incontinence by King Henry 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 41 . 
 
 YIIT. would hasten his head to the block. Woi’shipers of llesh and 
 blood, they' judge the holy ministers of the altar subject to the same in- 
 firmities as themselves, not discerning that the burden of the Lord is 
 light, and his yoke sweet. 
 
 Our adversaries, on this point of ecclesiastical discipline contend, that 
 the holy pontiff Gregory VII. imposed this intolerable tyranny on the 
 Church, and that it was unknown in the more remote ages. As a brief 
 sketch of this important subject may not be unacceptable to the reader, 
 its early history cannot be here miscpioted. 
 
 The name of this illustrious Pontiff and Saint is derided by Protes- 
 tants, who endeavor to heap upon him the odium of enforcing, as they 
 say, this ancient discipline. The age in which he flourished is desig- 
 nated the Ilildebrandine, as if he had attempted to propagate an error of 
 faith or discipline. In his encounters with the abuses of the age and the 
 usurpations of the secular power, he bore trials and affliction, and died 
 at length in exile, because he loved justice and hated iniquity, because 
 he placed himself in his capacity of St. Peter’s successor, on the ram- 
 parts of the Church, to obstruct and repel the abettors of simony and 
 incontinence. 
 
 In the year 385 a letter was written by the Roman pontiff Siricius 
 to Ilunerius, bishop of Terracona, in Africa, in which the bishop con- 
 sulted his predecessor Pope Damasus, on some subjects of discipline. 
 Amongst the rest he asks ; What is to be done with ecclesiastics in holy 
 orders, who, forgetful of their obligations, ceased to observe the law of 
 celibacy. Some of them alleged ignorance of ^ the precept, — others, 
 that they were observant of the practice of the Jewish law. Siricius, 
 in his answer, at once affirms, that all are bound by the law of celibacy, 
 and that those who violated this precept were guilty of a heinous crime, 
 lie then proceeds to draw arguments from the Gospel, and the words 
 of St. Paul, that this discipline was consonant with the one and the 
 other. “ All of us, priests and Levites, are bound by this indissoluble 
 law, so that from the day of our ordination we devote our hearts and 
 bodies to sobriety and chastity : and whereas, some lament, that they 
 have fallen through ignorance — we say that mercy is to be extended if 
 they dispose themselves to continue continent. As to those who rely on 
 the excuse of this illicit privilege, let them know that they are driven 
 from all ecclesiastical honor, which they unworthily treated, and that 
 they have deprived themselves of handling the venerable mysteries, 
 while they engage in obscene pleasures,” &c. — (Palma, Ecclesiastical 
 History.) Even the punishment of its violation is here recorded, for 
 these delinquents were to remain without an “ increase of honor” in the 
 Church. Here then we have sufficient testimony of the antiquity of 
 
42 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF LRELAMJ. 
 
 this discipline, and that it was long prior to the pontificate of Gregory 
 VII. And again, Exnperius, bishop of Toulose, consulted Pope Inno- 
 cent I., A.D. 405, and sought information as to the manner of treat- 
 ment he ought to pursue towards those ecclesiastics who had violated 
 the law of celibacy. Innocent replies, that the instructions of his pre- 
 decessor, Siricius, Avere to be observed, and that tlie incontinent should 
 be deprived of all ecclesiastical honor, and were not to be pennitted to 
 approach the ministry — that should be performed in a state of conti- 
 nence. Here, again, we have the authority of Innocent I., enforcing 
 the observance of this precept, A.D. 405, precisely six hundred and 
 sixty-eight years before the accession of Gregory to the pontifical 
 chair. 
 
 Gelasius, i.e. servant of Jesus, succeeded St. Malachy in the see of 
 Armagh. In the possession of the see he was for some time disturbed 
 by a lay pretender, who had seized on St. Patrick’s staff, AA'hich Avas 
 covered AA'ith gold, and adorned Avith precious stones, but he was soon 
 expelled ; in 1143 and 1144 he Avas much occupied in quieting the 
 feuds that had arisen among the jirinces of the country. Paparo, car- 
 dinal and legate, spent seven days Avith the primate, by AAdiom he Avas 
 hospitabl}’’ entertained ; in 1161 he consecrated Lawrence O’Toole, 
 archbishop of Dublin ; in 1162 the primate assisted at a S}Tiod held at 
 Clane, county Kildare, in which it was decided, that no person should 
 be appointed professor of theology in any of the schools of Ireland, un- 
 less he had preAuously studied at Armagh ; in 1170 he convened a 
 synod at Armagh. The English at this time invaded Ireland ; the 
 irruption of British troops — the shedding of blood which followed this 
 event — the calamities of internal divisions, and other national oauIs, 
 made a deep impression on the minds of the people, as sure expositions 
 of Divine anger. Tliese subjects were debated by the synod, and it 
 was concluded that God chastised the people for their sins, and particu- 
 larly for the inhuman practice of purchasing 'Englishmen from pirates, 
 and selling them as slaves ; on this account, the offended Deity had, 
 they conceh'ed, selected the Britons, as the instruments of his ven- 
 geance. It was therefore decreed that eA-ery English bondsman should 
 be immediately set at liberty. In 1172 he again visited the province of 
 Connaught, being then eighty-fiA’-e years of age. He was a man of a 
 meek and Christian spirit, learned, active, humane and pious. Gelasius 
 died on the 27th March, A.D. 1174, and in the eighty-seventh year of 
 his age. 
 
 Cornelius Mac Concalede succeeded in tliis year ; he was abbot of 
 the monastery of SS. Peter and Paul, at Armagh. Soon after his con- 
 secration he traA^eled for Rome, and died there, in the year 1175. 
 
ECCLESIASTiaVL mSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 43 
 
 Gilbert O’Caran, bisliop of Eapboe, was translated to Armagb. Gil- 
 bert died A.D. 1180. 
 
 Tliomas O’Connor succeeded, and held the see onlj four yeai's ; 
 having resigned the primacy, preferring solitude or retirement. In 
 1181 be held a visitation in Tyrone. 
 
 Meelisa O’Carrol, bishop of Clogher, was translated to Armagh. 
 Soon after, on his way to Eome, he died, A.D. 1184. 
 
 Amlave O’Murid, succeeded : orovenied the see but one year, and 
 died A.D. 1185. 
 
 Thomas O’Connor, who had before resigned, now resumed the gov- 
 ernment of the primatial see. According to the annals of St. Mary’s 
 abbey, Dublin, he was “ a noble and religious man.” Having presided 
 sixteen years, he died A.D. 1201, and was honorably interred in the 
 abbey of Mellifont. 
 
 Eugene Mac Gillivider succeeded in the government of the see, and 
 continued therein, until A.D. 1216, having died at Eome soon after the 
 termination of the fourth general council of Lateran. 
 
 Luke Eetterville, archdeacon of Armagh, and a man of prudence 
 and learning, was elected by the chapter, without licence of the king. 
 Having gone to London, the king refused to confirm his election ; the 
 opposition of the king united the chapter the more. Tlie royal licence 
 being however obtained, he was again chosen and confirmed by tlie 
 Pope ; was consecrated in 1217, by Stephen Langton, archbishop of 
 Canterbury. He presided over the see ten yearn, and died A.D. 1227, 
 and was buried, as some say, in the abbey of Mellifont, or in the Domi- 
 minican Convent at Drogheda, to which he was a munificent bene- 
 factor. 
 
 Donatus O’Fidffibra, bishop of Clogher, was translated to the see ol 
 Armagh ; he obtained the royal assent, but Pope Gregory IX. issued 
 a bull in favor of Xicholas, canon of Armagh. Donatus, however, re- 
 tained possession of the see during his life, and died in England A.D. 
 1237. 
 
 Albert, styled Coloniensis, was consecrated at W estminster, retumed 
 to Armagli, but resigned the government of the see about seven years 
 afterwards, and died on the Continent. At this time the mercenary 
 proceedings of many chief governors of Ireland, on the death or resig- 
 nation of a bishop, became very reprehensible : to withhold the royal 
 assent, or discover some informality in the acts of the chapter, in order 
 to keep the see vacant, and that the revenues might be diverted, were 
 matters of ordinary occurrence. This was an abuse which the canons 
 or the law of the realm did not contemplate ; but Innocent lY., into 
 
44 
 
 ECCXESIASTICAL HISTORY OF TREL^IND. 
 
 whose Lands Albert resigned Lis trust, proceeded to tlie consecration of 
 a successor, and 
 
 Reginald, a native of Ireland, and a Dominican friar, was the per- 
 son selected by tbe pontiff. This ecclesiastic was distinguisLed by his 
 apostolic career in various parts of Italy, and in Switzerland. In the 
 general chapter of his order, held in Bononia (Bologna), 1221, at which 
 St. Dominic presided, Reginald was chosen, and despatched with powers 
 to establish this invaluable institute in the kingdom of England ; having 
 partially succeeded, he visited his own country, returned to England, 
 and thence to Rome, during the pontificate of Gregory IX. Having 
 again returned to his native country, he presided over tlie see of Armagh 
 for nine years. He died at Rome, A.D. 1256. 
 
 Abraham O'Conellan, archpriest of Armagh, succeeded, went to 
 Rome, and was invested with the pallium ; this prelate died A.D. 
 1260. 
 
 Patrick O’Scanlain, a Dominican friar and bishop of Raphoe, was 
 translated to the see by the chapter of Armagh, — the king confirmed 
 his election ; the pontiff Urban IV. ratified the choice of the chapter in 
 a bull, bearing date the 5th Xovember, 1261. Li the following year he 
 convened a provincial s}mod at Drogheda. The lord justice, canons of 
 cathedral churches, pri^w councilloi*s, and many of the principal men of 
 the kingdom were present at this synod. The primate was assisted by 
 his suffragans, and by some bishops of the province of Tuam. From 
 the registry of Octavian de Palatio, archbishop of Armagh, it appears, 
 that the privileges of the primatial see were ratified, and that it was 
 lawful for the archbishop of Armagh, and his successors, as primates of 
 all Ireland, to visit the bishop of Meath, and the clergy thereof, and 
 hear causes therein, — it seems the bishop of Meath claimed exemption 
 from the right of visitation. Equity, zeal and firmness in the adminis- 
 tration of his diocese and in his general conduct, gained this primate 
 admiration and respect. 
 
 In Xovember, 1263, Pope Urban is said to have issued a bull, 
 addressed to Archbishop O’Scanlain, in which he confirmed the dignity 
 of the primacy over all Ueland to the see of Armagh. “ After the ex- 
 ample of Pope Celestine, our predecessor, we, by our apostolic autho- 
 rity, confirm to you and your successors, the primacy of all Ireland ; 
 which title, it is well known, your predecessoi's have held firm and un- 
 shaken, till this, decreeing that all the archbishops and bishops and 
 other prelates thereof, shall always pay to you and your successoi-s, all 
 obedience and reverence, as to their primate.” 
 
 "Ware quotes this bull (p. 68,) as an authentic document. Dr. 
 Mac Mahon, R. C. primate of Armagh refers to it in the llth page of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 45 
 
 his “ Jus Primatiale Armacanum.” Be this as it may, the advocates of 
 tlie Dublin primacy consider this bull as inadmissible. First, because 
 not found in the Koman collection of bulls ; secondly, not found in the 
 collection of the Dominican order, to which O’Scanlan, archbishop of 
 Armagh belonged ; thii-dly, not found in the Vatican tabulary, or in the 
 apostolical archives ; and moreover they assert, that a document so de- 
 cisive in itself, had not been produced by either Patrick or his succes- 
 sors, during the controversy on this subject. 
 
 Tlie primate Patrick O’Scanlan having ruled the see ten years, died 
 in the monastery of St. Leonard, at Dundalk, A.D. 1270, and was 
 buried in a convent of his own order, at Drogheda. 
 
 Nicholas Mac Maolissa was elected his successor, and was consecrated 
 in 1272, Under this prelate the works begun in the cathedral of 
 Armagh were completed in a style of singular beauty ; he likewise en- 
 riched the Church with books, vestments, and an annual pension of 
 twenty marcs, derivable from his manor of Termon-Fechin, during 
 twenty yeai’s. lie presided over the see thirty-one years, and died on 
 the 10th May, A.D. 1303. 
 
 John Taaffe, a Franciscan friar, succeeded, in 1306. The see re- 
 mained vacant in the interim, though efforts W'e^e made by the Dean 
 and Chapter to provide for the see. John was consecrated at Rome, 
 and died there the year of his election, A.D. 1306. 
 
 VT alter de Jorse or Joyce, a learned Dominican, succeeded; was 
 consecrated archbishoii by Nicholas, cardinal of Ostium, in 1306 ; pre- 
 sided five yearn, and resigned. Ilis love of retirement and study are 
 assigned as the causes which induced him to tender his resignation of 
 the see. When released from the burden of the episcopacy he with- 
 drew, it is supposed, to Genoa, where he applied himself to his studies, 
 and contributed largely to the ecclesiastical literature of these times. 
 
 Ilis brother, Tliomas Joyce, was also a Dominican, — was created 
 cardinal of St. Sabina, by Clement V., 1305, — was the disciple of 
 Albert the Great, and contemporary of St. Thomas Aquinas. The his- 
 tory of this family is given by Hardiman, of Galway — ^it was one of the 
 fourteen tribes. Walter, the primate, resigned A.D. 1311. 
 
 F. Martinus, of Bononia (Bologna), a Dominican, succeeded, the 
 same year ; according to the annals of the Dominicans, was appointed 
 by Pope Clement V. 
 
 Roland de Jorse or Joyce, brother to Walter Joyce, who resigned, 
 was also a Dominican ; elected to the primacy A.D. 1313. Tlie right 
 of having his cross borne before him, in the diocese of Dublin, was dis- 
 puted, nor was this controversy terminated dui-ing his incumbency. He 
 
46 
 
 ECJCLESIASTICAX HISTOET OF lEELAXD. 
 
 presided eiglit years, and adopting the example of his brother, he 
 resigned on the 20th March, A.D. 1321. 
 
 Stephen Seagrave, rector of Stepney church, near London, and 
 chancellor of the University of Cambridge, succeeded ; he was elected 
 by Pope John XXII., and was restored to tlie temporals by Edward 11., 
 in July, 1323. Tlie influence and character of this upright prelate gave 
 the nation some hope in its despondency. lie was commended for his 
 noble extraction, sound morals, eminent knowledge, and zealous dis- 
 cliarge of his ecclesiastical duties. He died A.D. 1333. 
 
 David O’lleraghty Avas his successor ; he was consecrated at Avig- 
 non, in January, 1334, and received the temporalities in the following 
 month of March. The controA’ersy relative to the carrying of the cross 
 was again revived. Summoned to attend a parliament, held in 1337, 
 preparations Avere made in St. Mary’s abbey, near Dublin, for the pri- 
 mate’s appearance, and among the accustomed ceremonies Avas to be 
 preceded by his cross. Tlie bishop of Dublin, his A'icar-general, the 
 mayor and bailifis of the city were enjoined by the king’s Avrit to oflTer 
 no resistance to the proceedings of the primate ; nevertheless, the pri- 
 mate was molested by Alexander de Bicknor, archbishop of Dublin, the 
 clergy, and the public^authorities of the city. David, the primate, on 
 the 29th XoA^ember, in the same year, caused those clauses of Pope 
 Urban’s bull, confirming the privileges of the see of Armagh, to be pub- 
 lished and exemplified under the great seal of Ireland. The annals ot 
 Nenagh, and other records, bear testimony to the pastoral merits of this 
 prelate, designating him as a man wise, zealous, and worthy of the ex- 
 alted station he occupied in the Chm-ch. DaAdd died on the 16th May, 
 A.D. 1346. 
 
 Pichard Fitz Palph was his successor — had been Chancellor of the 
 University of Oxford — was appointed by Pope Clement Y., and conse- 
 crated at Exeter by John de Grandison, Bishop of that See, and three 
 other assistant prelates. lie was a very learned and excellent prelate. 
 Already he had obtained from Edward HI. several lettem author- 
 izing him to have his cross home before him in every part of Ueland, 
 and at the’ same time commanding the peers and other authorities to 
 assist him in the prosecution of his right. Tlius armed. Bichard pro- 
 ceeded to Dublin and took up his residence in the city. On the follow- 
 ing morning he proclaimed the pri\dleges of the See of Ai’magh and the 
 Bull of Urban lY., in the presence of the Lord Justice of Ireland, 
 the Prior of Ealmainham, and several of the nobility ; and also 
 the sentence of Excommunication against all those who would op- 
 pose him. Tliis step, however, was not effectual, as he was pre- 
 vented from appearing in public with any badge of primatial distinc- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 47 
 
 tion, and obliged to return to Drogheda, where he denounced all those 
 who impeded him, as excommunicated. Some of the nobility repaired 
 to Drogheda and were absolved from the censure. The Prior of Ivil- 
 manham sent messengers imploring forgiveness ; but he died before 
 their return, nor was he allowed Christian burial, until publicly released 
 from the excommunication by the Primate. 
 
 The contentions that arose between this Primate and the Regular 
 Ordei*s, were removed before the Pope at Avignon, by the W arden of the 
 Minorites and those of the Dominicans. In four years the decision ot 
 Innocent VI., served to tranquilize both parties. The Primate, Richard, 
 was one of the most popular orators of the age, and devoted his time at 
 Armagh to the revision and publication of his work on Philosophical 
 and Theological subjects. lie died at Ilaynault, A.D. 13G0, and his 
 remains were conveyed to Dundalk. — (See Life, of Stephen De Valle,, 
 Bishop of Limerick.) 
 
 Miles Sweetman, Treasurer of Kilkenny, and a man of prudence and 
 learning, was advanced to the see by Innocent VI. The contention rel- 
 ative to the Metropolitan rights was renewed between him and Tliomas 
 Minot, Archbishop of Dublin. By the interference of the King himself, 
 a conciliation was effected and a quarrel so useless was set at rest during 
 the remaining part of the century. Primate Miles governed the See 
 nineteen years and died in his Manor of Dromiskin, on the 11th of 
 August, A.D. 1380. 
 
 John Colton, a native of Korfolk, and Dean of St. Patrick’s, Dublin, 
 was by the Pope appointed Archbishop of Armagh, and obtained the 
 temporals in Dec., 1381 — had been Chancellor of Ireland, and Lord 
 Justice of Ireland — was a prelate of considerable talent — a Doctor of 
 Canon Law, and Fimt Master of Gonville Hall, Cambridge, in 1348 
 His Provincial Constitutions, which are extant, are adduced as evidence 
 of his assiduous research and his acquaintance with ecclesiastical liter- 
 ature. He presided over the see till 1404, and resigned. He died on 
 the 1st of May, A.D. 1404, and was buried in St. Peter’s Church, 
 Drogheda. 
 
 Nicholas Fleming, a secular priest was, by Pope Boniface IX, ad 
 vanced to the See and consecrated in May 1404. The Church of Ar- 
 magh being burned about this period, the Primate appointed Philip 
 W alsh and Mullaghlin as his proctors to transact all business regarding 
 it, and to collect the alms of the faithful for its restoration. To the 
 Council of Constance held in 1415, he deputed William Parcel as 
 proxy, in whom the Bishop of Ossory vested similar power. Nicholas 
 died in June, A. D. 1416, and was buried in St. Peter’s Church, Drog- 
 heda. 
 
48 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI. HISTORY OF DiELAJH). 
 
 John Swayne, Kector of Galtrim, in Meath, succeeded, and was con- 
 secrated at Rome, in February, 1417. The controversy of precedence 
 being renewed, a provincial synod was held at Drogheda early in Octo- 
 ber 1427. The Primate was immediately after summoned to attend a 
 parliament in Dublin, but declined, on the plea of being prevented by 
 the clergy of Dublin from entering the city in a manner consistent with 
 his Primatial dignity and authority. In asserting other claims as per- 
 taining to his See, he was particularly successful. As an Ileriot, he was 
 allowed to possess the principal goods of a suffragan. In process of 
 time the best hoi-sc, cup, and ring of the deceased prelate, were claimed 
 by the Primate under severe penalties. Primate John having governed 
 the see more than twenty -one years, resigned A. D. 1439. He founded 
 a sanctuary in St. Peter's Church, Drogheda, wdiich he dedicated to 
 St. Anne. lie died soon after and was buried in this church — Drogheda. 
 
 John Prene, Archdeacon and Official of Armagh, was by Pope Eu- 
 gene lY. appointed Archbishop and consecrated about the end of No- 
 vember, 1439. He died on the 13th of Juno, 1443, and was buried in 
 St. Fechin’s Church. 
 
 On the decease of Archbishop Prene, Richard Talbot, brother to 
 John Lord Furnival, was elected primate by the Dean and Chapter of Ar- 
 magh, but refused to accept the dignity. 
 
 John Mey, Official of Meath, A^icar of Delvin and Ivilmessan, and 
 Clerk of Armagh, was provided by Pope Eugene lY., and consecrated 
 CE the 20th of June, 1444 ; obstructed in his right by the Archbishop of 
 DiJ-lin, he refused to attend in parliament. John Mey died A.D. 1456. 
 
 John Bole, Abbot of St. Mary’s Monastery at Navan, succeeded in 
 1457. He obtained from Edward lY. a confirmation of the privileges 
 of his see. He held a provincial s}'nod in St. Petei‘’s Church, Drogheda, 
 on the 9th of June, 1460, and died on the 18th of February, A.D. 1470. 
 Humbert de Rotomago, or Rouen, must have been coadjutor in 1464, in 
 the pontificate of Pius XL, according to the Dominican Annals. 
 
 John Foxall, a Franciscan, was appointed to the see by Sixtus lY, 
 He died in the second year of his consecration while in England, A.D. 
 1476. 
 
 Edmund Connesberg succeeded — was consecrated in 1477. About 
 this period Octavianus de Palatio, a Florentine, Nuncio of the Apostolic 
 See, was commissioned to repair to Ireland, and was appointed Governor 
 of the Church of Armagh, in spirituals and temporals. Edmund agreed 
 to resign on the 10th of November, 1479, stipulating for a yearly pen- 
 sion of seventy marks, Irish money. 
 
 Octavianus de Palatio was advanced to the See by Sextus lY., and 
 consecrated before the end .of March following, showed much energy and 
 
ECCIJESIASTiaUL illSTORY OF IRELAm). 
 
 49 
 
 firmness in defending those rights which his predecessors so strenuously 
 maintained. Octavian convened six provincial synods — was a man of 
 sound learning and great political sagacity. He died extremely old, in 
 June, 1513, and was buried with great solemnity in a vault which he 
 had erected in the Church of St. Peter, Drogheda. 
 
 John Kite, a native of London, who had been ambassador to King 
 Henry, in Spain, was advanced to the primacy by Leo X. and obtained 
 the temporalities the 20th May, 1514. He was remarkable for benefi- 
 cence and hospitality. He governed the see about eight years, resigned, 
 and was subsequently appointed Bishop of Carlisle, in England. He 
 died in the village of Stepney, near London, on the 10th Jime, 1537, and 
 was buried in the chancel of the parish church. 
 
 George Cromer, an Englishman, was consecrated Archbishop of Ar- 
 magh in April, 1522, and was soon after made Lord Chancellor of Ire- 
 land. He was a learned, grave and courteous man, and of unbending 
 firmness. Tlie novel pretensions of Henry VIH. to ecclesiastical su- 
 premacy gave this prelate an opportunity of displaying his uncompro- 
 misins: zeal in defending the integritv of the Catholic faith until his 
 death, A.D. 1543. 
 
 George Dowdall, a native of Louth, succeeded, and was consecrated 
 by Edward Staples, Bishop of Meath. He was distinguished as the ad- 
 vocate of Catholicity during the reigns of Edward VI. and Mary. Pri- 
 mate Dowdall was a grave and learned man, and attentive in the dis- 
 charge of his functions. As he had obtained the primacy through 
 Henry, the Pope would not confirm liis appointment, who made provis- 
 ion for the see by the consecration of Kobert W aucop, a learned Irish- 
 man. Unfavorable as this circumstance may appear, we are not to infer 
 that Primate Dowdall subscribed to the supremacy of Henry. Having- 
 during these troubles retired to the Continent, he was recalled when Mary 
 ascended the throne. He once more saw the ancient faith which he had 
 so zealously defended, reestablished through the kingdom. About the 
 close of Mary’s reign he proceeded on ecclesiastical business to England 
 and died at London, and was there interred on the 15th of August, 
 A.D. 1558. 
 
 Kichard Creagh immediately succeeded — was the son of an opulent 
 merchant in the city of Limerick. Having sailed to Spain on business 
 of this kind, which was not at all congenial with his own wishes, and 
 having disposed of his merchandize, he repaired to a neighboring 
 church to be present at the celebration of the Divine Mysteries. On the 
 morning appointed for the ship to sail, and while the crew were preparing 
 for the voyage, his companions supposing him to be on board, weighed 
 
 anchor and departed. When liichard retiu-ned to the shore, the ship 
 
 4 
 
50 
 
 ECCLESUSTICAL HISTOEY OF BRELAND. 
 
 was in view. He made frequent signs, but in vain. Observing the 
 ship heave considerably, on account of some mismanagement by the 
 crew, she Avas engulphed in the Avaters and every one on board perished. 
 An event by which his life Avas prolonged was regarded by Richard as 
 an express indication of the will of Providence ; and immediately he 
 formed a resolve to consecrate his faculties to the serAuce of religion. 
 In Louvain, whither he withcb’eAv, he pursued his studies and became an 
 eminent theologian and canonist. He afterwards repaired to Rome, 
 and was nominated by the Pope, Archbishop of Armagh. He was pois- 
 oned in the Tower of London on the llth of October, A.D. 1585. 
 
 Edward Macgauran, a native of Ulster, Avas promoted to the See of 
 Armagh, and consecrated at Rome. He could not find an opportunity 
 of returning to his native country until the beginning of the year 1591. 
 Tlie fury of the persecution raged at this time Avith redoubled Auolence, 
 and was particularly directed against the Primate of the L'ish Church. 
 It was impossible to exercise episcopal functions publicly. Thus situa- 
 ted, the venerable Prelate was driven to take shelter in the lonely cot- 
 tages of the poor, and sometimes concealed himself in the mansions of 
 the Catholic gentry of Ulster. While the Deputy, Russel, offered re- 
 Avards for his arrest, Maguire, Lord of Fermanagh, and other Irish chief- 
 tains, invited him to remain Avitli themselves, and by this means he 
 eluded his pursuers. At length recognized by the satellites of the gov- 
 ernment, AAdiile engaged in confessing a dying man, he Avas mortally 
 Avounded, and died near Armagh, A.D. 1598. 
 
 Peter Lombard, sircceeded ; Avas the son of an opulent merchant in 
 the city of AYaterford, avIio gave his son a liberal education, and placed 
 him under Camden, aa'Iio had been professor in AVestminster school. 
 Camden bore testimony to the Avorth of his pupil, calling him “ a youth 
 of admirable docility.” He soon after repaired to Louvain, then, one of 
 the first literary establishments in Europe. Students from all parts of 
 the Continent flocked thither ; and among the rest, several Irishmen, 
 Avho Avere, by the infamous laws of England, debarred the advantages 
 of education. Here Lombard deA’ oted himself with ardor to his studies ; 
 graduated in divinity, and gave theological lectures in the university, 
 with great applause. His reputation spread, and gained him admirers 
 in Rome ; and amongst his patrons, Clement VHI. has been particularly 
 noticed. lie Avas appointed provost of the cathedral of Cambray, and 
 subsequently advanced to the see of Armagh, in 1598. Promotion to 
 the episcopacy Avas then promotion to the gallows ; neither dare he re- 
 turn to his diocese, the administration of AAdiich Avas entrusted to the 
 care of a vicar-general. He returned to Rome and Avas nominated do- 
 mestic prelate to Clement YIII. He AATOte his celeb^’ated AA'ork “T 
 
ECCLESIA8TICAI- HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 61 
 
 regno Hibemiae, sanctorum insulae, commentarium.” Tlie truths which 
 it contained were so galling to the pride of the pedantic James I., 
 that he gave orders for its suppression. It was the precursor of similar 
 productions. Tlie primate, Peter Lombard, died at Rome, A.D. 1625. 
 
 Hugh Mac Caghwell, succeeded ; was bom in the county of Down, 
 and received his education at the university of Salamanca ; he was a 
 man of singular humility, piety and learning. He joined the institute 
 of St. Francis, and was instrumental in founding at Louvain, the Irish 
 Franciscan college, which was dedicated to St. Anthony, of Padua. 
 Tlie Spanish establishments, into which Irish students were admitted, 
 became crowded to excess ; and to remedy this evil, which the intole- 
 rance of Elizabeth and her successor inflicted on the Irish Church, Hugh 
 Mac Caghwell and Florence Conry, archbishop of Tuam, influenced the 
 King of Spain to concur in its foundation ; over this establishment 
 Hugh presided, with zeal and attention. At the desire of the minister 
 general of his order, he repaired to Rome, and was appointed deflnitor 
 general and professor of divinity in the convent of “ Ara-Caeli,” in that 
 city ; he was held in high estimation by Pope Paul HI., and in 1626 
 was advanced by that pontiff to the vacant see of Armagh. The pre- 
 late, endowed with courage and religious zeal, resolved to brave all 
 danger, and revisit his native country. Having made preparations for 
 his journey, he was seized with sudden illness, and died on the 22d 
 September, 1626, in the fifty-flfth year of his age ; his remains were in- 
 terred in the church of St. Isidore, at Rome, and a tomb erected to his 
 memory by John O’Hdl, earl of Tyrone. 
 
 Patrick Fleming is mentioned as the immediate successor of Doctor 
 Mac Caghwell, but strong doubts are entertained as to his promotion. 
 
 Hugh O’Reilly, bishop of Kilmore, was translated to the see of Ar- 
 magh, in 1626 — was doctor of laws. Ireland was then rent with internal 
 factions, and the strifes of civil war, which precluded the display of his 
 literary talents, while he exercised the primatial rights. In the poli- 
 tical movements of the day he was not inactive — he attached himself to 
 the Kuncio. His forbearance and consistency, honorable and prudent, 
 powerfully served to exalt his character. Having governed the Lash 
 Church in times of difficulty and danger, he died in the coimty of 
 Cavan, about the year 1656. 
 
 Edmond O’Reilly was advanced to the see, in the year following ; he 
 was a native of the county of Dublin, and had for some time performed 
 the duties of pastor in the archdiocese ; in 1637 he was sent to Louvain, 
 as rector of the Irish college ; he returned in 1640 to his native country, 
 was kindly received by the archbishop of Dublin, and soon after 
 appointed his vicar-general ; was frequently obliged to visit Kilkenny, 
 
52 
 
 ECCLESIAStIcaJL, HISTOKY OF IEELAm>. 
 
 and was one of the most strenuous supportei-s of the hfuncio Einuecini, 
 archbishop and prince of Fenno. On this account he incurred the ob- 
 loquy of Peter Walsh, and was subjected to a lengthened peraecution. 
 About this time the see of Armagh became vacant, and the merits of 
 Edmond being duly appreciated at Pome, he was advanced to the see, 
 and consecrated at Brussels, in the year 1657 ; having been before this 
 date obliged to flee and take refuge in Lisle, in consequence of the 
 usuiqjation of Cromwell. Pegardless of danger, he resolved to return to 
 his native country; passing through Calais, he received letters from 
 Cardinal Mazarine, and arrived in London during the spring of 1658. 
 Father Peter AY alsh had, it seems, taken up his residence in this city at 
 the same time ; and having become acquainted with the arrival of the 
 primate, had him and other ecclesiastics arrested, and sent back to a 
 French coast. I7ot content with this infamous act of treachery. Father 
 AY alsh assailed the character of the primate, whom he strove to repre- 
 sent as an abettor of the Puritans, and with giving instructions to have 
 prayeis oftered through the pi’ovince of Armagh for the prosperity of 
 CromAvell ; assertions supported by anonymous informers only betrayed 
 the malice of his persecutor. Tliis venerable prelate soon after returned 
 to his native country, and remained till 1662, when he was again driven 
 into exile. On condition of signing a document that was called the 
 “ Valesian remonstrance,” he was permitted, by means of Onnond, to 
 return, in 1666. To the primate, this remonstrance, when presented, 
 ai')p eared inadmissible ; its language being equivocal and disrespectful 
 to the holy see. lie continued throughout an unflinching opponent to 
 the remonstrance of Father AA^alsh, contemning the violence which he 
 had reason to anticipate ; he was soon after arrested and placed under 
 a strong military guard, on the plea of preparing the country for an in- 
 vasion. ITie object of this ill-digested scheme was easily perceived; 
 however, the prelate was hurried from Diiblin, conveyed to Dover, and 
 thence banished the kingdom. This venerable exile removed to Lou- 
 vain, lingered there a short time, and died A.D. 1669. — See Life of 
 Nicholas French, Bishop of Ferns. 
 
 Oliver Plunkett, a descendant of one of the most illustrious families 
 in the kingdom, and nearly related to the earls of Fingal, was advanced 
 to the primacy in the year 1669. He completed his course of theolo- 
 gical studies at Pome, graduated, and became a distinguished professor 
 in the college of the “ Propaganda,” during twelve years. The exem- 
 plary life which he led, as weU as his learning, recommended him to 
 *• the notice of the sovereign pontifi", Clement IX., and was by him pro- 
 
 moted to the vacant see, in the year 1669. The primate labored assidu- 
 ously to correct the morals of the people under his spiritual care, and 
 
ECCLESLVSTICAL HISTOKY OF T RKT.ATJ T). 
 
 53 
 
 to diffuse a spirit of Cliristian love througli the community. Of him 
 Eumet affirms “ that he was a wise and sober man, who was for living 
 quietly, and in due submission to the government.” Tliough a man of 
 meek spu-it, he yet fulfilled his arduous duties with firmness and dig- 
 nity ; yet his sanctity and innocence were not sufficient to protect him 
 from the revenge of unprincipled miscreants whom he had censured for 
 gross imrnorality. Combining with one Duffy and other wreiches, de- 
 praved as they were themselves, they accused their unsuspecting prelate 
 with holding a treasonable correspondence with the French court. The 
 names of this joint company were Mac Moyer, Duffy, and Mac Lean, 
 three Franciscans, and Murphy, a secular priest, chaunter of Armagh, 
 and a noted ruffian. Having formed their design of sacrificing this 
 venerable prelate to their malice and revenge, they pretended, more- 
 over, that twenty thousand men were to land at Carlingford, and that 
 Plunkett was to join them with seventy thousand under his own com- 
 mand ; under this ridiculous charge the primate was seized and sent to 
 Newgate on the 6th December, 1679, and thence in October following, 
 removed to London. Tlie sensation which this proceeding created 
 through the nation, can be but inadequately described. At this period 
 the Catholics of Ireland were allowed to enjoy some share of repose, as 
 the spirit of intolerance, which had so long distracted the nation, was at 
 last yielding under the temperate administration of Lord Berkeley ; many 
 of the prelates had returned to their sees, churches were repaired, and 
 public worship perfonned with safety tlirough the kingdom. * 
 
 Tliese vile conspirators were defeated in their first attempt, as the 
 jury refused to find the bills against him ; but the informers gained 
 new accomplices, and new indictments were framed. In his dyung mo- 
 ments he enumerates the charges with which he stood accused : 
 
 1st. That I have sent letteas by one Neal O’Neal, who was my page, 
 to Monsieur Baldeschi, the Pope’s Secretary, to the Bishop of Aix and 
 Principe Colonna, that they might solicit foreign powers to invade Ire- 
 land, and also to have sent letters to Cardinal Bouillon to the same 
 effect. 
 
 2d. To have employed Captain Con O’Neal to solicit the French 
 king for succor. 
 
 3d. To have leHed and exacted moneys from the clergy of Iieland to 
 bring in the French and to maintain seventy thousand men. 
 
 4th. To have had in readiness seventy thousand men and lists made 
 of them ; and to have given directions to one Friar Duffy, to make a list 
 of two hundred and fifty men in the parish of Foghart, in the County of 
 Louth. 
 
54 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 5tL, To have surrounded all the forts and harbors of Ireland ; and 
 to have fixed upon Carlingford as a fit harbor for the French landing. 
 
 6th. To have had several councils and meeting’s -where there was 
 money allotted for introducing the French. 
 
 7th. That there -was a meeting in the County of Monaghan, some 
 ten or twelve yearn past, where there attended three hundred gentlemen 
 of three several counties, Ai’magh, Cavan and Monaghan, whom I did 
 exhort to take up arms and recover their estates. 
 
 Charges such as these, absurd in themselves and impossible, as if the 
 accused with an annual income of about seventy pounds sterling, and 
 with the slender income of the entire clergy of the country, could amass 
 a sum by which a military organization of seventy thousand men could 
 be maintained, and moreover, found in the necessary munitions of war, 
 ought to have been tried in Ii-eland -where they could be properly tested 
 and weighed. The papem of the Prelate were in L’eland — ^his witnesses 
 were also in L’eland, and scattered over .the kingdom. Five weeks were 
 allowed, on the third of May, to have his papers and the evidence nec- 
 essary for his defence, but contrary winds and unfavorable circumstances 
 rendered it impossible to eflfect this object. They had not arrived on 
 the day of trial, as the Primate deposed on oath, while he besought the 
 Court to grant a further extension of twelve days for their arrival. Ilis 
 application was refused. The judges proceeded to the trial, and the 
 conspiratoi’s against his life, in perjury hardened and in malice strong 
 and*\’igorous, stood before lum. This good and innocent man became 
 the victim of their rancor and of the craft of Shaftsbury, by whom in 
 all likehhood they were suborned. ALeady this trial has been judged 
 and pronounced a mockery of justice, and the execution of this venera- 
 ble ecclesiastic, as a sacrifice to the Moloch of intolerance. The Catho- 
 lics of the empire regarded the sentence with horror, and even with the 
 well-minded portion of the Protestant community it created a general 
 feeling of commiseration. Eachard assmes us in his History of England, 
 “ that the Earl of Essex was so sensible of the injustice done, that he 
 generously applied for a pardon to the king, and told his majesty that 
 the witnesses must have been peijured, for the things sworn against him 
 could not possibly be true. Upon which the king in a passion replied, 
 ‘ AVhy did you not attest this at his trial ? it would have done him good 
 then. I dare not pardon any one and concluded with that kind of 
 answer he had given another on a similar occasion. ‘ His blood be 
 upon your head and not upon mine.’ ” Ho, the lUng of England dare 
 not pardon any one, above all, a Catholic prelate unjustly condemned, 
 through fear of English bigotry,, nor dare Pontius Pilate liberate the 
 Pedeemer through fear of tlie Jews and the dread of forfeiting the 
 
KCCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF ERELANH. 
 
 55 
 
 friendship of Caesar. The good King of England emphatically declares 
 that the self-landed justice of Britons is regulated by the standard of 
 intolerance and bigotry whenever persecution is attempted against Cath- 
 olics or their faith. 
 
 On the 1st of July, 1681, this heroic martyr was placed on a sledge 
 and drawn from the prison of Newgate to Tyburn and executed in the 
 'presence of an immense multitude, calling on Heaven with his last 
 breath to witness his innocence. After the execution of this holy mar- 
 tyr, his head was severed from his body; bowelled and quartered, his 
 heart and bowels cast into the hre, the body was intended in the church- 
 yard of St. Giles in the fields, and at the end of two years was raised 
 and conveyed to a monastery of English Benedictines at Lambspring, in 
 Germany, and reburied with great solemnity. In 1693, the Abbot, 
 Corker, caused a magnificent monument to be erected over his remains. 
 Ilis head, yet adorned with silvery locks, is still preserved at Drogheda, 
 in the Monastery of the Dominican Nuns, where it awakens in the 
 minds of the beholders the memory of his innocence, detestation of that 
 religious rancor to which he was a victim, and emotions of horror at the 
 conduct of those perjured and infamous wretches, who abused the sanc- 
 tity of an oath to satiate the cravings of malice and revenge. 
 
 Some of this Primate’s acts in the exercise of his primatial authority 
 are recorded. A contest had arisen between the Franciscans and Dom- 
 inicans relative to the limits in which each party could solicit the alms 
 of the faithful. On the 11th of October, 1671, the Primate, to whom 
 the Pope referred the cause, decided in favor of the Dominicans, con- 
 firming the same by the seal of his authority and requiring obedience 
 thereto under pain of suspension to be incurred without further process 
 or appeal. In 1672 the Primate wrote the “Jus Primatiale,” or the 
 right and preeminence of Armagh over the other archbishops of Ireland. 
 At a meeting of the Catholic clergy held in Dublin, 1670, for the pur 
 pose of expressing gratitude to Lord Berkeley on his mild and paternal 
 administi'ation, a contest arose between the Primate and the Archbishop 
 of Dublin, as to precedence in affixing their signatures. In order that 
 future meetings might not be disturbed, the matter at issue was referred 
 to Home, where it was duly considered in a full meeting of Cardinals, 
 and Baldescus, Bishop of Caesarea, Secretary to the Congregation “ de 
 Projiaganda Fide” pronounced as follows, with the approbation of the 
 Pope, that “Armagh was the chief See and metropolis of the whole 
 Island.” 
 
 Dominick McGuire, after the tragic end of Oliver Plunkett, was 
 promoted to the See of Armagh ; was a native of Fermanagh, and de- 
 scended of the noble family, the McGuires, Dynasts of that county. 
 
56 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF rRELAND. 
 
 lie was a Dominican and an Alumnus of the Monastery of Gaula, Dio- 
 cese of Clogher. Dominick finished his studies in Andalusia, in Spain, 
 repaired to London where he became Chaplain to the Ambassador of 
 Spain ; in 1681 he Avas appointed Archbishop of Armagh by Innocent 
 XI. As was his predecessor, so was this Primate, a zealous defender 
 of the rights of his see. During his administration, Ireland presented 
 an uninterrupted scene of terror, and the prelates yielding to necessity 
 were obliged to retire from the country. The Primate withdrew to 
 Paris, and in deliberative assemblies of the prelates there, the rights of 
 the See of Armagh were fully recognized. During his exile in France, 
 the Prelate bore his sufferings with exemplary patience and fortitude, 
 lie died at Paris, A.D. 1708, and Avas interred in the Cemetery of the 
 Irish College, called “ of the Lombards.” After the decease of the Pri- 
 mate, Doctor Pichard OTIeain Avas nominated by the Pope, Archbishop 
 of Armagh., but he declined through diffidence and humility. During the 
 exile of Dominick McGuire, the management of the See was entrusted 
 to Doctor Donnelly, Yicar-General ; and dangerous as this situation was 
 under Elizabeth, it became more perilous in the reign of Queen Anne. 
 Put immediately after the death of tlie Primate, 
 
 Hugh MacMahou Avas promoted to the Avidowed See by the Pope. 
 He was born in 1660, and Avas a lineal descendent of the MacMahons, 
 D3Tiasts of the County of Monaghan. Soon after his consecration, he, 
 legardless of danger, returned to Heland. He has given a valuable 
 specimen of his learning and controA'ersial ability in his “ Jus Primati- 
 ale Armacanum,” and in AA’hich he has exhausted the subject. Tlirough 
 his api)lication the Dominican Convent of Xuns at Drogheda was 
 founded in 1722 ; the Master of the Order, Augustin Pipia, having 
 issued a precept to that effect, and Catherine Plunkett was appointed 
 the first Prioress. Doctor MacMahon died on the 2d day of August, 
 1737, in the 77th year of his age. 
 
 Bernard MacMahon, Bishop of Clogher, Avas translated to the Prima- 
 tial See. He lived in a retired place at Ballymacscanlan, in the County 
 of Louth, and was for many years knoAvn as Mr. Ennis, as the rigor of 
 the persecution Avas particularly directed against the prelates of Armagh. 
 He is said to have studied at Rome with great diligence — ^lie was re- 
 markable for the holiness and the simplicity of his life, and was indefat- 
 igable in the discharge of his episcopal functions. 
 
 Ross J^IacMahon succeeded his brother in the Pri.matial See ; was also 
 Bishop of Clogher. He was a good and pious prelate, and on his de- 
 cease 
 
 Michael O’Reill}', Yicar-General of Kilmore, Bishop of Derry, Avas 
 promoted to the See of Armagh. He published two catechisms — cue 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOEY OF niEL^VND. 
 
 57 
 
 in Irish, and the other in English. His residence was in the parisli of 
 Turfegin, near Drogheda, where he died about the year 1758, and was 
 interred in a cemetery called the Chord, outside Lawrence’s Gate, Drog- 
 heda. 
 
 Anthony Blake, bishop of Ardagh, was translated to the see of Ar- 
 magh ; he lived many years, but preferred being a non-resident. His 
 visitations finished, he returned to Galway, and lived with his friends. 
 Remissness, such as this, gave dissatisfaction, and accordingly com- 
 plaints proceeded from all quarters ; at length charges of non-residence 
 were preferred at Rome, and conducted by Doctor Philip Levins, P.P. 
 of Ardee, and Peter Markey, P.P. of Louth. The evidence being un- 
 answerable, Doctor Blake was suspended from his functions. Doctor 
 Troy, then at Rome, was appointed bishop of Ossory, and on his return 
 to his diocese, was commissioned to reestablish order in the see of 
 Ai’magh. The clergy were cited by Dr. Troy to appear at Drogheda, 
 where the investigation into the complaints took place, the results of 
 which are not known ; but the primate was reinstated, and the diocese 
 restored to tranquillity. Soon after becoming paralyzed, to provide for 
 the interest of religion, a coadjutor bishop was appointed. Doctor 
 Blake retired to his native country, having a pension from Armagh 
 until his death, in 1786. 
 
 Richard O’Reilly, already coadjutor of luldare, was selected coad- 
 jutor of Armagh. At the age of sixteen yeai’S he was sent to Rome, 
 and became a student in the college of “ Propaganda having returned 
 to Ireland, he labored eleven years in his native diocese, and became 
 parish priest of Kilcock. Having removed to Armagh, his presence re- 
 stored order and union ; he visited each parish with parental solicitude, 
 and his own forbearance and conciliation gave to his admonitions a 
 vigor and efficacy that were both captivating and irresistible. Having 
 an independent fortune, he lived in a manner becoming his dignity and 
 station. Worn out by disease, and full of works and merit, he departed 
 this life on the 31st January, 1818, and was interred in the chapel of 
 Drogheda, with great solemnity. 
 
 Patrick Curtis, the immediate successor of the primate Richard 
 O’Reilly, was born in the parish of Stamullin and county of Meath, 
 A.D. 1747. He was in early life engaged in mercantile pursuits, but 
 they were not adapted to his love of retirement ; his desire for the 
 Church arose above other considerations, and induced him to retire from 
 his native country to Salamanca, a city of Spain, remarkable for its at- 
 tention to Irish students. Here he acquired a reputation that placed the 
 government of the Irish college under his charge, in 1782, an act as 
 creditable to himself as it was to tliose whose prudence and judgment 
 
58 
 
 El^CLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IRELAJM). 
 
 directed the choice. Tliirtj years of ]iis life were spent in the college, 
 when Spain, once the asylum of peace and religion, became the theatre 
 ot anarchy and terror ; his long residence, his knowledge of the Spanish 
 language and ot the manners of its people, were of an incalculable be- 
 nefit to the Duke of W ellington in his difficult operations. Tlie students 
 under his care Avere employed as inteqireters, and distributed among 
 the officers who commanded in the various garrisons ; services such as 
 these ought to be, were acknoAvledged, and raised him in the estimation 
 of the commander-in-chief. Having returned to his native country he 
 was advanced to the metropolitan see of Armagh, and Avas consecrated 
 on the 28th of October, 1819. Ilis moderation and demeanor rendered 
 him a faA'orite Avith all parties ; and tlie corporation of Drogheda for- 
 getting their bigotry, presented him with the freedom of the city, and 
 with a gold box ; yet on public occasions he never SAverA^ed from the 
 path of rectitude and duty. The evidence giA'en by the primate in 1825, 
 before a parliamentary committee, could not fail in making a lasting 
 impression ; and his mild and A’enerable appearance, as Avell as the wis- 
 dom and consistency of his observations, commanded attention from 
 men of all parties. Die primate Patrick Curtis presided OA'er the me- 
 tropolitan see until June, 1832, in which year he died, universally 
 beloA'ed and deeply regretted. 
 
 Diomas Kelly, a natiA'e of Armagh, an alumnus of Maynooth college 
 and bishop of Dromore, was translated to Armagh as coadjutor to 
 I’atrick Curtis ; his incumbency lasted only a feAv yeare. He succeeded 
 to the primacy on the 26th July, 1832, and died on the 13th January, 
 1835, having been cut off by fever taken in the discharge of his sacred 
 functions. 
 
 William Crolly was a natiA^e of DoAvn, and an alumnus of Maynooth 
 college, in Avhich he professed logic, metaphysics and moral theology. 
 On the 1st of May, 1825, he Avas consecrated bishop of Down and Con- 
 nor, and resided in Belfast, Avhere his serA'ices to religion Avere duly 
 appreciated. On the Sth of May, 1835, Doctor Crolly Avas translated 
 to the see of Armagh, was invested Avith the pallium, and died in the 
 Easter Aveek of 1849. 
 
 Doctor Crolly Avas constituted apostolic delegate of Galway previous 
 to the dissolution of the AA-ardenship in 1831. His prudence and Avisdom 
 in adjusting the atfairs of the church of Galway were highly com- 
 mended by Cardinal Fransoni, prefect of the “ Propaganda” college, in 
 the lettei*s directing him to proceed to the diocese of Killala, in 1836, 
 and institute inquiries relative to the contention that arose between the 
 venerable Bishop O’Finan and his clergy, an account of AA'hich Avill be 
 found when treating: of Doctor O’Finan’s incumbency. 
 
ECCI.ESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 59 
 
 Paul Cullen, succeeded, and as delegate apostolic of tlie Holy See, 
 presided over the national synod, held in the college of Thurles, A.D. 
 1850 ; was consecrated at Eome, 1850 ; since translated to Dublin. 
 
 Joseph Dixon, a native of the diocese, formerly dean of Maynooth, 
 and at the period of his promotion to the see of Ai-magh, professor of 
 scripture in that college, now happily presides. 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 
 DIOCESE OF MEATH. 
 
 « * 
 
 In this territory were many episcopal sees : Clonard, Duleek, Kells, 
 Trim, Ardbraccan, Donshaghlin, Slane and Foure. Except Duleek and 
 Kells, they were united before the year 1152, and the common see fixed 
 at Clonard ; the sees of Duleek and Kells were also incorporated. 
 
 In the fifth century, the present county of Meath and the greater 
 j)art of M estmeath were the residences of king-s, princes, and warriors. 
 Li the year 79 of the Christian era, the reigning monarch of Deland, 
 Tuathal, having gained successive victories over the Albanians and his 
 domestic foes, summoned a general convocation of his princes and 
 nobles to Tarah ; the monarch, during the session of this national 
 assembly, obtained a tract of land from each of the four provinces, in 
 each of which he erected a palace, and these tracts now form the terri- 
 tory of Meath and W estmeath. Tlie site of the royal residence erected 
 on the Munster tract was called “ Flactga,” that of the Connaught tract 
 was called “ A isneach,” and the third royal seat belonging to Ulster 
 was “ Tailtean.” The palace of Tarah was reserved for the monarch 
 himself, and here the estates of the kingdom assembled at stated times, 
 in order to institute such laws as the well-being of the country de- 
 manded. 
 
 Tlie festival of Easter was approaching, and St. Patrick resolved to 
 celebrate this holy festival in the vicinity of Tarah, where the monarch 
 and his princes were in convocation assembled. Tlie apostle of Ireland 
 determined to proclaim the mysteries of redemption at the seat of 
 
60 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOKY OF LREULND. 
 
 government and before tlie princes of the nation, guided by the example 
 X of St. Peter, who planted the cross in the imperial city of Rome, then 
 mistress of the nations and the patroness of error and supei-stition, as 
 she is now the spiritual mistress of Christ’s kingdom on earth, and the 
 seat of truth and faith, refreshing the people of the universe with tlie 
 waters of her apostolic fountain. 
 
 St. Patrick and his companions having reached the plain in which 
 the palace of Tarah was situated, lodged in the house of a respectable 
 man named Sesgnen, by whom they were hospitably received. In re- 
 ward of his kind treatment he obtained the grace of conversion, with his 
 family and his son Eeniguus, who accompanied the Saint to Tarah; be- 
 came the companion, disciple and successor of the apostle in the see of 
 Armagh. 
 
 In compliance with an usage which was sanctioned by venerablo 
 antiquity, St. Patrick ordered the paschal fire to be enkindled, and thus 
 at once attack in its stronghold the national superstition. (This primi- 
 tive custom of lighting the paschal fire was observed in memory of the 
 resurrection of Christ.) 
 
 Tlie ancient LIsh worshiped the sun, and this luminary was con- 
 sidered by them as the principal and supreme Deity ; hence it is, that 
 fire-worship was the leading dogma of Irish superstition. Li compli- 
 ance with an annual rite, the king and princes of the country were 
 celebrating a festival ; and in conformity with the Druidical worship, the 
 e\'e of that festival was observed with peculiar religious solemnity. By 
 a standing law, all the fires of the country were on tliis eve to be ex- 
 tinguished, and no one was permitted under pain of death to kindle a 
 fire, until the sacred one should be first lighted on the hill of Tarah, as 
 a signal for the rest of Ireland. 
 
 In violation of this law the paschal fire was enkindled on the hill of 
 Slane, and when seen from the heights of Tarah, the king and his 
 princes became alarmed and enraged, at this opposition, as they sup- 
 posed, to the laws and religion of their country. “ This fire which we 
 see, unless extinguished this very night,” said the magi to the monarch, 
 will burn for ever ; and moreover, will excel all the fires of om* rite ; 
 and he who kindles this fire will scatter your kingdom.” 
 
 Leogaire, the monarch, then enquired, who these were, who dared to 
 bifringe the law and incur the penalty which the national code enjoined. 
 The king, in company with two of the magi, and attended with a nume- 
 rous retinue, proceeded to the place where St. Patrick had erected a 
 temporary habitation, and having ordered the Saint to be brought before 
 him, St. Patrick obeyed, without delay ; and before his arrival in the 
 presence of the monarch, it was arranged that no mark of kindness or 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 61 
 
 attention should be jiaid liiin ; liowever, when the Saint was ushered 
 into tlie royal presence, Here, the son of Dego, in disregard of this un- 
 courteous ordinance, arose, and accosted him with a kindly salutation. 
 Tlie holy man, in return, imparted his benediction to the noble and 
 generous youth, who greeted his approach, nor was it bestowed in vain ; 
 as, through the Divine goodness, the grace of Here’s mmediate couA'cr- 
 sion to the faith Avas annexed. 
 
 Though the national code enjoined the penalty of death on those 
 who violated the law relative to the observance of the national ceremony 
 it does not appear that the monarch or the magi desired its enforce- 
 ment, — on the contrary, the interview Avith St. Patrick seemed to allay 
 the feare of the king, and conciliate his beneA'olence toAvards those 
 strangers. 
 
 On the morning, AA'hich calls to our minds the glorious event of 
 Christ’s resurrection, St. Patrick, for the first time, proclaimed the Gos- 
 pel and the mysteries of redemption to the monarch and nobles of the 
 land assembled in the halls of Tarah. On this occasion the most emi- 
 nent of the bardic institute, Dubtach, arose, and saluting the Saint, 
 became a Christian. In the national assembly the bards of Ireland 
 Avere particularly revered. Tlieirs were the duties of recording, in har- 
 monious strains, the achieA^ements of their countrymen — the Avisdom of 
 the senator — the bravery of the chieftain — the exploits of the patriot. 
 The care of preserving an exact registry of the genealogies of families 
 and the prerogatives of the nobles and of the boundaries Avhich marked 
 out the possessions of the chieftains, Avas confided to the members of this 
 order ; and it Avas Avisely ordained, that at stated times their Avritings 
 should be submitted to a tribunal, over Avhich the monarch himself and 
 a certain number of nobles presided. Before this tribunal the works of 
 the bards were examined ; and from the entire collection, extracts duly 
 authenticated, Avere deposited in the royal archives of Tarah. 
 
 The acquisition of Dubtach to the cause of truth was a just tribute 
 to the force and poAver of the Saint’s addi-ess, and Avhich Avas as irresis- 
 tible as that of St. Paul to the Areopagus at Athens. By it, Avas tom up 
 the bias of education and the prejudice of habit, and othei*s folloAved ‘ 
 the poAverful example which the convereion of the chief bard afforded 
 in his own person. Yet the monarch hearkened not to the voice of 
 truth, but remained obstinate in his superstition, although he granted 
 permission to St. Patrick to preach the Gospel, on condition that the 
 peace of the kingdom should not be disturbed. ^ 
 
 St. Patrick, on the following day, repaired to Tailtean, Avhere public 
 amusements Avere celebrated, and Avhich Avere attended by the court of 
 Tarah. There also he multiplied the number of his converts, and among 
 
62 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRIX ANT), 
 
 i 
 
 tliem was Conall, brother to the king, who believed and was baptized. 
 Visiting other parts of Meath, his preaching was everywhere attended 
 with success. Having erected a chiu’ch at Drnmeonrath, in the barony 
 of Slane, and one at Dromshallon, near Drogheda, he directed his 
 couree to Delvin, and thence to the hill of Usneagh, reducing the whole 
 mass of the people to the sweet yoke of the Gospel. 
 
 St. Finian, the son of Fintan, an eminent philosopher and divine, 
 was the fii-st bishop of Clonard ; he was descended of a noble family, 
 and was still more ennobled by his piety. lie was baptized by St. 
 Abban, and placed, in his youth, under the care of St. Fortkern, bishop 
 of Trim, with whom he remained until thirty yeai-s of age ; went to Bri- 
 tain, and founded many churches. Having returned to Heland and been 
 consecrated bishop, he fixed his see at Clonard, and there also opened 
 his school about the year 530, which produced many men of eminent 
 sanctity and learning, among whom are the two Kierans, two Brendans, 
 the two Columbs, Laserian, Cainech, Moveus and Ruadan. 
 
 His usual food was bread and herbs, his drink, water ; on festival 
 days he used a little fish and a cup of beer or whey ; he slept on the 
 bare ground, a stone serving him as a pillow. He was in his last illness 
 attended by St. Columb, of Tirdaglass, and died in the year 552. 
 
 A doubt exists whether St. Finian or Senachus was the first bishop 
 of Clonard. The memorials relating to the successors of the see of Clo- 
 nard, are but slender, imtil the arrival of the English. 
 
 St. Senachus, bishop of Clonard and disciple of St. Finian, died on 
 the 21st August, 587. 
 
 St. Fiacre is recorded among the successors of St. Finian, of whom men- 
 tion will be made in its proper place, when treating of the Irish saints. 
 
 Colman, son of Telduibh, bishop of Clonard, died on the Sth Feb- 
 ruary, 652. 
 
 Ossenius, the Long, survived his predecessor about three months, 
 and died on the 1st of May, 652. 
 
 Ultan O’Cunga, died of the plague which afflicted England and 
 Ireland, on the 1st July, 665. 
 
 St. Becan, bishop of Clonard, died on the 16th April, 687. We 
 are told that he used to sing the whole psalter every day, wet and dry, 
 by the side of a stone cross, in the open air, outside the monastery. He 
 has been remarkable for the austerity of his life, and the miracles he 
 wrought. 
 
 Colman O’Heir, bishop of Clonard, died on the 9th Febniary, 700. 
 
 Dubdan O’Foelan, bishop and abbot of Clonard, died A.D. 716. 
 
 Aelchire, bishop of Clonard, died A.D. 726. 
 
ECCIJJSIASTICAL niSTOKY OF IRELAND. ^ 03 
 
 t 
 
 Fienmael Mac Girthid, (called a cliosen soldier of Christ,) bishop of 
 Clonard, died on the 30th March, A.D. 731. 
 
 St. Tola Mac Dunchad, bishop of Clonard and IGldare, died on the 
 30th of March, A.D. 733. 
 
 Beglatneu, bishop of Clonard, died in 755. 
 
 Fulertach, bishop of Clonard, was the son of Brec, whose family in 
 Ulster was ancient. He retired to Offaly, in Leinster, and there lived 
 a hermit, until promoted to the see of Clonard. lie died on the 29th 
 March, 771. 
 
 Algnied, died 8th March, 778. 
 
 Cormac Mac Suibne, bishop and abbot of Clonard, died in the year 
 828. 
 
 Cormac, called by the four masters bishop of Duleek and abbot of 
 Clonard, died in 882. 
 
 Rnmold Mac Cathasach, bishop of Clonai'd, called the “ Repository 
 of excellent wisdom, died, A.D. 919. 
 
 Colman Mac Ailild, abbot of Clonard and Clonmacnois, “ a most 
 wise bishop and doctor,” died on the 7th February, 921. 
 
 Ferdomnach Mac Flanagan, died A.D. 930. 
 
 Moctean or Mselmochte, called “ the Fountain of religion and wis- 
 dom ” among the Irish, died on the 9th of September, 910. 
 
 Maelfechin, bishop of Clonard, died in 912. 
 
 Becan Mac Lactnan, called comorban, or successor of St. Finian, 
 died in 971. 
 
 Faithman, comorban of St. Finian, died in 1010. 
 
 Tuathal O’Dunluing, bishop of Clonard, died in 1027. 
 
 Cellach O’Clerchen, comorban of St. Finian, died in 1013. 
 
 Tuathal O’Follanmuin, successor of St. Finian, died in 1055. 
 
 Tigernach Boircech, called in the annals of the four masters “ the 
 head of the synod, principal confessor, anchorite, and successor of 
 Finian,” died in 1061. 
 
 Murchertach Mac Longsech, successor of St. Finian, died in 1092. 
 
 Idunan, called bishop of Meath, flourished in 1096. 
 
 Concovar, bishop of Clonard, died in 1117. 
 
 Fiacra, called the “ most holy elder of Clonard and Meath, died in 
 1135. 
 
 Giollachreist OTIagan, successor of Finian, died in 1136. 
 
 Eochaid O’Kelly, archbishop of the men of Meath, is said to have 
 died in the year 1140. 
 
 O’Tolloman, successor of St. Finian of Clonard, died at Kells, in 
 1150. 
 
 Eleutherius O’Miadachin, sat in the see of Clonard, and died in 1174. 
 
64 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL lESTOKY OF niELAATD. 
 
 Eugene, bishop of Meath, succeeded, and sat about twenty years. 
 Eefore his death he assumed tlie style which his successors have since 
 used. His predecessor, Idunan, adopted the same title. lie succeeded 
 in 1174, and died 1194. 
 
 Simon Eochfort was the first Englishman who governed this see, and 
 was consecrated about the year 1104. He died in the year 1224, 
 having conducted himself in the government of his see with fidelity, 
 wisdom and integrity. M^as of such an humble and. meek behavior, 
 that he acquired the reputation of being a most excellent prelate. 
 
 Deodatus was elected bishop in 1124, and obtained the royal assent 
 on the 29th August following. Some say he died before consecration, 
 and therefore do not reckon him among the bishops of this see. He 
 died in the year 1226. 
 
 Ealph le Petit, succeeded in 1227. He was archdeacon of Meath; 
 a man of great gravity and wisdom. He died advanced in years, about 
 the fourth year of his consecration, in 1230. 
 
 Eichard de la Comer, canon of St. Patrick’s, Dublin, succeeded in 
 1 230 ; was confirmed by King Henry HI., and consecrated at Drogheda, 
 in St. Peter’s church, in 1232. He died in the year 1250. 
 
 Hugh de Taghmon succeeded in 1250. He is styled “ a man of piety 
 and of venerable life.” To this pr<?late, Maurice Fitz Maurice, Lord Jus- 
 tice of L’eland, and John de Sanford, Escheat or of Eeland, Edward I. 
 issued a commission to administer the oath of allegiance to the nobility 
 and to the commonalty of Ireland. Having governed the See about 
 thirty-one years, he died in January 1281, and was buried at Mul- 
 lingar. 
 
 Diomas St. Leger succeeded in 1287 — was bom of an illustrious fam- 
 ily, and was adorned by his mamiei’s. He was xlrchdeacon of Kells. 
 Hot having the assent of his metropolitan he appealed to Eome. An- 
 other being preferred by the Primate, both parties resigned their claims 
 into the hands of the Pope, who in the plenitude of apostolic power 
 chose Thomas St. Leger. He Avas not consecrated till the 3d of Novem- 
 ber, 1281. He was careful of his temporal privileges and equally so of 
 his spiritual concerns. He enjoyed bad health before his death in De- 
 cember, 1320. He ruled over his diocese thirty-eight yeai*s. 
 
 John O’Carroll succeeded in 1321 — was Dean and Bishop of Cork, 
 and was translated by the Pope to the See of Meath, in the year 1321. 
 He died in London about the beginning of August, 1 329, on his retm-n 
 from Avignon. 
 
 AYilliam de Paul, a Carmelite Friar, and sometime Provincial of his 
 Order in England and Scotland, in token of his singular piety, gi-eat 
 learning, wisdom and dexterity in managing affairs, succeeded, as Bishop 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOEY OF IRELAOT). 
 
 05 
 
 f 
 
 of Meath, 1327, by provision of the Pope, was consecrated at Arignou. 
 He died in July, 1349, having sat twenty-two years. 
 
 William St. Leger succeeded in 1350 — was Archdeacon of Meath — 
 was elected by the clergy and ratified by Bull of Pope Clement VL, — was 
 consecrated in England on the 2d of May, 1360, and died A.D. 1352. 
 
 Nicholas Allen succeeded in 1353 — was Abbot of the Monastery of 
 St. Tliomas, near Dublin — was consecrated in the beginning of this year, 
 fie was Lord High Treasurer of Ireland, and took oath of office on the 
 10th of March, 1357. He died on the 5th of January, 1366. 
 
 Stephen de Valle, or AVall, succeeded in 1369 — was Dean of Limer- 
 erick, and promoted by the Pope — consecrated in 1360. He sat in the 
 See nine years, and became Lord High Chancellor of Ireland. He died 
 intestate, at Oxford, on the 10th of November, 1379. 
 
 William Andrew succeeded in 1380, was an English Dominican and 
 Doctor of Divinity, was consecrated Bishop of Achrony in the year 1374, 
 and was by Pope Urban VL translated to this see. He was distin- 
 guished for wisdom and learning. He died five years after his transla- 
 tion, A.D. 1385. 
 
 Alexander de Balscot was successor in 1386. A canon of St. Canice’s 
 Church, he was promoted to the See of Ossory and translated to Meath 
 on the 14th of December, 1386. He was Lord High Treasurer of Ire- 
 land' — executed the duties of his office with fidelity ; had the reputation 
 of a good bishop ; died at Ardbraccan on tlie 10th of November, 1400, 
 and was buried at Trim, in St. Mary’s Abbey. 
 
 Robert Montain, Rector of the Church of Kildalky, succeeded by the 
 provision of the Pope in 1402. He sat ten years and died on the 24th 
 May, A.D. 1412. 
 
 Edward Dantsey, Archdeacon of Cornwall, was promoted to the See 
 by Pope John XXHL, in the year 1413. He presided over sixteen 
 years, and was during that period. Lord High Treasurer of Ireland, and 
 Deputy Viceroy of the Kingdom. He was falsely accused of theft and 
 arraigned before the Parliament. His innocence was afterwards estab- 
 lished by the voluntary and public confession of an accomplice in the 
 robbery. Llaving solicited the Bishop’s pardon, who forgave him, he 
 was referred to the Primate for absolution. He died on the 4th of Jan- 
 uary, A.D. 1429. 
 
 William Hadsor was promoted in 1430 by the Pope, and consecrated. 
 He died on Ascension Day 1434. The same month that Bishop Dantsey 
 died, Thomas Scurlock, Prior of the Abbey of St. Peter, Newtown near 
 Trim, was elected by the clergy. He hastened to Rome to obtain tlie 
 Pope’s confirmation ; if consecrated, he survived but a short time. 
 
 William Silk, Doctor of Canon Law, OflEicial of the Ecclesiastical 
 5 
 
• 66 
 
 E(XLESUSTICAL HISTORT OF mELAND. 
 
 Coxirt of Meath and Rector of Ealleen, succeeded in 1434. Application 
 was made to the Pope to exonerate him from his pastoral charge on ac 
 count of old age. He died at Ardbraccan on the 9th of Maj, 1450, 
 and was buried in the church of St. Maiy, at lulleen. 
 
 Edmund Ouldhall, a Carmelite of Norwich, succeeded to the See in 
 1450. He died at Ardbraccan on the 9th or 29th of August, 1459, aud 
 was buried in the church of that place. 
 
 William Sherwood succeeded by provision of Pope Pius H., and was 
 consecrated in 1460. He was some time Deputy Lord Lieutenant of 
 Ireland, and afterwards. Lord Chancellor. He died in Dublin, on the 
 3d of December, 1482, and was buried in the Abbey Church of SS. Pe- 
 ter and Paul, at Newtown, near Ti'im. He presided over the See twen- 
 ty-two years. 
 
 John Payne, a Dominican, and Doctor of Divinity, was promoted to 
 the See by Pope Sextus lY., on the ITth of March, 1483, and installed 
 on the 4th of August following. He presided over twenty -three years ; 
 was some time Master of the Rolls. He was a prelate in great esteem 
 for his alms-deeds and hospitality. . He died on the 6th of March, 1506, 
 and was buried at Dublin in a monastery of his own order. 
 
 William Rokeby, an Englishman ; Doctor of the Canon Law, was 
 advanced to this See by Pope Julius H. in 1507 ; was Lord Chancellor 
 of L-eland in 1498, and on his promotion to the See of Meath, was called 
 into the Privy Council ; was translated to Dublin by the same Pope, 
 where he died on the 20th of November, 1521 ; he resigned in 1511. 
 
 Hugh Inge, an Englishman, Doctor of Divinity, was promoted by the 
 Pope in 1512 ; was translated to Dublin, where his name will occur to 
 notice. 
 
 Richard Wilson, an Englishman, succeeded by provision of the Pope 
 iu 1523, and sat about six years : he died in 1529. 
 
 Edward Staples, a native of Lincolnshire, succeeded by provision of 
 Pope Clement VIH., in the year 1530. He was deprived by Queen 
 Mary on the 9th of June, 1554, for having joined in the changes of re- 
 ligion, &c. 
 
 W illiam W alsh. Doctor of Divinity, and a native of W aterford, was, 
 on the 18th of October, 1554, appointed to the See. In maintaining the 
 purity of faith, William stood forth conspicuous ; he was deprived by 
 Queen Elizabeth. He died at Complute, in Spain, and was there in- 
 terred in a monastery of his own order, the Cistercian. His epitaph 
 briefly describes his merits : 
 
 “ Here lieth William Walsh, a Cistercian Monk, and Bishop of 
 Meath, who having suffered imprisonment and many other hardships 
 for thirteen j-eam, at last died in banishment.” 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL niSTORT OF IRELARl). 
 
 67 
 
 Thomas Dease, the ablest canonist of the L’ish Church, died A.D. 
 16 fy. 
 
 Anthony Geoghegan died A.D. 1660. 
 
 ■ Patrick Plunkett died A.D. 1671. 
 
 Patrick Cusack died A.D. 1690. 
 
 Luke Fagan translated to Dublin. 
 
 Stephen MacEogair translated from Clonmacnois in 1729 ; he died 
 on the 30th of May, A.D. 1756. 
 
 Doctor Cheevers, &c. 
 
 Bishop Geoghegan died while coadjutor. 
 
 Patrick Joseph Plunkett was consecrated in 1779, died A.D. 1829 
 
 Robert Logan coadjutor in 1824, died A.D. 1830. 
 
 John Cantwell consecrated in 1830, still happily presides. Bishop of 
 Meath. 
 
 St. Kienan, of Damliag, or Duleek, i. «., a house of stone, wrote a life 
 of St. Patrick according to the calendar of Cashell ; was born about 
 the year 442 ; his native place was Meath ; was of an illustrious family, 
 and is said to have been baptized, when an infant, by Saint Patrick ; is 
 different from another of the name. His consecration, as Bishop of 
 Duleek, could not be earlier than 472. St. Kienan died A.D. 489. 
 
 St. Suarla, Bishop of Foure, succeeded the Abbot Dubdaboren in 
 736, and was afterwards raised to the episcopacy. He died on the 27th 
 March, A.D. 746. 
 
 St. Ercus, Bishop at Slane, is said to be the preceptor of St. Bren- 
 dan, of Clonfert. He is supposed to be a native of Munster, as there 
 were other bishops of the name of Ercus, particularly in Munster : no 
 decisive opinion can be formed on this point. St. Brendan was born in 
 484. St. Ercus, Bishop of Slane, died A.D. 514. 
 
 St. Ultanus belonged to the third class of Irish Saints. He was of 
 the house of Conchovair, or Connor, and is said to have been related to 
 St. Bridget by her mother’s side ; was Bishop of Adbraccan, and sup- 
 posed to have been the founder of this see ; is mentioned as the VTiter 
 of a life, or the acts of St. Patrick, and also of the transactions of St. 
 Bridget. St. Ultanus died on the 4th of September, A.D. 657. 
 
 Secundinus was sent as an assistant to St. Patrick in the year 439. It 
 is very probable that about 443 he was left in Meath by St. Patrick, and 
 was entrusted with the care of the new converts in that territory, and 
 in the northern parts of the country ; his ordinary residence was at Ard- 
 braccan. His suffraganship lasted about six years. He is also men- 
 tioned in lists of Bishops who governed Armagh ; but it must be meant 
 only in his capacity as Yicar, having been invested by St. Patrick with 
 
GS 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF TE ET.AX O. 
 
 extensive jurisdiction, while the Saint was absent in Munster, looking 
 after the atfairs of the Church. Secundinus died A.D. 448. 
 
 St. Loman, a Saint of the third class. lie was revered on the 17th 
 of February, at Trim, where he was buried with other saints who are 
 called his companions ; was Bishop at Ti-im in the 7th century. 
 
 CHAPTEK Yin. 
 
 DIOCESE OF CLONMACNOIS. 
 
 St. Kieean founder of Clonmacnois in 548, placed himself under 
 St. Senanus of Juniscathy, an island of the Shannon, into which no fe- 
 male was permitted. Kieran was much venerated in the Western Isles 
 of Scotland, and his festival was kept on the 9th of September. Tliis 
 gi’eat Saint was a native of Meath, but his parents, Boean and Darerca, 
 were originally from Ulster. Fie is usually called the son of the carpen- 
 ter, as his father was one. Tlie year of his birth according to the most 
 probable account, is 507. He is said to have received his early educa- 
 tion under St. Justus, by whom he was, as some say, baptized. lie be- 
 came a disciple of St. Finnian, at Clonard. Having received the bene- 
 diction of St. Finnian, he retired to the Monastery of St. Kennidius, 
 which was situated in an island of Lough Erne. Eaeran was received 
 here with joy, and wishing to improve himself in the knowledge and ob- 
 servance of monastic discipline, he went to the great Monastery of Arran. 
 St. Enda, who governed it, received him very kindly and employed him 
 seven years in threshing corn for the use of the community. During 
 this time he was considered a model of sanctity and piety. While in 
 the isle of Inniscathy he was charged with the care of strangers, and be- 
 cause of his liberality to the poor, he incurred the displeasure of some 
 of the monks. He then repaired to an island of the Shannon, Inisaingani, 
 Lough Bee, where he founded a monastery. Having given the care of 
 this monastery to Adamnan, a native of Munster, he removed to the 
 western bank ef the Shannon, and on a site given by King Dermit, 
 founded the celebrated Abbey of Clonmacnois. He did not long sur- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 69 
 
 vive its foundation, as he died in 54:9 of a plague. In Clonmacnois 
 were nine churches built by the kings and princes, as hurying-places. 
 
 St. Tigernach is mentioned by Ware, as bishop of Clomnacnois, but 
 he is mistaken, as Tigernach was bishop of Clones in the year 506. The 
 immediate successor of St. Kieran was Oena, who died, according to 
 the four masters, in 570 ; he is called Angus or Aneas. As to bishops 
 of Clonmacnois, the first is — 
 
 Baitanus Mac Cuanach. He is called the son of Cuanach. Had de- 
 clared, according to St. Cummian, in favor of the Eoman computation 
 of Easter. According to Ware, he was born in the barony of Ballana- 
 hinch, county of Galway. He was eminent in piety and virtue : w^as a 
 monk, abbot, and finally bishop. He died in 562. 
 
 Mseldarius died in 886 ; bishop of Clonmacnois. 
 
 Corprey Crom, or crooked, succeeded ; died in March, 899. Ob- 
 tained the character of being “ the head of religion in Ireland,” and 
 the principal ornament of his age and country. 
 
 Colman Mac Ailild, abbot, and bishop of Clonard and Clonmacnois. 
 He is said to be the founder of the cathedral of Clonmacnois, and to 
 have been the “ wisest of the doctors ” of all Ireland ; is said to be of 
 the Conalls of Murthemne, in the county of Louth. He died on the 
 7th February, 925. 
 
 Cormac O’Killeen, abbot of Eoscommon and bishop of Clonmacnois, 
 died in 964:, — esteemed as a man of learning. 
 
 Tuathall, abbot, and bishop of Clonmacnois, died in 969. 
 
 Dunchad, or Donatus O’Braoin, was elected successor, but it is not 
 certain whether he was merely abbot or bisho]). If he w^ere conse- 
 crated, a void is filled up of ninety-eight years between the death of 
 Tuathal, in 969, and that of Colocair, in 1067. His ofiice he filled wor- 
 thily for some years ; and having preferred the sweetness of a solitary 
 life, he abdicated, and repaired to Armagh, in 974:, and there died with 
 a high reputation for sanctity of life, in January, 987. — See Monastery 
 of Clonmacnois. 
 
 Ectigern O’Ergain, successor of Kiaran, of Clonmacnois, died at 
 Clonard, in 1052, while there on a pilgrimage. 
 
 Ailild O’Harretaigh, supreme successor of St. Kieran, of Clonmac- 
 nois, died at Clonard in 1070, while on a pilgrimage there. 
 
 Christian O’Hectigern, died in 1103. 
 
 Domnald O’Dubhai, died in 1136. 
 
 Moriertach O’Melider, bishop of Clonmacnois, assisted at the coun- 
 cil of Kells, in 1152 ; he died at a very advanced age, in 1188. 
 
 Tigernach O’Mieleoin, died in 1172. At this time money was coined 
 at Clonmacnois. 
 
70 
 
 ECCOxESIASTICAL BTISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Mureacli O’Muireclian, succeeded; was a man of learning:;, and 
 died in the year 1213. 
 
 Ed an O’Mailley, bishop of Clonmacnois, was drowned in the yeai 
 1220, probably in the Shannon. 
 
 Mulrony O’Modein, succeeded, 1220. Sat ten yearn. He died in 
 1230. 
 
 Hugh O’Malone, succeeded in 1230 ; died in 1236, and was buried 
 at Kilbegan, in St. Mary’s abbey. 
 
 Elias, bishop of Clonmacnois, resigned A.D. 1236. 
 
 Thomas, bishop of Clonmacnois, succeeded, 1236 ; was dean of Clon- 
 macnois. Sat sixteen years, and died A.D. 1252 
 
 Thomas O’Quin, a Franciscan friar, was confirmed by the king on 
 the 20th February. He sat twenty-seven years, and died 1279. 
 
 Gilbert, dean of Clonmacnois, was elected by the Chapter, and con- 
 secrated by Nicholas, archbishop of Armagh. He resigned in 1228. 
 
 'William O’Duffy, a Franciscan friar, succeeded 1290. He fell off 
 his horse, and died thereby, in 1297. 
 
 'William O’Findan, abbot of Kilbeggan, succeeded in 1298, and died 
 A.D. 1390. 
 
 Donald O’Bruin, guardian of the Franciscans of Killeigh, was 
 elected, and obtained the royal assent on the 14th of April, 1303. 
 
 Lewis O’Daly was appointed his successor, and died A.D. 1337. 
 
 Henry, a Dominican, succeeded in 1337 ; he died A.D. 1367. 
 
 Hichard, a monk, succeeded. 
 
 Philip, succeeded, and died in 1388. 
 
 Milo Cory, a Franciscan, succeeded, by provision of Pope Boniface 
 IX., in November, 1390 ; was soon after constituted justiciary of Con- 
 naught by IHng Eichai’d H. 
 
 O’Galchoir, succeeded, 1390 ; he died in 1397. 
 
 Peter, succeeded, 1398 ; was a Cistercian and abbot of Granard, and 
 died in 1411. 
 
 Philip O’Mseil, succeeded, in 1411, by the provision of the Pope, 
 and died in 1422. 
 
 David Brendog, a Cistercian monk, was provided by the Pope in 
 September, 1423. 
 
 Cormac Mac Coughlan, succeeded, by election of the chapter, and 
 was consecrated in 1427. He was dean of Clonmacnois. He is com- 
 mended as a man of liberality, and a patron of learning. He died A.D. 
 1442. 
 
 John Oldais, a Franciscan, was provided by Pope Eugene IV., on 
 the 18th of September, 1444. 
 
 John, bishop of Clonmacnois, died in 1486. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 71 
 
 W alter Blake, a native of Galway, and canon of Euaglidune, suc- 
 ceeded, by provision of Innocent VIII., in March, 1487. He governed 
 the see twenty-one years, and died in May, 1508. 
 
 Thomas, succeeded. 
 
 Quintin, a Franciscan, succeeded, by provision of the Pope, in No- 
 vember, 1516. Sat twenty-two years, and died in 1538. 
 
 Eichard Hogan, was a Franciscan, and from the see of Killaloe was 
 translated in 1538, and died a few days after. 
 
 Florence Gerawan, a Franciscan, was promoted to this see by Pope 
 Paul HI., in December, 1539. He died about the year 1554. 
 
 Peter Wall, succeeded; died in 1568. 
 
 Stephen Mac Fgan, was translated to Meath, in 1729. 
 
 CHAPTFE IX. 
 
 SEE OE CLOGHER. 
 
 Bishops, (&c. — St. Maccartin, Ist Bishop. 
 
 This see, it appears, was founded about the year 454 ; its first pre- 
 late was Maccartin. He was of the noble family of the Arads, in Da- 
 laradia, and one of St. Patrick’s oldest disciples. He constantly 
 attended on the Saint, and was at an advanced age promoted to the see 
 of Clogher. Having erected a cathedral, he also, by the directions of 
 St. Patrick, laid the foundation of a monastery. Fochad, the dynast 
 of that territory, yet a pagan, resisted the preaching of St. Maccartin, 
 but eventually, with his family and dependents, embraced the truths of 
 salvation. Tire family of St. Maccartin has given the Irish church 
 twenty-one saints. The holy bishop of Clogher died on the 24th March, 
 A.D. 506, and was interred in his own cathedral. 
 
 St. Tigernach, his immediate successor, fixed his residence at Clones, 
 in the county of Monaghan, retaining the government of the church of 
 Clogher. Hence he is styled Ferdacrioch, the man of two districts. 
 As well as his predecessor, he was of princely descent, and is said to 
 have had St. Bridget as his godmother, through whose recommendation 
 
72 
 
 ECCLES1A3T1CAI. HISTORY OF TRELAITD. 
 
 lie was raised to the episcopacy. He received his education at the mo- 
 nastery of Itosnat, in Britain, under the holy abbot Monnenus, and it 
 seems, founded the monastery at Clones, before his elevation to the 
 dignity of bishop. His death is marked on the 4th of April, A.D. 549. 
 
 St. Sinell is mentioned as the successor of Tigernach. 
 
 Liberius, wdio died on the 2d of November, but the year of his death 
 is not known. 
 
 St. Fedlirnid, to whom a well i.s dedicated at Clogher, and called 
 after him. 
 
 Deodiaffha Mac Carwail. 
 
 ® 0 
 
 Armetus, whose festival is observed on the 2d of February. 
 
 Hermetius, who is mentioned as the predecessor of Feldobar. There 
 is no certain year mentioned for the deaths of those three last-named 
 prelates. 
 
 St. Ultan, Settine, Earch, Eirglean, Cedach, Crimor-Bodan. The 
 first of these was descended of the same family with Maccartin, and it 
 is said, is buried at Clogher, near the sepulcher of this saint. 
 
 St. Laserian, who was abbot of Devenish, in Lough Erne ; he died 
 on the 12th September, 571, of whom notice will be again taken. 
 
 Attigerii, according to the Clogher register, next succeeded. 
 
 St. Enda, the patron of the Isles of Arran, is mentioned as bishop ot 
 Clogher, of whom notice will be taken in another place. {Monastery of 
 the Isle of Airan.) 
 
 Honan, son of Odiduid, king of Ergall. 
 
 St. Aedan, Mseelcob, St. Adamnanus, Dianach, Altigren, St. Kiaran, 
 Conall, Airmedac, who is said to have written the life of St. Patrick. 
 
 Ffeldobar, bishop of Clogher, died on the 29th of June, A.D. 731. 
 
 Artgal, abbot of Clogher. 
 
 Moran, son of Indract, abbot of Clogher. 
 
 Ailild, or Elias, scribe, abbot, and bishop of Clogher, died A.D. 867, 
 or according to the annals of Ulster, 897. 
 
 Kinfail, son of Lorcan, comorban of Clones and Clogher, died A.D. 
 929. 
 
 Conaing O’Domnellan, chief prince of Clogher, died in 959. He ia 
 called also Conad, and is made the immediate successor of Henfail. 
 
 Conaid. 
 
 Tumultuach or Thomas. 
 
 Cellach, Murigach, O’Do O’Buigil. 
 
 Muiredach, Mac Melisa O’Cullen, who was slain in 1126. 
 
 Christian O’Morgair, only brother to St. Malachy O’Moore, arch- 
 bishop of Armagh, succeeded in 1126. St. Bernard calls Christian “ a 
 good man, full of grace and virtue ; second to his brother in fame, and 
 
ECCLE8IATICAL HISTOKY OF lEELAND. Y3 
 
 possibly not inferior in sanctity of life and zeal for righteousness.” 
 Tlie Annals of the Four Masters call him a paragon in wisdom and piety : 
 a brilliant lamp, that enlightened the laity and clergy, by preaching 
 and good deeds ; a faithful and diligent servant of the Church ; and, 
 again, by St. Bernard, the two brothers are styled “ the pillare of Ire- 
 land.” Christian, during the life of St. Malachy, died in 1138, and was 
 buried in the abbey of SS. Peter and Paul, at Armagh. 
 
 Edan O’Kelly was elected in 1139, and consecrated by St. Malachy. 
 He sat about forty-two years, and died A.D, 1182, and was interred at 
 Louth, where he founded a monastery. 
 
 Mtelissa O’Carroll, succeeded; died on his way to Pome, in 1181. 
 lie held an ordination at Clogher, and made a present of a mitre and 
 vestments to the monastery of the Blessed Virgin, and promised the 
 monks a staff ; he also consecrated the church of this monastery, in 
 presence of many of the clergy, and of Christian O’Macturan, abbot of 
 Clones, who was his successor. 
 
 Christian O’Macturan, abbot of Clones, governed the see of Clogher 
 seven years and died A.D. 1191. 
 
 Maelisa Mac Maelkieran, abbot of Mellifont, succeeded in 1191 ; sat 
 four years, and died in 1195. 
 
 Tigernach Mac Gilla Ronan, an Augustin canqn, succeeded, in 
 1195 ; he died in 1218. 
 
 Donatus O’Fidabra, succeeded to the see of Clogher in 1218, which 
 he governed nine years, and was translated to Armagh. He built an 
 episcopal palace at Clogher, near St. Mary’s abbey. 
 
 Hehemiah O’Brogan, succeeded, in 1227, and died, it is supposed, lU 
 1240. 
 
 David, brother to his predecessor, succeeded in 1240. He was zeal- 
 ous in defending the temporals of his See. He died in 1267, of the 
 palsy, and was buried in the Abbey of Mellifont, where he had been a 
 monk. 
 
 It appears that the See of Louth was annexed to that of Clogher in 
 1044, as express mention is made of the Bishops of Louth by the Four 
 Masters. 
 
 Mochteus, a Briton, disciple of St. Patrick and Bishop of Louth, died 
 on the 19th of August, 534. 
 
 Eocha MacTuathail, Anchoret, Abbot and Bishop of Louth, died- 
 A.D. 820. 
 
 Cuana, the wise. Bishop of Louth, rested in the Lord, 823. 
 
 Coencomrach of Inis Endaimh, or Lough Pee in the Shannon, died 
 Bishop and Abbot of Louth, A.D. 871. 
 
 Mselpatrick Mac Bron, Bishop of Louth, died A.D. 936. 
 
74 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IHSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Finaclita Mac Etigenia, Bishop, Abbot and Scribe of Louth, died in 
 the south of Ireland, A.D. 948. 
 
 MjeI Moctee, Bishop of Louth, died in 1044. 
 
 Othera are mentioned as abbots or chief princes of Louth, whose 
 names can be traced in the annals. 
 
 Michael Mac Antsair. 
 
 Eeginald Mac Gilla Finn, Archdeacon of Clogher, was elected 
 Bishop by the Chapter, but his election was declared void by the Arch* 
 bishop of Armagh ; and Michael, Official of Armagh, was substituted 
 and was consecrated on the 9th of September, 1268. He presided over 
 the See seventeen years ; died, A.D. 1285, and was buried at Clogher. 
 
 Matthew Mac Catasaid ; while as Chancellor of Armagh, he was nego- 
 tiating the affairs of that Church at Borne, he was unanimously elected 
 Bishop of Cloglier by the Dean and Chapter. On his return home he 
 was approved of by the Primate and consecrated on the Festival of SS. 
 Peter and Paul, A.D. 1287. He erected a chapel over the tomb of St. 
 Maccartin ; he surrounded the church with a wall and rebuilt his cathe- 
 dral, to which he made a present of two bells, a chalice, pyx, a silver 
 cross, mitre, cope, and other ornaments. Matthew governed this See 
 about twenty-eight years. He died in 1316, and was buried in his own 
 cathedral. 
 
 Gelasius O’Banan Comorban, of Clones, succeeded, A.D. 1316 ; sat 
 three years and died in 1319. 
 
 Nicholas Mac Catasaid, Archdeacon of Clogher, succeeded, A.D. 1320. 
 He governed his See thirty-six yearn ; he died in the autumn of 1356, 
 and was buried in his own cathedral. . 
 
 Bernard Mac Camell, Archdeacon of Clogher, was promoted to this 
 See by Pope Innocent VI., A.D. 1356 ; he died at Clogher of the plague, 
 which miserably affiicted Ireland in 1361, or rather, 1358. 
 
 Matthew Mac Catasaid, Archdeacon of Clogher, was elected by the 
 Dean and Chapter and was consecrated by the Archbishop of Annagh, 
 A.D. 1361 ; he sat but a short time. 
 
 Odo O’Neal, Chancellor of Armagh, succeeded, and died on the 27th 
 of July, 1370. 
 
 O’Corcroin, a Cistertian Monk and Doctor of the Canon Law, suc- 
 ceeded by provision of the Pope. 
 
 Arthur Mac Camaeil, Archdeacon of Clogher, and a man of gravity 
 and learning, was consecrated A.D. 1389 ; the Cathedral of Clogher, 
 two chapels, and the Monastery of the blessed Virgin, with the episco- 
 pal court and thirty-two houses were consumed by fire. The bishop 
 diligently applied himself to the restoration of his church and court. 
 He died in August 1432, having sat forty-three years. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HI8T0ET OF lEELAOT). 
 
 75 
 
 Peter McGuire, Arclideacon of Cloglier, succeeded by election of 
 the chapter and ratification of the Pope, in 1432. He resigned, a little 
 before his death, which took place in 1449. 
 
 Eoss McGuire, son of Thomas, Dynast of Fermanagh, succeeded by 
 provision of the Pope, and was consecrated at Armagh, A.D. 1449. He 
 governed the See about thirty-four years, and having died in 1483, was 
 buried in the Church of St. Ronan of Achadurchar. 
 
 Edmund Courcey, a Franciscan Friar, and professor of divinity, was 
 consecrated Bishop of Clogher in 1485. This bishop is the first English- 
 man who attained the See of Clogher. He assisted at the Provincial 
 Council of Atherdee, July 6th, 1489. He was translated to the Dio- 
 cese of Boss, by Pope Alexander VL, having governed the See of Clog- 
 her nine years. 
 
 Hehemiah Clonin, a Benedictine Friar, or as others say, a hermit of 
 St. Augustine, was provided by Pope Alexander YI., to the See on the 
 24th of January, 1502 ; he resigned A.D. 1503, reserving a pension of 
 eighteen ducats, payable yearly from the episcopal treasury. 
 
 Patrick O’Conally, Abbot of Clones, succeeded by Bull of Julius H., 
 on the 7th of March, 1504. Fie returned to Ireland the same year, and 
 died of the plague, which cut oflf numbers of the people, especially in 
 Ulster. 
 
 Eugene Mac Camoeil, Dean of Clogher, succeeded by permission of 
 the Pope, on the 4th of April, 1505, and was consecrated by the Arch- 
 bishop of Armagh ; he sat about seven years and died, A.D. 1515, and 
 was buried in his own cathedral. 
 
 Patrick Cullen, an Augustine hermit, succeeded, by the election of 
 the Dean and Chapter, in the year 1519. This prelate and Roderick 
 Cassidy, Archdeacon of Clogher, compiled the registry of that see. 
 This bishop was a person of considerable knowledge in antiquities and 
 poetry, and composed a hymn in praise of St. Maccartin. He died in 
 the beginning of Spring, 1534, and was buried in the cathedral of 
 Clogher. 
 
 Hugh O’Cervallan, was promoted to the see by Pope Paul HI., in 
 1542. The Constitutions of this prelate have been published on the 27th 
 of October, 1557. 
 
 Eugene Mathews, Bishop of Clogher, was translated to Dublin, A.D. 
 1611. 
 
 Eber Mac Mahon, Bishop of Clogher. At Clonmacnois in 1649, he 
 silenced the factious, encouraged the moderate, and with difficulty pre- 
 vailed on the prelates to declare by a formal instrument, that no security 
 for life, fortune, or religion, could be expected from Cromwell, &c. 
 Owen Roe O’Heal sent his forces to Ormond, under Heber Mac Mahon, 
 
76 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Bishop of Clogher, to whom the Marquis had given a commission to 
 command them, &c. This bishop was afterwards taken prisoner in an 
 engagement near Inniskillen ; after having received many wounds he 
 was ignominiously put to death by the positive order of Sir Cliarles 
 Coote. 
 
 Emerus Mathews, Bishop of Clogher. Martyred 1652. 
 
 Patrick Tyrrell, Bishop of Clogher died in 1666. 
 
 Bernard Mac Mahon, Bishop of Clogher, translated to Armagh. 
 
 Ross Mac Mahon, Bishop of Clogher, translated to Armagh. 
 
 Daniel Eeiley. 
 
 Hugh Reiley, living in 1791. 
 
 James Murphey died, A.D. 1824. 
 
 Edward Kernan, consecrated coadjutor, succeeded, A.D. 1825 ; died, 
 1843. 
 
 Charles McHally, consecrated November 5th, 1843 ; succeeded Dr. 
 Kernan, Eebruary 20, 1844; was prefect of the Dunboyne Establish- 
 ment at Maynooth many years before his consecration, and is considered 
 the safest theologian and canonist in the L-ish Church. 
 
EnOLESTASTICAL HISTOKY OF IKELAND. 
 
 7T 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SEES OF DOWN AND CONNOK 
 
 St. Cailan, according to W are, was the first Bishop of Down ; but 
 it does not appear that he attained preferment in the Church, other than 
 Abbot of Antrim, 
 
 The See of Down, in Dalaradia, was founded by St. Fergus, in the 
 6th century. Its founder was of a princely tamily,’ and before his eleva- 
 tion to the episcopacy, he erected a monastery at Kilbian, in that county. 
 Ilis decease is marked at the 30th of March, 583. As there is no reg- 
 ular succession of bishops in this see, it is supposed that the Diocese of 
 Connor was united to it from the time of the founder, till that of St. 
 Malachy, who preferred the poverty of a smaller district. 
 
 Tlie see of Connor, in the county of Antrim, had for its first bishop, 
 St. Aengus Mac Nissa, but the precise year of its foundation is involved 
 in obscurity ; however, it appears to have been founded about the close 
 of the fifth century, Aengus was a member of an ancient family and 
 powerful Sept in Dalaradia, and in conformity with an usage prevalent in 
 many districts in Ireland, adopted the name of his mother, Hissa 
 While on his mission in Dalrieda, St, Patrick took Mac Nissa under his 
 especial guidance, and soon after placed him under the direction of St. 
 Clean, the* learned Abbot and Bishop of Rathmxiihe, in the county of 
 Antrim. He proceeded after his consecration by St. Patrick to Rome, 
 and thence to JeiTisalem, where he reiiTained some time, and on his re- 
 turn to Rome was received by the clergy and people with peculiar 
 marks of veneration. While at Rome he ordained bishops, some priests, 
 and deacons, and on his return to Ireland was presented with relics of 
 St. Tliomas, and other apostles, together with an abundance of gold and 
 silver vessels requisite for the use of the sanctuary. In his native coun- 
 try he laid the foundation of a monastery at Connor. St. Mac Nissa is 
 represented as a man of very exalted sanctity : he is said to have 
 wrought many miracles, and to have been endowed with the gift of 
 prophecy. The year of his death is not certain, but it may, according to 
 the most probable account, be fixed A.D. 507. His natalis, or festival, 
 
78 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF T RET. A 70 1. 
 
 is marked on the 3d of September. By order of Clement XII. a proper 
 mass for bis feast and otlier patron saints of Ireland, was edited at Paris, 
 by Nicholas Anthony O’Kenny, Prothonotary Apostolic in 1731. The 
 sees of Down and Connor were again united in the 15th century under 
 Eugene IV. 
 
 Lugadius, died in 537. 
 
 Duna, died in 656. 
 
 Saint Duchonna, the pious, died, 725. 
 
 Aegedareus died, 886. 
 
 Mielbrigid, son of Readan, died 955, 
 
 Fingin, doubted as Bishop of Down, was an eminent anchorite, and 
 Lis memory was revered on the 5th of March ; he died A.D. 965. 
 
 Flaherty died, 1043. 
 
 Samuel, whom Ware omits, assisted at the Irish synod held in 1096, 
 while Domnald Mac Amalgaid held usurped possession of Armagh, 
 Coencomirach O’Boil acting as bishop. 
 
 St. Malachy transferred to Armagh. 
 
 Malachy II. — Mac Inclericeur succeeded 1148, was a learned man, 
 and died at a very advanced age in the year 1175 ; he assisted at the 
 Council of Kells in 1152. 
 
 Gelasius Mac Connie succeeded, and died 1175. 
 
 Malachy III. succeeded 1176, and died about 1201. 
 
 Ralph, Abbot of Kinloss, and afterwards of Melrose in Scotland, was 
 promoted to this see by the influence of John de Salem, Cardinal Priest 
 of St. Stephen, in Damaso, and legate from Innocent III., A.D. 1202 : 
 he died in 1213. 
 
 Thomas, succeeded, 1213, and sat in 1237. 
 
 Ranulph, or Randal was the next successor, and died in 1253. 
 
 Reginald, archdeacon of Down, succeeded in 1258 ; he sat in this 
 see seven years, and was translated to the diocese of CloiTie, in Munster, 
 where he died in 1273. 
 
 Tliomas Liddell was elected’ bishop, in Kovember, 1266 ; he gov 
 emed the see about ten years, and died A.D. 1276. 
 
 Kicholas, who was treasurer of Ulster and prior of the cathedral ol 
 Down, succeeded ; he sat about twenty-eight years, and died A.D. 
 1304. 
 
 Tliomas Kittel was elected by the prior and convent of Down ; he 
 obtained the temporals in July, 1305. He governed the see eight years 
 and died in 1313. 
 
 Tliomas Bright, prior of the cathedral of Down, was elected and 
 consecrated by Roland de Jorse, of Armagh, in the year 1314 ; he died 
 in 1327, and was buried in his own church. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTOET OF lEELAm). 
 
 Ya 
 
 Ralph, of Ivilmessan, a Franciscan friar, was, by mandate of the 
 pope, John XXIL, consecrated by Bertran, cardinal bishop of Tusculnm. 
 He sat in this see twenty-four years, and died in August, 1353. During 
 his time all the possessions of the see of Down were confirmed by King 
 Edward III. on the 24:th of August, 1342. 
 
 Richard Calf, prior of the cathedral of Down, succeeded, by provi- 
 sion of Pope Lmocent VI., A.D. 1353. He presided upwards of eleven 
 years, having died on the 26th of October, 1365. 
 
 'William, succeeded, by provision of Urban V., A.D. 1365 ; sat 
 scarce three years, and died in August, 1368. 
 
 John Logan, ai’chdeacon of Down, succeeded, by provision of the 
 Pope, but died before he enjoyed the benefit of his bishop rick. 
 
 Richard Calf, the 2d, prior to the cathedral of Down, succeeded, 
 A.D. 1369, and died on the 16th of May, 1386, having governed the 
 see seventeen years, and was buried in his own church. 
 
 John Ross, prior of Down, succeeded, by provision of the Pope. 
 Having done homage, he received the temporals in March, 1387, and 
 died A.D. 1394. 
 
 John Dongan, a Benedictine, and bishop of Derry, was, by Pope 
 Boniface IX. translated to Down. Having done hornage, he received 
 the temporals on the 26th of July, 1395 ; he died A.D. 1412. 
 
 John Sely, a Benedictine monk, and also prior of Down, succeeded, 
 and was consecrated in 1413, and in 1441 was deprived of the see, for 
 public and notorious scandal. After his advancement to the episcopacy 
 he acted with great regularity, and observed, the rules of the order to 
 which he belonged. He soon after laid aside his habit, for which he 
 was called to account by John Swayn, archbishop of Armagh, and ad- 
 monished to put an end to the scandal, but John took no notice of the 
 admonition, and was at length called upon to show cause why sentence 
 of excommunication should not be formally jDronounced against him. 
 In 1434, he was warned by the said archbishop to remove the partner of 
 his guilt, within a fixed period, otherwise that sentence, not only of sus- 
 pension, but the greater one of excommunication, would be fulminated 
 against him. This person bore the euphonious name of Letitia Tlromb, 
 and was also a married woman. Yet John averted the blow, until 
 1441, in which year he was deprived. Sely was not so groat a favorite 
 as one of his predecessors, John Ross, a Benedictine, and also prior of 
 Down, who, in 1380, was marked with every vice, and who in 1387 ob- 
 tained the see, though he had to sue the king’s pardon for all treasons, 
 transgressions, felonies and excesses, whereof he had been indicted. 
 Sely was, it seems, a bad or irregular man, as he had been indicted and 
 outlawed in the year 1414. 
 
80 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF TRE LA ^^>. 
 
 Be it observed, for the sake of the character of the Irish Church, 
 that this brace of worthies were not of mere Irish descent, as appears 
 from an act of parliament in the year 1380, prohibiting any of this 
 description being professed in the abbey of Down. It sometimes hap- 
 pens, that the Scribes and Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses, and if 
 their lives be not in accordance with their doctrines, we are admonished 
 by the Savior himself, to beware of their pernicious example, as he 
 denounces woe to those by whom scandals come, 
 
 Tlie prorhotion of those unworthy men, to the episcopal dignity, 
 evinces the predilection which their English extraction ensured them 
 with the goverament : alike injurious to the interests of religion and of 
 those whose rights, civil and ecclesiastical, were disregarded and tram- 
 pled under foot. 
 
 Tlie Primate recommended William Basset, also a Benedictine, to 
 the notice of the holy See, as a proper person to be promoted to the 
 diocese of Down, vacant by the deprivation of John Sely, but his 
 efforts were unsuccessful. Sely and the bishop of Connor had contem- 
 plated an union of those sees, before the sentence of deposition had 
 been pronounced. The Primate had, at this time, opened a correspon- 
 dence with John Stafford, bishop of Bath and Wells, in which he 
 assured him that the union of those sees would be an injury to Eng- 
 land, and an advantage to the king’s Irish enemies, but he was equally 
 unsuccessful, as at Borne. It was therefore agreed to unite the sees 
 when the vacancy of either permitted. Nevertheless, the Primate 
 cited John, bishop of Connor and William Stawley, prior of Down, and 
 the chapter, to appear and exhibit canonical proof of this arrangement ; 
 but John, in the meantime appealed to Borne, was successful, and con- 
 tinued to govern the united sees of Down and Connor, until his death, 
 which occurred in the year 14:51. 
 
 John, bishop of Down and Connor, succeeded to the see of Down, 
 by provision of Pope Eugene IV., A.D. 144:1 ; he died A.D. 1451. The 
 predecessors of John, in the see of Connor to St. Malachy, inclusive of 
 his incumbency, were — 
 
 Patrick O’Baman, 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1174. 
 
 William, 
 
 A,D. 
 
 1260. 
 
 Nehemias, . 
 
 1182. 
 
 William de Hay, 
 
 1263. 
 
 Begin aid. 
 
 1197. 
 
 Bobert Fleming, 
 
 1274. 
 
 Christian O’Keamey, . 
 
 1210. 
 
 Peter de Nunath, 
 
 1292. 
 
 Eustachius, 
 
 1240. 
 
 John, .... 
 
 1315. 
 
 Adam, . . .' 
 
 1244. 
 
 Bichard, 
 
 1321. 
 
 Isaac, .... 
 
 1256. 
 
 James de Couplith, 
 
 1322. 
 
 I 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKr OF LRELACO). 
 
 81 
 
 John de Egglescliffe, . 
 
 1324. 
 
 Eugene, . . . 1427. 
 
 James O’Komey, 
 
 1351. 
 
 Cornelius. 
 
 William Mercier, 
 
 1375. 
 
 John, in whom the sees were 
 
 Paul, 
 
 1376. 
 
 united, &c. 
 
 John, 
 
 1411. 
 
 
 Robert Rocliford, elected to the see of Down and Connor, was 
 earnestly recommended to the holy see by John Mey, archbishop of 
 Armagh, and in his letter he describes the bishop elect as eloquent and 
 well-skilled, both in the English and Irish languages. He succeeded in 
 1451, but there is no certainty of his consecration, as it appears, the 
 Pope provided Richard Wolsey, by bull, on the 21st July, 1451. 
 
 Thomas was consecrated bishop on the last day of May, 1456 ; he 
 died about the year 1468. 
 
 Tliady succeeded, by provision of Pope Paul H., and was conse- 
 crated at Rome, in the church of St. Mary Supra Minervam, on the 
 10th of September, 1469. On his return home he paid his homage to 
 the Primate, and was admitted to the kiss of peace. Thady died in 
 1486. 
 
 Tiberius succeeded. He very much beautified his cathedral, and 
 died A.D. 1526. 
 
 Eugene Macgonnis, succeeded, by provision of Pope Paul HI., and 
 having sworn fealty to the king, received the temporals on the 24th of 
 October, 1541. He sat in 1559. 
 
 Cornelius O’Duane, bishop of Down and Connor, A.D. 1600. Mar- 
 tyred in 1611, 'was a Franciscan, and of the convent of Donegal. 
 Elected bishop for his superior merit. Was taken by the English, and 
 remained a long time in bondage and confinement, to whom they offered 
 wealth and presents, only if he would conform to their tenets, but he 
 rejected the offer, as he preferred an eternal treasure to the transitory 
 things of life. God released him on this occasion, but he was again 
 taken and put to death ; he was first beheaded, then quartered and cut 
 in pieces, on the 1st day of February ; Sir Arthur Chichester being 
 lord justice of Ireland. His dreadful martyrdom afflicted all the Catho- 
 lics of Ireland, and those who were in the city of Dublin vied with each 
 other in procuring his members ; more of them supplied themselves 
 with fine linens to receive his blood. An eminent priest, Giolla Patrick 
 O’Luchairen attended the bishop. When the English decreed that botli 
 should be put to death, the bishop dreading that he would be dismayed, 
 requested of the executioners to put this holy priest to death before 
 himself, in order that he might encourage him, but the priest declared 
 that he would follow him without fear, and that it was not meet an 
 6 
 
82 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lEELAlID. 
 
 illustrious prelate should be without a priest to accompany him ; so 
 that he suffered and endured the same treatment with his bishop, for 
 the sake of his soul and the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 In consequence of the severity of those times, the sees of Down and 
 Connor were administered by Doctor Patrick Bju-ne, as vicar-general, 
 for forty years. 
 
 Edmond, in 1627. 
 
 Bonaventure, of the order of St. Francis, &c. 
 
 Arthur McGennis, in 1650. In 1671, Daniel Mac Kay was bishop of 
 Down and Connor, and his name frequently occurs in the registration 
 act, as ordaining priests, &c. 
 
 Bishop Armstrong. 
 
 Bishop Stuart. 
 
 Bishop Sheil, 1700. 
 
 Edmond O’Doran, 1759. 
 
 Theophilus McCarten, 1788. 
 
 Hugh McMullen. 
 
 Patrick McMullen j 1824. 
 
 William Crolly, translated, 1835. 
 
 Cornelius Denvir, November, 1835. Accompanied the Primate in 
 1836, and the following year, to Killala, as secretary, while the inves- 
 tigation pended, relative to the dissatisfaction which prevailed between 
 the venerable Dr. O’Finan and the clergy. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HI6T0KY OF IRELAND 
 
 83 
 
 ' CHAPTER XI. 
 
 SEE OF KILMORE 
 
 St. Fedlimid is by some called bishop of Kilmore; but it does 
 not appear to have been an episcopal see until the fifteenth cen- 
 tury ; nor have wo any certain account of even a monastery being 
 erected there by this saint, or any other person. St. Fedlimid was per- 
 haps no more than the pastor, or there led the life of a recluse. He is 
 supposed to have been the brother of St. Diermit, abbot of Inniscloth- 
 ran, an island in Lough Ree, of the Shannon. He was of the illustrious 
 house of the Hy-Fiachra of Connaught. Sir James Ware observes, 
 that Florence O’Canachty, who died in 1231, is the first bishop of Kil- 
 more or Breflnay met with. 
 
 According to Usher, the following were bishops : — 
 
 Conoglac Mac Eneol, . 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1250. 
 
 Thomas Rushock, 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1389 
 
 Simon O’Rourke, . 
 
 1286. 
 
 John O’Reilly, 
 
 1393 
 
 Maurice Abbot, . 
 
 1307. 
 
 Robert Brady, 
 
 1396. 
 
 Mathew Me Duibne, 
 
 1314. 
 
 Nicholas Brady, . 
 
 1421. 
 
 Patrick, 
 
 1319. 
 
 Donagh, . . . 
 
 1442. 
 
 Richard O’Reilly, 
 
 Andrew Mac Brady, 
 
 1370. 
 
 archdeacon of Tribuma, succeeded. 
 
 By the 
 
 consent of Pope Nicholas Y. he erected the parish church of St. Fedli- 
 mid into a cathedral, and placed in it thirteen canons. Pope Callistus 
 HI. confirms this erection the year following. Henceforth he and his 
 successors have taken the title of bishops of Kilmore. Andrew died 
 A.D. 1456. 
 
 Tliady, bishop of Kilmore, succeeded, A.D. 1456, and assisted at a 
 provincial council, which John Bole, archbishop of Armagh convened, 
 at Drogheda, in St. Peter’s church, June, 1460. 
 
 Fursey Mac Duibne, who succeeded, sat a short time, and died A.D. 
 1464. 
 
 John, bishop of Kilmore, succeeded, 1464. Sat in May, 1470. 
 
84 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Tliomas Brady, succeeded ; sat in 1489, and assisted at a provincial 
 council held on the 7th July, 1489, in the church of St. Mary, Atherdee, 
 county of Louth. Tlioinas died A.D. 1511. 
 
 Dermod, bishop of Kihnore, a man of learning, succeeded, in 1511. 
 Being a lover of peace and order, he repaired to Swords, in the county 
 of Dublin, as the times were very tumultuous in Ulster ; there he offici- 
 ated as vicar, and died in 1529. 
 
 Edmond ISTugent, sat in 1541. He was prior of the convent of the 
 Blessed Virgin, at Tristemagh. He died in the reign of queen Mary. 
 
 John Brady, succeeded ; sat in 1576. He was deprived about the 
 year 1585. Of him. Sir John Perrot, lord deputy of Ireland writes to 
 queen. Elizabeth, regarding the advancement of the English in Ireland : 
 “ That of late there was a lewd friar come from Rome, as a delegate of 
 the Popes, that usurped the see, dispersing abroad seditious hills, and 
 such like trash.” Tliat he had dispossessed him of the see of Kihnore, 
 and hoped to bring him to submission, or to answer for his lewdness ; 
 and as he judged, it would he an increase of her majesty’s authority 
 among those barbarous people, to have a bishop placed there by her 
 majesty, so he recommended John Garvey to supply the place, and to 
 supplant the usui’ping bishop, and desired a warrant to enthrone him. 
 Of coui-se the pious shepherdess of the Anglican church complied with 
 the wishes of Sir John Perrot, and letters patent, instead of those with 
 the fishennan’s ring, were granted to John Garvey. 
 
 The letter of her deputy must have been gratifying to her Majesty, 
 as she had at one time liberally rewarded an author who composed a 
 song, which aimed at bringing the friars and nuns of the day into con- 
 tempt and disgrace ; that song has been circulated through the country, 
 and is to he found in Hardiman’s collection of Irish minstrelsy, vol. 1, 
 p. 254. 
 
 Richard Brady, bishop in 1610. 
 
 Hugh O’Reilly, died in 1627. 
 
 Eugene Sweeny, 1650. In 1670, Oliver Darcy, a minorite. 
 
 Michael Me Donagh, 1737. 
 
 Lawrence Richardson, 1753. 
 
 Andrew Campbell, 1769. 
 
 Denis McGuire. 
 
 Charles O’Reilly, coadjutor, in 1800. 
 
 James Dillon, translated from Raphoe, A.D. 1801. 
 
 Patrick McGuire, 1826. 
 
 FarreU O’ReiUy, 1829. 
 
 James Brown, who presides at present, was consecrated in June, 
 1827, as coadjutor. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTORY OF IRELAND 
 
 85 
 
 CHAPTER XIT. 
 
 DIOCESE OF ARDAGH 
 
 Its first bishop was St. Moel, a Briton, and is said to have been con- 
 secrated before his arrival in Ireland. As he is said to have been 
 a bishop while St. Bridget was yet in her mother’s womb, and as 
 she was born A.D. 454, we have almost precisely fixed the time of his 
 incumbency of Ardagh, and it seems that his incumbency took place 
 when St. Patrick was on his way from Munster to the North, Hie 
 death of this holy bishop took place in 488. The diocese of Ardagh is 
 then deservedly reckoned amongst the most ancient churches of Ireland. 
 St. Moel is said to have, like St. Paul, obtained his livelihood by manual 
 labor, and to have written a book on the virtues and miracles of St. 
 Patrick, while the apostle was living. 
 
 From his see, the ancient Teffia, the fame of St. Moel, his learning 
 and his virtues, spread far and near, and was powerfully instrumental 
 in collecting large numbers to the fold of Christ. During his travels, 
 as the constant and beloved companion of St. Patrick, he foretold the 
 birth and exalted sanctity of St. Bridget. His suavity and mildness en- 
 deared him to all, and obtained for him the eulogies of ancient writers. 
 He is ranked among the first and most distinguished disciples of St. 
 Patrick. 
 
 St. Milchuo, brother to St. Moel, by the same father and mother, 
 succeeded to this see A.D. 488. He would then have been the nephew 
 of St. Patrick by his sister Darerca ; but it does not appear that St 
 Patrick had any such relative in Ireland, if we are to credit some ac- 
 counts. (See Inisnagoil^ county Galway^ It was then customary to 
 designate religious persons by the appellation of brothers and sisters, as 
 it is at present, in conventual societies. He was, however, a zealous 
 imitator of St. Patrick’s virtues, and the unwearied companion of his 
 labore. The day of his death is not known, but his festival was kept on 
 tlie 6th of February. We have only slender memorials of Ins sne- 
 cessore until the coming of the English. 
 
86 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 St. Erard, a native of Ireland, and Bishop of Ardagh, flourished 
 about the year 700. With his brother, St. Albert, and nineteen other 
 associates, he forsook his country about the beginning of the 8th century 
 and travelled into Germany. He joined St. Ilildulph, who was then 
 living retired in the Yosges, and wdth Avhom he remained a considerable 
 time ; thence he proceeded to Bavaria to preach the gospel, without be- 
 ing attached to any see as bishop. Happening to be near the Bliine, 
 St. Erard baptized Odilia, the infant daughter of the duke, Atticus, who, 
 being born blind, became gifted with sight in the very act of her bap- 
 tism. After this, he returned to Bavaria, and tarried at Batisbon, wdiere 
 having led a most holy life, as many miracles attested, he terminated his 
 earthly career on an 8th of January. St. Erard was canonized by Pope 
 Leo IX. in 1052. The death of this saint ought to be placed about the 
 begiiming of the 8th century, A.D. 714, as it appears that Odilia was 
 born in 700. Of this saint there are conflicting accounts. 
 
 Ceili, Bishop of Ardagh, flourished in 1048. 
 
 Macrait O’Moran died in 1168. He assisted at the Council of KeUa 
 in 1152, and Avas then styled Bishop of Conmacne, or Ardagh. 
 
 Christian O’Heotai, was bishop in 1172, and died in 1179. 
 
 O’Tirlenan, Bishop of Ardagh, died in 1187. 
 
 O’llislenan was slain A.D. 1189. 
 
 Adam O’Muredai died A.D. 1217, and is reckoned among the bene- 
 factors of the Abbey of Tristernagh. Besides the confirmation of sev- 
 eral Churches in the diocese, he granted to it the tithes of Tyrclogher, 
 Clonmellon, Eathowen and Ardglas, reserving his episcopal customs. 
 
 • Eobert, an Englishman, a Cistercian Monk, and eleventh Abbot of 
 St. Mary’s, near Dublin, succeeded in 1217. The annals of Mary’s 
 Abbey describe him “ as a man of holy conversation.” He was also a 
 benefactor to the Abbey of Tristernagh. He died on 28th of May, 
 1224. 
 
 Simon Magrath, celebrated for the probity of his manners, virtue 
 and devotion, succeeded, A. D. 1224, and died in 1230. 
 
 Joseph Magodaig, Archdeacon of Ardagh, was elected bishop of 
 this see ; proceeded to Eome and there .obtained the sanction of the 
 Pope, but on his return, died at Florence, in Italy, A.D. 1231. 
 
 Jocelin O’Tormaig was consecrated in 1233, and confirmed about 
 the close of the year : he died A.D. 1237. 
 
 Brendan Magodaic succeeded in 1238, and sat seventeen years. He 
 was a large benefactor to the Abbey of Tristernagh. He died A.D. 
 1255, and was buried in an abbey of Canons of St. Peter, at Derg. 
 
 Miles de Dunstaple, so called from a town of that name in Bedford- 
 shire, was elected bishop of Ardagh, and obtained the royal assent on 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 87 
 
 the 20th of May, 1256. He presided about thirty-three years and died, 
 A.D. 1289. 
 
 Mathew O’Heothy, Canon of Ardagh, was consecrated and was pre- 
 ferred by the king to the temporals on the 28th of January, 1289. He 
 governed the see thirty-two years and died, A.D. 1322. From the pe- 
 riod of his death, until the year 1331, the temporalities of this see were 
 received by the king’s escheators. 
 
 John Mageoi succeeded, A.D. 1331, and died in 1343. After his 
 decease the’ see was again vacant three years. The king’s escheators 
 must have again managed the temporals and have taken a deep interest 
 in the widowed state of the bishopricks. , 
 
 Owen O’Ferrall, archdeacon of Ardagh, was elected by the Dean 
 and Chapter before the end of the year 1343, and was consecrated in 
 1347 ; he governed the see twenty years afterwards, and died in 1367. 
 He was a prelate much celebrated for the iiAegrity of his life. 
 
 'William Mac Casac, a secular priest, succeeded in 1367, and died 
 through the effects of a fall from his horse in 1373. 
 
 Charles O’Ferrall succeeded, A.D. 1373, and died at Rome in 1378. 
 
 Henry Hony, a Dominican and chaplain of the Pope was bishop in 
 1392. 
 
 John O’Frayn, a friar, succeeded A.D. 1378. He died in 1394, the 
 see being vacant two years after his decease. 
 
 Gilbert Mac Brady succeeded by provision of Pope Boniface IX., 
 and was consecrated in 1396. 
 
 Adam Lyns, or Lyons, a Dominican Friar, succeeded by provision 
 of the Pope, A.D. 1400 : he departed this life A.D. 1416. 
 
 Cornelius O’Ferrall succeeded in 1418, paid homage or obedience to 
 John Swayn, archbishop of Armagh, on the 3d of February, 1418 : he 
 departed life A.D. 1424, and was interred in the Dominican abbey at 
 Longford. Cornelius was a prelate much celebrated for his charity to 
 the indigent. 
 
 Richard O’Ferrall sat in 1427 ; appeared by proxy at a provincial 
 synod held by John Swayn, Ai’chbishop of Armagh, at Drogheda. He 
 died A.D. 1443. 
 
 Cormac succeeded ; sat in 1460 and died in 1470. 
 
 William O’Ferrall sat in 1486 ; died in 1516. Lie was chieftain of 
 Anualy or Longford ; resigned long before his death. 
 
 Tliomas O’Congallan died in 1508 ; a man of great reputation for 
 his wisdom as well as his charity to the poor. 
 
 Eugene, a Dominican, succeeded in 1508 by provision of Pope Julius 
 H. He sat in 1530. 
 
 Richard O’Ferral, abbot of Granard, was elected by the Dean and 
 
88 
 
 ECCLE8IASTICA1, HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Chapter ; obtained the temporals of the see on the 14th of July, 1541, but 
 was not consecrated till the year following. He governed the see twelve 
 years, having died in 1553. During his life he was chieftain of Annaly. 
 
 Patrick Mac Mahon succeeded A.D. 1553, and died about the year 
 1577. 
 
 Oliver Darcy, in 1670. In 1710 died. 
 
 Ambrose O’Connor, a Dominican, Bishop of Ardagh. 
 
 Anthony Blake, Bishop of Ardagh, was translated to Armagh. 
 
 Patrick Plunkett, a Bernardine ; ten years in exile, and a wanderer 
 after his return to Beland, in the woods and mountains. 
 
 Mulligan. 
 
 Brady. 
 
 John Cruise, living in 1798. 
 
 James Magauran died on the 3d of June, 1829. 
 
 William Higgins was consecrated on the 30th of November, 1829. 
 Having completed his studies, he became professor in the Irish College 
 at Paris in his twenty-first year of age. Here he remained three yeare, 
 and having proceeded to Rome he obtained the title of Doctor of Divin- 
 ity about the year 1818. Soon after he was appointed by the I’ope to 
 examine the condition of the colleges on the Continent, which had been 
 materially injured by the war which then prevailed. Having performed 
 his commission of inspecting those establishments, to the satisfaction of 
 his Holiness, he returned to Ireland in 1826, and became Professor of 
 Dogmatic Theology in the college of Maynooth ; and on the death of 
 his predecessor was chosen to succeed. As the strenuous assertor of his 
 country’s rights. Doctor Higgins cannot be surpassed, and in combating 
 the perfidious attacks of the English government on the freedom of re- 
 ligion and education, has been the zealous and faithful cooperator of the 
 illustrious archbishop of Tuam. He has long since commenced and 
 planned the erection of a cathedral, which, when completed, will be one 
 of the most splendid ecclesiastical structures of Reland. Tlie diocese 
 of Ardagh has to lament his death within the present year, on tlie 3d of 
 January, 1853. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF lEELANI). 
 
 89 
 
 CHAPTER Xm. 
 
 DIOCESE OF DROMORE. 
 
 St. Colman, its founder, was a descendant of the Dalaradian family, 
 and therefore a native of the territory in which the see was situated. 
 Having studied the sacred Scriptures under St. Ailbe, of Emly, he return- 
 ed to his native province and erected, through the advice of Mac Nisse, 
 bishop of Connor, a noble monastery on the banks of the River Locha, 
 or Lagan, which flows through Dromox’e. In this monastery Mac Hisse 
 died in 514. Several eminent men received their education under St. 
 Colman, and among them may be reckoned the great St. Finnian, of 
 Clonard. Hence, it appears that the see of Dromore must have been 
 f .unded in the early part of the 6th century, instead of its close. The 
 year of his death, or of his promotion to the episcopacy is unknown, 
 but his festival is observed on the 7th of June. 
 
 Of the succession of bishops in this see we have no account, except 
 that of 
 
 Maelbrigid Mac Cathasaige, who flourished in 972, and Rigan in 1101, 
 until about the close of the 12th century. It is therefore supposed that 
 it was either annexed to Armagh, or perhaps held in Commendam. In 
 the distribution of sees at the Council of Kells in 1152, there is no men- 
 tion made of Dromore, or Elphin. 
 
 Gerard, a Cistercian Monk of the Abbey of Mellifont, was elected 
 Bishop of Dromore and obtained the royal assent on the 25th of April, 
 1227 ; he presided seventeen years. 
 
 Andrew, Archdeacon of Dromore, was consecrated A.D. 1245. 
 
 Tigernac 1. was Bishop of Dromore in 1287. 
 
 Gervase succeeded in 1290. 
 
 Tigernac IL, a monk, died in 1309. 
 
 Florence Mac Donegan, Canon of Dromore, was elected by the Dean 
 and Chapter in this year, and conflrmed by Bang Edward H. 
 
 Christopher presided over the see in 1369. 
 
 Cornelius died about the year 1381. 
 
90 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOEY OF ERELANB. 
 
 John O’Lannub, a Franciscan Friar, succeeded by provision of Pope 
 Urban VI., and having sWorn allegiance, obtained the temporals on the 
 10th of November, 1382. 
 
 John Volcan, bishop of Dromore, was translated to the see of Ossory 
 in the year 1404, and soon after died, leaving a reputation for his virtues 
 and endowments. 
 
 Richard Messing, a Carmelite, succeeded in 1408 and died in 1409. 
 
 John succeeded in 1410, and resigned in 1418. It seems this John 
 was retained by the archbishop of Canterbury, as his vicar. 
 
 Nicholas W arter, a Franciscan Friar, succeeded by provision of Pope 
 Martin V., on the 17th of March, 1419, in consequence of the absence 
 of John. 
 
 David Chirbury, a Carmelite Friar, succeeded ; wsis a prelate re- 
 nowned for his piety and theological knowledge. He died A.D. 1427 
 or 1431, and was, it is said, buried at Ludlow, in a monastery of his own 
 order. 
 
 Tliomas Scrope, distinguished by his virtue and learning, succeeded 
 in 1434. He first embraced the Benedictine Order, and afterwards 
 joined the Carmelites, among whom he lived in the practice of almost 
 incredible austerities. An Eremite for twenty years, he was called from 
 his solitude and sent to instruct the people by Pope Eugene IV., by 
 whom he was promoted to this see about the year 1434. His revenues 
 he expended on the poor, or on pious uses. He lived to a decrepid old 
 age and died in 1491. He must have resigned long before his death, 
 as John Prene, archbishop of Armagh, was guardian of the see in 1440. 
 
 Thomas Radclifie succeeded ; he was an absentee, as well as his five 
 predecessors, and in consequence, the see was reduced to a state of pov- 
 erty, so that no one could be found to accept it. Octavian de Palatio, 
 archbishop of Armagh, represented to King Henry VH. the evils of 
 this absence, as by it the see was void and desolate, and almost extin- 
 guished. 
 
 George Brann, a Grecian, and a native of Athens, sat in this see in 
 the year 1489, and was subsequently translated to Elphin. George was 
 procurator to the hospital of the Holy Ghost, in Saxia or Saxon street, 
 in Rome, and to its benefactors, and was also a procurator for building 
 a similar establishment in Ireland. This hospital in Rome was founded 
 by Pope Innocent HI. Henry de Loundres, archbishop of Dublin, 
 founded an hospital of the same description in his diocese, and reserved 
 out of its endowments an annual pension of four byzantines, payable to 
 that of Rome. The byzantine was a coin, either gold or silver, then 
 current in England. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF EBELAND. 
 
 91 
 
 William, called bishop of Dromore and suffragan of York, is also 
 said to haA'e lived in that city, A.D. 1500. 
 
 Galentius, bishop of Dromore, died in 1504. 
 
 John Baptist, was advanced to the see of Dromore, on the 12th 
 of June, 1504. 
 
 Thady, a minorite, succeeded, in 1511. 
 
 Quintinus O’Coigly was bishop in 1536. 
 
 Arthur Magennis sat in 1550. 
 
 Patrick was bishop in 1649. 
 
 Oliver Darcey, 1670. 
 
 Daniel Mackay, 1674, whose name occurs in the registry act. 
 
 Donnelly, living in 1709. 
 
 Anthony O’Garvey, living in 1759. 
 
 Lennon, living in 1800. 
 
 Edmond Derry, died about 1820. 
 
 Hugh O’Kelly, died August, 1825. 
 
 Tliomas Kelly, translated to Annagh, &c. 
 
 Michael Blake, consecrated on the 17th of March, 1833, under whom 
 religion and piety are rapidly progressing, and vice disappears. One 
 hundred destitute children, who attend his schools, receive their break- 
 fast daily, at the expense of this venerable prelate. 
 
02 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 DIOCESE OF RAPHOE. 
 
 The time in which this see was founded, cannot be determined. St. 
 Adamnan was revered particularly at Raphoe, as the patron saint of its 
 monastery and church, and this saint was the person by whose name the 
 succession was distinguished. Ware is of opinion that St. Eunan 
 erected the church of this monastery into a cathedral, but he admits 
 that he cannot find out the time in which this saint lived. Lanigan 
 thinks that St. Eunan is no other than Adamnanus, the biographer of 
 Columba, and the remark of Lanigan is b me out by the Irish pro- 
 nunciation of Adamnan. In the deanery ot Tireragh, diocese of Kil- 
 lala, where the well of Adamnan is still known as such, and also a rude 
 bridge, which he is said to have constructed, his name is pronounced by 
 the people in their native tongue, as Eunan. The bed of this saint was 
 to be seen, not long since, at Raphoe. 
 
 Maelbregid Mac Dornan, promoted to Armagh, is said to have been 
 bishop of Raphoe. 
 
 Malduin Mac Kinfalaid, bishop of Raphoe, died about the year 930. 
 
 -Pineas O’Lapain, died in 957. 
 
 Muiredach ( )’Dubthaigh, called bishop of Derry and Raphoe ; he 
 died bishop of Derry in 1173. He is known in the see of Derry as 
 Maurice O’Coffey ; was a canon of the order of St. Augustine, and a 
 man greatly esteemed for his learning, humility, and charity. It is 
 doubtful if he ever was bishop of Raphoe. 
 
 Gilbert O’Caran was bishop of this see in 1172 ; he was afterwards 
 translated to Armagh in 1175. Tlie name of his successor is not pre- 
 served, but from an epistle of Pope Innocent HI. it appears that he was 
 living in 1198. 
 
 Maelisa O’Dorigh was bishop of Raphoe in 1203. 
 
 Patrick O’Scanlain, translated to Armagh by election of the Dean 
 and Chapter, and confirmed by the bull of Pope Urban lY. 
 
 John de Alneto, a Franciscan friar, was promoted to this see by the 
 
ECCI-ESIASnCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 93 
 
 Pope, in 1261, but lie resigned his charge on tlie 28th of April, 1265, 
 on the plea of ill-health. 
 
 Carbrac O’Scoba, a Dominican Friar, succeeded, in 1266, was con- 
 secrated at Armagh. Was one of the fathers who attended the second 
 general council of Lyons, in 1274. While he was bishop of Eaphoe, a 
 part of the diocese was taken away, and annexed to Derry, by German 
 Ocherballen, bishop of that see, and his clan of Kineal Eogain, a pro- 
 ceeding which induced him to visit Rome, and solicit the interests of his 
 Church. Carbrac died there, A.D. 1275. 
 
 Florence O’Ferrall, succeeded, in 1275. He departed this life in 
 1299, leaving a great reputation for his alms-deeds, hospitality and 
 other good works. 
 
 Thomas O’iSrathan or O’Haan, archdeacon of Raphoe, succeeded, in 
 1299, and died in 1306. 
 
 Henry Macan Crossain, succeeded, in 1306, and died in 1319. 
 
 Tliomas O’Donnell, abbot of Ashroe, succeeded, in 1319 ; he pre- 
 sided eighteen years, and died in 1337. He was much esteemed for 
 wisdom, liberality, and other virtues. 
 
 Patrick Magonail sat in 1360. He built three palaces in the manors 
 of Ids see, and died in 1366. 
 
 Richard Mac Crossain is said to have succeeded in 1366. 
 
 John, a Cistercian monk, was consecrated on the 20th February, 
 1397 ; his incumbency must have been short, as 
 
 Cornelius Mac Carmac succeeded in the October following, and died 
 in 1399. 
 
 Anthony, bishop of Raphoe, died about the year 1413. 
 
 Robert Mubine, according to .Wadding, succeeded in 1414. He 
 was a Franciscan friar. 
 
 John Mac Carmic, succeeded, in 1415; made his profession of obe- 
 dience to Nicholas, archbishop of Armagh. He died in 1419. 
 
 Lawrence O’Galchor, 1st, dean of Raphoe, was preferred to the see 
 by Pope Martin V., on the 27th Febniary, 1420, and died in 1438. 
 
 John Prene, archbishop of Armagh was guardian of the see in spi- 
 rituals and temporals ; however, O'Donnel, prince of his clan, and the 
 Dean and Chapter, usurped the fruits of his bishopric, for which they 
 were called to account by the Primate. He prosecuted those parties ; 
 deprived them of their benefices and ofiices ; he also removed the cross 
 whioh stood in the cathedral of Raphoe, to the church of Armagh. 
 
 John Mac Gilbride, succeeded, in 1438. 
 
 Lawrence O’Galchor, 2d, sat in 1439, and died in 1447. He was 
 prosecuted for his incontinence before the Primate, but upon submitting 
 to penance, was absolved. It is stated in the Ulster Inquisitions, that 
 
94 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF niELAND. 
 
 lie bestowed certain lands belonging to the see of Raphoe on the 
 daughter of O’Boyle, who was the partner of his guilt. The tradition 
 of the country adds, that O’Donnell levelled his castle, and compelled 
 him to put away this sacrilegious accomplice, and moreover put him on 
 his trial before the Primate of all Ireland. 
 
 Menelaus Mac Carmacan, dean of Raphoe, was promoted to this see, 
 and paid obedience to Octavian de Palatio, archbishop of Armagh, in 
 July, 1484. He died in the habit of tlie Franciscan order, on the 9th 
 of May, 1515. 
 
 Bryan Gallagher was bishop in 1543, and was opposed in getting 
 possession. 
 
 Cornelius O’Cahan, succeeded, and sat in 1550. . 
 
 Donagh Magonigail, succeeded ; sat in 1563, and was present at the 
 council of Trent. He died at Ivillybegs, in 1589. 
 
 Rial O’Boyle, succeeded, in 1597, and died at Glean Eidhnighe, on 
 the 6th of February, 1611. He was interred at Innis Caoil, an island 
 in the barony of Boylagh, county of Donegal. Rial was murdered at 
 Donegal. 
 
 John O’Cullenan was bishop in 1650 ; was murdered at Glencomb 
 kill. The name of this bishop occurs in the registry act. 
 
 B. Hegarty, succeeded. 
 
 James Gallagher was translated to Kildare, in 1731. 
 
 Rathaniel O’Donnell. 
 
 Anthony O’Donnell. 
 
 Philip O’Reilly, consecrated April, 1759. 
 
 Anthony Coyle, died 1800. 
 
 James Dillon, coadjutor to Anthony, was translated to Kilmore, 
 1801. 
 
 Peter McLaughlin, consecrated the 24th of August, 1802; trans 
 lated to Derry in 1820. 
 
 Patrick McGettigan, the present bishop, consecrated the 17th Sep- 
 tember, 1821. 
 
ECCLESIATICAI, HISTOEY OF lEELAIO). 
 
 9A 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 
 DIOCESE OF DERRY. 
 
 Pr a decree of a synod held in 1158, at Brigh-mac Tliaig, in JVIeath, 
 at which Gelasius the Primate and Christian bishop of Lismore and le- 
 gate apostolic, and twenty -five other bishops, assisted, the episcopal see 
 of Derry was founded, and Plathbert O’Brolcan, abbot of Derry, a 
 learned man, was preferred to the see, and its cathedral erected by him, 
 with the assistance of Maurice Mac Laughlin (O’Neil), king of Ireland, 
 A.D. 1164. St. Eugene is said to have fixed his see at Ardsrath, on the 
 river Derg. Some assert that he was coeval with, and the disciple of 
 St. Patrick, but others will have it, with St. Canice and St. Congal. 
 Be this as it may, he cannot be placed as a bishop earlier than the lat- 
 ter part of the sixth century. St. Eugene was of a Leinster family by 
 his father, and of an Ulster one by his mother. He was a great and 
 illustrious preacher. Was buried in his own churchyard, and a chapel 
 built over his tomb, and his festival, or the day of his death, was ob- 
 served on the 23d of August. Tlie see of Ardsrath was transferred to 
 Maghera, of which St. Luroch is patron, and whose festival is cele- 
 brated on the 17th of February. At a later period it was annexed to 
 the see of Derry. Before the incumbency of Flathbert, it cannot be 
 denied, that some of his predecessors, as abbots of Derry, were also 
 called bishops, among whom were Coencomrach, who died A.D. 927. 
 
 Finacta, skilled in the antiquities of Ireland, died A.D. 937. 
 
 Maelfinan, who died the 6th of February, 948, and 
 
 Flathbert, who died after a tedious illness, A.D. 1175, and was 
 buried in the sanctuary of St. Columba, esteemed for his learning and 
 exemplary virtues, and who was, as already noticed, promoted to the 
 see of Derry, A.D. 1158. 
 
 Maurice O’Cofiy, called bishop of Derry and Raphoe, was a canon 
 of the order of St. Augustine, and esteemed for his learning, humility, 
 and charity. The annals of the four Masters thus describe him : “ He 
 was a man of pure chastity, a precious stone, a gem, a star, treasury of 
 
96 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL niSTOEY OF lEELAKD. 
 
 wisdom, and cliief conservator of the canons of the church.” lie flou- 
 rished from 1152 to 1173, the year of his death. A great miracle, say 
 the annals, was performed on the night of his death : “ it became bright 
 from dusk till morning, and it appeared to the inhabitants that the ad- 
 jacent parts of the globe were illuminated, and a large body of Are 
 moved over the town, so that the people rose from their beds, thinking 
 it was day.” 
 
 Amlave O’CoflTy, called in the annals of Connaught, bishop of Kinel 
 Eogain, died A.D. 1185, at Duncrutni, whence his body was conveyed 
 to Derry, and buried in St. Columba’s abbey, at the feet of his prede- 
 cessor. 
 
 Florence O’Cherballen, succeeded, A.D. 1185 ; died A.D. 1230, in 
 the 86th year of his age, and the 46th of his consecration. 
 
 German or Gervase O’Cherballen, succeeded, in 1230. He took 
 many things from David O’Brogan, bishop of Clogher, and annexed 
 them to his own see, and also from Carbrac O’Scoba, bishop of Raphoe. 
 While he presided, an abbey of Dominicans was founded at Derry, 
 A.D. 1274, by John O’Donnel, prince of the country, German died, 
 A.D. 1279. 
 
 Florence O’Cherballen, succeeded, A.D. 1279, and sat fourteen 
 years, having died in July, 1293. 
 
 Henry Mac Oreghty, called Henry of Ardagh, was a Cistercian 
 monk ; lawfully elected by the Dean and Chapter, A.D. 1295. Gov- 
 erned only a short period, having departed this life in 1297. 
 
 Geofry or Godfrey Maglathin, was consecrated and obtained the 
 temporals A.D. 1297. He presided fourteen years, and died in 1315. 
 
 Odo or Hugh O’Heal, a secular priest of the diocese, was elected in 
 1316 ; presided scarce three years, having died in June, 1319. 
 
 Michael Me Loghlen was elected in August, 1319, and was con- 
 firmed by Dennis, dean of Armagh, in the absence of primate Rolana 
 Joyce, then beyond sea. He presided in 1324. 
 
 Simon, a friar, sat in the years 1367 and 1369. 
 
 John Dongan, a Benedictine monk, was translated from this see to 
 tliat of Down, A.D. 1395, 
 
 John, a Cistercian and abbot of Moycosquin, or Clarewell, in the 
 barony of Coleraine, was promoted by the Pope to the see of Derry, 
 in the year 1401, and he died A.D. 1419. 
 
 William Quaplod, an English Carmelite, succeeded ; was educated 
 at Oxford. He died A.D. 1422. 
 
 Donald or Donagh, sat in this see A.D. 1423, and died ten years 
 after. It seems he resigned in 1429, as Archbishop Swayne, the pri- 
 mate, was guardian of the see. The Primate, when on his visitation in 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IHSTOKY OF IKELAIID. 
 
 or 
 
 14:20, called this prelate to account for his incontinence, and other 
 crimes. On proof of his guilt he was obliged to submit to a coui’se ot 
 penance ; and on another visitation, in 1429, he had to satisfy the Pri- 
 mate that he had lived in a manner conformable to his vows. 
 
 John, succeeded in 1429, and died in 1456. A citation from the 
 Primate was issued against John, for homicide, and other crimes. 
 
 Bartholomew O’Flanigan, a Cistercian monk, was promoted to the 
 see by Pope Callistus III., on the 27th May, 1458. He died about 1463. 
 
 Nicholas Weston, bachelor of the canon law and canon of Armagh, 
 was consecrated in 1466, and he died in 1484. 
 
 Donald O’Fallon, an observantine Franciscan, was advanced to this 
 see by Pope Innocent VIII., on the ITtli of May, 1485 ; he died in 
 1500. He w’as considered a man of great repute, for his learning and 
 constant preaching through all Ireland, which he practiced thirty years. 
 
 James Mac Mahon w'as consecrated in 1507, and died in 1517. He 
 was commendatory prior of the abbey of SS. Peter and Paul, of Knock, 
 in the county of Louth. 
 
 William Hogeson, a Dominican, was bishop in 1520. 
 
 Eoderick O’Donnel sat in 1529, and died on the 8th of October, 
 1551, in the Franciscan habit, and was buried at Dunegal, in a monas- 
 ter}" of the same order. 
 
 Eedmond O’Gallagher, sat in 1604. Suffered martyrdom. 
 
 Doctor O’Eeilly, in 1751. 
 
 Patrick Bruligan, consecrated in 1751 ; resigned in 1752. 
 
 Doctor Mac Colgan, sat in 1752. 
 
 Daniel MacDevit, lived in 1775. 
 
 Charles O’Donnel, in 1824. 
 
 Peter Mac Laughlin, consecrated on the 6th December, 1824. 
 
 John McLaughlin, consecrated the 16th of July, 1837. Succeeded 
 os ordinary, in 1840. 
 
 Doctor Mac Ginn, was appointed apostolical administrator of Derry,, 
 and died in 1849. The celebrated advocate of the rights of the Dish 
 tenantry, and entitled to the gi-atitude of the Church for his splendid 
 defence of the confessional, in which he has put to shame and confu 
 sion the tongues of its scoffers and its enemies. Lord Stanley, prime 
 minister of England, and his scoi-pion allies, struck dumb by the ex- 
 posure of their calumnies, as well as by the force of trutli, so ably 
 wielded by the pen of this lamented Prelate, have not since dared to 
 utter their abominable falsehoods against this divine institution. 
 
 Francis Kelly succeeded in the administration of the see, and was 
 consecrated on the 21st of October, 1849, under whom religion and 
 
 education are alike urosperous 
 
 7 
 
08 
 
 ECCI.ESIA8TICAL HISTOKY OF mELAETD. 
 
 CHAPTER X\T. 
 
 ARCHIEPISCOPAL SEE OF DUBLIN. 
 
 Dublin was only an episcopal see, until the pallium was first con- 
 ferred on its prelate by John Paparo, cardinal legate at the coimcil of 
 Kells, in 1152 : at that time the see of Cashell ranked before Dublin, as 
 St, Malachy O’Moore sought the pallium for the sees of Armagh and 
 Cashell only, and in tire distribution by the cardinal of the palliums to 
 the four dioceses of Ireland, which are now archbishopricks, the see of 
 Dublin was the third in the series. Dublin is now reckoned as the 
 second see of L’eland, and its prelate is styled primate of Ireland, in 
 accordance with the directions of the holy see, anxious, as it was, to 
 terminate the controversy that so often arose between the primates of 
 Armagh and archbishops of Dublin, regarding the right of precedence, 
 as might be observed in the history of the prelates of Armagh. Dub- 
 lin, the metropolis of Ireland, has two cathedrals, Christ-Church and 
 St. Patrick’s, a peculiarity, in which Saragossa alone participates. 
 Both have been forcibly seized by those intruders, whom the perse- 
 cutoi’s of England have sent amongst the people of our country to 
 plunder and spoliate, while the descendants of the pious foundem and 
 tlie steadfast adherents of the ancient faith were obliged to woi*ship 
 their God in the most obscure lanes and alleys of the city. Christ- 
 Church was erected about the year 1038, and St. Patrick’s in 1190, on 
 the site of an old church, which was said to have been erected by St. 
 Patrick ; both cathedrals are situated within the city and liberties of 
 Dublin. 
 
 To the see of Dublin was united, that of Glendalough, in the year 
 121-1, on the death of William Piro, the last recognized bishop : the 
 union of those sees was ratified by Pope Innocent IH., on the 25th 
 of February, 1215, and again Honorius IH. confirms the acts of 
 his predecessors in this affair. A controversy having arisen between 
 the chapter of St. Patrick’s and Robert de Bedford, the dean of 
 Glendalough, and afterwards bishop of Lismore, the subject was 
 referred by the Pope to Felix O’Ruadan, archbishop of Tuam, wh- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 99 
 
 by Ills decree pronounced in favor of the chapter of Glendalough, and 
 which the Pope Ilonorius IIL, also confirmed. 
 
 The archbishops of Dublin did not obtain quiet possession of the see 
 of Glendalough, until a surrender of it was made in the Cathedral of 
 St. Patrick, by Dennis White, who had been the bishop in opposition 
 to the regal authority. Since his surrender, Glendalough is become a 
 desert; the mountains, which gird the valley, cast a gloom over its 
 scene, contracting every prospect to the eye, which looks on the vener- 
 able ruins of the sanctuary of St. Kevin ; its awful and melancholy 
 appearance reminds the beholder, that this spot was particularly 
 adapted for a life of prayer and meditation. By the union of Glenda- 
 lough with Dublin, the far-famed city, memorable for its religious 
 edifices, has gone not only to decay, but has become the receptacle of 
 robbers and outlaws. 
 
 St. Patrick, having preached with success in the Provinces of Ulster 
 and Connaught, and having taken care to provide for the spiritual 
 exigencies of these districts, was at length enabled to move into Leinster, 
 and advancing to Naas, the residence of the kings of that province, is 
 said to have baptized in a fountain near the north side of the town the 
 Princes Bland and Alild, the sons of King Dunlung, both of whom 
 became in time sovereigns of Leinster. A story is told of one Foillen, 
 an officer in the court of Naas, who unwilling to receive instructions 
 from the saint, pretended to be asleep, but whose slumber has not 
 ceased. St. Patrick, having directed his steps towards Ily-Garchon, a 
 district in some part of the County of Wicklow, was unkindly received 
 by Drichir, prince of the county. Drichir was son-in-law to the 
 Monarch Leogaire, who bore enmity to our saint. But Killin, a man 
 of humble station, most hospitably entertained him, having killed an 
 only cow in his possessson, that he might provide fare for the saint and 
 his companions. His generosity on this occasion was requited by the 
 blessings which the benediction of the saint was instrumental in pro- 
 curing for him and his family. 
 
 From this district Saint Patrick went to Kildare, where he laid the 
 foundation of several churches, arranged the boundaries of ecclesiastical 
 jurisdiction, and left the bishop, Auxilius, at IGllossy, and the prelate, 
 Iserninus, at IGlcullen. These transactions are supposed to have taken 
 place about the end of the year 44.3. Tlience he went to Leix, now 
 part of the Queen’s County, and when arrived at its borders, a lady called 
 Briga, gave him notice of a snare, which the people there had prepared, 
 by which Saint Patrick and his companions would be surprised and put 
 to death. However, they continued their journey, and providentially 
 escaped without falling into the pits. Tlie Arch-poet, Dubtach, of Hy- 
 
100 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL lUSTOKY OF IRELAI^D. 
 
 Kinsellagli (County of Carlow) was liis next host. In their conversation 
 on religious affairs, St. Patrick asked if he knew any one in the country 
 who was worthy of being promoted to holy orders. Dubtach replied 
 that he had a disciple, Fiech, then absent, who was worthy of this honor. 
 Fiech had been sent to Connaught by his preceptor to present some of 
 his poetic compositions to the princes of this province, and before the 
 conversation ended, had returned. 
 
 Fiech, the son of Ere, and of the house of Hy-Bairche in Leinster, 
 was descended of an illustrious family ; was a Christian, or at least a 
 catechumen, when he met St. Patrick, and, it is said, w’as then a wid- 
 ower, his wife having died a little before and leaving an only son called 
 Fiacre. The saint finding him qualified to be promoted to the ecclesi- 
 astical state, gave him the tonsure and supplied him with means where- 
 by to prosecute his studies, in wdiich he made great progress, as well as 
 in piety and devotion. After some time he was consecrated bishop, the 
 first in the province of Leinster, who was raised to the episcopacy and 
 at length became the chief bishop of the whole province. Ilis see was 
 fixed at Sletty, and he is also said to have presided over a monastery, 
 which was called Domnach-Fiech. Ilis name and memory have been 
 held in great respect and veneration. He must have lived to a great 
 age, for it is said that sixty of his disciples departed this life before him- 
 self ; his death probably took place about the year 500. St. Fiech is 
 deservedly ranked among the Fathers of the Irish Church, and his see 
 of Sletty continued to enjoy precedence or preeminence, until the sev- 
 enth century, when it was transferred to Ferns. St. Patrick, it is I’elated, 
 met with great encouragement from Crimthan, son of Enda Kinsellagh, 
 and king of Hy-Ivinsella, who, though hostile to Fiech and Ids connex- 
 ions, is represented as a pious prince and founder of churches which he 
 endowed. lie arrived in Ossory and there converted numbers, and 
 founded churches, some of which are specified. 
 
 St. Patrick is said to have blessed Dublin, and to have foretold its 
 future greatness and prosperity. 
 
 Saint Livinus, bishop of Dublin was a native of Ireland, and accord- 
 ing to some, of royal extraction. He was born in the reign of Colman 
 Rimhe, who was king of Ireland, in the beginning of the seventh cen- 
 tury. Livinus is said to have been instructed by Benignns, a priest, and 
 after the death of his master, to have retired into a desert with three 
 companions, Foillan, Elias, and Kilian, where he employed his time in 
 transcribing books in order to procure sustenance for himself and the 
 poor. He passed over into Britain and remained five years under the 
 directiofi of August'ne who ordained him priest, and having returned 
 to his native country he was promoted to the dignity of bishop, but his 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 101 
 
 see is not known, tliongli he is accounted as bishop of Dublin. Urged 
 bj zeal for the conversion of those who knew not the true God, he set 
 out from Ireland with the former companions of his solitude. Arrived 
 in Belgium, havin" left the care of his Church in Ireland to the Arch- 
 deacon Sylvanus, he was received with great kindness by Floribert, 
 abbot of two monasteries at Ghent ; one of which was called that of St. 
 Bavo, who was buried there, and for whom Livinus had a great venera- 
 tion, and wliose epitaph he also wrote at the request of Floribert. On 
 the tomb of St. Bavo he celebrated daily the sacrifice of the mass during 
 thirty days that he remained. Having perfoiTned those acts of charity 
 and devotion, he proceeded on his mission through Flanders and Bra- 
 bant. Berna and Craphraildis, two sistere, received him with great at- 
 tention, and he there restored the sight of Ingilbert, the son of Craph- 
 aildis, which was lost for thirteen years. lie received from the people 
 much opposition and vexation, of which he complained in his epistle to 
 Floribert, and in which he declared his hope and foreknowledge of his 
 sufiering martyrdom. Soon after he was attacked by a multitude of Pa- 
 gans at Escha, near Ilauthem, one of whom was particularly conspicu- 
 ous in torturing him. Walbert extracted his tongue with nippers and 
 threw it to the dogs, but it was miraculously restored. Having cruelly 
 beaten and tortured him, he was decapitated on the 12th of Kovem- 
 ber, 656. His hostess Craphraildis, and her son Brixius, wdio was bap- 
 tized by the Saint a few days before, they also put to death. The 
 remains of St. Livinus and Brixius were deposited in one grave by his 
 disciples at Haiithem, and near them those of Craphraildis. The mem- 
 ory of Livinus is still greatly revered in Belgium. 
 
 The poetical epistle of Livinus, as well as the epitajih of St. Bavo, 
 do honor to the country of his birdi. In the decree of Pope Benedict 
 XIV., dated the 1st of July, 171 V, express mention is made of Livinus 
 as bishop of Dublin. 
 
 St. Wiro, a native of Ireland, the non of Cuan, the son of Lugid, is 
 said to have been of an ancient fami!}- in Corobaschin, (County of Clare,) 
 and of which St. Senanus of Enniscathy w as sprung. Wiro is said to have 
 travelled to Borne, and to have been there consecrated bisliop ; on his 
 return to have governed some see which he afterwards resigned, that he 
 might lead a more secluded life. He repai'-cd to Gaul where he was 
 graciously received by Pepin Heristall, who regarded him with venera- 
 tion and who made his confession to him barefoot Pepin assigned him 
 a dw’elling at Mons Petri, now Odilieberg, in the diocese of Liege, 
 where he died on the 8th of May : but the yea'^ of h's decease is not 
 known. According to Harris, his d^ath was in G50, b-ut at thi.% time 
 Pepin was not vested with great power until 680. Wo iua.y then place 
 
102 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IlISTOKT OF IKELiAXD. 
 
 Jiis death later than this year. lie was buried in the oratory wliicli ho 
 liad erected, and in consequence of its collegiate church having been 
 transferred to Euremoiid, a part of the saint’s remains were removed 
 hither, and another portion reverentially preserved at Utrecht. He is 
 called bishop of Dublin. It was usual witli foreignei-s to assign to Dub- 
 lin as it became the capital of Ireland, some bishops who hud removed 
 to the Continent. 
 
 St. Disibod was born in Ireland, of a noble family, and was remark- 
 able for his genius and learning. lie was ordained priest in the thirtieth 
 year of his age, and soon after elected bishop ; and though Dublin is 
 assigned as his see, there is not sufficient authority to sustain the asser- 
 tion. Having governed his see ten yeare, he was driven from it by the 
 insolence of the people, and having resigned in GT5, he abandoned his 
 native country, and associating with him three learned and devout men, 
 Gisnaldus, Clement, and Sallust, travelled into Germany, where he 
 moved about, preaching the Gospel for ten years ; at last he came to a 
 high woody mountain, which the owner of the country conferred upon 
 him, and there he settled, and practised the life of a hermit — many of 
 the Benedictine order flocked to him, — and on this mountain he erected 
 a monastery, which was called Mount Disibod. lie lived thirty years 
 in exercises of great austerity, and there died, worn out with age, on 
 the 8th of July, in the eighty -first year of his existence. Ilildegardis, 
 a nun, who was educated at Mount Disibod or Disenburg, under the 
 abbess Jutta, wrote his life, which was published by Smlus. The year 
 t)f his death is not known. 
 
 Gualafer or Gallagher, is mentioned as bishop of Dublin, of whom 
 aothing is known except having baptized his successor, St. Rumold. 
 
 St. liumold was the son of David, an Irish prince, and was heir to 
 (lis father’s principality. ’By Gualafir he was instructed in learning and 
 virtue ; and throifgh piety, having taken a journey to Borne, he aban- 
 doned his right to his inheritance. Tie passed fii'st into Britain, thence 
 into Gaul, preaching, wherev^er he went, the Gospel of Christ. It is 
 said, in his life, written by Theodoric, and published by Surius, that be- 
 fore engaging on his pilgrimage, that he was consecrated for the see of 
 Dublin. He travelled over the Alps, and reached Borne, where he 
 received the apostolic approbation of his labore. Having made some 
 delay in Borne, he left the city, repassed into Gaul, and came to Mech- 
 lin, where Odo or Ado, count of the place, together with his wife, 
 received him with great kindness, and prevailed on him to settle there. 
 He assigned him a place called Ulmus, from the numerous elm trges 
 growing in it. Here he founded a monastery. Mechlin being raised 
 into an episcopal see, Bumoldus was made its fii-st bishop. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF nJELAND. 
 
 103 
 
 Tlie holy bishop planted the true faith everywhere about Meclilin, 
 with such zeal and earnestness, that he is justly styled their apostle. 
 At length two villains, one of them thinking that he was possessed of 
 money, the other, through revenge, because the saint reprimanded him 
 for living in adultery, attacked him, and having severely wounded him 
 in the head, put an end to his existence on the 21:th of June, 775, and 
 in order to conceal their crime, threw his body into a river, and on its 
 being discovered by a heavenly light. Count Odo removed it, and gave 
 it an honorable interment in St. Stephen’s church. His remains were 
 afterwards translated to a church i)i Mechlin, dedicated to his memory, 
 and there preserved in a splendid silver shrine. His festival is observed 
 on the 3d of July, as the day of his martyrdom took place on the day 
 sacred to John the Baptist. 
 
 A shrine, constructed in 1369, for his relics, cost 66,000 florins. In 
 the ware of 1580, it was broken up and sold. Horris, when commanding 
 the English troops, rifled the cathedral of Mechlin, destroyed the 
 shrine, and scattered the relics of St. Rumold, but the relics were col- 
 lected again, deposited in- a new shrine of far more elegant design, and 
 •about one-third the cost of the first. It is exhibited in the cathedral. 
 
 St. Sedulius, son of Luaith, is called bishop and abbot of Dub- 
 lin, as those w'cre synonymous terms. Many abbots distinguished by 
 their merit were promoted to the episcopacy without having sees 
 attached to their places of residence. Such was his neighbor and con- 
 temporary, the abbot and bishop Ferfugill, of Clondalkin. Offices, per- 
 fectly distinct, were thus vested in the same person, as it was necessary 
 that episcopal functions should be exercised within the precincts of mo- 
 nastic establishments too remote from a regularly fixed see. 
 
 Besides assistant bishops, such as coadjutors, there were in Ireland 
 othere of a more subordinate dignity. Of this latter description the an- 
 nals of Ireland make mention. 
 
 To minister more effectually to the spiritual wants of his fiock, who 
 might have dwelt at a distance from the abode of tlie bishop, it was 
 sometimes deemed prudent to remedy such an inconvenience, by select- 
 ing priests in the remote districts, to whom was confided the care of the 
 faithful ; and that such clergymen were invested with a sort of episco- 
 pal jurisdiction, appears certain, but whether dignified always with the 
 holy order of the episcopate, is a question as yet to be decided. Some 
 maintain it, as the more probable, that they were not exalted to this 
 dignity, — others allow that they were consecrated, and that they could, 
 with the permission of the ordinary, confer the orders of deaconship and 
 the priesthood. Other writers hold the opinion that they were always^ 
 and without exception, ii vested with the order of the episcopacy. 
 
104 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF lEELAXD. 
 
 In Ireland, tlie usage of conferring consecration on thosv ecclesi- 
 astics, appears to have been generally adopted. In the early annals of 
 the kingdom they are represented as pereons belonging to the episcopal 
 order; such an ecclesiastic as we treat of, is honored with the appellar 
 tion of hishoi) ; and among the Irish, as there was hut one name for 
 bishops and chorej^iscopi, it is often difficult to determine whether this 
 class of ecclesiastics were the ordinaries of sees or the subordinates. 
 If we find mention of bishops who discharged episcoj:>al functions in 
 difierent dioceses or provinces, we are to suppose that they acted in the 
 capacity of assistants, as the discipline of the Church obliged the ordi- 
 nary of each see to exercise the duties of his order within the limits of 
 his own diocese. 
 
 Cormac was living in 890. When Dublin was besieged by Gregory, 
 king of Scotland, and the inhabitants were reduced to extremity, Cor- 
 mac, a man of singular virtues and of upright life, was deputed to lay 
 before the king of Scotland the distressed state of the city. The King 
 absolutely refused to extend any hope, until the city was surrendered to 
 his discretion ; and on being given up, he forthwith advanced on foot, 
 till he came to the bishop, and falling down on his knees, he reverently 
 kissed the crucifix which the prelate bore, and ratified the wishes of 
 the bishop. 
 
 Donatus was the first amongst the Ostmen or Danes, who was 
 bishop of Dublin. By some he is called Dunan. He built, by the aid 
 of Sitricus, the cathedral of the Holy Trinity, in the heart of the city 
 of Dublin, about the year 1038, to which Sitric gave considerable landed 
 possessions. Donatus lived to an advanced age ; died on the 6th of 
 May, 1074, and was buried in his own cathedral, in the upper part of 
 the chancel, on the right. 
 
 Patrick, called in the Annals of the Four Masters, Giolla-Patrici- 
 anus, was elected bishop of Dublin at the instance of Gotred, king of 
 the Isle-of-Man, who conquered Dublin and the adjacent country. 
 
 He was sent to England to receive consecration from Lanfranc, arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury, with an epistle to the following effect : “ To Lan- 
 franc, the venei'able metropolitan of the Holy Church of Canterbury, 
 the clergy, and people of Dublin tender their bounden obedience. It is 
 known unto, your fatherhood, that the Church of Dublin, the metropolis 
 of Ireland is bereft of her pastor, and destitute of her ruler. Wherefore 
 we have elected a priest called Patrick, a person whom we thoroughly 
 know — one, noble both by birth and morals, well imbued in apostolical 
 and ecclesiastical discipline' — in faith a Catholic, and in the interpreta- 
 tion of Scripture wary — in the tenets of the Church well versed, and 
 whom we desire without delay to be ordained our bishop : that undei 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOEY OF IKELAED. 
 
 105 
 
 God he may rule over us orderly and profit us, and that we, undei his 
 government, may exercise a spiritual warfare with security. Because 
 the integrity of the ruler is the safety of the subject, and where safety 
 of obedience is, there is the sound form of doctrine.” 
 
 Patrick was consecrated, and made unto Lanfranc promise of submis- 
 sion and obedience in all things pertaining to the Christian religion. 
 Patrick was an Ostman, and the Danes of the sea-ports being more in- 
 clined to attribute their convereion to the Anglo-Saxons than to the 
 Irish, and who, moreover, considered William the Conqueror and the 
 Xorraans their countrymen, did not deem it politic to have their 
 bishops derive their sanction from the see of Armagh ; hence they ap- 
 plied to the English primate for the consecration of their bishops. 
 Patrick governed the see about ten years, and being sent to England by 
 King Turlough, on business to Lanfranc, perished by shipwreck, on the 
 10th of October, 1084. 
 
 Donat O’llanly succeeded, by similar authority as his predecessor ; 
 was consecrated by Lanfi-anc, A.D. 1085. Having spent some time in 
 the pursuit of useful learning in Ireland, he passed over to England, 
 and became a Benedictine monk at Canterbury. With Lanfranc, to 
 whom he also made profession of obedience, Donatus was a particular 
 favorite ; he gave him several presents — books and church ornaments 
 for his cathedral. This prelate died of a plague in 1095, leaving a 
 reputation among his countrymen for industry, learning, and sagacity. 
 
 Samuel O’llanley, nephew of Donatus, succeeded, A.D. 1095, by 
 similar authority ; was also a Benedictine : obtained from Lanfranc 
 vouchers of his consecration. Soon after his return to Ireland he ex- 
 pelled some monks from the cathedral of the Holy Trinity, stripped tho 
 church of the books and ornaments which the archbishop of Canter- 
 bury had bestowed on it, and commanded the cross to be carried before 
 him. Lanfranc 1 aving heard of those doings, remonstrated with the 
 bishop of Dublin, and desired Malchus, bishop of Waterford, to expos- 
 tulate with him. Samuel died on the 4th of July, A.D. 1121. 
 
 Gregory the First, archbishop of Dublin, was elected in 1121, and 
 Tvent to England to receive consecration from the archbishop of Canter- 
 bury. He brought letters from the king in his favor, and also from the 
 clergy and people of Dublin, in which it was notified that the bishops 
 of Ireland, particularly the primate of Armagh, had taken great hatred 
 towards them because they would not obey the orders of the said bish- 
 ops, but showed themselves always willing to live under the jui-isdiction 
 of the see of Canterbury. He was consecrated at Lambeth, by Ralph, 
 archbishop of Canterbury, and made the usual profession of obedience 
 to him. 
 
106 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOEY OF lEELAND. 
 
 Having presided over the see of Duhlin thirty-one years, the arclii- 
 episcopal dignity was conferred upon him at the council of Kells, held 
 under John Paparo, legate from the Holy See, in 1152. The distribu- 
 tion of sees has been already noticed in the life of St, Malachy, of Ar- 
 magh, and the names of the bishops who attended are also enumerated. 
 Eesides the bishops, there were three thousand ecclesiastics present at 
 this synod ; though at this synod were men of acknowledged sanctity, 
 and ecclesiastics of unblemished character ; though the purity of the na- 
 tive priesthood of Ireland was above reproach ; a fact to which Gerald 
 Parry reluctantly assents, and one which is particular!}^ avowed in the 
 thirteenth canon of the council held by Archbishop Connyn, in 1186, 
 bearing testimony to the chastity for which the L'ish clergy were always 
 remarkable, Moore, in his History of Ireland, draws an inference from 
 a canon of this synod enacted against marriages in the prohibited de- 
 grees of kindred, unfavorable to the Irish clergy and that they assim- 
 ilated themselves to many of the clergy on the Continent, who disre- 
 garded the salutary discipline of celibacy. Tlie conduct of the lay 
 usurpei's of the see of Armagh has left the imputation on this see alone, 
 and it is worthy of notice, that the Irish annals do not record instances 
 of profligacy among the priesthood of Heland until the adventurem of 
 England introduced their system of morals. 
 
 The Archbishop Gregory, died on the 8th of October, A.D. 1161, 
 having sat forty yearn. “ He was a wise man and well-skilled in lan- 
 guages.'’ 
 
 St. Lawrence O’Toole was the next archbishop of Dublin ; was the 
 youngest son of the hereditary lord of Imaile, tlie head of one of the 
 septs eligible to the kingdom of Leinster, and which also maintained the 
 privilege of electing the bishops and abbots of Glendaloch, even after 
 the union of this see with Dublin. Tlie father’s principality was situa- 
 ted in the district of Wicklow, to which he was also attached in the ma- 
 ternal line, his mother having been of the O’Pyrnes,- a family revered 
 by the Irish nation. St. Lawrence received his education in the school 
 of the romantic valley of Glendaloch. At the early age of ten yearn 
 he was distinguished beyond his contemporaries, and the ardor of his 
 patriotic disposition soon manifested itself, for on receiving him as a 
 hostage from his father, the cruel tyrant Mac Murrough, who oppressed 
 the most worthy chieftains of Leinster, was induced to avert the worst 
 inflictions of his abused power. 
 
 When under the subjection of this tyrant, he began to endure perse 
 cution in perfect consonance with the cruel character of Mac Murrougli. 
 He was confined in a baiTen and unsheltered spot, and only allowed a 
 quahty of food which would preserve his existence for torture and iU- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOEY OF EKELAND. 
 
 107 
 
 treatment. Having heard of the sufferings to wliich liis son was sub- 
 jected, and fully aware that remonstrances or entreaty would be ineffect- 
 ual, perhaps would be responded to with more barbarity, the distracted 
 parent by a successful sally from his nioAitain fastness captured twelve 
 of Mac Murrough’s soldiers, whom he threatened instantly to put to 
 death unless his son was restored to his home. The threat was effective, 
 and the father once more embraced his beloved son in the V alley of Glen- 
 daloch. In this valley which nature marked as her favorite retreat for 
 study and contemplation, Lawrence renewed his studies, and resigning 
 the claims of birth and inheritance, devoted his talents to the service of 
 religion, and gave such preeminent signs of his knowledge, piety, and 
 purity, that he was, in his twenty-fifth year, at the solicitation of clergy 
 and people, chosen to preside over the Abbey of Glendaloch. His char- 
 ity to the poor during four successive yeare of distress was conspicuous, 
 and by his uniform rectitude he confounded the efforts of calumny, and 
 by his firm yet merciful superintendence of his charge, converted the 
 district from being a wicked waste to a state of moral and religious cul- 
 tivation. When the bishop of the see, Giolla na Haomh died, Law- 
 rence was at once chosen to fill the vacant chair ; but Lawrence ex- 
 cusing himself on the fewness of his years declined the honor which was 
 intended. However, Providence was reserving him for a more exalted 
 sphere of action, for on the death of Gregory, the archbishop of Dublin, 
 he was elected his successor ; a promotion which he would also have de- 
 clined, were he not induced to accede by the representations of the good 
 he might accomplish. He was consecrated in Christ Church, Dublin, 
 A.D. 1162, by Gelasius, archbishop of Armagh, assisted by many bish- 
 ops, and thus was discontinued the custom which the Danes introduced, 
 of sending the bishops of their cities to Canterbury for consecration. 
 
 The Archbishop Lawrence assumed the habit of the regular canons 
 of Aroasia, an abbey that was founded in the diocese of A rras about 
 eighty years previously and justly celebrated for sanctity and discipline, 
 in order that he might the more effectually engage his clergy of the ca- 
 thedral to adopt the same rule. He caused the poor, sometimes forty in 
 number, sometimes more, to be fed every day in his presence. Tlie rich 
 he entertained with becoming splendor, yet he never partook of the lux- 
 uries of the table. When the duties of his station would permit, he re- 
 tired to the scene of his early training and removed from worldly inter- 
 coui-se, his spirit communed with his God in the cave in which S. Kevin 
 inflicted his voluntary chastisements. 
 
 In 1167 he assisted at the council which King Eoderick assembled 
 at Athboy, and though its object was to obtain more satisfactory and in- 
 disp table acknowledgment of the sovereignt}’- of the monarch and to 
 
108 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF LEELAND. 
 
 calculate the amount of aid he might expect in resisting the auxiliaries 
 of Mac Murrough, whom he had expelled from his throne, yet the coun- 
 cil passed many ordinances relative to the privileges of churches and 
 clergy, and also the regulation of public morality and religious disci- 
 pline. As legate he also presided at a synod held in Clonfert, A.D. 
 IIYO. 
 
 The W elsh adventurere having invaded the kingdom, the prelate of 
 Dublin firmly adhered to the independence of his country and encour- 
 aged the inhabitants of Dublin to make a vigorous defence ; but his ef- 
 forts were unsuccessful ; for the citizens, dismayed by the martial array 
 and discipline of the invaders, entreated their prelate to become the me- 
 diator of peace, and while passing through the lines of the besiegers with 
 this view, and the terms being under discussion, Raymond le Gros and 
 Milo de Cogan, with a party of young and fiery spirits scaled the walls and 
 having possessed the city, committed frightful carnage. The charity of 
 the archbishop was eminently conspicuous on this mournful occasion. 
 At the risk of his own life he traversed over the streets of the metropolis, 
 protesting against the ruin which he could not control : from the inva- 
 der’s grasp he snatched the j^anting body and administered the consola- 
 tions of religion ; to the dead the hasty service of a grave, and to the 
 wretched survivors all that their necessities could require or his means 
 afford. On other occasions his love of his country’s cause prompted 
 him to espouse every effort by which her independence might be reas- 
 serted. 
 
 Having been sent to England in 1175 along with Catholicus O’Dufiy, 
 archbishop of Tuam, as the representatives of Roderick O’Connor, the 
 monarch of Ireland, to arrange the terms of a treaty between him and the 
 king of England, he visited the shrine of St. Tliomas a Becket, at Can- 
 terbury and there narrowly escaped the hands of an insane individual, 
 who supposed that he would perform a meritorious action by assimilating 
 his fate with the martyred prelate of Canterbuiy ; wdiile celebrating 
 mass, the maniac rushed upon him and inflicted grievous wounds upon 
 his head. The king, on hearing of the circumstance, would have put 
 the offender to death, but the archbishop interceded and his life was 
 spared. 
 
 And when an ulcer in the foot terminated the life of Strongbow, St. 
 Lawrence attended his obsequies, forgetting, in the hopes that point to 
 everlasting life, the desolation which his ruthless and savage career in- 
 flicted on the flock which was entrusted to his charge. (The extraordi- 
 nary death of Strongbow is ascribed to the vengeance of Heaven for his 
 sacrileges towards the churches of Saints Columba, Bridget, and 
 other saints, whose shrines he had violated. He saw, as he thought^ 
 
ECCLKSIASnCAL inSTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 lOD 
 
 St. Li-iOget in tlie act of slaying him. In the Annals of Innisfallen he 
 IS described as the greatest destroyer of the clergy and laity that came 
 to Ireland, since the time of Turgesiiis the Danisli tyrant.) 
 
 (The father-in-law of Strongbow, Mac Murrongh, died in 1171, of an 
 intolerable disease. He became putrid while living, and died without 
 the eucharist and extreme unction, as his evil deeds deserved.) 
 
 (Achian IV. the Pontiff, who authorised the second Henry of Eng- 
 land to annex Ireland to his crown, died by swallowing a fly in a cup of 
 water.) 
 
 In 1177, Cardinal Vivian presided as legate, at a council held in 
 Dublin, where the right of the English monarch, in virtue of the Pope’s 
 authority, was furtlier inculcated. There is, however, no evidence that 
 the archbishop of Dublin took part in this proceeding. In 1179, Law- 
 rence, with some other Irish prelates, proceeded to Pome, to attend the 
 second general council of Lateran. On passing through England, King 
 Henry exacted from them an oath, that they would not prejudice him 
 or his empire in the progress of their mission. While at Pome, Law- 
 rence was aj:ipointed legate of Ireland. In 1180 he again travelled out 
 of Ireland, with the son of Poderick O’Connor, whom he placed, as a 
 hostage in the hands of Henry H., then sojourning in Korniandy ; 
 there he was detained by the King, Avhose displeasure he liad incurred, 
 through making representations to Pome of the harsh and cruel Anglo- 
 Irish government. Seeing the land of his birth and the patrimony of 
 his ancestore become the inheritance of strangers, he labored to avert 
 the evils that were permitted to exist under the name of English rule, 
 and to place his country, which its own internal divisions weakened and 
 left ap easy prey to the hardy adventurer, under the lawful protection 
 of the English soA^ereign, and rescue it from the despotism of English 
 ofiicials. The restraints thus put upon him unjustly, hastened his dis- 
 solution. Sickness seized him in Kormandy; and anxious, as he Avas 
 aAvare of his approaching demise, to close his days in the peaceful and 
 silent cloister, he repaired to the monastery of Pegular Canons at Eu, 
 and tliere expired on the 14th of Kovember, 1180. Even on his death- 
 bed he despatched a monk of the brotherhood to implore “ peace ” for 
 Ireland, and the assent of the king Avas communicated before his death, 
 but peace was not the object of the sovereign of England. Immedi- 
 ately after the burial of the archbishop at Eu, Henry 11. dispatched 
 Jeoftrey de la Hay, his chaplain, into Ireland, to seize the revenues of 
 the see, Avhich he retained for a year. 
 
 Tlie remains of the holy prelate were placed in a shrine before the 
 altar of the martyr Leodegarius ; but Avhen the prelate was canonized in 
 1218, by Poj'e Honorius IH., they were translated Avith great solemnity. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAXD. 
 
 TIO 
 
 jincl placed over the high altar, and there preserved in a silver shrine. 
 St. Lawrence is the patron saint of the diocese of Dublin. 
 
 John Coinyn succeeded ; and the English monarch’who persecuted 
 the holy prelate St. Lawrence, for his ardent attachment to the land of 
 his birth, no longer able to appropriate the revenues of the see, resolved 
 that an office of so much importance should not be entrusted to an 
 Irishman, who perhaps might be actuated by the same patriotic motives 
 as St. Lawrence, and might more openly assume an hostility to the 
 rule of the British monarch. Accordingly, on the monarch’s earnest 
 recommendation, his chaplain, John Comyn, a native of England, and 
 a Benedictine monk of Evesham, a man of eloquence and learning, was 
 elected on the 6th of September, llSl, to the archbishopric of Dublin, 
 by some of the clergy who had assembled at Evesham, for the purpose. 
 John was not then a priest, but was in the following 3’ear ordained 'one 
 at Vellctri, and on the 21st of March, 1181, was consecrated b}' Pope 
 Lucius III., who took under his especial protection the see of Dublin ; 
 and by bull, dated the 13th of April, 1182, and by virtue and authority 
 of the holy canons, ordered and decreed that “ no archbishop or bishop 
 should, without the assent of the prelate of Dublin, presume to hold 
 within the diocese of Dublin, any conference, or entertain any ecclesi- 
 astical causes or matters of the same diocese, unless enjoined by the 
 Eoman Pontiff and his legate.” 
 
 ^ From this privilege, which was introduced, as appeal's, against the 
 claims of Canterbur}', arose the controversy regarding the primatial 
 right of visitation, which distracted both provinces for centuries after- 
 wards. Tlie Primate of Armagh contended that he had, notwithstand- 
 ing this exemption, the right of having his cross borne before him — of 
 holding appeals and visitations in the whole province of Leinster. 
 
 Though a bishop is bound to residence by the canons, John was ah 
 sent from his church three years, and at length arrived in September, 
 11 SI, having been despatched by the King to prepare for the reception 
 of Prince John, earl of Morton, whom his roj'al parent had resolved to 
 send into Ireland. John, as an English baron, received the Prince at 
 Waterford, and obtained from him a grant of the bishopric of Glenda- 
 loch, with all its appurtenances in lands, manors, churches, tithes, 
 fisheries, liberties, to hold to him and his successors for ever ; but this 
 union was not to take place during the life of William Piro, then 
 bishop of Glendaloch. In the year 1186, archbishop Com^m held a 
 provincial s}’nod in Dublin, in the church of the Holy Trinity. The 
 canons then enacted were confirmed under the leaden seal of Pope 
 Urban III., and are extant. 
 
 In 1189, this prelate rebuilt the cathedral of St. Patrick, erected it 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IHSTORT OF IREL.VND. 
 
 Ill 
 
 into a collegiate cliurcli, and endowed it ■with suitable possessi(»ns, plac- 
 in it thirteen prebendaries ; he also repaired and enlarged the choir of 
 Christ church cathedral, founded and endowed the nunnery of Grace- 
 Dieu, in the county of Dublin, for regular canonesses of St. Au- 
 gustine, whom he removed from the more ancient convent of Lusk. 
 
 In 1197, Ilamo de Valois, justiciary of Ireland, under Prince John, 
 finding the government embarrassed through the want of a treasury, 
 harassed John Comyn by seizing on several lands belonging to his see. 
 De Valois having enriched himself by plundering this see, and also the 
 laity, was recalled from the government in consequence of a papal re- 
 monstrance, in September, 1198. Ilamo de Valois, struck with remorse 
 for his spoliation, made a grant of twenty ploughlands to the arch- 
 bishop, and his successors, for ever. The appeal to Rome having excited 
 the anger of Prince John, the prelate was not for some time received 
 into favor. 
 
 John Comyn died on the 25th of October, 1214, having survived 
 the reconciliation about six years, and was buried in Christ church, 
 where a noble monument was erected to his memory. 
 
 BISHOPS OF GLENDALOCH. 
 
 ' I 
 
 Saint Kevin or Coemgen, was of an illustrious family, in the territory 
 of Tirtuathal — the country of the O’Tooles ; — his father’s name was 
 Coemlog, and his mother’s Coemilla, of the princely house of Dal Mes 
 sincorb ; both were Christians, as Kevin was baptized, when a child, by 
 a priest Cronan. At tlie age of seven years he was placed under 
 Petrocus, a learned and holy Briton, with whom he remained five years. 
 Having now reached his twelfth year, his parents consigned him to the 
 care of three holy elders, Eogan, Lochan, and Enna, to be instructed by 
 them in their school or monastery. With them he remained three years. 
 
 He became a disciple of Beonanus, a hermit, and afterwards of a 
 bishop Lugidus, who ordained him a priest. It is said, that by the 
 advice of this bishop he founded a monastery for himself, at a place 
 called Cluainduach. Leaving some of his monks there, he repaired to 
 his own country, and formed his establishment at Glendaloch. At what 
 time the monasteiy was founded is not recorded. He is said to have 
 been abbot when he went to pay a visit to St. Kieran, of Clonmacnois, 
 but he did not arrive until three days after his death. It is also related 
 that he paid a visit to the holy abbots Columba, Comgal, and Cainnech; 
 then at Usneach, in Meath. 
 
112 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTOKT OF lEELAXD. 
 
 Having arranged the order and discipline of his institution at Glen- 
 daloch, lie retired to the upper part of the vallej, about a mile from, 
 the monastery, and there, in a small place, heset with thick trees and 
 refreshed by rivulets, he led the life of a hermit, four years, practicing 
 the greatest austerities, until his monks prevailed on him to return with 
 them to the monastery. When far advanced in years, he intended to 
 undertake a long journey, but he was dissuaded from it by Garhban, a 
 hermit. His end approaching, he received the holy viaticum from St. 
 Mochuorog, a Briton, who had a cell to the east of Glendaloch. St. 
 Coemgen died on the 3d of June, A.T). 618. He is said to have lived 
 120 years. His monastery seems to have been founded about the year 
 519. Thougli it is probable that St. Coemgen was not a bishop, Glen- 
 daloch, soon after his death, became an episcopal see. 
 
 St. Libba or Molibba is said to have been bishop of Glendaloch, in 
 the early part of the seventh century, and was probably its fi tst bishop. 
 Libba was the son of Colman, and descended of the Messincorbs, an 
 ancient and powerful family in Leinster. His mother’s name was 
 Coeltigerna, of the same family and sister to St. Kevin. St. Libba died 
 on the 8th of January, but the year of his death is not recoj ded. 
 
 St. Aidan, the son of Mannius, was of the Messincorb himily ; his 
 mother’s name was Briga, the daughter of Cobthaig, who was also of 
 the same tribe. He is expressly styled bishop of Glendaloch. He was 
 lialf brother to Hugh, the son of Anmirus or Amirach, king of Ireland. 
 Keither is the year of his birth or death recorded. 
 
 Ampadan is mentioned in an ancient Irish calendar, as bishop of 
 Glendaloch, and his death is placed on the 10th of January. 
 
 Dairchell Mac Curetai, bishop of Glendaloch, died on the 3d of 
 May, 676. 
 
 St. Amphodan, who died on the 11th of January, and 
 
 St. Sellan, who died on the 10th of February, are said to have been 
 bishops of Glendaloch, but the periods are unknown. 
 
 Edirscill, son of Cellach, abbot and bishop of Glendaloch, died 
 A.D. 814. 
 
 Dungal Mac Baithen, abbot and bishop of Glendaloch, died in 899. 
 
 Cormac Fitz Bran, bishop of Glendaloch, died A.D. 925, but his 
 consecration has been doubted. 
 
 Huadhu, bishop of Glendaloch, died A.D. 928. 
 
 Giolla na Kaembh Laighen, “ the noble bishop of Glendaloch,” 
 died A.D. 1085. He must have resigned his see, for he was, after his 
 consecration, abbot of Wirzburg, a town on the river Moen, in Ger- 
 many. 
 
 Cormac Uu Mail, bishop of Glendaloch, died A.D. 1101. 
 
liCC’LKSlASTICAL HISTORY OF IRliLAND. 
 
 113 
 
 Hugh Ua Modain, bishop of Glendalocli, died A.D. 1126. 
 
 Gilla na Kaemh, bishop of Glendalocli, assisted at the council of 
 Hells, in the year 1152. 
 
 Kinad O’Ronan was bishop of this see in 1166. Ilis death is placed 
 in the year 1173. 
 
 Malchus or Macrobius sat in 117!) ; was archdeacon of Dublin be- 
 fore his promotion to the see of Glendalocli. 
 
 William Piro or Peryn, the last recognised bishop of Glendalocli, 
 died A.D. 1214. 
 
 ARCHBISHOPS OP DUBLIN— CONTINUED. 
 
 Henry de Loundres succeeded in the year 1213. He was archdeacon 
 of Stafford, and was consecrated in the beginning of 1214 ; in the fol- 
 lowing year he was cited to Pome, to assist at a general council. On 
 his arrival there. Pope Innocent HI. ratified the union of Glendalocli 
 with Dublin, and in 1216 confirmed the possessions of this see ; in 1217, 
 constituted legate of Ireland by the Pope, he convened a synod at 
 Dublin, in which, according to the annals of St. Mary’s abbey, he 
 established many things profitable to the Irish church. In 1219, 
 Henry de Loundres assumed, the second time, the administration of Po- 
 land, Jeoffrey de Marescis, the governor having been recalled. In 
 1228, by writ, directed to the lords justices, he received the custody of 
 all vacant archbishoprics and bishoprics in Ireland, the profits to be re- 
 ceived by John de St. John, bishop of Ferns and treasurer of Ireland, 
 and by de Tlieurville, archdeacon of Dublin, and to be by them paid to 
 the archbishop, until the debts and obligations due by the crown to him 
 should be satisfied. 
 
 This prelate erected the collegiate church of St. Patrick intO' a cathe- 
 dral, “ united,” as Allen says, “with the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity 
 in one spouse, saving to the other Church the prerogative of honor.” 
 
 Having filled the see fifteen years, he died about the beginning of 
 July, 1228, and was buried in Christ Church. Of his tomb there is no 
 trace. Tliis English prelate obtained the disgraceful epithet of Scorch- 
 villain. Having summoned his tenants to give an account of the titles 
 by which they held their lands, they appeared and produced their deeds. 
 Tlie bishop instantly possessed himself of them and consigned them to 
 the fire to the injury of the unsuspecting farmers. AVhereupon they aro 
 said to have given him the opprobrious epithet alluded to. 
 
 Luke, Dean of St. Martin le Grand, London, treasurer of the king’s 
 wardrobe, was, through the influence of Hubert de Burgh, Earl of 
 
 Kent, whose chaplain he had been, elected iu 1228, but his election 
 8 
 
114 
 
 ECCLESIASTIC^U, HISTORY OF ERELAKD. 
 
 had been declared null at Rome ; whereupon he was ree.ected, though not 
 confirmed by the Pope until the year 1230, when his patron, the Earl 
 of Kent, incurred the king’s displeasure and was cruelly pei’secuted and 
 deserted by all his friends. The Archbishop Luke, mindful of the obliga- 
 tions of gratitude, adhered to his interest and obtained by his persever- 
 ance in his cause milder terms from the sovereign than were oilginally 
 intended. In 1150 the archbishops, bishops and clergy of Ireland who 
 were of Irish birth, had in a synod enacted a decree that no Englishman 
 born should be admitted a canon in any of tlieir churches. A remon- 
 strance being forwarded to the pope, a bull was directed to tlieni in 
 which they were commanded to rescind the said decree within a month. 
 In 1258 a contest arose between the chapters of the two cathedrals con- 
 cerning the election of the archbishops. Luke strove to adjust the mat- 
 ter by prescribing that the place of election should be only in the 
 church of the Holy Trinity, the dean and chapter of St. Patrick’s by 
 joint votes assisting in the election ; but the latter not content with this 
 adjustment, the atfair was brought before Innocent IV., as a special in- 
 justice to the chapter of St. Patrick’s. The pope empoAvered by bull 
 dated the 20th of May, the bishop of Emly, the bishop and the dean of 
 Limerick, to settle the controversy. About this time arose also the con- 
 test with Reyner, archbishop of Armagh, concerning the right of visit- 
 ation. 
 
 In the latter part of his life. Archbishop Luke sulfered severely by a 
 malady in his e3"es, which brought on a total loss of sight and eventu 
 ally hastened his death in December, 1225. lie was buried in Christ 
 church, with his predecessor, John Comyn. 
 
 Fulk de Sandford succeeded in 1256. Roth chapters elected Ralph 
 of Korwich, canon of St. Patrick’s and treasurer of Ireland, but he was 
 betrayed at Rome by his agents, as Matthew Paris states : “ He was a 
 
 witty, pleasant companion, and one wdio loved good cheer.” lie was, it 
 seems, too secular and worldly to be consecrated. Ilis election was 
 therefore set aside, and Fulk de Sandford, archdeacon of Middlesex and 
 treasurer of St. Paul’s, London, was by the pope’s bull declared arch- 
 bishop of Dublin. In 1261 Fulk de Sandford took a journey to Rome 
 on business connected with his see, the management of it during liis ab- 
 sence having been committed by the pope to the bishbps of Lismore 
 and Waterford. On the 6th of May, 1271, Archbishop Fulk died in his 
 manor of Finglass ; his bod}^ was conveyed to St. Patrick’s church and 
 deposited in the chapel of the Virgin Mary. 
 
 John de Derlington was declared the archbishop of Dublin by the 
 pope, who annulled the elections of William de la Corner by the prior 
 and convent of the Holy Tiinity, and of Fromund le Brun by the dea*' 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lEELAKD. 
 
 11.5 
 
 and cliaptcr of St. Patrick’s. John was a doctor of divinit}’’, a Domini- 
 can friar and confessor to the late King Henry III., and had been his 
 ambassador to Pope Kicholas in 1278. lie was consecrated in Waltham 
 Abbey on the 8th of September, 1279, by John, archbishop of Canter- 
 bury. Matthew Paris describes him as a prelate of great authority be- 
 cause of his learning and wisdom. Bale calls him “ a mercenary hire- 
 ling and no shepherd, and says that he died blasted by divine vengeance.” 
 lie was collector of the Peter-pence, both in England and Ireland, to the 
 pontiffs, John XXL, Nicholas III., and Martin IV. His death took place 
 suddenly in London on the 29th of March, 1281, in the fifth year after 
 his consecration, in a Dominican convent, and there buried. 
 
 John de Sandford was a native of England ; brother to Archbishop 
 Fulk, dean of St. Patrick’s, a Franciscan friar, and for some time es- 
 ciieator of Ireland. He was canonically elected by the chapter of St. 
 Patrick’s, and being confirmed by the king, he was consecrated in the 
 church of the Holy Trinity on palm-Sunday, 1286. In his early life he 
 came to Ireland as vicar-general to his brother, and was presented by 
 the baroness of Naas to the rectory of Maynooth. John was a prelate 
 in great reputation for learning, wisdom, and discretion. He died in 
 October, 1294, having been seized with a grievous distemper. His body 
 was conveyed from England at the desire of the Canons of St. Patrick’s, 
 and buried there in his brother’s monument. 
 
 William de Hotham was confirmed in the archbishoprick by the 
 provision of the pope, who annulled the election of Tliomas de Chads- 
 worth. William was born in England, educated at Paris, where he took 
 the degree of doctor of divinity in 1280 ; afterwards became a Domin- 
 ican friar, and was twice provincial of the order in England. As am- 
 bassador at Rome from King Edward I., he executed his business with 
 great eclat, being inferior to none in learning, virtue, integrity, and 
 judgment, in the management of affairs ; the pope gave him authority 
 to select any prelate whom he would choose as his consecrator. It seems 
 he was consecrated in 1298, at Ghent, by Anthony Beake, bishop of 
 Durham. Having been the mediator of a truce between Philip IV., of 
 Fi'ance, and Edward L, of England, which continued for two yeare, he 
 returned to Rome with the articles of the treaty, which the pope had 
 establi.shed, and on his journey homewards through Burgundy,*he be- 
 came ill at Dizon, where he died in a monastery of his order on the 27th 
 of August, in the same year. His body was conveyed into England and 
 buried in a Dominican monastery of London. 
 
 Bale, though aspei*sing his character and that of the pope, who pro- 
 moted him, as if the mediation of gold was all-powerful, allows that he 
 was a “ man highly extolled by the writers of his own order as a person 
 
116 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 of great spirit, acute parts, and possessed of a singular dexterity in con- 
 ciliating the favor of men.” 
 
 Kichard de Ferings, who had been archdeacon of Canterbury during 
 fifteen years before, succeeded in 1229, the king objecting to receive his 
 fealty because of some clauses in the lettei-s provisional of the pope, 
 which he considered prejudicial to the royal prerogative. Kichard ob- 
 tained the temporals by renouncing any benefit therefrom. 
 
 ‘ Immediately after his consecration, the prelate applied himself to 
 compose the misunderstanding between the cathedrals of Christ church 
 and St. Patrick’s. The agreement was reduced to writing and fortified 
 by tlie common seal of each chapter, with a penalty annexed. The 
 heads of it are as follow : 
 
 That the archbishops of Dublin should be consecrated and enthronea 
 in Christ church. 
 
 That both churches should be called cathedral and metropolitan. 
 
 That Christ church, as the greater, the mother, and tlie elder, should 
 have the precedence in all rights and concerns of the see and that the 
 cross, mitre, and ring of every archbishop, wherever he died, should be 
 deposited therein ; and lastly. 
 
 That each church should have the alternate sepulture, as a right, of 
 the bodies of the archbisliops, unless othenvise directed by their wills. 
 
 Having thus, as he thought, composed the jealousies that existed 
 between the cathedrals, the archbishop resided for the most part abroad, 
 having constituted Thomas de Chadsworth his vicar general. Ilis ab- 
 sence having operated injuriously to the affairs of his province, lie at 
 length became sensible of the dereliction of his duty, and on his 
 return from Rome with the object of retrieving the detriment, he was 
 seized with a sudden illness, of which he died on the 18th of October, 
 1306. 
 
 John Leech succeeded to the see in 1310 by the influence of King 
 Edward II., to whom he was chaplain and almoner. Havering, who 
 was bishop elect, and confirmed without consecration, enjoyed the prof 
 its of the see four yeai-s, and then voluntarily resigned. On the appli 
 cation of John Leech, Pope Clement V. issued liis bull for founding an 
 university for scholars in Dublin, but adesign so creditable to the memo- 
 ry of I^eech, was frustrated by the revival of the contest concerning 
 tlie primatial right. 
 
 Archbishop Leech was constituted lord treasurer of Ireland in the 
 close of the year 1312, and died soon after, on the 10th of August, 1313, 
 and was buried in Westminster. In the meantime the usual dispute 
 arose between the Cathedrals regarding the appointment of a successor, 
 one party declaring for W alter Thornbury, chaunter of St. Patrick’s, and 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOEY OF lEELAND. 
 
 IIT 
 
 chancellor of Ireland ; the other for Alexander de Bicknor, the descend- 
 ant of an English family, then prebendary of Maynooth and treasurer of 
 Ireland. Walter, on his election, embarked for France where the pope 
 then held his court, but on the night of his departure a storm arose and 
 Walter with a hundred and fifty-six others perished. 
 
 Alexander de Bicknor took a journey to Lyons with the king’s let- 
 ters, earnestly recommending him to the pope as a “ man of profound 
 judgment, morality, integrity, and circumspection in si'iritual and tem- 
 poral affairs yet his confirmation Avas postponed, as the soA^ereign re- 
 quired his personal sei’A-ices. At last J ohn XXL confirmed his appoint- 
 ment to the see, and Alexander de Bicknor AA’as consecrated at Avignon 
 by Xicholas de Prato, cardinal of Ostia, on the 22d of July, 1317. 
 
 lie arrived in Dublin as archbishop and lord justice of Ireland, and 
 was received by clergy and people Avith great acclamations of joy on the 
 9th of October, 1318. Pope John XXII. Avrote to him, the archbishop 
 of Cashel, and to the dean of Dublin, to excommunicate Robert Bruce 
 and his adherents, and also his brother EdAvard, if they did not make 
 restitution' for the raA^ages, murders, robberies, and burning of churches, 
 committed by them throughout the kingdom. In 1320 he founded an 
 university in St. Patrick’s, Dublin, Avhich Avas confirmed by Pope John 
 XXII. ; public lectures Avere established, but the deficiency of the en- 
 doAvment rendered the projeet abortive. Tlie heretics of Kilkenny, Avho 
 Avere obliged to fly from the authority of their bishop, took shelter in the 
 archdiocese of Dublin and Avere protected from prosecution by de Bick- 
 nor ; Ledred, bishop of Ossory, Avho Avas kept in confinement seventeen 
 days by these heretics Avould have appealed to Rome in support of his 
 prosecution, but he found considerable difficulty even in getting out of 
 Ireland, in consequence of the steps taken by de Bicknor to prevent him. 
 Tlie bishop of Ossory did, hoAvever, pass over to France, where he Avas 
 detained by the poAver of King EdAvard. In this exile he was forced to 
 remain nine years, and in the interim the Archbishop de Bicknor seized 
 the profits of the see of Ossory until he Avas compelled by the pope to 
 AvithdraAV his metropolitan power over the see of Ossory, and this inter- 
 ^ diet lay over the diocese of Dublin, until de Bicknor’s death. In 1349 
 the contest relative to the primacy was rencAved with vehemence be- 
 tween de Bicknor and the primate of Armagh. On the 14th of July, 
 in the same year, de Bicknor died, haA'ing governed the see almost thir- 
 ty-two years. Ware says of him, that he Avas not inferior to any of his 
 pi'edecessors in point of probity or learning ; but let the reader judge ot 
 his sheltering heretics and maltreating the bishop, aaJio prosecuted them. 
 
 Jolin de St. Paul, prebendary of Donnington in the cathedral of 
 1 ork, and canon of York, was by the pope advanced to the archbishop- 
 
 f 
 
118 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 rick on the 12t.h of September, 1350. De St. Paul was appointed chan- 
 cellor of L’eland with a salary of £10 per annum, an office which he 
 held six years. In 1351 the pope commissioned him to make inquiry 
 regarding those who were accused of heresy and who fled into the dio- 
 cese of Dublin, and to bring them to punishment according to the can- 
 ons. lie thereupon restored the jurisdiction of Dublin over the see of 
 Ossory. 
 
 Having sat in the see about thirteen yeare, he died on the 9th of 
 September, 1362, and was buried in Christ church. This prelate much 
 enlarged and beautified the church of the Holy Trinity, having built 
 the choir at his own expense. 
 
 Thomas Minot, prebendary of Mnllaghiddart, treasurer of Heland, 
 and also for a time escheator of the kingdom, succeeded by the pope’s 
 provision, and was consecrated on palm-Snnday in 1363. In the year 
 1365 the controversy respecting the primatial right was renewed be- 
 tween him and Miles Sweetman, archbishop of Armagh. About the 
 year 1370, Minot repaired part of St. Patrick’s church, which had been 
 destroyed by fire, and built the high steeple of hewn stone. In June, 
 1385, he died in London, and the care of the temporals of the archbish- 
 oprick was committed to the bishop of Meath. 
 
 Pobert de Wikeford, archdeacon of Winchester, doctor of the civil 
 and canon laws, and fellow of Merton College, was advanced by Pope 
 Gregory IX. to the see on the 12th of October, 1375, and consecrated 
 before the close of the year. In 1377 he was appointed chancellor of 
 Ireland ; again in 1385 he was appointed chancellor. He obtained 
 leave of absence in 1390 for one year to visit England, and in the inter- 
 val died on the 29th of August, 1390. 
 
 Pobert Waldby, bishop of Ayre in Gascony, was translated to the 
 see of Dublin by the pope in Xovember, 1391. Li 1395 he was trans- 
 ferred to the see of Chichester, vacant by the translation of Pichard 
 Metford to the see of Sarum, and again in 1396 was promoted to the 
 archbishoprick of York. 
 
 Pichard Xorthall was promoted to the see in 1396 ; was a Carmelite 
 friar ; the son of a mayor of London, and was born near that city. His 
 reputation for preaching, learning, and other acquirements, attracted the 
 notice of the king, who procured him the see of Ossory in 1386. Hav- 
 ing sat in the chair of Ossory about nine years, he was in 1396 transla- 
 ted to the see of Dublin ; a promotion which terminated in his death 
 on the 20th of July, 1397. He was buried in his own church. 
 
 Tliomas Cranley, a native of England, a Carmelite friar, doctor of 
 divinity, fellow of Merton College, and warden of Hew College, chan- 
 iiellor of the University of Oxford, was appointed to the see and was 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOKY OF IRELAND. 110 
 
 consecrated in 1397. He filled tlie office of lord chancellor of Ireland 
 in that Year, and again in 14-01. In 1416 on Lord Furnival’s departure 
 for England, Tlioinas was his deputy in the government of Ireland. 
 About the end of 1417 he went to England where he died at Faringdon, 
 full of years and honors, on the 25th of May of the same year. His 
 body was conveyed to Oxford and interred in Jlew College, of which he 
 had been the first warden. lie was a prelate in high reputation for his 
 wit and pen ; was liberal and fond of alms-deeds ; an excellent preacher; 
 a great builder and improver of such places as fell under his care. 
 
 Ttichard Talbot, precentor of Hereford, was consecrated archbishop 
 of Dublin in the year 1417. Richard was descended of a noble family, 
 and was brother to the celebrated warrior, John Talbot, Lord Furnival. 
 In 1423 he was lord justice, and subsecpiently lord chancellor of Ireland. 
 In 1443, on the death of John Prene, he was elected archbishop of Ar- 
 magh, but on declining it, John Mey was promoted to the priinatial 
 chair. 
 
 Richard sat in the see almost thirty-two years, and all this time was 
 of tlie jirivy council of Ireland. He died on the 15th of August, 1449, 
 and was buried in St. Patrick’s church before tlie steps of the altar. 
 
 Michael Tregury, doctor of divinity in the University of Oxford, 
 and some time fellow of Exeter College there and chaplain to the king, 
 was consecrated in St. Patrick’s church, archbishop of Dublin in 1449 ; 
 was at an earlier period of his life esteemed as a man of eminence for 
 learning and wisdom. In 1451 above fifty pereons of his diocese went 
 to Rome to celebrate the jubilee then promulgated by Pope Nicholas Y. 
 They who returned safe in 1453, brought the saddening news that Constan- 
 tinople was taken by the Turks, and the Emperor Michael Paloeologus slain. 
 Tlie Archbishop Michael was so afflicted at the news that he proclaimed 
 a fast to be observed strictly throughout his diocese for three successive 
 days, and granted indulgences to those who observed it, he himself walk- 
 ing in procession before his clergy to Christ church and clothed in sack- 
 cloth and ashes. In 1453 he was taken prisoner in the bay by pirates, 
 who were carrying off some sliips from the harbor of Dublin. They 
 were pursued to Ardglass, in the county of Down ; five hundred and 
 twenty of them were slain and the prelate released. 
 
 Having presided over his see twenty years, he died on the 21st of 
 December, 1471, at a very advanced age, in the manor-house of Tallagh, 
 which he had previously repaired. Ilis remains were conveyed to Dub- 
 lin attended by the clergy and citizens, and were buried in St. Patrick’s 
 cathedral. 
 
 John Walton or Mounstern, abbot of Osney, near Oxford, was ad- 
 vanced to the see of Dublin, and consecrated in England, and adorned 
 
120 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF lEELAED. 
 
 witL the pallium in 1472. In 1475, at the instance of the Dominicans 
 and other regulars, Pope Sixtus IV. issued his bull, reciting the abun- 
 dance of teachers but the deficiency of scholare in Ireland, and sanc- 
 tioning the establishment of an University in Dublin, for the study of 
 arts and theology, and the conferring the usual degrees therein. 
 
 In 1484, being blind and infirm, lie voluntarily resigned the arcli- 
 bishopric, reserving to himself, as a maintenance during life, the manor 
 of Swords. On his resignation, Gerald, earl of Kildare, tlien lord 
 deputy, forcibly entered and took possession of twenty-four towulands 
 belonging to the see, and retained them to the time of his death ; these 
 may have been the lands which archbishops Talbot and Tregury alien 
 ated. In 1514 they were restored to the see, and in two yearn after- 
 wards they were again forcibly seized by the house of Kildare. In 
 1521 they were again awarded to the archbishopric, of which undis- 
 turbed possession has since remained in the see. In 1489, five yearn 
 after his vacating the see, he again appeared in the pulpit of the ca- 
 thedral, and preached at St. Patrick’s church, on the festival of the 
 patron, before the lord deputy and the nobles, to the admiration of his 
 hearers. The precise time of his death is not known. 
 
 Walter Fitzsimon succeeded, in 1484 ; was official of the diocese oi 
 Dublin, bachelor of the civil and canon laws, a learned divine and phi 
 losopher — precentor of St. Patrick’s church. On the 14th of June, 
 1484, Pope Sixtus IV. appointed him to this see, and he was consecra- 
 ted in St. Patrick’s cathedral, in the September following. In 1487 
 this prelate was one of those who espoused the cause of Lambert Sim- 
 nel, and who were accessory to his coronation in Christ church. In 
 1488, W alter was permitted to renew his allegiance and receive pardon 
 through Sir Pichard Edgecomb. In 1496 he was appointed chancellor 
 of Ireland ; in this year he held a provincial synod in the* church of the 
 Holy Trinity, on which occasion an annual contribution for seven years 
 was settled by the clergy of the province to provide salaries for the 
 lecturers of the University, in St. Patrick’s cathedral. Friar Denis 
 Whyte, in the year following, being old and infirm, surrendered the see 
 of Glendaloch, in the chapel-house of St. Patrick’s, and ever since the 
 archbishops of Dublin have, without interruption, enjoyed that see. 
 Having filled the see twenty-seven years, he died on the 14th of May, 
 1511, at Finglass, near Dublin, and his body was conveyed to St. 
 Patrick’s church, and there honorably interred in the nave. He is de- 
 scribed as a “ prelate of great gravity and learning, and of a graceful 
 appearance.” 
 
 William Rokeby was a native of England, doctor of canon law, and 
 brother to Sir Richard Rokeby, lord treasurer of Reland. Li 1498 was 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAXI), 
 
 121 
 
 constituted lord cliancellor of Ireland, and afterwards advanced to the 
 see of Meath, hy Pope Julius II., in 1507, and was, on the 5th of Fe- 
 bruary, 1511, translated to the archiepiscopal see of Dublin. In 1518 
 he conv-ened a provincial synod, enacted some useful regulations, and, 
 in the same year confirmed the establishment of a college of clerks, 
 founded at Maynooth, by Gerald, earl of Kildare. 
 
 Archbishop Eokeby died on the 29th of November, 1521, having a 
 few hours before his death, given to every one belonging to the priory 
 of Christ church, a piece of silver, in testimony of his blessing and 
 prayere. According to the instructions of his will, his body was sent to 
 England to be buried in his new chapel of Sandal, a fabric of singular 
 beauty. 
 
 Hugh Inge, doctor of divinity, succeeded him in his see of Meath, and 
 in the archbishopric in the year 1521. Hugh w'as a native of England, 
 and born in Somersetshire ; was made perpetual fellow of Hew College, 
 in Oxford, A.D. IIII ; took his degrees there, and leaving it in 1496, 
 travelled into foreign countries. In 1512 he was made bishop of Meath, 
 which he governed ten yeare. In 1521, he succeeded to the see of 
 Dublin, and the year following obtained the temporals. In 1527 he was 
 constituted chancellor of Ireland, and was esteemed as a man of great 
 probity and justice. He presided six years, and died in Dublin on the 
 3d of August, 1528, and was buried in St. Patrick’s church. 
 
 John Allen, doctor of laws and treasurer of St. Paul’s, London, suc- 
 ceeded, and was consecrated in Christ church, on the 13th of March, 
 1528. John was one of Cardinal Wolsey’s abettors in procuring the 
 dissolution of forty lesser monasteries for the endowment of the col- 
 leges at Oxford and Ipswich, — a project, which the bishop of Hereford 
 observed, brought, like the gold of Tholouse, either destruction or some 
 dire calamity on all who touched it. Two of the abettors fought a duel, 
 one of them was killed, another hanged himself, a third threw himself 
 into a well, a fourth, though a rich man, became a beggar, Wolsey lost 
 the king’s favoi and died miserably ; the pope, wdio gave his consent 
 to the dissolution, saw Rome taken and plundered by the imperial army, 
 himself and cardinals prisoners, and become the sport and mockery of a 
 licentious multitude, and John Allen, intercepted on his way from Ire- 
 land, to avoid the consequences of a rebellion which Lord Thomas 
 Fitzgerald had excited, was brutally murdered in the presence of Lord 
 Tliomas, on the 28th of July, 1534, and in the 58th year of his age. 
 Ware describes him as a man of hospitality and learning, and a diligent 
 inquirer into antiquity. 
 
 Hugh Curwen, chosen under Queen Mary’s letter to the dean and 
 chapter of Christ church, succeeded in 1555 ; four years after abau 
 
122 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF mEL^VND. 
 
 doned the Ikitli. The diocese of Dublin had no Catholic bishop until 
 the 5th of May, 1600, when a Spaniard and a Franciscan friar, 
 
 Mathew de Oviedo succeeded. Mathew was born in Segovia, and 
 was educated at Salamanca ; subsequently joined the order of St. 
 Francis, and presided over the monastery at Toro, in the diocese of 
 Zamora, in old Castile. In consequence of the failure of the Spanish in- 
 vasion of Ireland, under John D. Aguila, Mathew de Oviedo was obliged 
 to become an exile from his see, and passed the remainder of his days in 
 Spain, a pensioner of the court, and at last died in obscurity. In his 
 absence Robert Lalor, a native of Ireland, and who had received ordem 
 from Bishop Brady of Kilmore, was, by the pope appointed vicar-gene- 
 ral of Dublin, and also of the sees of Kildare and Ferns. Ills jurisdic- 
 tion he exercised firmly and openly, frequently changing his name and 
 residence, as necessary for his pemonal safety. lie was at last arrested, 
 and thrown into confinement in the castle. The government feigned to 
 attribute to him a confession, by which he would have incurred the 
 guilt of treason to his conscience and religion, and on the remonstrance 
 of his friends he assured them and protested, that he only admitted the 
 king’s authority in tem 2 )orals, without any reference to spiritual autho- 
 rity ; whereupon he was indicted anew, as having incurred a prmmunire 
 by exercising episcopal jurisdiction in his capacity of vicar-general to 
 the pope. Lalor pleaded in vain ; he was found guilty of contempt of 
 the statute, but sentence was never executed. The absence of Mathew 
 de Oviedo having continued ten yearn, it became necessary to provide 
 a pastor for the see. 
 
 Eugene Mathews succeeded in 1611 ; was parish priest of Clogher, 
 and in August, 1609, became bishop of the church of that see, from 
 which he was translated to the archdiocese of Dublin, in May, 1611. 
 Tlie period of his translation was one of imminent danger, as Andrew 
 Knox, the bishop of Orkney was removed to Raphoe, in Ireland, with 
 the avowed object of annihilating the Catholic faith of the Rish church. 
 This blood-thii-sty Avretch, who pretended to be the guardian and suc- 
 cessor of the apostolic commission of feeding and teaching the lambs 
 and sheep of the fold, was the immediate adviser of those cruel and 
 savage edicts, requiring the clergy of the ancient faith to quit the 
 kingdom under pain of death. 
 
 Notwithstanding this denunciation against ecclesiastics, the arch- 
 bishop Eugene presided at a conference held at Kilkenny, in October, 
 1614:, and on this occasion decrees were enacted, first, for the reception 
 of the canons of the council of Trentj as circumstances would permit ; 
 secondly, for the establishment of vicars and the appointment of deans 
 to preside over the priesthood ; thirdly, for the due qualifications of the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAinD. 
 
 123 
 
 clergy before appointment ; fourthly, the administration of baptism by 
 aspersion on the head instead of immersion — the registry of the names 
 of parents, children and sponsors — the exaction of dues from the known 
 poor prohibited, under pain of suspension ; fifthly, to provide for the 
 decorous celebration of the Divine mysteries, directing the celebrant, as 
 he was obliged to ofi’er up the sacrifice in the open air and in unconse- 
 crated spots, to select a clean place, sheltered from wind and rain. 
 Tlie sixth provides for the publicity and registering of marriages — the 
 qualifications of the contracting parties, and the prevention of clandes- 
 tine contracts. The seventh, for the maintenance of the clergy, by col- 
 lections from their flocks. Eighth provides for the character of the 
 clergy, prohibits mercantile pursuits, farming, and especially interfer- 
 ence in matters of state or politics. Ninth restrains preaching on 
 articles of faith by any but those who were approved. Tenth prevents 
 disputations on matters of faith, or discussions on religious subjects 
 during convivial houm. Eleventh consults for the due observance of 
 fasts and abstinence. 
 
 In 1615, on the occasion of the regal visitation, the commissioners 
 reported that Eugene Mathews, titular archbishop of Dublin, w'as 
 secretly harbored therein ; and on the 13th of October, 1617, a procla- 
 mation issued from the castle of Dublin, for the exjmlsion of all the 
 regular clergy, and a certain individual, John Boy ton, was commis- 
 sioned to discover them, nor was Boyton remiss in performing his duty, 
 as he detected many of them, and also some of the nobles who sheltered 
 them, all of whom were thrown into prison, while the judges on circuit 
 were instructed to enforce the penalties and fines against recusants who 
 did not attend the Protestant service. 
 
 Eugene Mathews was obliged at length to yield to the stonn. Tie 
 retired to the Netherlands, where he died in 1623. 
 
 Tliomas Fleming, a Franciscan friar, of the family of the barons of 
 Slane, and sometime professor of theology in Louvain, was, on the 23d 
 of October, 1623, and in the 30th year of his age appointed archbishop 
 of Dublin, by Pope Urban VIII. Immediately on his promotion to the 
 archdiocese, Paul Hams, a secular priest, began to inveigh bitterly 
 against the selection of prelates from the class of regulars ; he also at- 
 tacked the friars. But at length Cardinal Barberini, prefect of the Pro- 
 paganda, felt compelled to interfere, and accordingly directed the bishop 
 of Meath to banish him from the diocese of Dublin ; but the bishop of 
 Meath dreading the civil power, did not wish to act, and this turbulent 
 priest at once declared that he would not retire, unless compelled by 
 the authority of King Charles. The ensuing years of Archbishop Flem- 
 ing appear to have passed in the silent and unobtrusive exercise of his 
 
124 : 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISrOKY OF lEELAKD. 
 
 ecclesiastical functions. In 164:2, he appeared at Kilkenny, through his 
 proxy, the Rev. Joseph Everard, hut when the designs of the government 
 became more apparent, and that the extinction of the Catholics and 
 their faith was the object, the archbishop of Dublin felt himself obliged 
 to participate in person in the counsels of the confederates at Kilkenny, 
 and thereupon appointed Doctor Edmond O’Reilly to fill the station of 
 vicar-general in his absence. As one of the members for Leinster, the 
 Archbishop Fleming, sat in the council, and on the 20th of June, 1643, 
 together with the archbishop of Tuam, the only two among the pre- 
 lates who did so, authorized Kicholas Yiscount Gormanstown, Sir Lucas 
 Dillon, Sir Robert Talbot, and others, to ti'cat with the Marcpiis of Or- 
 mond, who was obliged to temporise, for the cessation of arms. In the 
 ensuing month, father Peter Scarampa, an Oratorian, and a man of con- 
 summate prudence and learning, arrived with supplies of money and 
 ammunition from Rome, on the part of the supreme pontiff Urban VIII. 
 to whom the celebrated Luke TF addin" made known the sufferings of 
 
 O o 
 
 the Irish Catholics, and their efforts to preserve themselves and their 
 faith from utter extinction. In 1644, the archbishop of Dublin was 
 present at the general assembly of Kilkenny, in which it was agreed 
 and confirmed by an oath of association, that every confederate should 
 bear true faith and allegiance to the king and his heirs — to maintain 
 the Roman Catholic faith and religion, and to obey the orders and de- 
 crees of the supreme council. 
 
 Father Scarampa remained in the discharge of his commission at 
 Kilkenny, until Kovember, 1645, when John Baptist Rinuccini, arch- 
 bishop and prince of Fermo, arrived in the character of apostolic nun- 
 cio extraordinary. 
 
 In the year 1648, Edmond O’Reilly was removed from the station of 
 vicar-general, as it appears he had neither prudence or ability to sustain 
 it, and the Rev. Lawrence Archbold was appointed in his stead. 
 During the greater part of the year 1649, the prelate resided in his own 
 diocese, and at last he sunk into the grave in the midst of those perse- 
 cutions by which “ the keen-eyed vigilance of the persecutors drove the 
 Catholic laity into the country. Tlie priests and monks scarcely dare 
 sleep, even in the houses of their own people — their life was an earthly 
 warfare and a martyrdom — they breathed as by stealth among the hills 
 and the woods, and frequently in the abyss of bogs or marshes, which 
 the persecutors could not penetrate : yet thither flocked congregations 
 of poor Catholics to receive the doctrine of salvation and the bread of 
 life. Yet the heretics, in their hatred to the dogmas of the ancient 
 creed of their fathers, hm-ried through the mountains and woods, ex- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF lEELAND. 
 
 125 
 
 ])loriiig the retreats of the clergy, who were more hotly pursued than 
 the wild beasts of the chase.” 
 
 It became almost impossible that the Catholic hierai’chy of Ireland 
 could be kept up in its integrity. At the close of the year 1660, there 
 Avere but three prelates of the Catholic church in the kingdom : the 
 archbishop of Armagh, the bishops of Meath and Ivilmore. The see of 
 Dublin and the care of the province were placed under the jurisdiction 
 and control of James Dempsey, vicar-apostolic and capitular of 
 Kildare. 
 
 Peter Talbot succeeded in 1669. Peter was the son of Sir William 
 Talbot, and brother of the celebi’ated Colonel Talbot, whom James IL 
 created earl of Tyrconnell and afterwards ennobled with the title of 
 duke. Peter was born about the year 1620. Early in life, witli a Anew 
 of entering the ecclesiastical state, he repaired to Portugal, there 
 became a Jesuit in 1635, and afterAvards to Pome, where he completed 
 his studies, and Avas admitted to holy orders. From Pome he returned 
 to Portugal, and afterAvards remoA^ed to Antwerp, where he lectured on 
 moral theology, and published a treatise on the nature of faith and 
 heresy — the nullity of the Protestant church and its clergy. He is sup- 
 posed to be the pereon who received, in 1656, Charles the Second into 
 the Catholic religion, Avhile he was at Cologne, and to haA'e been sent 
 privately to Madrid, to intimate to the court of Spain the fact of his con 
 Aversion. 
 
 On the marriage of Charles 11. Avith the Infanta of Portugal, he was 
 appointed one of her chaplains, and his voavs, as a Jesuit, having been 
 dispensed Avith, he Avas promoted to the see of Dublin in 1669, and con- 
 secrated in the May of this year, either at xintAverp or Ghent. 
 
 On his arrival in Dublin, he found an assembly of the Catholic 
 clergy sitting under the control of the primate. Talbot asserting an au- 
 thority to OA'ersee the proceedings, the old controversy respecting the 
 primatial right aa'us reAuved. Both parties appealed to Pome, Avliere a 
 decision was jnade in faA^or of Armagh, as Archbishop Plunkett, and 
 after him Hugh Mac Mahon, alleged. In 1670, Archbishop Talbot so- 
 journed for a time at Ghent, and having returned to Dublin in the May 
 of this year, he waited on Lord Berkeley, lord lieutenant of Ireland, by 
 Avhom he was courteously received and permitted to appear in his archi- 
 episcopal character before the council. On the 30th of August, 1670, 
 the archbishop held a synod in Dublin, and again in the folloAving year 
 he convened a second one enforcing the publication of bans of mar- 
 riages, and prohibiting under pain of excommunication any Catholic, 
 male or female, from contracting matrimony Avith the ofispring of Jcavs, 
 Turks, or Moors, and moreover interdicting any priest from soleinniziug 
 
126 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF mELAJST). 
 
 such. The liberal Lord Berkeley being removed from the government of 
 Ireland, tiie bigoted Essex replaced him, and forthwith the storm bui-st 
 upon the devoted heads of the Catholics, and Peter Talbot was at once 
 marked out for proscription. lie was accused with an intent to intro- 
 duce Boman Catholics into the common council of the Dublin corpora- 
 tion. Judging rightly of his danger, and disti’usting those who should 
 adjudicate his cause, he fled, and after wandering some time in disguise, he 
 arrived safely in the metropolis of France, from which he addressed, in 
 1674, a pastoral letter, full of tenderness to those over whom he presided, 
 on the duty and comfort of suffering subjects. In 1675, he ventured to 
 return to England, where he took up his residence at Pool-llall, in 
 Cheshire, and fearing that his end was approaching, he obtained through 
 the influence of the duke of York, a connivance to his restoration to 
 Ireland. In 1678 he was arrested at Malahide on suspicion of being 
 concerned in the “ popish plot as nothing was found in his papers to 
 justify the charge, and as his state of health did not permit his removal, 
 the security of his brother was acceiited for his appearance. He was. 
 however, on the arrival of the duke of Ormond in Dublin, removed to the 
 castle, a prisoner, on the iioint of death. There he remained for two 
 years treated with great severity until death put an end to his afflictions, 
 in the year 1680. 
 
 Patrick Bussell, after a vacancy of three years, succeeded on the 
 2d of August, 1683. In July, 1685 he held a provincial synod at Dub- 
 lin, in which local and provincial regulations were made. In the follow- 
 ing year. Archbishop Bussel assisted at an assembly of the Boman Cath- 
 olic clergy held in Dublin, at which the primate of all Ireland presided. 
 To this meeting of the clergy the earl of Clarendon alludes in a dispatch 
 to the earl of Bochester, dated the 15th of May. Again Patrick Bus- 
 sel presided at a diocesan synod held in Dublin on the 10th of June, 
 1686, in which it Avas decreed that parochial clergymen having the 
 charge of souls, should provide schoolmasters in their parishes to instruct 
 the children, and should inspect the schools and remov^e the teachers if 
 negligent. On the 1st of August, 1688 he held a provincial council 
 wherein it was enacted among other things, that every parish priest 
 should, under pain of suspension, on the Lord’s-day explain some point 
 of the Christian doctrine, or give a short exhortation to the people after 
 the gospel. 
 
 During the residence of King James in the Irish metropolis. Arch- 
 bishop Bussel enjoyed the distinction of performing the holy rites of the 
 Catholic church in the royal presence. The last rite Avhich he celebra- 
 ted before the king, was the consecration of the Benedictine nunnery in 
 Channelrow. On the overthroAV of the Stuart dynasty he fled to Paris, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL niSTOEY OF lEELAND. 
 
 127 
 
 ivneiice he returned to close his days in the land of his labors. At the 
 close of the year 1092 he went the way of all flesh, and was buried in 
 the ancient church of Lusk. 
 
 Peter Creagh succeeded in 1693 ; was bishop of Cork for several 
 years previous to 1GS6. It is probable that he was a relative of Sir Mi 
 chael Creagh, whoivas the lord mayor of Dublin in 1088, whose brother, 
 the mayor of Isewcastle, was also knighted by King James. On the 
 flight of James and the surrender of Limerick, Peter left the country 
 and resided in Paris, until, on the 9th of March, 1093, he was advanced 
 to the archdiocese of Dublin. 
 
 During the incumbency of Peter the embers of persecution were 
 rekindled ; the education, foreign or domestic, of Catholics was prohib- 
 ited : penal enactments succeeded in 1097. All popish prelates, vicars- 
 general, deans, monks, Jesuits, and all otliers of their religion, who ex-, 
 ercised ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Ireland, were ordered by act of Par- 
 liament to depart from the kingdom before the 1st of May, 1098, and in 
 case of return, were subjected to imprisonment and transportation to 
 foreign parts, whence if they returned, they were liable to be arraigned 
 as traitors ; and it was moreover enacted, that none should be buried in 
 any monastery, abbey, or convent, not used for the Protestant service. 
 In the same session was enacted the statute prohibiting the intermar- 
 riages of Protestants with Catholics. Such indeed was the success of 
 the persecutoi’s in the year 1098, that the number of “regulars” alone 
 shipped from Ireland, were : one hundred and fifty-three from Dublin ; 
 one hundred and ninety from Galway ; seventy-five from Cork, and 
 twenty -six from Waterford : in all a total of four hundred and forty-four. 
 During all this time there is no public notice of Peter Creagh, the arch- 
 bishop of Dublin, and such is the scarcity of materials in connection 
 with his life, that the period of his death is to. be inferred from the ap- 
 pointment of his successor. 
 
 Edmund Byrne succeeded in 1707. lie was ordained at Seville, and 
 was in the fifty-first year of his age when promoted to the see of Dub- 
 lin. Soon after his promotion it was proposed under a parliamentary 
 sanction that a public meeting of Protestant and Catholic prelates and 
 doctors should be held for two months to propound and debate on the 
 disputed articles of faith ; on which occasion, says Mr. Clinch, “ this wor- 
 thy archbishop alone, of all the Irish Catholic prelates, attended said 
 conferences, and then with such zeal, wisdom, and more than human 
 eloquence, propounded the principles of his religion in the public college 
 of Dublin, that many, enlightened by tire rays of truth, shook oif tlie 
 yoke of heresy and sought the harbor of safety in the bosom of the 
 Catholic chui'ch.” 
 
128 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Tlie old controversy respecting the primatial right was revived about 
 the year 1717, and on this occasion Dr. Mac Mahon wrote his learned 
 work, “ Jus Primatiale.” Tlie archbishop of Dublin having divided 
 the parishes of St. James and St. Catherine, the pastor appealed to the 
 primate of all Ireland, whose decision restored the appellant. The mat- 
 ter was, however, brought before the supreme tribunal of the church, 
 but before its decision was obtained. Dr. Byrne died. 
 
 Edward Murphy who acted as secretary to the synod held by Arch- 
 bishop Eussel in July, 1G85, and also in 1688, was subsequently bishop 
 of Kildare, from which see he was translated to the archbishopric of 
 Dublin in 1721. Having filled the see five years, he died in 1729. 
 
 Luke Fagan, in 1729, was translated from the see of Meath to the 
 archdiocese of Dublin, which he filled about five years, residing in 
 the ancient chapelrhouse of Erancis-street during this time. Tliough the 
 rigorous spirit of the penal laws was somewhat relaxed during the gov- 
 ernment of George the Second, yet his life was so unobtrusive as not to 
 project himself to the notice of posterity. 
 
 John Linegar was appointed to the see in 1734. During the ad- 
 ministration of the duke of Devonshire, the vengeance of the law was 
 again directed against the prelacy and priesthood of Ireland. A procla- 
 mation issued in February, 1743, by which all justices of the peace 
 were ordered to enforce the penal laws for the detection of popish pre- 
 lates and priests ; and in the same' document were offered large pecu 
 niary rewards for the seizure and conviction of those proscribed men 
 and of othei’S who would dare to conceal them, or entertain them in 
 their houses. In consequence of diis cruel edict, worthy of a Hero, the 
 chapels were closed — visits made in search of priests, yet some zealous 
 ecclesiastics exercised their ministry in obscure and unfrequented 
 places. On one occasion, a priest, John Fitzgerald, officiated in a ruinous 
 dwelling within the city. The sacrifice of the mass being finished, and 
 the people ready to depart, the priest and nine of his hearers were 
 killed by the fall of the house, and many more were severely bruised 
 or maimed. Moved by this lamentable occurrence, Hoadley, a 
 Protestant primate, effected a toleration in the council, and the cha- 
 pels were re-opened on the 17th of March, 1745. 
 
 In 1751, Archbishop Linegar received from Rome instructions, which 
 he was ordered to transmit to the archbishops of Armagh, Cashell, and 
 Tuam, and by them to be communicated to their suffragans, exhorting 
 them to subdivide extensive districts into new parishes, or otherwise se- 
 lect coadjutors for their fiocks. Tlie prelates themselves were directed 
 to reside, and enforce residence within their sees, and every second year 
 
ECCLF-SIASTiaVL IIISTOEY OF lilELAND. 
 
 129 
 
 to report to the nuncio at Brussels, the state of reugion and of ecclesi- 
 astical discipline. 
 
 Confessors were forbidden to take alms at their confessionals ; parish 
 priests were directed to have the children taught their catechism dili- 
 gently and correctly ; and with regard to the regular clergy, their su- 
 periors were ordered to avoid admitting them to take the religious habit 
 in Ireland, as it was desirable they should assume it in monasteries of 
 foreign countries, where the noviciates were regulated according to the 
 constitutions of the popes, and should not return to Ireland until they 
 finished the course of their studies there, and have acquired the knowl- 
 edge of moral and dogmatic theology. The Archbishop Linegar lived 
 until the year 1756 ; his portrait is preserved at the Sienna convent in 
 Drogheda. 
 
 Richard Lincoln was appointed to succeed in 1757. In this year he 
 caused an exhortation to be read from the altars, inviting the Roman 
 Catholics to be grateful to those who had preserved them, without dis- 
 tinction of pei’sons, by their charity and benevolence in the visitation of 
 famine, which recently afflicted them. “A series' of more than sixty 
 years,” said the bishop, “ spent with a pious resignation under the hard- 
 ships of very severe penal laws, and with thanks for the lenity and mo- 
 deration with which they were executed, since the accession <>f the pre- 
 sent royal family, is a fact which, with any unbiassed mind, must 
 outweigh the ill-formed opinions of the doctrines and the tenets which 
 the Catholic church inculcates.” This document concluded by urging 
 on his flock an abstinence from sin, and the performance of moral and 
 religious duties. 
 
 In 1759, a dispute arose between the archbishop and the regular 
 clergy of his diocese. Tlie prelate feeling it incumbent on him to con- 
 trol their faculty of hearing confessions, and to prescribe other points of 
 ecclesiastical discipline ; an ordinance issued from Rome, in August, 
 1761, more peremptorily enjoining the manner in which such confessions 
 should be heard, and otherwise adjusting the disputed points of disci- 
 pline. Iltb. Dmn. p. 753. 
 
 In February, 1762, another exhortation issued, urging the respective 
 congregations to submission and allegiance, and recommending the king 
 to their prayers, in order, that by a solid and lasting peace the effusion 
 of Christian blood might be restrained. 
 
 Archbishop Lincoln died at the close of 1762, and was buried in a 
 family vault in St. James’ churchyard, Dublin. 
 
 Patrick Fitzsimon, dean of Dublin and parish priest of St. Audeon’s, 
 was appointed to the archdiocese — a dignity which he filled six yeare in a 
 manner solely ecclesiastical and unobtrusive. It is worthy of remark, that 
 
130 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAX, HISTOKY OF lEELAifD. 
 
 his prudence and judgment were preeminently evinced on the occasion 
 of the test-oaths, when the pope’s nuncio at Brussels, Ghillini, de- 
 iiounced them, and directed an authoritative remonstrance against them, 
 which he designed to be circulated as a pastoral, throughout the pro- 
 vince. These oaths were projected as a security by the government in 
 the event of conceding emancipation to the Irish Catholics. Tlie arch- 
 bishop suppressed the nuncio’s remonstrance. 
 
 The Irish parliament, in the last year of this prelate’s life, issued an 
 order to the parliamentary archbishops and bishops of the kingdom, to 
 make out a list of the several families in their parishes, distinguishing 
 Protestant from Catholic, and also of the several popish priests and 
 friare residing in their parishes. 
 
 Having attained the age of seventy-six yeare, the archbishop died in 
 Francis-street, Dublin, A.D. 1769. 
 
 John Carpenter succeeded on the 3d of June, 1770. Having passed 
 to a foreign university (Lisbon) to acquire his education and degrees, he 
 was, on his return to his native city of Dublin, appointed curate in St. 
 Mary’s parish chapel. Early in his missionary life he was involved in 
 the political struggles of the day, and engaged with Lord Taatfe, who 
 was the venerable mediator of the Irish Catholics, but they were 
 then considered of too little importance to be noticed by the govern- 
 ment. 
 
 On the death of Archbishop Fitzsimon, the regulars of the province 
 anxiously solicited the translation of De Burgo, bishop of Ossory, and 
 the author of “ Hibernia Dominicana ” to the see of Dublin ; however, 
 through the influence of the earl of Fingal, Charles O’Connor, of Bela- 
 nagare, and others of the Catholic nobility and gentry, and the hearty 
 concurrence of the Dublin clergy, the promotion of Doctor Carpenter 
 was effected. He was consecrated in Liffey-street chapel, by Anthony 
 Blake, the primate of Ai’inagh, assisted by the bishops of Kildare and 
 Ossory. In Kovember, 1778, Doctor Carpenter, seventy of his clergy, 
 and several hundred Roman Catholics of the laity, attended at the court 
 of king’s bench in Dublin, and took the oaths prescribed by the act of 
 parliament for the relief of the Roman Catholics of Ireland. 
 
 On the 29th of October, 1786, Archbishop Carpenter closed his 
 mortal career, in the fifty-ninth year of his age, and was buried in St, 
 Michan’s churchyard, Dublin. He was not a prelate gifted with any 
 remarkably splendid talents ; they were more distinguished for sound 
 judgment, strong memory, and diligent research. 
 
 John Thomas Troy succeeded, in 1786 ; was born near Porterstown, 
 in the county of Dublin. At the early age of fifteen he went to Rome 
 to 2 Drosecute his studies ; there assumed the Dominican habit, and at 
 
ECCI.ESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 131 
 
 length became the rector of St. Clement’s, in that city. In 17TG, on the 
 death of De Burgo, bishop of Ossory, the pope selected this divine as 
 worthy to till his vacant chair. He was accordingly consecrated at Lou- 
 vain, on his way homeward, by the archbishop of Mecklin, assisted by 
 two mitred abbots. On arriving in his diocese of Ossory, he revived 
 the ecclesiastical conferences of the clergy, that ivere from necessitv' dis- 
 continued. In January, 1779, and again in October, of the same year, 
 he published very spirited circular against the system of whiteboyism, 
 then prevalent, and caused excommunication to be solemnly pronounced 
 against all those who were engaged in its folly, through all the churches 
 of his diocese. In 1787, he issued pastoral directions to his clergy, in 
 which they were strictly prohibited the future celebration of midnight 
 masses, by which the festival of Christ’s nativity was ushered in, and that 
 none should be celebrated before six o’clock in the morning ; he forbade 
 any priest, secular or regular, from appearing at hunts, races, or public 
 concerts. In 1793, Doctor Troy published pastoral instructions on the 
 duties of Christian citizens, which were impugned as favoring republi- 
 canism ; but the whole scope of his writings was to show tliat Roman 
 Catholics, adhering to the principles of their Church, are loyal and good 
 subjects, because their religion inculcates obedience to constituted au- 
 thority, and to the power that is established under any form of go rern- 
 ment. Ilis loyalty to the throne was too well known to be thus rashly 
 assailed ; and in the subsequent troubles of the country he denoimced 
 eentence of excommunication against any of his flock who should rise 
 ir arms against the government, whereby his life was endangered, as a 
 conspiracy was formed to murder him. 
 
 In 1795, was founded the royal college of Maynooth — an institution 
 intended solely for the beneflt of those who were educated for the Ca- 
 tholic priesthood of Ireland. The buildings cost thirty-two thousand 
 pounds, and were far from being sufficiently extensive to give accommo- 
 dation to the students. Tlie annual grant from parliament heretofore 
 amounted to £8,000 sterling. Li 1807, an application for an increase 
 was made, and the additional sum of £2,500 was obtained, at which 
 amount the annual grant continued until the year 1844:, when Sir 
 Robert Peel, pressed by the repeal agitation, endowed the college, 
 thereby preventing the annual display of parliamentary bigotry, by 
 which the establisliment, as well as the faith of the Catholics of Ire- 
 land, was assailed and insulted ; its present income is £20,300 sterling ; 
 new buildings have been recently erected at an expense of £30,000, in a 
 manner and style befitting the national college of the Irish church. 
 Before its endowment the Yery Rev. Michael Montague, of Armagh, 
 for many years burser of the -college, and subsequently president, by a 
 
132 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF LKELAlSrD. 
 
 wise economy, and by a desire also to add to the comforts of tlie stu- 
 dents, was enabled to erect the structures that are set apart for the 
 junior students. 
 
 At the period tliat this important concession was made to tbe Catbo- 
 lics of Ireland, intercourse with the Continent was suspended, and con- 
 sequently the means of education were beyond the reach of the students 
 who were intended for the service of the Catholic Church. Tlie gov- 
 ernment wisely resolved to provide them a suitable education, as it was 
 debarred them abroad, and as its deprivation was a proscription beyond 
 man’s endurance, and one to which no people should submit. It is then 
 to the liberality of an Irish parliament, consisting as it did, exclusively 
 of Protestants and to its judgment, the native talent of Ireland is no 
 longer obliged to search for education in the land of the foreigner. Per- 
 haps, too, the fear of imbibing revolutionary ideas on the Continent, 
 operated powerfully on the Irish senate, as they could not bnt under- 
 stand the unwise policy of having the priesthood of L’eland educated in 
 countries which cherished interests, passions and prejudices directly 
 hostile to the government under which they were to live, and of having 
 them return home with feelings of gratitude to those people who had- 
 offered them an asylum, and averse to those who had at home proscribed 
 their education. 
 
 The college of Maynooth can vie with any similar establishment of 
 Europe in piety, discipline, and talent. 
 
 In 181-1, a contest arose between Doctor Troy and the grand jury of 
 the city of Dublin, relative to the Catholic chaplaincy of the jail of 
 I>ewgate ; the grand jury having appointed one. Doctor Troy, on the 
 plea of incompetence suspended him ; the former appealed to the court 
 of king’s bench, but were informed that if the person they selected was 
 not to be found at his post, they must proceed to nominate another, and 
 to continue until the office was substantially filled. The grand jury, 
 however, adoi)ted a different course, and sent an order to the prison, 
 that no Catholic clergyman should be admitted, except him whom 
 Doctor Troy had suspended ; a disgraceful and protracted strife ensued, 
 and under the protection of an old penal enactment, the jurors continued 
 to maintain a clergyman in an office of importance, who was disquali- 
 fied by his legitimate superior. 
 
 In April, 1815, Archbishop Troy laid the foundation stone of his 
 metropolitan church, but he lived not to witness its completion. He 
 departed this life on the 11th of May, 1823, in the 8-lth year of his age, 
 and was buried in the vaults of the temple he was founding. Doctor 
 Ti’oy was a truly learned and zealous pastor — attached to the glory of 
 God and his church, and to the honor of the holy see ; solicitous of, and 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IREL.YND. 
 
 133 
 
 vigilant in, the discharge of his duties for the good of those entrusted 
 to his charge, and of the state of which he was a member — meek and 
 unassuming, so that the humblest child of his diocese could approach 
 him with confidence and affection. 
 
 Daniel Murray succeeded, in 1823 ; was bom on the 18th of April, 
 1768, at Sheepwalk, in the parish of Redcross and county of Wicklow. 
 At the age of sixteen years he was sent to Salamanca, where he studied 
 for some yeare, and on his return to Ireland was aj^pointed curate in the 
 parish of St. Paul, Dublin, whence he wns shortly afterwards removed 
 to that of Arklow. Tliere he remained until obliged, by the outrages 
 of 1798, to seek refuge m the metropolis. He became attached to St. 
 Andrew’s parish, and after a short interval was removed to St. Mary’s. 
 In 1805, he was named prebendaiy of Wicklow, and parish priest of Clon- 
 tarf, but the latter preferment he declined. In 1809, at the instance of 
 Doctor Troy, he was appointed archbishop of Ilieropolis and coadjutor 
 of Dublin, and consecrated on the 30th of November, in this year, the 
 Archbishop Troy officiating as consecrator, and the bishops Delany and 
 Ryan as assistants. Having sojourned several months in the French 
 caj)ital, in the year following he had the satisfaction of procuring an 
 ordinance, whereby the right of the archbishops and bishops of Ireland 
 to exercise superintendence over the property belonging to Irish houses 
 was recognised, and in accordance with their wishes the Sieur Ferris, 
 administrator-general, was ordered to resign his functions, and to deliver 
 up to his successors the moneys, deeds, movables and effects, belonging 
 to the Irish colleges in France. 
 
 On the death of John Thomas Troy, in 1823, Dr. Murray succeeded 
 to the see of Dublin, and in 1825 was one of the prelates who drew up 
 the pastoral instructions to the clergy and laity of Ireland, exhorting 
 the former to the fulfillment of all their obligations ; the steadfast main- 
 tenance of an exemplary life, as by it the pastor preaches more eloquent- 
 ly than in his sermons or exhortations ; the vigilant administration of 
 the holy sacraments, as nothing can excuse from this all-important duly, 
 as nothing can exempt from it : not labor or fatigue, nor watching, nor 
 hunger or thirst, heat nor cold. In this important duty there is no jus<'. 
 cause of delay. Zeal in promoting the honor and love of God ; but in 
 order that zeal be efficient and productive of fruit, it must be directed 
 by prudence and charity— charity which is benign, bears all, suffers all, 
 vigilance in the instruction of children, because on their moral and re- 
 ligious education not only depends their own happiness, but also that of 
 the church and the state ; labor for them in good and evil report to ob- 
 tain it when it could be ufithout a compromise of their precious faith ; 
 or of that salutary discipline which surrounds and protects it as the 
 
134 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL niSTOKY OF IRELAND, 
 
 walls and ramparts do the city. Tuni away from them every insidions 
 wile of the deceiver, and while studying to have peace with all men, for- 
 get not that you are the watchmen on the towei*s of the city of God to 
 detect the ambuscades of her enemies. Engrave on the tender heart of 
 the little ones the obedience they owe to God, their parents, their prince, 
 and to all in authority over them ; to inspire them with a horror of vice 
 and a love of virtue. Your door is the first at which the cry of distress 
 or of misery is first heard. Let the poor find in you the sympathy of a 
 father, the bowels of tenderness and of compassion. 
 
 Eememher, says this instruction, that an ecclesiastic, whether in the 
 sanctuary, or dwelling in the world, should appear a man of superior 
 mind and of exalted virtue ; a man whose example can improve society, 
 whose manners, irreproachable, can reflect honor on the church and add 
 to the glory and splendor of religion ; a man whose modesty should be 
 apparent to all, as the apostle recommends, and who should be clothed 
 with justice as the prophet expresses it. 
 
 Y"hat Dr. Murray inculcated he did not forget to practice in his own 
 life ; he stood forth as a tower of strength to his faith when it was as- 
 sailed by the insidious machinations of the British government. 
 
 Tlie venerable head of the Catholic church, Pius TII., having been 
 a captive in the French capital. Monsignor Quarantoti, vice-prefect of 
 the propaganda at Borne, charged in liis absence with the care of the 
 sacred missions, and furnished with all pontifical powers for that pur- 
 pose, through the means of Dr. Poynter, vicar-apostolic of the London 
 district, and Mac Pherson, then rector of the Scotch college at Borne, 
 consented to take a prominent part in the plot of the vetoistical arrange- 
 ment, by which the appointment of the Catholic hierarchy of Ireland 
 would be vested in the sovereign of England, and the sovereign also of 
 another creed. Quarantoti, then in age and weak-minded, caused an in 
 strument in favor of this odious measure to be executed at Borne and had 
 it forwarded to the vicar-apostolic of London, to be by him communi- 
 cated to all the bishops and vicars-apostolic of the British empire. 
 In 1810 the Irish prelates passed a merited vote of thanlis to the 
 Bight Beverend Doctor Milner, vicar-apostolic of the Midland district 
 of England, for his uniform and uncompromising firmness in resist- 
 ing the hated question of the veto, and then entered their solemn 
 jirotest against the reception of official documents coming from 
 Borne, until the supreme pastor of the Christian fold would .be 
 restored to the full exercise of his liberty. "Whatever may have 
 been the motives that prompted the authors of the rescript, wheth- 
 er of involving the hierarchy in new troubles or causing discon 
 tent and confusion throughout the kingdom; if such was the result 
 
ECCLESIASTIC^\X mSTOKT OF IKELAND. 
 
 135 
 
 on whicli tliey ciilculated, the experience of a few months sufficiently 
 attested the success of their expectations. 
 
 The rescript of Quarantoti, immediately on its publication in May, 
 181 1, was received by the Catholics of Ireland, lay and clerical, with 
 feelings of marked contempt and unmitigated abhorrence. Through 
 every diocese of Ireland it was reprobated ; the archdiocese of Dublin 
 was the first to give expression to its indignation, and at a public meet- 
 ing in Bridge-street chapel on the 12th of May, 1814, Dr. Blake, P. P, 
 of SS. Michael’s and John’s, presiding, the rescript Avas declared “non 
 obligatory not only inexpedient, but highly detrimental to the dearest 
 interests of religion, and in fine, they called on the Catholic clergy and 
 people of Ireland to unite with them in an earnest entreaty that the pre- 
 lates would remonstrate against this document and lay before the father 
 of the faithful now reinstated, the evils that would inevitably arise from 
 its adoption. See A ppendix the bth. 
 
 In the meeting of the prelates Avhich was convened at Ma}Tiooth on 
 the 27th of the same month, the fate of the odious rescript was decided. 
 It was declared as not “ mandatory,” and for the purpose of opening a 
 communication with the holy see, it was resoDed to depute two prelates 
 to Pome Avho Avould submit the unanimous and well-known sentiments 
 of the prelates to the supreme pastor. On this important business the 
 Most Eev. Dr. Murray and Dr. Milner were sent as delegates, to the 
 holy see. 
 
 Fontana, whom Pius YII. on his departure from Home brought with 
 him, as his private theologian, and Consalvi, then secretary of state, 
 were the media by which the rescript was passed into the hands of the 
 British minister. The letter itself was penned and executed by Fontana, 
 but Avas obtained from the Pontiff at the request and pemuasive sugges- 
 tions of Cardinal Consalvu. It was also a time of danger and of terror, 
 when the agency of those individuals was made available by the English 
 cabinet in exerting their extensive influence over the mind of their gen 
 erous, but lansuspecting master. 
 
 Cardinal Consalvi, born of an ancient family, originally of Urbino, 
 entered, when young, into the diocesan seminary of Frascati. Henry, 
 cardinal duke of York, and brother to Cliarles Edward Stuart, was then 
 bishop of that see. Consalvu in deacon’s ordera, secured the patronage 
 of the cardinal duke, and soon after obtained the prelate’s cloak, and 
 became auditor of the rota, or judge, in the court of civil appeal. The 
 father of tlie faithful, Pius VI., a prisoner in France in 1798, the cardi- 
 nals were dispersed by the immediate orders of the French Directory. 
 On this occasion Consalvi folio Aved the fortunes of his patron, who, de- 
 prived of all his rcA^enues, obtained from the sovereign of Great Britain 
 
136 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IHSTOEY OF IKELANT). 
 
 a considerable annuity, renouncing at the time bis pretensions to the 
 crown of England. A vacancy having occurred in the papal chair by 
 the death of Pope Pius VI., Consalvi was deputed by the cardinal duke 
 of York as his proxy, being himself unable to attend the conclave as 
 sembled at Venice, from age and infirmity. Consalvi was thus enabled 
 to disclose the powerful resources of his genius,, and during the four 
 months that the conclave lasted displayed extraordinary talent for busi- 
 ness, and particularly in whatever regarded foreign courts. In March, 
 1800, he was advanced to the office of secretary, and presented with the 
 portfolio of state. 
 
 The French troops forced to evacuate Pome, the holy father, Pius 
 VIL, proceeded to his capital, and the holy see, anxious to consult for the 
 welfare of religion in France, Consalvi then adorned with the purple, 
 undertook the management of an enterju’ise from which cardinals of 
 more matured age and experience shrunk in despondency. After some 
 fruitless negotiation the liopes of Consalvi vanished, and the apprehen- 
 sions of men of experience are suddenly realized. On the 6th of July, 
 1809, the venerable pontiff was forced into capti\dty, but tlie uncompro- 
 mising firmness which he displayed in a prison baffied the projects of his 
 ambitious persecutor, and saved the churches of France from ruin and 
 schism ; a sympathy, universal and instantaneous, seized all Europe, and 
 with the courts and nations the sufferings of the supreme pontiff became 
 the theme of admiration. The arm of resistance is nerved against his 
 unfeeling jailer, and heaven itself struck dumb his councils, and in the 
 midst of victory his legions perish in the snows of Pussia, and by the 
 combined efforts of his enemies, the hero of a hundred battles is driven 
 from his imperial throne, and the venerable captive returns triumjihant 
 to his dominions. 
 
 The holy father now restored, Consalvi once more assumed the exer- 
 cise of his former functions as minister or secretary of state. It is sup- 
 posed that Consalvi having visited Fondon received there elementary 
 lectures on vetoism, and that on his arrival at the Congress of Vienna, 
 he applied to Pome for full powers to settle the point of the veto defin- 
 itively with Lord Castlereagh, the British minister. Tlie delegates of 
 the Irish prelates were now at Pome and rendered the authorities there 
 more wary than the Vice-Prefect Quarantoti, and to the application for 
 definitive powers, Consalvi was instructed to confer merely with the 
 British plenipotentiary, referring to the pontiff himself any definitive 
 arrangement. Ilis reception at Pome was most flattering. He was 
 considered as the liberator of the pontifical states, and in the allocution 
 of the pope before a full consistory of cardinals on the 14th of Septem- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 137 
 
 ber, 1815, Consalvi is emphatically styled “the most meritorious sou 
 that had ever served the holy see.” 
 
 Oil his return to Rome he assumed the various functions of his office, 
 and constituted a new tribunal to which he gave the general title of “ a 
 congregation of ecclesiastical affairs,” and it was established with the 
 avowed purpose of guiding the secretary of state in those affairs of re- 
 ligion upon which he might have communications from the ambassadors 
 of foreign powers. Such had been the elevated position of this clever 
 statesman, Avhen the destinies of Europe were once more in the balance 
 by the escape of ISTapoleon from the Isle of Elba. 
 
 Pius VII., having arrived at Genoa, was secure under the protection 
 of a British fleet, and from this city was issued a document connected 
 with the question of the veto, dated the 26th of April, 1815, and ad- 
 dressed under the signature of Cardinal Litta, prefect of the Propa- 
 ganda, to Doctors Poynter, of London, Milner, of the midland district of 
 England, and Troy, archbishop of Dublin. The letter, though not man- 
 datory, but of a permissive character, and even that expressed under 
 certain conditions, created an unusual ferment throughout the country. 
 In justice to the memory of Cardinal Litta, prefect of the Propaganda, 
 it should be remarked, that he had declared against this letter — that ho 
 counselled its non-execution — and that against his own decided opinion 
 he aflixed his signature. See Appendix the Qth. 
 
 In the midst of uproar and confusion which pervaded the masses oi 
 the people, a report being spread that the pope had been deceived into 
 some concessions favorable to the views of the British cabinet, .the Ca- 
 tholic prelates of Ireland assembled at Dublin, on the 23d of August, 
 1815, and by their resolutions proved themselves the intrepid and faith- 
 ful guardians of their religion. Tlie least interference, direct or indi- 
 rect, in the appointment of bishops for the Catholic church in Ireland, 
 was pronounced “to be essentially injurious and eventually destructive 
 to the Roman Catholic religion in this country,” and declaring them- 
 selves bound, by all canonical and constitutional means in their power 
 to deprecate and oppose it. 
 
 The decisive reprobation of this odious question enkindled the enthu- 
 siasm of the people and the clergy, who received it with applause and 
 encomiums ; and following up their declaration with effect, an episcopal 
 deputation, composed of two bishops. Doctor Murray, coadjutor of 
 Dublin, and Doctor Murphy, of Cork, with the Very Rev. Doctor Blake, 
 archdeacon of Dublin, were directed to proceed to Rome, with a re- 
 monstrance. 
 
 While the prelates, by their fearless resistance to the hated question 
 of the veto, sincerely espoused the cause of the Dish church and its in- 
 
138 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAX HISTOEY OF IRELAjrD. 
 
 dependence, tlie Catholics held an aggi’egate meeting in Clarendon-street 
 chapel, Dnhlin, Sir Thomas Esmonde, hart., presiding. The laity, on 
 this occasion renew their expression of esteem and gratitude to their 
 hierarchy, for the manly and energetic manner in which they de- 
 nounced any measure, whereby control in the nomination of the Irish 
 bishops would he vested in the crown of England. It was also deemed 
 prudent, as the prelates had formed an episcopal deputation, now pi*e- 
 pared to set out for the eternal city, to adopt a similar mode of proceed- 
 ing. It consisted of Sir Thomas Esmonde, hart., Owen O’Connor, esq., 
 and the Rev. Richard Hayes, a man of tried integrity, and who was in- 
 timately acquainted with the customs and language of the Roman 
 court, acting as their secretary. 
 
 In the fourteenth year of his age this disinterested and patriotic 
 man repaired to Rome, filled as he was, with ardor, to embrace the 
 ecclesiastical state, and having there attached himself to the college of 
 St. Isidore, he made his solemn profession in the church of that convent, 
 as a member of the Franciscan institute. Having devoted eight years 
 to the study of the sacred Scriptures, of church history and canon law, 
 he resolved to return to his native country, and accordingly in August, 
 1811 , he undertook his journey homewards, which must have been at 
 the time extremely hazardous. 
 
 Father Hayes was in Cork, attached to his convent, when he re- 
 ceived a letter from Mr. Ha}', inclosing the resolutions of the aggregate 
 meeting. Tlie invitation, though flattering, was one of danger and ot 
 difiicuky, and one also imperilling his health ; still full of zeal for his 
 country and her religion, he responded to the call, and in two days after 
 arrived in Dublin. In the interim, the lay delegates having declined 
 the journey to Rome, Daniel O’Connell read to the association, from 
 Sir Thomas Esmonde, a letter, proposing Doctor Dromgoole, then 
 in Italy, as a substitute. Hie proposal being unapproved, the plan of a 
 deputation was nigh abandoned ; hut the danger of the veto becoming 
 more serious and alarming, the remonstrance to his holiness was drawn 
 up, approved, and placed in the hands of Father Hayes, thereby con- 
 stituting him the authorized delegate of the Dish Catholics to the holy see. 
 
 Without delay he set out on his jdurney, observing to his friends 
 that ditficulties and dangers he set at defiance, for, said he, “ while Ire- 
 land hates the veto she will support me, despite of all intrigue, if I 
 serve her with integrity.” At London he obtained a passport from the 
 French ambassador, and after some delay in France which was then 
 occupied by foreign troops, and a journey of five weeks, he arrived at 
 Rome two days after the episcopal deputies. 
 
 The task imposed on the deputies required firmness in its execution, 
 
ECCLE8IASTICA1. HISTOKY OF lEELAND. 
 
 139 
 
 and a devotedness to the cause of creed and country. A faction in 
 Rome, both Irish and English, who would fetter the Irish church, and 
 hand it over in manacles to the British government, had, by their in- 
 ti'igue and misrepresentation, poisoned the public mind, and produced 
 on the cardinals impressions unfavorable to the cause of the delegates. 
 Calumnies were circulated by emissaries and intermeddlers in ecclesias- 
 tical afiairs, while the machinery of diplomatic intrigue was artfully 
 kept together by the British cabinet. Furious paragraphs from the 
 L’ish press, which advocated the veto, were forwarded to Rome, assailing 
 the delegation and remonstrance of the laity, and describing it as the 
 work of a junta, both turbulent and hot-headed, in Dublin. However, 
 as the assertion was unauthenticated, it was overthrown by the weight 
 of the genuine documents, which the delegate of the Catholics produced. 
 In the Propaganda it was discredited by the cardinal prefect, and Con- 
 salvi, secretary of state, was constrained to admit the credentials, the 
 remonstrance of the L’ish people, and the authority of their representa- 
 tive. 
 
 Tlie episcopal deputies, immediately on their arrival in Rome, 
 deemed it advisable to have an interview with his eminence Cardinal 
 Consalvi ; by him they were received with peculiar marks of attei tion, 
 to whom they explained the object of their mission, and soon after ob- 
 tained their introductory audience with his holiness. In this, the first 
 interview, the resolutions and remonstrance were submitted to the su- 
 preme Pontiff, and were by him directed to refer them for further con- 
 sideration to the minister of state, being thus detached from the 
 cognizance of the Propaganda, and placed in the hands of Consalvi. 
 
 On the 9th of November, 1815, Father Hayes, through the agency 
 of Cardinal Litta, prefect of the propaganda, and the general of his 
 order, was admitted to his fii-st interview with the sovereign pontiff. 
 
 Conceiving that the Propaganda was the regular and legitimate 
 tribunal for the investigation of an ecclesiastical cause. Father Hayes 
 was determined not to allow the documents with which he was entrust- 
 ed, to pass into any other channel. His holiness was, however, pleased 
 to assure him, that the question should be referred to a congregation of 
 cardinals ; that the prefect of Propaganda should be consulted, and that 
 his own care and inspection should not be wanting, and accordingly the 
 papere of the lay deputation were referred to the cardinal secretary of 
 state. 
 
 For some time the remonstrances of the bishops and Catholics of 
 Ireland lay in the hands of the secretary, without any steps being taken 
 to bring the matter to a discussion, but at length it was referred by him 
 to the tribunal of “ ecclesiastical affairs”; though this tribunal was much 
 
140 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 swayed by tlie influence of Consalvi, yet tlie delegates had confldence, 
 and anticipated success, particularly as men of discretion and experi- 
 ence were to pronounce on this important question. But their hopes of 
 having an immediate decision were marred, as Cardinal Litta was in a 
 few day after sent to Milan, as ambassador extraordinary, on a gratula- 
 tory deputation to the emperor of Austria ; but before his departure he 
 caused explanatory letters to be addressed to Archbishop Troy of Dub- 
 lin, and to Doctors Poynter and Milner, on the nature and tendency of 
 the document, which was issued from Genoa. 
 
 In the absence of the amiable Cardinal Litta, were found motives of 
 procrastination by Consalvi, secretary of state, with whom were had 
 several conferences, but nothing definitive was attempted. With Fon- 
 tana, the secretary of the tribunal of “ ecclesiastical aftairs,” and the 
 vice prefect, similar efibrts were unsuccessful, and the delegates at 
 length resolved on removing the cause of the Dish church to the tribu- 
 nal of the Propaganda, and submitting it to the cognizance of its pre- 
 fect, who was the protector and guardian of her rights. Accordingly 
 Father Hayes, on the 22d of December, obtained an audience with the 
 Pontiff, presenting, on this occasion, a memorial, entreating the removal 
 of the discussion to the Propaganda, and also protesting against the in- 
 terference of state functionaries in a question of a religious nature. His 
 interview terminated with directions to hold over those papers until the 
 return of Cardinal Litta from Milan, to W'hich Father Hayes respectfully 
 submitted, leaving, at the same time, the memorial and the protest 
 against Consalvi, in the hands of his holiness. 
 
 The episcopal delegates had about the same time their second audi- 
 dience with the holy father. More than three months had elapsed, and 
 no progress whatever had been made towards a decision, nay, even the 
 project of submitting it to the tribunal of “ecclesiastical affairs” had 
 been apparently abandoned. Still intent on leaving nothing untried, 
 the delegates applied to Cardinal Doria, vice-prefect of the Propaganda, 
 a functionar}’’, who altogether declined interfering, but he recommended 
 the applicants to await the return of Cardinal Litta, and promising them 
 his support. 
 
 The episcopal deputies, on the 5th of January, 1816, demanded 
 their passports, and prepared to return to Ireland. On' the following 
 day their lordships received from the cardinal secretary of state an offi- 
 cial instrument, as is supposed, drawn up by Monsignor Masio, the pri- 
 vate secretary of Latin letters to his holiness ; it proved to be a direct 
 justification of the Genoese production, instead of revoking it, as the 
 delegates insisted, and it contained some unmerited remarks on the ge- 
 neral proceedings of the episcopal body in Ireland. The prelates, on 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF lEELANTJ. 
 
 141 
 
 the Stli of January, returned the letter to the minister of state — had 
 their final audience of his holiness — repeated tlieir objections to the let 
 ter of Consalvi, and took their leave. 
 
 In a third interview with his holiness, Father Hayes enlarged fully 
 on the bearing of the subject. Tlie pontiff seemed deeply affected and 
 alarmed, lest the Catholics of Ireland might be subjected once more to 
 persecution. “ Holy father,” said the delegate, “ we dread not perse- 
 cution, but we dread your holiness’ sanction of a measure which we 
 must resist, as we would thereby be deprived of the sympathies of the 
 holy see, which have ever consoled us under the fierce trials we have 
 endured, for our attachment to the centre of unity.” 
 
 On the mind of the pontiff, these and other observations made a 
 deep impression, and the delegate was assured that his business should 
 be reconsidered. The Pojie, on his jiart, had no objection to the mea- 
 sure, as he wished not to preserve any real or apparent influence in Ire- 
 land — that might give umbrage to any party. And Cardinal Litta, who 
 at this time returned from Milan, and who frequently signified that the 
 congregation of Propaganda entertained no views whatever of patron- 
 age, and sought only the advancement of merit resting on proper re- 
 commendations with regard to the candidates who would be put in no- 
 mination, though unwilling as he was to enter on the immediate 
 discussion of the subject, was satisfied to patronise the measure ; and as 
 Cardinal Consalvi had forwarded the letter already alluded to, and 
 which the episcopal delegates returned, he decided on leaving the ques- 
 tion untouched until its reception with the Irish prelates would be 
 known ; in the meantime arrived a letter from Doctor Cojipinger, bishop 
 of Cloyne, in which was given to the cause of the veto a deadly stroke, 
 and by the special direction of his holiness was placed in the hands of 
 Cardinal Litta. 
 
 Though the cause of vetoism was tottering at Pome, yet its advocates 
 in Ireland left no artifice untried to prop up its feeble machinery. Their 
 meetings were generally held in Eccles-street, and in order to obtain a 
 favorable reception for their resolutions with the public, they were duly 
 seasoned with becoming obedience and respect for the holy see. 
 
 On Good Friday, 1816, Dr. Murray completed the overthrow of ve- 
 toisra in his discoui-se on the Passion of our Kedeemer. Having arrived 
 at that stage of his sufferings where he is represented as bound to a pil- 
 lar, his grace observed : “ To this bound and suffering victim, I would 
 now implore the attention of those misguided Catholics who seem will- 
 ing to impose new and disgi’aceful bands ; not indeed on his sacred per- 
 son, but on his mystical body ; that is, his Church, which was ever more 
 dear to him than his personal liberty ; more dear to him than even his 
 
142 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF LRELAETS. 
 
 life. Does not St. Paul say (Epli. v. 2G, 27,) that for this mystical body 
 he delivered himself up that he might present unto himself a glorious 
 church, having neither spot nor wrinkle, but that it should be holy and 
 without blemish? And could we suppose that it would be more painful 
 to him to submit his sacred hands to the ignominious cords than to see 
 his church bound and fettered by restrictions which would render it less 
 capable of fulfilling the object for which it was formed; the object for 
 wdiich he poured out his most precious life ? I know that our mistaken 
 brethren would not consent to yield any point which they deem essen- 
 tial, and that they look not beyond what they consider safe and honora- 
 ble conciliation. But unhappily, it is now too well known that the con- 
 ciliation which is expected, is such as would imply the degradation and 
 enslavement of the sacred ministry. And what virtuous Catholic would 
 consent to purchase the chance of temporal advantages at the price of 
 sucli a real spiritual calamity? Oh, if the stroke must come, let it be 
 from those who have so long sought the extinction of our religion : but 
 in the name of God, let no Catholic press forward to share in the inglo- 
 rious work ; let no one among us be found to say of his church as the 
 treacherous disciple said of its divine founder, ‘ 'What will you give mo 
 and I will deliver him (it) to you ?’ ” 
 
 Having depicted the sufferings of his country before the pontiff and 
 having on bended knees implored protection for her invaded rights, 
 Daniel Murray by his stunning appeal discomfited the wiles of her ene- 
 mies, and by this heroic blow prostrated the strength of vetoism, and 
 shattered its hopes forever ; and to jJrove and to give the Avidest possible 
 circulation to his Avords and to remove eA-ery doubt or mistake regarding 
 their meaning, he himself hastened to furnish the journals of the city 
 Avith an authentic report of the sentiments he had uttered. 
 
 In April, 1829, the long-deferred measure of Catholic emancipation 
 1 ‘eceived the royal assent, and those cruel and bloody enactments against 
 the Homan Catholic faith which intolerance, prompted by rapine and spo- 
 liation, deA'ised in the days of Queen Elizabeth, Avere utterly abolished. 
 In the national enthusiasm, which was evoked by the cause of religious 
 toleration under the auspices of the Catholic Association soon after its 
 foundation in the year 1823, the lofty and commanding position of seven 
 millions of Catholic Irishmen became irresistible ; the feiwid and poAA’- 
 erful appeals of its leadere reached the most distant quarters of Europe ; 
 they were wafted across the mighty Atlantic, and Avere reechoed from 
 the free shores of America; the national enthusiasm combined in its 
 faA'or ; Avealth and influence stamped importance on its proceedings ; el- 
 oquence and talent were arrayed in its cause, and the basis on which the 
 cause of toleration rested, Avas the sacred and immutable principle of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 143 
 
 justice. "While the Catholic association had rendered itself an object of 
 admiration to the votaries of religions liberty, the energy of its perse- 
 vering action, its moral power, nay, its vitality, and the triumphant issue 
 of its proceedings, were all centred in Daniel O’Connell, Ireland’s most 
 faithful son and immortal patriot. With him it originated ; under him it 
 grew to manhood, becoming a formidable yet a legal barrier to further 
 aggression as well as an organized body, directing its solid and compact 
 machinery against the abuses which manacled the body and mind of 
 Catholic Ireland. While his vigilance guarded against surprise, the 
 genius of universal freedom was animated by the brilliant elocpience of 
 the Liberator. At length every man of reflection is awakened to sym- 
 pathy with the sufferings of a brave, generous, yet patient, people. Tlie 
 liberal Protestant is equally aroused ; the liberal press gave its powerful 
 assistance ; the nobility and gentry of Ireland meet in the metropolis, 
 and the moment which was ordained by an all-wise and inscrutable 
 Providence having at length arriyed, the Catholics of the British em- 
 pire are emancipated ; the fetters of religious intolerance and persecu- 
 tion were shivered, and the hero himself of an hundred fights was van- 
 quished by the stern and united resolve of the Irish people, led on by 
 their immortal O’Connell. 
 
 During tile episcopacy of Dr. Murray was founded the College of 
 All-Hallows, which is a prodigy of national faith and Catholic enter- 
 prise. 
 
 It realizes the tendencies of the Irish people, and shows what Ireland 
 is ever ready to accomplish in the cause of religion, reminding us at the 
 same time, what Catholic Ireland has done in ages long past, in spread- 
 ing the light of faith. Though fears were entertained of the feasibility 
 of the project, still Ireland has erected the college, given it inmates, 
 provides them maintenance, and will continue to maintain those groups 
 of young and ardent missionaries wlio diverge with the winds of heaven 
 to every point where salvation is to be brought to Israel. With prompt- 
 itude the archbishop of Dublin listened to the young ecclesiastic, whose 
 piety and zeal conceived the plan of founding this college for the foreign 
 missions ; he applauded the design, encouraged it by his patronage ; he 
 recommended its cause to the protection of the prelates ; he saw its on- 
 ward cai’eer with delight, and the Almighty prolonged the life of tlie 
 venerable Daniel Murray, Who has been styled the “ De Sales of Ire- 
 land,” to behold its triumphant success. 
 
 When the ministers of England, well acquainted with the unblem- 
 ished life and high reputation of Dr. Murray, offered to confer upon 
 him the distinguished post of privy councillor, the archbishop of Dublin 
 respectfully declined the honor proffered by a worthless minister, who 
 
144 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAJrD. 
 
 soon after procured the enactment of a penal measure against the title, 
 which Dr. Murray enjoyed as well as the other members of the Catholic 
 hierarchy. 
 
 CHAPTER XVn. 
 
 BISHOPS OP KILDARE AND LEIGHLIN. 
 
 The see of Kildare seems indebted for its foundation to the celebra- 
 ted nunnery established by St. Bridget in this place. The sanctity of 
 this holy virgin, and the excellence of her institute attracted hither vast 
 multitudes, so that it became very extensive, and in time ICildare be- 
 came a large and populous town. Hence arose a necessity for episcopal 
 functions, and thus St. Bridget was induced to make application for the 
 appointment of a bishop. Her request was listened to, and Conlaeth, a 
 person of retirement and sanctity, was selected. He led for many yearn 
 an ascetic life in a solitary spot on the banks of the Liftey. Conlaeth 
 was consecrated about the year 490, and it would appear that tins cere- 
 mony was conducted with more tlian usual magnificence, as it was at- 
 tended by many of the ancient and sainted fathers of the Irish Church. 
 
 Fiech, the bishop of Sletty, Ibar of Begerin, Erck of Slane, Macca- 
 leus of Hy-Falgia, in the King’s County, and Bron of Caissel-Iorra, in 
 Sligo, and other prelates, attended on this solemn occasion. 
 
 St. Conlaeth governed his see with great wisdom, and during his in- 
 cumbency the diocese of Kildare obtained a high rank among the sees 
 of Ireland. It was not, however, the ecclesiastical metropolis of the 
 province, nor was its prelate recognized as an archbishop. Whatever 
 preeminence existed in the province, it pertained, without doubt, to the 
 see of Sletty, Kildare enjoying this dignity at a later period, when it 
 was transferred from the see of Ferns in the 8th century. The cathedral 
 of Kildare, the most extensive and beautiful in the kingdom, except that 
 of Armagh, belonged conjoinyy to the Kunnery of St. Bridget and to 
 the ordinary of the diocese. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IHSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 145 
 
 Beyond the sanctuary, the great aisle was divided by a partition, 
 llie bishop and his clergy entered the church by a door on the north 
 side, the abbess and her nuns entered by the south. St. Conlaeth after 
 tv life of zeal and apostolical labors, died the 3d of May, 519. The 
 names of his successors in the see of Kildare have been carefully hand- 
 ed down in an unbroken series, until the year 1100, in which Aid O’- 
 Heremon became its bishop. St. Conlaeth was buried in the church of 
 Kildare, near the high altar. His bones, or relics, were, A.D. 800, 
 translated into a sliver gilt shrine, and adorned with precious stones. 
 
 St. Aid, (the black,) who, according to Colgan, from being king of 
 Leinster, became monk, abbot, and bishop of Ivildare, died on the lOth 
 of May, 638. 
 
 The annals of the Four Masters place the death of Aid, abbot and 
 bishop of Kildare in 638. It is probable that this abbot and bishop was 
 only a member of the royal house of Leinster. 
 
 Lochen the Silent, commonly called “ wise,” and styled abbot of 
 Kildare. His memory is celebrated on the 12th of January, and his 
 death is mentioned under 694. Of him and his successor, and others, 
 are doubts regarding their consecration, as the annals of the Four Mas- 
 ters call them only abbots of Kildare. Sometimes the terms “ abbots 
 and bishops,” are synonymous. 
 
 Farannan, whose death is mentioned in the year 697 ; his memory 
 is kept on the 15th of January. 
 
 Mfeldaborcon, expressly styled bishop of Kildare, died on the 19th 
 of February, 708. 
 
 Tola, a worthy soldier of Christ, a bishop, is omitted by Colgan. 
 He died on the 3d of March, 732. 
 
 Dima, called also Modimoe, was abbot of Kildare and Clonard. He 
 died on the 3d of March, 743. 
 
 Cathal O’Farannan, mentioned as abbot of Kildare, died, A.D. 747- 
 
 Lomtuil, expressly called bishop of Kildare, died, A.D. 785. 
 
 Snedbran, also called bishop of Kildare, died in the same year. 
 
 Muredach, O’Cathald, abbot of Kildare, died the same year. 
 
 Eudocius O’Diocholla, abbot of Kildare, died in 793. 
 
 Feolan O’Kellach, abbot of Kildare, died in May or June, 799. 
 
 Lactan O’Muctigern, expressly called bishop of Kildare, died in 813. 
 
 !Murtogh O’Kellagh, abbot of Kildare, died 820. 
 
 Sedubus, abbot, died in 828. 
 
 Tuadcar, expressly called bishop of Kildare, died A.D. 833. 
 
 Orthanac, also bishop of Kildare, died in 840. 
 
 Aedgene, surnamed Brito, scribe, bishop and anchoret of Kildare- 
 
 died, A.D. 862, in the 116th year of his age. 
 
 10 
 
146 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAilD. 
 
 0 
 
 Cohbtach O’Muredach, abbot of Kildare, and a man of singular 
 ■wisdom, died in 868. Colgan says bis festival is observed on tbe 18tb 
 of Julv. 
 
 Moengal, bisbop of Kildare, died in 870. Lanigan puts Moengal as 
 tbe successor of Aedgen. 
 
 Robertac Mac Niserda, bisbop of Kildare, scribe, and abbot of Acb- 
 onry, died on tbe 15tb of January, 874. 
 
 Lasran Mac Moctigern, bisbop of Kildare, abbot of Fearna, died tbe 
 same year. 
 
 Suibne O’Finacta, died in 880. 
 
 Seannal died in 884. 
 
 Largisius ■was slain in battle by tbe Danes of Dublin, in 885. 
 
 Flanagan O’Eiagan, called abbot of Kildare, and prince of Leinster, 
 died in tbe year 920. 
 
 Crunmoel died on tbe lltb of December, 929. 
 
 Maltinan died in 949 or 950. 
 
 Cuban Mac Kellacb, abbot, said to be slain by tbe Danes in 853. 
 
 Mured Mac Foelan, of tbe royal blood of Leinster, abbot of Kildare, 
 was slain by Amlave, prince of tbe Danes, and Kerbbal Mac Lorcan, in 965. 
 
 Amncaid, bisbop of Kildare, died in 981, having spent a boly bfe to 
 a good old age. 
 
 ' Murecbad Mac Flan, comorban or successor of St. Conleatb, died, 
 A.D. 985. 
 
 Moel-Martin died in 1028 or 1030. 
 
 Mielbrigid died in 1042. 
 
 Fin Mac Gussan Mac Gorman died at Acbonry, in 1085. Ferdom- 
 uacb, was bisbop, and resigned in 1096. 
 
 Maelbrigid O’Brolcan, bisbop of Kildare, died in 1097. He was a 
 man of great fame. 
 
 Aid O’lleremon, died, A.D. 1100. 
 
 • Ferdomnacb, according to Ware, resumed tbe see and died in 1101. 
 
 Mac Dongail died in 1108. 
 
 Cormac O’Catbsuigb, called bisbop of Leinster, on account of tbe 
 preeminence of Kildare, died in tbe year 1146. 
 
 O’Dubbin died in 1148. 
 
 Finian Mac Tiarcain O’Gorman, abbot of Ke'wry, succeeded and 
 died at Killeigb in tbe year 1160, where be was buried. He assisted at 
 tbe council of Kells in 1152. 
 
 Malacby O’Byrn, remarkable for bis modesty. When St. La-wrence 
 O’Toole -would have sent him to dispossess a demoniac, be declined, al- 
 leging that he bad not virtue enough to cast out a devil. This prelate 
 died on the 1st of January, 1176. 
 
ECCLESIASTIC^VL inSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 147 
 
 i^ehemiah succeeded in 1177, and governed the see of Kildare about 
 eighteen years. 
 
 Cornelius Mac Gelany, rector of Cloncurry, and archdeacon of Kil- 
 dare, was elected, consecrated in the year 1206, and died in 1222. 
 
 Ealph, of Bristol, treiisurer of St. Patrick’s, Dublin, was consecrated 
 in 1223. Ralph was at great expense in repairin'^ and beautifying his 
 cathedral. He died about the beginning of 1232 ; he wrote the life of 
 St. Lawrence O’Toole, archbishop of Dublin. 
 
 John De Taunton, canon of St. Patrick’s, Dublin, succeeded in 1233 ; 
 sat twenty-five yeai-s. Died about the beginning of summer, 1258, and 
 was buried in his own church. 
 
 Simon De Kilkenny was canon of Kildare, an‘d elected to the see in 
 1258. He died at Kildare, in the beginning of April, 1272. After the 
 decease of this prelate the see was vacant for some time. 
 
 Nicholas Cusack, a Franciscan friar, and a native of Meath, was de- 
 clared bishop of the see by the pope, who annulled the elections of 
 Stephen, dean of Kildare, and William, treasurer of that church. He 
 succeeded in November, 1279. In 1292 he was joined in commission 
 with Thomas St. Leger, bishop of Meath, to collect a disme or tenth, 
 granted by the Pope to the king, for relief of the holy land. Tlie sheriffs 
 of the kingdom were ordered to aid in the collection. He died in Sep- 
 tember, 1299, having sat about twenty years, and was buried in his 
 own church. 
 
 Walter le Yeel, chancellor of Kildare, succeeded, in 1299. Was 
 consecrated in 1300, in St. Patrick’s church, Dublin. He sat upwards 
 of thirty-two years. He died in November, 1332, and is said to have 
 been buried in his own church. 
 
 Richard Hulot, succeeded in 1334 ; was canon and archdeacon 
 of Kildare. He died on the 24th of June, 1352, in the 19th year of his 
 consecration. 
 
 Thomas Gifford, chancellor of Kildare, was elected by the dean and 
 chapter in 1353. He died on the 25th of September, 1365, and was 
 buried at Kildare, in the church of St. Bridget. 
 
 Robert de Aketon obtained the see of Kildare in 1366. Was an 
 Augustine hermit. Elected in the previous year to the see of Down, 
 but the Pope annulled the election. He sat in 1367. 
 
 George is said to have succeeded, and to have died in 1401. 
 
 Henry de Wessenberch, a Franciscan friar, was promoted in De- 
 cember, 1401, by the Pope Boniface IX. 
 
 Tliomas, who succeeded, died in 1405. 
 
 John Madock, archdeacon of Kildare, succeeded, and died in 1431. 
 
 William, archdeacon of Kildare, succeeded in 1432, by provision of 
 
I 
 
 li8 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Pope Eugene IV. Having governed the see fourteen years, he died in 
 April, 1446. 
 
 Geoffry Hereford, a Dominican friar, was advanced in 1449, to this 
 see, by Pope Eugene IV., and was consecrated on Easter Sunday. 
 He died, having sat about fifteen yeai-s, and was buried in his own 
 church. 
 
 Ricliard Lang, a man of exemplary gravity and wisdom, succeeded 
 in 1464. He was strongly recommended by the dean and chapter of 
 Armagh to Pope Sixtus IV., for the see of Armagh, but without suc- 
 cess. He was cited by public edict on the part of the Pope, to appear 
 and produce his title to the see of Kildare. He died in possession of 
 his see A.D. 1474. 
 
 David succeeded, and died before he got possession, in 1474. 
 
 James AY all, a Franciscan friar, and doctor of divinity, was pro- 
 moted on the 5th of April, 1475. He died on the 28th of April, 1494, 
 and was buried in a church of Franciscans, at London. He resigned 
 long before his death. 
 
 AA’^illiam Barret succeeded. He must have resigned, as he was vicar 
 to the bishop of Clermont (France), in 1493. 
 
 Edmund Lane, succeeded in 1482, and died about the end of 1522, 
 and was buried in his own church, to which he was a benefactor. He 
 founded a college at Kildare, in which the dean and chapter might live 
 in a collegiate manner. He sat in this see upwards of forty yearn. He 
 was entrapped into the mock coronation of Lambert Simnel. He after- 
 wards obtained a pardon. In 1494, he assisted at a provincial synod 
 held in Christ church, by AA" alter Fitzsimon, archbishop of Dublin. 
 
 Thomas Dillon, a native of Meath, and an alumnus of Oxford, was 
 promoted to this see in 1523, and died in 1531, having presided about 
 eight years. 
 
 Peter Stole, a master of sacred theology, was provided by Clement 
 VU., on the 15th March, 1529. 
 
 AA^ alter AY ellesley, a canon regular, prior of Conal, in the county of 
 Kildare, obtained the see in 1531, by provision of Pope Clement YH. 
 He died in 1539, and Avas buried in his own convent. King Henry 
 AHH. endeavored to advance him to the see of Limerick, ten years be- 
 fore this, but Avithout aA’ail, as the Pojie Avas unAvilling. 
 
 Donald O’Beachan, a Franciscan filar, of the Kildare cdnA'ent, suc- 
 ceeded, on the 16 th of July, 1540. He died in a feAV days after. On 
 the 15th of Kovember, 1541, succeeded by provision of the Pope. 
 
 Tliady Reynolds, a doctor of the civil and canon Iraal One of 
 Henry Y'lH.’s intruders was advanced to the see on the election of 
 bishop Reynolds. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 liO 
 
 Thomas Lo'erous, a native of the county of Kildare, and dean of 
 St. Patrick’s, Dublin, was appointed by Queen Mary, in March, 15.54, 
 and was confirmed the year following by the Pope’s bull. In January, 
 l.'^59, he was deprived by the government for refusing to take the oath 
 of supremacy. After this he obtained a livelihood by teaching school 
 in Limerick. lie died at Haas, in 1557, in the 80th year of his age. 
 
 Roche Mac Geoghegan was bishop in 1640. 
 
 THE BISHOPS OF LEIGHLIH. 
 
 In the year 616, St. Gobhan founded a celebrated abbey at old 
 Leighlin. About the year 630, a synod of the clergy was held in St. 
 Gobhan’s abbey, to debate on the proper time for the celebration of 
 Easter, which was attended by most of the superiors of all the religious 
 houses in Ireland. In 632, St. Gobhan, entertaining a high opinion of 
 Laserian, who supported the Roman custom of celebrating Easter, gave 
 him up his abbey at old Leighlin, and went elsewhere to found another. 
 He is said to have ruled over fifteen hundred monks ; they supported 
 themselves by manual labor ; and by reason of their numbers and the 
 fertile district in which they had been situated, were enabled to receive 
 a greater complement of students and inmates than many of the ether 
 institutions of the country. The schools of old Leighlin held a high 
 rank among the literary establishments of Ireland, in the 7th century. 
 Tlie fame which it acquired in foreign countries, as well as in Ireland, 
 attracted such numbers of students and of religious persons to its halls, 
 that old Leighlin soon became a town of great note, and the surround- 
 ing district was usually called the territory of saints and scholars. 
 
 St. Laserian, the first bishop and founder of this see, was the son ot 
 Cairel, a nobleman of Ulster, and of Gemma, daughter of Aiden, king 
 of the British Scots. The time of his birth is unknown, and the early 
 portion of his life is involved in obscurity. By some he is said to have 
 been the disciple of Eintan Munnu, and by another account to ha\'e 
 been instructed by an abbot Murin. 
 
 Having arrived at maturity, he is said to bave travelled to Rome, 
 and there sojourned fourteen years — ordained priest by Gregory the 
 Great, and to have returned shortly after to Ireland. Having been sent 
 to Rome about 630, probably as head of the deputation from the southern 
 clergy after the synod of old Leighlin, he was consecrated bishop by 
 Pope Honorius I., and made legate of Ireland. Having returned to Ire- 
 land he founded the see, A.D. 632, and previously to his death, which 
 
150 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 occurred on the 18tli of April, 639, he was a chief instrument in finally • 
 settling the question of the Easter controvemy, in the smith of Ireland. 
 In the same year died St. Gohhan, founder of the abbey. 
 
 Manchen, according to Ware, bishop of Leighlin, died in 865. 
 From St. Laserian to the time of Manchen, the records of the bishops 
 of this see are lost. The Danes, imbued with a hatred to literature, re- 
 solved to siqipress the colleges and schools of the island, nor did they 
 permit the Irish people to have their children taught any share of scho- 
 Iflstic knowledge. All the books which came into their possession were 
 destroyed — the churches were closed — their plate and valuables plun- 
 dered — poets, historians, professors of arts and sciences Avere banished, 
 imprisoned, or forced into concealment. 
 
 Condla Mac Donecan, prince and bishop of Leighlin, died in 913. 
 
 Daniel, bishop of Leighlin, died in 969. 
 
 Cleirec O’Muinic, bishop of Leighlin, died in 1018. In 1060 the 
 cathedral of Leighlin Avas destroyed by fire. 
 
 Condla O’Flain, the bishop of Leighlin, died in 1113. 
 
 Sluagad O’Catan, bishop of Leighlin, died in 1111. 
 
 Dungall O’Cellaic, bishop of Leighlin, died in 1152. He assisted at 
 the council of Kells. 
 
 Donat, succeeded in 1158, to the see of Leighlin. lie rebuilt the 
 cathedral after its destruction by fire. He died at Leighlin, in 1185, 
 and was buried in his own church. 
 
 John, a Cistercian monk, and abbot of Monastereven, was appointed 
 to the see of Leighlin, and Avas confirmed in 1199, by Mathew O’Heney, 
 archbishop of Cashel and legate of Deland, in the absence of John 
 Comin, archbishop of Dublin. Hamo de Yalois, anxious to replenish 
 the Irish exchequer by an invasion of church property, seized the tem- 
 poralities of the canons and the cathedral of Leighlin. Under those 
 circumstances the legate was deterred from consecrating John, who, 
 finding that he had no other resource, proceeded to Koine, and was 
 immediately consecrated by Pope Innocent IH. John returned to 
 Ireland, having enjoyed his dignity but two years, for he died A.D. 
 1201 . 
 
 Herlewin, a Cistercian monk, succeeded in 1201. He died according 
 to the annals of St. Mary’s near Dublin, in 1216, and was buried in the 
 conventual church of Dunbrothy, a great part of Avhich he had built. 
 
 Kichard or Robert Fleming was consecrated bishop of the see in the 
 year 1217. With the prior of Conal he had a contest for some lands 
 and tithes belonging to his see in Leix, Queen’s county. The suit Avas, 
 hoAvever, ended by composition, the bishop resigning the lands -and 
 tithes to the prior, and receiving an annual pension of ten marks paya- 
 
ECCI-ESIASTIC'AL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 151 
 
 Me to him and to his successors at Leighlin. This prelate governed the 
 see about nine years, and died in 1226. 
 
 William, archdeacon of Leighlin, was elected by the chapter with- 
 out the king’s license, in 1227. Tlie informality was excused on account 
 of the high character of the bishop elect. H e died in 1251, and was 
 buried in his own church. 
 
 Thomas succeeded in 1252, and was consecrated the same year. 
 Thomas was the first bishop who bestowed prebends among his canons. 
 He died on the 25th of April, 1275. 
 
 Nicholas Cheevers, a Franciscan Friar, and archdeacon of Leighlin, 
 was elected by the chapter in the year 1277. John, bishop of Clonfert, 
 and the Pope’s nuncio at the time, received instructions to inquire into 
 the election, and the merits of the elect, and to confirm him if no ob- 
 jection existed. Nicholas was immediately confirmed. He died in a 
 very advanced age in July, 1309, having governed the see thirty-two 
 years from the time of his restitution to the temporals. After his death 
 John Clieovers, dean, and Ealph le Brun, chancellor of Leighlin, forged 
 some grants, to which they affixed the episcopal seal. The fraud being 
 discovered, they underwent punishment suitable to their misconduct. 
 
 Maurice of Blanchville, canon of Leighlin, was lawfully elected and 
 confirmed on the 13th of November, 1309. He governed the see during 
 a period of nearly eleven years, and departed this life, A.D. 1320. 
 
 Miler le Poer, chaunter of Leighlin, was elected on the 5th of No- 
 vember, 1320. Miler was descended of a noble family ; was confirmed 
 by de Bicknor, archbishop of Dublin, and consecrated at Waterford on 
 palm-Sunday, in 1321. He sat upwards of twenty years in the see. 
 
 William St. Leger succeeded to the see in 1341. He died at Avignon 
 about the beginning of May, 134S. 
 
 Thomas of Brackenberg next succeeded, and obtained the temporals 
 in August, 1349. He was a Franciscan Friar, and was provided by Pope 
 Clement VI. It is supposed that he died in July, 1360. 
 
 John Young, treasurer of Leighlin, succeeded by provision of the 
 Pope, in 1363. John expended a large sum in repairing the episcopal 
 houses in his manors. Eight years before his death, in 1376, he was 
 plundered of all his goods by the Irish, whom the English then styled 
 rebels. He died in 1384. 
 
 John Griffin, who was chancellor of Limerick, was advanced to the 
 see of Leighlin in 1385. The see he governed thirteen years, and was 
 then translated to the see of Ossory ; was made in 1391 chancellor of 
 the exchequer by King Eichard H. 
 
 Eichard Eocomb, or Bokum, a Dominican, was consecrated bishop 
 of Leighlin in 1399. He is supposed to have resigned in 1420. 
 
152 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF lEELAJSD. 
 
 Jjhn Mulgan, rector of tlie cliurcli of Lin, in the diocese of Meath, 
 succeeded in 1422 by provision of Pope Martin Y. He obtained the 
 temporals the same year. lie instituted four petty canons in his church. 
 John died at Leighlin in 1431, and was buried in his own church. 
 
 Tliomas Fleming, bachelor of divinity, and a Franciscan friar, was 
 advanced to the see by the pope on the 18th of April, 1432. 
 
 Dowling states that he was an Augustine canon of St. John the Evan- 
 gelist, at Kilkenny, and that he died at Leighlin. During his incum- 
 bency, the ancient priory of Leighlin was, by authority of Pope Eugene 
 IV., dissolved at the instance of Hicholas Cloal, dean of Leighlin, and 
 its lands annexed to the deanery. lie governed the see until the year 
 1458. 
 
 Milo Roch, or de Rupe, descended of a noble family, obtained the 
 see by provision of the pope in 1458. Milo was more addicted to the 
 study of music and poetry than accorded with his episcopal obligations. 
 Between him and his clei’gy many contests arose, in which the clergy 
 triumphed. Milo died in 1489, and was buried in his own cathedral, 
 near the image of St. Laserian. 
 
 ISTicholas Maguire was advanced to the see in 1490. He was born in 
 Idrone, a barony of the county of Carlow, in the year 1460 ; was edu- 
 cated at Oxford, and is justly ranked among the learned writers of the 
 fifteenth century. On his return to his native country, his talents and 
 acquirejnents being duly appreciated, he was appointed to the prebend 
 ary of ITllard, in the diocese of Leighlin. Besides his extensive ac- 
 quaintance with the writings of the ancient fathers, Maguire was partic- 
 ularly celebrated for his elaborate and successful researches into the an- 
 cient history of his country ; a revision of its annals, a correction of its 
 chronology, and other subjects of national interest had been projected 
 by him, and were advanced to a considerable progress when he was 
 obliged to yield to the wishes of his superior, and undertake the govern- 
 ment of the diocese of Leighlin. He was but thirty years of age when 
 advanced to the see of Leighlin, in 1490. After his promotion, he devo- 
 ted the greater part of his time to his pastoral functions, and being one 
 of the most eloquent preachers of the day, his discourses were attended 
 with extraordinary success. This excellent prelate died in 1512. A 
 chronicle of his has been of great use to succeeding annalists, and par- 
 ticularly to the learned Dowling in 1598. 
 
 Kicholas Halsay, doctor of the civil and canon laws, a native of 
 England, and the pope’s prothonotory for Ireland, succeeded through the 
 influence of Christopher Bamb ridge, cardinal of York, and then resident 
 ambassador at Rome, by the provision of Pope Julius H. Kicholas as- 
 sisted at the council of Lateran in the years 1515 and 1516, Charles 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL EUSTOKY OF IKELAm*. 
 
 153 
 
 Cavanagh, abbot of Duisk, governing the diocese as vicar-general. 
 Kicbolas was penitentiary to the English nation at St. Peter’s in Pome, 
 and a man of great probity, as his epitaph in the church of the Savoy 
 Hospital testifies. lie died on his return from Pome, at Westminster, 
 London, in the year 1521. It appears that Nicholas never saw his di- 
 ocese. 
 
 Maurice Doran, a Dominican friar, was born in Leix, Queen’s coun- 
 ty, and was distihguislied by the probity of his principles and- the power 
 of his eloquence as a preacher. Advised to raise double subsidies on 
 his clergy in order to rejfiace the expenses of his election, he observed, 
 “ that he did not wish his flock to be flayed, but shorn.” lie governed 
 the see but one year and eight months, having been barbarously mui-- 
 dered in 1525 by his archdeacon, Maurice O’Cavanagh, on the high-road 
 near Glen-Peynold. Tlie bishop had reproved O’Cavanagh for inso- 
 lence, and obstinacy, and other misconduct, and threatened him with 
 correction and punishment. 
 
 The murderer w-as afterwards apprehended, and by command of the 
 lord deputy, Gerald Fitzgerald, earl of Kildare, was hanged on a gal- 
 lows erected on the spot, -where he stained his hands with the blood of 
 his bishop. Ilis bowels were taken out and burned. 
 
 Mathew Sanders succeeded in 1527 by provision of the pope. lie 
 was born near Drogheda. He rebuilt the choir of the cathedral of St. 
 Laserian, erected and glazed the south windows. Mathew died on the 
 24th of December in 1549, and was buried in the same church. 
 
 Pobert Travers was deposed because a married man ; described as 
 cruel, avaricious, and an oppressor of his clergy. He succeeded in 
 1550, and was deprived in 1555. 
 
 Tliomas Field, or O’Fihel, a native of the county of Cork, and a 
 Franciscan friar, was appointed by papal provision. Thomas died the 
 Friday before palm-Sunday, 1567. He governed the see twelve years. 
 Pichard Lalor was vicar-general of Leighlin in 1606. 
 
 Poche Mac Geoghegan, it seems, presided over Kildare and Leighlin 
 in 1640. 
 
 Edmond O’Dempsey, bishop of Leighlin in 1646, signed the mani- 
 festo issued at Waterford against those who had assisted in restoring 
 peace to the country, Edmond was a Dominican friar ; he was forced 
 to go into exile, and died in Finisten-a, in the kingdom of Gallicia. 
 His brother James O’Dempsey was vicar-general of Leighlin in 1646 
 
 Edward W esley was bishop of Kildare and Leighlin in 1 685. 
 
 Mark Forestal was bishop in 1701. 
 
 Edward Murphy, bishop in 1724. 
 
 James Gallagher, bishop in 1747. 
 
154 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IRELAND. 
 
 John O’Keeffe, bishop, in 1770. 
 
 Janies Keeffe, bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, died, 1786. 
 
 Richard O’Reilly, bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, or rather coadju- 
 tor, was translated to Armagh, in 1782. 
 
 Daniel Delany, died A.D. 1814. 
 
 Michael Corcoran, bishop, in 1819. 
 
 Janies Doyle, bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, was bom in Kew 
 Ross, county Wexford, in 1786. He was sent by his parents to the 
 best schools, and having, as he grew up, manifested a desire to embrace 
 the priesthood, he repaired to Portugal, where he was trained for the 
 ecclesiastical state. While yet a student in Coimbra, Portugal was in- 
 vaded by Kapoleon, and Doctor Doyle and his fellow students enlisted 
 under the banner of the country, which they temporarily adopted, and 
 were of considerable assistance to the Duke of Wellington, in his wars 
 of the Peninsula. Surrounded by the influences of his college life — 
 the disciples or admirers of Rousseau, D’Alembert, and Voltaire, he 
 was well nigh making a wreck of that faith in which he was born, and 
 of that morality, which is its concomitant ; but as he himself admits, 
 when everything conspired to induce him to shake oft’ the sweet yoke of 
 the gospel, the dignity of religion, her majesty and grandeur arrested 
 him in his career towards unbelief, and fllled him with awe and venera- 
 tion towards her precepts. Everywhere she presided, her ardent vo- 
 taries, while a terror to the enemies of revelation, glorifled and adorned 
 religion, when she alone swayed their hearts : he read with attention the 
 history of the ancient philosophers, as well as lawgivere, and discov- 
 ered, that all of them paid homage to religion, as the purest emanation 
 of the one supreme and invisible and omnipotent God. He examined 
 the systems of religion prevailing in the east — the koran, with atten- 
 tion, the Jewish history, and that of Christ, his disciples, and of his 
 Church, with interest, nor did he hesitate to continue attached to the 
 religion of the Redeemer, as alone worthy of God ; and being a Chris- 
 tian, he could not fail to be a Catholic. 
 
 Shortly after the retreat of the French from Portugal and Spain, in 
 1812, Doctor Doyle returned to Ireland, and became professor in the 
 Ecclesiastical College, in Carlow. In this capacity his acquirements 
 won him the admiration of his fellow professors, and his mild manner 
 gained him the esteem of the students. As a preacher he was learned, 
 ftuent, ai’gumentative, and persuasive ; every one who listened to his 
 discoui-ses, should admire religion, its ceremonies and its mysteries. 
 Having spent flve yeare in the college, he was, at the unanimous request 
 of the clergy of the diocese, promoted at the age of thirty-two years, 
 by his holiness the Pope, to the bishopric of Kildare and Leighlin. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF LRELANT). 
 
 155 
 
 During his episcopacy, his life is delineated by his own pen, in tho 
 following words : “ I am a churchman, but I am unacquainted with 
 avarice, and I feel no worldly ambition. I am attached to my profes- 
 sion, but I love Christianity more than its earthly appendages. I am a 
 Catholic from the fullest conviction, but few will accuse me of bigotry. 
 I am an Irishman, hating injustice and abhorring with -my whole soul 
 the oppression of my country, but I desire to heal her sores, not to ag- 
 gi-avate her evils.” 
 
 Doctor Doyle appeared on the stage of Irish politics, when the 
 people were yet slaves and aliens in their own land — unrecognised by 
 the laws of the empire, to which they paid all the obligations of sub- 
 jects. Everything tliat emanated from his pen carried with it due 
 weight, and tended in a great degree to soften the prejudices that were 
 fostered for centuries in Ireland. Towards the dissentem from Catholi- 
 city, he showed a most tolerant spirit, and at one time suggested a junc- 
 tion of Catholics and Protestants — a suggestion which was unwaiTant- 
 able, as it was made on his private authority, and which the -holy see 
 could not sanction. A canon of St. Peter’s church of Rome having 
 arrived at Carlow, with instructions to Doctor Doyle, the prelate at 
 once perceiving his mistake, as another, Fenelon, archbishop of Cambray, 
 made a noble sacritice of his own sentiments, by the calmest submission 
 to the voice of St. Peter’s successor. 
 
 Doctor Doyle, in a letter to the Marquis "Wellesley, has vindicated 
 the faith of Catholics, which was so long placed under the ban of pro- 
 scription by England and her rulers : — “ It was, my lord, the creed of 
 a Charlemagne, and of a St. Louis, of an Alfred and an Edward, of the 
 monarchs of the feudal times, as well as the emperors of Greece and 
 Rome ; it was believed at Yenice and at Genoa, in Lucca and the Hel- 
 vetic nations, in the days of their freedom and happiness. All the 
 barons of the middle ages, all the free cities of later times professed the 
 religion we now profess. You w^ell know, my lord, that the charter of 
 British freedom and the common law of England have their origin and 
 source in Catholic times. Who framed the free constitutions of the 
 Spanish Goths ? Who preserved science and literature during the long 
 night of the middle ages ? Who imported literature from Constantino- 
 ple, and opened for her an asylum at Rome, Florence, Padua, Paris, 
 and Oxford ? Who polished Europe by art, and refined her by legisla- 
 tion ? Who discovered a new world, and opened a passage to another ? 
 Who were the masters of architecture, of painting, and of music ? 
 W ere they not almost exclusively the professors of our creed ? W ere 
 they, who created and possessed freedom, under eveiy shape and form, 
 unfit for her enjoyment? Were men, deemed even now the lights of 
 
156 
 
 ECCIESIASTICAL HISTORY OF rRELAIsTD. 
 
 the world and the benefactors of the human race, the deluded victims 
 of slavish superstition ? But what is there in our creed which renders 
 us unfit for freedom ? Is it the docti'ine of passive obedience ? No ; 
 for the obedience we yield to authority is not blind but reasonable. 
 Our religion does not create despotism : it supports every established 
 constitution which is not opposed to the laws of nature. In Poland it 
 supported an elective monarch — in France an hereditary sovereign — in 
 Spain an absolute or constitutional king — in England, when the houses 
 of York and Lancaster contended, it declared, that he who was king 
 ‘ de facto,’ was entitled to the obedience of the people. During the 
 reign of the Tudors there was a faithful adherence of the Cathohcs to 
 their prince, under trials the most severe and galling, because the con- 
 stitution required it. The same was exhibited by them to the ungrate- 
 ful race of Stuart. But since the expulsion (foolishly called an abdi- 
 cation,) have they not adopted with the nation at large, the doctrine of 
 the revolution, that the crown is held in trust for the benefit of the 
 people, and that should the monarch violate his compact, the subject is 
 freed from the bond of his allegiance. Has there been any form of 
 government ever devised by man, to which the religion of Catholics has 
 not been accommodated ? Is there any obligation either to a prince or 
 to a constitution, which it does not enfoi'ce ?” 
 
 The health of Doctor Doyle visibly declining, he was recommended 
 to I’esign the diocese and travel on the continent, with a view of restor- 
 ing it, but he did not choose to adopt the advice. His end approaching, 
 and solicitous for the welfare of his flock, he entreated the holy father 
 to provide a coadjutor bishop, and the Rev. Edward Nolan was elected. 
 Doctor Doyle died the 15th of June, 1834:, of consumption. He re- 
 signed his spii’it with fortitude and calmness, and with that hope and 
 confidence which the true faith alone inspires. 
 
 Edward Nolan completed his ecclesiastical studies at Maynooth ; 
 was ordained priest by Doctor Doyle, in December, 1819, and was con- 
 secrated his successor by Daniel Murray, archbishop of Dublin, on the 
 28th of October, 1834, in the cathedral of Carlow. The intervening 
 years of Doctor Nolan’s life were spent in the college of Carlow, where 
 he successively taught moral and natural philosophy, theology, and 
 sacred scriptm’es. Doctor Nolan died about the close of the year 
 1837. 
 
 Francis Healy, who succeeded, was parish priest of Kilcock, at the 
 time of his election. Was consecrated on the 25th of March, 1838. 
 StiU happily presides. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IREI.AND. 
 
 157 
 
 CHAPTER XVHL 
 
 DIOCESE OF OSSORT. 
 
 Its founder was St. Kieran, the son of Lugneus, a noble Ossorian. 
 Liadain, his mother, was of Corcaluidghe (Carberry), in south Munster. 
 The saint was born in Cape Clear Island, though his father belonged to 
 Ossory. Having spent many years under St. Finian, of Clonard, he re- 
 tired to a lonely spot, since called Saigir, in the territory of Ely Ocarrol, 
 and there erected a monastery. In a few years Saigir became a city of 
 distinction, on account of the number of students that resorted to this 
 establishment. The people of Ossory, being attached to the ancient 
 rites of their ancestoi’s, were not easily withdrawn from the errors of 
 superstition. However, St. Kieran preached amongst them with gi-eat 
 success. Having been consecrated bishop, he fixed his see at Saigir, in 
 538 ; it was afterwards translated to Aghaboe, in the Queen’s county, 
 and finally to Kilkenny. St. Kieran died about the year 550, and his 
 memory is revered on the 5th of March, the anniversary of his death. 
 St. Kieran was buried at Saigir, where his virtues have been recorded 
 and revered. In Cape Clear are the walls of a ruined church, dedi- 
 cated to this saint, and the people of the island point out a pillar stone, 
 Avith a cross rudely cut towards the top, which they say Avas the Avork- 
 manship of St. Kieran. On the feast of their patron they assemble at 
 this stone, in celebration of his memory. 
 
 St. Carthagh, said to have been bishop of Saigir, but it is doubtful. 
 It Avould rather seem that he was bishop elseAvhere. He Avas the grand- 
 son of Aengus, king of Cashel, and educated under the bishop, St. Kie- 
 ran, of Saigir. Carthagh was young, perhaps not more than seventeen 
 years of age, Avhen placed under the care of St. Kieran. Some time 
 after it happened that Carthagh and a female pupil in the monasteiy 
 Avhich St. Kieran built for his mother, St. Liedania, entertained a violent 
 passion for each other, but their design of indulging it being miracu- 
 lously frustrated, they both repented, and on St. Carthagh Avas enjoined 
 by Kieran an absence for some time out of Ireland. He then went to 
 
JoS 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Gaul and spent some years in the practice of a penitential life, and in 
 the study of the holy Scriptures. Having returned to Ireland, Kieran 
 received him with joy. It is related that a little before his death, Kie 
 ran entrusted him with the care of his monks at Saigir, and that he suc- 
 ceeded him as bishop ; but it is more probable that he exercised his 
 episcopal functions in Kerry, near the river Mang. In that country he 
 met with Mochuda, or Carthagh, junior, who afterwards became the 
 first bishop of Lisrnore. St. Carthagh took him under his care, as a fa- 
 vorite disciple, and when properly instructed, he ordained liim priest. 
 Tlie year of St. Carthagh’s death is not known ; but it can hardly be 
 supposed to have been prior to 580. The name of Carthagh occurs in 
 the calendars on the 5th of March. 
 
 Sedna, or Sedonius, bishop of Saigir, and likely the immediate suc- 
 cessor of Kieran. Sedna was the disciple of St. Senanus of Lmiscathy. 
 According to Colgan he was the son of Eren, and a native of a district in 
 Munster, called Altraighe Cliach. Sedna presided over a churcli at a place 
 known by the name of Cluan, between the mountains Crot and Mairge, 
 in Munster, and was buried in Kinsale, where his brother St. Gobhan 
 founded a monastery. Another brother of Sedna’s was St. Melteoc, 
 who was revered at Kinsale on the 11th of December. Sedna flourished 
 about the year 570, and his festival is observed on the 10th of March. 
 
 St. Killene Mac Lubney, abbot of Saigir, assisted with forty other 
 prelates at a synod held by Flan Febla, archbishop of Armagh, in the 
 year 695. Ilis festival is observed on the 12th of April. 
 
 Cormac Eladach, called, in the annals of the Four Masters, scribe, 
 abbot, and bishop of Saigir. Cormac died in 867. 
 
 Geran, abbot died, 868. 
 
 Slogad O’Kaithnin, abbot in 885. 
 
 Cormac, bishop of Saigir, died in 907. 
 
 Fergal Mac Mselmorra, abbot, died in 919. 
 
 Fogartach, abbot, died in 941. 
 
 Kenfoelad Mac Suibne, died at Glendaloch, in 951. 
 
 Flathlen, abbot of Saigir, died in 984. 
 
 Fogartach, abbot of Saigir, died in 1004. 
 
 Dunchad O’Kellechuir, comorban, or successor of Kiaran, of Saigir, 
 died in 1048. 
 
 Kellach Ramhar, i. e., the fat, comorban of Kiaran of Saigir, died 
 in 1079- A chasm of seventy- three years occurs. 
 
 Donald Q’Fogarty assisted at the council of Kells in 1152. His death 
 took place at Rath-Kiaran, on the 8th of May, 1178. 
 
 Felix O’Delany, a Cistercian monk, called abbot of Ossory^ succeed- 
 ed in 1178. The episcopal see of Saigir was removed to Agaboe, and 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEV OF IRELAND. 
 
 150 
 
 tbence to Kilkenny in 1178, by Felix, who also fonncled the beautiful 
 and spacious cathedral of Kilkenny, and dedicated it to St. Canice. 
 
 He governed the see of Ossory about twenty-four years, and having 
 died in 1202, was buried at St. Mary’s abbey, of Jerpoint, to which he 
 was a benefactor, and of which he is said to have been the first abbot. 
 It was reported that many miracles were formerly wrought at his 
 tomb. 
 
 Hugh Eufus, an English Augustin, canon of the abbey of Bodmin, 
 in Cornwall, and prior of Kells, in Ossory, was by the unanimous voice 
 of the olergy elected bishop in 1202, and consecrated before the end of 
 the year. At the request of Hugh Rufus, Thomas Fitz Anthony found- 
 ed the abbey of Innistioch for Augustin canons. He died in 1218, and 
 was buried in the abbey of Kells, (Ossory) to which he had been a con- 
 siderable benefactor. 
 
 Peter Mannesin, canon of Ossory, elected by the dean and chapter, 
 was confirmed by the king in December, 1218. He purchased the wood 
 of Aghlong, near Clonmore, and the farm adjoining, and left them to 
 the see. He also confirmed to the abbey of Douske the church of Tul- 
 lachany with its appurtenances, and the tithes of his own Grange, re- 
 serving a mark yearly to the church of Kilkenny, payable after the 
 death of Hugh, dean of Kilkenny, as was agreed by deed made between 
 his predecessor, Hugh Rufus, and the dean and chapter, of the one 
 part ; the abbot and convent of Douske on the other. He sat in the 
 see eleven years, and died in 1229. 
 
 AVilliam de Kilkenny, chancellor of the cathedral, was elected by 
 the dean and chapter on the 16th of March, 1229. He sat but a short 
 time, as he resigned in 1232 ; nevertheless he attended to the forwarding 
 of the cathedral, as his predecessors had done. 
 
 Walter de Brackell, rector of Strettunedal, in the diocese of Here- 
 ford, succeeded in 1232. This prelate is reckoned among the benefac- 
 tors of the famous abbey of St. Alban’s, in England. He died on the 
 5th of December, 1243. 
 
 Geoflfry de Turvil, archdeacon of Dublin, and treasurer of Ireland, 
 was lawfully elected and consecrated in 1244. He purchased for his see 
 the manor of Dorogh, and the lands belonging to it, and there built an 
 episcopal palace. He died in' London about the 1st of Kovember, 1250, 
 and was buried in the Inner-Temple church, to which he had granted 
 indulgences of thirty-five days. De Turvil was deputy to Ralph Kivil, 
 bishop of Chichester, chancellor of Ireland, and in 1237 administered 
 the office of chancellor in his own right. 
 
 Hugh de Mapilton, archdeacon of Dublin, was consecrated bishop 
 of Ossory, about the end of May, 1251, and in the following month was 
 
IGO 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAX HISTORY OF lEELAOT). 
 
 made treasurer of Ireland. He built an episcopal palace, fishponds, and 
 other necessary ornaments for himself and his successors, at Aghor, and 
 expended large sums on the fabric of the cathedral of St. Canice, in- 
 somuch that he might be called the founder of it, but an untimely death 
 prevented him from finishing the work. He died, it is said, in 1256, 
 and was buried in his own church near St. Mary’s chapel. He founded 
 some prebends in that church and endowed them. 
 
 Hugh, a Dominican friar, succeeded in 1257. He is said to have 
 made many donations to the friars of his order at Kilkenny, and among 
 the rest, St. Canice’s well and an aqueduct. He sat in this’see two 
 yeare ; died in 1259 and was buried in the church of the Dominicans, 
 near the high altar on the left side. 
 
 Geoffrey St. Leger, treasurer of St. Canice’s church, descended of a 
 noble finnily, was consecrated bishop of Ossory in 1260. He finished 
 at great expense what de Mapilton had left undone in the cathedral, and 
 thus was completed the noble structure of St. Canice, second to none in 
 the kingdom, after a period of one hundred years from its first founda- 
 tion by Felix O’Delany. He expended large sums in repairing and 
 adorning the episcopal palaces of Aghavoe and Dorogh ; he was also a 
 generous benefactor to the vicars of the choral college, which he founded. 
 
 He governed this diocese twenty-six years and died in January, 1286, 
 and was buried near Bishop Mapilton. 
 
 Boger de ^Y exford, dean of Kilkenny, was consecrated bishop of this 
 see on the 3d of Kovember, 1287, by John Saundford, archbishop of 
 Dublin. He died on the 28th of June, 1289, and is said to have been 
 buried in his own cathedral. 
 
 ^Michael de Exeter, a canon of the cathedral of Kilkenny, was elec- 
 ed bishop on the 28th of September, 1289 ; he was consecrated about the 
 close of the year, and was made privy councillor. His liberality to the 
 canons of his church is much commended. He died about the 12th of 
 July, 1302. 
 
 William Fitzjohn, canon of Kilkenny, was elected bishop of Ossory, 
 and consecrated in 1302. In four years after he was translated to the 
 archdiocese of Cashell. 
 
 Bichard Ledred, a franciscan friar of London, was consecrated at 
 Avignon, in 1308, by Hicholas, archbishop of Ostia. In 1330 doctrines 
 of an heretical and blasphemous nature by some means were partially 
 spread in the province of Leinster, as has been noticed in the life of de 
 Bicknor, archbishop of Dublin, who protected the authors of these doc- 
 trines in his diocese, and the city of Kilkenny was selected as the thea- 
 tre for the dissemination of these errors. 
 
 These blasphemers asserted that our divine Bedeemer was a mere 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 IGl 
 
 man and a sinner, and had been jnstly crucified for his transgressions ; 
 that the sacrament of the body of Christ was by no means to be wor- 
 shiped ; that the decretals and apostolical mandates were neither to be 
 obeyed or respected ; and that demons should be consulted according to 
 the rites of Pagan sects. 
 
 Schism, innovation, and heresy, were things hitherto unknown in Ire- 
 land. Tlie Irish Catholic might have heard of the abominable doctrines 
 that grew and disappeared in oriental churches, but the soil of his birth 
 from the preaching of St. Patrick nearly one thousand years before, was 
 not polluted by strange doctrines. Alas, dear Ireland ! your trials and 
 misfortunes are looming in futurity ; your Anglo-Horman bisliops be- 
 come treasurers, escheators, deputies, and chancellors, more solicitous of 
 worldly pomp and grandeur than the interest of religion, or the welfare of 
 their people. The adventurers, who ostensibly came to plant religion, 
 and to correct the evils of your national church, were the first to intro- 
 duce novelty of doctrine to which the pious ear of the Irish Catholic 
 was not accustomed. 
 
 When those blasphemies were announced, all classes became alarmed, 
 and the bishop of Ossory and his clergy by all means strove to oppose 
 and defeat those enemies of religion. As some of those fanatics were 
 men of wealth and infiuence, they were not easily vanquished. Tlie 
 Lady Alice Kettle, William Outlaw, her son, Petronil, and Basil, her 
 accomplices, were the persons accused in the spiritual court of Ossory. 
 Petronil, it seems, was convicted and burned. The Lady Alice accord- 
 mg to Clynne, was convicted and suffered death for heresy. Basil fled 
 ind William Outlaw was held nine weeks in strict durance, but was de- 
 livered to the higher powers at the suit of Arnold Poer, seneschal of 
 Kilkenny, who was also implicated in the troubles excited against the 
 bishop. 
 
 By bribery and other means they succeeded in gaining over partizans 
 of distinction to their nefarious doctrines, among whom were the senes- 
 chal, already named, the treasurer of Ireland, and the chief justice of 
 the common pleas. At length the bishop denounced and publicly ex- 
 communicated all the parties, but his proceeding inflamed them the 
 more and rendered their party, already numerous and powerful, more 
 resolute and embittered. The bishop was seized and cast into" prison, 
 where he remained seventeen days, and his property, moveable and oth- 
 erwise, was taken and confiscated to the crown; and liis enemies,, full of 
 malevolence, for in such scenes it affords momentary aid, published 
 against the bishop a charge which could not be substantiated. It hap- 
 pened at the time that Tliomas Fitz Gilbert attacked and burned the 
 castle of Moycohir, which belonged to Hugh le Poer, and the bishop 
 
1G2 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 was accused as a partner in tlie outrage. In tlie ineantinie letters had 
 been despatched to Pope Benedict XII. bj the bishop of Ossory, and 
 liis clergy giving the supreme pontiff a distinct and faithful account of 
 those scandalous doctrines and proceedings, and also imploring advice 
 and assistance. On this occasion two epistles, full of tenderness and 
 solicitude, becoming the lather of the faithful, were addressed to Edward 
 III., king of England. In the fiist he requires that the ecclesiastical 
 property taken from Richard, bishop of Ossory, should be restored, and 
 strongly impresses on the king the obligation he is under of cooperating 
 with the prelates of the church in plucking out the seeds of heresy from 
 his dominions. The second, more comprehensive, is presented to the 
 reader ; 
 
 “ Our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the true and liv- 
 ing God, who by his ineffable charity enlightens the hearts of the faith- 
 ful, that they may acknowledge his greatness and believe in his mighty 
 power, to the end that they may be saved, and after the exile of this 
 life be admitted into the lingdom of the heavenly citizens, has in those 
 last days detected in your land of Ireland, crafty wolves in sheep’s 
 clotliing — foxes going about and to the utmost of their power laying 
 waste the vineyard of the Lord ; wicked men scattering tlie thistle 
 among the good seed ; pestiferous heretics assuming the mask of h3'poc- 
 risy, but whose conversations aye execrable and deserve to be execrated. 
 Eor it has lately appeared to us and come to the knowledge of our apos- 
 tolic see, that while our venerable brother, Richard, bisliop of Ossory, 
 was by ordinary right, visiting his diocese, there appeared in the midst 
 of his Catholic people, men who were heretics, together witli their abet- 
 tors, some of whom asserted that Jesus Christ was a man and a sinner, 
 and was justly crucified for his own sins ; others, after having done hom- 
 age and offered sacrifice to demons, thought otherwise of tlie sacrament 
 of the body of Christ than the Catholic church teaches, saying that the 
 same venerable sacrament is by no means to be worshiped ; and also 
 asserting that they are not bound to obey or believe the decrees, decre- 
 tals, and apostolical mandates ; in the meantime, consulting demons ac- 
 cording to the rites of those sects among the Gentiles and Pagans, de- 
 spising the sacraments of the Catholic church, and drawing the faithful 
 of Christ after them by their superstitions. Most truly this pestiferous 
 heresy making its way among the congregation of the faithful, has in- 
 fected some ; this plague by the venom of its contagion has brought 
 death on those whom it approached ; this poisonous serpent has destroy- 
 ed the souls of those whom it infected by its pestilence. Wherefore, as 
 Ave understand that neither in the same Ireland, nor in any land of your 
 realm of England, have inquisitors of heresy been appointed, in short, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IKELAND, 
 
 163 
 
 that heretical depravity is tiot wont to be detected and punished by the 
 regular officers of an inquisition. For these reasons, most beloved son, 
 your holy mother, the Church, confidently flies to the shield of thy pro- 
 tection, by which the splendor of the orthodox faith is far and near irra- 
 diated, that you may, as the champion of Christ and of his faith, con- 
 found and extirpate the aforesaid depravity. We therefore require and 
 earnestly deprecate your royal excellency, that in consideration of the 
 reverence and honor which are due to the faith, and likewise to that 
 concern which should be manifested for the salvation of the people, you 
 would without delay cause letters mandatory to be written, as well to 
 your judiciary in the aforesaid Ireland, as also to your other ministers 
 constituted over that realm, that thereby they may be obliged to afford 
 prompt and immediate assistance to the said bishop of Ossory, and all 
 other prelates of Ii’eland in taking, punishing, and expelling the afore- 
 said heretics and their followers, according to the rules and instructions 
 of the canons. In thus acting you will offer an holocaust of due grati- 
 tude to the Eternal Majesty; you will exalt the Catholic faith, do honor 
 to the church, comjfiy with our request, exhortation, and entreaty, extol 
 even higher the dignity of thy royal name and contribute to the safety, 
 renown, and prosperity of thy reign. Given at Avignon, on the 8th of 
 the Ides of Is’ovember, and year the first of our pontificate.” 
 
 Before this letter had arrived, the bishop of Ossory had been libera- 
 ted from prison, but still the storm was far from being abated. At 
 length the bishop of Ossory had resolved to repair to Avignon, as the 
 Pope was then resident in that city. Having reached Waterford, he was 
 assured that de Bicknor, archbishop of Dublin, had caused letters and 
 messengere to be despatched to the different seaports, in order to have 
 him arrested and thrust into prison a second time. However, Richard 
 of Ossory found means of effecting his escape to the Continent, where 
 he remained an exile for nine years. In the interim the heresy which 
 caused his troubles, when resourceless and left to its own merits, became 
 the scorn of the people, and by the public atonement which its promo- 
 ters had made, rendered the ancient faith of the country more glorious 
 and exalted. 
 
 Pope Clement VI. who succeeded to the pontifical throne, caused Al- 
 exander de Bicknor to be cited to Avignon, and appointed the archbish- 
 ops of Armagh and Cashel, as commissioners with powers to enquire as 
 well as decide. The Pope likewise exempted Richard, bishop of Ossory, 
 from the jurisdiction of his metropolitan, and put him immediately under 
 the protection of the holy see, declaring at the same time that every sen- 
 tence of excommunication, suspension, interdict, and every other process. 
 
164 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANT). 
 
 wliicli slionlcl happen to be instituted, contrary to the exemption, should 
 be and were (by the very fact) null and void. 
 
 The bull of exemption is singularly illustrative of the conduct of de 
 Bicknor towards the bishop of Ossory, and is worthy of being set before 
 the reader as an instance of the rapacity by which ecclesiastical us well 
 as lay adventurers from England were distinguished, 
 
 “ It becometh the prudence and circumspection of the Homan Pon- 
 tilf, when consulting the interest of churches, prelates, and ecclesiastical 
 persons, to relieve with paternal solicitude all those who are oppressed, 
 and to make such concessions as may, with God’s help, tend to their 
 general tranquillity. Your petition, most truly, has set forth whilst you, 
 having liret consulted us according to the canons, had proceeded against 
 certain heretics discovered by you in your diocese of Ossory, the afore- 
 said heretics seized your pei’son and for seventeen days had detained 
 you, ignominiously bound in chains and in a prison ; that afterwards, 
 when you being liberated from prison had appealed to us from our ven- 
 erable brother, Alexander, archbishop of Dublin, who inflicted many 
 and great injuries upon you, on your church of Ossory, on your clergy, 
 and on your subjects, and when you had set out for the purpose of pro- 
 ceeding to the apostolic see in prosecution of this appeal, the aforesaid 
 archbishop had caused his lettem to be despatched to all the seaports 
 and otlier places through which it was necessary for you to pass, caus- 
 ing thereby and procuring to the utmost of his power, that your person 
 may be again seized upon and cast into prison. Moi-eover, when you, 
 through fear of incarceration and death, had been compelled to leave 
 your country and live as an exile for nine yearn, your temporals, mova- ' 
 ble and immovable, having been in the meantime seized upon, the said 
 archbishop by fraud, extortion, and various other ways annoyed and op- 
 pressed your church, your clergy, and the laity, who had assisted you in 
 resisting and pulling down the aforesaid heretics. And whereas, we, by 
 our lettem, have commanded the said archbishop to be cited before us, 
 and that within a given time peremptorily specified, and that you in the 
 meantime may have reason to fear lest he should proceed with more se- 
 verity against you, your clergy, and people, and by this means be pre- 
 vented from governing your church in the manner which behoveth you ; 
 we therefore, anxious to protect thy pereon, as also to relieve your cler- 
 gy and people from oppression, and yielding to the prayer of your peti- 
 tion, do, by our apostolical authority, and by special favor, altogether 
 exempt you, your church, your city, your diocese of Ossory, your cler- 
 gy, laity, and all persons therein, as long as you preside over the see, 
 and that the aforesaid persecution continues, from all jurisdiction, domin- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 165 
 
 ion, power, and superiority of the aforesaid bishop ; and we hereby sub- 
 ject and place you, your clergy, and people, under the immediate juris- 
 diction of the apostolic see, &c. Given at Avignon on the 4th of the 
 Ides of April, and tenth of our pontificate.” 
 
 Richard, thus armed, returned to his diocese about the year 134:7, 
 according to Glynn’s annals. Between his return and the death of his 
 persecutor, Alexander de Bicknor, three years elapsed, and the see of 
 Ossory was again placed under the jurisdiction of Dublin. Richard 
 was henceforth undisturbed in the possession of his see. He erected 
 ‘he episcopal palace in Kilkenny, having first obtained the king’s per- 
 mission to demolish three churches without the walls, and employ the 
 materials in erecting the palace. lie also repaired and adorned the ca- 
 thedral, and particularly its eastern windows. Richard was forty-two 
 yeai*s bishop of Ossory. He died in 1360, and was interred with great 
 solemnity in his owi) cathedral, on the gospel side of the high altar. 
 
 John, of Tatenale, an Augustin hermit, succeeded in 1360. John 
 was a liberal benefactor to the vicars choral of the cathedral. Milo 
 Sweetman was elected, but the Pope annulled the choice. Milo was 
 afterwards primate of Armagh. John died in 1370. 
 
 Alexander Balscot, canon of the cathedral of Kilkenny, and a man 
 of gi’eat learning and wisdom, succeeded in 1371, by provision of Pope 
 Gregory XI. He was made treasurer of Ireland by Edward HI. of 
 England, and allowed a guard of six men at arms and twelve archers, 
 paid out of the exchequer, while he acted as treasurer. He also filled 
 the same office under Richard H. Was three times chancellor, once jus- 
 tice, and again chancellor in the reign of Henry IV., A.D. 1400. He 
 sat in the see about fifteen years, and was then translated to the see of 
 Meath, in 1386. 
 
 Richard Korthalis, a Carmelite friar of London, and son of a mayor 
 of that city, was consecrated bishop of Ossory in 1386. In 1390, he 
 was constituted a commissioner, by Richard IL, to enquire into the 
 state losses, and abuses, in the government of Ireland, and into the 
 frauds and corruptions of his officers there. He also obtained other 
 commissions, to which, if he attended, his flock must have been de- 
 prived of his vigilance and care. In the years 1391 and 1394, he was 
 employed as ambassador to Pope Boniface IX. He was also chancellor 
 of Ireland. Having spent nine years in the see, he was translated to 
 the archdiocese of Dublin, and died the year following. 
 
 Thomas Peverell or Pierevil, a Carmelite friar, and a doctor of divi- 
 nity of the Oxford university, succeeded in 1397. Eminent in the age 
 in which he lived, he was translated to the see of Landafiie, in Wales, 
 and thence to the diocese of Worcester. 
 
16G 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF LRELAND. 
 
 John Griffin, chancellor of Limerick, consecrated bishop of Leighlin, 
 in 1385, chancellor of the exchequer, was translated to the see of 
 Ossory in 1398, and died the year following. 
 
 John Waltam, an Augustin hermit, succeeded in 1399, by provi- 
 sion of Boniface IX., but he sat only a short time, as he died A.D. 
 1100 . 
 
 Roger, of Appleby, prior of Xewton abbey, in the diocese of Lich- 
 field, was promoted in 1100, by provision of Pope Boniface IX. It ap- 
 peal’s he died in 1101. 
 
 John Volcan, bishop of Dromore, was translated in 1101, by Pope 
 Boniface, and died about Michaelmas, the year following. lie was a 
 prelate gifted with no mean endowments of mind. 
 
 Thomas Snell, archdeacon of Glendaloch, succeeded in 1105. He 
 made a present of some rich vestments to his church, and left his suc- 
 cessors a mitre, adorned with precious stones. While Thomas was 
 bishop of Ossory, William Purcell, A.D. 1115, assisted at the council 
 of Constance, as his ])roxy. Before his advancement to the see of 
 Ossory, he was bishop of Lismore and Waterford, in 1399. Thomas 
 died at AVaterford, in October, 1116. 
 
 Patrick Ragged, translated from Cork, in the year 1117, died on the 
 20th of April or August, 1121. He was a prelate who governed his 
 flock with justice and piety, and fed them by his example and instruc- 
 tions. 
 
 Denis O’Dea, bachelor of the canon and civil laws, and a man of 
 great knowledge in the municipal laws of his own country, was elected 
 in Xovember, 1121, and sat about five yeais. 
 
 Thomas Barry, succeeded in 1128 ; he was made treasurer of L-e- 
 land in January, 1128. He built a castle and hall at his manor of 
 Logh, and is said to have been a great benefactor to the college of 
 vicars. Thomas died on the 3d of March, 1159, and was buried in St. 
 Canice’s church, before the high altar. 
 
 David Ilackett, succeeded in 1160, by provision of the Pope, and 
 sat about eighteen yeare. He built the castle of Boly, and added a hall 
 and kitchen to the house of Clonmore ; he also built the arch of the 
 belfry of St. Canice’s church, with squared stone, and is said to have 
 been a benefactor to the college of vicars. He died on the 21th of Oc- 
 tober, 1178, and was buried in his own church, near the high altar. 
 
 Richard Winchelsey, a Dominican friars, a splendid logician and 
 theologian ; was advanced to the see of Ossory in the year 1180, by 
 Pope Sixtus lY. He sat but a short time. 
 
 John O’Hedian, succeeded in 1181. He is said to have taken great 
 care in governing his diocese. He died on the 6th of January, 1186, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 IGT 
 
 and was Luried in a chapel near the west gate of the cathedral. Tlie 
 see remained vacant two years, because of the troubles Avhich the mock 
 coronation of Lambert Simnel caused. 
 
 Oliver Cantwell, a Dominican friar, succeeded in 1487, by provision 
 of Innocent VIII. He expended large sums of money in repairing the 
 episcopal palaces at Aghor and Freinston; he also rebuilt the bridge of 
 Kilkenny, which had been demolished by a flood, and appropriated the 
 church of St. Mael to the vicars choral. Worn out with old age, in 
 January, 1526, having governed the see almost thirty-nine years, he 
 died, and was buried in a monastery of his own order, at Kilkenny. 
 He wore the habit of his order after he became a bishop. 
 
 Milo Baron, an Augustin canon and prior of Inistiock, was conse- 
 crated bishop of Ossory in 1527. Before his promotion to the see of 
 Ossory, he built a new steeple and cloister to his priory. He repaired 
 the episcopal palace at Kilkenny, and made a present of a pastoral staff 
 of silver to his cathedral, and also of a marble altar. He died full of 
 davs, in the year 1550, and was buried in the monastery of Inistiock. 
 
 John Thonory, bachelor of divinity, and a native of Kilkenny, was 
 advanced to the see in the reign of Queen Mary, and was consecrated 
 at Inistiock, about the close of the year 1558 ; continued in the see 
 until 1565. 
 
 Thomas Stronge succeeded ; was obliged to go into exile ; became 
 the suftVagan of the archbishop of Compostella, in Spain, and there died 
 in the year 1601. 
 
 David Roth succeeded, as bishop of Ossory. David was doctor of 
 sacred theology, and was born at Kilkenny, in 1573. Having pro- 
 ceeded to the continent to acquire that ecclesiastical knowledge neces- 
 sary in the minister of the altar, he obtained his degree in the Irish 
 secular college of Doway. Having retumed to his native country about 
 the close of Elizabeth’s reign, he discharged the perilous duties of pastor 
 in the diocese of Ossor^q with flrmness and ability. His labors and 
 learning were soon appreciated, and he "was honored with peculiar 
 marks of esteem, by the cardinal protector at Brussels, who appointed 
 hirn prothonotary apostolic, and ultimately vicar-general of Armagh. 
 From the death of Thomas Strong, in 1601, the see of Ossory remained 
 vacant during a period of seventeen years. In a consistory, held under 
 Paul V., it was determined that provision should be made for the see of 
 Ossory, and accordingly at the suggestion of Cardinal Verallo, protector 
 of the Irish church, David Roth was promoted to the vacant see. 
 During the memorable proceedings of the supreme council, David had 
 possession of the ancient cathedral of St. Canice, in Kilkenny, and be- 
 came a distinguished member of that body. He is said to have inter- 
 
1 
 
 168 ECCLOSSIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IKELAKU. 
 
 dieted the city of Kilkenny, because the supreme council had agreed to 
 the peace, contrary to the commands of the nuncio. However, it is | 
 
 certain, that the treaty of lOiS received his approbation, and that he i 
 
 then declined putting the sentence of interdict into execution, a circum- I 
 
 stance which evoked the interference of Thomas Fleming, archbishop of | 
 
 Dublin. In his official communication the archbishop exhorts, nay, 
 commands him to cause the censure to be observed, both in his own ca- ’ 
 
 thedi-al and in all the churches of his diocese. ! 
 
 The character of David has been deservedly eulogised by several 
 eminent writers. Usher acknowledges himself indebted to the bishop 
 of Ossory, for information on various subjects, and styles him “a most 
 diligent enquirer into the antiquities of his country ; and Messingham * 
 
 declares, that he was versed in all sorts of learning — an eloquent orator, ^ 
 a subtle philosopher, a profound divine, an eminent historian, and a 
 shar]) reprover of vice. 
 
 This venerable prelate did not survive’ the overthrow of the supreme 
 council, lie died in the year 1650, and in the 87th of his age. David 
 has written several works. 
 
 James Phelan succeeded David Roth ; was bishop in 1689, when 
 James II. ai'rived there. Is mentioned in the registry act. 
 
 Janies Daton or Dalton succeeded; was bishop in 1711. 
 
 Malachy Delany succeeded. 
 
 Patrick Shee succeeded. Li the intervening yeare, from 1711 to 
 1736, Malachy and Patrick have presided, but the terms of their respec- 
 tive incumbencies are not known. 
 
 Colman O’Shaughnessy, of the most noble family of Gort, and a 
 Dominican friar, succeeded in 1736. He was a native of Galway 
 county, and an inmate of the abbey of Athenry. He completed his 
 studies at Louvain, and there became professor in the year 1706. Being 
 well qualilied for the mission of Ireland, he returned to his native 
 country, and preached with great effect in many parts of the province 
 of Coimaught. He was declared bishop of Ossory by Clement XH., 
 and was consecrated at Dublin, in a convent of nuns of his own order, 
 by John Linegar, archbishop of Dublin, assisted by Stephen MacEgan, 
 bishop of Meath, and Michael MacDonagh, bishop of Kilmore. 
 
 As the family of O’Shaughnessy adliered to the fortunes of James 
 IL, the prince of Orange conferred the patrimonial estates on Thomas 
 Prendergast, during the lives of Roger and William O’Shaughnessy. 
 
 On the death of the latter, Colman, though a bishop, instituted a suit 
 at law, as the rightful heir to the property in the court of common pleas. 
 
 The suit was continued after the death of the bishop, against Prendergast, 
 who, being a senator and a Protestant, continued in possession to the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lEEL^AND. 
 
 169 
 
 injury of tlie Catholic heir. Colman died at Gowran, a town of his di- 
 ocese, in the month of September, 1748, and was interred in the ceme- 
 tery of St. Stephen. 
 
 James Dunne was the successor of Colman of O’Shaughnessy. It 
 appears he died in the year 1753. 
 
 Thomas de Burgo, a dominican friar, master of sacred theology, and 
 an alumnus of the Dominican convent of Dublin, made his religious 
 profession at St. Clement’s, in Rome ; being only in the 16th year of his 
 age, a dispensation w'as obtained. He studied philosophy under John 
 Brett, who was bishop of Killala, and afterwards translated to Elphin. 
 He resumed his theological studies in 1727, and prosecuted them for five 
 years. In 1743 having returned to L-eland, he w'as appointed a mission- 
 ary in his native city of Dublin. Thomas de Burgo, the celebrated au- 
 thor of “ Hibernia Dominica,” while the censors at Rome were perusing 
 his invaluable work, received information of the dignity to which he 
 was to be promoted. - 
 
 The apostolical letters to this effect having been expedited, Tliomas 
 de Burgo was consecrated in the chapel of the Dominican nuns at Drog- 
 heda, by Anthony Blake, archbishop of Armagh, assisted by Anthony 
 O’Garvey, bishop of Dromore, and Edmund O’Doran, bishop of Down 
 and Connor, on the 22d of April, 1759. In the same year the pontiff, 
 to provide for his competent maintenance, bestowed upon him St. 
 Mary’s parish, in the city of Kilkenny and diocese of Ossory, and which 
 was also held by his predecessor, James Dunne, a mode of jjrovision, 
 which has been since handed down as a custom in the dioceses of Ireland. 
 
 A 2 )riest of Ossory, Patrick Molloy, and the i:)astor of that parish, 
 objected to the grant, insisting that the apostolical letters were null and 
 ‘ of no effect, because James Dunne, the jyredecessor of Thomas de Burgo, 
 had conferred on him the said parish of St. Mary. The affiiir was laid 
 before the congregation of the projiaganda by Patrick Mulloy, and after 
 some months it was decided that the collation made by James Dunne, 
 bishop of Ossory, was of no effect, and that Thomas de Burgo was, by 
 tqiostolical authority, the incumbent or possessor of the parish. Hot 
 satisfied with this decision, Mulloy appealed to the j:)ontiff himself, but 
 he was again foiled, and the question set at rest by a pontifical dijdoma. 
 It seems that this bull of Pope Clement XHI. deprives a bishop of the 
 faculty of collating a parish to a clergyman, which has been previously 
 conferred on himself by the holy see. The reader will find such a case 
 occurring in the diocese of Killala, between Dr. O’Finan and the Rev 
 John Barrett, of Crossmolina. 
 
 In 1763 the “Hibernia Dominica” proceeded from the press, and 
 though Cologne was the city in which it was set forth as printed, the 
 
170 
 
 ECCLESIASllCAL HISTOKT OE rRELAJTD. 
 
 honor belongs to Kilkenny. Such a ■work must have excited the bigotry 
 of those in the ascendency, and an outcry was raised against it because 
 it exhibited a fearless outline of the sufferings which the heretics of 
 England inflicted on the Catholic church of Ireland. At length the 
 bishops of the province prompted by prudential motives, intended to 
 hold a meeting at Kilkenny with a view of purging the work, but the 
 firmness of de Burgo himself rendered the meeting impracticable, as 
 he protested against it on the ground of its being an invasion of his ca- 
 nonical rights. The project was therefore abandoned ; some refused to 
 attend. The bishop of F erns, on his way to Kilkenny being made ac- 
 quainted at Eoss with the resolve of Thomas de Burgo, changed his in- 
 tention and retraced his steps. The prelates of Munster, however, as- 
 sembled at Tliurles, and expunged a small portion of the work, merely 
 an extract from Porter’s Ecclesiastical Annals, relative to the proceed- 
 ings of James II. 
 
 To the incessant research of this bishop the literature of Ireland is 
 deeply indebted, and to his firm resolve against the timid proceedings, 
 which the bishops of Leinster intended to adopt with regard to the “ Hi- 
 bernia Dominica,” are the terrific records of the pereecution of the Irish 
 church preserved from destruction ; of a persecution without parallel in 
 the annals of crime and oppression ; in duration the longest that any 
 country has suffered ; in violence the most unrelenting ; in its conse- 
 quences the most awfully appaling ever inflicted on a portion of God’s 
 church. 
 
 The learned TRomas de Burgo governed his diocese with honor to 
 himself and benefit to religion, until the year 1776, in which he died, 
 lie was interred in the ancient cemetery attached to the parish chapel 
 of St. John, in Madlin-street. 
 
 John Thomas Troy succeeded the venerable de Burgo ; was transla- 
 ted to Dublin in 1786. 
 
 John Dunne succeeded to the see in 1787. 
 
 James Lanigan succeeded in 1811. 
 
 Kyran Marum succeeded — died in 1828. 
 
 "William Kinsella, who had been professor in the college of Carlow, 
 was consecrated on the 26th of July, 1829 ; was distinguished as an em- 
 inent preacher. He died in 1846. 
 
 Edward "Walsh, the present bishop of Ossory, was consecrated in 
 July 1846 ; is remarkable for his unwearied attention in the sacred tri- 
 bunal of penance. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IKELAND. 
 
 171 
 
 CHAPTEE XIX. 
 
 SEE OE FERNS— ITS FOUNDER. 
 
 Saint Aidantis, commonly called Moedoc, or Moeg. His first name 
 was Hugh. He was of an illustrious family of Connaught ; was the 
 son of Setna, of the Hy-Bruin sept (Brefifny) and Ethne, his mother be- 
 ing of the race of Aulai in Tyrawley ; they were a long time married 
 without having issue. Tliey frequently supplicated the Almighty to lis- 
 ten to their prayers and grant them a son. They were in the habit of 
 visiting the monastery of Drum-leathan, and of giving abundant alms. 
 At length their pious prayers were favorably listened to, and our Saint 
 Maidoc was horn on a small island, Inis-Breagh-Mugh, in the county of 
 Cavan. (The territory now known as Cavan was then a portion of Con- 
 naught called Bretfny Oreilly.) 
 
 The time of his birth was about the year 560, as appears from the 
 fact that when a small hoy he was delivered as one of the hostages whom 
 the chiefs of the father’s sejit were compelled to give Anmiracus, king of 
 Ireland, and whose reign began in 568 and ended in the year 571. 
 ^yhen he returned to his parents, they consigned him to the care of 
 some holy men for his education, and he soon became a proficient in 
 piety as well as in his studies. While yet young, his reputation for sanc- 
 tity became so conspicuous that several pious persons were inclined to 
 join him in his exercises of devotion and become his disciples. The 
 Saint, too humble to accept of such a distinction, and to avoid any im- 
 portunity arising from their desire, left his own country and repaired to 
 Menevia, in Wales, the establishment of St. David ; here also, his sanc- 
 tity became celebrated. About the year 589 he departed from St. Da- 
 vid’s, and having landed in the county of Wexford, he erected a church 
 at Ardlathran, in the southern part of that county. He soon after erect- 
 ed another at Clonmore in the barony of Bantry, and being much re- 
 vered by Brandubh, king of Leinster, this prince assigned him a site on 
 which he built the celebrated Monastery of Ferns about the year 598. 
 At the request of Brandubh, a synod was soon after convened, in which 
 
172 
 
 ECX}LESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF rRELAFTD. 
 
 it was decreed that Ferns should be an episcopal see, and besides raised 
 to the dignity of an archbishopric — ^not such as now canonically exists, 
 but something in the shape of preeminence arising from the dignity and 
 sanctity, and the character of the individual (such as St. Fiech, of Slet- 
 ty). Hence we find various bishops called metropolitans of Connaught, 
 of Leinster, though it is certain neither province enjoyed the title until 
 the synod held at Kells in 1152, under Cardinal Paparo. The title was 
 also one of courtesy, as it was often conferred through the favor of 
 princes. 
 
 Tlie memory of St. Maidoc or Aidan is highly revered in Wales, and 
 several miracles have been attributed to him. He died on the 31st of 
 January, 632. 
 
 Dachua or Mochua Luachra, a native of Munster, abbot, and 
 bishop of Ferns, was the immediate successor of St. Maidoc. In the 
 life of St. Maidoc it is stated, that being about to cross a certain ford, 
 he said to his charioteer, that the person who would open for them the 
 entrance to it, would sit in his see after himself. A number of students 
 who were there amusing themselves near the ford, and among whom 
 was Mochua, who ran and opened the passage to the ford, as soon as the 
 saint came up. He then said with great humility to the saint : “ O holy 
 man of God, I wish to go with you and live under your discipline.” 
 The saint asking him whence he was, and what his name, he replied, I 
 am from Munster, and of the people who inhabit Luachra, and my 
 name is Cronan. The saint then said, “ henceforth you shall be called 
 Mochua Luachra ; come, then, and follow me.” Accordingly Mochua 
 went with the saint, and remained with him until his death. His pro- 
 gress in piety and learning was so great, that St. Maidoc appointed him 
 as his si;ccessor in the see of Ferns. Mochua died in the year 652. 
 Llis festival is observed on the 22d of June. 
 
 Tuenoc succeeded as abbot and bishop of Ferns, and died in 662. 
 
 Maldogar, bishop of Ferns, died in 677. 
 
 Dirath succeeded, and died about 691. 
 
 Saint Molingus or Dairchill, was a native of Hy-Kinsellagh, and his 
 descent has been traced to the royal house of Leinster. Having em- 
 braced a monastic life, he founded a monastery, called after him Teagh- 
 Moling, near the Barrow, in the county of Carlow. He governed the 
 monastery several years, and occasionally sojourned at Glenda] och, 
 until 691, when he was consecrated bishop of Ferns Lie was styled 
 archbishop in virtue of the precedence which King Brandubh conferred 
 on the see of Ferns. He succeeded in inducing Finacta, monarch of 
 Ireland, to remit the tribute of oxen, which had so heavily pressed on 
 the province of Leinster for a considerable time. It is also stated that 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OP IRELANT). 
 
 173 
 
 he foretold some things relative to the affaii-s of Ireland. He died on 
 the ITtli of June, 697, and has been considered as one of the princi- 
 pal saints of Leinster. lie is called one of the four prophets of Ire- 
 land. 
 
 Ivillen, his successor in the see, died A.D. 714. 
 
 Arectacius Mac Cuanach, bishop of Ferns, died in 737. A void oc- 
 curs in the records of the succeeding bishops and abbots for nearly a 
 century, as the Danes cruelly oppressed Fenis. 
 
 Laidgene, coinorban of Ferns, died A.D. 973. 
 
 Dermod O’Hudican, bishop of Ferns, died in 1048. 
 
 Cairbric O’Kerny, called bishop of Ferns and comorban of St. 
 Maidoc, died in 1095. 
 
 Kellach O’Colman, bishop of Ferns, died in 1117. 
 
 Carthag O’Malgabry. 
 
 Melisa O’Catlian. 
 
 Hory O’Trassy. AYlien these three prelates sat is not known. 
 
 Bridgin O’Cathlan, called successor of Maidoc, died in 1172. He 
 must have resigned long before his death. The names of abbots and 
 bishops are sometimes synonymous in the annals of Ireland. There is, 
 however, an uncertainty, unless the appellation of bishop be appended. 
 The names of the abbots of Ferns will be given when treating of the 
 abbey. 
 
 Joseph O’llethe governed the see of Ferns about thirty years. He 
 is called bishop of Wexford in the foundation charter of the abbey of 
 Dungiven. It is related of him that he was employed in a stratagem 
 to obtain a surrender of the castle of Carrig,- in 1171, or the year fol- 
 lowing, by manifest perjury, but the charge was incorrect. He died in 
 1185, and was buried, it is said, in Wexford. 
 
 Albinus O’Mulloy, succeeded in 1186, and was sometimes, as his 
 predecessor, styled bishop of Wexford. Perhaps there was some re- 
 solve at the time to change the see to that city. Alliinus was abbot of 
 Baltinglass. After the death of St. Lawrence, the see of Dublin was 
 ■ conferred on an Englishman, John Cumin, because Henry of England 
 was at the time intent on transferring the dominion of the kingdom of 
 Ireland to his son John ; and as if to prepare the way for his reception, 
 none but an English ecclesiastic should be appointed to preside over the 
 important see of Dublin. The person who was recommended was this 
 John Cumin, a learned and eloquent ecclesiastic, and who had filled, for 
 several yeai-s, some situation in the royal palace. Eour years had elapsed 
 from the period of the death of his sainted predecessor, until John had 
 arrived in Dublin. In the meantime the cofiers of Henry H. must 
 have been replenished by the spoils of the see, as he had immediately, 
 
174 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 on the decease 'of Lawrence, seized on and collected the episcopal 
 revenues. 
 
 John Cumin, the first Englishman who ever sat in an Irish see, and 
 representing that class of Britons who were so zealous of i-eform in the 
 Irish church, resolved to signalize his episcopacy by some memorable 
 act of pastoral care and solicitude. A provincial synod aftbrded him 
 such a facility, and it was accordingly held about the middle of Lent, 
 1185, in the cathedral of Christ church. The decrees of - which 
 were of a disciplinary character, and most of them had been al- 
 ready sanctioned by long usage or ratified by positive enactments 
 in former synods, of the Irish prelates. On the first day of meeting 
 the archbishop himself preached on the sacraments, as is usually 
 the case to open the business by a sermon. On the second day, 
 Albinus O’Mulloy, then abbot of Baltinglass, delivered a powerful and 
 impressive discourse on the subject of clerical continence ; in the course 
 of his observations the learned preacher dwelt on the unsullied charac- 
 ter of the Irish priesthood, and in terms of grief and indignation in- 
 veighed most bitterly against the English and ^Velsh clergy who had 
 come over to Ireland; upbraided them with having polluted the altare 
 of his country by tlieir filthy and abominable crimes, and in teare of 
 anguish assured them, that crying scandals of this sort were unheard in 
 the Irish church, until aliens and adventurers had been authorized to 
 come amongst them. Albinus, by his just censures, produced the 
 desired eftect. Scarcely had he descended from his pulpit, when those 
 English ecclesiastics began to recriminate and accuse each other, each 
 one asserting more criminality in the other, and thus publicly exposing 
 themselves to the contempt and scorn of the Irish clergy. Numbers of 
 them were convicted, and suspended by the archbishop, from ecclesias- 
 tical functions, and from the enjoyment of their benefices. Good and 
 gracious God ! why allow this profanation of a sanctuary so pure and 
 unsullied ? 
 
 Though impiety may, in its momentary career, tarnish the beauty of 
 religion, it is not to be screened from public censure. Hence it is, that 
 the inspired penmen in recording the crime, in bold relief, place before 
 the reader the punishment thereof, in order to guard us against its dan- 
 gerous and pernicious infiuence, — if then the scribes and pharisees sit in 
 the chair of Moses, we are exhorted by the Redeemer himself not to 
 imitate their vicious example. 
 
 God himself obeys with equal promptitude, the voice of the bad as 
 of the good priest, because the power is the same — the burden and the 
 dignity similar. If some among the dispensers of God’s mysteries have 
 been dissolute, their excesses are more than recompensed by the virtues 
 
KCCLESTASWCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 175 
 
 and merits of otliera who lead an exemplary life. In that special jiredi- 
 lection which the Saviour of the world has shown for the virtue of con- 
 tinence — in its practice by the apostles from the period of their vocation, 
 the Church, moreover, guided by the experience of centuries, and too 
 well aware of its utility, enforces this holy and salutary discipline, when 
 her ministers voluntarily embrace it, — it is a virtue which throws a 
 halo of glory, a charm of admiration around the faithful servant of the 
 altar, ennobles his very movements in the sanctuary, sanctifies and ren- 
 ders more pleasing in the sight of God the oblation of the immaculate 
 lamb — that angelic virtue which adorns and burnishes those functions 
 entrusted to the priesthood. Hence it is the right of religion and of 
 those to whom its services are administered, that the sacrifice of religion 
 be ottered with hands pure and clean : as the ambassadors of heaven on 
 this earth, which we tread, they are as much as possible to represent 
 those in the immediate employ of their heavenly Father, — it is that 
 1 irtue which endeared the virgin apostle to his incarnate master, and to 
 ■whose virginal care was commended the virgin mother of a virgin God. 
 
 In past ages the most venerable in the church, because so exalted 
 above human ideas, and so worthy of a divine origin, as it constitutes 
 the true champion of the cross, the true soldier of Christ, to carry his 
 standard amidst the conflicts of life, and by his victories over flesh and 
 blood, extend the dominion of his heavenly employer ; that virtue 
 which gives to the minister of the altar that true and real liberty 
 whereby he is emancipated, as if from worldly pursuits — disen- 
 thralls his affections from the transitory objects of life — renders him 
 the father of the orphan, the protector of the oppressed, and the c(nn- 
 forter of the poor and the indigent- — renders him really useful to his 
 people, and devoted to their wants and necessities — master of himself, 
 ot his time, of his talents, of those resources which a grateful flock are 
 ever disposed to place in the hands of that pastor, whose desires are 
 centered in their welfare, and whose actions evince zeal in the faithful 
 discharge of his arduous but sweet labors ; armed with this staff’, and 
 his brow adorned with the garland of virginity, he becomes firm and 
 inflexible, when vice is to be reproved and extirpated — calm and stern, 
 when virtue is to be inculcated and enforced. Thus shall he be free, in 
 this vale of tears, of reproach, — full of hope in future reward, when 
 about to enter on that “ bourne,” whence the traveller does not return. 
 
 On the 3d day of the synod, Gerald Barry, by order of the arch- 
 bishop of Dublin, preached, or rather delivered a tirade against the 
 Irish clergy and the whole nation. It seems that the facts which 
 Albinus O’Mulloy laid at the doors of the English priests, were incon- 
 trovertible. In his unmeaning display, Gerald exhibited his malignity, 
 
176 
 
 ECCLKSL\.STICAL HISTORY of" IRELAND. 
 
 as well as liis ignorance of the ecclesiastical antiquities, manners, and 
 customs of the Irish people. With all his prejudices, the force of truth 
 elicited the acknowledgment that the “ clergy of Ireland were very 
 commendable for religion ; among other virtues, which distinguish them, 
 they excelled and were preeminent in the prerogative of continence, 
 and likewise, said he, they attend regularly and vigilantly to the psalms 
 and houi’s, to reading and prayer, and remaining within the precincts 
 of tlieir churches, do not absent themselves from the divine offices, 
 to the celebration of which they have been appointed. They* also,” 
 continued Gerald, “ pay great attention to abstinence and sparingness 
 of food, so that the greatest part of them last almost every day until 
 dusk, and until they have completed all the canonical offices.” 
 
 The chastisement which St. Lawrence O’Toole had been obliged to 
 inflict on the English clergy for their incontinence and scandalous deport- 
 ment with no unsparing hand, was not calculated to check the evil ; they 
 still poured into Ireland, and each party, as they landed, seemed to vie 
 and outrival the preceding one in open profligacy and debauchery. If 
 such scandalous demeanor pervaded generally the clergy of England in 
 the beginning of the sixteenth century, we can easily account for the 
 universal defection from the faith that took place, and for the little re- 
 sistance to the schismatical proceedings of Henry VIII. 
 
 The unsuccessful debut of Gerald Barry on this important occasion 
 contributed to check the haughty and domineering temper of this sacer- 
 dotal reviler of a nation. Though anxious to decorate his brow with a 
 mitre, he refused the vacant see of Eerns, which his patron. Prince John 
 had offered, and soon after returned to his own country — mortified by 
 the disgraceful conduct of his countrymen, and the public exposure of 
 their crimes. 
 
 A strong hand being necessary to extirpate such an evil ; and as 
 several of the English ecclesiastics became located in the diocese of 
 Ferns, it was the anxious wish of the native clergy and of Archbishop 
 Cumin, to select an Llshman of zeal and firmness to preside over it. 
 Albinus having already exhibited proof of his ability in grappling with 
 such a difficulty, was chosen, and having been accordingly consecrated, 
 commenced that salutary reform, by which the English priests were 
 taught the practice of Irish discipline and Irish morality. 
 
 Having had to institute proceedings against William, earl of Pem- 
 broke and earl marshal of England, who seized on certain manoi’s, 
 which belonged to the see of Ferns from time immemorial, and which 
 were set apart for the maintenance of the poor, and who added them to 
 his already extensive estates. Against such an usurpation of the pro- 
 perty the bishop remonstrated ; his suit was a failure, as no tribunal 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOEY OF LKELAND. 
 
 i I 
 
 could be either able or willing to decide impartially. The earl, how- 
 ever, soon after regretted his misconduct, and strove to repair it by his 
 patronage of charitable foundations. Albin, having governed the see 
 thirty-six years, died A.D. 1222. 
 
 John de St. John, treasurer of the cathedral of Limerick and of Ire- 
 land, succeeded in 1223. He erected or endowed a deanery in his 
 church, and made the priory of Enniscorthy, with the consent of the 
 patron, a cell to the abbey of St. Thomas, near Dublin. He is also 
 classed among the principal benefactors to his church, on account of the 
 buildings he erected, and of the privileges which he procured for his 
 see. In September, 1240, he convened a diocesan synod at Wexford, in 
 the abbey of Saints Peter and Paul, at Selsker. Tliis prelate granted to 
 the abbey of Donske or the vale of St. Saviour, all the land of Killacy, 
 reserving a yearly rent of ten shillings payable to him and to his suc- 
 cessors. Having governed his see about twenty-one years, with great 
 credit and integrity, he died in the year 1243. 
 
 Geoffrey St. John, the brother of his predecessor and official of 
 Ferns, succeeded him in the year 1243 ; he had also been treasurer of 
 the catliedral of Limerick, and escheator of Ireland before his promo- 
 tion to the see. Before his death he petitioned Pope Alexander IV. 
 against Pulk, archbishop of Dublin, for burdening him witli too great a 
 retinue in his visitations, which was not warranted by the canons cf the 
 Lateran council, and through which he was obliged to incur larger ex- 
 penses than the income of his diocese would permit ; the Pope granted 
 h’m a license not to receive the archbishop with greater numbers in his 
 trail than the canons allowed. 
 
 Hugh de Lampert, treasurer of Ferns, was elected in 1258, and was 
 consecrated the same year. He is reckoned among the benefactors to 
 the abbey of St. Alban’s, in England. He died on the 23d of May, 
 1282. 
 
 Bichard de Northampton, canon of the cathedral of Killaloe, suc- 
 ceeded in 1282, and was consecrated the following year. He died in 
 the year 1303, and in the twenty-first of his consecration, and was 
 buried at Ferns, in the cathedral of St. Aidan. 
 
 Simon de Evesham, succeeded in 1304, and consecrated in June ; 
 died in the following September. 
 
 Robert Walrand, succeeded in 1305. Governed the see about six 
 years, and died at Ferns, on the 17th of November, 1311. 
 
 Adam de Northampton, succeeded in 1312, and was consecrated 
 bishop of Ferns on Trinity Sunday. He appropriated the church of 
 Maglass to the deanery of his cathedral on the 29tli o-f October, 1346. 
 
 While dam sat. Ferns and its castle w'ere plundered, and set on fire by 
 12 
 
178 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL, HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 tlie Irish, who are called by English writei’s rebels. He adhered to 
 Edward Bruce, on his arrival in those parts, and to Robert his brother, 
 for which he was called to account for his treason in furnishing provi- 
 sions, men and arms, to the invaders. 
 
 Hugh de Saltu, so called from the place of his hirth, at Leixlip, 
 near the Salmon-leap, on the Lilfey, prebendary of St. Patrick’s, 
 Dublin, was consecrated in that city on Passion Sunday, 1347 ; he was 
 deprived before the end of the year by the Pope, who alleged that he 
 had reserved to himself the provision to the see of Ferns. 
 
 Geoffrey Grosseld, doctor of divinity, and an Augustin hennit, suc- 
 ceeded by provision of Pope Clement YI., and was consecrated at 
 Avignon, 1347, and died in the following year, October the 22d, of the 
 plague, which was very fatal both in England and Ireland. 
 
 John Esmond, was consecrated about the end of 1349, and was soon 
 after deprived by the Pope. John determined to hold the bishopric by 
 force, or hinder his successor from the possession of it. In his resistance 
 he was supported by William Furlong, and twenty-six othei-s, who pre- 
 vented the sheriff from enforcing the writ, commanding him to remove 
 all force from the church and diocese of Ferns. Soon afte]’, John 
 Esmond was arrested, and obliged to give bail for keeping the peace, 
 and to abide the judgment of the king’s bench, on an indictment pre- 
 ferred against him. 
 
 William Charnells, a monk, was provided to the see by the Pope, in 
 1350, and obtained the temporals. When the castle of Ferns was taken 
 by the Irish rebels, he, in person, headed a party of his servants and de- 
 pendents, and putting the assailants to flight, recovered his castle. He 
 sat about twelve years, and was a short time treasurer of Ireland. He 
 died in July, 1362. 
 
 Thomas Den, archdeacon of Ferns, was consecrated on Trinity Sun- 
 day, 1363, and sat upwards of thirty-seven years. He died in a very 
 advanced age, in August, 1400. 
 
 Patrick Barrett, an Augustin canon of Kells in Ossory, succeeded, 
 A.D. 1400. He was, by command of the Pope, consecrated at Rome. 
 He was for a time chancellor of Ireland, and exercised that office with 
 great ability. He appropriated the church of Ardcolen to the auoey of 
 Saints Peter and Paul, at Selsker, near W exford. Patrick died in Ko- 
 V'ember, 1415, and was buried in the abbey of Kells. 
 
 Robert Whittey, chanter of Ferns, was promoted to the see by Pope 
 Martin Y., in 1416. He appropriated the church of Ardkevin to the 
 abbey at Selsker, and died in 1458. He was bedridden almost ten 
 years before his death. He had, according to Wadding, a Franciscan 
 friar,. Tliad^L as his coadjutor, in 1451. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 179 
 
 John Pui'sell, who succeeded in 1459, governed the see about 
 twenty years. Died in 1479. 
 
 Lawrence Nevil, canon of Ferns, was advanced to the see by provi- 
 sion of Pope Sixtus lY., and obtained the temporals on the 20th of 
 May, 1480. lie sat twenty-three years, and died in 1503. 
 
 Edmond Comerford, dean of Kilkenny, w'as consecrated in St. 
 Canicc’s church, in the year 1505. Having presided four yeara, he 
 died on Easter Sunday, 1509. 
 
 Nicholas Comyn was consecrated bishop of Ferns, in St. Paul’s 
 church, Loudon, in January, 1509. He must have been coadjutor to 
 Edmond Comerford, or Edmund must have resigned. Bishop Nicholas 
 was translated to the sees of Waterford and Lismore in 1519. 
 
 John Pursell, succeeded to the see of Ferns, in 1519. He was con- 
 secrated at Rome on the 6th of May, of this year. He was committed 
 a prisoner to the custody of the marshal of the exchequer, on the 1st 
 of September, 1531 ; the reason is unknown. He died on the 20th of 
 July, 1539. 
 
 Alexander Devereux, the last abbot of Dunbrody, i-emained in this 
 see undisturbed during the different changes in religion, almost twenty- 
 seven years. He shall be noticed elsewhere. He died in 1566. 
 
 Peter Power, bishop of Ferns ; obliged to go into exile ; became the 
 suffragan of the archbishop of Compostella, in Spain, and there died in 
 the year 1587. 
 
 Nicholas French, bishop of Ferns. Nicholas was born in the town 
 ot Wexford, A.D. 1604, and was one of the earliest pupils received in 
 the Irish college at Louvain, and was at the same time one of its most 
 distinguished. Here, too, he received holy orders. Soon after having 
 returned to his native city, he was appointed its pastor, and in this ca- 
 pacity acquired a reputation for knowledge and eloquence. In 1643, 
 Nicholas was consecrated bishop of his native diocese, and when pro- 
 moted to this important charge, was in his thirty-ninth year of age, but 
 he was far advanced in the cultivation of his mind and genius. In 
 1645 he was elected to the parliament of Kilkenny, as a burgess of the 
 town of Wexford, while, as bishop of Ferns, he sat in all the provincial 
 councils and synods that were convened during the following years. 
 Being then in the prime of vigor and intellect, full of ardent hope, he 
 never shrunk from any proper labor, however toilsome. His zeal, dis- 
 interestedness and learning, in a short time after engaging on the 
 public arena, procured him the leadership of the National Confederates,* 
 who were the majority of that league. 
 
 Nicholas French was the sole lord of the assembly, and if others 
 were distinguished in the field, none could vie with him at the council 
 
180 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOEY OF lEELAKD. 
 
 board. It is a mistake to suppose that the mmcio Kinuccini was the 
 deliberative head of the assembly. Ills office, as mmcio, gave him pre- 
 cedence, but in reality he suggested no plans to the supreme council. 
 
 In January, 161:6, the synod of the Irish clergy was held in Dublin. 
 On the 10th of that month, Nicholas impeached the conduct of General 
 Preston, who then shared the command of the Catholic forces with 
 Owen Roe O’Neil, and moved his suspension from the command, but 
 the motion was not put, and the meeting was broken up in confusion. 
 Tile bishop of Ferns saw in Preston a traitor, whom the clamor of his 
 friends had unfortunately rescued from disgrace. 
 
 As the co.uncils of the Catholics were lamentably deficient in that 
 unity of sentiment and of action, which alone are calculated to ensure 
 success in national movements, the great genius of Nicholas French and 
 the other patriots, who were animated with a love of country and of 
 creed, could accomplish but little, while Preston and his interested 
 associates were playing off their treachery against the real interests of 
 the kingdom. In 16-17, Nicholas French and Sir Nicholas Plunket were 
 despatched to the friendly courts of the Continent, in order to explain to 
 them the designs, means, and the relative positions of the Catholics of 
 Ireland, and the cause of the non-agreement existing between them and 
 Charles. When again it was resolved to hold a synod at Jamestown, in 
 August, 1648, Nicbolas attended, not only as bishop of Ferns, but also 
 as proxy to Archbishop Fleming, of Dublin, who was then ill. Again, 
 when another effort was made to save the country, Nicholas French 
 puts to sea, in prosecution of his own plan, to treat with any Catholic 
 prince, state, republic, or person, for the preservation of the Catholic 
 religion and nation. The terms of the commission with which Bishop 
 French was then entrusted, were kept secret ; it bore the signatures of 
 the leading confederates — lay and clerical — who were still in the 
 country. A Catholic prince, the duke of Lorrain, was the person with 
 whom this negotiation was carried on, at his court of Brussels. The 
 fimt act of his embassy was to interest the inter-nuncio Amoldi, then at 
 Brussels, by whom Nicholas was well received, and through him recon- 
 ciled to the court of Rome, which had been offended by the circular en- 
 forcing the peace of 1648. 
 
 • The negotiation with the Catholic prince having failed, and the 
 work of destruction going on as prosperously as its most ardent votaries 
 could desire — the Catholics robbed, plundered, massacred, and all those 
 whose blood the sword of Cromwell could not drink, driven to perish or 
 linger in the wilds and morasses of Connaught : it would have been 
 imprudent in Doctor French to return to the land for which he labored. 
 As action in the field or in the council was already ineffectually tried. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 181 
 
 Nicholas French betook himself to his cabinet in Brussels, there to di- 
 gest the woes of his country and to startle the ears of Europe with her 
 songs of sorrow. He now resumed his pen, more cutting than the two 
 edged sword, to punish the traitors to his beloved Ireland, to refute the 
 slanders of England, and to vindicate the cause of Catholic Heland be- 
 fore the world. 
 
 A work, entitled “ The unkind Deserter of Loyal Men and True 
 Friends ” was published at Brussels, in which he attributes the defeat 
 of his last mission thither, to the duke of Ormond, and the ruin of Ire- 
 land by his proposing treaties to distract the councils of the confede- 
 rates, and foment divisions amongst them, lest, in the event of their 
 arms being successful, he would be obliged to disgorge his plunder and 
 badly-acquired wealth. The effect which the publication of this work 
 produced on the public mind, and particularly on the Duke of Ormond, 
 and his admirers, may be inferred from the fact that the earl of Claren- 
 don, then at Brussels with Charles II. and Ormond, undertook to pub- 
 lish a book in his own name, and to have it industriously circulated, 
 with a view of preserving men’s minds from being agitated by those in- 
 fusions, and corrupted by misrepresentation ; but Clarendon evaded the 
 charges which were directly made against the Duke of Ormond, by Ni- 
 cholas French. He was still at Louvain, when the reply of Clarendon 
 appeared. TTie bishop had already commenced a work on the same 
 subject, the preface of which alone was printed, and also published at 
 Louvain ; it is called the “ Bleeding Iphigenia.” 
 
 Paris was the next destination of our bishop, and there he was ap- 
 pointed coadjutor to the archbishop of the French capital. Charles 
 Stuart reached there soon after, on whom Nicholas waited, but was 
 refused admission to the presence of his majesty, for whose throne, as 
 well as the altars of his own faith, he had labored so much, until the 
 hopes of L’eland were blasted by that selfish traitor Ormond, who even 
 on this occasion had intrigued against him, and through whose wiles 
 and those of the king, Nicholas French was obliged to abandon his see, 
 and remain an exile, uncharged with any offense and unconscious of any 
 omission in the cause of his country or his creed. After many journeys 
 and wanderings, he at last, says Peter Walsh, found a home with the 
 archbishop of St. lago, in Gallicia, who received him in a manner 
 worthy of his fame. He was installed as his suffragan, and devoted 
 the leisure of a year or two in composing a Latin work entitled “ The 
 Lucubrations of the Bishop of Ferns in Spain.” 
 
 Nicholas French was still at Compostella when the news of the res- 
 toration had reached him. Amongst those who Avere pardoned and 
 promoted, the venerable name of the prelate was not included, but his 
 
182 
 
 ECCLESIASTiaU. HISTORY OF IRELA^T). 
 
 religion, stronger than any other bond, reconciled him to his fortune. 
 Soon after, his repose was etfectually disturbed by the proposition of 
 Peter AYalsh, regarding the “remonstrance,” Avhich was conveyed to 
 him by Doctor Cusack, of London, who was equally the friend of both, 
 and from which an interesting correspondence arose. 
 
 As the mention of this remonstrance has been noted in the life of 
 Edmond O’Reilly, primate of all Ireland, to whom it appeared inadmis- 
 sible, its language being equivocal and disrespectful to the holy see, the 
 reader is presented with its words : — 
 
 Remonstrance or declaration of loyalty proposed by Father Peter 
 AYalsh— 
 
 “ To the king’s most excellent majesty : — ^Your majesty’s faithful 
 subjects the Roman Catholic clergy of your majesty’s kingdom of Ire- 
 land, do most humbly represent this their present state and deplorable 
 condition. 
 
 “ That being entrusted by the indispensable commission of the Ring 
 of kings, with the cure of souls and the care of their flocks, in order to 
 the administration of sacraments, and teaching the people that perfect 
 obedience, which, for conscience’ sake, they are bound to pay to your 
 majesty’s commands, they are loaden with calumnies and pemecuted 
 with severity. 
 
 “ That being obliged, by the allegiance they owe and ought to swear 
 unto your majesty, to reveal all conspiracies and practices against your 
 person and royal authority, that come to their knowledge, they are 
 themselves clamored against, as conspirator, plotting the destruction of 
 tlie English among them, without any ground, that may give the least 
 colour to so foul a crime to pass for probable in the judgment of any in- 
 different person. 
 
 “ That their crimes are inade as numerous and as diverse as are the 
 inventions of their adversaries ; and because they cannot with freedom 
 appear to justify their innocence, all the Actions and allegations against 
 them are received as undoubted verities. And wliat is yet much more 
 mischievous, the lait}^, upon whose consciences the character of the 
 priesthood gives them an influence, suffer under all the crimes thus 
 falsely imputed to them. It being their adversaries’ design that the 
 Irish, whose estates they enjoy, should be reputed persons unfit and not 
 worthy of any title to your majesty’s mercy. 
 
 “ That no wood comes amiss to make arrows for their destruction ; 
 for as if the Roman Catholic clergy, whom they esteem most criminal, 
 were or ought to be a society so perfect, as no evil or indiscreet person 
 shoidd be found among them, they are, all of them, generally cried 
 down for any crime, whether true or feigned, which is imputed to one 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF lEELAKD. 
 
 185 
 
 of them ; and as if no words could be spoken, no letter written but 
 with the common consent of all of them, the whole clergy must sufier 
 for that which is laid to the charge of any particular person among 
 them. 
 
 “We know what odium all the Catholic clergy lie under, by reason 
 of the calumnies with which our tenets in religion and our dependence 
 upon the Pope’s authority are aspersed : and we humbly beg your ma- 
 jesty’s pardon to vindicate both, by the ensuing protestation which we 
 make in the sight of Heaven, and in the presence of your majesty, sin- 
 cerely and truly, without ecpiivocation or mental reservation. 
 
 “We do acknowledge and confess your majesty to be our true and 
 lawful king, supreme lord and rightful sovereign of this realm of Ire- 
 land, and of all other your majesty’s dominions. And therefore we 
 acknowledge and confess ourselves obliged, under pain of sin, to obey 
 your majesty in all civil and temporal affairs, as much as any other of 
 your majesty’s subjects, and as the laws and rules of government do re- 
 quire at our hands. And that notwithstanding any power or pretension 
 of the Pope or see of Pome, or any sentence or declaration of what 
 quality or kind soever given or to be given by the Pope, his predecessor 
 or successors, or by any authority, spiritual or temporal, proceeding or 
 derived from him or his see, against your majesty, or royal authority, 
 we will still acknowledge and perform to the utmost of our abilities, our 
 faithful loyalty and true allegiance to your majesty. And we openly 
 disclaim and renounce all foreign power, be it either papal or princely, 
 spiritual or temporal, inasmuch as it may seem able or pretend to free, 
 discharge, or absolve us from this obligation, or shall any way give us 
 leave or license to raise tumults, or bear arms, or offer any violence to 
 your majesty’s person, royal authority, or to the state or government. 
 Being all of us ready, not only to discover and make known to your 
 majesty and to your ministers, all the treasons made against your ma- 
 jesty or them, which shall come to our hearing, but also to lose our 
 lives in the defense of your majesty’s person and royal authority : and 
 to resist, with our best endeavors, all conspiracies and attempts against 
 your majesty, be they framed, or sent under what pretense or patronized 
 by what foreign power or authority soever. And further we profess, 
 that all absolute princes and supreme governors, of what religion soever 
 they be, are God’s lieutenants on earth, and that obedience is due to 
 them, according to the laws of each commonwealth, respectively, in all 
 civil and tempoi’al affairs. And therefore do we here protest against all 
 doctrine and authority to the contrary. 
 
 “And we do hold it impious and against the word of God to main- 
 tain, that any private subject may kill or murder the anointed of God, 
 
184 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELASTD. 
 
 his prince, though of a different belief or religion from his. And we 
 abhor and detest the practice thereof, as damnable and wicked. 
 
 “ These being the tenets of our religion, in point of loyalty and sub- 
 mission to your majesty’s commands, and our dependence on the see of 
 liome no way intrenching upon that perfect obedience, which by our 
 birth and by all laws, human and divine, we are bound to pay to your 
 majesty, our natural and lawful sovereign. AVe humbly beg, prostrate 
 at your majesty’s feet, that you would be pleased to protect us from the 
 severe pei’secution we suffer, merely for our profession in religion : 
 leaving those that are or hereafter shall be guilty of other crimes (and 
 there have been such in all times, as well by their writings as by their 
 actions) to the punishment prescribed by the law.” 
 
 In his letter of June, 1662, to Cusack, Doctor French e.xpressed 
 himself ready to make any honorable terms with the viceroy, but goes 
 no farther. In his second epistle to Walsh, from Santiago, dated Sep- 
 tember, 1665, Doctor French enclosed one to the viceroy, in which he 
 proceeds to say : “ A great fortune befits a great mind, and great cle- 
 mency befits both,” and quotes from Seneca, “ That many punishments 
 are as disgraceful to a statesman as many funerals to a physician.” lie 
 hopes, that “ with Ciusar’s power, Ormond possesses Caesar’s generosity.” 
 “ I do not say this to tickle or flatter your grace’s ears, for this is not 
 my custom, who have (as is well known) offended more by speaking 
 truth than by flattering.” He concludes by observing that he is 
 afiiicted with many bodily complaints, and intends drawing nearer to 
 Ireland to wait his grace’s reply. 
 
 A letter from Peter Walsh, on his part, and that of the Duke, dated 
 March, 1666, informs the bishop, among other things, that he should 
 write a more submissive letter, relative to the afiairs of Jamestown, 
 and other public transactions, and intimate a “ total change of judg- 
 ment in all these matters.” And the false friar insolently adds : “ And 
 I must tell you, there is no command of God on you in the case, nor 
 any necessity incumbent on you of preaching or teaching here person- 
 ally to your flock and consoles tlie bishop with the assurance, that 
 the duke of Ormond thinks him “ a good man, a good priest, and a 
 good bishop, without guile and witlrout cheat.” 
 
 The bishop rejoins from the seaport of San Sebastian, May the 10th, 
 1666. That he had moved hither from Santiago, “ much to the grief ot 
 the archbishop,” confident in the result of his letter to Ormond. He 
 refused to write a more submissive letter, and promised to write more 
 fully from Paris. The letter he sent in a little Spanish vessel, in which 
 he w'ould have “ ventured,” were he not deterred by the humiliating 
 proposal that had been made. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IKELAND. 
 
 185 
 
 In Ins letter from Paris, according to promise, dated July, 1666, he 
 says to Peter Walsh: “Do me the favor and the right to show this 
 letter to his grace.” “ It appearing to me that I cannot satisfy my con- 
 science and the duke together, nor become profitable to my flock at 
 home, nor live quietly and secure — his anger not being appeased — ^you 
 may know hereby, that I am resolved after dog-days, to go to Louvain, 
 and there end my days, where I began my studies.” 
 
 Thus was terminated the correspondence of Nicholas French. In 
 fulfillment of his word, he repaired to the cloister of St. Anthony, at 
 Louvain. Within a year were scattered over the continent his tracts: 
 “Thirty sheets of Reasons against the Remonstrance,” — “The due Obe- 
 dience of Catholics,” — and a “Dissertation justifying the late War.” 
 He next directs his attention to the conduct of the Stuart dynasty, and 
 lays bare their iniquity towards Ireland, in his book of the “ Sale and 
 Settlement of Ireland.” While the framers of the bill, from the hum- 
 blest to the highest, ai’e made to feel the lash, he then deals with the 
 then occupant of the throne : “ It will be difficult to persuade those who 
 were not witnesses of the fact, that the royal authority of a Christian 
 king, which in one part of his dominions maintained the peer in his 
 dignity, the commoner in his birthright and liberty, — which protected 
 the weak from the oppression of the mighty, and secui-ed the nobility 
 from the influence of the people — and by which equal and impartial 
 justice was distributed to all, should at the same time be made use of 
 in another part of his dominions to condemn innocents before they were 
 heard, to confirm unlawful and usurped possessions, to violate the public 
 faith, to punish virtue and countenance vice, to hold loyalty a crime 
 and treason worthy of reward ; in a word, to exempt so many thousands 
 of faithful and deserving subjects from a general pardon, which by a 
 mercy altogether extraordinary, was extended to some of the murderers 
 of his royal parent.” 
 
 While at Louvain, Bishop French filled some of the most important 
 of the college offices ; he also established a bourse for his diocese of 
 Ferns, which he endowed in perpetuity with the sum of one hundred 
 and eighty florins per annum. Some time after, desiring to return to 
 the sphere for which he had been consecrated, he was, either at the sug- 
 gestion of a friend or the court of Rome, appointed coadjutor to the 
 archbishop of Ghent, where he continued till his death, A.D. 1678, 
 August the 23d. 
 
 Thus ended the career of an exiled Irish patriot, who had been em- 
 bassador to four different courts — who had ruled with episcopal power 
 in four different countries — who was the life and soul of the Catholic 
 
186 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF LRELAKD. 
 
 confederacy of his country, and one of the best among the Christian 
 bishops of his age. 
 
 As an author he must have been formidable, as a Clarendon entered 
 the lists with him ; and as at a time when Europe was engaged in the 
 greatest affairs, and when her greatest men of the age were actively em- 
 ployed on the theater of war or peace, he forced on the general atten- 
 tion, by the strength of his writings, the fortunes of Ireland. Yet no 
 writer has been dealt with more unmercifully than Nicholas French. 
 Ey one writer he is called “ a waspish prelate,” by another, “ an incen- 
 diary,” another declares him “ seditious,” and Harris, otherwise impar- 
 tial and candid, is still more offensive to his character. His epitaph 
 supplies an answer to his advemaries : — • 
 
 D. O. M. 
 
 SISTE, VIATOK, AUDI, LEGE, LUGE, 
 
 JACET HIC 
 
 ILLUSTKISSIMUS AC PnSSEUUS PE.ESUL, 
 
 NICOLAUS FRENCH, 
 
 FEENENSIUM IN HIBEENIA EPISCOPUS HUMILIS. 
 
 sacra; pontificia; capella; comes assistens 
 
 SUPEEMI CONCILH HIBEENIA: CONSILIAEIUS, 
 
 AB EODEM AD INNOCENTIUM X. PAP AM, 
 
 CUM AUCTOEITATE DEPETATUS 
 ILLUSTEISSmOEUM AC E. E. EPISCOPOEUM 
 IN GALLICIA, PAEISIENSIS IN GALLIA AC DEMUM 
 GANDAVENSIS IN FLANDEIA COADJUTOE INDEFESSU8, 
 UEEESIAECHAEUM AC HEEETICOEUM 
 TAM VEEBO QUAM CALAMO 
 PEOFLIGATOR ACEEEIMUS. 
 
 COLLEGH PASTOEALIS HIBEENOEUM LOVANII 
 ALUMNUS, MAGISTEE, PEA:SES, BENEFACTOR 
 FUNDATA IBIDEM BURS A 180 FLOEENOEUM 
 ANNUATEVI IN PEEPETUUM 
 PRO CAPACIOEIBUS INGENHS. 
 
 TANDEM EXULTATUS SUI A DILECTIS, 
 
 PATEIA, EPISCOPATU ET GEEGE 
 OB FIDEM ANNOS 25, PE^SUL EMERITUS. 
 
 EMENSIS PEO ECCLESIA DEI INNUMEEIS 
 PERICULIS AC PEESECUTIONIBU8, 
 
 CUNCTIS SEilPER GRATUS, OMNIBUS SPECTABILIS 
 NON SINE MAGNO PATEIJE SUA: PEA;JUDICI0 
 BONOELTUQUE SUSPmilS AC LACEYMIS, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 187 
 
 HOC MARMORE TEGITtrE, QUI VERE FUIT 
 ANDIO PONTIFEX, VERBO ANGELES, 
 
 VITA SACERDOS, 
 
 OBHT GANDAYI IN METROPOLI FLANDEM:, 
 uETATIS ANNO 74, EPISCOPATES 30. 
 
 Luke Wadding, bishop of Ferns, in 1687. 
 
 Michael Eossiter, bishop of Ferns, 1709. 
 
 Bishop Verdon succeeded. 
 
 Bishop Callaghan succeeded, 1729. 
 
 Nicholas Sweetman, bishop of Ferns, died 1780. 
 
 James Caulfield, bishop of Ferns, 1810. 
 
 Patrick Eyan succeeded, died in 1819. 
 
 James Keating, coadjutor to bishop Eyan, in 1818. Succeeded the 
 21st of March, 1819. Died universally regretted about the close of 
 1849 or beginning of 1850. In his death the diocese of Ferns sustained 
 the loss of an excellent prelate — ^L’eland and her faith, a champion and 
 patriot. 
 
 Milesius Murphy, who was parish priest of Wexford and vicar- 
 general of the diocese, and who happily presides, was consecrated on 
 the 10th of March, 1850. 
 
188 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF TKELAIO). 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 PROVINCE OF MUNSTER— ARCHDIOCESE OF CASHEL. 
 
 St, Patrick having finished his mission at Ossory, proceeded with- 
 out delay to Casliel, where the kings of the province usually resided. 
 On approaching the city, it is related, that the king came to greet him, 
 and having given him a welcome salutation, conducted the apostle to 
 his court. The period assigned to the transactions of St. Patrick in 
 Munster is about the beginning of the year 4d5. The king, who thus 
 cordially received the saint, is said to have been Aengus, the son of 
 Xatfraich, a prince, who has been for his zeal and piety highly com- 
 mended by many ancient writers. Although his conversion cannot be 
 controverted, yet his accession to the throne seems to belong to a later 
 period, as the king Aengus was killed in the battle of Carlow, which 
 was fought, according to the Four Masters, A.D. 489. Aengus must 
 have been then very young ; and it is probable that the prince or king 
 of Cashel, who paid attention to St. Patrick, was Xatfraich himself. 
 Hiough he is not spoken of as a convert to the Christian faith, yet he 
 might have shown this courtesy to the apostle, as a stranger of rank, 
 and one who was so particularly favored with the protection of Pleaven, 
 and have permitted him to preach the gospel to his subjects, as well as 
 instruct his own children. However this be, Aengus was instructed in 
 the faith, and on his accession to the throne, which he occupied thirty- 
 six years, became highly instrumental in spreading the faith throughout 
 Munster. Tlie celebrated anecdote of the prince’s foot having been 
 pierced by the staff of St. Patrick, it seems, did not occur in the act of 
 baptism, as the sacred rite was then administered by immerson ; but 
 rather when the saint was imparting his blessing to Aengus, wiio ap- 
 proached too closely to the apostle in his desire to obtain such a favor. 
 The prince, when asked by St. Patrick, why he liad not given some in- 
 dication of the pain he had felt, replied, that he submitted to the pierc- 
 ing of his foot as a part of the ceremony, and accordingly bore it with 
 patience. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL niSTORT OF IRELAND. 
 
 189 
 
 St. Patrick, it is said, converted several other persons of distinction 
 at Cashel, and after this prosperous beginning at head quarters, set out 
 for other regions of the province, preaching the gospel, baptizing new 
 converts, reviving the faith of those who were already Christians, erect- 
 ing churches, and appointing pastoi’s. Hence we can legitimately infer, 
 that St. Patrick had some precursors in the southern parts, as there were 
 Christians in Ireland before the arrival of St. Palladius, the predecessor 
 of St. Patrick. 
 
 It is said that a synod was then held at Cashel, and that certain regu- 
 lations were entered into regarding the sees of Cashel, Ardmore, Saigir, 
 and Begerin, over which Ailbe, Declan, Kieran, and Iber presided be- 
 fore the arrival of St. Patrick. Had such proceedings taken place, 
 they would not be omitted in all the lives of St. Patrick ; and again, 
 none of those saints was raised to the dignity of bishop, at this early 
 stage of St. Patrick’s preaching in the south of Ireland. That there 
 had been some murmuring against himself, the apostle hints in his con- 
 fessions, probably originating in a spirit of jealousy, which might have 
 influenced some of the Christians who were there prior to Ids mission — 
 and perhaps some of those cavillers belonged to the clerical order, as 
 St. Patrick wished to impress, that he had with great risk visited even 
 the remotest jflaces, into which no missionary had ever before pene- 
 trated. 
 
 Tlie first district which St. Patrick visited after his departure from 
 Cashel, was seemingly the extensive and flat country between Cashel 
 and Limerick. Here he is said to have founded several churches, and 
 to have left some of his disciples to preside at one of them, called Kill- 
 fheacla. Thence he went to the territory of Ava-Cliach (in the now 
 counties of Tipperary and Limerick,) in a part of which, the barony of 
 Coonagh, he was at first violently opposed by the dynast Olild, but in 
 consequence of a miracle, which was in accordance with St. Patrick’s 
 orders to his disciples Ailbe and Ibar, obtained through their prayers, 
 the dynast, his family and subjects are said to have been converted and 
 baptized. While the apostle remained in the territory of Ara-Cliach, 
 he foretold, we are assured in the Trepartite, various circumstancec rela- 
 tiA'e to future transactions in the country, and among othere, the foun- 
 dation of a monastery at Kill-ratha, and of a church at Kill-Teidhil. 
 
 W e next find the apostle in a tract lying to the east of Limerick, 
 and where he was hospitably entertained by a chieftain of the name of 
 Lonan, and there met the young Hessan, who is well known in the 
 annals of the Irish church. Some of the inhabitants of Horth Mun 
 ster or Clare, hearing of St. Patrick’s visit to their vicinity, crossed the 
 Shannon for the purpose of seeing him, and who, w’hen instructed in the 
 
190 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAXD. 
 
 Christian religion, were baptized in the field of Tirglass. He was also 
 waited on by Carthen, son of Blod, the prince of North Munster and 
 progenitor of the O’Briens of Thomond. Having ascended Mount 
 Feutine, near Donoughniore, and viewing the country of Thomond, he 
 blessed it, and foretold the birth of St. Senanus, of Inniscatha. After- 
 wards the saint went to Luachra, and while in that disti'ict he is said to 
 have prophecied, that the “ great patriarch of monks and star of the 
 western world would be born in West Munster, viz. St. Brendan, of the 
 race of Hua-Alta, and that his birth would be several yeais (twenty) 
 after his own death.” It seems that he did not continue his course to 
 any other part of West Munster, and turning back from Luachra, he 
 directed his steps towards Desmond, or South Munster. Concerning his 
 transactions in this region we have nothing, even on which to found con- 
 jecture. He is said to have visited the southern part of the Desii 
 (Waterford), and with the assistance of the chieftain Fergar and his 
 nobles, to have, not without much trouble, arranged the^ ecclesiastical 
 affairs of the territory. When near the banks of the Suir, he was 
 kindly received by the inhabitants, and continuing thence his journey 
 through the now county of Tipperary, proceeded to lower Ormond, 
 where he converted, among others, two brothers of a powerlul family, 
 Munech and Meachaii' — their eldest brother, Furech, remaining an ob- 
 stinate infidel. Having now spent seven yeare in the southern province 
 of Ireland, he set out for Leinster, and was escorted by the chieftains 
 and people in multitudes, from all parts of the country, who wished to 
 obtain his benediction, and which, from an eminence, he cheerfully 
 bestowed on them, and on all Munster. 
 
 About the year 452, the apostle took his departure from Munster. 
 The bishop without fault, as the Four Masters call him, Secundinus, 
 whom St. Patrick had left to watch over the churches of Meath and the 
 northern parts, was already dead, having departed this life on the 27th 
 of November, 448, and in the Toth of his age. He was a very wise 
 and prudent prelate, and the first that died in Ireland. Having, it is 
 said, expressed disapprobation of the disinterestedness which St. Pa- 
 trick observed, in refusing donations or grants of land, by which, 
 according to the views of Secundinus, he might support a large number 
 of holy persons ; the saint having explained the reason of his not ac- 
 cepting of presents or grants of any value, lest the incredulous should 
 defame his ministry ; the holy bishop sought forgiveness, and expressed 
 his sorrow. According to some accounts, it was on this occasion of his 
 pardon by the saint, that he composed his hymn in honor cf St. 
 Patrick. 
 
 It is very probable that the horrid transaction which moved St. Pa- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 191 
 
 trick to write his letter against Coroticus, occurred before liis departure 
 from Munstei’, and in some part of its south-eastern seaboard, as that 
 tract lay convenient for the expedition of that prince against the Irish 
 coast, as after his departure to the north, St. Patrick is not found preach- 
 ing in any region of the maritime jiart of Ireland, south of Louth. 
 
 Tlie prince Coroticus, though apparently a Christian, as St. Patrick 
 excommunicated him and his followers, was a tyrant, a pirate, and a 
 persecutor. He landed with a party of his armed followers at a season 
 of solemn baptism, either Easter, Whitsuntide, or the Epiphany, for on 
 this last festival the sacrament of regeneration was solemnly adminis- 
 tered in Ireland, and set about plundering a district in which the saint 
 had just conferred that rite, as well as that of confirmation, on a great 
 number of converts. Having murdered several pereons, those ma- 
 rauders carried off a considerable number of people, whom they sold or 
 delivered as slaves to the Scots and to the apostate Piets, who were then 
 probably on a similar expedition in Britain, and wdio were, about the 
 year 450, obliged to return to their own country, vanquished by the 
 Saxon auxiliaries, whom the Britons invited to become their protectors. 
 The saint had written a letter, not extant, wdiich he had sent with a 
 young priest, instructed by himself from his younger days, to the 
 pirates, requesting of them to restore the baptized captives, and a 
 portion of the booty. The letter not regarded — the bearer and his com- 
 panions treated with scorn and mockery, St. Patrick was placed under 
 the necessity of issuing a circular epistle, in which he announces him- 
 self a bishop, and established in Ireland, and proclaims to all those who 
 fear God, that the said murderers and robbers are excommunicated and 
 estranged from Christ ; that it was not lawful to show them civility, to 
 eat or drink with them, or receive their offerings, until sincerely repent- 
 ing, they made atonement to an offended God, and liberate his servants 
 and the handmaids of Christ. He begs of the faithful, into ■whose 
 hands his letter may happen to come, to liave it read before the people, 
 and before Coroticus himself, and to communicate it to his soldiers, in 
 the hope that they and their master may return to God. 
 
 In his expostulation, he affectingly observes that the Homan and 
 Gallic Christians are wont to send proper persons, with large sums of 
 money, to the Franks and other pagans, for the purpose of redeeming 
 Christian captives, while on the contrary, the monster Coroticus made a 
 traffic of the members of Christ, to nations ignorant of a supreme 
 Being. Whether the remonstrance or the sentence of St. Patrick pro- 
 duced any effect or change in the conduct of this tyrant is not known. 
 
 Cashel and Emly united, constitute the archiepiscopal chair of Mun- 
 ster. The see of Cashel was founded in the tenth century, by Corinac 
 
193 
 
 ECCLESIAS’l'lCAX, inSTOKT OF lEELAJSl). 
 
 MacCulinan, in whose person the mitre and sceptre were united. Before 
 the time of this prelate, Cashel, though the residence of the kings 
 of Munster, was subject to the jurisdiction of the see of Emly. In 
 the council of Kells, held in 1152, under Cardinal Paparo, Cashel 
 was raised to the archiepiscopal dignity, and its prelate invested with 
 the pallium ; it then ranked next to Armagh, and St. Malachy desired 
 to have this mark of distinction, which the pallium conferred, bestowed 
 on this see as well as Armagh. 
 
 Cormac erected a cathedral in Cashel, which, according to the 
 annals of the island of All Saints, was afterwards rebuilt, and conse- 
 crated M'ith great solemnity. Between the founder Cormac and the 
 council of Kells, onl}^ four of his successors are mentioned ; their acts 
 and those of other eminent ecclesiastics having been completely de- 
 stj'oyed. Cormac Mac Carthy was the refounder. 
 
 Cormac MacCulinan was born in the year 837, and was of the 
 Eugenian branch, being lineally descended from Aeugus, who had been 
 baptized by St. Patrick. Having 2 ’eceived an ecclesiastical education 
 under Snegdus, the erudite abbot of Castle Dermot, he was admitted to 
 holy orders, and it seems, was after a certain period raised to the episco- 
 pacy, on accoiint of his extraordinary merit, as it was customary in the 
 Irish Church to promote persons who were distinguished, to that rank, 
 in places where previously no bishops presided. Some conjecture that 
 he had been bishop of Lismore before his removal to Cashel, as a Cor- 
 mac, son of Culinan, is stated to have been bishop of that see in those 
 times ; nor is it easy to admit two bishops, sons of Culinan, as contem- 
 poraries at Cashel and Lismore. 
 
 Kingeagan, who then swayed the sceptre of the province, having in- 
 curred the displeasure of his subjects, was deposed from that throne, of 
 ■which he obtained possession in the year 895, and Cormac was called to 
 occupy it by his opponents, in 901. Some time, however, elapsed, be- 
 fore Cormac obtained quiet possession of the sovereignty. In 902, when 
 Feongaine, son of Gorman, king of Cashel, was slain in a contest by his 
 own people, Cormac, the year after, obtained the throne without oppo- 
 sition — and thus the spiritual and temporal authority were united in the 
 person of Coi’inac ; nor was such an union unknown in his days, as 
 Olchobair , who died in 851, and Cinfeled, who departed life in 872, 
 were kings of Munster and bishops of Emly. 
 
 In the very commencement of his reign, and while Cormac was 
 ruling his kingdom in peace and tranquility, the monai’ch of all Ire- 
 lan. Elan Sionna, together ■with Cearbhall, king of Leinster, tnarched 
 with a powerful army into the dominions of Cormac, and laid waste 
 the whole territory between Gowran and Limerick. Being at the time 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTORY OF LRELAND. 
 
 193 
 
 unprepared to repel the assailants, Cormac was the passive spectator ot 
 the ruin which they inflicted. In the following j'ear Cormac collected 
 the forces of Munster, and accompanied by Flahertach, abbot of Innis- 
 cathy, directed his march towards the county of Meath, with a view of 
 demanding satisfaction, and of preventing a recurrence of similar inju- 
 ries. The abbot of Inniscathy was a man of a bold, flery, and martial 
 disposition, and by his counsel prevailed on Cormac to engage with the 
 enemy. Having arrived in Magh-leana (King’s county), Cormac 
 gave battle to Flan and his confederates, and defeated them, with great 
 loss, particularly the Hialls, among whom Maolchraobha, king of 
 Tyrone, was slain. 
 
 The monarch of all Ireland forced to submit, and give hostages to 
 Cormac, the army of Munster advanced towards Connaught, and 
 obliged the people of that province and some of the Hialls, to give 
 hostages, after which they plundered the islands of Lough-Eee, and a 
 fleet that lay there, and on this occasion Leath-Cuin, the northern half 
 of Ireland became tributary to an ecclesiastic. 
 
 Flan, the monarch, who was of an ungovernable temper, could not 
 brook such a degradation. In the year 908, with the aid of Ceaibhall, 
 king of Leinster, Cathal, king of Connaught, and the princes of Leath- 
 cuin, he raised a formidable body of troops, and disregarding the treaty 
 which he had signed, and the hostages he had delivered, advanced 
 towards the frontiers of Munster, intent at all hazards on the subjuga- 
 tion and destruction of the men of Munster. Cormac, who was natu- 
 rally of a calm and peaceable disposition, on receiving intelligence of 
 the hostile approach of Flan and his adherents, was disposed to send 
 messengers and adjust mattere without deciding the affair on the field of 
 battle ; but liis %uews were overruled by the military abbot of Innis- 
 cathy, who had been one of Cormac’s principal commanders. Cormac, 
 in opposition to his own wishes, and with, it is said, a foreknowledge of 
 his own death, in case he should meet his adversaries out of his own 
 country, was constrained to lead his forces towards Leinster, in order to 
 meet the enemy, and give them battle. Tlie contending hosts met 
 within view of each other, at Ballymoon, in the county of Carlow. The 
 forces of Munster were reinforced by those of Ossory, under their 
 various chiefs, and also by many of the principal nobility. The abbot 
 Flahertach had other ecclesiastics, as companions in this ill-fated con- 
 test. Tlie abbot of Cork, MacEogan, Colman, abbot of Kennity, and 
 ^ Tiobruide, bishop of Emly, and many more of the clerical order, accom- 
 panied the forces of their province. Unhappily, at this period, a mar- 
 tial spirit pervaded the Irish clergy, which was so contrary to the 
 
 feelings of their predecessors ; it originated in the contests with the 
 13 
 
19-i 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 Danes, and in wliich the clergy were of necessity involved, as they 
 were frequently obliged to take np arms, and defend themselves and 
 their establishments against those savage and ruthless invadei’s. 
 
 A desperate battle was fought, in which Cormac was slain by one 
 Fiacha, a herdsman, and along with him the abbots MacEogan and 
 Cohnan, Kelly the prince of Ossory, Fogarty prince of Kerry, and 
 about six thousand of Cormac’s forces were put to the sword. 
 
 Before the engagement Cormac made his confession to Comghall, 
 and also prepared his will, in which he bequeathed sacred ornaments 
 and utensils, gold and silver, to various churches and religious places, 
 Cashel, Lismore, Emly, Armagh, Kildare, Glendaloch, Imiiscathy, 
 and Mungairid. It is said that his body was conveyed to Cashel, 
 and there interred. According to another account, he was buried at 
 Castledermot, 
 
 Tliis prelate was the author of the celebrated work, the Psalter of 
 Cashel, in which the ancient events of L-ish history are chronologically 
 treated ; he also compiled an Irish glossary, and a work on the gene- 
 alogies of the Irish saints. Cormac erected a small but beautiful 
 chapel on the summit of the rock in the city of Cashel. 
 
 Cormac MacCullenan governed the province of Munster for the 
 space of seven yeare, and during his reign acquired the character of a 
 just and learned prince. Fortune smiled upon him ; his power was 
 dreaded ; and by his subjects he was revered, because of his many 
 virtues. 
 
 The see of Emly was founded by St. Ailbe, about the year 401. He 
 was a native of Eliach, now called Eliogarty, in Munster, and became 
 a disciple of St. Patrick about the year 445. St. Ailbe is represented 
 by some as a bishop exercising episcopal functions in Ireland before the 
 arrival of the apostle of the nation. Such a stateitient is at variance 
 with the testimony of Prosper, Tirechen, and other authorities, and 
 with the chronology of the Irish annals, which state positively that his 
 death took place in the year 527. Tirechen, one of the most accurate 
 writers of our country, has recorded that Ailbe was ordained priest by 
 St. Patrick. St. Ailbe lived under the pious king Aengus, and having 
 erected his cathedral on a convenient site, which that prince had pre- 
 sented, he soon after laid the foundation of a monastery and college, in 
 which human and heavenly science was taught gratuitously, and to 
 which, students from all parts of Europe resorted. Among the number 
 of eminent persons who received their education under Ailbe, are • 
 reckoned Cohnan of Dromore, and Kessan of Mungret. St. Ailbe, 
 justly revered for his piety and sanctity, was looked upon as another 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAISTD. 
 
 195 
 
 St. Patrick, and a second patron of Munster. lie is deservedly ranked 
 among tlie fathers- of the Irish church. 
 
 Ailbe, in liis humility, desirous to avoid the respect which was 
 shown him, resolved to retire to the Island of Tyle, in Iceland ; but the 
 king, who was unwilling that his people should be deprived of the emi- 
 nent services which his f)resence would confer, prevailed on him to re- 
 turn to Emly. Twenty-two of his monks were allowed to pursue their 
 journey, in order to enlighten the inhabitants of this distant region in 
 the glad tidings of redemption. 
 
 During the incumbency of St. Ailbe, a synod was held at Cashel, 
 attended also by the king and the chiefs of the Desii. St. Declan, of 
 Ardmore was present. Many valuable decrees regarding morals and 
 ecclesiastical discipline were enacted. 
 
 See of Cashel. Its founder, Cormac MacCullenan, king of Mun- 
 ster and bishop of Cashel. Ilis transactions already noticed. 
 
 Donald O’llene, who sat in Cormac’s chair, died in the year 1098, 
 according to the Four Masters, who say of him, “ that he was descended 
 of the family of the Dalcassians ; that he was the fountain of religion 
 in the western parts of Europe — second to no Irishman in wisdom and 
 piety ; that he was the most learned doctor of Ireland in the Roman 
 law, and died on the 1st of December. He assisted at a council held 
 in Ireland, A.D. 1096, in which Waterford was erected into a bishopric. 
 
 Miler O’Dunan, died at Clonard, on the 24:th of December, 1118, in 
 the seventy-seventh year of his age, and the most pious man in the west- 
 ern world. 
 
 Malisa O’Foglada, died in 1131. 
 
 Donatus O’Conding, died in 1137. He was a prelate celebrated for 
 his devotion, wisdom, and alms-deeds. 
 
 Donatus O’Lonargan I. sat in 1152, and departed life in 1158. In 
 the annals of the Island of All Saints, Donatus is styled “ arch-elder of 
 Munster, a learned and liberal man, especially to the poor.” In the in- 
 cumbency of Donatus, the see of Cashel was raised to the rank of me- 
 tropolitan, at the synod of Kells, held in 1152. 
 
 Donald O’Hullucan, succeeded in 1158. During his incumbency, a 
 synod was held at Cashel, by command of King Henry H, in which 
 Christian O’Conarchy, the legate of Ireland and bishop of Lismore pre- 
 sided, in order to regulate some affairs of ecclesiastical discipline. It 
 has been said that the archbishops and bishops of Ireland, besides the 
 abbots, attended ; but it is certain that the primate Gelasius or his 
 suffragans of Ulster did not attend, if we may except the bishop of 
 Clogher. The archbishops of Dublin, Cashel, and Tuam are said to 
 have assisted, with their suffragans, abbots, and archdeacons. On the 
 
196 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF EREIAXE. 
 
 part of Henry were Ealph, archdeacon of LandafF, his chaplain, Ni- 
 cholas, and some other ecclesiastics. 
 
 First decree for the reformation of the abuses prevalent in the Irish 
 church, and which the emissaries of England were so intent on reform- 
 ing, “ that children should be brought to the church and baptized there 
 in clean water, with the triple immersion, and that this act should be 
 performed by the priests, unless in cases of imminent danger of death, 
 and then by any one without distinction of sex or order.” 
 
 2d. It was ordered that tithes should be paid to the churches out 
 of every sort of property. 
 
 3d. Tliat all laymen who wish to take wives, should take them 
 according to the canon law, which prohibited marriages within certain 
 degrees of consanguinity or affinity. 
 
 4th. That all ecclesiastical lands and property connected with them 
 should be exempt from the exactions of laymen. 
 
 5th. That in case of murder by laymen, and of composition on their 
 part with their enemies, clergymen, the relations of such, are not to 
 ])ay part of the fine, etc. 
 
 6th. That all the faithful, lying in sickness, do in the presence of 
 til-" ;• confessor and neighbors, make their will with due solemnity. 
 
 7th. That due respect be paid to those who die after a good confes- 
 sion, by means of masses, vigils, and decent burial, and likewise, that all 
 divine matters be henceforth conducted agreeably to the practices of the 
 holy Anglican Church. These decrees — the only ones that emanated 
 fr -m the synod — were confirmed by the king and subscribed by its 
 ir embere. 
 
 Such an important reform in the abuses of the Irish Church must 
 have been highly gratifying to the royal zeal of Henry, who was some- 
 time before accessory to the death of St. Thomas a Becket, because that 
 holy prelate would not allow him to invade the sanctuary of the church, 
 which he was bound to protect and defend. In the transactions of the 
 synod his stipulation with Pope Adrian coneerning the payment of Pe- 
 ter-pence is entirely lost sight of; but the crafty monarch, in order to 
 gain them over to his views, paid great attention to the privileges and 
 immunities of the clergy, though he had been laboring at home to cir- 
 cumscribe the rights of their brethren in England. The canons of this 
 council — the ones relative to baptism and to the celebration of marriage 
 — form the groundwork of slander against the Irish Church. Another 
 clerical defamer, John Brompton, a Cistercian monk, introduces a bare- 
 faced calumny on the subject of marriage. Hitherto Lanfranc, nor An- 
 selm of Canterbury, nor St. Bernard, nor Gerald Barry, accuse the Irish 
 with polygamy ; they may have complained against the practice of marry- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF :JIELAND. 
 
 197 
 
 ig within the prohibited degrees, nor was it an easy undertaking to put 
 a stop to these intermarriages in Ireland, because of the system of clan- 
 ship and of the Irish laws relative to the right by which landed property 
 was held, and to the rules of succession thereto. The charge of polyg- 
 amy is an atrocious one, invented for the sole pui-pose of vilifying the 
 Irish people. There is not the least foundation for it in any portion of 
 the ecclesiastical history of Ireland. 
 
 With regard to the administration of baptism, it was conferred in the 
 churches when Christianity was well established. Thus it is mentioned 
 in the life of St. Finnian, that some women -were carrying him to the 
 church of Roscur to be there baptized by the bishop, Forchern, and 
 that they "were met by a St. Abban, who stopped those females and bap- 
 tized Finnian in the water of two united rivers. St. Patrick used to 
 baptize his converts in rivers, lakes and fountains. It is also related of 
 St. Senan, that his parents took him to the church. Some negligence 
 may have crept in with regard to the conferring of baptism out of the 
 churches, which the synod wished to redress. Another abuse which is 
 alleged, was that of baptizing the children of the rich in milk, instead 
 of water. St. Adamnan in his life of Columbkille, relates that when 
 he was traveling through the country of the Piets, an infant was pre- 
 sented by his parents for baptism, and that as there was no water in the 
 neighborhood, the Saint prayed for a while upon a rock and blessed a 
 part of it, whence water immediately flowed in abundance, with which 
 he baptized the infant. Had the practice of baptizing with milk pre- 
 vailed among the Irish, how has it escaped St. Bernard, Lanfranc, or 
 Anselm, and, above all, the searching eye of Gerald Barry ? 
 
 St. Jerome observes, that milk and wine, the former denoting their 
 innocence, used to be given to newly-baptized infants in the w'estern 
 churches ; in some churches honey was given, instead of wine. A sim- 
 ilar custom in Ireland could be mistaken or misrepresented ; nor is it 
 true that the Irish people were careless in having their children baptized 
 by clergymen. St. Fursey was, three days after his birth, baptized by 
 St. Brendan, of Clonfert. St. Fintan, of Cluain-edneach, on the eighth 
 day of his birth, was baptized by a holy man who lived in a place called 
 Clu ain-mic-treoin. St. Lawrence O’Toole was baptized by the bishop of 
 Kildare. In the 2I:th and 27th canons of the Synod, called that of St. 
 Patrick, Auxilius, and Iserninus, it is ordered that no stranger do bap- 
 tize, or offer the holy mysteries without the permission of the bishop. 
 
 King Henry sent to the Pope certain letters, it is said, of all the arch- 
 bishops and bishops of Ireland, the synod having terminated its labors, 
 recognizing his power over the nation. We have already seen that the 
 Primate Gelasius and his suffragans, did not attend the synod of Cashel. 
 
198 
 
 ECrcTLESIASTICAL HTSTOKY OF lEEI-AND. 
 
 lie may have at a later period forwarded lettere containing copies of 
 those adinirahle dea^ees and an account of certain practices Avhich miglit 
 induce the pontiff to sanction his views. Be this as it may, the decrees 
 produced no effect in Ireland, and were disregarded by the Lash clergy, 
 as if the synod had never been convoked. 
 
 The Archbishop Donald in whose incumbency those transactions took 
 place, died in the year 1182. Three yeai-s before his death Cashel was 
 destroyed by fire. 
 
 Maurice succeeded in 1182 and died in 1191 : was a man of learnino' 
 
 ' O 
 
 and wisdom, according to Cambrensis. Gerald, having taunted tlie Irish 
 Church with having no martyrs, the archbishop replied : “ Though,” 
 says he, “ our country be looked upon as barbarous, uncultivated, and 
 cruel, yet they always have paid reverence and honor to ecclesiastics, 
 and never could stretch oiat their hands against the saints of God. But 
 now there is come a people who know how, and are accustomed to make 
 martyi-s. Henceforth Ireland, like other countries, shall have hei’s.” 
 
 Mathew O’ Ileney succeeded in 1192, and was appointed legate apos- 
 tolic of Ireland by Pojje Celestine III. Itlathew was a Cistercian monk, 
 lie convened a synod at Dublin in the year of his appointment, and at 
 which the best men of Ireland attended. Mathew was the author of 
 the life of St. Cuthbert, bishop of Lindisfarne, whom English writers 
 claim as a native of England. He was born at Kells, in the county of 
 Meath, according to the annals of St. Mary’s Abbey, near Dublin. But 
 it is more probable that he was born in the kingdom of Korthumbria. 
 Benedict XIY., in his decree regarding the ofiices of Irish saints, enu- 
 merates St. Cuthbert among the national ones of Ireland. 
 
 In the annals (Four Masters) is recorded the following eulogy of 
 the illustrious Mathew O’Heney, in the year 1206 : “ Mathew, arch- 
 bishop of Cashel, and legate of Ireland, the wisest and most religious 
 man of the natives of that country, having founded many churches, 
 having triumphed over the old enemy of mankind by working many 
 miracles, voluntarily abandoning all worldly pomp, happily went to rest 
 in the Abbey of the Eloly-cross, in the county of Tipperary.” 
 
 Donagh O’Lonergan IL, a Cistercian monk, succeeded in 1206. 
 Pope Innocent HI. gave him the pallium and confirmed the possessions 
 of the see of Cashel on the 6th of April, 1210. In the Pope’s letters, 
 Donatus receives instructions as to his behavior in so holy a clothing, 
 and the pontiff points out the festivals on which he should wear this 
 badge of dignity and jurisdiction ; and moreover, desires when he or 
 any of his suffragans should die, that their pastoral staff’ and ring should 
 remain in it i proper church under a faithful guardian for the use of the 
 
 successor. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF lEELAND. 
 
 199 
 
 Tliiit he should take care, the churchyards and ecclesiastical benefices 
 should not be possessed by hereditary right, and should any attempt of 
 this sort be made, to have them restrained by ecclesiastical censui-es. 
 
 The annals of Ulster aflirm. that this archbishop assisted at the coun- 
 cil of Lateral!, in Rome, A.D. 1215, and died there ; 3’et, it is said that 
 he was buried in the conventual church of Cisteaux, in Burgundy, oa 
 the gospel side of the great altar. 
 
 Donat O’Lonargan III. succeeded in 1216. He is said to have erect- 
 ed Cashel into a borough, and to have given burgage lioldings to the 
 burgesses. Donatus with the consent of the Pope resigned the arch- 
 bishopric in 1223. Some time before his resignation he interdicted the 
 king’s tenants and lands within his dioceie ; upon which the king ap- 
 pealed to Pope Ilonorius HI. who enjoined Donatus to relax the inter- 
 dict in fifteen days, and in case of refusal, authorized the bishops of Eal 
 dare, Meath, and Ossory to do so. He survived his abdication nine 
 years and died in 1232. 
 
 Marian O’Brien, bishop of Cork, was translated to the see of Cashel 
 in 1224-, and at the Pope’s request procured the royal assent to the trans- 
 lation. Soon after, in May, 1221, Pope Llonorius HI. confirmed by bull 
 the number of twelve canons in the Cathedral of Cashel. Ring Henry 
 HI. remised to Marian and his successors the new^ town of Cashel, and 
 granted it to be held of him and his heirs in free, pure, and perpetual 
 alms, discharged of all exactions and secular services. The charter is 
 witnessed by Jocelin, bishop of Bath, Tliomas, bishop of Norwich, and 
 Walter, bishop gf Carlisle, and bears date the 15th of November, 
 1228. 
 
 Marian soon after granted or confirmed this town to a provost and 
 twelve burgesses, reserving some small pensions to his see. By license 
 from this prelate, Sir David le Latimer, his seneschal, founded a lazar- 
 house, or hospital for lepers, at Cashel, and in it shut up his daughter, 
 who was afflicted with that distemper. David MacCarwill afterwards 
 annexed and united this hospital to an abbey of his foundation. In 
 1231, on a journey he made towards Rome, he was seized with a most 
 grievous fit of sickness, and fearing that his death was appi’oaching, he 
 took on him the haToit of a monk in a Cistercian monastery ; but being 
 restored to health, and having dispatched his business at Rome, he re- 
 turned to his native land and died five years after, in the monastery of 
 Suir, called Innis-launaght, and was there buried. His death is marked 
 in 1238. 
 
 David MacKelly, dean of Cashel, was promoted to the see of 
 Cloyne, and was translated to the archdiocese of Cashel, in 1238. 
 While dean of Cashel, he was wholly devoted to the society of the Do- 
 
200 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 ininicans, at Cork, from whose body he supplied a little convent, which 
 he founded at Cashel, in 1243. It seems his predecessor entered into 
 agreement with the archbishop of Dublin, and their suflragans against 
 the primatial right of visitation. David became a party to the same 
 compact. In 1251 he cited Kobert of Emly, elect of Limerick, to ap- 
 pear in his court and receive confirmation, if canonically elected — the 
 king deeming this citation an invasion of his prerogative, threatened, if 
 he did not revoke it, to seize his temporalities. Archbishop Maclvelly 
 died on the 2d of March, 1252 ; it is said he was buried in the little 
 chapel of the apostles, where formerly was placed the fair statue of a 
 bishop, engraved on a monument of stone. 
 
 David MacCarwill, dean of Cashel, was elected in 1253. The king 
 approved the choice of the chapter, provided the bishop elect would, 
 within a fixed period, appear in person and swear fealty. David 
 founded the chantry of St. Nicholas, at Cashel, and also the Cistercian 
 abbey of Hore, and the abbey of the rock of Cashel, which he endowed 
 with the revenues of the Benedictines, whom he had displaced. He 
 supplied this House with monks from the abbey of Mellilbnt. David is 
 said to have dealt very harehly with his dean, Keran, of Cashel, whom 
 he tlmust out of his deanery after an appeal to Rome, and into a prison, 
 and to have acted mai^ other things with rashness and insolence. Pope 
 Alexander IV. recommended Keran, dean of Cashel, and his affairs to 
 the protection and favor of Prince Edward, then lord of Ireland. 
 
 In 1272, he seized four hundred pounds of money belonging to an 
 usurer within his diocese. The king hearing of it, sent a writ to the 
 bishop of Meath, who was treasurer of Ireland, to demand it of the arch- 
 bishop, as belonging to him, by his prerogadve, and to respite the 
 demand of what debts were due to the usurer, until further order. 
 
 Li 1274, the archbishop prepared to undertake a journey to the holy 
 land, and for that end obtained a bull, dated the 4th of October, from 
 Pope Gregory X. to King Edward, recommending the see of Cashel to 
 his care, during the archbishop’s absence, that he might perform his 
 vow with more ease and freedom. In the same year he w’as sued for 
 debts by the king. The archbishop procured writs to the treasurer, 
 barons and justice of He land, to suspend all process against him for 
 a time. In 1278, he went to England to clear himself before the king, 
 of charges or crimes preferred against him. While he continued in 
 England, soliciting the royal favor a second time, Margaret le Blunde, 
 in the year 1279, prepared a petition to Edng Edward I., praying redress 
 for several cruelties committed by the archbishop on her and her family, 
 and alleging that thi’ough corruption or favor she had been hitherto de- 
 nied justice. . 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 201 
 
 After his return to Ireland, liis enemies prepared new accusations 
 against him, but lie again obtained the king’s favor. It is said in the 
 annals of ]\[iiltifernan, that this prelate assumed the habit of a Cister- 
 cian monk, in the year 1269. He aj^propriated the church of Moy- 
 dessel and the chapel of Kilmeinenan to the monastery of the blessed 
 virgin of Kenlis, in Ossory, reserving a third part of the profits to the 
 vicar. lie died in an advanced age, A.D. 1289. 
 
 Stephen O’Brogan, archdeacon of Glendaloch and a native ot 
 Ulster, chosen by the dean and chapter in 1290, was confirmed by the 
 Pope, and obtained the temporals in the year following. lie governed 
 the see above eleven years, and died about the beginning of xlugust, 
 1302, and was buried in his own church. 
 
 Maurice MacCarwill, archdeacon of Cashel, was elected by the dean 
 and chapter, in 1203 ; was confirmed by the king, and which the king 
 notified to the Pope. He repaired to Pome, and was there consecrated 
 and invested with the pallium ; on his return home, he obtained the 
 temporals. By license of this prelate, Walter Multoc founded a con- 
 vent fur Augustin friars, at Fethard, A.D. 1306. By his charities and 
 expensive mode of living, his see was not suflicient to sustain his 
 outlay, s 
 
 He was present at a parliament held in Kilkenny, and was one of 
 those prelates who fulminated anathema against the infringers of the 
 statutes enacted in that pailiament. This sentence was pronounced in 
 the presence and by the consent of John Wogan, justice of Ireland, 
 Richard de Burgo, earl of Ulster, John Fitzthomas, afterwards earl of 
 Kildare, John Barry, Maurice de Eupe or Eochfort, and a very great 
 number of the nobility. 
 
 On his confirmation by the king, Maurice made a public promise 
 and oath, that as the king, without any knowledge of his pei’son or any 
 testimonial on his behalf, had assented to his election ; that he would be 
 loyal to the king and kingdom of Ireland, and that he would find suffi- 
 cient security ever to adhere to the king and his hen’s ; he has been 
 assuredly faithful to his promise, and in exhibiting his gratitude to the 
 king for the favor of his confirmation to the see of Cashel, he became 
 instrumental in shutting the temple of the constitution against the na- 
 tives of his own country — a line of distinction was drawn between the 
 English settlers and the ancient inhabitants of the countr}'-, by the legis- 
 lative chicanery of the parliament at Kilkenny. It became, soon after, 
 the fertile source of turbulence, insurrection, and bloodshed, accomjilish- 
 ing, as the framers of those statutes contemplated, the confiscation of 
 the property of the country, and the universal beggary of its inhabi- 
 tants. The altar and the cloister became a monopoly in the hands ot 
 
202 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF LREI-ANT). 
 
 British plunderers. Tlie sanctuaries of Ireland, which Irishmen opened, 
 and in which shelter and education were once afforded to the youths of 
 Britain, are closed against her own children by laws, inflicting penalties 
 for no crime, but that of being mere Irishmen. 
 
 In this parliament, the following statutes, infamous as unjust, and 
 never yet attempted to be justified, were passed and strengthened by 
 the anathema of the degenerate MacCarwill : — 
 
 It was enacted, that intermarriages with the natives, or any con- 
 nection with them, as fosterei’s, or in the Avay of gossipred, should be 
 punished as high treason.” 
 
 “ Tliat the use of their name, language, apparel, or customs, should 
 be punished with the forfeiture of lands and tenements.” 
 
 “ Tliat any submission to the Brehon laws of Ireland was treason.” 
 
 “ That the English should not permit the Irish to graze upon their 
 lands.” 
 
 “ That to compel English subjects to pay or maintain soldiers was 
 felony.” 
 
 “ That no mere Irishman should be permitted to obtain any benefice 
 in the church, or be allowed to enjoy the privileges of religious in- 
 stitutes.” 
 
 In 1311, this archbishop, together with the prelates of Killaloe, Lis- 
 more, Emly and Cloyne, were cited to appear personally at the council 
 of Yienne, in France, convened by Pope Clement Y., but neither of 
 them appeared in person, or by competent proxy. He died about the 
 25th of March, 1316, in the 13th year of his consecration. 
 
 William Fitzjohn, bishop of Ossory, being earnestly recommended 
 by the king to the Pope ; the elections of John MacCarwill, bishop of 
 Cork, and of Tlioinas O’Lonchy, archdeacon of Cashel, were annulled, 
 and William confirmed as bishop of Cashel, on the 1st of April, 1317. 
 In April, 1318, the king conveyed to him and his chapter, for ever, the 
 advowson of the church of Dungarvin, with all the appendant chapels, 
 in return for a piece of ground in Cashel, given by them for the erec- 
 tion of a prison. While he sat the city of Cashel was encompassed with 
 a stone wall. He died on the 20th of September, 1326. 
 
 John O’Caroll or MacCarwell, dean of the cathedral of St. Barr, of 
 Cork, was unanimously elected by the dean and chapter, bishop of this 
 see of Cork, in the year 1302. Fie succeeded to the see of Meath, and 
 thence was promoted to the see of Cashel in J uly, 1327. Tlie king sent 
 a writ to the justice, treasurer, and chancellor of Ireland, to receive his 
 fealty, without subjecting him to the trouble of a journey to England, 
 ordering them at the same time to examine his provisional lettem, to 
 oblige him, before a notary public, openly and expressly to renounce 
 
ECCLESIASTIC AX HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 203 
 
 any prejudicial clauses therein, and to lay a fine on him for accepting a 
 papal provision. In 1329, about the feast of St. Peter’s chains, he died 
 in London, on his return from the court of Pome. After his death, 
 eleven manoi's belonging to the archbishopric were seized into the king’s 
 hands, the far greatei- part of which were subsequently alienated from 
 the church, and small a'lnual pensions reserved to the see. 
 
 'Walter le Rede or Rufus, at first a canon, and afterwards bishop of 
 Cork, was translated to the see of Cashel, in 1330, by the Pope, who 
 declared, that for this turn, while John O’Carrol was yet living, he had 
 reserved the provision to the see of Cashel, to be disposed of by himself 
 and the apostolic see, when it should happen to become vacant. 
 
 On the 19th of August following his translation, he was restored to 
 the temporals and died in February, 1331. A little before his death, he 
 granted some tithes to his vicai-s choral. 
 
 John O’Grady, some time rector of Ogussin, in Killaloe, and treasu- 
 rer of Cashel, elected by the dean and chapter, was confirmed by the 
 Pope in 1332. John made many donations to his church, and gave it a 
 large pastoral staff. He died at Limerick on the 18th of July, 1345, in 
 a Dominican habit, and was buried there in a monastery of that order. 
 He was, according to the annals of Henagh, a “man of great wisdom 
 and industry.” 
 
 Ralph Kelley, bom at Drogheda, was educated in' a convent of Car- 
 melites, at Kildare, and b scame a member of that brotherhood. In 
 1336 he was made prolocutor and advocate general of his order, under 
 Peter de Casa, the master-general. In 1345 he was promoted to the see 
 of Cashel by Pope Clement VH. 
 
 In 1346 a parliament was held at Kilkenny, which granted a subsidy 
 to the king for the exigencies of the state. Ralph opposed the levying 
 of it within his province, and for that end convened an assembly of his 
 suffragans at Tipperary, Maurice, bishop of Limerick, Richard, bishop 
 of Emly, and John, bishop of Lismore, attending thereat; and by them 
 it was decreed that all beneficed clergymen contributing thereto should 
 be “by the very fact” deprived of their benefices and rendered incapa- 
 ble of obtaining any other promotion within that province. That the 
 laity who were their tenants, and contributing, should be “ by the very 
 fact” excommunicated, and their children to the third generation ren- 
 dered incapable of holding any church living within that province. 
 
 In consequence of those decrees the archbishop and other prelates 
 came to Clonmel, and in pontificals, in the middle of the street openly 
 excommunicated aii those who granted or advised the said subsidy, and 
 every one levying the same and particularly 'VFilliam Epworth, clerk, 
 the king’s commissioner, in the county of Tipperary, for gathering the 
 
204 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF LRELANTJ. 
 
 said subsidy from tlie several collectors : for this offence he was sued a 
 thousand pounds for the king’s damage. 
 
 Ralph died at Cashel in hTovember, 1361, and was buried in St. 
 Patrick’s church of that city. lie has written a book of the canon law, 
 and other works not now extant. Ralph was a prelate of great learning 
 and approved virtue, and it can be added, of patriotism. 
 
 George Roche or de Rupe, is said to have been the next successor, 
 according to the Franciscan annals of Xenagh, written at that very 
 time. “ In 1362, Master George Roche, archbishop of Cashel, was 
 drowned.” 
 
 Thomas O’Carroll, after a vacancy of two or three years, and who was 
 archbishop of Tuam, was translated in 1365, or the previous year, to the 
 see of Cashel by papal provision. He is recorded as a prelate of great 
 learning and wisdom. lie died at Cashel on the 8th of February, 1373, 
 and was buried in his own cathedral. 
 
 Phillip de Torrington, doctor of divinity, a Franciscan friar and 
 conservator of the privileges of the order in Ireland, was promoted to 
 the see of Cashel by provision of the Pope in 1374. Having sworn 
 fealty to the king he obtained the temporals ; in a short time after he was 
 sent as embassador by Richard H. to Pope Urban VI. Philip died in 
 foreign parts, A.D. 1380. In his absence the bishop of Emly acted as 
 his vicar-general. In the time of this prelate the dean, chapter, and 
 clergy, of Cashel, were fined forty shillings for not sending a pi'octor to 
 represent them in a parliament held at Castledermot in 1377. 
 
 Peter Hacket, archdeacon of Cashel, succeeded to the see in 1384, 
 the see being vacant in the interim. He died in the year 1406, the 22d 
 year after his consecration. 
 
 Richard O’lledian, archdeacon of Cashel, was consecrated archbish- 
 op of Cashel in 1406, but did not obtain the temporals until 1408. He 
 recovered the lands belonging to the see which had been unjustly 
 usurped during the incumbency of his predecessor. On his promotion 
 he had not one place in any of his manors where to rest his head. He 
 built a hall for his vicars-choral whom he also endowed with the town- 
 lands of Grangecounel and Baon-Thurles-beg. He repaired some of the 
 archiepiscopal palaces of his manors, and rebuilt the cathedral of Saint 
 Patrick, which was first founded by Donald O’Brien, king of Limerick, 
 a great builder and repairer of churches and abbeys. 
 
 A parliament met in Dublin, A.D. 1421, in which this prelate was 
 impeached by John Gese, bishop of Waterford and Lismore, on thirty 
 articles, the principal ones being as follow : 
 
 Tliat he made very much of the Lish (an awful crimb) and loved 
 none of the English. 
 
ECCLKSIASTICAL inSTORT OF lEELAND. 
 
 205 
 
 Tliat he gave no benefice to any Englishman and advised other bish- 
 ops to the like practice. 
 
 That he counterfeited the king of England’s seal and his letters 
 patent. 
 
 Tliat he made himself king of Munster. 
 
 That he took a ring from the image of St. Patrick, of which the eari 
 of Desmond made an oblation, and gave it to his Avhore ; besides many- 
 other enormities which John Gese exhibited against him in writing, and 
 at which the Lords and Commons were much troubled. 
 
 In the days of this splendid prelate pati-iotism was a crime. Tlie 
 rule of British plunderers and monopolizers of church and state in the 
 ascendent, sympathy with the wrongs of the nation, or a due apprecia- 
 tion of individual merit in preference to those Anglo-Hormans who im- 
 ported the crimes of their country, was sure to be a treason to be de- 
 nounced before the public tribunals. The valuable services of the Arch- 
 bishop O’lledian to religion were not sufficient to secure him that es- 
 teem which his good Avorks merited ; they rather brought upon him odi- 
 ous calumnies that Avere so ludicrously extravagant that no one pretend 
 ing to common sense could for a’moment entertain them. 
 
 The archprelate Avas honorably acquitted by the parliament to Avhich 
 this singular proceeding gave much uneasiness, especially among the 
 peers of the realm, and the Avriters of those days delight in dAvelling on 
 the unbending firmness, integrity, and good qualities of the archbishop 
 of Gashel, Avhile to those of modern date it furnishes an instance of per- 
 secution to Avhich Irishmen Avere subjected, if they dare manifest any 
 regard for the land of their birth. 
 
 Though the parliament Avas not the proper tribunal to decide on 
 questions purely or relatively ecclesiastical — an insufficiency which this 
 very parliament acknoAvledged — it is strange that the bishop of "Water- 
 ford should arraign his metropolitan before a secular tribunal. To recur 
 to the tribunal of Borne Avould be the proper mode of dealing with the 
 transgressions Avhich he alleged against the archbishop ; but in the Boman 
 court, Avhere justice and equity preside, it would have been unsafe to 
 prefer false accusations against a superior or an equal. 
 
 Bichard, by an instrument dated the 22d of September, 14:29, and 
 with the consent of the chapter appropriated the church of Belaghcahail 
 to the monastery of Holy-cross. He died full of years, on the 21st of 
 July, 1440, and was buried in his own church. After his death the see 
 Avas A^acant ten years, and the temj)orals all that time farmed to Jame.s 
 Butler, earl of Ormond. 
 
 J ohn CantAvell, bachelor of laAA’^s, was promoted in 1450 by jArovision 
 of the Pope; was consecrated in the year 1452, and in this year granted 
 
206 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORr OF IRELAND. 
 
 the vicarage of the church of Eathkellan to the monastery of Holy- 
 cross. He held a provincial synod at Limerick in 1453 ; in July, 1480, 
 he celebrated another at Feathard, Mathew, bishop of Ivillaloe, Thomas, 
 Limerick, John, Ardfcrt, William, of Cork and Cloyne, assisting. Tliis 
 prelate obtained many privileges from King Edward lY. He repaired 
 the monastery of the Dominicans at his own charge, which had been 
 destroyed by fire. 
 
 John Fitzrery, vicar-general of the order, together with the prior and 
 convent, in gratitude to the prelate, constituted him their patron and 
 founder, and granted him the full benefit of all the masses, prayei’s, vi- 
 gils, and the fruits of the good works of the Dominicans through Ire- 
 land. Two years before his death he endowed the college of vicai’s-cho- 
 ral of the cathedral at Cashel, with some possessions in the town ot 
 Clonmel. He died in 1482, and was buried at Cashel. 
 
 David Creagh, a native of Limerick, and bachelor of the civil and 
 c.auon laws, was consecrated ai’chbishop of Cashel in 1483, and in two 
 years after granted the vicarage of the parish church of Glankyne to 
 the monastery of Holy-cross. Gerald Fitz Gerald, earl of Kildare, in- 
 flicted injuries on this prelate which remained without redress on the 
 part of Henry YH., king of England. 
 
 David died on the 5th of September, 1503, having presided twenty 
 years in the see. 
 
 Maurice Fitz Gerald was promoted by Pope Julius 11. in 1504. He 
 held a synod at Limerick in the year 1511, the decrees of which were 
 inserted in the registry of Thomas Purcell, bishop of Lismore and Wat- 
 erford, and were destroyed by an accidental fire. He convened another 
 synod in 1514, four canons of which relate to the dress and clothing of 
 the Waterford clergy. He died A.D. 1523. 
 
 Edmund Butler was consecrated archbishop of Cashel in 1527 ; he 
 was elect of Cashel in 1524, the Pope having earnestly recommended 
 him to the favor of King Henry YIII. in the October of that year, to 
 whom he was privy councillor after his consecration. He was prior of 
 the abbey of Athassel in the county of Tipperary. He lield a provin- 
 cial synod at Limerick in June, 1529, the suffragans of Lismore and 
 W aterford, Limerick and Killaloe, assisting. In this synod power was 
 given to the mayor of Limerick to imprison debtors among the clergy, 
 until they made satisfaction to creditors, without incurring the censure of 
 excommunication, against which the clergy remonstrated as an infringe- 
 ment and violation of their ecclesiastical privileges. He died on the 
 5th of March, about the end of the year 1550, and was buried in his 
 own church. 
 
 Poland Baron or Fitz Gerald was appointed to succeed, in 1553, by 
 
ECCLESLVSTICAL HISTOET OF IKEI^VND. 
 
 20T 
 
 Queen Mary, tJie dean and chapter having elected him by her com- 
 mand. . He was descended of the Geraldines ; was consecrated in the 
 game year. He died on the 28th of October, 1561. 
 
 See of Emly, Saint Ailbe, its founder, already noticed. 
 
 Conaing O’Daithil, called abbot and comorban of St. Ailbe, died 
 A.D. 661. 
 
 Conainail MacCarthy, successor of St. Ailbe, died A.D. 707. 
 Cellach, successor of Ailbe, died A.D. 718. 
 
 Senchair, successor of Ailbe, died in 778. 
 
 Cuan died in 781 or 786. 
 
 Sectabrat died in 819. 
 
 Flan MacFamchellaic died in 825. , 
 
 Olchobar Macivinede, king of Cashel and bishop of Emly, died in 
 850. 
 
 Maneus MacHuargusa died in 857. 
 
 Caenfelad, king of Cashel and bishop of Emly died in 872. 
 liudgall MacFingail died in 882. 
 
 Concenmathair died in 887. 
 
 Owen MacCenfeolad, called prince of Imleach-Ibair, was slain in 
 889. 
 
 Mael Brigid, son of Prolect, a holy man, and archbishop of Munster, 
 died in 895. 
 
 Miscelus died in 898. 
 
 Flan MacConail died in 903. 
 
 Tibraid MacMaelpin, prince of Imlioc Jubhair, and bishop of Emly, 
 died in 912. 
 
 Edchada MacScanlain died in 941. 
 
 Huarach died in 953. 
 
 MelKellach died in 957. 
 
 Feolan Macivellaid died in 981. 
 
 Caenfada died in 990. 
 
 Colunib MacLagenan died in 1003. 
 
 Corrnac O’Fin, the most learned bishop of Munster, died A.D. 1020 
 Serbrethac died in 1027. 
 
 Maelfinan died in 1040. 
 
 O’Flanchua died in 1047. 
 
 Clothna Muimnech died in 1049. 
 
 Maelmorda died in 1075. 
 
 Moelisa O’Harachtain died in 1093. 
 
 O’Ligbai died in 1122. 
 
 Maelmorda Macinclodnai succeeded. While he governed the see, 
 Emly was plundered in the year 1123, and the mitre of St. Ailbe pre- 
 
208 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF rRELAND. 
 
 «!p.rvecl with great care, was burned by the robbers. Tlie bishop Mael- 
 morda escaped by flight. 
 
 Deicola, or Gilla an Comdeli O’Ardmail assisted at the council of 
 Kells, held under Cardinal Paparo in 11.52. 
 
 Maelisa O’Lagenan, abbot of Emly and Bellagh-Conglais, Bishop 
 of this see died in 1163. 
 
 O’Meicstia or O’Meicselbe, comorban or successor of Ailbe, died in 
 1172. 
 
 Charles O’Buacalla, abbot of Mellifont, succeeded in 1177 and died 
 at Emly in less than a month. 
 
 Isaac O’llamery succeeded. Kothing more is known of this prelate. 
 
 Beginald O’Flancea sat in 1192 and died in 1197. About this time 
 the cathedral of Emly was destroyed by Are. William, a canon of Em 
 ly, was elected A.D. 1210; his election avjis annulled by the Pope, as he 
 had by false suggestions obtained three orders in one day from the bish- 
 op of Ross under color of a command from the metropolitan of Cashel. 
 Tlie archbishop having denied the matter, William was suspended from 
 the orders of deaconship and the priesthood, and the bishop of Ross was 
 deprived of the power of ordaining. 
 
 Henry, an English Cistercian monk and abbot of Bindon, in Dorset- 
 shire, Avas consecrated in 1212. King John granted this prelate and hi 
 successor the privilege of holding fail’s and markets at Emly. lie diei.. 
 in 1227 having governed the see upwards of fourteen years. 
 
 John Collingham ivas elected by the dean and chapter; ratified by 
 the Pope in 1228. The king refused his approbation and Avithheld the 
 temporalities because he was chosen without the king’s previous license. 
 As the archbishop of Cashell on this account refused to consecrate him, 
 John appealed to Pope Gregory IX., who appointed delegates to hear 
 the cause. Tlie king instructed his proctor to defend the rights of his 
 crown before those delegates. The Pope issued a bull to the archbish- 
 ops of Armagh and Dublin, and to the bishoji of Ferns, to examine into 
 the merits of the person and the election, and to confirm and consecrate 
 him, if canonically elected, and to inflict censures on all who should op- 
 pose. The king was worsted in the contest ; John having enjoyed the 
 see. 
 
 Christian succeeded in 1236. In 1245 he maintained a suit against 
 Alan O’Sullivan, bishop of Cloyne, for a tenement in Kilcomyr, which 
 he claimed in I’ight of his see. But the chief-justice refused to gii’e 
 judgment without the king’s direction, because the bishop of Cloyne had 
 threatened to excommunicate him if he did. The king, made acquaint- 
 ed with the affair, issued a writ to the chief-justice, ordering him to give 
 judgment and damages according to the verdict, to amerce the disseisor, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL UISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 200 
 
 and to give seisin to the disseised bishop, and to attach and imprison tlie 
 ecclesiastical judges for holding plea against his prohibition. lie also 
 ordered him to imprison tlie bishop of Clojne for prosecuting such suit 
 in the spiritual court after his prohibition, and to hold him in restraint 
 until he should make amjile amends for his contemptuous proceedings. 
 Christian is said to have been a great benefactor to his church of Emly. 
 His motto was ; “ O Lord, show me thy ways.” Christian died in 1249. 
 
 Gilbert O’Doverty, dean of Emly, was elected by tlie general voice 
 of the chapter in the year 1249, and was consecrated in 1251. He also 
 obtained the temporals in that year. Gilbert died in October, 12G5. 
 
 Florence of Emly, so called because born there ; was canon of the 
 cathedral of Emly ; succeeded, and was consecrated about Whitsuntide, 
 1266 ; the election of Lawrence of Dunlac, chancellor of Emly, being 
 rejected. The Bishop Florence died about the end of the year 1271, and 
 was buried in his own cathedral. 
 
 Mathew MacGorman, archdeacon of Emly, was elected in June, 
 1272, and consecrated the year following. lie sat two yeare and a few 
 months, having died in 1275. 
 
 David O’Cussey, a Cistercian and abbot of Holy-cross, in Tipperary, 
 succeeded in June, 1275, and obtained the temporals. lie died in June, 
 1281. 
 
 William de Clifford, escheator of England, succeeded in 1282, and 
 was consecrated in this year. In the year 1299 the temporals of the see 
 were sequestrated for debts which he contracted while escheator. The 
 custody of the see was granted hereupon to John Cantock ; but John 
 did not account either to the king or to the bishop. They were then, by 
 the justice, treasurer, and barons of the exchequer, committed to the 
 custody of Bartholomew de Sutton, in trust for the king and the archbish- 
 op, and who was made responsible to the exchequer. Bartholomew de 
 Sutton was as bad a trustee as John Cantock. Tlie bishop died in 1306. 
 
 Tliomas Cantock, a native of England, and a chancellor of Ireland, 
 canon of Emly, was elected in 1306, obtained the temporals in the 
 same year. He still retained the chancellorship — was consecrated in 
 Christ church, Dublin, in presence of great nurabere of the nobility, 
 clergy, and others, all of whom he feasted with unusual magnificence. 
 While he was chancellor, some records of the chancery which were de- 
 posited in Mary’s Abbey, near Dublin, were destroj^ed by fire. Thomas 
 eat but a short time, having died on the 3d of February, 1308. 
 
 William Kogened, dean of Emly succeeded, in 1309. William lived 
 until the year 1335, and was buried in his own church. 
 
 Richard Walsh was elected, and consecrated bishop of Emly, in the 
 
 year 1335. He sat about twenty years, and died in October, 1355-. He 
 14 
 
210 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF LRELAICD. 
 
 joined Ealph Kelly, archbishop of Cashel, in opposing the subsidy to 
 the king, for which they were indicted. 
 
 John Esmond, archdeacon of Ferns, succeeded, by provision of the 
 Pope, and obtained the temporals on the 27th of April, 1356. lie sat 
 six years, and died in April, 1362. 
 
 William, archdeacon of Emly, succeeded in 1363, by provision of the 
 Pope, and was restored to the temporals. It seems that the see became 
 vacant by the death of one David, who was not restored to the temporals, or 
 if consecrated, lived but a very short time. William governed the see of 
 Cashel a great while, as he was living in 1393. lie was lined 100 
 marks for non-attendance at a parliament held A.D. 1377, in Castle- 
 Dermot. AVillianr was vicar-general to Philip de Torrington, arch- 
 bishop of Cashel, during his absence in foreign parts. 
 
 Nicholas, bishop of Emly, died in 1422. John Eishberry, an Au- 
 gustin hermit, was declared his successor by Pope Martin V., who de- 
 layed in expediting his provisional lettere, whereupon Eobert Windell, 
 a Franciscan friar, was appointed to’succeed, but it seems he never was 
 consecrated. Thomas Burgh, an Augustin canon, was elected bishop of 
 Emly, but he also was slow in expediting his lettei-s. Eobert Portland, 
 a Franciscan friar, was appointed to the see by the Pope’s provision, 
 nor does it appear that he was consecrated or ever saw the see of 
 Emly. 
 
 Thomas, bishop of Emly, was at length consecrated in the year 
 1431. Perhaps he was Thomas de Burgh, already mentioned. lie 
 sat twelve years, and died in 1443. During the widowhood of the see, 
 the temporals were returned into the king’s exchequer. 
 
 Cornelius O’Cunlis, a Franciscan friar, was advanced to the see in 
 October, 1444. When consecrated, he was sent as nuncio to Ireland, to 
 collect aid against the Turks. Cornelius was translated to the see of 
 Clonfert. 
 
 Cornelius O’Mulledy, a Franciscan friar, bishop of Clonfert, was 
 translated to the see of Emly by Pope Nicholas V., on the 6th of April, 
 1448, or in the August of this year. 
 
 William O’lledian succeeded, by provision of the Pope, about the 
 year 1459, and in 1468, was appointed prior commendatory of the con- 
 vent of the blessed virgin of Kenlis, in Ossory ; an appointment which 
 excited contests between him and prior Nicholas. 
 
 Philip, bishop of Emly, died in 1494. 
 
 Charles MacBrien, canon of Emly, w'as advanced to the see in April, 
 1498 ; the year of his death is unknown. Donatus O’Brien, who was 
 doctor of laws, obtained a provision to the see from the Pope, in No 
 vember, 1494, but it was either annulled or he was not consecrated. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 211 
 
 Thomas O’Hurley, a canonist, of great reputation, succeeded, and died 
 in an advanced age, A.D. 1542, and was buried in his own church. He 
 erected a college for secular priests. 
 
 Oeneas O’Hefl'ernan, an hospitaller and preceptor of Any, in the 
 county of Limerick, succeeded, 1548 ; he sat about ten yeare, having 
 died A.D. 1553. 
 
 Reymund de Burgh, an Observantine friar, succeeded, and died in 
 July, 1562, and was buried in a Franciscan monastery at Adare. He 
 is said to have apostatized, but there is not sufficient proof for the accu- 
 sation. 
 
 Cashel and Emly united, in 1569. 
 
 Maurice Gibbon, who was appointed bishop by the Pope, about the 
 year 1567, having, it is said, attempted the life of MacCaghwell, 
 Queen Elizabeth’s bishop, made his escape into Spain, and died in 
 the city of Oporto, then under the dominion of that country, about the 
 year 1578. 
 
 Derinod O’Hurley, archbishop of Cashel, who was renowned for his 
 learning, eloquence, and ability, in refuting the heresies of England, 
 was, from the very moment of his arrival in Ireland, marked out as the 
 special object of the hate and vengeance of the heretics. At Louvain 
 his studies were finished, and there be became a graduate, and at length 
 professor of canon law, in the university of that city. 
 
 During the pontificate of Gregory XIIL, he repaired to Rome, and 
 in this city his splendid talents and acquirements soon rendered him 
 conspicuous. He was introduced to the notice of that pontifiF, and soon 
 after promoted to the arch-see of Cashel. Having returned to Ireland, 
 he found the persecution raging in all its fury ; yet Dermod intrepidly 
 proceeded through his diocese, traveling from district to distilct, and 
 ultimately from county to county, consoling, exhorting, and confirming 
 the people. Tarrying for some time at the residence of Thomas, lord of 
 Slane, in the county of Meath, he was there recognised by the chief- 
 justice of the queen’s bench, who procured, without delay, two messen- 
 gers, with whom he forwarded this intelligence to Loftus, the Protestant 
 or parliamentary archprelate of Armagh and the chancellor of Ireland. 
 Some of the family having discovered the treacherous design of the 
 chief-justice, apprised the venerable Dermod of the danger, and 
 earnestly entreated him to consult for his safety, by a timely flight 
 from his pursuers. Yielding to their tears and entreaties, he was con- 
 veyed privately from the mansion, and proceeded as far as Carrick-on- 
 Suir, in the county of Tipperary. 
 
 Here he was arrested, and under an armed escort was conducted to 
 Dublin, and brought before the chancellor. Loftus left nothing untried 
 
212 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF lEELAND. 
 
 to shake the constancy of the holy prelate. Tlie chancellor engaged to 
 reconcile^him to Elizabeth, and that he might waive other dociriiml 
 points, provided he would recognise her supremacy, — a proposition 
 which he instantly rejected. Another ofler was made : he would be 
 restored to favor and reinstalled in the see of Cashel, if he would reject 
 the title which the Pope had conferred upon him, and accept his right 
 to the see by letters patent from the queen ; but those insidious terms 
 he immediately spurned, and he was thereon remanded to prison, and 
 bound in heavy irons. Thii-sting as they were for his blood, his enemies 
 hastened to the dungeon, and commenced the work of torture. Fimt 
 bound to a stake, his arms and legs covei’ed over with pitch, salt, oil, 
 and sulphur, fire Avas then slowly applied, and managed with such bar- 
 barous dexterity, that their victim was kept in torture for several 
 hours. The night thus spent in a melancholy scene of insults and suf- 
 ferings, he was led out at the daAvn of day — conveyed to Stephen’s-green 
 . — put upon the rack, and at last strangled, A.D. 1583. 
 
 Ilis body Avas removed in the evening by the faithful, and deposited 
 in the neighboring oratory of St. Kevin, then almost in ruins. This 
 church Avas some years after repaired ; and several miracles are said to 
 have been wrought at the tomb of this holy and illustrious martyr, for 
 the faith of Christ. 
 
 Thurlough O’Xeil succeeded the martyred Dermod, in 1583. 
 
 Moriarth O’Brien, bishop of Emly, died in a prison at Dublin, in 
 1586. 
 
 David Kearney, bishop in 1625. 
 
 James O’llurley, a Dominican friar, elected prior provincial at 
 Youghal, of Ireland, in October, 1638. Appointed to the see of Emly 
 in 1611, by Pope Urban VIII. James AA^as a prelate remarkably reli- 
 gious and learned. 
 
 Terence Albert O’Brien was promoted to the see of Emly on the 
 death of his predecessor, in 1611 ; Avas master of theology, and alumnus 
 of the Dominican convent of Kilmallock, and Avas elected at Kilkenny, 
 in 1613, prior provincial of the order in Ireland. 
 
 When Ireton stormed the city of Limerick, he caused the venerable 
 prelate, Terence Albert, to be brought before him. Threats and bribes 
 were tried without success, and the prelate continuing inflexible, Ireton, 
 with a vieAV of overcoming his resolution, gave orders to have him 
 bound and thrust into prison ; but it had no terrors for him, as his con- 
 stancy and confidence in God rendered him superior to his. sufiTering. 
 At last, sentenced to undergo death, he was brought forth to the place 
 of execution. 
 
 When he arrived at the spot, the serenity and cheerfulness of his 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 213 
 
 countenance excited sentiments of pit}-- on the part of his executioners; 
 and the people ivlio had ventured to approach, were inconsolable. 
 “ Weep not for me,” says the holy prelate, “ but rather pray that I may 
 receive strength from the throne of mercy, and that I may happily end 
 my course ; keep the faith, submit to the dispensations of Heaven, dread 
 the wrath of God, observe his commandments, and thus shall you pos- 
 sess your souls in peace.” 
 
 The martyr then addressed Ireton, and in language prophetically 
 awful, warned the commander to beware of the vengeance of Heaven, 
 which was impending over him. He assured Ireton that his days were 
 numbered, and that a few weeks would terminate his career, and that 
 his end would be miserable. Soon after, the prediction was verified. 
 In three weeks, seized with a plague, L-eton protesting his innocence of 
 the death of the martyr, and affirming it to have been the work of the 
 government, died in all the horrors of despair. 
 
 On the eve of All Saints, 1651, the venerable prelate was strangled 
 in the public place of execution. His head was severed from the body 
 fastened on a spike and set up on the pinnacle of the citadel, where it 
 remained without change or decay, until the usurpation of Cromwell 
 had ceased. 
 
 Thomas Walsh, bishop of Cashel in 1659. Having a long time es- 
 caped the vigilance of his pursuers by concealing himself in the wild 
 mountains which run between the counties of Cork and Tipperary, at 
 length, having embarked in one of the southern ports of the former 
 county, andved after a perilous voyage at Compostella, in the kingdom 
 of Gallicia, in Spain, where he died. 
 
 William Burgott died in the year 1671. 
 
 John Brennan, translated from Waterford in 1676, died in 1685. 
 His name occurs in the Begistry Act. 
 
 Edward Comerford died in 1711. 
 
 Christopher Butler, son of Walter Butler, whose father was drowned 
 on his voyage to Ireland in December, 1619, and of Maria Plunkett, the 
 only daughter of Christopher, the second earl of Fingal, was consecra- 
 ted in 1712 and died in the year 1757, having sat near forty years. 
 
 James Butler, who became an apostate, but died in the Catholic 
 Church, A.D. 1800, became coadjutor of Cashel in 1750. (See Cork.) 
 
 James Butler, of Ballyraggat, bishop of Cashel in 1791. 
 
 Thomas Bray, bishop of Cashel, died in 1821. 
 
 Patrick Everard, coadjutor of Cashel in 1815, died A.D. 1822. 
 
 Robert Laffan succeeded, died in 1833. 
 
 Michael Slattery, president of Maynooth College during a portion 
 of that year, was elected bishop of Cashel, and consecrated on the 24th 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 214 
 
 of February, 1834, still happily presides, and is esteemed as a patilot 
 and the fearless opponent of British intrigue against the Irish Church 
 and the faith of her people. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 SEE OF CORK. 
 
 Its founder, St. Barr or Finharr, is supposed to have been raised to 
 the episcopacy about the beginning of the 7th century. He was a na- 
 tive of Connaught, of the sept Hy-Bruin-Ratha, a district lying to the 
 northeast of Galway, and in the barony of Athenry. As Lochan was 
 the name of the family, Finharr was only his surname, and it means 
 “ white-haired.” This eminent saint was educated imder Mac Corb, a 
 disciple of St. Gregory the Great. Having travelled through Britain, 
 Gaul, and Italy, in quest of knowledge, he returned to Ireland and erec- 
 ed a monastery and school near Loch-eire at the south side of the river 
 Lee on a site granted him by a chieftain named Odo. 
 
 Barr was a great favorite with St. Aidan, bishop of Ferns, and is 
 said to have been the companion of his journeys to Britain, and thence 
 to Rome. 
 
 It appears that on his return to Ireland, he had been a bishop. Of 
 his successoi-s in the see, the list is very incomplete, until the year 1152, 
 when Gilla-Aeda-O’Mugin, bishop of Cork, attended the synod of Kells. 
 Since that period the succession is complete. St. Finharr died at Cloyne 
 on the 25th of September, about the year 622, and was interred in Cork, 
 having presided seventeen years. 
 
 The reputation of St. Finharr for sanctity and knowledge soon spread 
 over Ireland and reached the Continent. Multitudes of scholars, native 
 and foreign, repaired to his establishment, and in a few years it contain- 
 ed several hundred monks, many of whom became professors in various 
 schools both in Ireland and in foreign countries. The celebrated Gar- 
 van, from whom Dungarvan is supposed to have taken its name, was a 
 disciple of the saint, and also the learned Xessan, whose character as a 
 
ECJCLESIASTIOAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 215 
 
 professor of sacred literature attracted still greater numbers to the school 
 of St. Barr. Cork thus became a populous and extensive city, and sub- 
 sequently was enlarged and improved by the Danes who settled there, 
 but to whom its origin is to be by no means ascribed. 
 
 St. Finbarr, the founder of tlie see in 606, died about 623. 
 
 St. Nessan, the disciple of St. Barr, probably not a bishop. Tliis 
 Ncssan is different from Nessan of Mungret, who died in 552. “ Num- 
 
 bers of disciples from all parts flocked hither under St. Nessan as to the 
 habitation of wisdom and to the sanctuary of all Christian virtues,” 
 according to the biographer of St. Barr. 
 
 The festival of St. Nessan is observed at Cork on the 17th of March, 
 and on the 1st of December. Tlie year of his death is unknown. 
 
 Ilussin, son of Lappin, comorban of St. Barr, and bishop of Cork, 
 died on tlie 7th of April, 685. 
 
 Selbac died in 773. 
 
 Cathmogan died in 961. 
 
 Columb MacCiarucain, called comorban of St. Barr, died in 990. 
 
 Cellach O’Selbac, who died on a pilgrimage in 1026 ; he is called 
 bishop, successor of Barr, and chief of the wise-men of Munster. 
 
 Neil O’Mailduib died in 1027. 
 
 Airtri Sairt, died in 1028. 
 
 Cathal died in 1034. 
 
 Mugron O’Mutan, comorban of Barr, and bishop of Cork, was inhu- 
 manly murdered by robbers of Cork, in 1057. 
 
 Clerech O’Selbac died in 1086. 
 
 Mac Lothod O’llailgenen died in 1107. 
 
 Patrick O’Selbaic died in 1111. 
 
 The see being vacant in 1140, St. Malachy, of Armagh, nominated 
 a foreigner and a man of sanctity and learning to the see v’ith the ap- 
 probation and applause of the clergy and people, but the name is un- 
 known : however the following Bishop Gilla is supposed to have been 
 the person whom St. Malachy named. 
 
 Gilla Aeda O’Mugin, a native of Connaught, and of the family of 
 the monastery of Errew, of Loughcon, sat in the see of Cork in the year 
 1152, and assisted at the council of Kells. He died in the year 1172, 
 and was highly celebrated for his virtues by the Irish historians, who 
 call him the “ chief prelate for devotion, wisdom, and chastity in all 
 Ireland.” Others of them say that he was sanctifled by God and a man 
 full of God’s blessing. TTais bishop is reckoned among the principal 
 benefactors to the church of Cork. The abbey of Augustin Canons of 
 St. Finbarr’s Cave, commonly called Gille-Abbey, took its name from 
 this bishop, and of which he had been abbot. 
 
216 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IKELAJSTD. 
 
 Gregory succeeded in 1172. He granted to the abbey of Tliomas- 
 court, near Dublin, the church of St. Hessan, at Cork. Gregory having 
 presided about fourteen years, died A.D. 1186. 
 
 Keginald, the time of whose consecration or death, is unknown. 
 
 O’Selbaic, bishop of Cork, died in 1205. Supposed to be identical 
 with Heginald. 
 
 Geoffry AVhite, in the year 1215 was recommended to the archbish- 
 ops of Dublin and Cashel by King Henry HI. as a learned, provident, 
 and honest man. It does not appear whether he was consecrated or not. 
 
 Marian O’Drien, bishop of Cork in 1224, was translated to the see of 
 Cashel in this year, by provision of the Pope. 
 
 Gilbert, archdeacon of Cork, was consecrated in 1225, and died in 
 1238. Eefore his death, this prelate, with the consent of his chapter, 
 granted in fee-farm to Michael de Druelle, one plow-land, part of the 
 possessions of his see, lying between Kilmahanock and the lands of Duf- 
 glay, to hold of God and St. Barr, and of him and his successors, a* 
 tlie rent of sixteen pence. 
 
 Lawrence, who succeeded, died in 1264. 
 
 William, a Cistercian monk of Jerpoint, succeeded in 1266, and vas 
 confirmed by the Pope’s legate,- It seems he sat but a very short 
 time. 
 
 Heginald or Reynold, treasurer of Cashel, obtained the temporals of 
 this see in August, 1267. In the year 1270, Prince Edward, then lord 
 of Ireland by donation of his father, gi’anted to this prelate and to his 
 successors, for the “ relief and amendment of the state of the church of 
 Cork,” the right of patronage and advowsons of the churclies of the 
 blessed Virgin of Hard and Kilmahanock, and also of the chapel of St. 
 Peter, at Cork. But he reclaimed those advowsons to the crown, when 
 he afterwards ascended the throne. Reginald died at Cork, in Decem- 
 ber, 1276, and was buried in the church of St. Barr. 
 
 Robert MacDonagh, a Cistercian monk, of great learning, succeeded 
 in 1277, and also obtained the temporals. Tlie advowsons granted to 
 his predecessors were recovered from this prelate, as is already noted. 
 He died in March, 1301, having sat twenty-four yeare. 
 
 John MacCarwill, dean of Cork, was unanimously elected by the 
 chapter in June, 1302 ; obtained the royal assent, and was confirmed 
 by the archbishop of Cashel in July following. He was translated to 
 the see of Meath by Pope John XXH., in 1321, and afterwards to 
 Cashel, in 1327. 
 
 Philip of Slane was a Dominican friar, appointed by the Pope, and 
 obtained the temporals in July, 1321. Three yeare afterwards he was 
 sent an embassador to the Pope by King Edward IL, and discharged 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 217 
 
 Ills coiHialssion with such address, that he was, on his return, called to 
 the privy council of Ireland. 
 
 The Pope armed this prelate, the archbishops of Dublin and Cashel, 
 with a commission to inform themselves of what things were wanting 
 and exiiedient for the peace and tranquility of Ireland. On his return 
 to Ireland a council was called, at which a large number of the nobility 
 and gentry attended, and at which it was resolved, as necessary for the 
 welfare and quiet of the realm — 
 
 1st. That tlie disturbers of the peace and invaders of the king’s rights 
 should be excommunicated by the archbishops and bishops, by virtue 
 of the apostolic authority. 
 
 2d. That the small and poor bishoprics, not exceeding twenty, forty, 
 or sixty pounds a-year, and which were governed by mere Irish, should 
 be united to the more eminent sees. 
 
 3d. That the Irish abbots and priors should be enjoined by apostolic 
 authority to admit the English into a lay brotherhood in their monas- 
 teries, in order to establish a brotherly love and concord between the 
 two people. 
 
 When the council concluded its business, Philip, bishop of Cork, Avas 
 despatched to the king, who forwarded those resolutions to the Pope, to 
 be by him sanctioned with the weight of his authority. 
 
 The Pope thought proper to annex the three cathedrals of Enach- 
 dune, Achonry, and Kilmacduach, to the see of Tuam. This affair was 
 kept a secret from the king, nor v^as it notified to the respective bishops 
 and chapters. The king, Edward III., afterwards complained, in the 
 year 1330, to the Pope, when Malachy MacAeda, archbishop of Tuam, 
 seized the bishopric of Enaghdune, by virtue of this union. The bishop 
 of Cork, now dead, escaped the king’s resentment. The junction ot 
 Achonry and Kilmacduach was not attempted. 
 
 Philip, bishop of Cork, died in 1326, and before the end of that 
 year, John le Blond, canon of Cork, was elected to succeed. lie either 
 sat a short time or w'as never consecrated. 
 
 Walter le Rede or Rufus, canon of Cork, was promoted by the 
 Pope, John XXII., and obtained the temporals in October, 1327. From 
 his see of Cork he w’as translated by the same Pope to the archdiocese 
 of Cashel, A.D. 1330. 
 
 John de Baliconingham, rector of Ardwinhin, in the diocese of 
 Down, was appointed to the see of Cork in the year 1330 : though the 
 Pope annulled his election to the see of Down a little before that time. 
 John died on the 29th of May, 1347^ having governed the see about 
 seventeen years. 
 
 J ohn Roche, canon of the cathedral of Cork, and a man descended 
 
218 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF lEELAND. 
 
 of a noble family, elected by tlie dean and chapter in 1347, was 
 consecrated by Ralpli Kelley, archbishop of Cashel, about the Christ- 
 mas of that year. He sat ten years and six months, having died on the 
 4th of July, 1358. 
 
 Gerald de Barry, a person descended of a noble and ancient family 
 of the Banys, and dean of Cork, was consecrated bishop of Cork in 
 1359, and sat upwards of thirty-four years. He died worn out with 
 sickness, in the 90th year of his age, on the 4th of January, 1393, and 
 was buried in his own cathedral. 
 
 Boger Ellesmere, a friar, succeeded, by provision of Pope Boniface 
 IX., and having sworn fealty to the king, obtained the temporals in 
 March, 1396. He sat in this see ten years, and died in 1406. 
 
 Gerald succeeded in the year 1406. Xothing more known of him. 
 
 Patrick Ragged succeeded, and was translated to the see of Ossory, 
 A.D. 1417. In the years 1415 and- 1416, he attended the council of 
 Constance, and while there, acquired a vast reputation for his learning 
 and other endowments. 
 
 Miles Fitz-John, dean of Cork, succeeded in 1418; consecrated in 
 the same year, and died in the year 1430. During his incumbency, 
 Adam Pay, bishop of Cloyne, strove to unite the see of Cork to that of 
 Cloyne. The parliament not deeming the affiiir within its cognizance, 
 the cause was referred to the court of Rome ; and those sees, on the 
 death of Miles, were accordingly united by Pope Martin Y. 
 
 Jordan succeeded to both sees, in 1431. Jordan was chancellor of 
 Limerick, and was promoted by provision of Pope Martin V. In 1465, 
 attempts were made to deprive him of his see. William Roche, arch- 
 deacon of Cloyne, by false suggestions to the Pope, representing that 
 the Bishop Jordan was so worn out with age, and deprived of strength 
 and sight, and therefore unable to dischai’ge the pastoral offices, obtained 
 his appointment as coadjutor of Cork and Cloyne, and by virtue there- 
 of, seized all the rents and revenues of the see. 
 
 To give effect to the plot, Gerald, a clergyman of Cloyne, and be- 
 fore then, the domestic of the prelate Jordan, caused some instruments 
 to be forged, in which it was set forth, that the aged bishop constituted 
 this Gerald and John O’Hedian, archdeacon of Cashel, his proctors, to 
 make a resignation of his bishopric. O’Hedian employed the bishop 
 elect of Ardagh, who was then at Rome, as his substitute, to make this 
 resignation into the hands of Pope Pius H. On this being done, tlie 
 archdeacon of Cashel obtained a provision for him to the sees. Bishop 
 Jordan applied to the king and to*the Pope ; the latter sent a commis- 
 sion to the archbishop of Cashel, and to the bishops of Exeter and Li- 
 merick, authorizing them to make a strict inquiry into the case of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OP' IRELAJTD. 
 
 219 
 
 bishop Jordan, and if found, as Jordan represented, to remove the co- 
 adjutor, and also compel him to return an account of the revenues of the 
 sees. Bishop Jordan succeeded, and was restored to his rights ; he after- 
 wards continued quiet in the possession of his see during life. The year 
 of his death is unknown. His incumbency continued over thirty years. 
 
 Gerald Fitz-Richard, who was so active in invading the rights of 
 Bishop JorcVm, succeeded. He appropriated the vicarages of Clonmolt, 
 Danigin, Donilbane, and Bally-espillany, to the abbey of de Choro Be- 
 nedicti (Middleton), and died in the year 1479, 
 
 Milliain Roche, who by false suggestions, was appointed coadjutor 
 to Bishop Jordan, succeeded in 1479, and resigned in the year 1490. 
 Six years afterwards he procured a pardon from Henry VH., for being 
 implicated in the rebellion of Perkin W arbeck. 
 
 Tliady MacCarthy, called by some Mechar, succeeded in 1490, by 
 provision of Pope Innocent YHI. Died in 1498. 
 
 Gerald, bishop of Cloyne and Cork, resigned in 1499. 
 
 John Fitz-Edmond descended of the Geraldines, succeeded by pro- 
 vision of the Pope, on the 26th June, 1499. The year of his death is 
 not ascertained. 
 
 John Bennet or Ferret, died in 1536. 
 
 Lewis MacXamara, a Franciscan friar, was appointed to the sees of 
 Cork and Cloyne, by the Pope, but did not obtain possession of the 
 temporals, as Henry VIH. thrust a schismatic, Dominick Tirrey into 
 occupation, which he held about twenty years. Lewis, died a few 
 days after his appointment at Rome. 
 
 John Hoyedon, canon of Elphin, was appointed by a papal provi- 
 sion also, in November, 1540. 
 
 Edmund Tanner was bishop of those sees in 1580. Was grievously 
 persecuted in Elizabeth’s reign. 
 
 William Therry, bishop of those sees in 1620. 
 
 Richard BaiTy, bishop of those sees in 1646 ; was a doctor of sacred 
 theology. His name is appended to the sentence of excommunication 
 which the nuncio Rinuccini issued in 1648 ; subscribed the resolutions 
 of Jamestown, and again signed the commission of the celebrated Ni- 
 cholas French, bishop of Ferns, and of Sir James Preston, to the Duke 
 of Lorrain. Norbert or Robert died in 1667. 
 
 Peter Creagh succeeded, and was translated to Dublin. 
 
 John Baptist Skynne, succeeded in 1701 ; died in 1709. 
 
 Denis MacCarthy succeeded. Year of his death is not recorded. 
 
 Timothy MacCarthy, bishop in 1730. 
 
 Tlie see of Cloyne is again reconstituted by Benedict XIV., in the 
 year 1748. 
 
220 
 
 ECCLESLASTICAI. HISTOET OF IKELAOT). 
 
 Richard Walsh, bishop of Cork, appointed by the illustrious pontiff 
 Benedict XIY. Richard, it seems, was living when Thomas de Burgo, 
 bishop of Ossory published his “ Hibernia Dominicana.” 
 
 Honorable James Butler, afterwards Lord Dunboyne, succeeded. 
 Was translated to Cashel. Li the year 1787, James Butler, in order to 
 gain possession of his family estate, renounced his religion in the parish 
 church of Clonmel. Faith is a precious gift, which does npt depend on 
 man’s strength — it is the boon of heaven, more precious and more valu- 
 able than all the perishable goods of life, to which man is so attached ; 
 and as those thing's require care and economy, and a faithful dispensa- 
 tion in their use and application, lest they be wasted and consumed, so 
 it is with this holy gift. In order to retain possession of it, humility, 
 prayer, and grateful acknowledgments to the Father of mercies, who 
 abundantly showers his graces and benedictions on his children, are ne- 
 cessary. The best and first of Christians have lost their faith. He who 
 stands shoidd beware lest he fall. 
 
 Lord Dunboyne persevered in this wretched course, until May, 
 1800, when sickness reminded him of his defection from the Catholic 
 church, and of the imperative obligation of quickly returning to the fold 
 which he deserted. In that month, the archbishop of Dublin, Doctor 
 Troy, received two letters from Lord Dunboyne, with which his physi- 
 cian, Dr. Purcell, had been entrusted ; one of which. Lord Dunboyne 
 desired to be addressed to the Pope, expressing contrition for the rash 
 act he had committed, and soliciting his reception into the bosom of the 
 Catholic church. 
 
 The letter to Rome was accordingly forwarded by the archbishop of 
 Dublin. But his illness becoming too serious to admit of delay, Dr. 
 Ti'oy directed the Rev. Dr. Gahan, for whom Lord Dunboyne enter- 
 tained the highest esteem, to proceed to the castle of Dunboyne, and 
 comply with the wishes of the dying prelate. 
 
 During this illness, Lord Dunboyne bequeathed to the trustees of 
 Maynooth college, an estate, which he possessed in the county of Meath, 
 worth £1000 per annum ; however, this legacy was contested by Lady 
 Dunboyne, with whom, in virtue of an act of parliament made specially 
 for this occasion, a compromise was eftected, and half of the original 
 sum has, in consequence, become the permanent property of the college. 
 This annuity, together with a sum of £700, which the parliament 
 granted in the year 1813, through the influence of Yesey FitzGerald, 
 member for the county of Clare and chancellor of the Irish exchequer, 
 is applied to the maintenance of twenty students, selected from the 
 most distinguished members, who have completed the usual course of 
 studies in the college. Their time is devoted to the study of ecclesias- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL niSTORT OF lEELANP. 
 
 221 
 
 tical history, canon law, the TTebrew language, and to the composition 
 of dissertations on various theological subjects. This important estab- 
 lishment, “ since called the Dunboyne,” was placed under the superin- 
 tendence of the Kev. Charles MacNally, now bishoii of Clogher, in the 
 year 1828, and is at present ably and efficiently conducted by the Very 
 Rev. John O’Hanlon, D.D. 
 
 During the trial of the suit, which Lady Dunboyne instituted, at 
 Trim, Dr. Gahan, who attended the dying prelate, was one of those who 
 underwent six painful examinations in the chancery office, on previous 
 occasions, and was directed to answer various questions, to which he 
 could not conscientiously respond. “ Ilis refusal ” was declared by 
 Lord Kilwarden, who presided at the trial, as a “ contempt of court,” 
 and the venerable Gahan was sentenced to undergo a week’s confine- 
 ment in the prison of Trim. To his sentence he submitted with forti- 
 tude and Christian resignation, affirming and assuring his lordship, that 
 like “ Eleazar of old, he would sooner lay his head on a block and for- 
 feit his life, than reveal the secrets which had been disclosed to him in 
 the ministerial discharge of his duty.” He was soon after, as he had 
 acted from principle, discharged by the decision of the court. 
 
 Francis Moylan was translated from Kerry in 1786. Died univer 
 sally regretted in the year 1815. 
 
 Florence MacCarthy, coadjutor to Doctor Moylan, in 1800 ; died in 
 1810. 
 
 John Murphy, consecrated in April, 1815 ; accompanied Daniel 
 Murray, the archbishop of Dublin, on his journey to Rome, as the repre- 
 sentatives of the Irish bishops, when the vetoistical arrangements were 
 in contemplation for the Irish church. During an incumbency of thirty 
 years. Doctor Murphy accumulated the largest private library in Ire- 
 and. He died in 1847. 
 
 William Delany succeeded. Was consecrated in August, 1847, and 
 now happily presides. 
 
223 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IHSTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XXn. 
 
 DIOCESE OF KILLALOE. 
 
 Called after Saint Lua or Molua; tlie prefix Mo being a term of 
 endearment, wliicli the Irish frequently used in speaking or writing of 
 their saints. He shall be noticed in his proper place, as he was not a 
 bishop. 
 
 Among the benefactors to the church of Killaloe, are reckoned 
 Moriertach O’Brien, king of Ireland, who died in March, 1120, and who 
 was buried here, according to his own desire ; and Donald O’Brien, 
 king of Limerick, of the same family, and much celebrated by Irish 
 historians for his bounty and liberality to this, and many other churches. 
 
 About the end of the twelfth century, the ancient see of Roscrea 
 was annexed to that of Killaloe, so that the united sees contained at 
 that time one hundred and sixteen chapels. The church of Killaloe 
 was much frequented by pilgrims. 
 
 Saint Flannan, the first bishop of this see, was the son of King Tlieo- 
 doric or Turlongh, of Thoniond, who retired from his throne, and as- 
 sumed the monastic habit from St. Colman, at Lismore. It is said that 
 St. Colman afterwards permitted him to return to his kingdom, for the 
 purpose of repairing the ravages which it endured. Having died some 
 time after, this pious prince was buried in the church of Killaloe, to 
 which he had been a generous benefactor. The birth of St. Flannan, it 
 seems, took place between 6-10 and 650. He is styled the disciple of 
 Molua, as he had been a student in the school which that saint had 
 founded. 
 
 The time of his promotion to the see is not known, nor is the date of 
 his death recorded. His festival is observed on the 18th of December. 
 It is said that his father, Theodoric, endowed this see with many estates, 
 but whether it was before his resignation of, or his return to, the throne, 
 is not determined. 
 
 In this see, as in others, a chasm takes place in the catalogue of its 
 bishops ; the next mentioned is — 
 
 Carmacain O’Muilcashel, who died in 1019. 
 
ECCI^SUSTICAI, HISTOKY OF rRELAFTD. 
 
 223 
 
 O’Gernidider, wlio died in 1055, 
 
 Tliady O’Teig, died in 1083. 
 
 Thadj O’Lonergan, a learned and charitable man, died in 1161. 
 
 Donatiis O’Brien, bishop of ISlorth Munster, died in 1165. 
 
 Constantine O’Brien, descended of the royal family of the O’Briens, 
 attended the Lateran council in 1179. While he presided in the see, 
 Donald O’Brien was a liberal benefactor to it. 
 
 Dermod O’Coning succeeded, and in 1195 was deprived by Mathew 
 O’lleney, archbishop of Cashel and the Pope’s legate, and by him 
 banished from his diocese. Dermod, in the same year died, it is said, ot 
 grief, in the house of O’Brien’s daughter, and was buried at Cork. The 
 cause of his deprivation is not mentioned. 
 
 Charles O’lleney succeeded. About this time the sees of Innlscathy 
 and Boscrea were annexed to Killaloe. The possessions of Inniscathy 
 were then divided between Limerick and the sees of Ardfert and lul- 
 laloe. 
 
 Cornelius O’lTeney, assisted at the council of Lateran, in the year 
 
 1215, and died the year following, on his return home. With the con- 
 sent of this prelate, and at the request of Henry de Loundres, arch- 
 bishop of Dublin, then lord justice of Ireland, King Johq built a castle 
 of defence at Boscrea, in order to be able to repel the incui’sions of Mo 
 riertach O’Brien, who ravaged those parts. Cornelius died in 1216, 
 whereupon the king conferred the custody of the see on the bishop of 
 Ferns, for his better support and maintenance. 
 
 Bobert Travers, born at Drogheda, was elected bishop of Killaloe in 
 
 1216. Lie was deprived in 1221, by James, penitentiary to the Pope, 
 and legate of Ireland. Tlie cause of his deposition not known. lie 
 afterwards dedicated, in Teuxbury, Gloucestershire, two bells, in the 
 ■winter of 1224. 
 
 Edmond, according to the annals of Innisfail, died in 1222. Thought 
 not to have been bishop of Killaloe, but of Limerick. 
 
 Donald O’Kennedy, archdeacon of Killaloe, was elected in 1231, 
 and sat about twenty-one years. He died in 1251, and was buried in 
 the Dominican convent, at Limerick. 
 
 Isaac O’Cormacan, dean of Killaloe, succeeded in 1253. Isaac 
 voluntarily resigned in the year 1267, and assumed the habit of a reli- 
 gious in the monastery of Holy Ci’oss, county of Tipperary. 
 
 Mathew O’Hogan, dean of Killaloe, was elected bishop in 1267. 
 Mathew, in the year 1280, exchanged some lands with King Edward I. 
 Tliis bishop died in August, 1281, and was buried at Limerick, in a con- 
 vent of Dominicans. 
 
 Maurice O’llogan, succeeded in 1281 ; was chantor of the see when 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOEY OF rRELAFTD. 
 
 2^:4: 
 
 elected, and obtained the temporals the year following. Having sat 
 sixteen years, he died A.D. 1298, and was buried in his own church. 
 
 David MacMahon, dean of Killaloe, was elected by the chapter, and 
 obtained the temporals in April, 1299 ; consecrated by Stephen O’Bro- 
 gan, archbishop of Cashel. lie died in 131.6, having presided seventeen 
 years. 
 
 Thomas O’Cormacan, archdeacon of Killaloe, succeeded in 1316. 
 He died about July, 1321, and was buried in the church of Killaloe. 
 
 Benedict O’Coscry, dean of Killaloe, was elected and consecrated in 
 the year 1322. He sat only three years. 
 
 David of Emly — MacBrien — succeeded by papal provision, in 1326. 
 He died in December, 1342. 
 
 Tliomas O’llogan, canon of Killaloe, was consecrated in 1343. He 
 died in October, 1354, and was buried at Kenagh, in the Franciscan 
 church. 
 
 Thomas O’Cormacan, archdeacon of Killaloe, was appointed by^he 
 provision of the Pope, and received the rite of consecration in 1355. 
 Thomas died in 1387, and was buried with his jiredecessors in the church 
 of Killaloe. 
 
 Mathew MacCragh, dean of Killaloe, was advanced to the see by 
 provision of Pope Nicholas IV., in 1389, and obtained the temporals in 
 1391. lie sat in 1400. 
 
 Robert de Midfield, a native of England, and a Cistercian monk, of 
 Melsa, in Yorkshire, succeeded, by provision of Pope Alexander V., on 
 the 9th of September, 1409. 
 
 Donagh MacCragh was the next successor. He sat in 1428, and 
 died the year after. 
 
 Eugene O’Felan succeeded, and died in 1430. 
 
 Thady MacCragh succeeded, by provision of Pope Martin Y., in 
 1430 ; obtained the temporals in the year 1431. 
 
 Frederick O’Lonergan is said to have succeeded. 
 
 James O’Ghonelan was bishop in 1441. 
 
 Terence O’Brien I. succeeded, by provision of the Pope, and was 
 barbarously murdered by Brien O’Brien, at Clonruada, in the year 
 1460. 
 
 Tliady is said to have succeeded, in 1460. In the following year he 
 renewed and exemplified the foundation charter of the abbey of Kil- 
 money, within his own diocese, and in the county of Clare. Some omit 
 this prelate in the succession of the bishops in this see. 
 
 John MacCragh, 
 
 Maurice O’Canasa, 
 
 Dermod MacCragh, of whom nothing is known, except the names. 
 
ECCLESIASTIC.\X. HISTORY OF rRELANP. 
 
 225 
 
 Mathew or Mahoun O’Griffa, bishop of Killaloe, died in 1482. 
 
 Terence O’Brien 11. succeeded ; was a prelate of great account 
 among his people, for his liberality and hospitality. Was more addicted 
 to martial pursuits than became his sacred character. This prelate died 
 in 1525. 
 
 Eichard Hogan, a Franciscan friar, succeeded in 1525, and was 
 translated to Clonmacnois by Pope Paul HI., on the 16th of June, 1538. 
 He died in a few days after. 
 
 James O’Corrin succeeded, and through love of retirement resigned 
 his see in 1546. 
 
 Cornelius Kyan was bishop in 1558. 
 
 Terence O’Brien HI. obtained the see in the reign of Queen Mary, 
 and sat in the year 1566. He died A. D. 1569. 
 
 John O’Molony succeeded, was living in 1648. 
 
 Thomas O’Molony, doctor of sacred theology, lived in 1650. 
 
 John O’Molony was living in 1674. 
 
 Patrick MacDonagh, in 1741. 
 
 William O’Meara, translated from Ardfert or Kerry, in 1747 ; diea 
 in 1762. 
 
 Michael Peter MacMahon, consecrated in 1765 ; died in 1807. 
 
 James O’Shaughnessy, consecrated coadjutor in 1799 ; died in 1819. 
 
 Patrick MacMahon, who succeeded, died in 1835. 
 
 Patrick Kenedy, consecrated in January, 1836. Supported the 
 English government in their Catholic bequests bill ; accepted a commis- 
 sionership under same, but yielded to the remonstrance of his clergy. 
 
 Daniel Yaughan, consecrated in 1851, now happily presides. 
 
 15 
 
226 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAIfD. 
 
 CHAPTER XXm. 
 
 SEE OF ARDFERT OR KERRY. 
 
 It cannot be determined -vvlien the see of Ardfert -was founded. 
 Some attribute its foundation to Ercus, the master of Saint Brendan, in 
 the sixth century, but such an assertion cannot be sustained. Cerpain, 
 who was a bishop, near Tarah, is again named as bishop of Ardfert, but 
 without sufficient authority. From the period in which St. Brendan 
 flourished, until the middle of the eleventh century, not a single bishop 
 is named. 
 
 There may have been some bishops without a regular succession or 
 a permanehtly fixed see, as had been the case at other places, such as 
 Swords, Lusk, Clondalkin, &c. 
 
 Dermod MacBrenan, bishop of Ai’dfert, about the middle of the 
 eleventli century ; died in 1075. 
 
 Magrath O’Ronan, bishop of Ardfert. — Brendan died in 1099. 
 
 MacRonan, called bishop of Kerry, assisted at the council of Kells 
 in 1152. 
 
 O’Ronan or Mael Brendan, who is supposed to be the same as the 
 former, died in 1161. 
 
 Giolla MacAiblen O’lfanmada, died in 1166. 
 
 Donald O’Conarchy, called bishop of West Munster, died in 1193. 
 
 David O’Duibditrib, who succeeded, was also called bishop of Jar- 
 niiian or West Munster, died in 1207. 
 
 John, succeeded in 1215. He was an English Benedictine monk, 
 and was deprived in 1221, by James, penitentiary to Pope Honorius HI. 
 and legate of Ireland. He afterwards lived in the abbey of St. Al- 
 ban’s, in England, until his death, which happened in the year 12-15 
 
 In the registry of that abbey it is recorded, that John, bishop of 
 Ardfert, besides many valuable books and ornaments which he be- 
 stoAved, gave to it also a noble large stone of a bluish color, spotted 
 with white, commonly called the sei’pentine stone, and wliich is reported 
 to have ~"eat virtue in lunatic disorders ; it was bound with a silvei 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 227 
 
 hoop, in which were enclosed many relics. He also gave three noble 
 rings to the abbey, in one of which was set an oriental sapphire, of a 
 wonderful size, — in the other was also set a sapphire of an excellent 
 lustre, and said to be of great value in convulsions of the nerves, — and 
 in the third ring was another oriental sapphire, but of smaller size. 
 
 Gilbert, dean of Ardfert, succeeded in 1225, and received the rite Ox 
 consecration the same year. Gilbert resigned the see in 1237. 
 
 Brendan, provost of Ardfert, elected bishop ; obtained the royal as- 
 sent in November, 12.37. Brendan having governed the see five years, 
 resigned in 124:2. The dean and chapter requested licence of the king 
 to elect a successor, but the name of such a one does not occur, if he had 
 been elected. 
 
 Christian, a Dominican friar, was appointed in 1252, by the Pope, 
 and confirmed in the temporals by King Henry IH. He sat only a 
 sliort time, and died in 1256. 
 
 Philip, who succeeded, died in 1263. 
 
 John, archdeacon of Ardfert, was elected bishop, and obtained the 
 temporals in February, 1264. He died in May, 1285, and was buried 
 at Ardfert, in the cathedral of St. Brendan. 
 
 Nicholas succeeded, in 1285. Sat only two years. 
 
 Nicholas, a cistercian monk and abbot of Odorney, in the county of 
 Kerry, was consecrated in 1288. Nicholas died in a very advanced age, 
 ill the year 1336, having sat forty-eight years. 
 
 In the year 1310, there is mention of a remarkable action brought 
 against this prelate, and four chaplains of the church of Ardfert, before 
 Sir John Wogan, justice of Ireland, at Tristledermot, by friar William 
 of Bristol, and other Franciscan friars, of Ardfert, for forcibly taking 
 away the corpse of John de Cantelupe, and burying it elsewhere, and 
 for beating and ill-using the friars. Tlie bishop, under pain of excom- 
 munication, forbidding all people from furnishing the friars with any 
 necessaries, either through charity or otherwise. Upon this proceeding 
 the bishop and his chapter were all arrested; their goods and chattels 
 ordered to be distrained, and the money thereout raised to be brought to 
 the justice the day after the feast of St. Peter’s chains. 
 
 Alan O’llathern was consecrated in 1336, and died on the 2d of De- 
 cember, 1347. 
 
 John de Valle or Wall, was confirmed by Pope Clement YL, in 
 1348, and obtained the temporals. Thomas O’Carrol was also elected 
 by a part of the canons, and was afterwards promoted to the see of 
 Tuam. Bishop de Valle having sat twenty-three years, died in 1372. 
 
 Cornelius O’Tigernach, a Franciscan friar, obtained a provision to 
 
228 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 this see from Gregory XI., in 1372, and died the seventh year after hia 
 consecration. 
 
 William Bull, dean of Cork and bachelor of canon law, succeeded 
 .by papal provision, in 1379, and having sworn fealty to the king, ob- 
 tained the temporals. lie was excused by the king from attending 
 parliaments, on account of the troubles between the Irish enemy and 
 English rebels. William sat in 1382. 
 
 Xicholas sat in the years 1120 and 1431. 
 
 Maurice succeeded, and died in 1462. 
 
 John Stack. The Pope Pius II. appointed John, who at first ne 
 glected to expedite his provisional lettei’s, whereupon John Pigg was 
 declared, who immediately resigned. One Philip was nominated, but 
 his election was annulled. John Stack sat in 1480, and assisted at a 
 provincial council, convened at Fethard, in July of that year, by John 
 Cantwell, archbishop of Cashel. John died in 1488, and was buried at 
 Ardfert. 
 
 Philip was now declared the bishop by Pope Innocent YIIL, in 
 October, 1488. lie presided almost seven yeai-s, and died in 1495. 
 
 John Fitzgerald, canon of Ardfert, descended of a noble family ; was 
 declared bishop of the see by Pope Alexander IV., in November, 1495. 
 
 James Fitzmaurice was bishop of Ardfert in 1551, and lived in 1576. 
 
 Richard Connell, bishop of this see in 1649 ; was a doctor of both 
 laws ; was one of the prelates who protested against the peace with 
 Lord Inchequin. 
 
 Denis Moriarty succeeded ; lived to the age of 103 years, and died 
 in 1737. 
 
 Eugene O’Sullivan was bishop in 1738. 
 
 William O’Meara, translated to Killaloe in 1747. 
 
 Nicholas Madget was bishop in 1774. 
 
 Francis Moylan, translated to Cork in 1786. 
 
 Gerald Teahan, appointed in 1786 ; died in 1797. 
 
 Charles Sugime, bishop of this see, died in 1824. 
 
 Cornelius Egan, the present bishop, was consecrated on the 25th of 
 July, 1825. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF ERELAKD. 
 
 229 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 SEE OF LIMERICK. 
 
 Was founded in the twelfth century. Some attri'.nte its foundation to 
 Saint Munchin, the son of Sedna, but there is no certainty that he was 
 bisliop. 
 
 Ferrar, in his history of Limerick, could not find anything authentic, 
 until the middle of the ninth century, nor could Ware or Harris dis- 
 cover any undoubted bishop of Limerick, until Gilbert, who flourished 
 in the eleventh. 
 
 Though the Danes of Limerick had been converted to the Christian 
 faith in the early part of the eleventh century, still they did not enjoy 
 the benefit of a resident prelate, until Gilbert was unanimously chosen 
 by clergy and people, in the year 1106. 
 
 This prelate had been abbot of Bangor, and probably had been con- 
 secrated before his election to Limerick ; was an Irishman, though some 
 assert that he was a Dane, — for it so appears evident from the correspond- 
 ence which occurred between him and St. Anselm, with whom he 
 became acquainted in his travels on the Continent. 
 
 While Gilbert presided, he exerted himself in establishing an uni- 
 form system in the liturgical practices of Ireland, and for this purpose 
 composed a treasise “ De usu Ecclesiastico.” In this tract he assures 
 the prelates and clergy of the Irish church, that in compliance with the 
 wishes of many of their brethren, he has endeavored to point out the 
 canonical system of saying the hours of the divine ofiice, and perform- 
 ing the duties of the ecclesiastical order. Gilbert wrote another tract, 
 in which he arranges the ditferent gradations of the highest ecclesias- 
 tical dignitaries to the humblest official of the order, assigning to each 
 their respective powers and duties. Gilbert was also legate apostolic, 
 an office which he resigned in 1139, and died the year following. 
 
 Donald O’Brien, king of Limerick, founded and endowed the Ca- 
 thedral of Limerick, and dedicated it to the Virgin Mary. In the 13th 
 century, Donatus O’Brien, bishop of Limerick, became a great bene- 
 
230 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IKELANt). 
 
 factor to this cathedral : he assigned prebends to tlie dean and chapter, 
 and made some constitutions concerning the liturgy used in his church, 
 and the privileges of his canons. About the year 1490, the citizens of 
 Limerick rebuilt the nave of the cathedral, which had fallen to ruin. 
 In the twelfth century, the see of Inniscathy was united to that of Li- 
 merick, on the death of Aid O’Beachain, the last bishop of that see. 
 
 Gillbert, bishop of Limerick, and apostolic legate of Ireland, died 
 in 1140. St. Malachy O’Moore of Ai’uiagh, was appointed legate in 
 his stead. 
 
 Patrick, bishop of Limerick succeeded in 1140, and through the in- 
 fluence of the Danes, was sent to England, where he was consecrated 
 by Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, to whom Patrick made the 
 following profession of obedience ; — “ I, Patrick, elected to the govern- 
 ment of the church of Limerick, and now, through the grace of God, 
 to be consecrated by thee, most Rev. Father Theobald, archbishop of 
 the holy church of Canterbury and primate of all Britain, do promise 
 that I will pay due subjection and canonical obedience to thee, and to 
 all thy successors, who shall succeed thee canonically.” Patrick was 
 the only bishop of Limerick, and the last of the Irish prelates who made 
 a profession of obedience to the see of Canterbury. Patrick presided 
 but a short time. 
 
 Harold, a Dane, succeeded. Died in 1151. 
 
 Turgese, a Dane or Ostman, sat in 1152 ; assisted at the council ot 
 Kells, held in that year by Cardinal Paparo. 
 
 Brictius, who was also a Dane, succeeded. He was one of the Irish 
 prelates who assisted at the council of Lateran, in the years 1179 and 
 1180. Donald O’Brien, king of Limerick, granted the lands of Mun- 
 gret and those of Ivamnach, to this prelate and his successors, and to 
 the clergy of St. Mary’s, Limerick. 
 
 Donatus O’Brien, descended of the royal family of the name, suc- 
 ceeded about the close of the twelfth century. Illustrious by birth, but 
 more so by his learning, wisdom and liberality, Donat enlarged the 
 cathedral and supplied it with secular canons, to whom he assigned pre- 
 bends, and laid down rules for their guidance. This prelate died in 
 the year 1207. 
 
 Geotfry, bishop of Limerick, sat in 1217. 
 
 Edmund, bishop of Limerick, died in 1222. 
 
 Hubert de Burgo, a prelate, descended of a noble family, and prior 
 of the monastery of Athassel, in the county of Tipperary, succeeded in 
 1222, and obtained the temporals in that year. He was a liberal bene- 
 factor to the cathedral, to the canons and vicars choral of it. 
 
 A little before the death of this prelate, the bishops of Ireland had 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 formed a project to deprive the king of the custody of the temporalities 
 of sees wliile vacant, and also to obstruct their tenants from suing in 
 the king’s courts, without the Pope’s assent. Hubert de Burgo "was se- 
 lected by the Irish bishops, to aiTange this affair at Home. This attempt 
 alarmed the king, who instructed his agents at the court of Horae to 
 resist and oppose any such effort, with all their might. The death of 
 de Burgo, in 1250, prevented his journey, and put an end to the design, 
 of the prelates. 
 
 Robert of Emly was elected by the dean and chapter in the year 
 1251. In the year 1253, Robert granted to Thomas of Woodford, dean 
 of Limerick, and to his successors, the benefices of Camarthy and Rath 
 siward. Robert died on the 8th of September, 1272. 
 
 Gerald de Mareschall, archdeacon of Limerick, succeeded in 1272, 
 and was consecrated by the archbishop of Cashel ; he obtained the tern 
 porals, — the king reserving for one year to himself, knight’s fees, advow- 
 sons, wards, reliefs, and escheats. Robert recovered a great many 
 possessions of his see which others had unjustly usurped. In 1297 he 
 obtained judgment against Richard Myath, for one messuage, one plow- 
 land, and four hundred acres of wood, with their appurtenances, in the 
 lands of Lisredy, which his predecessor Robert had granted to said 
 Richard, without the consent of the chapter of Limerick. He governed 
 this see twenty-nine years, and died on the 10th of February, 1301. 
 The constitutions of this prelate are extant in the registry of the bishops 
 of Limerick. 
 
 Robert of Dondonyl, canon of the cathedral of Limerick, succeeded 
 by election of the chapter, and was consecrated in 1302. He obtained 
 the temporals in the September of that year. He sat almost nine years, 
 and was buried in his own church. 
 
 Eustace del Ewe or Watere, dean of Limerick, was consecrated 
 before the close of the year 1311. He expended large sums of money 
 in acjorning and repairing his church, and having finislied it, dedicated 
 his cathedral in July, 1327. He died on the 3d of May, 1336, having 
 enjoyed the see upwards of twenty-four years, and was buried in his 
 own church. 
 
 Maurice Rochfort or de Rupe, was consecrated at Limerick, on the 
 Gth of April, 1337. An information was exhibited against him for pre- 
 venting the subsidy from being levied, which the parliament granted to 
 the king. He was some time deputy to Sir Thomas Rokeby, justice of 
 Ireland. He died on the 9th of June, or in April, 1353. 
 
 Tlie annals of Henagh style him a “ man of a good life and honest 
 conversation.” 
 
 Stephen Lawless, chancellor of the cathedral of Limerick, succeeded 
 
232 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOKT OF LRELAND. 
 
 in 1354:, and obtained the temporals from the king. Stephen died on 
 the feast of the holy Innocents, 1359. 
 
 Stephen de Yalle or Wall, dean of Limerick, succeeded in 1360, by 
 provision of the Pope. lie presided nine years, and was treasurer of 
 Ireland. Was translated to the see of Meath, where he sat ten years, 
 and having died at Oxford, in November, 13T9, was buried there in a 
 monastery of Dominicans. While he was bishop of Limerick he trans- 
 lated the bones of Richard Fitz Ralph, archbishop of Armagh, com- 
 monly called Saint Richard, of Dundalk, from Avignon to Dundalk, the 
 birth-place of that archbishop, and deposited them in a monument in 
 the parish church of St. Nicholas, in that town. In a parliament held 
 at Trim, in June, 14:85, a chantry was confirmed in this church of St. 
 Nicholas, at Dundalk, “in honor of God, the blessed Virgin, St. Nicho- 
 las, and St. Ricliard, of Dundalk.” 
 
 Tlie virtues of Fitz Ralph, archbishop of Armagh, were so great, 
 and the miracles ascribed to him were so many, that Pope Boniface IX. 
 issued a bull to John Cotton, archbishop of Armagh, Richard Young, 
 bishop elect of Bangor, and to the abbot of Osney, near Oxford, to hold 
 an enquiry concerning the truth of those miracles, — the result of the 
 commission vanished in silence. On account of his opposition to the 
 Remdai’s, some have treated him and his writings with indifference. 
 Bellarmine thinks his writings ought to be read with caution : gthers 
 allowing him to have been a man of great accomplishments, rank him 
 among the heretics ; but the celebi’ated Luke W adding, though not in- 
 clined to favor him, vindicates him of such a foul aspersion, and adds, 
 that Ralph never departed from the unity of the church, having sub- 
 mitted all his writings to her correction and decision. 
 
 Peter Curragh or Creath, a native of the county of Dublin, was 
 elected in 1369-, and having sworn fealty to King Edward III., obtained 
 the temporals. 
 
 In Luke W adding’s works is recorded a bull of Pope Gregory. XL, 
 dated at Avignon, the 20th of August, 1376, in which are enumerated 
 the charges against Peter, bishop of Limerick, by the archbishop of 
 Cashel, who was conservator of the privileges of the Franciscan friars 
 in Ireland. The Avhole matter was referred to Simon Sudbury, arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury, who was armed Avith authority to enquire into 
 the proceedings of this bishop, and should the complaints be found true 
 which Philip de Torrington, the metropolitan of Cashel advanced, to 
 pronounce the bishop and his accomplices excommunicated. 
 
 The charges against the bishop of Limerick were “ that when arch- 
 bishop Torrington came to redress the grievances of the Franciscans, and 
 cited the bishop to ansAver their complaints, he laid violent hands on the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 233 
 
 arclibisliop, tore the citation from him with such violence and force that 
 he drew his blood — and like a man bereft of his senses, ordered the 
 archbishop to begone, or it should fare worse with him and his attend- 
 ants ; that the bishop being cited refused to appear by himself or proc- 
 tor, laid more grievances on the friars after the citation than before, and 
 excommunicated all within his diocese who should repair for divine 
 service or burial within their church : that the bishop having been a 
 long time excommunicated for debts due to the apostolic see, paid no 
 regard thereto, but acted as usual : that the archbishop having cited 
 him for heresy, he was, together with the clergy who attended him, in 
 danger of being assaulted, if he had not retired, and that after his re- 
 tiring, the bishop, clad in his pontificals, entered the city of Limerick, 
 with his accomplices, and by bell, book and candle publicly excommu- 
 nicated every person who had supplied the archbishop with food or en- 
 tertainment : that when he, the archbishop, had on a day of solemnity, 
 repaired to Limerick, according to custom, to preach, the bishop caused 
 public proclamation to be made, that nobody, under pain of excommu- 
 nication should hear the archbishop’s sermon, and excommunicated, by 
 name, all those who attended it : that when he had left the city, the 
 bishop sent some of his servants after him, who laid violent hands on 
 him, and forced the bridle of his horse.” 
 
 How this affair terminated is not on record. Peter, bishop of Li- 
 merick resigned in the year 1400, and died 1407. 
 
 Cornelius O’Dea, archdeacon of Killaloe, succeeded in 1400. Hav- 
 ing presided twenty -six years, he resigned, in order to lead a private 
 life. He died on the 27th of July, 1434, and was buried in his own 
 cathedral, under a monument of black marble, adorned with his 
 efligy. 
 
 John Motthel, an Augustin canon of Kells, in the county of Kil- 
 kenny, succeeded in 1426, by pi’ovision of Pope Martin Y., and was 
 the same year restored to the temporals. John governed the see almost 
 thirty-two years ; resigned in 1458, and died in the year of grace, 
 1468. 
 
 "William Creagh, a native of Limerick, succeeded in 1458, by pro 
 vision of the Pope, and -was consecrated the year after. He sat about 
 thirteen years, and during his incumbency recovered the lands of 
 Donaghmorej which had been unjustly usurped by othei’s. He died 
 in 1472. 
 
 Tliomas Arthur, a native of the city of Limerick, succeeded in 1472, 
 and died there in the year 1486. 
 
 Richard, appointed by Pope Innocent "YHI, died at Rome, in 1486. 
 
 John Dunow, canon of Exeter, doctor of laws, and then ambassador 
 
234 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 at Tiome, from King Henry YII., was ‘appointed by the Pope in No- 
 vember, 1486, and died there in the year 1488, before he had the oppor- 
 tunity of visiting his diocese. 
 
 John Folan, canon of Ferns, rector of Clonmore and procurator to 
 Octavian, archbishop of Armagh, at Rome, was promoted to the see of 
 Limerick by the Pope, on the 13th of May, 1489. In the year follow- 
 ing, the citizens of Limerick repaired the nave of the cathedral of St. 
 Mary’s, which was then fallen into great decay. The bishop, John, died 
 on the 30th of January, 1521. 
 
 John Coyn or Quinn, a Dominican friar, was appointed by the Pope 
 in 1522, vdio rejected Walter Wellesley, the favorite candidate of King 
 Henry YIII. John governed the see until April, 1551, and then being 
 blind and infirm, resigned. 
 
 John assisted at a synod held at Limerick, A.D. 1524, by Edmond 
 Butler, archbishop of Cashel. 
 
 Hugh Lacy, canon of Limerick, was, at the instance of Queen Mary, 
 advanced by the Pope to the see of Limerick, in the year 1557 ; he re- 
 signed, i.e. compelled to resign in 1571, and died in the year 1580. 
 Hugh was grievously persecuted. 
 
 Mathew Mac Grath, died in 1623. 
 
 Richard Arthur, presided in 1646. 
 
 Edmund O’Dwyer succeeded. He attended the synod at Waterford, 
 ard afterwards joined in the answer of the supreme council of the Ca- 
 tholics to the letter of the nuncio, dissuading the peace with Lord 
 Inchequin. Edmond died in exile, in 1660. 
 
 James Dowley presided in 1687. 
 
 John Molony succeeded in 1688. 
 
 Cornelius O’Keeffe, bishop in 1720 ; died in 1738. 
 
 Robert Lacy, presiding in 1738 ; died in 1760. 
 
 Daniel Kearney, in 1760, died in 1775. 
 
 Dionysius Conway, in 1779 ; died 1796 
 
 John Young, in 1796 ; died 1813. 
 
 Charles Tuohy, presided in 1815 ; died in 1828. 
 
 John Ryan, consecrated coadjutor in December, 1825 ; succeeded in 
 1828. Still sits in the see of Limerick. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAi HISTORY OF rRELAND. 
 
 235 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 SEE OF WATERFORD AJND LISMORB. 
 
 Waterford was raised to the dignity of a bishopric in the eleventh 
 century, by the clergy and people ; and the election of a prelate was 
 approved by Murtogh O’Brien, then king of Ireland, Domnald, bishop 
 of Cashel, and other prelates of the kingdom. 
 
 The object of their choice was Malchus, a native of Ireland, and who 
 had spent several years at Winchester, as a Benedictine monk. Tliough 
 this city had been founded by the Danes, and had been in the posses- 
 sion of those adventurers, it seems, that it was at this time subject to 
 tlie king of Ireland. Desirous of following the example of their country- 
 men in Dublin, the inhabitants of Waterford proposed that their bishop 
 elect should be consecrated at Canterbury ; they accordingly petitioned 
 the king Murtogh to unite with them in a letter to that effect. Mur- 
 togh having assented, Malchus repaired to Canterbury in 1096, bring- 
 ing with him a letter for Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, to which 
 the king and several bishops appended their signatures. 
 
 After stating in this letter the many disadvantages under which 
 their city labored in not having a bishop residing amongst them, they 
 conclude : “Therefore, we the clergy and people of Waterford, together 
 with our king Murtogh, Domnald, bishop of Cashel, and Dermod our 
 duke, brother of the king, have chosen this priest Malchus, a monk of 
 the bishop Walchelin, of Winchester, very well known to us, of noble 
 birth and morals, versed in apostolical and ecclesiastical discipline, and 
 in faith a Catholic.” Accordingly Malchus was consecrated at Can- 
 terbury, on the 28th of December, 1096, Ralph, bishop of Chichester, 
 and Gundulph, of Rochester, being the assistant prelates. Malchus j^ro- 
 fessed canonical obedience to the archbishop of Canterbury, and to his 
 successors. Shortly after his consecration, Malchus, with the assistance 
 of the Danes, erected a magnificent cathedral in Waterford, and dedi- 
 cated it to the Holy Trinity. King John endowed this cathedral in the 
 
236 
 
 ECCLESIAS'nCAL JHISTORY OF IRELAUT). 
 
 beginning of tlie 13th century, and its possessions were confirmed by 
 Pope Innocent III., A.D. 1210. At this time also its chapter was insti- 
 tuted. 
 
 jMalchus, 1st bishop, ordained at Canterbury, in 1096. Malchus 
 presided in 1110, as appeal’s from a letter written to him by Anselm, 
 archbishop of Canterbury. 
 
 Maelisa O’lTamire, called bishop of Portlarge (the Irish name of 
 Waterford), died in the year 1136. 
 
 Tostius O’Rostius, a Dane or Ostman, sat in 1152, and in this yeai 
 attended the council of Kells, under Cardinal Paparo. 
 
 Augustin. King Henry II. gave in a council, held at Windsor, 
 in 1175, to Master Augustin, an Irishman, the see of Waterford, 
 then vacant, and sent him into that country with Lawrence, arch- 
 bishop of Dublin, to be consecrated by Donat, archbishop of Cashel. 
 In 1179, he assisted at the council of Lateran; and when passing 
 through England, “ he and the other Irish prelates going also to the 
 council, in order to obtain a licence to continue their journey, took an 
 oath not to act anything prejudicial to the king or his kingdom.” 
 
 Robert was bishop of Waterford in 1200. 
 
 David Walsh, kinsman of Miler Fitz Henry, justice of Ireland, was 
 consecrated in 1204. Between this prelate and the bishop of Lismore 
 there arose a dispute concerning the possessions of that see, which the 
 former had usurped. During the pending of the cause before the 
 Pope’s delegates, the bishops of Killaloe and Cork, and the archdeacon 
 of Cashel, David was cruelly murdered by O’Felan, prince of Decies, in 
 the year 1209. David was promoted to the see of Waterford, contrary 
 to the will of the Irish. 
 
 Robert, who succeeded the murdered bishop, was consecrated by 
 Donatus, archbishop of Cashel, A.D. 1210. Robert also seized some of 
 the possessions of the see of Lismore, against which the bishop of Lis- 
 more protested. A citation having issued from the apostolic delegates, 
 who were, on this occasion, the bishops of Korwich, Clonfert, and 
 Enaghdune, and a day fixed to answer the objections of the bishop of 
 Lismore — but neither Robert or his proctor appeared, and therefore res- 
 titution was adjudged to the see of Lismore. The bishop of Waterford 
 was moreover condemned to pay a sum of one hundred and sixty marks, 
 as costs. Enraged at this judgment, Robert privately employed Robert 
 Fitz-Christopher, his seneschal, and others of his family, to seize the 
 bishop of Lismore. Having found him in his church of Lismore, they 
 dragged ofiT his episcopal robes, robbed the church of its goods, hurried 
 O’Heda, bishop of Lismore, from place to place, until they brought him 
 to the castle of Dungarvan, where he was, by order of Robert, bishoc 
 
ECCI.ESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 237 
 
 of "Waterford, liound in irons. He lay seven weeks in prison, and 
 escaped at length, worn out with hunger and thirst. 
 
 The delegates cited the Bishop Eobert and his accomplices, to make 
 satisfaction for those injuries; and having appeared he made threats, 
 loaded the delegates with reproaches, and laid an ambush to surprise 
 the bishop of Lismore, by his clerk, Thomas, in the churchyard of Lime- 
 rick, who laid violent hands on him, and drawing his sword, attempted 
 to cut off his head ; the bishop of Lismore escaped without being 
 wounded. The delegates, because of the offence committed in their 
 presence, excommunicated the clerk, and strictly prohibited the bishop 
 of W aterford from having any communication with him. The bishop 
 of Waterford j)ersisting in his frowardness, he was, by the Pope’s au- 
 thority, excommunicated throughout the province of Cashel, and inter- 
 dicted from all spiritual care, as long as he continued obstinate. The 
 archbishop of Cashel was commanded to induct O’lleda into the actual 
 possession of that bishopric. The clergy and people of Waterford 
 were inhibited, under pain of anathema, from obeying the bishop, while 
 under sentence of excommunication, and were commanded to show all 
 reverence to the metropolitan of Cashel — to which injunction the clergy 
 and people of W aterford paid no deference ; for which reason the arch- 
 bishop of Cashel pronounced excommunication against them, which was 
 confirmed by the holy see. 
 
 In the year 1221, Eobert again entered the lists, with de Bedford, 
 bishop of Lismore, and was equally unsuccessful in his usurpation. In 
 June, 1210, the Pope, Innocent III., confirmed the possessions of the 
 dean and canons of the cathedral of Waterford. Eobert sat in the see 
 of Waterford twelve years (twelve too many), and died, as is said, of 
 grief, in 1222. 
 
 William Wace, dean of Waterford, was elected and confirmed in 
 the year 1223. Nothing more related of him. 
 
 Walter L, a Benedictine monk, and prior of the abbey of St. John 
 the Evangelist, at Waterford, was elected bishop of Waterford in 
 August, 1227. 
 
 Stephen I. sat in 1238 and in 1246. 
 
 Henry, archdeacon of Waterford, was elected in March, 1249. It 
 appears that he sat but a short time. 
 
 Philip, dean of Waterford, succeeded in 1252, and at the request of 
 the Pope, obtained the royal assent. He also sat but a short time. 
 
 Walter H. was elected by the dean and chapter of Waterford, in 
 1254, and having sworn fealty before the justice of Ireland, obtained the 
 temporals ; the king enjoining a caution, that no precedent should be 
 
288 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 established thereby, on the part of the dean and chapter. Walter was, 
 in consequence, consecrated in 1255. This prelate died A.D. 1272. 
 
 Stephen de Fulburn, an hospitaller, was consecrated bishop of Wa- 
 terford in 1273, and obtained the temporals in January, 1271. While 
 he was bishop of this see, he made, with the consent of his dean and 
 chapter, an exchange of the manor of Ballydermot for that of Money- 
 muntre, with Henry Fitz-John Fitz-Philip. In the year 1286, Stephen 
 was translated to the see of Tuam, and obtained its temporals in the Sep-' 
 tember of that year. 
 
 Walter de Fulbum, a Franciscan friar and chancellor of Ireland, 
 succeeded his brother Stephen, in 1286. He died in 1307, and was the 
 first Franciscan who sat in the see of Waterford. 
 
 Mathew, chancellor of the cathedral of W aterford, was elected on 
 the 11th of December, 1307. Mathew died in December, 1322, and 
 was buried in his own church. 
 
 Nicholas Welifed, dean of Waterford, was consecrated on Palm 
 Sunday, in 1323. He presided fourteen yeare, having died in 1337. 
 
 Richard Francis, succeeded in the year 1338, and obtained the 
 temporals in the April of that year. He died A.D. 1318. 
 
 Robert Elyot succeeded in 1319, and was deprived by the Pope in 
 the following year. The cause is not known. 
 
 Roger Cradock, a Franciscan friar, was advanced to the see of Wa- 
 terford by Pope Clement VI., in February, 1350. While this prelate 
 sat in the see of Waterford, a contest arose between him and Ralph 
 Kelley, archbishop of Cashel. Tlie cause of this contest is related to have 
 been, “ Because two Irishmen of the Clankellans were convicted of heresy 
 before the bishop, at the castle of Bunratty, in the diocese of Killaloe, and 
 were burned.” According to Wadding, their crime was a contumely 
 offered to the Virgin Mary. It is also affirmed, that “ the archbishop, a 
 little before midnight, entered privately into the churchyard of the 
 Blessed Trinity, at Waterford, by the little door of Saint Katharine, and 
 accompanied by a troop of armed men, assaulted the bishop in his 
 lodgings, wounded him and many others, who were in his company, and 
 robbed him of his goods.” And all this was done, it is said, by the 
 advice of W alter Reve, who pretended to be dean of W aterford, and of 
 William Sendall, mayor of that city. Roger was translated to the see 
 of Landatf, in Wales, A.D. 1362, where he sat twenty yearn. Luke 
 Wadding asserts, that in accordance with the petition of Ralph, arch- 
 bishop of Cashel, the sees of Lismore and Waterford were united in the 
 year 1363. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 239 
 
 LISMORE— ITS FOUNDATION. 
 
 Saint Cartliag founded the see of Lismore in the year 633. Tills 
 saint, sometimes called Mochiida, was born in Kerry, about the mid- 
 dle of the sixth century. Having studied several years under Saint 
 Comgall, of Bangor, he removed to Clonfert-Molua, with a view of 
 practising greater austerity, and of becoming acquainted with monastic 
 discipline. 
 
 The first establishment of St. Carthag was at Batheny, in the present 
 county of Westmeath. In this retreat he drew up a rule for his disci- 
 ples, and remaining here foi’ty years, was at length consecrated bishop 
 Though his great sanctity, and that of his monks, should secure them 
 protection against cruelty, they were compelled to relinquish their mo- 
 nastery at Batheny, by Blathmac, prince of the country ; but on being, 
 after their expulsion, kindly received by Moelochtride, prince of Kan- 
 desi, and obtaining the tract of land in which Lismore is situated, they 
 settled there, and founded the celebrated monastery of that place. It 
 soon became an episcopal see, and was governed by a regular succession 
 of prelates, until it became united with Waterford, in the year 1363. 
 Its holy founder, having retired to a solitary valley at the east end of the 
 town, spent the last years of his life in prayer and contemplation. He 
 died on the 14th of May, A.D. 637, and was buried at Lismore. 
 
 Hitherto a wild and dreary spot, Lismore soon became a consider- 
 able city, and the fame of the school which St. Carthag founded in con- 
 nection with his monastery, spreading not only over Ireland and Eng- 
 land, but also over the most distant parts of the continent of Europe, 
 numbere flocked from Gaul, Germany, Italy, the regions of the Danube, 
 and from Scotland and Britain ; and those students who came in the 
 days of Ireland’s splendor, and in those of the glory and renown of Lis- 
 more, returned to their respective homes, full of gratitude to the 
 country that afforded them education and hospitality. 
 
 Ages have passed over — revolutions have succeeded — scarcely does 
 tradition point out the site of this ancient asylum, in which the genius 
 of literature was once supreme. After the death of the holy founder, 
 St. Carthag, the schools of Lismore became still more celebrated under 
 the learned Cathaldus, in the middle of the seventh century, who after- 
 wards succeeded to the bishopric of Tarentum, in Italy, and who, it is 
 said, foretold the destniction of Naples. 
 
 Into the religious establishments of Lismore, women were prevented 
 from entering — a rule that was observed in other monasteries, until it 
 was generally adopted over all the religious f( andations of Ireland. 
 
240 
 
 ECCLEPIASTICAI. inSTOEY OF lEELAOT). 
 
 Some of tlie superiors of Irisli communities would not even allow wo- 
 men to enter the chapels or churches belonging to them, — nor could 
 ladies complain of this incivility, as such churches were not intended 
 for their use. A similar observance is enforced in all the monasteries 
 and convents of men, episcopal seminaries, and some colleges on the 
 continent of Europe. 
 
 St. Carthag, the first bishop and the founder of the see of Lismore, 
 about the year 633. This venerable servant of God died, as was already 
 noted, on the 14th day of May, 637. 
 
 Hierologus or Tlieologus, abbot and bishop of Lismore, died on the 
 16th of January, 698. 
 
 Colman or Mocholmoc, son of Finbarr, succeeded Ilierlog in the 
 government of the abbey and bishopric. While Colman presided, Lis- 
 more stood in a higher degree of reputation, both for learning and vir- 
 tue, than any other seminary in Ireland. Colman died on the 22d of 
 January, 702. 
 
 Saint Cronan, a learned man, and called the “ wise,” was descended 
 of a noble stock, and of the same family with St. Ailbe, of Emly ; died 
 on the 9th of February, 717. 
 
 Colman O’Liathain, a learned doctor and bishop of Lismore, died 
 about 725. 
 
 Macoge, died in 746. 
 
 Eonan, died in 763, but his consecration is doubtful. 
 
 Cormac Culenan, prince of Desies, in Munster, and bishop of Lis- 
 more, is said to have died in the year 918, — is not to be confounded 
 with Cormac of Cashel, who was slain either in 903 or 908. 
 
 O’Mail-Sluaig, bishop of Lismore, died A.D. 1025. 
 
 Moriertach O’Selbac, died in 1034. 
 
 Mac Airthir, died in 1064. 
 
 Mael Dun O’Rebacain. died in 1091. 
 
 Mac Mic Aeducan, died in 1113. 
 
 Gilla Mocudu O’Rebacain, who, it is supposed, was only abbot, died 
 in 1129, as Malchus, according to St. Bernard, was bishop of Lismore 
 in 1123, when St. Malachy repaired hither. 
 
 Malchus lived in 1123. “ He was,” says St. Bernard, “ a man full 
 
 of days and virtues, and the wisdom of God was in him.” Bishop 
 Malchus was 4n Irishman, educated in England, and embraced a mo- 
 nastic life in the abbey of Winchester, whence he was removed to the 
 see of Lismore. It is not decided whether different from the Malchus 
 of Waterford, who was promoted in 1096, to that see. 
 
 In the see of Lismore, Malchus became eminent by his great learn- 
 ing, exemplary life, and also by miracles, as St. Bernard testifies. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lElCI^ND. 
 
 241 
 
 Maol or Malclius was preceptor to St. Malachy O’Moore, of Armagh, 
 who was induced by the solicitations of Gilbert, bishop of Limerick 
 and legate of Ireland, and the holy prelate of Lismore, to accept the 
 primatial chair. Malchus, according to Harris, was living in 1134, but 
 the year of his death is not on record. 
 
 Christian O’Conarchy, born near Bangor, in Ulster, a disciple of St. 
 Malachy, and at last his archdeacon, either in Armagh or Down, suc- 
 ceeded in 1150. St. Malachy sent Christian to the abbey of St. Ber- 
 nard, at Clairvaux, to be instructed in the Cistercian institute, where he 
 became a monk, and having returned to Ireland in 1142, was appointed 
 the fii-st abbot of Mellifont. Soon after consecrated bishop of Lismore, 
 he was constituted legate of Ireland. While he sat in the chair of Lis- 
 more, the synod of Kells was held, at which he and Cardinal Paparo 
 presided. 
 
 In the year 1157, Christian presided at a synod held in the abbey of 
 Mellifont,' — seventeen bishops, together with Gelasius, archbishop of 
 Armagh, assisting in its celebration. While this synod sat, the church 
 of this beautiful abbey, the most splendid in Ireland, was consecrated. 
 According to Keating, Christian was superior of all the monks of Ire- 
 land (his own order). Christian died very far advanced in years, A.D. 
 1186, and was buried in the abbey of O’Dorney or Kyrie eleison (county 
 of Kerry). Tired of worldly pomp, and choosing a life of retirement, 
 which was more genial with his earlier habits of prayer and contempla- 
 tion, this holy prelate resigned the see of Lismore in the year 1175. 
 
 Felix, bishop of Lismore, was sitting in 1179 ; assisted at the council 
 of Lateran held in that year. He gave the church of St. John, at Lis- 
 more, to the abbey of Thomas-court, • near Dublin. The time of his. 
 consecration is to be inferred from the resignation of Christian, and that 
 of his death from the appointment of his successor. Harris thinks his 
 death ought to be placed in 1206, and considers this prelate of Lismore 
 the one who was so grievously injured by Eobert, bishop of Waterford. 
 The contest began in the year 1209, when David Walsh was slain, and 
 renewed by his successor, Eobert. If the prelate Felix was the pei-sou 
 thus injured, he could not be put down as hors de combat in 1206. 
 
 Odanus or O’Heda, a Cistercian monk, and a disciple of St. Mala- 
 chy, w'hile that holy prelate sat in the chair of Down, a man of great 
 esteem for his learning, sanctity and knowledge, is said to have suc- 
 ceeded Christian O’Conarchy in the see of Lismore. If Felix and 
 O’Heda be one and the same, his incumbency must have continued long 
 after the year 1206. 
 
 Eobert of Bedford, so called from the place of his birth in England, 
 was elected without the king’s licence, on the 12th day of December, 
 
242 
 
 ECCLESLiSTICAX, HISTORY OF rREI^AND. 
 
 1218. Ills election, on that account, was voided by the king’s council. 
 The proctors of the chapter, [Macrobius and David, at once renouncing 
 the first election, produced authority from the canons of Lisiuore, en- 
 abling them to elect : -whereupon, licence being given, they reelected 
 Dobert of Bedford, -whom the king confirmed, giving him also the tem- 
 porals the same year, — he was consecrated in London. Bobert, of 
 Waterford, who claimed the see of Lismore as united to his own, sug- 
 gested a fraud in the proceedings of the canons at Lismore, and sup- 
 ported his pretensions by exhibiting the letters of John, cardinal priest 
 of St. Stephen, on the Coelian Mount, the Pope’s legate for the ordering 
 and uniting of those bishoprics. 
 
 Upon this petition the king annulled the election of Bobert de 
 Bedford, and directed that restitution of the temporals should be made 
 in fixvor of Bobert, bishop of Waterford, but Bobert de Bedford ap- 
 pealed from the king’s order to the Pope, who referred the investigation 
 of the cause to his legate, Pandulph de Masca, bishop elect of Norwich, 
 Stephen I.angton, archbishop of Canterbury, and Benedict, bishop of 
 Bochester. Having enquired into the matter, a definitive sentence was 
 given against the bishop of Waterford, and it was declared, that the 
 union made by the former legate was void, and the election of de Bed- 
 ford good and valid. The bishop of Waterford was moreover con- 
 demned in the sum of three hundred marks to the bishop of Lismore, 
 for past profits and costs of suit. 
 
 Bobert de Bedford died soon after the teniiination of the contest 
 with the bishop of Waterford, A.D. 1222. 
 
 Griffin Christopher, chancellor of Lismore, was elected to this see in 
 the year 1223, but was not consecrated until 1227, as it apjiears he had 
 not received the confirmation of his metropolitan. This prelate, was 
 the fii'st who instituted vicars choral in the cathedral of Lismore. 
 
 Before his death he granted a-way eighty acres of land, two of mea- 
 dow, eighty of wood, belonging to this see, to Philip Fitz-Adam Chris- 
 topher, senior, without the consent of his chapter. Griffin died, in 
 1246. 
 
 Alan O’Sullivan, a Dominican friar, was translated to the see of 
 Lismore from the diocese of Cloyne, in 1248, and died in 1252. 
 
 Thomas, Treasurer of Lismore, -was elected by the dean and chapter 
 of Lismore, in April, 1253 ; was confirmed by the king in July follow- 
 ing. Two years before his death some trouble arose between this prelate 
 and Mathew le Poer, who arrested the prelate, and kept him in prison 
 for some time. This affair took place in 1268. Thomas having died, 
 was buried in his own church. 
 
 John Boche or de Bnpe, descended of a noble family, and chanter 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 243 
 
 of Jiismore, was elected and confirmed A.D. 1270. lie sat almost nine 
 years, and died about Whitsuntide, 1279. 
 
 Richard Cor, chancellor of Lisrnore, was elected and obtained the 
 temporals on the 24h of October, 1279. A great contest arose between 
 this prelate and Stephen Fulburn, bishop of AVaterford, about some 
 lands ; the affair remaining undecided, through the translation of Ste- 
 phen to the see of Tuam, it was again revived between him and Walter 
 Fulburn, Stephen’s successor in the see of Waterford. It was at last 
 composed in the year 1288. 
 
 In 1297, Richard brought a writ of entry in the post against Philip 
 Fitz-Adam Christopher, jun., for possessions which Griffin Christopher 
 granted without the consent of his chapter. Richard was successful in 
 his suit. He died a little before the feast of All Saints, in 1303, and 
 was buried in his own church. 
 
 William of Flanders or Fleming, "was elected in the end of 1303, or 
 the beginning of the following year, bishop of Lismore. William was 
 archdeacon of Lismore before his election to the see. He died about 
 November, 1321. 
 
 John Leynagh, a secular priest, was consecrated on Palm Sunday, 
 1323, bishop of Lismore. In 1347, he was indicted for opposing the 
 subsidy which the parliament granted to the king, and was found guilty. 
 John died a little before Christmas, 1354, and deserved well of his suc- 
 cessors for recovering the possessions of his see. After the death of 
 this prelate the see was kept vacant some years. 
 
 Thomas le Reve was promoted to the see of Lismore at Avignon, in 
 1358, and during his incumbency the sees of Waterford and Lismore 
 were united, A.D. 1363, by Pope Urban Y., an act which the King 
 Edward HI. confirmed on the 7th of October following. Tliomas le 
 Reve died a very old man, A.D. 1393, and had been, in 1367, chancelloi' 
 of Ireland for some time. 
 
 It appears that the union of those sees had been in contemplation a 
 long time before the act of Pope Urban, and must have been the cause 
 of the disputes between the prelates of those sees — disputes that were 
 disastrous to life and to the interest of religion. It is lamentable to have 
 to record such quarrels betw'een those who are constituted to inculcate 
 and enforce virtue and forbearance in others, while avarice or a vile 
 propensity to acquire wealth and territory, which w'ould be criminal 
 even in the laic, stimulates them to acts of spoliation and of rapine. 
 It is worthy of remark that no such disgraceful conduct took place in 
 the Irish church, until her so-called reformers thronged the precincts ot 
 her sanctuary, and disgraced the vfery name of religion by their crimes 
 and excesses. 
 
24 : 4 : 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI. HISTORY OF IRELAIO). 
 
 Robert Read, a Dominican friar, succeeded, in 1394. In two years 
 after he was translated to the see of Carlisle, in England. 
 
 Thomas Sparkford, a secular priest, of the diocese of Rath and 
 Wells, succeeded to those united sees, in 1396. Thomas died intestate, 
 in 1397. 
 
 John Deping, a Dominican friar, was consecrated in 1397 A pre- 
 late of the name of Colby is said to have enjoyed the bishopric a very 
 short time, between the death of John Deping and the appointment of 
 Thomas Snell, in 1399, the year in which Deping died. 
 
 Thomas Snell, archdeacon of Glendaloch, having renounced all 
 clauses in the Pope’s provision, prejudicial to the king, and having 
 sworn fealty, obtained the temporals in 1399 ; he sat about six years, 
 and was translated to the see of Ossory in 1405. 
 
 Roger succeeded in 1405 ; sat three yeare and some months. 
 
 John Geese, a Carmelite filar, succeeded in August, 1409, by provi- 
 sion of Pope Alexander V. John died in December, 1425. He was a 
 doctor of divinity in the university of Oxford, and a prelate greatly 
 celebrated for his piety and learning. Whatever may be said of his 
 learning, the impeachment of Richard O’lledian, archbishop of Cashel, 
 before the parliament, does little credit to his piety. 
 
 Richard, archdeacon of Lismore, succeeded, by the provision of the 
 Pope Martin V., in 1426. He died on the 7th day of May, 1446, and 
 was buried at Waterford, in a monument fixed in the wall of his 
 cathedral. A report of his death having been circulated, Thomas Bird, 
 a Dominican friar, was consecrated in 1436, to preside over the secs of 
 Waterford and Lismore, who died in 1446. 
 
 Robert Poer, dean of Limerick, succeeded in 1446. lie obtained a 
 licence from King Edward IV. to purchase lands in mortmain, for him- 
 self and his successor, to the yearly value of forty pounds. Robert died 
 about the year 1471, greatly esteemed for his charity and hospitality. 
 
 Richard Martin, a Franciscan friar and professor of divinity, was ap- 
 pointed b}’’ the Pope to succeed, in March, 1472. 
 
 John Bolcomp, succeeded in 1475; was consecrated in this or the 
 following year, and died in 1479. 
 
 Xicholas O’llenisa, a Cistercian monk and abbot of St. Mary’s, of 
 Fermoy, succeeded in 1480, by provision of Pope Sixtus IV. He sat 
 but a short time. 
 
 John, rector of Baudrip, in the diocese of Bath and Wells, was 
 bishop of Waterford in 1482. 
 
 Thomas Purcell, succeeded in 1486. Tlie same year Thomas took 
 care to have the ancient charters of the church of Lismore, among its 
 other antiquities, transcribed into a registry, by his amanuensis, John 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 2i5 
 
 Russel, economist of that church ; it was afterwards destroyed by an 
 accidental fire, in 1G17. 
 
 Thomas Purcell, died A.D. 1517. 
 
 Nicholas Comyn, a native of Limerick, bishop of Ferns, was trans- 
 lated to the sees of Waterford and Lismore, in 1519. Nicholas resigned 
 A.D. 1551. 
 
 Nicholas Fagan, abbot of Inislaunacht, was provided by the Pope. 
 Died and was buried in this abbey, A.D. 1617. 
 
 Patrick Comerford, of the order of St. Augustin, succeeded. Died 
 an exile, at Nantz, in France. Was living in 1649. 
 
 John Brennan was translated to Cashel, in 1676. 
 
 Edward Connery was bishop of Waterford and Lismore, in 1685. 
 
 Richard Pierce, succeeded in 1701. Was in exile A.D. 1735. 
 
 ■ Stretch, bishop of Waterford and Lismore, succeeded in 1736. 
 
 Patrick Creagh or Crowe, succeeded in 1770; died in 1775. 
 
 William Egan, elected in 1772, coadjutor, succeeded in 1775. 
 
 Thomas Hussey, elected in 1796 ; died in 1803. 
 
 John Power, elected in 1804 ; died in 1816. 
 
 Robert Walsh, deposed ; died in Rome, 1822. 
 
 Patrick Kelly, translated from Richmond, North America, to Water- 
 ford and Lismore ; died on the 8th of October, 1829. 
 
 William Abraham, consecrated in 1830 ; died in the beginning of 
 1847. 
 
 Nicholas Foran, the present bishop, consecrated on the 24tb of 
 August, 1847. 
 
246 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 DIOCESE OF CLOTNE AND ROSS. 
 
 The firet of these sees was founded by Saint Colinan, about tlie year 
 580. Colman was of royal extraction by his father’s side, whose ^nanie 
 was Lenine or Lenin, and brother to one of the Saints Bridget. lie is 
 sometimes surnamed Mitine, whence it is to be inferred that he was a 
 native of tlie district called Muskerry, in the county of Cork. The time 
 01 his bii'th is not known, but it was probably about the year 522. lie 
 seems to have devoted his early years to the study of poetry, and we are 
 assured that he was domestic poet to the prince Aodh Caomh, who was 
 raised to the thi'one of Cashel about the middle of the sixth century, 
 and that he was present, together witli Brendan of Clonfert, at his inau- 
 guration in Maghfemyn, between Cashel and Clonmel. 
 
 Colman, soon after, in accordance with the advice of Saint Brendan, 
 renounced his worldly pursuits, and is said to have repaired to the 
 school of St. larlath, at Tuam. Some say that he was the disciple of 
 St. Finbarr, of Cork, but it is not likely, as Colman must ’have been 
 much older. 
 
 Colman died, according to some, in the year 601, or to others, in 
 604 ; his festival is marked at the 24th of November. It appears, that 
 St. Colman became an eminent scholar, as he has left a life of St. Senan 
 of Inniscathy, written in Irish metre, and in an elegant style. He was 
 also a great proficient in the science of the saints. 
 
 The see of Ross was founded by St. Fachnan, about the year 570. 
 He is also reckoned among the disciples of St. Finbarr, but he was prior 
 to that saint. He was surnamed Mongach, i. e. hairy, or accordhig to 
 another interpretation, MacMongach, son of Mongach. 
 
 Before he established himself at Ross, Fachnan was abbot of Darinis, 
 (Maclantaidh,) now Molona, a small island in the river Blackwater, 
 county of ^J^aterford. The school which he founded at Ross was one of 
 the most celebrated and frequented in the south of Ireland. St. Fach- 
 nan died at the close of the sixth century, and his natalis, or the day of 
 his death is marked on the 14ih of August. Tliis see has obtained the 
 
1 
 
 ®atbclJraI QTburct) of (Jlojnt, ^ountp ®orh. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 247 
 
 name of Eoss. Alitlire, because of the number of pilgrims who resorted 
 thither. 
 
 The see of Ross became annexed to that of Cloyne, in the eighteenth 
 century, and has been again reconstituted by the present illustrious 
 Pontiff Pius IX. 
 
 St. Cohnan, first bishop of Cloyne, as already noticed. Of his suc- 
 cessors in the see, only five are recorded, until the coming of the Eng- 
 lish. Rechtaidh, the learned bishop of Cloyne, died A. D. 884, 
 
 O’Malvain, bishop of Cloyne, died in 1094. 
 
 Nehemiah O’Moriertach, flourished in the year 1140, and died about 
 1149. He is called “ a plain and modest man, excelling all othei-s in 
 wisdom and chastity.” 
 
 O’Dubery or O’Dubrein, called abbot of Cluainvama, died in 1159. 
 
 O’Flanagan, died in 1167. 
 
 Mathew, sat in 1171, and died about the year 1192' — supposed to 
 have been O’Mongagh, — if so, he was legate of Ireland, whose legatine 
 authority devolved on Mathew O’lleney, archbishop of Cashel. 
 
 Lawrence O’Sullivan, who succeeded, died at Lisrnore, in 1204. 
 
 Daniel, died in 1222. 
 
 Florence, archdeacon of Belleghac, was elected bishop of Cloyne, 
 and at the Pope’s request obtained the temporals on the 25th of August, 
 1224. In the February of the following year, the custody of the tem- 
 porals was granted to Marian, archbishop of Cashel. 
 
 Patrick, a Cistercian monk, and who was prior of the abbey of Fer- 
 moy, was confirmed by the royal assent in the year 1226. 
 
 Dai id Mackelley, dean of Cashel, succeeded, and was translated to 
 the see of Cashel in 1238. 
 
 Alan O’Sullivan, succeeded in 1240, was translated to the see of 
 Lisrnore in 1248. 
 
 Daniel, according to Luke Wadding, a Franciscan friar, was conse- 
 crated bishop of this see in 1249, Upon his election the dean and 
 chapter refused to present him to the king for his approbation ; but by 
 apostolic mandate directed to the archhishop of Cashel, and to the 
 bishops of Killaloe and Lisrnore, proceeded to have him consecrated. 
 The king became so offended at this conduct, that he refused to restore 
 him to the temporals, until he was prevailed upon by the urgent suppli- 
 cations of some good and religious men ; the chapter giving security, 
 by patent, that they would not in future proceed to elect without the 
 king’s licence, and that the person elected should present himself to the 
 king for his approbation, before he would be consecrated, Daniel died 
 in the beginning of the year 1264, and had been a prelate much 
 esteemed for his virtues, devotion, and wisdom. 
 
24S 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF lEELAND. 
 
 Reginald, wlio was bishop of Down, obtained the see of Cloyne in 
 1205. lie died about the close of the year 1273. 
 
 Alan O’Lonergan, a Franciscan friar, succeeded in 1274 ; he died 
 in 1283. 
 
 Isicholas de Effingham, an Englishman, succeeded in 1284, and ob- 
 tained the temporals in September of that year. He died in a very 
 advanced age, A.D. 1320, having presided upwards of thirty-six 
 years. 
 
 Maurice Osolehan, archdeacon of Cloyne, succeeded in 1320, and 
 died in 1333, in the thirteenth year after his consecration. In consider- 
 ation of Ihe poverty of the sees of Cloyne and Cork, King Edward lU. 
 formed a design to unite them, and with that view wrote to the Pope, 
 who agreed with the king in the propriety of the measure, and accord- 
 ingly issued a bull to that effect ; the original bull being lost, Richard 
 Wye, then bishop of Cloyne, applied to Pope Gregory XI. to remedy 
 tlie loss, and obtained an exemplification of the bull which John XXII. 
 had before granted; but the project of the union was not accomplished 
 until the year 1430, when Jordan, bishop of Cork, was promoted to 
 both sees on the death of Adam Pay, bishop of Cloyne, who used every 
 effort to bring this union about. 
 
 John de Cumba, a Cistercian monk, of the abbey of Combe, in War- 
 wickshire, succeeded in 1335, by provision of the Pope, and obtained 
 the temporals in the same year. 
 
 John Brid, abbot of the Cistercian abbey of Louth Park, in Lincoln- 
 shire, England, succeeded. Xothing more known of this prelate. 
 
 John AVhittock, succeeded in 1351 ; was dean of Cloyne when chosen 
 to the see ; was confirmed by the Pope, and obtained the temporals 
 from the king, having renounced all clauses in the bull of the Pontiff, 
 prejudicial to the royal interest. John died in February, 1361. 
 
 John de Swafham, a Carmelite friar of the abbey of Lyn. in the 
 county of Xorfolk, and doctor of divinity of the univei-sity of Cam- 
 bridge, was consecrated bishop of Cloyne in 1363. John was translated 
 to the see of Bangor, in Wales, on the 2d of July, 1376, by Pope 
 Gregory XI., as a recompense for his great labors against the Wick- 
 liffites. 
 
 Richard Wye, a Carmelite friar, was advanced to the see of Cloyne 
 by provision of Pope Gregory XL, and obtained the temporals in the year 
 1376. Having committed some misdemeanor, he was excommunicated 
 in 1380 ; he fied into England, and was deprived in 1394. Notwithstand- 
 ing his deprivation, he took upon himself to act as bishop ; and the year 
 following, King Richard H, who was then at Waterford, ordered him to • 
 
ECCXESIASTICAi IlISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 249 
 
 be arrested, and given in custody to Peter Ilackett, aiclibisliop of 
 Cashel. 
 
 Gerald Canton, an Augustin hermit, and vicar-general of that order 
 in Ireland, was promoted to the see of Cloyne by provision of Pope 
 Boniface IX., and was restored to the temporals in November, 1394. 
 Gerald was sitting on the 14th of May, 1407. 
 
 Adam Pay or Pye succeeded. Was sitting in 1421, and in that 
 year had disputes with the bishop of Cork in a parliament, assembled at 
 Dublin, about the union of Cork with the diocese of Cloyne ; the parlia- 
 ment took no cognizance of the matter, as it properly belonged to the 
 Pope. This prelate died in the year 1430. 
 
 Jordan succeeded to the see of Cloyne, united to that of Cork, in 
 1430. See Cork and Cloyne for the catalogue of the bishops who gov- 
 erned both sees, until the year 1748. 
 
 Diocese of Koss. Its founder and first bishop, St. Fachnan, Mon- 
 gach, already noticed. 
 
 Donegal MacFolact, whom O’Flaherty makes the twenty-seventh 
 bishop of Koss after St. Fachnan. He quotes the book of Leacan as his 
 authority : — 
 
 “ Dongalus, a Fachtna, ter nunus episcopus, extat, 
 
 Lugadia de Gente, dedit cui Rossia mitram. 
 
 This distich has been translated by the Kev. Mr. Dunkin — 
 
 “ Hail, happy Ross ! that could produce thrice nine 
 All mitred sages of Lugadia’s line, 
 
 From Fachnan, crown'd with everlasting praise, 
 
 Down to the date of pious Dungal’s dajs.” 
 
 Benedict was bishop of Ross in 1172, and sat about eighteen years 
 after. 
 
 Maurice, who succeeded, 1190 ; died in 1196. 
 
 Daniel, a secular priest, who obtained the see by forged letters to the 
 Pope, succeeded, and was consecrated at Rome by the bishop of Albano, 
 in the year 1197. 
 
 Daniel forged several letters from bishops, and thus deluded the 
 Pope to confirm him in the see of Ross. Florence and another monk of 
 Ross, having repaired to Rome, each of them asserting his claim to the 
 diocese ; the former accused Daniel of deception, in procuring his own 
 consecration. The Pontiff Celestine committed the examination of the 
 claims of those three candidates to Mathew O’Heney, archbishop of 
 Cashel, and to Charles O’lleney, bishop of Killaloe, with instructions, 
 if they found Daniel canonically elected, to establish him in the pos- 
 session of the see, — if otherwise, that they should investigate the claims 
 
250 
 
 ECCLKSIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAHH. 
 
 of the two monks, and declare the one chosen according to the canons, 
 the bishop of Eoss. Having proceeded to enquire, the delegates cited 
 Daniel to aj^pear, on three occasions, to which Daniel paid no attention. 
 They then enquired into the claims of the other parties, and finding that 
 the opponent of Florence was not even put in nomination : and it ap- 
 pearing that Florence was canonically elected, who had the concurrent 
 testimonials of the clergy and people of Ross, of the king of Cork, and, 
 moreover, the prelates of the province, they confirmed the said Florence 
 by apostolic authority. 
 
 During those proceedings, Pope Celestine died, and Innocent IH. 
 was advanced to the papal chair, and Daniel again repaired to Rome, 
 where he endeavored to support his cause, as he began it, by fraud and 
 falsehood. lie was at length ousted, and his competitor Florence 
 established in his see. 
 
 Florence succeeded ; was sitting in 1210, in which year he was sus- 
 pended by the Pope from the power of ordaining, for having conferred 
 three orders in one day, on "William, bishop elect of Emly. Florence 
 died in the year 1222. 
 
 Robert or Richard, who succeeded Florence, was sitting in 1225. 
 
 Florence O’Cloghena, resigned in 1252. 
 
 Maurice, a minorite, and chantor of Cloyne, succeeded in 1253. 
 Maurice obtained licence from the Pope to resign, and in 1269, the 
 archbishop of Cashel was empowered to receive his cession of the 
 diocese by Pope Clement IV., and absolve him from all obligations to 
 the church of Ross ; the Pontifl:' in his letter, added, that Maurice was 
 incompetent to govern the see of Ross, both from his want of learning 
 and the weakness of his constitution. 
 
 Walter O’Mitchain, a Franciscan friar, succeeded in 1269. Sat five 
 years, and died in 1274. 
 
 Peter O’llullican, a Cistercian monk, was consecrated in 1275, and 
 also obtained the temporals. Peter died in 1290. 
 
 Lawrence, a canon of Ross, was elected in 1290. He sat nineteen 
 years ; died in 1309, and was buried in his own church. 
 
 Mathew O’Fin, who- was an abbot, was chosen by the dean and 
 chapter on the 8th of March, 1309. Mathew recovered several pos- 
 sessions of his see, which had been unjustly usurped by Thomas Bar- 
 ret and Philip de Carew, Tlie king, thinking there was collusion in the 
 affair, in order that the statutes of mortmain might be avoided, ordered 
 another inquest to try the case, and the jury found in favor of the 
 bishop. Mathew died in the year 1330. 
 
 Lawrence O’Holdecan or Hullucan, succeeded in 1331 ; was con- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 251 
 
 finned by the dean and chapter of Cashel, as that see was then vacant. 
 Lawrence only presided four years. 
 
 Denis was consecrated in 1336. Denis died in 1377. 
 
 Bernard O’Connor, a Franciscan friar, succeeded in 1378, by provi- 
 sion of the Pope, and having sworn allegiance to the king, obtained the 
 temporals. 
 
 Stephen Brown, a Carmelite, succeeded in 1378, by provision of 
 Pope Boniface IX., and was restored to the temporals on the 6th of 
 May, 14r02. 
 
 Mathew, bishop of Boss, died about the year 1418. 
 
 Walter Formay, a Franciscan friar and doctor of divinity, was pro- 
 moted to the see of Ross by Pope Martin V'., in November, 1418. 
 
 Cornelius MacElchade, a Franciscan friar, was promoted instead of 
 John Bloxmonch, a Carmelite, who neglected to expedite his pro- 
 visional letters, by the Pope, to the see of Ross, on the 18th of August, 
 1426. 
 
 Thady succeeded as bishop of Ross, and was sitting in January, 
 1488 ; died soon after. 
 
 Odo or Hugh, succeeded in 1489, and sat only five years. 
 
 Edmond Courcey, a minorite and professor of divinity, who had 
 been consecrated bishop of Clogher in June, 1484, was translated to the 
 see of Ross in September, 1494. Edmond died in a very advanced age 
 on the 14th of March, 1518, and was buried in a monastery of his own 
 order at Timoleague, in the county of Cork, of which he built the 
 steeple, dormitory, infirmary and library. 
 
 John Imurily, a Cistercian of the abbey of Maur, in the county of 
 Cork, and afterwards abbot of that house, succeeded to the see of Ross, 
 in the year 1519. lie died on the 9th of January, same year, and was 
 buried in the monastery of Timoleague, having assumed the Franciscan 
 habit. 
 
 Bonaventure, a Spaniard, succeeded, and was sitting in 1523. 
 
 Dermod MacDomnuil was bishop of Ross in 1544. Dermod died 
 in 1552. He must have resigned before his death, as there was one 
 
 John, bishop of Ross, in 1551. 
 
 Tlioinas O’Hurley, bishop of Ross, assisted at the council of Tientsin 
 1563, together with Donat, bishop of Raphoe, and Eugene, bishop of 
 Achonry. Tliomas was forced to resign in 1570 ; died in 1579, and was 
 buried in the Franciscan convent of Kilchree, county of Cork. 
 
 Thomas was taken after a long search for him, together with his 
 chaplain, in a small island, by a son of O’Sullivan More, and delivered 
 up to Sir John Perrott, — was sent to the tow'er of London in the year 
 1571, where he spent three years and seven months with Primate 
 
252 
 
 ECCI>ESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Creagli, of Armagh — was at length liberated, and returned to Ireland — 
 attended to his episcopal functions, and died holily ; while in prison he 
 had to endure hunger, thirst, the darkness and the stench of his dun- 
 geon, and the annoyance of fleas and mice — the latter gnawing his 
 feet. 
 
 Those Irish prelates arrived at Trent, on the 25th of May, 1562 ; and 
 it is gratifying to find that the representatives of the Irish church were 
 not silent spectator of the important proceedings of this holy council ; 
 their votes in some of the congregations are recorded and their signa- 
 tures are found together at the end of the council. On the question of 
 communion under both kinds, on which there were seven different 
 opinions, the bishops of Ross and Raphoe gave an unqualified negative, 
 but the bishop of Achonry voted for the giving of the cup to the laity, 
 leaving the matter to the Pope’s discretion, — several other fathei'S giving 
 a similar qualified vote. In other transactions of the council, the 
 Irish prelates acted a distinguished part. 
 
 Some sort of union existed between this see and Cork, in the year 
 1586, and from that time until the appointment of Boetius MacEgan, 
 a minorite, to the see of Ross. Tliis holy prelate, in the fullness of his 
 charity, ventured to take excursions through the neighboring mountains, 
 for the purpose of administering sacraments to the dying, and on his 
 returning to a lonely retreat, where he had been a long time concealed, 
 he was overtaken by a troop of Ludlow’s cavalry ; the holy prelate 
 was assured, that a renunciation of his faith would secure him not only 
 pardon, but the confidence, as well, of their general, — bribes and pro- 
 mises were employed, but tried in vain. Boetius MacEgan, of Ross, 
 was immediately given up, by orders of Ludlow, to the fury of the sol- 
 diers ; his arms severed from his bod}", he was brought to a neighboring 
 tree, and suspended from one of its branches by the reins of his own 
 horse. 
 
 In the year 1748, the illustrious Pontiff Benedict XIY. separated 
 the see of Cloyne from Cork, and constituted John O’Brien bishop of 
 that see, uniting it to that of Ross. 
 
 Doctor MacKenna was bishop of Cloyne and Ross in 1775. 
 
 "William Coppinger, coadjutor bishop in 1778. Succeeded in 1791, 
 and died in 1831. This prelate has done eminent services to the Irish 
 church by his writings. 
 
 Michael Collins, coadjutor in 1827. Succeeded in 1831 ; died in 
 1832. 
 
 Bartholomew Crotty, elected in 1833. Was, at the period of his 
 election, president of the college of Maynooth, and Avas consecrated 
 there in the June of that year. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELANT). 
 
 253 
 
 Tliomas Walsh succeeded; sat but a short time, and died in 1849. 
 
 Timothy Murpliy, the present bishop of Cloyne, was consecrated on 
 the 16th of September, 1849. On the 2d of February, 1851, William 
 Kane, who was then parish priest of Middleton, was consecrated bishop 
 of Koss, at the solicitation of Dr. Murphy, who was instituted to both 
 sees. His disinterestedness on this occasion forms a striking contrast 
 with the conduct of other prelates in that province, who were more in- 
 tent on extending, than contracting the revenues of their sees. 
 
 CHAPTER XXYH. 
 
 PROVINCE OF TUAM.— RESUMPTION OF ST. PATRICK’S PROCEEDINOa 
 
 Having obtained the permission of the monarch Leoguire to preach 
 the faith all over Ireland, on the easy term of not disturbing the public 
 peace of the realm, wc find our apostle directing his steps to this 
 western region of the island. 
 
 Tliough the monarch was not converted to the truth, and repre- 
 sented as he is, an obstinate pagan, nay, even a persecutor, yet his 
 reign, like that of the sovereigns of other countries, is not stained with 
 the eflfusion of blood. Yet the toleration of St. Patrick’s preaching 
 afibrdedhim an incalculable advantage in prosecuting the object of his 
 mission. While he preached the doctrine of salvation to Carbre, one of 
 the brothel’s of the monarch, without success, insomuch that his life was 
 imperiled, the conduct of Conal, the brother also of Leogaire, was 
 cheering in the highest degree, as he listened with delight to the saint, 
 believed, and was baptized. 
 
 Deeming it important to establish the faith in the entire vicinity of 
 Tarah, he devoted a considerable time in preaching the Gospel in the 
 territories of Meath and Westmeath. Having employed almost three 
 yeare in its vicinity, he proceeded through Longford to the county of 
 Leitrim, where his preaching was distinguished by an extraordinary cir- 
 cumstance : in a portion of that territory, and in a plain contiguous to 
 Feanagh, the inhabitants worshipped the idol Cromcruach. Tliis spot 
 was called the “ field of adoration,” and was remarkable, as being the 
 district in which idolatry was first introduced by Tigcmmas, monarch 
 of Ireland, who, with his associates, was cut off by lightning, in the 
 year 3650. Tlie saint, in the plenitude of his zeal, resolved to strike at 
 this impious profanation, by visiting the place where this worship was 
 celebrated, and withdraw the unhappy people from this degrading rite ; 
 
‘ 254 : 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 and on arriving at its scene, the saint ai’dently poured forth his suppll 
 cations in behalf of a deluded people, ivho transferred to the work of 
 their own hands the worship due to the Godhead alone. Tlie prayer 
 ascended, and the mercy of heaven was moved in their favor ; for in 
 the presence of its dupes, the idol crumbled into dust, thus manifesting 
 the power of the true God in its destruction. On the site so long pro- 
 faned by impious rites, a church was erected, to commemorate the won- 
 ders which the Almighty accomplished through the ministry of his holy 
 servant. 
 
 Journeying to the interior of the province, St. Patrick and his com- 
 panions rested at an early hour in the morning, near a fountain, that 
 they might chaunt the praises of the Most High. This fountain was 
 near the royal residence of Cruachan, at Elphin, and near it the 
 daughters of the monarch had fixed their abode. "While the mission- 
 aries, attired in their white robes, were engaged in intoning the divine 
 praises, the princesses approached, intending to wash in the fountain. 
 Struck at the strange, but venerable appearance of the missionaries, 
 they anxiously enquired to what order of beings they belonged ; to their 
 several enquiries St. Patrick returned meek and courteous replies ; and 
 while gratifying their curiosity, he took care to instruct them in the 
 knowledge of the true God. The conversation that took place is too in- 
 teresting to be omitted : “ Who are ye ?” said these princesses ; “ Do 
 you belong to the air, to the heavens, or to the earth ? or does your God 
 dwell in the sun or on the earth, on mountains, in valleys, in the sea, or 
 in rivei’s ? Is he rich, is he young or old ; has he sons and daughters 
 and are they handsome ?” Such were the simple and artless inteiToga- 
 tions of Ethnea and Fethlimia ; and the apostle, with feelings of pity 
 for their ignorance and simplicity, explained the nature and attributes 
 of the only true God ; and knowing that the hand of God conducted 
 them hither, he unfolded the whole system of revelation : the fall of 
 man, and the economy of redemption, by which his fall was so singu- 
 larly repaired. Listening with delight to the discourse of the Saint, the 
 princesses besought him to instruct them how they would become 
 acceptable and pleasing to Him, whose grace was inwardly moving 
 their hearts. Tlie Saint immediately gave the necessary instruction, — • 
 they believed, and were baptized in the fountain, and were permitted 
 to partake of the bread of life. Having consecrated themselves to God, 
 they died, the holy and immaculate spouses of their Hedeeraer. Cheer- 
 ing must have been their conversion, as well as that of the Druids, 
 Mael and Capiat, under whose tutelage they were placed, to the Saint. 
 Encouraged by this auspicious event, he resumed his journey, and 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 visited several parts of the province ; his preaching, every n liere was 
 attended with success. 
 
 In Oran, a district of Roscommon, he assigned situations to a num- 
 ber of Gallic priests, who sought, on hearing of St. Patrick’s success, 
 refuge in Ireland, and who closed the remainder of their days in mo- 
 nastic retirement. We next find him in Magh-Seola, near Elphin, and 
 where he is said to have held a synod, at which Felartus and Sacellus 
 of Baslisk, in Roscommon, are named, as being present. 
 
 St. Patrick preached in IIua-R’olella, of which Tireril (Sligo) now 
 forms a part, and left there his disciple Cethenus. He is said to have 
 visited the native place of Cethecus, another of his disciples, and who is 
 well known in the Irish calendar, and is called Patrick’s bishop, be- 
 cause he was employed in various places distant from each other. 
 
 Passing Lough Gara, in Sligo, and the territory of Airteach, he there 
 pacified two brothers, who were quarreling about their patenial inheri- 
 tance, and obtained from them a field in which he built a church, plac- 
 ing over it, Cona, the brother of Sachcllus, lie next proceeds to 
 Costello, in Mayo, where he gained over the whole population to the 
 faith, — instructed Loam, and placed him over its cliurch, — and direct- 
 ing his stejis westward, he preached in the district of Caringh, baptized 
 a vast multitude, and left them Conan, a priest ; thence he went to the 
 territory of the O’Malleys, and there erected a church at Aghagower, 
 assigning to it Senachns, a most holy and humble man. 
 
 AVhile thus laboring in the province of Connaught, it is related, that 
 on the approach of Lent, or the annual fast which tlie Church prescriiies 
 to her children, St. Patrick retired to the mountain called Cruachan- 
 aichle, or the mount of the eagle, to devote some time to prayer and 
 meditation. It is hardly admissible that he would have been absent 
 from his converts or have lost so many days as^forty, without gaining 
 over more proselytes ; such a long retreat would have better suited the 
 hermit than the apostle of the nation. Probus says, that while on the 
 mountain he was surrounded by a vast number of birds, which were 
 transformed into devils, by some credulous persons, but they soon dis- 
 persed. (It is not improbable that the sea-fowls and birds of prey 
 might have assembled in large numbers on seeing a human being on 
 such a solitaiy spot.) Jocelin, in his life of St. L'atrick, alludes to the 
 expulsion of serpents and venomous reptiles from this mountain, — but 
 his assertion is refuted by Colgan, nor is there any reason to allege that 
 such noxious animals ever existed in the country, as there is not, in the 
 most ancient annals of Ireland, allusion made to those reptiles. 
 
 (Croagh-Patrick is a celebrated mountain in the barony of Murrisk, 
 
256 
 
 ICCCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 and within five miles of W estport ; it has been, and is still visited by 
 pilgrims, particularly on the last Sunday in summer.) 
 
 Having finished his retreat on the mountain, St. Patrick repaired to 
 a district, not far distant, and is said to have baptized some thousands 
 of people — the name of this place was Corcothemne. In the tract, 
 called Finmagh, a superstition of revering a fountain, Avhich the people 
 considered as containing something divine, attracted his attention, and 
 against which he directed his zeal. The worship of water was a preva- 
 lent superstition, and some, who adored water as a propitious deity, re- 
 garded fire as a bad one. Tlie Tripartite relates, that the well of which 
 we treat, was called by those foolish people the “ King of the waters,” 
 and who worshiped it as a god ; and this suj)er3tition was much enhanced 
 by the fact that a certain magus, who was an ardent votary of this 
 practice, got himself buried under a stone in that fountain. 
 
 Proceeding northwards, he arrived in the martial ten-itory, now 
 called TjTawley, where the seven sons of king Amalgaidh Avere* disput- 
 ing the succession to the principality, which had been recently decided 
 by the monarch Leogaire, in favor of Enda Crom. 
 
 The princes and people were assembled at Farrach Mac Amhailgaidh, 
 now Mullifarry, and hither the Saint directed his steps, preached to the 
 assembly, gained over to his heavenly doctrines the king, the seven 
 princes, and twelve thousand of the people, all of whom he baptized in 
 a fountain, called the Avell of Enadharc. (This well is still to be seen 
 on the eastern side of the ancient castle of Mulifarry, and on the verge 
 of the lake. It is well known to the people ai’ound, and its water is 
 used with complete success in cases of diseased stomachs, by those who 
 know its properties.) 
 
 It is said that he founded the church of Domnachmore, over which 
 he placed St. Muckin, as bishop, but we cannot ascertain the time in 
 which this Saint lived, and it is more likely that he has been buried in 
 this church ; its ruins (modern) are still pointed out on the town-land of 
 Tawnaghmore, which is adjacent to the scene of the apostle’s preaching 
 to the assembly. The festival of this Saint Muckin is observed on the 
 4th of March. 
 
 The extraordinary progress which St. Patrick had made in the work 
 of salvation, brought upon him the hostility and the hatred of the Pa- 
 gan priesthood of the territory. To oppose by argument the doctrines 
 which Heaven had so plainly sanctioned, could only add to their morti- 
 fication and give fresh vigor to the cause of tnith. To recur to human 
 agency in order to arrest the progress of St. Patrick, would be equally 
 useless, as by his prayers the idol which was most venerated through 
 the country, crumbled into dust. A conspiracy was then formed against 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF lEELAirD. 
 
 257 
 
 his life, and liis death regarded as the only means by which the with- 
 drawal of the people from their ancient superstition could be prevented 
 or retarded ; but Enda, one of the princes, who was converted, became 
 cognizant of tlie conspiracy, and by his remonstrance and exertions de- 
 feated the malice of those unhappy men. Nor did the crime they in- 
 tended to perpetrate, pass unpunished. Recraid, the chief conspirator, 
 soon experienced the anger of Heaven in his sudden death, and the ac- 
 complices, warned by the fate of the chief, understood the danger of mo- 
 lesting a man who was so visibly protected by the Almighty. 
 
 According to the tradition of the country, and which is strengthened 
 by the preceding narrative, this conspiracy was planned at Downpatrick, 
 where St. Patrick held a disputation with the chief Druid, whose altar 
 he overturned, casting tlie fire of sacrifice into a cavei’n, which commu- 
 nicates with the sea beneath, called to this day, “ Tlie Pool, or Cavern 
 of the Ancient Fire.” On the first Sunday of August (Crom Dubh) the 
 memory of this victory over the false worship of the Druids is celebra- 
 ted at Downpatrick. On an isolated rock of this promontory the ruins 
 of the Pagan temple are still visible. 
 
 Near Ballina, at Kilinoremoy, St. Patrick converted a prince, or no- 
 bleman, Eochad, son of the former Monarch Dathey, whom he baptized 
 in the well of that place, to which the people resort in memory of this 
 event. 
 
 Already has been noticed the vision with which the saint was favored 
 before he engaged in the work of converting the Irish people. In that 
 vision a letter seemed to be presented to him from the inhabitants of Fo- 
 clut, in which they entreated him to come and dwell among them. This 
 village is situated in the parish of Lacken, wnthin three miles of Killala, 
 and on a neighboring eminence where was a Pagan altar, he erected a 
 cross, the name of which still perpetuates an event which brought joy 
 to the people and delight to the saint. Tliat eminence is called the 
 “ mount of the cross.” 
 
 Having crossed the Moy near its mouth, the apostle entered Hy-Fi- 
 achra (now the Barony of Tireragh) and proceeded along the coast, bap- 
 tized the seven sons of Drogen, one of whom he selected for the ecclesi- 
 astic.al state, and when duly instructed, was placed over the Church of 
 Kilroe, near Killala, of which this Mac Erca is the patron saint. 
 
 From the river Sligeach (Sligo) he proceeded eastward, and was op- 
 posed by some of the inhabitants of Calrigia, who on his addi-essing 
 them, became tranquil and sued for pardon. Desirous to become ac- 
 quainted with the churches he had already established in Roscommon, 
 he was badly received by the family of Micerca, for whom Maneus is 
 stated to have interceded, thus averting the divine vengeance which was 
 
1^58 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAm). 
 
 to befall tliat family. The saint returned to Calrigia, and at Dromaliare 
 baptized Maccarthen, of whom we have no further account. He went 
 along the maritime parts of North Connaught, through West Cashel, 
 and Drumcliffe. 
 
 Every where by his preaching and miracles, the cause of truth pre- 
 vails and the gospel becomes triumphant. Though we cannot ascertain 
 the number of churches which he founded in this province, one thing is 
 agreed : that the reign of idolatry had ceased, and this bravo and mar- 
 tial people having embraced the gospel, its flame still burns in the 
 breasts of their descendants, and those descendants ground down by 
 persecution and driven into exile by necessity, or rather by the all-wise 
 dispensations of Providence, continue to nourish that Are of faith which 
 burns in the bosom of the Catholic Church, shooting its flames over the 
 universe, parching error, consuming iniq^uity, illumining every people 
 with truth and justice, converting and sanctifying souls, according to the 
 immutable decrees of Heaven. 
 
 During the seven years which St. Patrick devoted to the province of 
 Comiaught, the name of Christ was made known in its remotest districts ; 
 however, as the temporary announcement of the gospel would confer 
 only a transient benefit, St. Patrick guarded against so serious an omis- 
 sion by selecting, as he progressed tlu’ough the country, candidates 
 whose piety and intelligence pointed them out for the all-important 
 functions of the ministry. Many of those the saint himself instructed, 
 and the same important duty was discharged by the missionaries who 
 accompanied St. Patrick. Thus he was enabled to provide zealous pas- 
 tors for the numerous congregations which he had established. 
 
 Having provided for the welfare of religion in every portion of Con 
 naught, St. Patrick hastened to Ulster where, as yet, though the gospel 
 was preached, few converts were made. Anxious to deliver them from 
 the bondage of superstition, the Saint travelled through each district of 
 that province, every where proclaiming the mystery of man’s redemp- 
 tion, and every where his labors were rewarded with abundant fruit, and 
 to perfect the good work, he revisited the churches which were founded 
 in the beginning of his mission. 
 
 In accordance with our plan let us now hasten to the records of the 
 bishops who have presided in the sees of Connaught, that province to 
 which St. Patrick so ardently devoted his apostolic label's. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 259 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCE OF TUAM. 
 
 Its fiTst bishop, St. Jarlath, the son of Loga, of the noble house of 
 CJonmaicne, was probably born about the beginning of the 6th cen- 
 tury. St. Brendan is said to have received lectures on theology under 
 St. Jarlath. The first establishment of Jarlath is supposed to have 
 been at Cluanfois, where he founded a monastery and a school which 
 was resorted to by several students, among whom is reckoned Colman, 
 son of Lenine. Tlience he removed by the advice of St. Brendan, of 
 Clonfert, to Tuam, Avhere, being a bishop, he established his see. Though 
 we know not the date of his consecration, it is certain that he was the 
 first bishop of Tuam ; his memory is there highly venerated, and the 
 cathedral is dedicated in his name. Tlie year of his death is not known. 
 His festival is observed in the diocese of Tuam on the 6th of June^ 
 though the day of his death is marked in several calendars as the 26th 
 of December. He was buried at Tuam ; not in the cathedral, 'but in a 
 chapel, called that of Tlie Shrine. Certain prophecies regarding his 
 successor in the see of Tuam are attributed to this saint, but they do 
 not seem to be suificiently authenticated. Colgan has his doubts con- 
 cerning them. This see was erected into an archiepiscopal one at the 
 Council of Kells, at which the Cardinal Paparo distributed the palliums. 
 As the See of Mayo was annexed to Tuam, probably in 1210 or 157h, 
 the following are the names of the bishops who governed this see : 
 
 St. Gerald, of Mayo, is called bishop, but the fact of his consecration 
 is doubtful. He shall be noticed again. See Monastery of Mayo. 
 
 St. Muredach, the son of Indrect, bishop of Mayo, died A.D. Y20. 
 
 Aidanus, bishop of Mayo, died in 768. A blank of nearly 400 years 
 occurs in the records of his successors, O’Dunan, O'Cnaill, and O’Dufifey. 
 
 Cele O’Dubhaire, bishop of Mayo, died in 1209. 
 
 Stephen O’Braoin, archenach or chief governor of Mayo, died in 
 1231. 
 
 "William Prendergast, a Franciscan Friar, was advanced to the see 
 of Mayo by Pope Martin Y., on the 16th of July, 1428, and was de- 
 prived in 1430 for not expediting his provisional letters. 
 
 Nicholas Wogomai, a Franciscan Friar, was promoted to the see, va- 
 cant by the deprivation of W illiam. 
 
 O’Higgin, bishop of Mayo, died in 1478. 
 
 Hugh, bishop of Mayo, died in 1493. 
 
 John Bill, a Franciscan friar, was advanced to this see on the 5th of 
 November, 1493. 
 
2G0 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND 
 
 Patrick O’llely, bishop of Mayo, consecrated at Pome in 1578. He 
 was a native of the province, and at an early age lie retired to Spain, 
 where he carried on his studies with great applause, and joined the Se- 
 raphic Order of St. Francis. His martyrdom will be noticed in its proper 
 place. 
 
 Eugene Mac Brehoim was the last bishop of Mayo. 
 
 Among the successors of St. Jarlath, is reckoned 
 
 Ferdonmach, who died A.D. 781. 
 
 Eugene Mac Clerig, called bishop of Connaught, died A.D. 9G9. 
 
 Murchad O’Hioc, called Comorban, or successor of Jarlath, died, 
 A.D. 1033. 
 
 Aidanus O’Heisin died in 1085. He is called in the Annals of 
 the Four Mastere, “ Comorban of Jarlath, and archbishop of Con- 
 naught.” 
 
 Ercad O’Maelomair died in 1086. 
 
 Cormac O’Carrol died in 1091. 
 
 Catasach O’Conuil died in 1117. 
 
 Murgesius O’Nioc, called Comorban of St. Jarlath, died in 1128 in 
 the island called Inisan-Ghoill (Lough Corrib.) 
 
 Donald O’Dubhaig, archbishop of Connaught, died at Clonfert, A.D. 
 1136, and was buried on St. Patrick’s day. 
 
 Maurice O’Dubhai died on St. Brendan’s day, 1150, in the 75th year 
 of his age, and was buried in the Abbey of Cong. He was esteemed 
 highly for his wisdom and liberality. In llJl he convened a synod of 
 twelve bishops and five hundred priests to devise means for the ran- 
 som of Eory O’Connor, who was a prisoner in the hands of Tiernan 
 O’Kourke. 
 
 Aidanus O’lloissoin succeeded in 1150 ; was invested with the pal- 
 lium in 1152 by Cardinal Paparo. This prelate convened a synod at 
 Boscommon in 1158, in which useful canons are said to have been made. 
 He died in 1161, and was buried in his own cathedral under a monu- 
 ment with an Irish epitaph, giving him the title of Comorban to St. Jar- 
 lath. His piety, learning, and liberality are celebrated in the Irish An- 
 nals. In the year of his death, Boderick O’Connor, King of Connaught, 
 built a castle of stone at Tuam. During the troubled reign of this mon- 
 arch, the fine arts were not neglected by him, and he seems to have 
 liven them all the encouragement which his means allowed. Tliis edi- 
 fice, called the “'Wonderful Castle,” on account of its construction 
 and strength, was a specimen of his skill and architectural judgment. 
 Tlie cross of Tuam, which this prelate and Boderick O’Connor erected, 
 is described as the finest of the kind to be found in Ireland. The shaft, 
 the head, and base, are detached from each other and kept in different 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 261 
 
 localities. Tlie base of this splendid monument of Irish art is before the 
 portico of the Catholic cathedral. The head and shaft are thrown in the 
 Protestant church-yard ; though the language of Protestantism evinces 
 a contempt for sticli relics, still they are forcibly retained. Their anti- 
 quity may remind them of that loss which novelty stamps on the brow 
 of their law Church ; still to the mind of the beholder is brought the 
 glory of the Irish Church, when Protestantism had no existence, and 
 when the soil of Ireland was untrodden by English feet and unpolluted 
 by English crime. 
 
 Catholicus O’Dubhai, succeeded in 1161 ; he was a man of great 
 weight and learning. He was sent to England as ambassador to Rode- 
 rick O’Connor, monarch of Ireland, to arrange a treaty of peace be- 
 tween the king of England and Roderick. He afterwards, in 1179, was 
 sent to the second general council of Lateran, accompanied by othei 
 prelates ; on their passage through England, they were obliged to take 
 an oath not to do anything prejudicial to the king or his kingdom. 
 Catholicus died at Cong, in a very advanced age, A.D. 1201, having 
 governed the archiepiscopal see of Tuam forty years. 
 
 Felix O’Ruadan, a Cistercian monk, and uncle to the monarch 
 Roderick, succeeded A.D. 1201, and sat in 1235 ; when weary of his 
 charge, he resigned, and closed his days in the abbey of St. Mary, near 
 Dublin, in 1238. He covered the church and belfrey of St. Mar} ’s 
 abbey, with lead. lie was magnificently interred in the chancel of 
 that chui’ch. The annals of the abbey call him “ a man of pious mem- 
 ory.” 
 
 Marian O’Loghnan, succeeded in 1235. He was an eminent canon- 
 ist and dean of Tuam, and on his election hastened to Rome do obtain 
 the Pope’s confirmation. He was approved, and invested with the 
 pallium, by Gregory IX. He undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 
 To the abbey of Knockmoy he appropriated the church of Kilfelge. 
 He died at Athlone, before the Christmas of 1249. 
 
 Florence Mac Flynne, chancellor of Tuam, and called in the public 
 records “ subdeacon of the Pope,” was elected archbishop of Tuam. 
 He undertook a journey to Rome, and was confirmed by the Pope, and 
 on his return Avas consecrated at Tuam, on Christmas day, 1250. The 
 see of Enaghdune being vacant by the death of Tliomas O’Malley, its 
 bishop, he, by licence of the canons, retained the spirituals and tempo- 
 rals during his life. 
 
 Tliere is extant a petition of this prelate to King Henry HI., in 
 which the archbishop alleges, that the church of Enaghdune was a 
 parish church belonging to Tuam : that he procured a bull from the 
 Pope to reduce it to a parish church, as before: and as it was made a 
 
262 
 
 ECCLESIASnCAL HISTOKT OF mELAND. 
 
 see by the King’s presenting two bishops to it, he besought the King’s 
 confirmation of the Pope’s bull. Tlie King assented on condition, but 
 controvei-sies were carried on for seventy-six years after, regarding the 
 see of Enaghdune. Having taken a journey to England, accompanied 
 by the bishop of Killala, to make complaints of certain grievances by 
 which the Church was oppressed, and to seek a remedy, before his 
 return Florence died in Bristol, A.D. 1256, leaving a great reputation for 
 his learning and knowledge in the laws. He is said to have founded or 
 built a house for scholars in the Dominican abbey of Atheury, mid to 
 have left excellent rules for the friars. 
 
 "VI" alter de Salem, dean of St. Paul’s, London, was advanced to this 
 see by the Pope’s provision, lie died in London, on his return from 
 Rome, about the middle of April, 1258, without entering on his see. 
 
 Thomas O’Connor, bishop of Elphin, was elected archbishop of 
 Tuam ; took a journey to Rome ; was confirmed by the Pope, and in- 
 vested with the pallium. He died at Tuam, in June, 1279, having gov- 
 erned this see and that of Enaghdune twenty years. His learning and 
 endowments rendered him worthy of his oftice. Tlie see was kept va- 
 cant for some time, during Avhich the temporals Avere returned into the 
 exchequer. 
 
 Stephen de Fulburn, bishop of "Waterford, was translated to Tuam, 
 by provision of the Pope, on the 12th of July, 1286 ; he Avas of the 
 order of knights hospitalers, and a native of Fulbum, in Cambridge- 
 shire. With John de Ufford, who Avas elected to the see of Enaghdime, 
 he had a contest regarding his right, in which John Avas defeated. He 
 died in Dublin, on the 3d of July, 1288, and was buried in Christ 
 church. ■ 
 
 AYilliam de Bermingham, rector of the church of ArdmorAvin, suc- 
 ceeded, A.D. 1289. This prelate was the son of Myler Bermingham, 
 dynast of Athenry. As soon as he Avas consecrated he annexed the church 
 of Enaghdune to his see of Tuam, and by his directions Philip de 
 Blound, archdeacon of Tuam took away the mitre, the staff, and other 
 pontificals of the see of Enaghdune, and deposited them in a convent 
 of Friars at Clare, for safe-keeping. In the year 1306, Gilbert, a Fran- 
 ciscan friar, Avas consecrated bishop of Enaghdune, against the will of 
 the archbishop, who complained to the Pope of the injury done him, 
 but Gilbert succeeded, as his election Avas confirmed by the sentence of 
 Reginald Taaffo, Aucar-general of Armagh, on an appeal to the pri- 
 matial court. 
 
 William de Bermingham, died in January, 1311, in the 22d year of 
 his consecration, and was buned at Athenry, in the Dominican abbey. 
 
 Malachy Mac Aeda sat in the see of Elphin, and Avas elected arch* 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOKY OF EBELAOT). 
 
 2C3 
 
 bisliop of Tiiam by the canons ; Avas approved by the Pope, and 
 obtained the temporals on the 1st of April, 1313. lie recovered the 
 see of Enaghdune, and governed it twenty years before his death, 
 though held by Gilbert and three of his immediate successors, viz. : 
 James O’Kerney, who was translated to the see of Connor, in 1324, — 
 Kobert Petit, a Franciscan friar, late bishop of Clonfert, of which he 
 had been deprived, — and by Thomas O’Malley, avIio died at Avignon, 
 in 1328. Tliough the King interceded with the Pope, in behalf of 
 Tliomas, bishop of Enaghdune, yet Malachy possessed this See of Enagh- 
 dune. Malachy, archbishop of Tuam, died in a very advanced age, on 
 the festival of St. Lawrence, the martyr, A.D. 1348, and was bmled at 
 Tuam, in the cathedral of the Blessed Virgin. 
 
 Tliomas O’Carroll, who is called by the annals of Kenagh, a man of 
 great sufficiency and learning, was promoted to this see by the Pope, 
 who voided the election of Robert Birmingham. Thomas was conse- 
 crated at Avignon, in 1349, and in 1364 was translated to the see of 
 Cashel. 
 
 John O’Grady, archdeacon of Cashel, was this year elected arch- 
 bishop of Tuam ; consecrated at Avignon. The King restored him the 
 tem^iorals on the 19th of July, 1365. He governed the see six years. 
 He died at Limerick, in September, 1371, and was there buried. He 
 AA'as a prelate much esteemed for his liberality and wisdom. 
 
 Gregory, bishop of Elphin, was translated to this see in 1372. He 
 was fined £100 sterling, for non-appearance in a parliament held at 
 Castledermot, in 1377. He died in 1384, and the temporals were seized 
 by the King’s escheator, who made no return into the exchequer, as the 
 rents could not be collected on account of the troubles betAveen the 
 Irish and English. 
 
 Gregory O’Moghan, promoted in 1385, by the Antipope Clement 
 VH. ; Avas depriA^ed by Urban VI. Gregory Avas, according to the an- 
 nals of Loughkee, a man of great devotion and sanctity. His dejiri Ac- 
 tion bore heavily on his mind, and was, it is said, the cause of his death, 
 in 1392. 
 
 William O’Cormacain, succeeded, in 1386, and obtained the tempo- 
 rals on the 15th of March, of that year. He was, in 1394 translated 
 by Pope Boniface IX. to Clonfert ; but neglecting to accept of the bull 
 of translation, and unable to bear up, he fell into sickness, which ter- 
 minated his life in the same year. 
 
 Maurice O’Kelley, bishop of Clonfert, was translated to this see in 
 1394, and died on the 29th September, 1407. While Maurice Avas sit- 
 ting, John Brett, a Franciscan friar was transferred to the see of Enagh- 
 dune, on the death of Henry Twillow, bishop thereof, on the 24th of 
 
264 : 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 January, 1402. On the death of Maurice, the see of Tuam remained 
 some time vacant. Maurice O’Kelley was eminent for piety, hospi- 
 tality and wisdom. 
 
 John Babynge, a Dominican friar, was promoted to the see of Tuam 
 by the Pope, A.D. 1409 ; resigned the year following. Pope Martin V. 
 granted him permission to choose one of his order to attend him, as 
 domestic chaplain. lie died about 1427. 
 
 Cornelius, a minorite or Franciscan, was advanced to the see by the 
 Pope, on the 18th of September, 1411. 
 
 John Camere, a Franciscan also, was advanced to the see of Enagh- 
 dune, on the death of Matthew, in the November of 1421. 
 
 John Batterly or Barley, a Dominican, and doctor of divinity, wjis 
 advanced to this see by the Pope, in 1427 ; was a man of great learn- 
 ing, and eminent for his assiduity and elegance of preaching. He died 
 about 1437. He most happily governed his diocese. He was buried 
 in the abbatial church of Tuam, where his statue, adorned with the pall, 
 was erected. He has written many works, which have perished. 
 
 Thomas O’Kelly, bishop of Clonfert, was translated to the see of 
 Tuam, by the Pope, in 1438 ; was a Dominican, and eminent for piety 
 and liberality. He died A.D. 1441. 
 
 John de Burgo was consecrated about the close of the year 1441, 
 and died in Galway, A.D. 1450. 
 
 Redmond Bermingham, provided by the Pope, but got no possession 
 of the see, as he died in 1451, on his return from Rome, having obtained 
 the bishopric of Tuam. 
 
 Donatus O’Murray, an Augustinian, succeeded, by the Pope’s pro- 
 vision, about the year 1458. John Bole, primate of all Ireland, signified 
 to this prelate and his sufiragans, that he intended visiting the province. 
 Donatus founded a college, consisting of a warden and vicare, in St. 
 Kicholas’ church, Galway. He died on the 17th of January, 1484. 
 
 William Joyce was advanced to this see by the Pope, on the 17th of 
 May, 1485. He sat sixteen years and some months, and died on the 
 28th of Decembei’, 1501. There must be a mistake as to the year of 
 William’s succession, or death, for in the pontificate of Innocent VIH., 
 Peter Burgund, a Dominican friar, was archbishop of Tuam, A.D. 
 1486. 
 
 Philip Pinson, an English Franciscan, professor of divinity and suf- 
 fragan to Hadrian de Gastello, cardinal of St. Crysogonus, and then 
 bishop of Hereford, and afterwards of Bath and Wells, Avas at the soli- 
 citation of Henry YH., advanced to the archdiocese of Tuam, at Rome, 
 in December, 1503, and died there of the plague. Tlie see remained 
 vacant two and a half years. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IKELANP. 
 
 265 
 
 Maurice fie Portu, or O’Fihely, a Franciscan, was advanced to the see 
 o' Tuam by Pope Julius II. He was a native of the county of Cork, 
 and got the name of de Portu from the fine harbor of Baltimore, the 
 ancient seat of O’Fihely. lie was educated at Padua, in Italy, and be- 
 came doctor of divinity. He was a man of extraordinary acquirements, 
 and adorned with sanctity of manners, and obtained the name of 
 “ Flos munch,” the fiower of the world. Maurice assisted at two ses- 
 sions of the Lateral! council, in 1512. The year following he returned 
 to his own country, having obtained from the Pope the faculty of grant- 
 ino- indul^’ences to those who should hear his first mass at Tuam. At 
 
 O O 
 
 Galway he was seized with a fatal distemper, of which he died on the 
 25th of May, 1513, scarce fifty years of age, and was buried in the 
 Franciscan church, where his monument is shown on the south side of 
 the choir. He is classed among the writers of Ireland. 
 
 Thomas Mullaly was appointed to succeed, A.D. 1513. He presided 
 at a synod held in Galway in 1523 ; the canons of this synod are lost. 
 Archbishop Thomas died on the 28th of April, 1536, and was buried in 
 the Franciscan church of Galway, under the same monument with his 
 predecessor. 
 
 Richard Hangle, an eremite of St. Augustine, succeeded, at whose 
 request the pious Margaret Athy built the Augustinian convent at 
 Galway. 
 
 Christopher Bodkin was consecrated at Mai’seilles, in France, bishop 
 of Ivilmacduagh, on the 4th of November, 1533, and was translated to 
 Tuam on the 15th of February, 1530. He died at Tuam in 1572, the 
 thirty-sixth year after his translation ; his remains were conveyed to 
 Galway, and there buried. 
 
 Nicholas Skerrett, archbishop of Tuam, died in 1583, at Lisbon, and 
 was buried in the church of St. Roch : whither, after having endured im- 
 prisonment for the faith, he was obliged to fiy. 
 
 James O’llealy, archbishop of Tuam, was living in 1594; was sent 
 by O’Donnel as ambassador to Philip H. of Spain, and was a man of 
 learning and innocence of life. 
 
 Florence O’Mulconry, a Franciscan, the illustrious archbishop of 
 Tuam, from 1608 to 1629, was far-famed for his erudition. His piety 
 and munificence in founding the Irish Franciscan convent of Louvain, 
 in which many eminent ecclesiastics were trained, entitle his memory 
 to the gratitude of the Irish church. He was consecrated by Urban 
 VIH. before his elevation to the tiara. In his absence from his see, on 
 account of the awful persecution which the government carried on 
 against the prelates and pastors of the people, he appointed Francis 
 Kirwan, afterwards bishop of Killala, as vicar-general. 
 
266 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOKT OF lEELAOT). 
 
 Malacliy O'Qiieely or O’Kealy, was descended of O’Cadhla, of Con- 
 macne-inara. It is written in the book of Irish Genealogies, that a body 
 of troops under Carnen, their chief, joined the standard of Brian Bo- 
 ruinha, and fought at the battle of Clontarf. The Four Masters relate, 
 that in 1139, Hugh O’Cadhla was lord of Conmacne-inara ; and also it 
 is said by O’Dugan, that O’Cadhla was dynast at the time of the 
 Anglo-Horman invasion. Driven from their possessions by the Horman 
 settlers, this family possessed themselves of Conmacne-mara. They 
 lost their authority, but the name is still to be found in the barony of 
 Boss, county Galway. 
 
 Archbishop Malachy also employed Francis Ivirwan as his vicar- 
 general, an office which he held seven years. This prelate, in the uni- 
 versity of Paris, obtained the degree of doctor, and to his profound 
 learning joined consummate piety, and by his eloquence attracted pas- 
 tors and people to the practice of virtue ; his prudence won him the 
 esteem of all men, and his probity made him an object of veneration, 
 not only in private affairs, but also in the general assemblies of the 
 kingdom. This venerable prelate, who held a distinguished command 
 in the Irish confederate army, under Owen Koe O’Heil, was slain at 
 Sligo, by the Puritan rebels, in 1615, a short time before the arrival of 
 the nuncio Kinuccini, who celebrated the obsequies of Malachy in the 
 church of St. Mary, Limerick. After the capture of Sligo he was sent 
 to besiege it, but being sui-prised, two friars were killed by his side, and 
 he himself received a pistol shot in the loins. • This prelate was slain in 
 actual defence of his country and his faith ; and St. Thomas calls those 
 “ martyrs” who are killed while defending the Christian commonwealth 
 and the Catholic religion. Malachy sat in the chair of Jarlath fifteen 
 years. 
 
 Johannes de Burgo was translated to Tuam in 1617 ; was living in 
 1670. John was of the house of Clanrickard, and the aj^pointment was 
 not pleasing to the nuncio Kinuccini. The nuncio cited him to Borne, 
 for the opposition which he gave him in Galway. John de Burgo and 
 W alter Lynch entered the collegiate church of Galway by the roof, and 
 celebrated mass, despite the interdict of the nuncio. Kinuccini repre- 
 sented John de Burgo to his Holiness as a most impracticable person, 
 and, whenever occasion offered, as inflexible to his authority. A cessa- 
 tion of arms being concluded with Lord Inchiquin, president of Mun- 
 ster, the nuncio published a declaration against it : the abettors of the 
 cessation were placed under censure, the churches of Galway were 
 closed, and the divine offices interdicted. In this state of things de 
 Burgo found the city, and, on disapproving those measures, desired to 
 see the nuncio’s commission for assuming such authority. “ Hon osten 
 
4 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 2G7 
 
 dam,” I will not show it, was the reply of Rinuccini, — whereupon the 
 archbishop immediately answered: “nec ego obediam,” I shall not 
 obey. 
 
 De Burgo was doctor of theology ; was imprisoned and driven into 
 exile, and afterwards returned to L-eland. 
 
 James lynch, archbishop of Tuam from 1674 to 1691. His name 
 occurs in the registry of 1704, performing his episcopal functions in the 
 ordaining of priests, at his residence, Cluanbar, county of Galway ; was, 
 it ajipears, living in 1701, an exile, and died in 1715. 
 
 Bernard O’Gara, was bishop of Tuam in 1726, and in 1732 a con- 
 troversy arose between this archbishop and the people of Galway ; the 
 cause was referred to the sacred congregation “ de Propagande fide,” 
 at Rome, and in the following year the congregation issued a decree, by 
 which the affair was compromised. 
 
 Michael O’Gara, brother to Bernard, was archbishop in 1742 and 
 1750. 
 
 Mark SkeiTett was archbishop of Tuam in 1756 and 1775. 
 
 Philip Philips was bishop of Achonry, and was translated to Tuam 
 about 1780. 
 
 Boetius Egan died in 1798. 
 
 Edward Dillon died in 1809. 
 
 Oliver Kelly, the lamented predecessor of the present illustrious oc- 
 cupant of St. Jarlath’s chair, died at Albano, near Rome, in April, 
 1834. He repaired to the Eternal City, in order to provide an altar for 
 his cathedral. Dean Burke, of Westport, has erected a monument to 
 his memory, in the church of the Propaganda. 
 
 John Machale was consecrated bishop of Maronia in “ partibus in- 
 fidelium,” and appointed coadjutor bishop of Killala on the 12th of 
 June, 1825 ; succeeded to the see of Killala on the decease of Dr. 
 "Waldron, in May, 1834, and was translated to the archiepiscopal see of 
 Tuam on the 8th of August, 1834. Is a native of the diocese of Kil- 
 lala, and was born in the parish of Adrigool, at the foot of Kephin, one 
 of the most majestic mountains of Ireland. Having completed his 
 classical studies, he was sent to the college of Maynooth, by the ordi- 
 nary of the diocese, and there manifested those talents which were 
 duly appreciated by Dr. Delahogue, professor of dogmatic theology, to 
 whom he was appointed lecturer, and ultimately his successor in the 
 professorship. 
 
 Doctor Machale, during nine years as professor, gave evident proofs 
 to the board of the college, the superiors, as well as to those who were 
 placed under his instruction, that in selecting him to this important 
 ofiBce, their judgment was not misdirected; his time and talents were 
 
268 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 ardently devoted to the interests of the students ; and on being chosen 
 to occupy his place among the hierarchy of Ireland, and about to depart 
 towards the scene of his future labors, in his native diocese, the regard, 
 the veneration as well as regret, then so signally manifested, is still re- 
 membered in the college as an event accompanied with emotions of pain 
 and pleasure, because of his separation from this nursery of his talents 
 and his fame, and of his elevation to the dignity of bishop ; though his 
 time was thus profitably employed in the service of the college, 3'et in 
 tlie solitude of that establishment his intuitive glances were directed 
 towards that tortuous policy which the British government betrays 
 towards our oppressed countiy, and particularly towards those insidious 
 i:)lans, couched under the ill-digested systems of education, by which 
 efibrts are being continually renewed, in order to seduce the people of 
 Ireland from the ancient faith which St. Patrick planted, and which is 
 still our only glory and the only rallying point of Irish nationality. As 
 'yet a member of the college, he saw the danger of silence, and in his 
 fearless advocacy of the Catholic religion, shot from his retreat well- 
 directed volleys, full of learning and sarcasm, by which the nefarious 
 plans of the government were exposed to the scorn and contempt of the 
 nation. Those letters appeared in the Dublin Freeman’s Journal ; and 
 as the statutes of the college prohibited its professors engaging in po- 
 lemics, Dr. Machale assumed the name of “ Tlierophilos.” They were 
 thirty-two in number, and were not confined to the subject of education 
 alone, but ranged over the whole ground of Irish grievances. Of the 
 various talents and research which the writer displayed in these compo- 
 sitions, an exalted opinion was impressed on the public mind, and at 
 once convinced the government that in the Irish church there had 
 been an ecclesiastic whose pen would be as destructive to the strongholds 
 of tyranny as would be the artillery of an invading host. 
 
 In his new sphere of coadjutor bishop to the venerable Dr. Waldron, 
 his zeal in preaching and attending to the wants of the suffering poor of 
 tlie diocese were unceasing and indefatigable. In visiting tlie diocese he 
 was surrounded by the people, who regarded with affection the strenu- 
 ous advocate of their rights, and by the clergy, who venerated him as 
 their parent. To every project calculated to ameliorate the condition of 
 his flock, and to advance the cause of religion, John Machale gave his 
 powerful support, and, among other pressing exigences, the erection of a 
 cathedral was deemed an affair of primary importance. 
 
 Aided by the people of the diocese, whose zeal and piety were on 
 this occasion signally exhibited — by the local efforts of the parishioners, 
 who vied with each other in giving their donations, and also by the 
 clergy, whose generosity surpassed their means — steps were taken to 
 
ECCLESIASTIC^VL niSTOKT OF IKKLAND. 
 
 269 
 
 commence this important work. In the beginning of the year 1828, the 
 foundation stone of the cathedral was laid by Oliver Kelly, the arch- 
 bishop of Tuam, assisted by Dr. Machale and the neighboring prelates. 
 The sacred edihce is now complete, with the exception of its tower, — it 
 is in the Gothic style of architecture, and now stands as a monument 
 of the zeal of John Machale, and the piety of the faithful of his 
 diocese. Though plundered of their rights, and robbed as our national 
 church is, by a band of alien intruders, the poverty of our faithful, sup- 
 ported by an ardent faith and prompted by a burning zeal, has enabled 
 them, despite their privations, to erect this splendid temple to the living 
 God. It is situated on the right bank of the Moy, and almost adjoins 
 the venerable ruins of the abbey church of Ardnarce, wdiicli was founded 
 for the eremites of St. Augustine, by the family of O’Dowda. Colonel 
 Knox Gore was the donor of its site, and is at present representative of 
 a portion of church property, which was so profusely lavished on the 
 Kingston family by the sacrilegious spoliators of the day. 
 
 Though the health of the venerable Dr. Waldron did not permit him 
 to take an active part in the administration of the diocese, still he was 
 not inattentive to its interests ; to his counsel and advice the coadjutor 
 bishop paid filial respect and deference, and by his attention and regard 
 was, as it were, the staff of the declint-ng years of the ordinary. 
 
 As the incumbency of Dr. Waldron more properly belongs to 
 another place, we now come to the period of John Machale’s transla- 
 tion to the archiepiscopal chair of the province. The clergy of Tuam 
 having assembled to proceed to the election of a successor to the la- 
 mented Dr. Kelly, Dean Bourke, P.P. of AVestport, was placed first on 
 the list of candidates, and John, bishop of Killala, was voted as second ; 
 but at Rome, when the merits of the parties w’ere discussed. Dr. Mac- 
 hale was advanced to the metropol’<-an see of the province, by the fathei 
 of the faithful. 
 
 Knowing Dr. Machale to be the intrepid advocate of his country’s 
 rights, and the champion of that faith which has baffled the treachery 
 of the pagan, the malice of the heretic, the sword of the persecutor, 
 and wdiich is at present contending with, nay, contemning the seductive 
 charms of the British treasury, those timid ones, who admire in the pre- 
 late a calm and tranquil demeanor, while the foe is insidiously approach- 
 ing the ramparts of the church, were not slow in laying before the holy 
 see their diplomatic misgivings regarding the welfare of religion, should 
 J ohn of Killala be promoted to this important station. 
 
 Tlie holy father, Gregory XVI., with a firmness characteristic of that 
 universal solicitude which belongs to the see of St. Peter, defeated this 
 vile attempt to interfere with his judgment and his right to promote 
 
270 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 those who are the most worthy and the most proper to be placed on the 
 watch-towers of Israel. The fiat of the pontifical will being soon after 
 made known, the account of his removal spread univemal joy among 
 the people, and by their exultation manifested their sense of an event 
 fraught with interest to the national church of Ireland. 
 
 Though every lover of his creed and of his country admits the recti- 
 tude of the appointment, it has left a void in the diocese of his birth 
 W'hich future generations will and must deplore, as by his removal the 
 fine order, which he and his venerable predecessor had established, was 
 soon after, thrown into chaotic confusion. 
 
 Let British diplomacy strive to undermine, and a vile London press 
 endeavor to harass and deter, John Machale sits in the chair of Saint 
 Jarlath, ever ready to perform his sacred duties to his flock ; he is there 
 enthroned as the guardian of their faith and of their liberties — ready to 
 repel, by his remonstrance, any aggression on either by the government ; 
 independent of its trammels, as another Ambrose, he reproves the hard- 
 heartedness of British misrule, which consigns to hunger and exile the 
 dear ones entrusted to his spiritual care ; and when the callous minister 
 of proud England, alike insensible to remonstrance, though deafened 
 with the wailing of Irish misery, listens not with jjity or sympathy to 
 his appeals, he hesitates not to proclaim, to majesty herself, the distresses 
 and privations of his people. There he sits, “ the lion of the fold,” the 
 intellectual sovereign of myriads, over whom he exercises that un- 
 bounded sway, w'hich religion alone can impart, and which paiental 
 care and affection alone deserve. 
 
 Such is a brief and an imperfect outline of the career of this illus- 
 trious prelate. In private life his character is as admirable as his public 
 one is brilliant. He is meekness with his clergy — charity itself with 
 his people — hospitality to all ; that virtue which St. Paul commends in 
 the bishop. Though incessant in preaching and exhorting his flock, and 
 attending to his other pastoral duties, the cultivation of Irish literature 
 and the revival of the ancient language of his country are amongst the 
 objects of his constant study and pursuit. 
 
 When the present Board of Education, boasting Lord Stanley as its 
 projector, wilily attempted to tamper with the faith of Irish children, 
 and with the rights of the guardians of those schools, John Machale op- 
 posed the system, and has been mainly instrumenta\ in purifying it 
 An d again, when Sir Robert Peel endeavored, while O’Connell, the 
 champion of civil and religious liberty, w'as immured within the pre- 
 cincts of a dungeon, to which he was consigned by a vile government 
 and a viler jury, to foist on the Irish nation a system of collegiate edu- 
 cation, which the Irish bishops decried as dangerous to faith and morals, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 271 
 
 and wliicli was designated even by the bigots of England as odious, 
 nay, godless, John Machale, by his lucid exposure of its lurking poison, 
 drew upon it the odium of the nation and the withering anathema of 
 the sovereign Pontiff. 
 
 And that he may not be vilified as the opponent of education, 
 under his auspices, and those of his faithful cooperators in the 
 hierarch}', a Catholic university is being organised with the sanction 
 of the holy see, in which the blessings of an enlightened educa- 
 tion, civil and religious, will be extended to the middle classes ot 
 Ireland. 
 
 Unsparing in his denunciation of the Protestant church of Ireland, 
 the monster grievance of our down-trodden country, the ministers of 
 this alien establishment strive, by all means, to withdraw the poorer 
 members of his flock from the one true fold, in order that they may, 
 as if inefiectuate the impressions which his faithful pen makes upon the 
 public mind. His be the glory of crushing it, as his i? the merit of ex 
 posing its ruthless oppression and robbery of the poor 
 
272 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF rEELANB. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVHL 
 
 BIOCESB OF KILL ALA. 
 
 Was founded by Saint Muredach, son of Eocliald, who is errone- 
 ously supposed to have been contemporary with St. Patrick. Its 
 founder was descended of the royal house of Leogaire. In tracing his 
 genealogy, Colgan shows that he must have lived much later than St. 
 Patrick’s time. St. Muredach was contemporary with St. Columba, 
 and \vas one of those who assembled at Ballysadare, in the county ol 
 Sligo, to pay their respects to the apostle of the Hebrides, after the 
 meeting at Drumceat ; he was then bishop of Killala. Xo account of 
 his pjomotinn or of his death remains. The 12th of August is assigned 
 to his festival, and may have been the day of his death. It is recorded 
 among the people of the diocese, that his remains were deposited in the 
 island of Innismurray, which belonged to the parish of Aughris, but it 
 is now attached to the diocese of Elphin. The assembly of Drumceat 
 was held in the year 590, and consequently the see of Killala must 
 have been founded in that century. 
 
 In the life of St. Cormac we read that St. Patrick, St. Bridget, St. 
 Columba, St. Cannech, and St. Muredach, bishop, blessed the port of 
 Killala. 
 
 In the towm of Killala is to be seen one of the round towers, con- 
 cerning which there has been so much controversy or conjecture. Tlie 
 erection of this tower, the most perfect of its kind at present in Ireland, 
 and of the first church of Killala, is attributed to Gobhan, an architect 
 and divine of the sixth and seventh centuries. The pious builder re- 
 tired to a cell within a mile of Killala, where the stone intended for the 
 apex of the tower is still to be seen ; the cell was called Kilgobhan, and 
 scarcely a vestige of it remains. It has shared the fate of other monu- 
 ments, w'hich, like it, reminded one of the glory of other days. It was 
 situated in the townland of Cartoon, which belongs to Knox of Castle- 
 reagh, whose herds of cattle now tread over this venerable spot. Hearer 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 273 
 
 the town is another cell — Killihron, or the cell of Bronns, with whom 
 St. Patrick is said to have sojourned a considerable time during his im- 
 portant mission in Tyrawley. It has become a victim also to the devas- 
 tathig fury of the sixteenth century. Some years since, the round 
 tower of Killala was struck by lightning, and a hideous chasm was 
 formed in its side, but the last Protestant bishop has repaired it. 
 
 Tlie ancient name of this district was ITy-Fiachra, but it has ob- 
 tained its present one from “ Awley,” the prince, who divided his pos- 
 sessions among his sons, and retired to a cell, built here, — hence Killala, 
 or church of “ Awley.” 
 
 Kellach, bishop of Killala, in the reign of Tuathal Mselgarb ; was 
 the son of Doghan, or, according to others, of Owen Beol, king of Con- 
 naught. Tuathal began his reign in the year 528, and died in the year 
 544. Tlie Bishop Kellach was the great grandson of Oliol Molt, of the 
 Ily-Fiachras of Connaught, who succeeded to the throne in 463. Kel- 
 lach, the bishop, was murdered about the year 544, by his fosterers, near 
 Ballina ; the murderers were brought to justice, and torn asunder by 
 four horses. The hill of Ardnaree, on which they were executed, was 
 called “ Ardnariagh,” «.<?., the hill of the execution. We have, then, the 
 incumbency of a bishop in Tyrawley, before the time of St. Muredach, 
 who met St. Columba at Ballysadare, in the year 590. Muredach was 
 not then the first of this see who attended there as bishop ; nor can it be 
 supposed that a district so important as Tyrawley, and one to which St. Pat- 
 rick V as attentive, would be ■udthout a local bishop to provide for the spi- 
 ritual wants of the people, while in places of lesser note we read of his ap- 
 pointing bishops, as at Caisseal-J ora, in Sligo. If Muredach had been the 
 first bishop, the district of Killala must have been without a bishop from 
 the departure of St. Patrick, in 441, until the middle of the sixth century. 
 It is more reasonable to suppose that it was not erected into a regular see 
 until the time of St. Muredach. Ware asserts that St. Muredach was 
 consecrated by St. Patrick, about 440. In the tripartite life of St. Pat- 
 rick, it is said that he made Muredach, one of his disciples, the firet 
 bishop of Killala. But as St. Muredach is to be found in the sixth ge- 
 neration from the monarch Leogaire, it is impossible that he could have 
 then flourished. 
 
 O’Maelfogamair, called bishop of Tyrawley and O’Fiachra, died in 
 1151. We have, in the records of the bishops of Killala, an awful 
 chasm : the Danes having done their w'ork of destruction. 
 
 Imar O’Ruadan, bishop of O’Fiachra, died in 1177. 
 
 Donatus O’Beoda, bishop of Killala, on the 30th of March, 1198, 
 obtained from Pope Innocent III. the confirmation of the possessions 
 
 belonging to this see. Donatus died in 1207. 
 
 18 
 
274 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAIi HISTORY OF IKELAirD. 
 
 Seven MacCeles, bisliops of Killiila, are mentioned in the hook of 
 of Leacan, compiled hy MacFirhis. Leacan is situated in the parish of 
 Kilglass, Tireiagh. The ruins of the castle of MacFirhis are scarcely 
 more than traceable. 
 
 Cormac OTarpaid, bishop of Killala, succeeded, and died in 122G. 
 
 John O’Melfogamair, called bishop of O’Fiachra-Mui, died in 1234. 
 
 Gilla-Kelly O’Ruadhin, bishop of Killala, died in 1253. He accom- 
 panied Florence MacFlyn, archbishop of Tuam, to England, to seek 
 redress of grievances. 
 
 O’Laideg, bishop of Killala, died in 1275. 
 
 John O’Laidig or O’Loyn, a Dominican friar, died in October, 
 1280. 
 
 Donatus O’Flaherty was elected bishop of Killala, and obtained the 
 royal assent on the 16th of April, 1281. lie was the most eminent of 
 the Irish in piety. lie fell sick on his way to Dublin, and died at Dun- 
 boyne, in 1306. He was honorably interred in the house of the Virgin 
 Mary, at Mullingar. 
 
 John Tankard, archdeacon of Killala, was elected on the 13th of 
 June, 1306, and was confirmed by the archbishop of Tuam. 
 
 John O’Laitin, bishop of Killala, died in 1343. The soe was vacant 
 almost three years. 
 
 "William O’Dowda succeeded ; swore fealt}* to the king, and obtained 
 the temporals on the 25th of March, 1347, and sat three years. He was 
 the founder of churches and sanctuaries, and eminent for his piety, 
 alms-giving, and humanit}’. 
 
 Kobert, a native of Waterford, succeeded, A.D. 1350. 
 
 Brian FitzDona<>:h O’Dowda was elected in 1381, but his consecra- 
 tion is doubtful. 
 
 Thomas Lodowis, a Dominican friar, was advanced to the see by 
 Pope Urban VI., on the 9th of August, 1381. This bishop died about 
 the close of the year 1388. 
 
 Thomas Orwell succeeded in 1389 ; was a Franciscan filar. Trans- 
 lated, in 1400, to a diocese not known. 
 
 Thomas, archdeacon of Killala, succeeded by the provision of Pope 
 Boniface IX., in March, 1400, but he sat only a very short time. 
 
 Murcdach Cleragh succeeded, and died in 1403. 
 
 OTIanik, dean of Killala, was promoted to the see in 1416, and 
 died this year. 
 
 Connor O’Connell succeeded, and died in 1423. 
 
 Martin succeeded, and died in 1431. 
 
 Manus FitzFultagh O’Dowda, archdeacon of Killala, was advanced 
 to the see. and died in 1436. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 275 
 
 Connor O’Connell, bishop of Killala, was slain in the year 1401, by 
 Manus O’Dowda’s son. 
 
 Donatus O’Connor, a Dominican friar, was made bishop of this see 
 in 1461. 
 
 John O’Cashin, bishop of Killala, resigned about the year 1490. 
 
 Thomas, bishop of Killala, assisted at a provincial council held at 
 Tuam, in 1493, and died in 1497. 
 
 Thomas Clerk, archdeacon of Soder, succeeded by the Pope’s provi- 
 sion, on the 3d of June, 1498, and died in 1508. 
 
 Malachy O’Clowan succeeded in 1505, by provision of Pope Julius 
 IL, the see being then vacant by the resignation of his predecessor 
 Thomas. He was consecrated in 1508, by Octavian de Palatio, the 
 primate. 
 
 Richard Barrett was bishop of Killala in 1523. Assisted by his 
 proctor at a provincial synod held in Galway, in 1536. The chiefs of 
 Korth Connaught, the O’Dowdas and MacDonaghs, at the instigation of 
 the bishojj, Richard Barrett, marched against the sept of Richard 
 Burke. The people of the country fled before them, wnth their pro- 
 perty to the monastery of St. Ternan (Errew Crossmalina), but the 
 bishop carried off the preys to the forces, and would not restore them in 
 honor of St. Tiernan. 
 
 Redmond Gallagher sat in the see A.D. 1549, 
 
 A bishop Walsh was appointed at this time, but was not constituted 
 the ordinary of the diocese. His name is found in the archives of the 
 Propaganda, at Rome. See Abbey of Moyne. 
 
 Francis Kirwan, bishop of Killala, was a native of Galway, and was 
 born in 1589, His parents were Mathew Kirwan and Juliana Lynch, both 
 of whom were descended of the most distinguished families of this city. 
 While a boy, Francis was placed under the tuition of his maternal 
 uncle, Arthur Lynch, a venerable priest, who devoted fifty years of his 
 life in administering the consolations of religion to the people of Gal- 
 way. Having received the fii*st rudiments of education in Ireland, lie 
 proceeded to Lisbon, where he studied in the higher classes, and return- 
 ing thence to his owm country, he was ordained priest by David 
 Kearney, archbishop of Cashel, in the year 1614, 
 
 In the following year he repaired to France, to acquire a greater 
 amount of knowledge, and having joined the congregation of the Ora- 
 tory, he taught philosophy at Dieppe, in the year 1618. 
 
 Francis was appointed vicar-general of Tuam by the illustrious 
 Florence Conry, who was at this time promoted to that see, Francis 
 having reached Ireland in 1620, began the visitation of the diocese, 
 which he performed on foot, everywhere eradicating vice, and instruct- 
 
276 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, inSTORT OF IREIAND. 
 
 ing tlie people in the knowledge of virtue. Francis Kirwan was a dis- 
 tinguished preacher, and employed able and efficient cooperatoi’s in in- 
 structing the people who wei e entrusted to his care, Tlie candidates 
 for holy ordei’s he did not permit to be invested with the sacred charac- 
 ter, until they had spent a year in his own society. 
 
 The Pope appointed Francis, abbot in commendam, of the abbey of 
 Knockmoy • in him orphans found a father and the poor and indigen< 
 a protectoi 
 
 The illustrious archbishop of Tuam having died in the year 1629, 
 Francis ceased to be vicar-general. His friends at Koine were anxious 
 to have him promoted to the see of Tuam, and those at home were pre- 
 pared to defray all the necessary expenses, but Francis shrunk from the 
 responsibility. 
 
 Malachy O’Queely succeeded to the vacant see, and appreciating the 
 valuable services of Francis, appointed him also his vicar-general, 
 Francis set his heart on training a band of young men, to be brought up 
 for the benefit of the missions. Having selected those, he resolved to 
 repair to France to procure them instruction ; and having journeyed to 
 Dover, he refused to affirm on oath the supremacy of the king, and 
 thereon returned to London, with the hope of procuring an exemption 
 for the Catholics from this oath ; but his exertion proved unsuccessful, 
 whereupon he sailed from Dover, and arrived safely at Dieppe in 
 France. Soon after, he proceeded from Caen, in Kormandy, to Paris, 
 where he became acquainted with St. Vincent de Paul, Geoffiy, and 
 the Karon de Renty. 
 
 The Archbishop Malachy constantly impressed on Francis the propri- 
 ety of his receiving consecration, and urged Edmond O’Dwyer, then his 
 agent at Rome, to entreat of his holiness to confer the see of Killala 
 on Francis, without delay ; and Boetius Egan, the learned and pious 
 bishop of Elphin, likewise strove to have the bishopric of Killala con- 
 ferred on him. 
 
 At length, lest he should resist the divine will by his perseverance 
 in refusing, Francis assented to his promotion, and was consecrated on 
 Sunday, the 7th of May, 1645, in the church of St. Lazarus, at Pai'is, 
 and on this solemn occasion thirteen bishops, fifteen abbots, and thirty 
 doctors of the Sorbonne were present. Having collected a considerable 
 supply of books, and apparel for the altar, which he intended for his 
 native land, and having put them on shipboard, he embarked in another 
 vessel, and reached the shores of Ireland in safety — but they w’ere lost, 
 as the ship was plundered by pirates. 
 
 While he staid at Kilkenny, he was warmly received by the supreme 
 coancil, and became intimate with Rinuccini, archbishop and prince of 
 
ECCI.ESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 277 
 
 Finn:, and nuncio extraordinary fro;n tlie court of Rome to tlie Irish 
 people. From Kilkenny he proceeded to Galway, and soon after to his 
 diocese, which was then haiTissed and wasted by the hostile movements 
 of the confederates and the Puritan rebels. He took possession of his 
 see on the 5th of November, 1646. 
 
 lie was elected to the supreme council, and on his journeys to Kil- 
 kenny and Waterford to attend the assemblies of the kingdom, he was 
 wont to tarry with the Marquis of Clanrickard, who, though a Catholic, 
 was appointed Lord Lieutenant by the king, when his affairs were be- 
 coming desperate ; when a present of two hundred golden coins was 
 oft'ered by the marchioness, he declined, and forbade his chaplain to 
 accept them. 
 
 When the cessation was agreed upon with Inchiquin, Francis 
 adopted the party of the supreme council, but when he found that there 
 were articles prejudicial to the Catholic religion, he was heard in the 
 years 1650 and 1651, to reprobate his former opinion. He afterwards 
 sought and obtained absolution from the censure at the hands of James 
 Fallon, vicar apostolic of Achonry, who was empowered by the nuncio 
 to absolve all who applied ; and again, when in exile, he on bended 
 knees implored the absolution of Robert Barry, bishop of Cork, who 
 also held a similar faculty, and who absolved him, for the greater cau- 
 tion sake. 
 
 In 1649 Francis again returned to his diocese, and labored ardently 
 for three years in performing his episcopal functions. To those who 
 were expelled their homes, he gave the shelter of his own house ; and 
 to some nuns, who were almost destitute, he appropriated a portion of 
 ms own revenues. Francis was a man of meekness and patience. A 
 tertain friar of the diocese preached a sermon, at which the bishop was 
 present ; the friar coolly launched into imprecations against Francis, 
 but instead of exhibiting any signs of displeasure during its delivery, he 
 sent for the preacher, and for his brotherhood, and calmly convinced 
 them, with indisputable documents, of the magnitude of the injury. 
 
 His cathedral was at this time crumbling, and in order to repair it, 
 he collected a vast mass of materials, and moreover, caused the area of 
 the episcopal residence to be closed in with a wall. While Francis was 
 intent on these good works, the hostile army marched into the province, 
 laying it waste, with fire and sword, and on the 8th of July, 1651, laid 
 siege to Galway. Francis hoping that the Catholics might be able to 
 raise the siege, and drive out the Puritans, ordered his chaplain to pre- 
 cede him with the cross, and all over his diocese entreated the people tc 
 do battle for their king, their country, and their creed. Moyne and 
 Meelick are said to have been the theatre of a bloody conflict with the 
 
278 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAIfD. 
 
 Puritans. On the second day tlie Puritans were defeated at the castie 
 of Meelick, with great slaughter — hardly one of them escaped being 
 drowned in the waters of the lakes, which then surrounded the castle. 
 It was afterwards demolished, as well as the castle of Carrickauas, in 
 the parish of Lacken. 
 
 At length, on the 12th of April, 1652, Galway yielded to the terms 
 of the besiegers — terms which were far from being fulhlled, — in a few 
 months after, the whole province passed into the hands of the Crom- 
 wellians, who becoming the dominant party, bestowed the episcopal 
 residence of Killala on Walter Scoevola de Burgo, a Catholic, who was 
 driven from his inheritance. Walter de Burgo permitted Francis to 
 conceal himself in a narrow apartment of the castle, in which the bishop 
 and his chaplain were compelled to sleep. In this room WtVs also a 
 chest, on which the bishop used to celebrate the holy mysteries. Here 
 he lay cooped up for eight months, in order that he might have the con- 
 solation of attending to the wants of his flock. 
 
 A body of troops, more ferocious and infuriated against the clergy 
 and their protectors, as the dismantled edifices of the diocese strongly 
 attest, were marched into this territory, and Francis, dreading to be in- 
 strumental in bringing ruin on his friend de Burgo, retired, of necessity, 
 from his j^erilous situation. He was on this painful occasion surrounded 
 by his priests and people, who, like those of Miletus, at the departure 
 of St. Paul, wept bitterly, as he directed his steps towai’ds Galway. 
 There he e.xpected to find an asylum, but he labored under a mistake, 
 as the terms of the treaty were shamefully violated. On his journey 
 thither, he narrowly escaped falling into the hands of some troopers, 
 who suddenly issued out from their garrison. He, however, reached 
 Galway in disguise, and by his vigilance and precaution avoided for 
 some time the pureuit of the soldiers. Weary of fatigue and prostrate 
 in sickness, which suffering and privation brought on, he was advised to 
 surrender himself to the governor of Galway. Having recovered from 
 his illness, contrary to expectation, he and John de Burgo, and other 
 ecclesiastics, who were scattered through the country, being summoned 
 by the governor, surrendered themselves, and were driven into custody 
 at Galway, all of whom were treated as galley slaves, marched in 
 bodies, and surrounded with soldiers. Many more were soon added to 
 the number already in custody, and by a wise regulation of the caterers, 
 they were locked up in houses hired at the cost of the prisoners. 
 
 h fter fourteen months spent in this manner, all of them were suddenly 
 hurried off to a ship, escorted by spearmen and musketmen, without the 
 least notice, lest their friends could supply them with means or succour 
 them in their distress. After a voyage of four days they dropped anchoi 
 
ECCLKSIASTIC^VL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 279 
 
 I 
 
 at thfi port of JS' antes, in the August of 1658. Having spent two years in 
 the city of Nantes, he retired to Eennes, wdiere he died on the 2Tth of 
 August, 1661, and was buried in tlie ciiurch of the Jesuits, having been 
 admitted a member of that order before his death. In llennes he en- 
 joyed the care and hospitality of Monsieur de la Potiere and Madame 
 de la Potiere, the daughter of Monsieur de Bicqueneiiil, who enjoined 
 in his will, that Francis should have everything necessary for his honor- 
 able maintenance, during life. 
 
 John Lynch, archdeacon of Tuam, and the biograjiher of Francis Kir- 
 wan, became his successor in the see of Killala, in 1670 : was a native of 
 Galway, and in that city presided over a literary establishment, and 
 powerfully contributed to promote the cause of religion. lie received 
 his ecclesiastical education in France, was ordained a secular priest, and 
 returned to his native country. The severe laws and harsh measures of 
 the Puritan rebels being relaxed, and as a just reward for his piety, 
 virtues and learning, he was promoted to the see of Killala. John 
 Lynch was the intimate friend and correspondent of Eoderick O’Fla- 
 herry, author of the “ Ogygia,” and of the celebrated Dudley Mac 
 Firhis. of Leacan. According to tradition, John Lynch was a man of 
 the greatest benevolence, conciliatory manners, and of amiable disposi- 
 tion. lie was particularly distinguished by his humanity and love of 
 country. 
 
 During the troubles of 1641, he disapproved of the violent measures 
 of the warden of Galway, Walter Lynch, and in 1647, opposed the 
 nuncio Kinuccini, who was then in that city. 
 
 While John Lynch conducted the celebrated school of Galway, 
 Usher, the Protestant primate, in accordance with the commission which 
 James 1. issued, to inquire into the state of education in Ireland, visited 
 Galway, and called Lvnch to account. “We,” says Usher, “found at 
 Gahvay a public schoolmaster, John Lynch, placed there by the citizens, 
 and to whose school great numhers of scholars, not only of the province 
 of Connaught, but also of the pale, and other parts, resorted. We had 
 proof, during our stay in that city, how his scholars profited under him 
 by the verses and orations which they brought us. We sent for the 
 teacher, and seriously advised him to ‘ conform to the established reli- 
 gion,’ and not prevailing with our advices, ‘ we enjoined him to forbear 
 teachi ig,’ and I, the chancellor of St. Patrick’s, did take recognizance of 
 him, and some othei-s of his relations in that city, in the sum of £400 
 sterling, to his majesty’s use, that from henceforth he should forbear 
 teaching any more without the licence of the lord deputy.” 
 
 John Lynch, in his exile, wrote some works, which were mostly pub- 
 lished at St. Maloe’s, and among them was the life of Francis Ivirwan. 
 
280 
 
 ECCLESIASnCAX HISTORY OF rRELAHD. 
 
 I 
 
 Eut his great work which entitles him to the gratitude of his country, 
 was published under the name of “ Gratianus Lucius.” It was printed 
 in London, and immediately after the impression was struck off, the 
 fire of London took place, and the greater part of it was consumed. 
 
 The history of Ireland, written by Gerald Barry, a priest of Wales, 
 who came over in the year 1185, as chaplain to King John, was and haa 
 been declared a collection of slanders and falsehoods against the country 
 and its people. To his books, Gerald gave the name of “ Topography,” 
 of the Island, and the “Vaticinal history” of its conquest. By his 
 works, he, the consecrated one of the sanctuary, has left himself open 
 to the imputation of being tlie hired traducer^ instead of the faithful 
 hibtoi'ian ; and to the poison Avhich his works spread over England and 
 the continent of Europe, Lynch has offered an antidote, by which its 
 virus luis been stayed. Untaught by the well-merited castigation Avhich 
 Gei-ald deserved, other revileis of more modern date, phrenzied with 
 malice and hatred towards our country and our creed, have brought 
 upon themselves the avenging fire of the sanctuary, Avhich Lynch en- 
 kindled, and which a Magin and a Machale have fed and nourished. 
 
 In his reply, “ Cambrensis eversus,” published under the feigned 
 name of “ Gratianus Lucius,” John Lynch has left to his country a 
 work, to which Catholic and Protestant writers refer with confidence 
 and admiration. This Avork is noAV exceedingly rare, and Avhen offered 
 for sale, brings the large price of £30 sterling. Though it is not ex- 
 actly a history of Ireland, it contains a mass of information relating to 
 the antiquities, learning, and the arts of the ancient Irish. John Lynch 
 Ave find conducting the school of Galway, in 1662, and in 1670 presid- 
 ing as bishop over tlie see of Killala. Tlie year of his promotion or of 
 his death is not knoAvn, but we may presume from the dates before us, 
 that he lived to a good old age. His life of Francis KirAvan Avas print- 
 ed in the year 1669, at St. Maloe’s, before his return to his native 
 country. W e have then a pretty correct idea of the time of his promo- 
 tion to the episcojial dignity. 
 
 Richard Archdeacon, bishop in 1731. 
 
 Tliomas O’Rourke in 1742. 
 
 John Brett, consecrated in 1743, and translated to Elphin in 1748. 
 
 Bonaventure MacDonnell, aaJiosc name is still remembered by the 
 })atriarchal natives of the diocese, Avas consecrated in 1749. From the 
 death of John Lynch the bishops were necessarily absent, until Bona- 
 venture succeeded. In the interim, the archbishop of Tuam or his vi- 
 car-general administered the affairs of the diocese. 
 
 Mark Skerrett was the bishop in 1750. 
 
 Philip Philips was the bishop in 1776. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANI) 
 
 281 
 
 Bishop Irwin, about 1790. 
 
 Dominick Bellew, a native of Louth, succeeded in 1791. Was on a 
 visit to tlie Eternal City, and obtained the see through the influence of 
 the cardinal duke of York ; strenuously opposed the veto question. 
 Beturning to his diocese from the metropolis of Ireland, his death was 
 caused by a fall from his carriage, near Mullingar. lie w^as buried in 
 the abbey of Moyne, in a recess under the tower. Ilis death took 
 place in 1812. 
 
 Peter Waldron, a native of Tuam and parish priest of Becan, in the 
 archdiocese, succeeded in 1815. A vacancy of three years occurred, and 
 as a contention arose among the native clergy. Doctor Waldron was 
 wisely selected by the archbishop of Tuam to fill the vacant chair. 
 Peter Waldron was educated in the college of Hantes, of which he was 
 a graduate, — w'as a prelate of extensive erudition and theological knowl- 
 edge, — eminent in every virtue, social and religious, — beloved by his 
 clergy with more than filial affection, — regarded by all classes as a 
 model of the Christian bishop, — venerable in appearance, and more so 
 in years. An accident terminated his valuable life : accustomed to 
 wind the clock, which was adjacent to his sleeping chamber, and in 
 order to reach it, obliged to use a chair, he was precipitated over the 
 banister of the staircase ; left by the fall, two or three days in a state 
 of insensibility, he expired on the 20th of May, 1831, in the eighty- 
 second year of his age. His obsequies were celebrated by bis successor, 
 clergy and people, during three successive days, and his remains were 
 deposited in a vault prepai-ed for them under the sacristry of the cathe- 
 dral. He presided w'orthily and holily, more than eighteen yeare. 
 
 John Machale, his coadjutor bishop succeeded, obtained his bulls in 
 the month of June following, and was translated to the archiepiscopal 
 see of Tuam, in the same year. 
 
 Francis Joseph O’Finan, a Dominican friar and a native of the dio- 
 cese, for he was born in Corimbla, a village of the mensal parish of 
 Ballina, succeeded ; his family were an ancient and respectable sept of 
 Tyrawley, and are become extinct. 
 
 Though the harmony of the diocese was distracted when Dr. Wal- 
 dron, of pious memory, assumed the reins of its episcopal government, 
 still by his blandness and clemency, as well as fortitude, he moulded 
 contending elements into concord and good-will, — and this desirable 
 state of things continued during his own life and the short succession of 
 John Machale ; but the smouldering embers of jealousy and restless 
 ambition were soon after rekindled into active vigor. 
 
 Of the illustrious subject of this memoir, little was known to the 
 clergy of Killala. When seventeen years of age he repaired to Rome, 
 
282 
 
 KCCLE8IASTICAL HISTORY OF rRELAFTD. 
 
 to jiropai’e himself for the ecclesiastical state. Having completed his 
 studies in the college of St. Clement, and been promoted to the priest- 
 hood, Doctor O’Finan returned to liis native country, and for some time 
 officiated at Waterford, where he was esteemed and appreciated. 
 
 Having repaired* to Lisbon, he was constituted the superior of the 
 Dominican establishment of Corpo Santo, which the Portuguese govern- 
 ment had founded for the benefit of the Irish nation. Having some 
 time presided over this convent, he withdrew to Rome, and entered the 
 Dominican college of the Minerva, of which he had been rector and 
 assistant to the general of the order. 
 
 While sojourning in the Eternal City, and engaged in business, I 
 believe of national importance to the church of Ireland, Dr. Machale 
 met this venerable ecclesiastic, whose commanding appearance, refined 
 and elegant manners, made such an impression on the mind of this 
 shrewd observer, that upon the firet opportunity he was recommended 
 to the clergy of his native diocese, as likely to be, not only the orna- 
 ment of Killala, but of the whole Irish church. Doctor O’Finau was 
 then more than forty years absent from Killala, and to few, if any of the 
 clergy, his name was barely known. It is then certain that his eleva- 
 tion to the chair of Muredach was chiefly owing to the recommendation 
 of the illustrious archbishop of Tuam, and perhaps, also, to a desire on 
 the part of the clergy, to exclude a stranger, for it was hinted that the 
 archdiocese enjoyed a monopoly in this respect, and that the time had 
 arrived in which Killala could and ought to assert its dignity and self- 
 respect. Such had been the familiar conversation of the agitators who 
 were interested in the event, and hence arose the spiritual iiatriotism by 
 which the candidates, as well as the electors, were animated. 
 
 It will be recollected that, in 1834-, the see of Killala became vacant 
 by the translation of John Machale, and, to provide for the exercise of 
 the necessary authority, the archbishop appointed the Rev. Bartholomew 
 Costello, administrator of Ballina, the vicar capitular of the diocese. 
 It seems that there had been some doubt in the mind of the archbishop 
 regarding this step, as he was tardy in making the appointment. On 
 the 12th of November, 1834, the day fixed, in order to take initiatory 
 steps towards appointing a chief pastor, the clergy of the diocese who 
 were competent to share in the proceedings assembled in the cathedral ; 
 his Grace of Tuam presiding, and assisted by Michael Conway, P.P. of 
 Kilphian, and Anthony Corcoran, P.P. of Killala, as scrutators. 
 
 Doctor O’Finan was unanimously chosen as the most worthy. Flan- 
 nelly of Easkey next in order, and Costello, vicar capitular, as last in 
 the series. Tlie number of votes between the latter would have been 
 equal ; but Flannelly recorded his own vote in favor of Hart, P.P. of 
 
ECCLESIASTIC^VL HISTORY OF ntELAND. 
 
 283 
 
 Dimfeeny, and explained tliis trifling incident as an artless mistake M'lien 
 tlie result of the scrutiny became known. Be it then observed and kept 
 in mind, that not even a solitary vote was given to John Patrick Lyons, 
 though he evinced a desire to be put in nomination by the clergy. Nor 
 did his unanimous exclusion extinguish in his breast those dazzling 
 aspirations to wJtich he subsequently strove to give reality. 
 
 Well pleased with the events of the day, the clergy retired to their 
 respective parishes. In the meantime, John Lyons, P.P. of Kihnore- 
 Erris, visited the sister of Doctor O’Finan, recounted his efforts and his 
 success in securing the election of h^^r brother — though, in his desire to be 
 nominated as a candidate, his dislike to an absent friar was propounded 
 in very unguarded terms. Thus was laid the groundwork of that in- 
 trigue by which he attained the dignities of dean and vicar-general, by 
 which he brought trouble and confusion to his own breast, and by which 
 he accomplished the ruin of Doctor O’Finan, and liis exile from the 
 land of his birth. 
 
 While Lj'ons was thus engaged in concerting measures whereby his 
 promotion would be secured, the calculations against Dr. O’Finan were 
 accounted certain ; because, said the interested ones, his age (being then 
 sixty-five) unsuited him to a mountainous district such as Ixlllala is, and 
 his long seclusion from the world unfitted him for the arduous as well 
 as the active labors of an episcopal life. 
 
 After the lapse of a few weeks it became known that the Holy See 
 ratified the choice of the clergy. Doctor O’Finan was consecrated, in 
 March, 1835, by his Eminence Cardinal Fransoni, Prefect of the Sacred 
 Congregation de Propagande Fide at Rome. Though the venerable 
 Doctor O’Finan was far advanced in years when promoted to the dignity 
 of bishop, it was anticipated that, from his long and varied experience 
 in ecclesiastical affairs, his profound knowledge of canon law, and his 
 well-tried integrity^ — for he was deemed the most perfect ecclesiastic in 
 Rome — the government of his diocese would be attended with results 
 highly satisfactory to religion and morals ; and assuredly his zeal in dis- 
 pensing the bread of life, his charity, ever ardent and unostentatious, 
 and his sympathy with the suffering portion of his flock, who are ever 
 cherished by the holy pastor, and the most dear to their Redeemer, 
 gained him the respect and reverence of the community. All classes, 
 rich as well as those in lowly station, whom he charmed and captivated 
 by manners the most refined — nay. apostolically simple and unpretend- 
 ing — still remember Doctor O’l’inan as the model of the Christian pre- 
 late. 
 
 Before leaving the Eternal City, a design of reviving the chapter of 
 his diocese, and of founding an ecclesiastical seminary in conformity 
 
2S-1- ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKE OF IRELAND. 
 
 w'itli tlie injunction of the Council of Trent, engaged his serious atten- 
 tion. To tliose projects he obtained the sanction of the Supreme Pontiff; 
 but circumstances over which Doctor O’Finan could not exercise con- 
 trol, and which were brought into action immediately on his arrival in 
 tlie diocese, prevented the accomplishment of either. As the trials of 
 this life are, according to the will of Heaven, the test of virtue or the 
 })enalty of crime, the frustration of those designs must be attributed to 
 the wise disi)ensations of Providence, “ for rugged and thorny are the 
 paths in which the chosen of God tread.” 
 
 The diocese still mourns the want of her chapter, and those wlio 
 love to drink in the fountains of knowledge and literature may deplore 
 the failure of the other, for its loss is still sensibly felt and regretted. In 
 vlie bull of the Supreme Pontiff sanctioning and tiuthorizing this literary 
 
 • 
 
 establishment. Doctor O’Finan, solicitous to confer honor on his native 
 diocese, and to stimulate a laudable ambition in the breasts of its alumni 
 in the pursuit of knowledge, took care to secure the privilege of granting 
 degrees in both laws — a privilege that is still to be sought in foreign 
 countries by the ecclesiastic whose talents entitle him to this mark of 
 distinction and literary fame ; while the locality of Eallina, in which 
 Doctor O’Finan would have erected this college, is debarred or deprived 
 of the benefit which the collation of this privilege was sure to procure. 
 
 Engaged in maturing his plans for the welfare of religion and his 
 diocese. Doctor O’Finan, by his protracted delay at Rome, afforded an 
 ample opportunity of entering on these aggressive measures, by which 
 he was ultimately driven from his inheritance. During the summer 
 conferences of the clergy, it was arranged to resist the payment of a 
 stipend wdiich was not in unison with the provincial statute. The epis- 
 copal stipend of marriage in Killala was 10s. 6d., while the standard 
 amount of the province was fixed at 5s. 6d. The clergy of the diocese, 
 the poorest in Reland, considered this as a grievance which ought to be 
 redressed. 
 
 During the incumbency of Doctor Bellew efforts were made by the 
 enemies of our faith to sever from the fold the poorer members of 
 Christ. Hence the bishop and clergy, viewing with alarm, but without 
 dismay, the progress of systematic proselytism, resolved to adopt 
 measures whereby this evil would be averted. In council assembled, 
 it was agreed to allocate the sum of five shillings of the marriage fees, 
 in order that Doctor Bellew might be able to found purely Catholic 
 schools in the towns of the diocese. This practice was continued during 
 the episcopate of Doctor Waldron. Hor was it resisted in that of John 
 Machale, though appearances in the ecclesiastical horizon foreboded an 
 approaching storm. Hence the source of so much trouble to Doctor 
 
ECCLKSIASTICAL inSTORT OF IRELANB. 
 
 285 
 
 OTinan, and of detriment to religion. A meeting of the clergy was 
 convened, Iluv. Mr. Ilarte in the chair, in order to adopt some definite 
 plan of action by which this innovation or departure from established 
 usage would be regulated. 
 
 From this meeting none were absent except Lyons of Kilmore-Erris 
 and Costello, vicar capitular, as it seemed indecorous in the official to 
 participate in its proceedings. !Nor was he as yet alarmed for the safety 
 of religion, as he did not dream of the promotion to which his rival 
 (Lyons) was aspiring. 
 
 Doctor O’Finan, warned of this conspiracy, as Lyons termed it, ar- 
 rived in his diocese under the impression that his clergy were hostile to 
 him, and that strong measures were absolutely necessary to restore a 
 spirit of obedience and subordination to episcopal authority. In the 
 month of October, 1835, the bishop arrived in Dublin, and Lyons, 
 having notice of the event, hastened thither to greet his ordinary. 
 Thither also repaired the vicar capitular, who perceived on his arrival 
 that his administration of the diocese was not viewed in that light with 
 which he himself and his admirers regarded it. He was also informed 
 that John Lyons was dean as well as vicar-general of Killala, and 
 assured that he could, without delay, enjoy the calm and the quiet of 
 his rural parish. Humbled as well as incensed at the promotion of 
 Dean Lyons, as nothing in the sudden and unexpected elevation of a 
 rival could be viewed but ruin and loss irreparable to religion, the vicar 
 capitular hastened to Tuam to make known the result of this interview 
 to the illustrious metropolitan. 
 
 When St. Paul announced the glad tidings of redemption to the in- 
 habitants of Ephesus, forthwith the votaries of folly and of error are 
 loud in their praises of thegoddess ; and the silversmiths, who could not 
 perceive that in the utensils of the altar a more honorable source of gain 
 and traffic wculd be opened, are the most zealous in sustaining the reli- 
 gion of Diana. Similar was the confusion, nay, greater was the alarm, 
 as it arose from selfishness and ambition, that artificial tyrant of the 
 human breast, by which it upheaves and becomes agitated as the foam- 
 ing billow, of those who censured the promotion of John Lyons. In 
 tins dreadtui position of affairs, in this alarming uncertainty, the safety 
 of religion and discipline must be upheld, and while a shadow of 
 authority vet remained, the vicar capitular repairs to Ballina, and 
 announces to the clergy the changed posture of the diocese, and skil- 
 fully plays off (it is not known whether truly or otherwise) the name of 
 the illustrious metropolitan as the adviser of a protest against the quali- 
 fications of Lvons. Having wrought on the inflammable material 
 before him, by dilating on the want of those qualities in Lyons which 
 
286 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL niSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 arc necessary in the humblest minister of the altar, the agitation pro- 
 ceeded prosperously, as a large majority of the clergy concurred in the 
 senriments of the vicar capitular. 
 
 John Lyons, P.P. of Kilmore-Erris, was a native of the archdiocese 
 of Tuam, and became attached to the see of Killala at the desire of 
 Doctor W aldron, who discerned in him talents of a superior order. Ilis 
 acts and his manly hearing, his hospitalit}", and his etibrts in mitigating 
 the periodical distress of his parish, gained him friends and admirers ; 
 and his abilities as a writer, well known and appreciated by Lavelle of 
 the Fi-eeman’s Journal, then tarrying at Rome for the improvement of 
 his health, were mainly conducive to the elevation of Lyons. 
 
 Dean Burke, the amiable and respected P.P. of Westport, then at 
 Rome, arranging some private business, was supposed to be another ad- 
 vocate in Lyons’ cause, and to have formed in Dr. O’Pinan’s mind an 
 impression which tended to strengthen the bishop in the resolution of 
 constituting Lyons his dean and vicar-general. It was moreover ob- 
 served, that opposition to the archbishop of Tuam might have dictated 
 such advocacy, as Lyons was not in good odour with his grace. To 
 have imputed such an unworthy motive to Dean Burke, in the absence 
 of positive information, was improper and unjust. Such, however, 
 were the surmises current in Killala, as certain. Dean Burke assured 
 the Avriter of these observations, that he never conversed with Doctor 
 O’Finan, till they met in the French capital. Lyons was then dean. 
 
 Be this interference as it may, ihe appointment of Lyons was, we 
 believe, reluctantly obtained from the Pontiff, as he was averee to any 
 such step being taken until Doctor O’Finan could, by pereonal observa- 
 tion, pronounce on the relative merits of his clergy. But the bishop of 
 Killala, satisfied with the reports of the worth and talents of Lyons, 
 urged on the Holy Father, through Cardinal Gregorio, then peniten- 
 tiary, the rectitude of an appointment, premature indeed, and unfortu- 
 nate, as it exiled the venerable prelate from the chair of his native 
 diocese. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Flannelly, of Easkey, was assuredly adverse to the 
 movement of Costello and his adherents, until the remonstrance of the 
 vicar capitular reminded him of the insult to both, which the promotion 
 of Lyons conveyed. The protest, to which allusion has been already 
 made, was then prepared, as an afifair to unsettle the pretensions of the 
 newly created dean ; and the marriage fee, which the clergy viewed as a 
 erievance, was remonstrated aarainst, as a sort of diversion for Doctor 
 O’Finan. 
 
 With regard to the confederates in this contest, they were conscien- 
 tiously impressed, that danger might accrue to religion in the appoint- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELaRH, 
 
 U<. I 
 
 inent of L}'or«, and that their rights were not respected in the continu- 
 ation of the excessive banns money. 
 
 Thus it is, tliat those admirable proficients in mischief, Flannelly and 
 Costello, under the mask of zeal for the religion of the diocese, carried 
 on a crusade, utterly subversive of the object it contemplated to effect, 
 artfully keeping before the eyes of the clergy the overthrow of Lyons, 
 as necessary to promote so desirable a consummation, and thereby re- 
 move the grand obstacle in the way of their own selfishness and aggran- 
 dizement. 
 
 Tlie fine order, the discipline and the harmony which Dr. Waldron 
 had the happiness of introducing, and to which the illustrious John 
 Machale gave testimony in his farewell address to the clergy, was inter- 
 rupted, and thrown into unspeakable confusion. Let the fault rest 
 where it may, a worse state of things could not possibly happen under 
 the government of Doctor O’Finan and Lyons, as religion mourns under 
 his successor and the successful rivals of his dean, John Lyons. The 
 decay of religion has been since patent to the most careless observer, 
 for authority could not be wielded with the bracing vigor which the 
 force of example imparts. The favorite virtue of even Pagan Italy nas 
 been scoffed at, — the existence of that bright jewel in the minister cf 
 the altar treated as romance, — and, though the public thoroughfixres 
 reechoed the scathing denunciations that were directed against the 
 beam that shot forth scandal from the eye of religion, still it was not 
 plucked out until the vengeance of the Roman see was demanded. 
 
 The resistance, then, to the dignities conferred on Dean Lyons, as 
 the rival of his opponents, and far, far their superior in acquiremeius. 
 must have been based in the leaven of ambition and hypocrisy, tiiat 
 homage which vice pays to virtue, in order that lurking passion for pre- 
 ferment might be the more securely concealed. 
 
 Under the regime which was established on the downfall of Doctor 
 O’Finan and Lyons, the children of Killala could only, like the prophet 
 Jeremy, bewail the desolation of their beloved diocese ; her fair face 
 was sadly disfigured, — her lofty hills, the green and lovely vallies, tlie 
 holy islands trodden, and the venerable ruins inhabited and sanctified 
 by the steps of her saints and solitaries, may weep over the calamity that 
 has befallen the land of their labors, and the ancient homesteads of an- 
 cient piety and devotion. 
 
 Linder this regime vice was enthroned and virtue trampled in the 
 dust. In 184:7, Rome was held forth as the terror of tyrants, as the 
 scourge of delinquents. In 184:8, formal notice was given that the 
 afi’aire of Killala would be laid before the sovereign judge of the 
 
2S8 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF IRELANl), 
 
 church ; and again, in 1849, the seven-hilled city was pointed out in 
 the vista, and yet the vigilance of authority so signally abused, was 
 more intent on its own preservation than on the safety of religion and 
 morals ; for every effoi’t that could stifle the expression of censure, and 
 nip in the bud the inchoate shoots of disaflection or of disinterestedness 
 in the sacred cause of religion, was recurred to, in order that an admin- 
 istration, Avhich in its very infancy earned the scorn and the contempt 
 of the public, might be at least externally supported and respected. 
 
 The arrival of the venerable Doctor O’Finan was hourly expected, 
 and in order to greet him on his safety, as well as his promotion to the 
 episcopacy, many of the clergy remained in Ballina, till the close of the 
 week. About the middle of October he reached Ardnaree, accompa- 
 nied by John Lyons ; a few of the clergy being presented, the writer of 
 these pages among the first. 
 
 The news of his safe arrival quickly spread over the diocese, and on 
 the following Tuesday, having reached two or three days before, the 
 clergy collected from all quarters, in order to meet their bishop, and ob- 
 tain confirmation of the jurisdiction necessary to each one in the dis- 
 charge of his sacred functions. After the usual salutations, the Rev. 
 Patrick Flannelly, P.P. of Easky, who was on this occasion constituted 
 the exponent of the feelings of the clergy, with a firmness not always 
 characteristic of him, acquitted himself in a manner that gave satisfac- 
 tion to those whose censure and dissatisfaction he had so energeticallv 
 expressed. The protest was read, in which were enumerated the 
 charges against Lyons ; they were five in number, and impeached him 
 with avarice, contention with his parishioners, an irascibility of tempo; 
 that unsuited him to govern others, exaction unwarranted b}" the pro- 
 vincial statutes, and neglect in complying with an obligation which he 
 voluntarily undertook, of supporting a priest who was worn out with 
 age and infirmity. While these things were being unfolded, the prelate 
 listened with attention, and restrained the impetuous temper of the 
 dean ; but at the conclusion of the protest, pronounced it as a calumny, 
 the clergy as levellers and destructives — ignorant of canon law, negli- 
 gent of discipline and order, and adding, that rebellion to authority en- 
 gendered evils and scandals a hundred fold. Words, such as these, were 
 not of peace, but they were full of prophetic import ; and assuredly, the 
 long and varied experience of Doctor O’Finan in ecclesiastical aff’airs. 
 taught him that insubordination becomes disastrous to religion and dis- 
 cipline ; however, he intimated his intention of issuing citations within 
 a month, in order to give them an opportunity of proving the charges 
 which they alleged against the dean. 
 
 As the least delay might produce wavering in the counsels of tlm 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 289 
 
 clergy, and diminution in their ranks, the leaders forthwith adjourned 
 to the hotel to consider the propriety of ulterior measures ; whereupon 
 the prosecution of this affair was resolved on, and an appeal was for- 
 warded to the archbishop of Tuam. 
 
 An unwise threat of invalidating the collations -which Dr. Machale 
 had granted before his departure to Tuam, strengthened the views of 
 the leaders. This imprudent disclosure, then, -vvdiich Lyons deemed 
 sufficient to shake the firmness of those whom it might affect, -vv'as sin- 
 gularly effective in cementing the league against himself, — for, if such 
 a threat could be successfully tried, the ranks of the appellants would 
 be thinned, and the illustrious archbishop of Tuam would be placed in 
 the condition of defendant, as he should maintain the validity of his 
 own acts. 
 
 John Barrett, of Crossmolina, who was considered one of the most 
 determined opponents of Lyons, was the first against whom the hostility 
 of the dean was directed. lie -was the administrator of this parish 
 during the coad j utorship of Dr. Machale ; and as it was the mensal one 
 of the bishop of Maronia, it was matter of doubt whether the validity 
 of its collation could be maintained. Hence it was, that John Barrett 
 was not secured in the possession of Crossmolina. An application made 
 soon after to the court of Rome, by the archbishop of Tuam, for autho- 
 rity to collate the Rev. John Barrett to this parish, was rejected, as it 
 would interfere with the rights of Doctor O’Finan, who had at this time 
 been consecrated. 
 
 The fiery disposition of Lyons prompted him to adopt that aggres- 
 sive policy, by which the diocese was throAvn into a ferment. Barrett 
 was sent an order to retire to the parish of Lacken, on the octave of the 
 Nativity, 1836, and the Rev. Edward Murray was constituted the parish 
 priest of the more important one of Crossmolina. Lyons, solicitous of 
 the success of his first movement towards victory, proceeded with 
 the new pastor, in order to induct him to his future charge. Bar- 
 rett was then in a distant country chapel, and before his arrival in the 
 town the people of the parish gave sensible expression of their dislike to- 
 wards the dignitary, as -^11 as the pastor, whom he patronized, and 
 forcibly drove both from the parish church. Tlie move of Lyons was 
 both sinister and ungenerous towards Barrett, and by this hasty step 
 with which he intended to defeat opposition, if any, to his measures, ac- 
 celerated the resentment of the parishioners, as on Barrett’s arrival the 
 to-wn presented a scene of indescribable tumult and confusion. Barrett 
 would have proceeded to Lacken : in the meantime would have ap- 
 pealed for Ci’ossmolina, to the court of Rome, and thus would have 
 19 
 
290 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF HtELAND. 
 
 been avoided the injury to religion, which continued during three 
 successive years. 
 
 Lyons wrote to Barrett, as vicar-general, ordering him to appear, 
 that he might allay the fury of the people, and by his influence over 
 them, calm their agitated feelings ; but Barrett paid no attention to his 
 instructions. 
 
 Having now evoked a storm which he could not subdue, John Lyons 
 returned to Ballina, not at all pleased with his adventure. It is but 
 justice to the memory of Barrett to observe, that he had no participation 
 whatever in this tumult, as he was afterwards before the apostolical de- 
 legate fully acqmtted of either connivance or passiveness in resisting it. 
 Tlie Rev. Edward Murray was not permitted by the people, now more 
 infuriated by the suspension of Barrett, on the plea of disobedience and 
 participation in the tumult, to enter the precincts of the parish. Bar- 
 rett having been thus precluded from the administration of Lacken, to 
 wdiich he was appointed, appealed to the holy see for the removal of 
 the censure, and for his restoration to the parish of Crossmolina. 
 
 Other changes took place, which caused murmur and dissatisfaction 
 among the laity, as they saw clergymen removed to inferior stations ; 
 in the meantime Lyons left nothing undone to withdraw some of the 
 clergy from the coalition, but without success. His adherents were al- 
 together of that stamp, remarkable in their attention and support of 
 those who are vested with authority to confer place and patronage. 
 
 During some weeks of gluuui and uncertainty in the minds of the 
 appellants, and of dismay and fear on the part of Lyons, his removal 
 from the functions of vicar-general was determined on at Rome, and the 
 fiat of its judgment was made known to the venerable Doctor O’Finan 
 on the 31st of March, 183G. Though known to the appellants, the pre- 
 late did not disclose the fact, *s he was still intent on maintaining the 
 propriety of the appointment. Lyons, however, continued to administer 
 the aft'airs of Doctor O’Finan until arrangements for his journey to 
 Rome were fully completed. He set out as if on a journey to the 
 capital of L-eland, in order to procure the means of sustenance for his 
 parishioners, who were then sutfering from tlfe effects of recurring dis- 
 tress, to which this dreary spot of the island is exposed by the fury of 
 the Atlantic blasts. Strict as was the silence of his movements, his astute 
 opponents were not deceived as to the real object of his journey. Forth- 
 with, letters were despatched to his Eminence Cardinal Frausoni, that 
 he might be prepared with that wariness with which it was necessary to 
 meet a man of undoubted ability and talent, such as Lyons assuredly 
 was. 
 
 Having reached the Eternal City, Lyons could accomplish nothing 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 291 
 
 important, as Cardinal Fransoni was inflexible, the decision of his unfit- 
 ness to continue as vicar-general being final. A petition presented % 
 him to the Sacred Congregation was equally unsuccessful, as Cardinal 
 Weld, whom Doctor O’Finan regarded as his sincerest friend, would not 
 assent to support its prayer. Plainly perceiving that his restoration to 
 the authority which he was forced to abdicate was impossible, he pro- 
 cured an appointment as “ censor morum,” and also his nomination of 
 doctor of divinity. It may excite surprise that to such an important 
 office as censor of the province he liad been promoted, but at this stage 
 of the proceedings his own morals were not impeached. 
 
 In the month of June following, the illustrious archbishop of Tuam 
 made known to the Rev. John Barrett that his suspension was invalid 
 and contrary to the canons. He immediately had an interview with 
 Doctor O’Finan, who replied that he was not bound to make known his 
 Roman commands. 
 
 Tlxough a request on the part of the Holy See is tantamount to an 
 order, Doctor O’Finan resisted its desire in tliis instance, and as such 
 conduct was deemed at variance with his fidelity to Rome, this act 
 alienated from him the support of some of the clergy. 
 
 Doctor O’Finan at this time collated Messieurs Duffy and Hopkins 
 to the parishes of Castleconner and Ardagh, the former in the deanery 
 of Tyreragh, and the latter in Tirawley, and constituted the Rev. Thomas 
 Walsh secretary and chancellor of the diocese. In a few days after, 
 Dr. O’Finan was informed that an investigation was necessary, through 
 which correct information could be procured before the Congregation of 
 file Propaganda could pronounce definitively on this important contro- 
 versy, and that the primate of all Ireland, William Crolly, and the 
 archbishop of Tuam, John Machale, were appointed the delegates of the 
 Holy See. Tliis communication was not calculated to inspire Doctor 
 O’Finan with confidence in its result, as a little before he expressed his 
 fears of such a step being taken by the Court of Rome. He was well 
 aware of the practice of the Holy See in affairs of this kind, having been 
 afforded an opportunity of exerting his valuable services to the church, 
 with a devotedness and zeal which procured him the respect and esteem 
 of the cardinals and prelates of the various congregations, while he was 
 the confidential agent of Doctor Milner, celebrated for his stern and un- 
 compromising advocacy of the Catholic cause. • 
 
 The courteous demeanor of Dr. O’Finan to even the most lowly of 
 his flock could not escape the censure of those who were intent on his 
 overthrow. An abandoned female, recollecting for a moment the 
 respect due to the sacred person of the prelate, and awed, perhaps, by 
 the venerableness of his advanced years and sanctified appearance, threw 
 
292 
 
 ECCr.ESIA9TICAL HISTOKT OF rUELA>rD. 
 
 herself on bended knees to obtain bis benediction, Tlie simple and 
 qjpostolic prelate, not wishing to repel tlie humblest of his flock, and un- 
 willing, like unto the Redeemer, to condemn another Magdalene, re- 
 turned her salute, and imparted the episcopal benediction. Little did 
 the prelate suspect that he was thus afibrding an opponent the opportu- 
 nity of impugning his motives— that he was supplying the material of 
 an epistle to Rome, which the writer thereof deemed creditable to his 
 own zeal, while inflicting a blow on the aged prelate. Could the Sacred 
 Congregation of the Propaganda for a moment entertain such a heinous 
 opinion as was that of Costello regarding Doctor O’Finan, that in im- 
 parting his benediction to an unfortunate female his object was one 
 which would be particularly criminal in his advanced age — in him 
 whose life and training under the very eye of Rome gained him the 
 reputation of perfection and sanctity ? Ilis long seclusion from the 
 woi’ld and a life spent in the cloister could not protect him from the 
 vile malignity of a priest, who was, under the pressure of circumstances, 
 constituted the vicar capitular of the diocese in its widowhood. 
 
 In this pilgrimage of life as there is no Jacob without an Esau, no 
 David without a Semei, no Redeemer without Scribes and Pharisees : 
 there has been no O’Finan without a Costello to misrepresent even an 
 act of religion. 
 
 According to arrangement, the joint visitors of the diocese met in 
 the cathedral at Ardnaree on the 22d of August, 1836, Doctor Deuvir, 
 bishpp of Down and Connor, acting as secretary. 
 
 As Lyons was still at Rome, and, besides, the most prominent char- 
 acter of the cause, At was mutually agreed to postpone the proceedings 
 for two months, in order to give him time to return, and to remove, as 
 far as possible, any suspicion of partiality or advantage to either party. 
 It is also important to observe, that Lyons had information of this in- 
 quiry to be held on the charges of the protest, as Cardinal Fransoni 
 distinctly referred him to it. Doctor O’Finan also undertook to give 
 him notice of this inquiry. Ilis absence, then, must have been the 
 result of design, and his subsequent complaints on this head must be 
 viewed as factious and ill-founded. The day fixed for the resumption 
 of business having arrived. Dr. O’Fiuan assumed the defence of the 
 dean, admitting that his absence could not be justified. Indeed, to 
 postpone the investigation one moment longer would be protracting the 
 evils of the diocese, and putting off the remedy that was every day 
 more and more necessary to calm the irritation that prevailed. 
 
 During this interval of two months the leaders of the opposition 
 were actively employed in procuring evidence against Lyons. Wiles, 
 caresses, promises, were lavished on those who could supply it — nay, a 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAOT). 
 
 293 
 
 •written instrument, promising indemnity to every one who would suffer 
 in this glorious cause., was producible as a guarantee of their sincerity ; 
 and flying about in every direction, as the swallows whose nests are 
 imperiled by the clefts in the tottering fabric, the defeat of O’Finan 
 once secured, comfort and happiness would be the lot of those who would 
 aid in the noble deed. Their friendship and patronage promised to be 
 as enduring as their lives ; but it became, in the time of victory, similar 
 to that of the bee to the flower until it extracts the sweetest juice, or to 
 that of the vine to the stately elm, to obtain a loftier height. Basking 
 in the sunshine of success, they have diverted themselves, and played 
 the part of those who, during the oppressive heat of summer, repose 
 under the shade of the beech-tree, but who, on the approach of winter, 
 apply the axe and shiver it to pieces. 
 
 It is true, that in the onset. Rev. John Barrett, who in his own per- 
 son bore the heat of the contest, received some recompense for the loss 
 of his parish ; but at a more advanced period of those proceedings, 
 when fiscal distress embittered his sorrows, the leaders of the opposition 
 could not be induced to rescue him from difficulty. To the Rev. An- 
 thony Corcoran, parish priest of Killala, the merit of this generous act 
 of sympathy is solely due, for his purse and residence were ever at the 
 disposal of the distressed and indigent, particularly the afflicted minister 
 of the altar. 
 
 Having fully entered into the merits of the protest, the archbishops 
 adjourned to Crossmolina, in order to give the people there an opportu- 
 nity of accounting for the extraordinary confusion already alluded to, 
 and of exculpating John Barrett from any share in the tumult. Here 
 the proceedings were interrupted by a formal protest, on the part of 
 Doctor O’Finan, directed against the primate, as a partizan, and as dis- 
 posed to prejudge the whole case, though there was no just ground for 
 the assumption ; for throughout this lengthened enquiry the primate 
 evinced a desire to know the truth and bearing of the case, — and his pa- 
 tience and fatigue from dreary winter journeys through the most moun- 
 tainous region of Ireland, won the admiration of the clergy ; the pri- 
 mate deferred to this remonstrance until new instructions were received 
 from Rome, which gave Lyons the benefit of being present when the 
 proceedings were resumed in January, 1837. 
 
 After the annual meeting of the prelates in the metropolis, the 
 apostolic delegates, reinvested with authority from Rome to continue 
 the enquiry and bring it to a close, with all possible despatch, arrived 
 in Ballina. Doctor O’Finan, laboring under illness, was unable to 
 attend, — Dean Lyons was his representative ; he insisted on a reopening 
 of the evidence — described the proceedings as partial, — that hearsay 
 
294 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 was admitted as testimony, and assertion as proof. In tliis, his first in- 
 terview with the primate, impressions by no means favorable to the 
 dean were made on the mind of the delegate apostolic. 
 
 As the protest of Dr. O’Finan debarred Barrett from a full and en- 
 tire vindication of his conduct, this part of the enquiry was reopened, 
 as any participation in the tumult would enable the bishop to disqualify 
 him for the parish of Crossmolina, and consequently vitiate the appeal 
 which Barrett was prosecuting. As Barrett’s case became the cardinal 
 point of the controversy, no etibrt was left untried, liowever base or vile, 
 to mar his prospects, nay, damage his reputation, but the venerable 
 Francis Joseph O’Finan had no knowledge of the plot, — on the con- 
 trary, the spirit of charity, which ever emanated from his lips, and 
 which inspired his actions, would recoil from such a deed. A mass of 
 evidence being procured, and deemed sufficient to convince the most 
 dispassionate, that the charges of the protest were well founded ; the 
 apostolic delegates departed, leaving priests and people in a ferment. 
 
 As already seen. Doctor O’Finan, before his wearied limbs could 
 have enjoyed a little repose after an October journey, discovered that 
 the dignity to which he had been promoted, would be one requiring the 
 practice of patience and resignation. The local prints were at once em- 
 ployed by his subtle adversaries, venting the bitterest effusions against 
 Lyons, and acrimoniously impugning the acts of the prelate, and those 
 of the clergy, who were disposed to be calm spectator of the conflict 
 rather than disturb that peace of mind and tranquillity so desirable in 
 the discharge of sacerdotal functions. 
 
 Thougli Lyons was disclosed to engage his pen in his own defence, 
 and in that of his prelate. Doctor O’Finan invariably withheld his 
 assent. Every act of his was criticized, — his motives were impugned, 
 — his life was declared a series of omissions, not only against the 
 present v/elfare, but the future, of religion, and was particularly in- 
 culpated with neglect in not providing candidates for the missions, 
 though he had sent one of his subjects, the Rev. James MacDonagh, 
 D.D., to the college of the Propaganda, and others, whom he called his 
 first-born, in due season, to the royal college of Maynooth 
 
 Because unnoticed by the Bishop or Dean Lyons, these publications 
 became every day more offensive and libellous. One in particular is 
 worthy of notice, as it became the subject of a civil prosecution against 
 the honorable proprietor of the Telegraph newspaper. Tlie author as- 
 sumed the name of “ Alladensis,” and time has disclosed him to be 
 Patrick Flannellj P.P. of Easkey. On the morning of its publication, 
 general as was thi. voice of the people against the ecclesiastical govern- 
 ment of the diocese, a feeling of indignation against the writer, and of 
 
ECCLESUSTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAJTD. 
 
 295 
 
 eympathy with Dr. O’Finan, pervaded them. Several of the parishion- 
 ers of Ballina had an immediate interview with the prelate, whose 
 feelings were unmercifully lacerated, and urged upon him tlie necessity 
 of recurring to an action at law. As yet adverae to such a step and 
 undecided, in deference to the advice of some of his clergy and pa- 
 rishioners, instructions were given a solicitor to proceed against the 
 proprietor of the journal in which the libel was published. Sligo jurors 
 were those selected, as most likely to award important damages. In 
 the spring assizes of 1837, tliis important case was tried before Judge 
 Perryn, by a special jury. As soon as the list of jurors was returned, 
 the Rev. Bartholomew Costello waited on some of them, with whom he 
 had been acquainted, and on whom influence by others could be exer- 
 cised, in order to impress on their minds opinions unfavorable to the 
 cause of Dr. O’Finan. Sir James Crofton, now dead, who arrived too 
 late for the trial ; Captain Moore, of Templeboy, now also dead, Samuel 
 Barrett, of Knocknarey, and Bernard Fury, whose property is in the 
 parisli of Skreene, and of which Costello was then pastor, were those of 
 the jurors, who, he thought, were likely to be predisposed, eitlier tlirough 
 motives of friendship towards himself or to others of his relatives, in the 
 cause of which they would be sworn, to form an unbiased and impar- 
 tial judgment. 
 
 Tlie Rev. P. Flannelly declared himself as the author of the publica- 
 tion. Though its consequences were foreseen, Cavendish inserted it in 
 his journal, but the author promised an indemnity in case of legal pro- 
 ceedings. An utter disregard to his engagement has thrown the whole 
 weight of the burden on the journalist, who confided in his promise or 
 compact. The primate of all Ireland, the archbishop of Tiftm, the 
 bishop of Elphin, and Catholic jurors of Sligo and Roscommon, before 
 the trial, had an interview with Dr. O’Finan, urging on him tlie propri- 
 ety of abandoning the proceedings, but without success. The clergj^ of 
 the diocese being cited to Sligo, the parishes were left without the cele- 
 bration of the divine mysteries, on the Sunday intervening ; an incident 
 rendered available against Dr. O’Finan, though it happened contrary to 
 his intention, and had been a manoeuvre of his adversaries. Tlie trial 
 occupied the greater part of the week, and damages to the amount of 
 £500 sterling were obtained against the publisher. Doctor O’Finan, at 
 a later period, generously remitted the damages, as such were not his 
 object in instituting proceedings. It is to be hoped, that in future, 
 proprietors of journals will acquire a profitable lesson by the experience 
 of Cavendish, ere they publish eflTusions which religion could not dic- 
 tate, as in this instance, between Dr. O’Finan and his clergy. 
 
 The leader of the opnosition, as Flannelly assuredly was and the 
 
296 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 prominent asserter of the rights of the clergy, it may be matter of sur- 
 prise why an effort was not made to liberate Cavendish from the em 
 barrassing position in which the cause of the diocese placed him ? Tlie 
 clergy chd liot sanction or even know the autlior of this epistle. It was 
 merely an adventiu’e, which was prompted by a desire to injure the 
 prelate with his tlock. It was an admirable specimen of composition 
 and of talent, with which the writer is gifted. It was, moreover, con- 
 trary to the forms by which ecclesiastical controversies are regulated, 
 and it was even by the judge on the bench reprobated as derogatory to 
 the character of the priest who wrote, and to the dignity of Rome, the 
 tribunal to Avhich the cause had been referred. Against the venerable 
 prelate the current of opinion ran high, because he persisted in going to 
 trial, contrary to the remonstrance of tlie primate, and the archbishop of 
 Tuam, and the other membei-s of the deputation. 
 
 As ere this, the reports of the apostolical delegates had reached the 
 authorities at Rome, the affaii-s of Doctor O’Finan were hastening to a 
 crisis. Ilis recall to Rome was determined on, and in the May of 1837, 
 letters arriv^ed from Cardinal Fransoni, the prefect of the Propaganda, 
 in wliich he was advised to hasten towards the Eternal City, as nothing 
 could be done there in his absence. Immediately preparations for his 
 journey were made, in obedience to the voice of the Supreme Pontiff. 
 
 After a lengthened stay in the Eternal City, he gave his assent to 
 resign his charge of a diocese over which he could not preside with 
 advantage to religion, or peace and calm to his own mind. A little 
 before his departure, positive instructions had arrived relative to the 
 suspension which was unjustly inflicted on the Rev. John Barrett, and 
 forthwifll the prelate gave him notice that his unmerited punishment 
 had ceased. 
 
 The letter on this occasion bespoke a reluctance on the part of Dr. 
 C'Finan, which was utterly at variance with that grace and pleasure 
 which should ever accompany an act of mercy or of justice. Barrett 
 did not long survive to enjoy a victory so dearly purchased, as an un- 
 timely death, with which it pleased Providence to remove liim from the 
 conflict, left his antagonist sole possessor of the field. 
 
 Free and familiar, sincere in friendship, of very distinguished talent 
 at Maynooth, zealous of God’s glory and the beauty of religion, kind 
 and attentive to his curates, hospitable to all, in Barrett, Killala deplores 
 the loss of an excellent priest and patriot. 
 
 Doctor O’Finan having resigned, the archbishop of Dublin was con- 
 stituted apostolical administrator of Killala, and in him was also vested 
 authority to provide for the vacant see. The apostolical administrator 
 of Ivillala in his letter to the Rev. Patrick Gildea, the vicar-general, 
 
ECXJLESUSTICAL inSTORY OF IRELANP. 
 
 297 
 
 liberating him from the responsibilty of office, observed, that lie had no 
 reason to regret once more entering on a less arduous sphere of action, 
 as the affairs of Killala did not promise either ease or comfort to its 
 future chief piistor. 
 
 As the nomination of a chief pastor was not left to the clergy of the 
 diocese, because of the disorder prevailing among themselves, the arch- 
 bishop and bishops of the province met to recommend the choice of a 
 successor to the Holy See. It is certain that the Kev. Martin Loftus, 
 P.P. of Dunmore, and the representative of his Grace of Tuam at the 
 Court of Pome while the merits of the national system of education for 
 the children of L-eland were submitted to the judgment of the Sovereign 
 Pontiff, was the favorite candidate of the archbishop. Dean Durkan of 
 Aclionry, and Thomas Feeny, the P.P. of Kiltolla, in the archdiocese, 
 were the other candidates. The choice being made by ballot, Feeny 
 was declared the object of their selection, and Doctor Murray, the apos- 
 tolical administrator, having sanctioned the proceedings, he repaired to 
 Ballina in order to enter on the administration of the diocese. Doctor 
 Feeny was utterly unknown to the clergy, and his appearance amongst 
 them was regarded as a well-merited censure on that disastrous litiga- 
 tion through which the rightful heir was driven from his inheritance by 
 the unthinking children of Killala, and which his promotion was as if 
 destined to heal or to teimiinate. Ills succession to the chair of Doctor 
 O’Finan was well nigh combated with success by Dean Lyons, who, 
 with just fears on his mind for the safety of himself and friends among 
 the clergy, hastened to forward a remonstrance to the Court of Rome. 
 A delay of nine months took place before the bulls for his consecration 
 were dispatched to the archbishop of Tuam. 
 
 A life hitherto chequered, and untempered with prudence, and im- 
 pelled by an unbounded confidence in his own abilities, was not capable 
 of resisting long the shocks of those contests into which ambition and 
 the thirst for preferment had hurried him. Dean Lyons, weary of that 
 life which was, it must be admitted, of essential service to his flock in 
 periods of distress, and the loss ol which was so sensibly felt during the 
 awful privations of the late famine, seized by illness, which had been 
 neglected in its onset, departed this life in March, 1845. Ilis fervent 
 appeal to a crucified Redeemer, it is to be lioped, has not been unheard 
 at the bar of justice and of mercy. Had he shown the humility of his 
 dying moments, when dazzling prospects of grandeur and dignity are 
 forgotten in the awfully important affair of eteraity, through his boister- 
 ous and troubled life ; had he endeavored by a timely and prudent 
 retreat to calm the tempest which he could not control ; had he thrown 
 oil on the surface of the ruffled waters, or held forth the olive branch of 
 
298 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF LRELAJ!!!). 
 
 peace and conciliation, the fine order of Killala Avould have been undis- 
 turbed and smooth as the summer sea. lie would have accomplished a 
 victory, the more glorious as it would be the conquest of religion and 
 its maxims.* By his death, however, were silenced those prophets of 
 evil, who foretold with confidence his defection from our holy faith. 
 And would to Heaven that to his tomb were consigned those disorders 
 which his ambitious views brought to light, which religion still has to 
 mourn, and which have not been corrected by the example of those to 
 whom the helm of Killala had been entrusted. 
 
 It is now time to record the death of the venerable Francis Joseph 
 O’Finan. Having attained his 77th year, and seized by his last illness, 
 the rites of the church were administered, which he received with the 
 most lively and perfect sentiments of recollection and piety, and his 
 death-bed was attended by Lord Clifford, his long and devoted friend, 
 Doctor Mullock, the bishop of Newfoundland, and by the superioi-s of 
 the Irish College. He departed this life on the 27th of November, 
 1817. 
 
 Francis Joseph O’Finan, venerable in your misfortune, too late have 
 we known you — too late have we loved you. The bitterness of .the 
 closing yeare of your life was not alleviated by the sweet and pleasing 
 reflection, that your inheritance had been cultivated with that care and 
 tenderness which would have recompensed you for the sacrifice. Alas ! 
 we now know the evil tendency of the untoward event by which your 
 exile has been accomplished, and of its unfortunate result to religion 
 and the character of the priesthood. Peace to your spirit — your meek- 
 ness, charity, and piety in life, and respect for your memory place on 
 my pen a restraint by which the public scorn is averted from that im- 
 piety and profanation which have so well merited the public chastise- 
 ment. 
 
 While Doctor O’Finan was passing over the tedious years of his ex- 
 ile from the loved land of his birth, letters from the secretary of state 
 to the colonies of Great Britain, arrived, offering Dr. O’Finan an annual 
 pension, and also the interference of the British government. Let those 
 who undertake to criticise Lord Palmerston’s diplomacy, form an opinion 
 of the motive which originated an ofi’er, wlxich, if accepted, would lead 
 to a schism in the church of Ireland. The answer of Dr. O’Finan will 
 endear him to his country and the order to which he belonged. It was 
 worthy of the child of the cloister and of that church which has 
 spurned the yoke of the British government during successive ages. 
 His noble and dignified reply to the foreign secretary of state assured 
 him, that much as he prized the land of his birth, he loved still more 
 his religion and his obedience to the successor of St. Peter. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 299 
 
 Ilis remains were deposited in the church of the Dominican convent 
 of the Minerva, at Rome. 
 
 Thomas Feenj was consecrated on the 13th of October, 1839. Suc- 
 ceeded to the diocese of Killala in 1848. Is a native of the diocese of 
 Tuam 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 SEE OF ELPHIN 
 
 How EMBRACES thosc of Ardcam, Drumcliffe, and Roscoman. By 
 the annexation of those sees, Elphin became one of the ricliest in the 
 kingdom. Caisseal-Iorra or West Cashel is also mentioned, and a 
 bishop Bron as having resided there ; he died in 512. St. Asicus is 
 mentioned as the first bishop of Elphin, and to have been placed in the 
 see by St. Patrick ; but it is doubtful whether he has been one in the 
 lifetime of the apostle. The festival of St. Asicus is ^elebrated on the 
 27th of April, but the year of his death, like unto the deaths of other 
 saints, is not known. Ware fixes his incumbency in or about 450. It 
 is said that Asicus was an excellent goldsmith, and that he adorned the 
 cathedral with monuments of elegant workmanship — that he also 
 wrought for St. Patrick quadrangular chalices and altars. It is also re- 
 lated of him, that through a penitential spirit he retired from his dio- 
 pese to the mountain Slievliag, in Donegal, where, after sojourning a 
 considerable time, he was discovered by his disciples. He could not be 
 induced to return to his see, but went with them to a solitude, and 
 when he died was buried, at Rathcunga, barony of Tyrhugh, in that 
 county. Xext to Asicus is mentioned his nephew, 
 
 Bitheus, bishop of Elphin, and who was buried with Asicus, in 
 Rathcunga. Baithan was bishop about A.D. 660. 
 
 Bron, bishop of Caisseal lorra, was the contemporary of both, and 
 dietl in the time of St. Bridget, A.D. 512. The names of the successors 
 are lost to our enquiries, but may we not hope that they are recorded in 
 the book of life. 
 
300 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Domnald O’Dubhai, who was also bishop of Clonmacnois, and who 
 died at Clonfert, in 1137. 
 
 Flanachan O’Dubhai, who died in 1168. 
 
 Maelisa O’Conactain, bishop of east Connaught, assisted at tlie coun- 
 cil of Kells in 1152. Died in 1174. 
 
 Florence MacKiagau O’Mulrony, a Cistercian monk and abbot of 
 Boyle, died in 1195 ; was descended of the kings of Connaught. 
 
 Ardgal O’Conor, of the royal family of the O'Conuoi-s, died A.D. 
 1214. 
 
 Denis O’Mulkeran, bishop of Ardcarn, died in 1224. 
 
 Denis O’Morda, who succeeded, resigned in 1229, and died in 
 1231. 
 
 Alan, of whom nothing is known. 
 
 Donat O’Connor sat tweh'e yeai-s, and died in 1244. 
 
 John O’llughroin, archdeacon of Elphin, was elected on the 12th of 
 June, 1244. The archbishop of Tuam refused to consecrate him until 
 he obtained the royal assent, but the Pope giving a laudable testimony 
 of John to the king, assent was given for his consecration, and a writ 
 issued to the lord justice to I'estore him to the temporals. John died 
 A.D. 1246, at Eahughmic Brec, county AVestmeath. 
 
 Cornelius Rufus, son to the successor of St. Molua, was bishop of 
 Elphin in 1246, but he survived a short time. 
 
 Tliomas O’Connor, dean of Achonry, was consecrated bishop of El- 
 phin in 1246, and translated to the archiepiscopal see of Tuam in 1259; 
 he sat there twenty yeai-s. While in the chair of Elphin he conse- 
 crated the church of the Dominican abbey at Roscoman. 
 
 Milo O’Connoi’, ai’chdeacon of Clonmacnois, was consecrated at Dun- 
 dalk, by the archbishop of Armagh, in 1260, and died in 1262 ; his 
 right to the see was cassated or made void on appeal to Rome, and 
 
 Tliomas MacFarrell MacDermott succeeded in 1262. Thomas was 
 abbot of Boyle ; was twice elected, before and after Milo’s death. He 
 only sat a short time, and died in 1265. After the death of this prelate, 
 Hugh O’Connor, by force, usurped the episcopal revenues. 
 
 Maurice O’Connor, a Dominican friar, succeeded on the 23d of 
 April, 1266. He was a witness to a deed of exchange on the 28th of 
 November, 1282, between King Edward I. and the prior of St. Coman’s 
 convent, at Roscoman, of the lands of Rostrenin for the lands of Lisne- 
 nerny. He died in 1284. Aulilfe O’Tumalty succeeeded, but died 
 soon after. 
 
 Gelasius MacJulianaid, abbot of Loughkee, was restored to the tern 
 porals on the 4th of March, 1285. He sat eleven years, and died in 
 1296. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 301 
 
 Malachy Mac Brian, abbot of Boyle, succeeded in 1296, and died at 
 Home about tlie close ol the year 1302. 
 
 Donatus O’Flanigan, abbot of Boyle, who to the abbacy, as well as 
 to the bishopric, succeeded in September, 1303 ; died in June, 1308, 
 worn out by a tedious distemper. Donatus was much esteemed for his 
 wisdom, hospitality, and other virtues. 
 
 Charles MacJulianaig, abbot of Loughkee, elected by a portion ot 
 the canons, bishop of Elphin, and consecrated at Armagh, in 1308, was 
 deprived by the Pope. Charles returned to tlie abbacy, where he died 
 at an advanced age, A.D. 1343, and 
 
 Malachy MacAeda canon of Elphin, succeeded by provision ot 
 Pope Clement V., and obtained the royal assent on the 7th of Decem- 
 ber, 1310 ; was translated to Tuam, in 1313. 
 
 Laurence O’Lughtuan, some time official of Tuam, a canon of El- 
 phin, was consecrated bishop of this see in 1313, being advanced by 
 Pope Clement V. He died in 1325. 
 
 John O’Finsey or O’Finachta, canon of Elphin, was elected by the 
 dean and chapter, and consecrated by his metropolitan in 1326. He 
 died in 1354, and was buried at Elphin, in the cathedral of the Virgin 
 Mary. 
 
 Gregory, provost of Killala, was consecrated bishop of Down — sup 
 posed then vacant, — promoted to the see of Elphin by Pope Innocent 
 V'L, in February, 1356 ; thence in 1372, translated to Tuam. 
 
 Thomas Barrett, archdeacon of Enaghdune, was consecrated bishop 
 of Elphin in 1372. He governed this see thirty-two years. Was the 
 most eminent man in Ireland for wisdom, and a superior knowledge of 
 divinity. He died at Errew, of Lough-Con, and was buried there. 
 
 John O’Grady succeeded in 1405, and died in 1417. 
 
 Robert Foster, a Franciscan friar and doctor of divinity, succeeded, 
 by provision of Pope Martin Y., in February, 1418. 
 
 William O’Etegan, (according to the annals of MacFirbisse,) bishop 
 of Elphin, and many of the clergy of Connaught, went to Rome in the 
 year 1444 ; most of them died there. 
 
 Cornelius O’Mullaghlin, bishop of Elphin, built a Franciscan monas- 
 tery at Elphin, about the year 1450. Tlie canons and inhabitants of 
 Elphin were donors also of this church. Cornelius died A.D. 1468 ; it 
 seems that he resigned some time before his death, as his successor, 
 
 Nicholas O’Flanigan, a Dominican friar, was bishop of Elphin in 
 1458. The effects of old age and a dimness of siglit caused him to re- 
 sign in 1494. Nicholas requested of the Pope to translate George 
 Brann, bishop of Dromore, to the see of Elphin, but it appears 
 
302 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI. HISTORY OF IRFJL^YNT). 
 
 Cornelius was the successor iii the see for some time, and after his 
 death, 
 
 Kichard MacBrien, a Dominican friar, succeeded in 1496, and died 
 in 1499. 
 
 George Bran, Bishop of Dromore, was translated by the Pope to the 
 see of Elphin, on the 18th of April, 1499. George died in 1523. 
 
 Christopher Fisher is said to have been bishop of Elphin, and to 
 have died in 1511. George Brann must have resigned. 
 
 John, bishop of Elphin, sat in 1535, and died the next year. 
 
 Conatus O’Siagail, a canon regular, abbot of Assadara, and chaplain 
 to Manus O’Donnell, was advanced to the see by Henry VIIL in 1544. 
 
 Bernard O’lliggin, a Dominican friar, provided by the Pope. Pre- 
 sided in 1552. 
 
 Andreas Xerea, a Dominican friar, was bishop of Elphin, A.D 
 1562, in the pontificate of Pius lY. 
 
 Boetius MacEgan was bishop of Elphin in 1646. 
 
 Dominick Burke, a Dominican friar of Athenry, was promoted to 
 the see of Elphin by Pope Clement X., A.D. 1671 ; was born in Ire- 
 land about the year 1629, of parents steadfastly attached to the ancient 
 faith, and illustrious by their birth. Sighing after spiritual perfection, 
 he joined the order of preachers, and having embarked for Spain, he 
 was arrested by the English heretics, who imprisoned him in Kinsale, 
 having robbed him of his garments and his trav'eling expenses. 
 Through the mercy of Christ he effected his escape, by leaping from the 
 window of his cell into the slime, which was left by the receding tide ; 
 he was concealed two days in a neighboring wood, without being 
 washed„as he was afraid to approach the river. All this time he had 
 neither food nor drink, until with difficulty he reached the mansion of 
 Roche, a nobleman, by whom he was humanely treated, while re- 
 cruiting his strength, and by whom he was dismissed with becoming 
 apparel, and a suitable viatic. He was now enabled to reach his pa- 
 ternal roof, to the great surprise of his mother, who earnestly entreated 
 him not to expose himself to the danger of a second voyage ; but his 
 piety prevailed, and havdng obtained from her another viatic, he em- 
 barked at Galway, and safely landed in a Spanish port. Having entered 
 a convent of the Dominicans, he devoted six years to the completion of 
 his studies, but the persecution of Cromwell still raging in Ireland, he 
 set out for Italy, where he spent sixteen years, esteemed by all, who had 
 the happiness of enjoying his conversation. He became master of no- 
 vices at Venice, in the convent of St. Dominic — at Milan, in the mag- 
 nificent and ducal convent of St. Mary, of thanksgiving ; and finally, in 
 the city of Boschurn, distinguished by the birth of Saint Pius Y., he 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOHY OF IRELAND. 
 
 303 
 
 9 
 
 performed tins office for ten years, with credit and advantage. In the 
 general chapter of the order held at Rome, in the year 1670, he repre 
 sented his province and the college of Louvain. In 1671 he was pro- 
 moted to the see of Elphin, by Clement X., unexpectedly, and without 
 solicitation on his part. Being forty-one years of age when consecrated, 
 he set out for Ireland, and for thirty-three years continued the good and 
 vigilant pastor. 
 
 Ilis sutferings are indescribable, while the persecution of 1680, 
 raged against the Catholics of England and Ireland. For four months 
 he was concealed in a solitaiy house, and on the approach of Easter- 
 week, in order to have an opportunity of consecrating the oils, he was 
 obliged to travel forty miles at night. When Oliver Flunket, primate 
 of all Ireland was arrested, and confined in Dublin, the bishop of Elphin 
 received from him timely information, by which he was enabled to 
 baffie his pursuers. 
 
 Though poor, and without revenues, except the voluntary oblations 
 of the faithful, he had an avereion towards receiving gifts or presents 
 from anj', particularly from ecclesiastics ; and in order that he might 
 not be a burden to the clergy, he obtained a large and extensive tract of 
 land, which he farmed, from the most illustrious William de Burgo, 
 earl of Clanrickard, who was his cousin, on which he built a suitable 
 dwelling, exercising that sort of hospitality peculiar to the primitive 
 ages of the church, as soon as the fury of the persecution abated. At 
 the time of the war of the rebellious heretics of England against James 
 II., the hisliop of Elphin Avas obliged to dwell at Galwa}^, Avhere the 
 citizens respected and revered him, and placed at his disposal means 
 sufficiently ample for his episcopal dignity. Besides his devotion to the 
 BleSvSed Virgin and the canonical office, he made it a rule to repeat 
 daily, the entire rosary in her honor. 
 
 King James II. and his queen Avere much attached to the bislmp of 
 Elphin. Obliged to become an exile, he repaired to Louvain, and there 
 dAA'elt in the college of the Holy Cross. From his retreat, in 1695, by 
 frequent lettei-s addressed to the supreme Pontiff, the orthodox princes 
 of Europe and their ambassadors assembled to deliberate, on the 
 peace of Ryswick, he informed them of the deplorable state of the Irish 
 Catholics, and of the intention on the part of the English people to ex 
 tirpate the Catholic religion. By his interference Avith Innocent XIL, 
 two briefs were issued, breathing piety and sympathy with the Irish, 
 and recommending the Catholics to subscribe for the support of the 
 exiles from Ireland, then throAvn destitute all over the Continent. 
 The bishop of Elphin solicited for the entire kingdom of Ireland, abso- 
 lutfon from the presumed excommunication pronounced bv the nuncio 
 
304 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF EKELANH. 
 
 Rinuccini, — and though others applied they met with repulse — not sc 
 with the bishop of Elphin. In the year 1656, John Nolan, of Kilkenny, 
 rector of the Minerva, and Richard O’Kelly, of Rathbi-an, in Killala, 
 then at Rome, to attend the general chapter of the order, strenuously 
 urged the apostolic see to remove this censure ; this favor Dominick de 
 Burgo at last obtained, and on this occasion thirty-three apostolic briefs 
 were addressed to the dioceses of Ireland. 
 
 At last, full of labor for God and the church, and of years, for they 
 numbered sevenD^-five, fortified by the holy rites of religion, in the en- 
 joyment of his mental faculties, he calmly resigned his soul on the 1st 
 of January, 1704, at Louvain, and was buried there in the church of the 
 convent, near the great altar. 
 
 Ambrose MacDermott was appointed bishop in 1707 ; died 1717. 
 
 Patrick French Avas consecrated in 1718. 
 
 John Brett, penitentiary apostolic, consecrated at Rome and a Domi- 
 nican of Sligo abbey, was translated from Killala in 1748, and died in 
 1756. 
 
 James Fallon Avas bishop of Elphin in the years 1759 and 1775. 
 
 Edmond French was bishop of Elphin in 1800, and died in 1810. 
 
 George Thomas Plunkett, consecrated in 1816 ; died in 1827. 
 
 Patrick Burke appointed coadjutor in 1819 ; succeeded in 1827 , 
 departed in 1844. In life respected and beloved, and in death regretted. 
 
 George Joseph Plunkett BroAvne, consecrated bishop of Gahvay in 
 October, 1831 ; Avas translated to Elphin in March, 1844. Revered as 
 the dove of the Irish church. 
 
EOCLESlASTICAi HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 305 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 SEE OP ACHONRT. 
 
 The great Saint Emian of Clonard placed Xatliy in the church of 
 Achad, commonly called Achonry. Xathy was his scholar. The foun- 
 dation of the see seems to have taken place about the year 560, if it be 
 admitted that Xathi was a bishop. He is constantly called Cruimthir 
 Xathi, i.e., the Pi-iest Xathi. The birth of Xathi can be assigned to 
 the year 520, having lived or survived until the time of St. Fechin’s 
 ordination, which took place in 605 ; he must have reached the age of 
 ninety years. 
 
 “ When St. Finian arrived at Achad, where dwelt a man of God, 
 Xathi, a priest,” it follows, that he had received holy orders before his 
 acquainta; ce with Finian. St. Finian having performed a miracle, the 
 dynast y[ the district gave him the place on which it occurred, and it is 
 since oailed Achadchonaire. Here a school was established, in which 
 St Fechin of Fore received his ecclesiastical and literary education 
 ■JAder Xathy. Our saint is always mentioned with great respect, and 
 his festival is observed in the diocese of Achonry, on the 9th of August. 
 
 The bishops of this see are frequently called after the barony of 
 “ Lyney,” in the annals of Ireland. The catalogue of its prelates is in- 
 complete, until the year 1170. 
 
 Melruan O’Ruadan is the next bishop of Achonry met with. He 
 died in 1170, having presided upwards of eighteen years. Was at the 
 synod of Kells in 1152, and esteemed a man of wisdom, and of con- 
 siderable reputation in the country. 
 
 Gelasy O’Ruadan died in 1214. 
 
 Clement O’Sinadaig died in 1219, having sat five years. 
 
 Cams or Cormac O’Tarpa, a Cistercian and abbot of Mellifont,. 
 bishop of Luigney, died in the said abbey on the 15th of January, 1226, 
 and was buried there. 
 
 Gelasy O’Clery, who succeeded, is called bishop of Luigney, in the 
 
 annals of Connaught, and his death is placed A.D. 1230. 
 
 20 
 
306 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, IHSTOKY OF IRELAKD. 
 
 Tliomas O’Ruadan succeeded, died in 1237, and was buried in his 
 own cathedral. 
 
 Aengus O'Cluman succeeded in 1238, and voluntarily resigned in 
 the year 1250. Having embraced a monastic life, he died in the abbey 
 of Boyle, A.D. 1263, worn out with age and infirmities. 
 
 Thomas O’Miachan succeeded in June, 1251, and died about the 
 year 1265. The see was at this time Avorth no more than twenty marks 
 in rent. 
 
 Denis O’Miachan, archdeacon of Achonry, was elected in 1266. He 
 sat nineteen years ; died in Xovember, 1285, and Avas buried in his own 
 church. 
 
 Benedict, elect of Achonry, was restored to the temporals on the 
 27th of September, 1286. 
 
 Henry MacOreghty, a Cistercian monk, succeeded, and died A.D. 
 1297. 
 
 Benedict O’Bragan, bishop of Luigney, died about the close of the 
 year 1311. 
 
 David de lulkenny was chosen his successor in 1312. 
 
 !Murchard O’Hara, abbot of Boyle, bishop of Achonry, died A.D. 
 1344. 
 
 David, bishop of Achonry, died in 1348. 
 
 Kicholas O’lledram, a Cistercian monk of the abbey of Easroe or de 
 Samario (Ballyshannon), succeeded by provision of Pope Clement VI. 
 He sat twenty-five yeai*s, and died in 1373. 
 
 William AndreAV, a Dominican friar and a native of England, doctor 
 of divinity, succeeded by provision of Pope Gregory XL, in August, 
 1374 ; ruled the see six yeai-s, and Avas translated to Meath, and having 
 sat there five years, he died on the eA'e of St. Michael, Archangel, A.D. 
 1385. He was a prelate of great wisdom and learning, and like 
 Socrates, he could never consent to publish any of his AAu-itings, though 
 much was expected from him. 
 
 Thomas MacDonough, bishop of Achonry, died in 1398. In 1409, 
 Brian O’Hara, bishop of Achonry died. 
 
 LaAvrence Peter Jacopini, a Dominican friar, was bishop of Achonry 
 in 1414, and died in 1442. It seems that Lawrence resigned, as 
 
 Eich^rd Belmer, bachelor of Tlieology, a Dominican also, Avas bishop 
 in 1424, by provision of Pope Martin V. In 1435, the “ Eed ” bishop 
 O’Hara, of Achonry, died. 
 
 Tliady, bishop of Achonry, died A.D. 1448. 
 
 Cornelius, a Cistercian, and abbot of Boyle, succeeded, A.D. 1449. 
 
 James Blakedon, a Dominican, bishop of Achonry, in 1453, was 
 translated to the see of Bangor. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTORY OF rRELAND. 
 
 3or 
 
 Cornelius next succeeded, and died in 1472. 
 
 Robert Wellys, a minorite, succeeded by provision of Pope Sixtus 
 IV., in July, 1473. 
 
 Bernard, bishop of Aclionry, died in 1488. 
 
 John de Buclauiant, a Spaniard, preceptor of the convent of St. Ca- 
 tharine, at Toledo, of the order of the Blessed Virgin for the redemption 
 of captives, succeeded, by provision of Pope Innocent VIIL, in Sep- 
 tember, 1489. 
 
 Richard next successor. Presided a short time, as he died in 1492. 
 
 Thomas Fort, master of arts, and an Augustin canon, was elected in 
 1492, but the time of his death is unknown. 
 
 Cormac was bishop of Achonry, in 1523. 
 
 Eugene O’Flanagan, a Dominican friar and bachelor of divinity, 
 was, by Pope Julius 11. appointed to the see of Achonry, in December, 
 1508. 
 
 Eugene O’Hart, a Dominican of Sligo abbey, was promoted to the 
 see of Achonry in 1562 ; was one of the fathei-s of the council of Trent. 
 He lived 100 years, and died in 1603. 
 
 Dominick O’Daly, master of theology and a predicant of the con- 
 vent of A.thenry ; he completed his studies at St. Clement’s and partly 
 at the Minerva in Rome. Having returned to his native country, he 
 diligently performed the duties of missionary apostolic. He attended 
 the chapter of his order held at Rome, in 1721, and was at last provided 
 by Pope Benedict XIH. to the see of Achonry, A.D. 1725, and was 
 consecrated at Brussels by Cardinal Joseph Spinelli, afterwards prefect 
 of the Propaganda. He died piously, A.D. 1735, and was buried at 
 Atl\enry. 
 
 Philip Phillips was translated to Tuam, from 1759 to 1780. 
 
 Boetius Egan translated to Tuam, 1791 ; died in 1798. 
 
 Tliomas O’Connor was living in 1800. 
 
 John Lynagh. 
 
 John O’Fiynne, died A.D. 1817. 
 
 Patrick MacXicholas was some time professor of the college of 
 Maynooth, and a man of extraordinary talent ; consecrated in May, 
 1818 ; died in a good old age in February, 1852. In March following, 
 the election of a successor took place in the cathedral at Ballaghader- 
 reen — his grace of Tuam presiding. Dean Durkan, of Achonry and 
 P.P. of Colooney was chosen by a large majority of votes. * The other 
 candidates obtained only four between them. Dean Durkan was con- 
 secrated on the 30th of November following, and now happily presidas. 
 
308 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 SEE OP CLONFERT. 
 
 Was founded about the year 550. Some are of opinion that Saint 
 Brendan was the first bisliop, because Saint Moena is called bis suc- 
 cessor, in the calendar of Cashel, — but St. Brendan’s establishment 
 having become so extensive, that a bishop was necessary to ordain mis- 
 sionaries, and assist the founder, St. Brendan, in its government. Saint 
 Moena, it seems, was the person who was chosen by Brendan, on this 
 occasion, and who afterwards founded the see of Clonfert. In its cathe- 
 dral were seven altars. Tliere is much confusion in the accounts rela- 
 tive to St. Moena ; it is probable that he was a native of Britanny, and 
 came to Ireland with St. Brendan, on his return from that country. 
 Moena’s death is noted on the 1st of March, A.D. 571 
 
 St. Fintan Corach, who floui'ished at this period, was bishop of Clon- 
 fert ; he had previously presided over a church in a place called Leam- 
 chuil, in Leinster. It is stated that he either founded or governed a 
 church at Cluainmaithin, in Leix or Clonenagh. He became abbot of 
 St. Brendan’s and bishop of the see. His death is marked on the 21st 
 of February, but the year of his death is unknown, or its place. 
 
 Senach Garb succeeded, as abbot and bishop. He died in 621. 
 
 St. Colman, the son of Comgel, was bishop of Clonfert, and it seems 
 died the same year with his predecessor. 
 
 Cumin Foda, the Long, son of Feachna, and grandson of Fiacrius, a 
 prince of West Munster, is said to have been promoted to the see of 
 Clonfert by Guaire MacColman, which he governed with great wisdom. 
 He died on the 12th of Xovember, 662. 
 
 Rutmel, prince and bishop of Clonfert, died in 825. 
 
 Cathal MacCormac, the eminent bishop of Clonfert, died in 861. 
 
 Cormac MacAidan, bishop of Clonfert, died A.D. 921. 
 
 Giolla MacAiblen, comorban of Brendan, died in 1166. 
 
 Peter O’Moor, a Cistercian monk, and abbot of Grelachdinach, (after- 
 wards Boyle,) was bishop of Clonfert, and a man of high esteem for 
 
ECCLESlASnOAL HISTORY CF tEEIAND. 
 
 300 
 
 many virtues. lie was drowned in the Shannon on the 27th of Decem- 
 ber, 1171. 
 
 Maelisa MacAward sat a very short time, having died A.D. 1173. 
 
 Malcallan, son of Adam, bishop of Clonfert, died in 1186. 
 
 Donald O’Find, comorban of Clonfert-Brendan, died in 1195. A 
 bishop O’Cormacain died at Clonfert in 1204, but the name of his see is 
 not given. 
 
 Thomas, bishop of Clonfert, died in 1248. 
 
 Cormac or Charles O’Lumlin, bishop of Clonfert, was highly esteemed 
 for his probity and learning. lie died at an advanced age, in 1259. 
 
 Tliomas OTvelley succeeded. He was a great benefactor to the 
 church of the Dominicans, at Athemy, where he is interred, having 
 died in January, 1263. 
 
 John, who was an Italian, and the Pope’s nuncio, succeeded to the 
 see of Clonfert, in 1266, and was consecrated at Athenry ; in the follow- 
 ing year he went to Rome. He presided many years, and was trans- 
 lated to the see of Benavento, in Italy. He is classed among the prin- 
 cipal benefactoi's to the church of Clonfert. In 1296, William O’Dufiy, 
 bishop of Clonfert, fell from his horse, and died in consequence. 
 
 Robert succeeded in 1296 ; was a monk of Christ church, Canter- 
 bury. lie sat eleven years, and died A.D. 1307. 
 
 Gregory O’Brogy was unanimously elected by the chapter; w’as 
 dean of the cathedral. lie sat eleven years, and died in 1319. 
 
 Robert le Petit, a minorite, was elected by the dean and chapter on 
 the 10th of February, 1319 ; was deprived in two years after ; was 
 afterwards promoted to the see of Enaghdune, by provision of the 
 Pope, on the 18th of November, 1325, and obtained the temporals in 
 June, 1326. 
 
 John O’Lean, archdeacon of Tuam, succeeded in 1322, by provision 
 of the Pope. He died on the 7th of April, 1336. Tlie see of Clonfert 
 was kept vacant, and the temporals of this see and that of Enaghdune 
 given in custody to John de Exeter and Elias Tullesan, on the death of 
 Thomas O’Malley, and continued so until the 10th year of King Edward 
 
 m., A.D. 1346. 
 
 Tliomas O’Kelley, a secular priest, was bishop of Clonfert in Octo- 
 bei, 1347, and died in 1377. 
 
 Maurice O’Kelley, also a secular priest, was consecrated in 1378, 
 and was translated to the see of Tuam by Pope Boniface IX., in 1394. 
 
 David Corre, a Franciscan, was provided by the Pope on the 20th 
 of March, 1398, William O’Cormacain, archbishop of Tuam, having 
 neglected to expedite his bull of translation, it is said, through grief. 
 
310 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF lEELAND. 
 
 Tliomas O’Kelley, a Dominican, remarkable for his piety and libe- 
 rality, was bishop of Clonfert in 1415 ; was translated to Tuam in 1438. 
 lie erected the parish church of Cloonkeen into a convent of Fran- 
 ciscans of the third order, at the instance of David and John Imulkerill, 
 professors of the order. He died in 1441. 
 
 John O’lleyne, a minorite and provincial of the order in Ireland, 
 succeeded by provision of Pope Eugene lY. on the 19th of July, 1438 ; 
 he sat about four years. 
 
 Tliomas de Burgo, bishop of Clonfert, sat in 1444, and with the con- 
 sent of his chapter granted the chapel of the Blessed Virgin at Kilcor- 
 bain, to the triars of St. Dominick, at the request of John Fitzrery. 
 Pope Eugene lY. contirmed the grant on the 12th of March, 1444. This 
 prelate died in 1446, and was buried at Athenry 
 
 Cornelius O’Mulledy or Mullaly, a Franciscan friar, was promoted 
 to the see by Pope Nicholas Y., on the 22d of May, 1447, and iimnedi- 
 ately after was translated to the see of Emly. It seems that John With 
 was bishop of Clonfert, as the bull of Pope Nicholas Y. expressly calls 
 him so, when Cornelius was promoted, but he resigned voluntarily, 
 through his proctor, Cornelius O’Mulledy. 
 
 Cornelius O’Cunlis, a Franciscan friar and bishop of Emly, was, by 
 the Pope, translated to this see in September, 1448. He lived after- 
 wards in Rome, A.D. 1469. 
 
 Mathew MacCraih was bishop of Clonfert in 1482 ; he died at the 
 Franciscan convent, Kilbought, in the covmty of Galway, and was buried 
 in Kilcomaing, A.D. 1507. Ho was a man in high esteem for his many 
 virtues. 
 
 David de Burgo, a secular priest, provided by Pope Julius H., died 
 in 1508, the year after his promotion. 
 
 Denis O’Moore, called by Ware and Harris a Franciscan, was of the 
 Dominican family, and was provided by Pope Julius H. in 1509, as ap- 
 pears from the pontifical bull; he was a bachelor of divinity. Ware 
 and Harris afiirm that he was living in July, 1518, but it is probable 
 that he lived until the year 1534, according to de Burgo, bishop of 
 Ossory. Richard Nangle was advanced by King Henry YHI., but was 
 superseded by Clement YII. 
 
 Roland de Burgo was* promoted by the bull of this Pontiff in 
 October, 1534, and Roland died in 1580, worn out with age and in- 
 firmity. 
 
 Tliaddeus O’Ferrall, a Dominican, was promoted in 1587 to this see, 
 in the pontificate of Sixtus Y. In his old age he was as anxious, as 
 in the spring of life, to propagate the Catholic faith, for which he un- 
 dertook much labor. He died at EJnsale, in the year 1602. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORT OF IRELAND. 
 
 311 
 
 John Burke, translated to Tuam, A.D. 1646. Walter Lynch acting 
 as vicar Apostolic. 
 
 Walter Lynch, the vicar Apostolic of Tuam, was bishop of Clonfert ; 
 a doctor of both laws, civil and canon. He died in exile at Raab, in 
 Hungary. 
 
 Tliadeus MacKeogh was bishop of Clonfert in 1671 ; was a Domini- 
 can of the abbey of Roscommon. Having finished his studies in Spain, 
 at Pampeluna, and having preached in his native country during a series 
 of years, with great spiritual profit, he went to London during the per- 
 secution of Cromwell, and remained some months with Ulick de Burgo, 
 marquis of Clanrickard. When promoted to the see of Clonfert, he 
 immediately returned, and governed his flock sixteen years, as a most 
 vigilant pastor, and died A.D. 1687, and was buried at Kilcoi’bau. 
 
 Maurice Donnellan, bishop in 1698. 
 
 Ambrose O’Madden, in 1701. 
 
 Peter Donnellan, bishop in 1742. 
 
 Andrew O’Donnellan, coadjutor in 1776. Succeeded in 1777 ; died 
 in 1780. 
 
 Philip O’Reily, bishop in 1780. 
 
 William Coyle, Coadjutor in 1780. Succeeded 1781 ; died in 1787. 
 
 Thomas Costello, consecrated in 1787 ; died in 1831. 
 
 Tliomas Coen, a dean of Maynooth, was bishop of Milevi, and coad- 
 jutor bishop of Clonfert in 1816. Succeeded in 1831, and died in the 
 summer of 1847. 
 
 John Derry, having finished his studies at Maynooth, as a firetrate 
 student, being under age for ordination, was appointed junior dean of 
 the college. Subsequently joined the mission of his native diocese, and 
 was promoted to the see, and consecrated on the 21st of September, 
 1847. 
 
312 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAl, HISTORY OF HUiLAIfD. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXn. 
 
 SEES OP KILMACDUAGH AND KILFENORA, 
 
 Saint Colman, the son of Duach, is the founder of this see. He 
 was descended of the’ noble family of the Hy Fiachra, in Connaught, 
 and was nearly related to Guaire, king of the country ; and of this 
 branch there were two monarchs of Heland, and about thirteen kings of 
 Connaught. He was very fond of an ascetic life, and lived as a hermit 
 in the forest of Burren (county of Clare), seven years, with a young 
 clerk, a disciple of his : their food consisted of water-cresses and wild 
 herbs ; their drink was water, and deer skins served them as garments. 
 Having constructed an oratory and a small dwelling surrounded with 
 trees, they remained without conversation with any person. The repu- 
 tation of Colman becoming very great, the king of the country, Guaire, 
 who was a prince of eminent piety and liberality, offered him as much 
 land as he should wish, for the establishment of a religious community. 
 The saint refused to accept of more than a small spot, on which he 
 erected a monastery, and where he became bishop. It was not far from 
 his former habitation, and is called Kilmacduagh, i. e., the church oi 
 Colman, son of Duach. 
 
 The foundation of this church took place in the early part of the 
 reign of Guaire, and probably before the year 620. St. Colman died 
 on the 3d of February — the year is unknown. His memory is highly 
 revered in the diocese, and his festival is kept there on the 29th of Oc- 
 tober. 
 
 Indred, bishop of Kilmacduagh, died in 814. 
 
 Rugnad O’Ruadan, the son of Cellaig, died in 1178. 
 
 O’Kelly, bishop of Hy-Fiachra Aidhne (Kilmacduagh), died in 
 1214. 
 
 Mullmurry O’Conmaie, bishop of Kilmacduagh, died A.D. 1224. 
 
 Odo or Hugh, chantor of Kilmacduagh, was elected bishop on the 
 12th of May, 1227. 
 
ECCLESLASTICAL HI8T0KY OF IRELAND. 
 
 313 
 
 Conor O’Murray, bishop of Kilmacdnagh, died at Bristol, A. D. 
 1247. 
 
 Gelasius MacCellaigai, bishop of Kilmacdnagh, died in 1249. 
 
 Maurice Ileyan, died in 1283, and was buried in the Dominican 
 convent at Atlienry. 
 
 David O’Sedaghan succeeded on the 13th of July, 1284. He died 
 in 1290, and was buried at Athenry. 
 
 Lawrence O’Lachnan succeeded, was a Cistercian monk, — abbot of 
 Easroe (Ballyshannon), of Boyle, and finally of Knockmoy, and bishop 
 of the see in 1290. He died A.D. 1306. 
 
 Luke, bishop of Kilmacduach succeeded ; died in 1325, having sat 
 eighteen years. 
 
 John, dean of Kilmacduach, was elected by the dean and chapter; 
 obtained the temporals on the 14th of May, 1326, and was consecrated 
 the same year by the archbishop of Tuam. John was living in the year 
 1347, and was brought into trouble by the wicked course of Gillinew, 
 his bastard son ; was fined twenty shillings, and obliged to obtain a 
 charter of pardon for receiving and entertaining him. “ The enemies ol 
 man are his own domestics.” 
 
 Nicholas, bishop of Kilmacduach was consecrated A.D. 1360, and 
 was sitting in 1371, or perhaps 1377. 
 
 Gregory Ileyan, bishop of Kilmacduach, took the oath of fealty to 
 King Richard IL, at Drogheda, on the 10th of March, 1394 ; died the 
 year following, and was buried in the Dominican convent at Eos- 
 coman. 
 
 Nicholas Ileyan, a Dominican friar, succeeded. Died in 1399, and 
 was buried at Athenry. 
 
 John Icomaid, bishop of this see, succeeded. His death is placed 
 in 1401, and he was buried at Athenry. 
 
 John, abbot of Corcumroe, was elected by Pope Martin HI. on the 
 23d of October, 1418. 
 
 Cornelius, bishop of this see, sat in 1493, and resigned 1502. 
 
 Mathew, archdeacon of Killaloe succeeded, by provision of the 
 Pope, t)n the 8th of March, 1503 ; was sitting in 1523. 
 
 Christopher Bodkin, bishop of this see, was translated to Tuam in 
 1536, and held Kilmacdnagh by dispensation. 
 
 Tlie Bishops of Kilfenora: — the smallest see of Ireland. As the 
 cathedral was dedicated to St. Fachnan, he is supposed to have been 
 the founder. Ware seems to allude to the St. Fachnan of Ross, as 
 the founder of this see. Among the disciples of St. Barr, we also find 
 a Fachnan de Ria, who existed probably in the seventh century. It is 
 
314 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IKELAND. 
 
 scarcely admissible that St. Fachnan of Ross was the founder of this 
 see, as there is no mention in the calendars of Kilfenora, M'hile Ross 
 and Darinis are pointed out. 
 
 Christian, the fii-st whose name has been preserved, as bishop of 
 Kilfenora, died in 1254, and was buried at Limerick, in the convent 
 church of the Dominicans. 
 
 Henry, or rather Maurice, on swearing fealty to the king obtained 
 the temporals, and was consecrated by his metropolitan in February, 
 1265. Tliis prelate died in 1273. 
 
 Florence O’Tighernach, abbot of Kilsane and a Cistercian, was 
 elected bishop of Kilfenora, and obtained the temporals in September, 
 1273. Having delayed swearing fealty to the king, he obtained a 
 second writ of restitution to the temporalities in November, 1274. Ho 
 died A.D. 1281. 
 
 Charles, dean of Kilfenora was elected bishop on the 8th of Sep- 
 tember, 1281, and obtained the temporals. 
 
 Congall O’Laughlin, called bishop of Corcumroe, died A.D. 1300, 
 having left a character for integrity and probity. 
 
 Simon O'Currin, who succeeded, died in 1303, and was buried at 
 Limerick, in the convent church of the Dominicans. 
 
 Maurice O’Brien, dean of Kilfenora, was appointed bishop on the 
 8th of October, 1303. He sat thirteen years, and was buried at Lime- 
 rick, in the aforesaid church. 
 
 Richard O’Loghlan, who died on the 3d of February, 1359, succeeded. 
 
 Patrick became bishop in March, 1394, having sworn fealty to King 
 Richard H. in the Dominican monastery at Drogheda. Felim O’Laghlin, 
 bishop of Kilfenora, died in 1434. 
 
 Denis O’Cahan, bishop of this see, resigned in 1491. 
 
 Maurice O’Brien, canon of Killaloe, and a man of noble birth, suc- 
 ceeded by pro^^sion of the Pope, on the 31st of December, 1491. He 
 was living in 1523. 
 
 John O’Hinalan, bishop of Kilfenora, in May, 1552, and probably 
 Bat in 1570. 
 
 Andrew Lynch, bishop of Kilfenora, in 1649. 
 
 Ilaniel Andrews, bishop of the see, in 1678. 
 
 James O’Daly, an Eremite of St. Augustin, bishop of Kilfenora, 
 died A.D. 1750. When the diocese of Kilfenora was united to Kilmac- 
 duagh, of the latter see Hugh Burke was bishop in 1649. Myles Burke 
 bishop of Kilmacduagh died in 1744. 
 
 Peter Kiilikelly, a Dominican, and prior provincial of Ireland, was 
 promoted to Kilmacduagh in 1744, by Benedict XIV., and after the 
 death of James O’Daly, in 1750, became also bishop of Kilfenora. Peter 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF lEELANt). 
 
 315 
 
 w^as master of theology, and an inmate of the convent of Galway ; conse- 
 crated at Dublin, by John Linegar, archbishop of that see. He ob- 
 tained an indult from the Holy See, authorizing any bishop in commu- 
 nion with the centre of unity, assisted by two priests, in the absence of 
 bishops, to consecrate him. He presided over the united sees with great 
 advantage to religion and morals. The year of his death is not men- 
 tioned. 
 
 Lawrence Nihil was bishop in 1791. 
 
 Doctor Kirwan succeeded. 
 
 Nicholas Joseph, archdeacon, living in 1800; died in 1824. 
 
 Edmund French, warden of Galway in 1813, and until the abolition 
 of this office in 1831, w’as consecrated bishop of those sees on the 13th 
 of March, 1825 ; has died within the past year, 1852. No appoint- 
 ment has yet taken place, but the bulls for the consecration of a suc- 
 cessor, Patrick Fallon, parish priest of Touclea, who was declared the 
 “ most worthy” by the clergy of tliose sees, have arrived. 
 
316 
 
 ECCI.E8IASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXm. 
 
 WARDENSHIP OF GALWAY. 
 
 The city of Galway originally belonged to the see of Enaglidune, 
 which was united in 1324- to the archdiocese of Tuain, Malachy Mac 
 Aeda or MacHugh, in the chair of Jarlath. 
 
 Philip de Slane, bishop of Cork, who was sent on an embassy to the 
 Pope by King Edward H., and who discharged his commission with 
 address ; and who, on his return to Ireland, was appointed privy coun- 
 cillor, was instrumental in etfecting this union. The business seems to 
 have regarded the reform of the ecclesiastical state of Ireland, and the 
 Pope armed this prelate and the archbishops of Dublin and Cashel with 
 authority to inform themselves of what was expedient for the welfare of 
 the country. A council having been convened, at Avhich many of the 
 nobility and gentry were present ; among other things, it was thought 
 proper to annex the sees of Enachdune, Achonry, and Kilmacduach to 
 the metropolitan church of Tuam. The union of Achonry and Kilmac- 
 duach has not taken place. 
 
 Tlie union with Tuam being accomplished, the church of St. 
 Xicholas, one of the finest ecclesiastical structures in Ireland, was 
 governed by vicars, who were instituted by the archbishop, and who 
 were commonly of Irish extraction. They were entirely different in 
 their manners and habits of life, as well as in principle, from their 
 English parishioners. Under such a state of things discontent grew up, 
 and the affairs being badly circumstanced, Donatus O’Murray, arch- 
 bishop of Tuam, in the year 1484, erected the church of St. Xicholas. 
 into a collegiate one, and exempted it from his jurisdiction, by letters 
 under his seal, and which were confirmed by the bull of Pope Innocent 
 VUI., and Donatus also attached to it the parish church of Balenclair, 
 or Claregalway. 
 
 "William Joyce, archbishop of Tuam, and a native of Galway, con- 
 firmed by his deed all the former grants and privileges of the collegiate 
 
©olltqiatf ®bui£b of St. Nicbola*, CEtalbaj. 
 
I 
 
 4 ^ - 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF lEELAND. 317 
 
 church, wardens and vicars, and soon after united to it tlie churches of 
 Furanmore, Moycullen, and Skryne, 
 
 The peojde of Galway were remarkable for their urbanity and ele- 
 gance of manners, equalling those of the most refined community. 
 John Lynch, bishop of Killala, in his life of Francis Kirwan, his prede- 
 cessor, says, that the city of Galway was adorned with green marble 
 walls, flanked by numerous towers, and that within the precincts of 
 these walls were edifices of the same material ; its noble squares and 
 fair proportions, elegant and symmetrical, gladdened the vision, and 
 that it appeared to him as Jerusalem did to the prophet Jeremias, a 
 city of most perfect beauty. 
 
 Galway, far-famed for its beauty, has been equally so for its piety 
 and devotion, as well as its attention, to the splendor of Catholic cere- 
 monial in public Avoi-ship, — as Galway appeared to Einuccini, the nun- 
 cio extraordinary from the court of Eome to the people of Ireland, to 
 be nearest his ideal of a Christian church. 
 
 Tlie following verses taken from Ilardiman’s History of Galway will 
 illustrate the ancient jiiety and devotion of the fourteen principal fami- 
 lies of Galway, as well as the splendor of their city : — 
 
 Rome boasts seven hills, the Nile its seven-fold stream ; 
 
 Around the pole seven radiant planets gleam : 
 
 Galway, Conacian Rome, twice equals these, 
 
 She boasts twice seven illustrious families. 
 
 Twice seven high towers defend her lofty walls, 
 
 And polished marble decks her splendid halls; 
 
 Twice seven her massive gates, o’er which arise 
 Twice seven strong castles, towering to the skies. 
 
 Twice seven her bridges, through whose arches flow 
 The silvery tides majestically slow. 
 
 Her ample church with twice seven altars flames — 
 
 An heavenly patron every altar claims ; 
 
 While twice seven convents pious anthems raise ; 
 
 Seven for each sex, to sound Jehovah’s praise.” 
 
 The warden of Galway, sometimes styled quasi bishop, was a pre- 
 late chosen triennially by the lay patrons of the town, exercised episco- 
 pal jurisdiction over a large district and population in the capital of the 
 province, but subject to the visitation of the metropolitan every third 
 year. His institution by the vicars conferred upon him all necessary 
 faculties for his jurisdiction. He possessed a power of visitation over 
 all religious foundations within the wardenship : sent two students to 
 the college of Maynooth : was entitled to vote in synod with mitre, 
 crozier, and pontificals, as other prelates. 
 
818 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAXD. 
 
 Tlie Vicars were also elected by lay patrons, and at the time of the 
 abolition of the wardenship, the vicars ■were inferior to none in the 
 kingdom for piety, learning and zeal, in the discharge of their sacred 
 functions. It is recorded that only one in the series of Wardens has 
 been selected who did not give satisfaction. 
 
 The collegiate church of Galway, for extent and architectural 
 beauty, is a lasting monument of the piety, the wealth, and the public 
 spirit of its founders. It is erected on a gentle eminence on the site of 
 a small chapel, formerly the only place of worship belonging to the 
 settlers. The present church Avas founded in the year 1320, and was 
 dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra, the tutelar saint of marines. 
 
 WARDENS OF GALWAY. 
 
 John Birmingham, in 1514. 
 
 John O’Dermode, warden in 1529. The possessions of the college 
 being litigated, this warden Sent a petition to Cardinal Wolsey, Avith a 
 view of terminating future contests thereon. A commission issued to 
 the dean of Kilfenora, to investigate the claim. The dean, by hia 
 decree, dated the 5th of August, 1529, confirmed the title of the 
 college. 
 
 Patrick Blake, warden in 1549. 
 
 Henry Brangan, “ in 1557. 
 
 James Fallon, “ in 1620. 
 
 Walter Lynch, “ in 1643. 
 
 Disagreement arose between the archbishop of Tuam and this war 
 den, in a matter of a vacancy, to Avhich the warden presented a priest, 
 but who was refused admission by the former, unless under conditions 
 advantageous to himself or to the see of Tuam. Violence was recurred 
 to, as excommunication was fulminated on both sides. 
 
 Henry Joyce and Mathew Lynch were wardens in the reign of 
 Charles H. 
 
 Henry BroAvn was chosen warden on the 1st of August, 1688. 
 
 John Bodkin Fitzandrew, warden in 1691. 
 
 Edmund Lynch succeeded, as warden. During his wardenship the 
 persecution raged violently. The remnants of the collegiate property ^ 
 were collected, and secretly sent to France, — were there converted into 
 money, and put to interest. Tlie fund haAfing increased by donations 
 and bequests, was applied to the purchase of an income in Paris, an- 
 nually forAvarded to Galway, and divided among the Avarden and vicars. 
 The warden received forty pounds yearly, and the vicars twenty-five. 
 This property, as well as the church plate, which was also sent to 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 319 
 
 France and deposited in the Irish college at Paris, were seized and con 
 fiscated. In the time of Edmund Lynch, the Rev. Peter French, a 
 native of Galway, and who was thirty years a missionary among the 
 Indians of Mexico, returned to his native town. He converted multi- 
 tudes from idolatry, and died in Galway, A.D. 1693. 
 
 Patrick Skerrett Fitzmichael succeeded. The persecution raged 
 against the Catholics without mercy, during his wardenship also. Pa- 
 trick was ordained in 1679, at Salamanca, by Peter Salazar, the bishop 
 of that place, and before his election officiated as pastor in Galway. 
 
 Patrick Birmingham, a clergyman of profound learning and talent, 
 was elected warden before the year 1731 ; was not of the Galway 
 names and families, and was chosen to pacify othei’s called “ non tribes.” 
 After his election he was thrown into prison for not having conformed 
 to the laws prescribed for popish priests, but he was released by order 
 of the government, having shewn his compliance. During his warden- 
 ship, the disputes between the archbishop of Tuam and the collegiate 
 clergy were revived ; proceedings were instituted at Rome by Bernard 
 O’Gara, then archbishop of Tuam, and by the clergy and people of 
 Galway. A compromise took place, and was approved by the bull of 
 Clement XII., dated the 21st of April, 1738, and by this bull the afiairs 
 of the Catholic wardenship have been regulated. Warden Birming- 
 ham died in 1747, universally regretted. 
 
 Hyacinth Bodkin, a pious and learned divine, was elected ; survived 
 but a short time, having died A.D. 1749. On his death the Rev. 
 Mark Ivirwan, of Dalgan, was elected ; being not agreeable to the lay 
 patrons, 
 
 Anthony Blake, of Dunmacreena, was chosen warden. He after- 
 W'ards filled the primatial chair of Armagh. 
 
 Francis Kirwan was elected in 1755. He filled the warden’s chair 
 with honor to religion and advantage to the town, until his death, 
 which took place in June, 1770. 
 
 John Joyes, of Oxford, in the county of Mayo, was elected. He 
 continued warden until February, 1783, when he departed life, leaving 
 a reputation of being a good and zealous pastor in the cause of religion 
 and public morals. 
 
 Augustine Kirwan, a divine, gifted with every virtue which adorns 
 the clerical character, was elected as warden. He was born in August, 
 1725. lie received orders in August and September, 1747, from 
 Joseph Sancho Granado, bishop of Salamanca, in Spain, and the priest- 
 hood on the 23d of December, same year, from Peter Gonsalez, bishop 
 of Arilia. Tliis excellent warden died in the sixty-seventh year of his 
 age, amidst the tears of the community, on the 7th of August, 1791. 
 
320 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI. HISTORY OF IRELAIID. 
 
 John Joyes, nephew of the former warden of the name, was elected 
 by a large majority, and during the election the old disputes between 
 “ tribes and non tribes,” were resuscitated with considerable animosity. 
 In consequence of this disunion, the town became a scene of religious 
 anarchy and confusion ; both parties appealed to Rome, and on the 
 17th of June, 1792, it was decided in favor of the ancient names, and 
 families or lay patrons (with, however, a reservation of appeal), by a 
 decree, which obtained the sanction of Pope Pius VI. A change 
 having taken place, by which it was deemed the canonical validity 
 of the collegiate patronage became doubtful, and the matter being laid 
 before the active and vigilant archbishop of Tuam, the abolition of 
 the collegiate rights and the union of the wardenship of Galway to the 
 archiepiscopal see was in contemplation, but it was defeated by the 
 efforts of the Rev. Valentine Bodkin, the agent of the lay patrons, 
 and afterwards warden. John Joyes strove to allay the angry feelings 
 of discord, and to reconcile matters by his amiable and conciliatory de- 
 meanor. He died A.D. 1805. • 
 
 Valentine Bodkin, an accomplished scholar and divine, had resided 
 in Italy until the period of the French revolution, wlien having returned 
 to Galway, he officiated as one of the vicam. United to the oldest 
 and most respectable families of the town, and endeared to the rest, 
 by ties of friendship and affection, he was elected warden. He died in 
 1812. 
 
 Edmund French, a convert to the Catholic church, and the son of 
 the Rev. Edmund French, for many years the Protestant warden of 
 Galway, was elected. As he was a Dominican, a disunion took place ; 
 the chapter declared the proceedings null, and finally appealed to the 
 Pope, complaining against the intrusion of a regular into a secular 
 chapter. Many of the respectable inhabitants also murmured. How 
 ever, the Pope confirmed the election of . Edmund French, in June, 
 1813 ; he has been the last warden. Tliis anomalous condition of 
 affairs, through which religion sustained injury by the revival of dis- 
 putes among the people of Galway, having engaged the attention of the 
 Holy See, the wardenship was abolished in 1831 and has been erected 
 into a bishopric. 
 
 George Joseph Browne, a native of the diocese of Elphin, over 
 which he now presides, educated at Maynooth, was appointed the first 
 bishop of Galway, and consecrated at Athlone, in October, 1831, by 
 Oliver Kelly, archbishop of Tuam, who was assisted on the occasion by 
 the bishops of Elphin and Achonry. 
 
 Lawrence O’Donnell consecrated bishop of Galway on the 28th of 
 October, 18-15, worthily presides. 
 
BOCLESIASTICAX HISTORY OF TRET. AN D. 
 
 821 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 THE MISSIONARIES OF IRELAND. 
 
 Saint Fridolintjs, wlio was celebrated for learning as well as his piety, 
 13 by some writers said to have flourished in the fifth century, while 
 others place him in the seventh. We can hardly suppose that any Irish 
 ecclesiastic would devote his missionary labors to a foreign country, his 
 own requiring the exercise of his zeal and services ; and moreover, the 
 expeditions of Irish clergymen to the continent did not begin so early 
 as the period which is assigned in the instance of this saint. 
 
 He was, we are informed, the son of an Irish prince or king. Hav- 
 ing embraced the ecclesiastical state, he was raised to the priesthood, 
 and preached with great success, for some time, in various parts of Ire- 
 land. Urged by a desire to visit foreign countries, he repaired to 
 "'France, and preaching in difierent places there, became a member of 
 the monastery of St. Hilary, at Poictiers, remained a considerable time, 
 and was so much regarded by the community that he was elected the 
 superior of the establishment. AVhile superior or abbot he completed 
 an object which he had much at heart, the rebuilding of St. Hilaiy’s 
 churcb, in which he was assisted by the King Clovis, by the bishop and 
 inhabitants, and placed therein the relics of that saint, reserving a por- 
 tion of them to himself. 
 
 While in this monastery he was visited by two priests, who were 
 relatives of his, and who probably were missionaries in Xorthumbria, 
 whence they came. Leaving them at Poictiers, and bringing with him 
 the relics of St. Hilary which he reserved to himself, Fridolinus went 
 to the eastern parts of France and stopped near the Moselle, on whose 
 bank he built a monastery in honor of the same saint, from whom it has 
 obtained the name of Helera. Having remained as long as was neces- 
 sary to complete his monastery, he built a church amidst the Vosges, 
 likewise in honor of St. Hilary, and again, the monastery of St. Nabor. 
 Thence he proceeded to Strasburgh, where he also built a church in 
 
 honor of his favorite saint. He next repaired to Coire, in the Orison, 
 
 21 
 
322 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF mELAKD. 
 
 country, where he fornded a church dedicated to the same saint ; here 
 he enquired of the inhabitants if there had been an island in the Rhine 
 as yet uninhabited, and obtaining information on this point, he pro- 
 ceeded in search of it, and at length found the island of Seckingen, a 
 well-known place up the Rhine, and where now stands one of the forest 
 towns. 
 
 AVhile examining the island, for the purpose of erecting a church, if 
 adapted, he was ill-treated by the inhabitants, as if he had been a 
 robber ; but having soon after gotten a grant of the island from the 
 king, he founded a church, and a religious house for females, towards 
 the endowment of which, he obtained from Urso, a nobleman of Glaris, 
 in Switzerland, some lands ; thenceforth he seems to have spent the re- 
 mainder of his life in Seckingen, together with some disciples of his, 
 for whom he founded, it is said, a monastery, before the erection of the nun- 
 nery. It is no wonder that this saint procured himself the name of the 
 “ traveller.” Some place his death in the year 514 ; othei’s say tliat his 
 death occurred in the close of the seventh or beginning of the eighth 
 century. His festival is observed on the 6th of March. He was buried 
 in his island of Seckingen. 
 
 Saint Aidan. When Oswald, king of iSTorfhumberland, was obliged 
 to abandon his dominions and seek safety in flight ; he found a refuge 
 in Ireland, where he became a convert to the Christian faith. Soon 
 after recalled from exile, the pious king wishing that his subjects should 
 receive the light of faith, applied to the Irish prelates to send him a 
 bishop, through whom his kingdom would be brought to the knowledge 
 of the true God. Our Saint Aidan was conseci'ated in L'eland ; he was 
 a monk of the abbey of Hy ; a man of great meekness, and well 
 adapted for the mission to which he was destined. Tlie early part of 
 this saint’s life is involved in obscurity : one thing is certain, that he 
 w'as a native of the green isle, as all the monks of Hy were supplied 
 from Ireland, a fact to which the annals of Roscrea, the calendars of 
 Cashel, Donegal and Tallagh bear testimony. 
 
 On his arrival among the Northumbrians, king Oswald assigned him, 
 according to his desire, the island of Lisdisfarne (now called Holy 
 Island), as a place in which he was to constitute his see. The pious 
 missionary lost no time in commencing his holy labors, and as Aidan 
 did not thoroughly understand the language of the North Britons, the 
 king himself, who was master of the Irish language, acted as interpre- 
 ter. Soon after, auxiliaries, chiefly monks, arrived from Ireland. Tlie 
 gospel was preached with great zeal and abundant fruit throughout the 
 whole country : churches were erected, — the people hastened with joy 
 to hear the word of God ; lands and property were granted for the erec 
 
ECCLK8IASTICAL mSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 323 
 
 tioTi of monasteries and schools, in which English children were in- 
 structed by Irish masters, and in which were also cultivated the higher 
 studies. Aidan needed many faithful cooperators in the sacred work, 
 as the care of the church of York devolved upon him and on some of 
 his successors, Finan, Colman, and Tuda. In fulfilling his obligations 
 he was indefatigable. He neither sought nor valued the things of this 
 world; whatever was presented by princes or wealthy individuals, he 
 distributed to the poor, who first applied for relief. In his journeys he 
 travelled on foot, unless in cases of emergency, in order that he could 
 have an opportunity of exhorting the infi,dels to embrace the Christian 
 faith, or confirm those who were already included in the fold, and en- 
 courage them by Avords and deeds to alms-giving and the practice of 
 good works. 
 
 From the example which he gave, religious persons of both sexes 
 adopted the practice of fasting until three o’clock in the afternoon, on 
 every Wednesday and Friday in the year, except the time of Easter 
 and Whitsuntide. lie never overlooked, through motives of fear or 
 respect, the transgressions of the rich, and severely rebuked them if de- 
 serving censure. He made no presents in money to the powerful, 
 though he treated them with that degree of liospitality which St. Paul 
 commends in the bishop. St. Aidan died on the 31st of August, 051, in 
 the seventeenth year of his episcopacy. 
 
 He adhered, with pertinacity, to the Irish mode of celebrating 
 Easter, but his observance of the feast was always on the Sunday, 7iot 
 as the Jews kept it. Hence it is, that he was not disturbed in the prac- 
 tice which he observed, “ because every one knew that although he 
 could not keep Easter contrary to the practice of those who sent him, 
 he diligently fulfilled every Christian duty, like all other saints, and 
 those who differed from him on that point, justly esteemed him, and he 
 was also held in high veneration by the people at large, as well as by 
 Honorius, bishop of Canterbury, and Felix, bishop of the East 
 Angles.” 
 
 Aidan was succeeded in the see of Lisdisfarne by Finan, an Irish- 
 man, and also a member of the Columban order. In the beginning of 
 his episcopacy, Finan converted to the faith Peada, prince of the Middle 
 Angles, and son. of Penda, the Pagan king of the Mercians. The prince 
 Peada had come to the court of ISTorthumbria, hoping to obtain in mar- 
 riage Alchfleda, the daughter of king Oswin. As his proposal would 
 not be accepted unless he and his subjects Avould renounce the errors of 
 paganism, Peada listened to the word of God, and sincerely convinced 
 of its saving truths, declared that he would be a Christian, even if re- 
 fused the hand of the princess. The prince and his suite having received 
 
324 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 the rite of baptism, priests, four in number, Cedd, Add, Betti, and 
 Diuma, were assigned as missionaries to that country. Finan also con- 
 verted Sigberet, king of the East Saxons, and consecrated Cedd bishop 
 of that nation. Finan baying rendered incalculable service to the 
 British nation, died A.D. 660. 
 
 Colman, a native of the county of Mayo, succeeded in the see of 
 Lindisfarne. A dispute arose at the council of Whitby, relative to the 
 celebration of Easter : the king having declared in favor of the Roman 
 practice, Colman soon resigned, and returned to bis native county. 
 Ilis exertions there in favor of religion will be again noticed. See Mo- 
 nastery of Mayo. 
 
 Saint Sedulius or Sbeil, the poet, an Irishman, and the disciple ot 
 Ilildebert, flourished in tlie flfth century. lie was deeply vei-sed in 
 profane and sacred literature, and was gifted Avith a peculiar taste for 
 the composition of poetry. Becoming distinguished in his own country, 
 he repaired to Gaul, thence to Italy, next to Asia, and then returned to 
 Rome, where his beautiful compositions and extensive erudition ren- 
 dered him highly eminent. 
 
 In a council of seventy bishops, Gelasius being pontitf, honorable 
 testimony Avas borne to his writings. “ We have,” said these fathers, 
 “ the highest opinion of the paschal Avork, written in verse, by the ve- 
 nerable Sedulius.” 
 
 With Ilildephonsus, archbishop of Toledo, he was a great favorite ; 
 and who, speaking of our counti-yman, Sedulius, said, “He was an 
 evangelical poet, an eloquent orator, and a Catholic Avriter.” Accord- 
 ing to some, he Avas a bishop, — to others, he rose to no higher dignity 
 than that of priest. The church has selected the hymns “ A soils ortus 
 cardine,” “ Ilostis Ilerodes,” and the introit of the mass of the Blessed 
 Virgin, “ Salve sancta Parens,” from the writings of Sedulius, and dig- 
 nified them Avith recital in the divine ofiice, which is daily said and 
 otfered to the throne of mercy in expiation of our sins. Hie venerable 
 Sedulius died about A.D. 494. 
 
 Saint Columba, or Columb-Kille, i.e. Dove of the Church, was born 
 four years before St. Bridget’s death, the patroness of Ireland. Co- 
 lumba Avas born on the seventh of December, 521 ; he has been sur- 
 named “ Columkille,” to distinguish him from others of the name 
 Columba. We read that his birth had been predicted by St. Patrick, 
 and by St. Mavateus, a holy Briton, long before he came into the world. 
 His origin is most illustrious : by the father’s side he was descended from 
 Hiall Neigiallach, being the son of Feldlimhid, Avho was a great grand- 
 son to that monarch. Feidhlimid was the son of Fergus, who was the 
 son of Conal “ Gulban,” from Avhom the country of Tirconnell has been 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTCiRY OF IRELAND. 
 
 325 
 
 named. Tliis is then the Conal to whom St. Patrick foretold the hirth 
 and sanctity of his descendant Cohimba, and not the Conal “Crimthan” 
 whose territory was in ^[eath, and who so kindly received the apostle 
 of Ireland at Tailten, and was baptized by him. The kindred which 
 the O’Donnell family claim with St. Columba, is derived from Dalach, 
 who was a descendant of Sedna, the paternal uncle of Colnmba. His 
 mother, Aethnea, the daughter of Macanava (filius navis), was of an 
 illnstrions and princely house of Leinster. It is related that before her 
 delivery of Columba, an angel appeared to her in a dream, bringing a 
 robe or cloak of extraordinary beauty, which, on presenting to her, 
 he soon after took away, and unfolding it, let it fly through the air ; on 
 her asking the reason of depriving her of it, the angel replied that it 
 was too magnificent to be left with her. She then observed the cloak 
 expanding itself far and woVle over plains, mountains and forests, and at 
 the same time heard the words “ W oman, do not grieve : for you 
 shall bring forth a son who is to be the guide of innumerab’e souls, and 
 who will be reckoned as one of God’s prophets.” 
 
 He was born at Garton, and baptized in the church of Tulachdubh- 
 glaisse, by a holy priest named Cro time can ; when very young, he was 
 entrusted to the priest, who regenerated him in the waters of baptism, 
 with whom he lived, it is said, near the church of Kilmacnenain. Re- 
 turning to his home on a certain occasion, the priest observed his rest 
 dence illuminated witli a clear light and a globe of fire suspended over 
 the face of his pupil ; on which the holy priest prostrated himself on 
 the floor, in veneration, well knowing that tl.is occurrence indicated the 
 divine grace, which was abundantly given to the young Columba ; 
 while yet a boy, he recited the psalms with the bishop Brugacius, at 
 Rath-Enaigh, whither he had accompanied his preceptor, who had been 
 invited by the bishop, in order to celebrate the festival of Christmas. 
 
 Having spent three years under the care of this priest, and being 
 now qualified to enter on more arduous studies, Columba was sent to 
 the school of Finnian, of Maghbile, in the present county of Down, 
 then very celebrated and much frequented. He very diligently applied 
 himself not only to the acquisition of knowledge, but also endeavored 
 to model himself after the example of his holy preceptor. Here he re- 
 mained several years, and was promoted to the order of deacon before 
 he left the care of St. Finnian. While officiating as such, on some 
 ]trincipal festival, the wine for the holy sacrifice could not be found, 
 upon which Columba going to the fountain for the purpose of procuring 
 water for the divine service, he blessed some, invoking the name of 
 Jesus who had changed water into wine at the marriage feast in Cana 
 of Galilee. Tlie prayer was heard ; the substance of the water was 
 
326 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IKELAND. 
 
 changed, and wine for the celebration of the holy sacrifice was at hand. 
 Returning to the church, Columba said to the clergy, “ Here is wine 
 for you, which the Lord Jesus has sent.” They, and the bishop St Fin- 
 nian returned thanks to God for the favor which Columba in his 
 humility ascribed to the merits of the bishop. 
 
 Having left the school of St. Finnian, he repaired to Leinster, and 
 became the pupil of a venerable old man, Germanus, who had been a 
 teacher of great reputation. While reading with him in a field, it is 
 related, a female who was pursued by an assassin, fled towards them for 
 protection, which, however he disregarded, killing her at their feet. 
 Columba announced the sudden punishment of God against the monster, 
 who soon after was deprived of life. The time of his stay with Ger- 
 manus is not ascertained. Having attended, for some period, the lec- 
 tures of St. Finnian of Clonard, he returned to his native territory Tir- 
 connell. He soon commenced the erection of a monastery, the founda- 
 tion of which is assigned to the year 5J6, being then in the twenty-sixth 
 of his age. The monastery he erected on a pleasant eminence, studded 
 with oaks, called Doire Calgaich — whence the name of Derry (now Lon- 
 donderry), which owes its origin to the establishment of St. Columba. 
 The site on which it was erected, and the laud with which it was en- 
 dowed, were granted by his relatives, the princes of the country. Hav- 
 ing fixed his monastery on a firm basis, he resolved on visiting other 
 parts of the country, with the view of similarly contributing to the ad- 
 vancement of religion and piety. Having consigned the care of his 
 first establishment to one of the older monks, he directed his steps to 
 the south of the ancient Meath, and having obtained a site from a chief- 
 tain named Bredon, he erected his monastery of Dairmagh, now Dur- 
 row, in the King’s county. The exact year of its foundation is not 
 known, but it became equally celebrated with that of Derry, and better 
 known to strangers. 
 
 During his residence at Durrow, several prelates admiring his sanc- 
 tity, deemed him worthy of the episcopal order, and accordingly sent 
 him with letters of approbation to St. Etchen, then residing at Clain- 
 bile, in the county of Meath, to be by him consecrated. He was 
 received by this prelate with marks of kindness and esteem, and was 
 shortly after ordained priest, as he had an objection to any higher ad- 
 vancement in ecclesiastical dignity. 
 
 The bishop Etchen was descended of an illustrious family of Lein- 
 ster ; his father, Manius Ecceas, and his mother, Briga, being both 
 collaterally descended from Niath-corb, the ancestor of all the kings of 
 that province ; and it is said Columba having arrived near the church 
 of St. Etchin, enquired for the bishop, and was told, “ there he is below, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lEELAKD. 327 
 
 plowing in a field.” Tlie ordination of Columba is supposed to have 
 taken place, A.D. 551, and in tlie SOtli of his age. 
 
 Columba is charged with being the cause of a war between tlie king 
 of Ireland and his relatives, in which the troops of the monarch w'ere 
 put to flight, and three thousand of them slain, while the relatives of 
 the saint lost only one soldier. Tlie monarch of Ireland threatened to 
 extirpate the whole race of Tirconnel, and with that intent marched to- 
 wards their territory. Thus was the monarch the aggressor, and 
 against him the saint threatened the vengeance of Heaven, — the only 
 part he seems to have taken in this melancholy transaction. The battle 
 in which the relatives of St. Columba were so signally successful was 
 fought at Culdremni, not far from Sligo to the north, in the year 5G1 ; 
 the saint praying, in the mean time, to the God of battles, to bestow 
 the victory on those whom the monarch would have annihilated. 
 
 Columba, inflamed with zeal for the conversion of the northeim 
 Piets, and of his countrymen who were settled in Argyle and in other 
 adjacent tracts, resolved to go and preach to them the truths of salva- 
 tion. Before his departure for that country, a grant of the island of Ily 
 was made to him by his relative Conall, king of the Albiinian Scots. 
 Accompanied with twelve disciples — Baithen, the successor of Columba ; 
 Cobtach, the brother of Baithen ; Ernaan, the uncle of holy Columba ; 
 Dermod, Iiis steward or overseer ; Bus and Fethuo, the sons of Eodan ; 
 Scandal, son of Bresail, the son of Endeus, the son of Neil ; Luguid 
 Mocutheimne ; Echoid ; Thorannu Mocufir ; Cetea ; Cairnaan, son of 
 Branduib, the son of Meilgi Grillaan, — he set sail for the island, where he 
 arrived after a short passage, in the year 563. He then proceeded to the 
 erection of his monastery and church, and soon after undertook the con- 
 version of the northern Piets, who inhabited the whole of Scotland, north 
 of the great range of the Grampian mountains. The saint was the first * 
 Christian missionary who preached in this wild region ; and having re- 
 paired to the residence of King Ludius, whose gates were shut against 
 him, by order of that prince, but on advancing with his companions, and 
 making thereon the sign of the cross, the bars were immediately unloosed. 
 Tlie king, as well as his council, struck with terror at the prodigy, w'ent 
 forth to meet Columba, whom he welcomed in the most respectful man- 
 ner, and treated with every mark of attention. The king received the 
 word of life, and the Magi, still anxious to sustain their ancient erroi-s, 
 exerted themselves in preventing the missionaries from preaching to the 
 people. Tlie Almighty was, however, pleased to confirm the mission of 
 Columba by various miracles. A boy having died, whose parents were 
 converted and baptized ; the magi hoping to profit by the event, began 
 to jeer and insult the parents, and to boast that their deities were 
 
328 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IREI^AT). 
 
 stronger tlian the God of tlie Christians. Columha apprised of the in- 
 solence of the magi, went to the house of the parents, and exhorting 
 tliem to have confidence in the mercy of God, was shown into the 
 apartment where the body of the boy was stretched. Ordering the per- 
 sons wlio were present to retire, Columha fervently prayed for some 
 time, and then directing his eyes to the body of the deceased, he said : 
 “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ arise and stand upon thy feet.” 
 Immediately the boy returned to life ; and the saint taking him by the 
 hand, brought him to his parents, whose sorrow was thus suddenly 
 changed into joy and exultation, — and glory was thus given to that God 
 Avho conlbunds the scoffer, by exalting his saints, and rendering their 
 cause triumphant. Tlie exertions of the saint were attended with great 
 success — churches and religious houses were erected in that country 
 during the time of his firet preaching there. lie also left pereons to in- 
 struct the converts and to propagate the faith of Christ during his tem- 
 poraiy absence. It is said that he penetrated into the Orkney islands, 
 and formed cells in them. Ilis proceedings in the western isles are bet- 
 ter known. "With indefatigable zeal he visited tliem frequently, preach- 
 ing the gospel — supplying them with religious instructors — erecting 
 churches, and founding pious communities. Ilymba, one of those 
 isles, is particularly mentioned as a favorite retreat of St. Columha. 
 Here he erected a monastery, over which he placed, some years aftei’, 
 his maternal uncle, Ernan, and in which he was visited by four found 
 Cl’S of monasteries in Lcland : Comgall, Cainnech, Brendan of Clonfert, 
 and Cormac Ilua Liathain ; and there, while celebrating the divine 
 mysteries, at their recpiest, and in the presence of these holy men, St. 
 Brendan saw a very bright flame, like a burning pillar, as if ascending 
 from his head, which continued from the moment of consecration until 
 the sacrifice was completed. It was also in this island that he had some 
 extraordinary visions from heaven, which lasted for three days, and as 
 many nights. 
 
 He founded several monasteries in another island called Ethica, over 
 one of which presided Baithen, who afterwards became his successor in 
 the abbey of Hy. A disciple of his and a priest Einachan, with whom 
 the saint was displeased for concumng in having promoted to the priest- 
 hood Aidus (the black), of the royal blood of the L’ish Piets, a san- 
 guinary man, who had killed, beside others, Diermit, monarch of Ire- 
 land, founded another monastery in the island of Ethica. 
 
 While St. Columha was engaged in visiting the adjacent islands, 
 converting and civilizing the inhabitants, he was frequently obliged to 
 struggle in their defence, as was St. Patrick, in Ireland, against cer 
 tain depredators, professedly Christians, who trafficked in the plundei 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAITO. 
 
 329 
 
 whicli those islands afforded. One of those spoliators, John, of the royal 
 family of Gauran, who was coasting along the islands, St. Columha 
 warned to desist from his unlawful pursuit, and to return the booty 
 which he acquired, lest the vengeance of Heaven should overtake him. 
 Despising the admonition of Columha, he set sail, hut he was soon 
 overtaken hy a violent blast from the north, which sank the vessel, so 
 that he and his companions miserably perished, as St. Columha foretold. 
 
 Having excommunicated some of the ringleaders, who were of the 
 royal lamily of the British Scots, one of their adlierents, Lam dess, re- 
 solved on his destruction, rushed against him with a spear, but the saint 
 providentially escaped intact, as the assassin, notwithstanding all his 
 might, was not able to drive his weapon through the garment of the 
 saint, which Findulgan, a monk of Ilyrnba, wdio threw himself between 
 Columha and his intended murderer, had put on. 
 
 St. Columba superintended also the affairs of the British Scots, and 
 formed some religious establishments in their kingdom; one of those 
 near Logh-Awe, in Argyle, was governed by one of his monks, named 
 Cailten. Though intent in watching the ecclesiastical concerns of his 
 Scottish institutions, Columba did not neglect the care of those which 
 he had formed in Ireland. Thither he sent messengers to transact the 
 business relative to their management, and repaired himself in person, 
 when matters of importance required that he should appear. He was 
 frequently visited by 'persons from Ireland, wdio were either his friends 
 or others who wei-e desirous of consulting him on religious subjects. 
 Such he always received, whether of high or low condition, with the 
 greatest kindness, and entertained with becoming hospitality. 
 
 Among those Irish visitors was an Aldus, a very religious man, who 
 had lived twelve years with St. Brendan, of Clonfert. On the day be- 
 fore his ariival, Columba said to his brethren, “We intend to hist to- 
 morrow, as usual, because it will be Wednesday, but on account of a 
 stranger who will be with us, the fast will be broken.” Such was the 
 discretion of Columba, that he did not scruple to give necessary refresh- 
 ment to a wearied traveller, wdthout obliging him to wait for the ordi- 
 nary hour of taking food on a fast day. Cronan, a bishop of Munster, 
 was another visitor, who did not through humility wish that his dignity, 
 as a bishop, should be known to Columba. But in the celebration of 
 mass the bishop having called on the saint to join him as a priest in 
 breaking the Lord’s bread, Columba came up to the altar, and looking 
 him in the face, said, “ Christ bless you, brother, do you alone break it, 
 according to the episcopal rite, for now we know Ihat you are a bishop. 
 Why have you hitherto endeavored to conceal yourself, so as not to let 
 us pay that veneration due to you by us ?” 
 
330 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAHI). 
 
 Columba was held in the highest veneration by clergy and people, 
 as well as the sovereigns of Ireland and those of Britain ; an instance 
 of which occurs in his having been the person selected for inaugurating, 
 or as his biographers express it, “ ordaining Aidan as king of the British 
 Scots,” after the death of Conal. The saint, unwilling to inaugurate 
 Aidan, as he was more inclined to have Eugene, Aidan’s brother, raised 
 to the throne ; but having been repeatedly warned by nocturnal visions 
 to ordain Aidan as king, he consented to do so ; and the prince having 
 arrived at his monastery of Ily, Columba performed the ceremony. 
 Cumineus and Adamnan relate, that when Columba was in the island 
 of Ilymba, an angel appeared, holding a book, Avhich the heavenly mes- 
 senger ordered him to read, and to ordain Aidan king, as that book 
 commanded. The saint refusing to obey the order, we are assured, was 
 struck with a whip, and a mark was left, which remained during his 
 life. The angel then assured him that he was sent by the Almighty, 
 and threatened to repeat the former chastisement if he would persist in 
 his disobedience. 
 
 Henceforth Columba became much attached to Aidan, for whom 
 tlie predilection of Heaven was so signally manifested, and afterwards 
 evinced his anxiety for the welfare and prosperity of this king, whose 
 inauguration was blessed by his own hand. When Aidan was after- 
 wards commencing a battle against the enemies of his kingdom, Co- 
 lumba, then in the monastery of Hy, ordered his attendant Diermit to 
 strike the bell, upon which the monks hastened to the church, to whom 
 he announced, having fii-st devoted some time to prayer, that the barba- 
 rians were defeated, and that Aidan had gained a victory, yet not with- 
 out o-reat loss on his side. 
 
 O 
 
 In the year 590, St. Columba paid a visit to Ireland — an assembly 
 being at that time held at Drumceat, in the county of Derry. Aidus 
 was then monarch of Ireland, and Columba was invited in the most 
 pressing manner to assist at this national convention. It appears, that 
 one of its objects was the suppression of the Bardic institute, against 
 which was raised a cry of general dissatisfaction throughout the 
 country. Yarious were the cliarges which the enemies of the order 
 preferred ; and to destruction would the whole order have been doomed, 
 had not Columba interposed his good offices. Upon his advice it was 
 arranged that their number should be limited, and that certain rules 
 should be adopted, by which annoyance to the public would be re- 
 moved. From Drumceat St. Columba repaired to his favorite monas- 
 teries of Derry and Burrow ; he afterwards visited Clonmacnoise, where 
 he was received with great marks of attention and kindness. At this 
 time he also visited the abbey of Ballysadare, whither St. Muridach, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF ERELAIH). 
 
 331 
 
 bishop of Ivillala, and St. Dervliail, a holy nun of Erris, came to pay 
 him tlieir respects, with whom he must have tarried for some time, as he 
 is enumerated among the saints who blessed the port of Killala. Ilia 
 next visit was to St. Comgall, of Bangor ; thence he went to Coleraine, 
 to which place the inhabitants of the country came in multitudes to see 
 him and obtain his benediction. St. Coluraba returned to his monas- 
 tery of Ily, and though now^ far advanfced in years, continued to govern 
 both it and liis other religious establishments. 
 
 The happy day of his release from toil approaching, Columba, attend- 
 ed by Diermit went to bless the barn which belonged to the monastery, 
 and having acquainted his faithful attendant that the last of his days had 
 arrived, he ascended an eminence, and with up-raised hands gave his 
 benediction to the monastery. On his return to the abbey he sat down 
 in an adjoining hut, and copied a part of the Psalter ; and having come 
 to a passage in the 33d Psalm : “ Inquirentes autem Dominum, non de- 
 ficient Omni bono,” he stopped, and said, “Let Baithen write the 
 remainder.” 
 
 Tlie saint afterwards attended vespers in choir, and then retired to 
 his cell, where he reclined on his bed of stone, and gave instructions 
 which were to be at a future time delivered to the brethren of his 
 establishments. The hour for midnight prayers having arrived, Colum- 
 ba hastened to the church ; his attendant soon after entered, and found 
 him in a reclining posture before the altar, and at the point of death. 
 Immediately the monks were assembled, who were expressing their sor- 
 row with tears, but the saint raising his eyes, viewed them with a bright 
 and cheerful countenance, and with the assistance of Diermit, who 
 raised his right hand, Columba gave a final benediction to the commu- 
 nity, and resigned his soul into the hands of his Saviour, whom he faith- 
 fully served, on the morning of Sunday, the 9th of June, A.D. 597, 
 and in the seventy-sixth year of his age. 
 
 The memory of this great and extraordinary saint is, and ever will 
 be held in the highest veneration, not only in Ireland, but also in Scot- 
 land, the Hebrides, and over the western church. Though only a priest, 
 St. Columba exei’cised ecclesiastical jurisdiction even over the bishops 
 of those countries, and this singular privilege was reserved to his suc- 
 cessors a considerable time after his death, as a mark of respect to his 
 memory. St. Columba drew up a monastic rule, which was strictly and 
 faithfully observed in all the houses of his institute. He composed 
 several tracts in prose and verse, abounding with scriptural knowledge 
 and theological research. Three of his Latin hymns have been pub- 
 lished, — the first commencing v ith the eternity, unity and trinity of 
 God^ embraces other sacred subjects, and concludes with a description 
 
332 
 
 ECCLESIASTIC A.L HISTOKY OF HtELAND. 
 
 of the day of judgment, the general resurrection, and the rewards jf 
 the just and the impious. He has also left a beautiful tract in lionor of 
 St. Kieran, of Clonmacnoise. Ills last composition was the life of St. 
 Patrick, written in the Irish language. AVith respect to the prophecies 
 which are commonly ascribed to St. Columba, there is no settled opinion 
 among the antiquarians of our island ; some receive them as genuine, 
 and otliere reject them as not authentic. The monastery of Ily was 
 governed by his successor, Baithen, and the institute of Columba liav- 
 ing long contributed to the salvation of souls, was preeminently the 
 glory and the ornament of the western church. 
 
 Saint Columbanus was a native of Leinster, and born about the year 
 559. AYhen a youth, he was placed under the care of the venerable 
 Senile, who was at that time eminent in sanctity as Avell as in know- 
 ledge of the holy Scriptures. Under the guidance of such a preceptor, 
 Columbanus formed the resolution of engaging in the monastic state, 
 and under the influence of this pious resolve repaired to Bangor, where 
 he remained for many years under the discipline of its holy abbot, St. 
 Comgall. Superior talents, a powerful mind, a happy disposition, and 
 an ardent desire to please God and to dedicate his days to the service of 
 religion were strongly exhibited in the life of Columbanus, while at 
 Bangor. AVith this object in view he fixed his mind on retiring to some 
 foreign country, and having notified to the holy abbot of Bangor his 
 resolve, twelve of the brethren were chosen to become the companions 
 of his spiritual labors. Having proceeded to Britain, the missionaries 
 embarked for Gaul, and arrived about the year 590, on the frontier of 
 Burgundy. Tlie neighboring territory of tlie Vosges was that which 
 they selected, and having penetrated into this wild and desolate region, 
 they fixed their abode in a deserted fort called Anagrates ; in such a 
 place they must have endured some privations, living on a limited supply 
 of wild herbs, and a kind of apples which the wilderness produced. The 
 flime of their sanctity spreading far and near, numbers of people ap- 
 proached to hear the words of salvation from the lips of Columbanus ; 
 many of them presenting themselves, and requesting admission into his 
 community. It was therefore found necessary to erect a monastery. A 
 site was fixed upon, named Luxen, in the centre of the forest, about 
 eight miles distant from the fort, that first afforded Columbanus and his 
 companions a temporary retreat. 
 
 Tlie number of postulants daily augmenting, a second monastery 
 was founded, which obtained, from the number of its springs, the name 
 of “ Fontaines.” St. Columbanus drew up a rule for the guidance of 
 his institute, which was afterwards observed in France before that of 
 St. Benedict was introduced, and the Gall i can bishops in the council of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 333 
 
 Macon, A.D. G27, commended the constitutions of Columbanus, which, 
 for many years, having been the rule in several monasteries of France, 
 Italy, Germany, and Switzerland, were at lengtli modified and engrafted 
 with those of St. Benedict. As the trials of this life are the ordinary 
 portion of zealous and holy men, Columbanus was obliged to endure 
 trouble, which Theodoric, king of Burgundy, or rather the queen dow- 
 ager Brunchant set in operation. For some time the king behaved with 
 kindness — was wont to visit the saint in his solitude, and listened with 
 attention to the instructions which Columbanus imparted ; but the 
 haughty and irreligious woman, Brunchant, who had long held the 
 reins of government, soon contrived to remove the impressions which 
 the councils of the saint tended to make. The queen dowager frus- 
 trated the arrangement of the king’s marriage, as she could not endure 
 a rival in the court ; and in order to prevent a possibility of such an 
 event, she employed every means to corrupt the morals of the prince, 
 and lead him into the most debasing excesses. Perfectly successful 
 in her infamous design, the court became a den of prostitution ; 
 order, religion, decency disregarded, vicious example soon produced 
 its baneful effects, and began to corrode the lieart of society in all its 
 gi’ades, as a cancer. Columbanus, apprized of its ravages, remonstrated 
 with Theodoric, who unheeded his admonitions. lie repaired to Spissia, 
 where the court was held, but he could not be induced to put up at the 
 palace, or in any of the royal mansions. The king having heard of his 
 arrival, resolved to receive the saint with becoming respect ; the ser- 
 vants of his household were in attendance, and a sumptuous repast pre- 
 pared for him, whose food consisted of the wild herbs which the wilder- 
 ness afibrded ; but sumptuous and delicious as they were, the royal 
 repast had no attraction for the saint. “ What meaneth this munifi- 
 cence ?” asked Columbanus ; “ why those costly presents, which to us 
 must be unacceptable ? It is written, ‘ The Most High rejects the gifts 
 of the impious,’ nor is it meet that the servants of God should be 
 defiled with such viands.” 
 
 To the remonstrance and to the advice of Columbanus, the kinoj and 
 Brunchant rejdied, promising a reform. Scarcely, however, had the 
 saint departed, when the irregularities of the court were renewed, and 
 scenes of more refined vice and profligacy introduced. Again the zeal 
 of Columbanus is directed against the contagious example of the court. 
 He addresses a letter to the king, denouncing his depravity, and reject- 
 ing communion with him, until he would have shewn abundant signs of 
 repentance. Brunchant, still intent on maintaining her evil influence, 
 even at the expense of religion and the character of the king, once 
 more inflamed the passions of Tlieodoric, which the strong remonstrance 
 
334 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORT OF IRELAND. 
 
 of Columbanus was calculated to tranquilize ; and acconijjauied by his 
 courtiers and guards, the king set out for Luxen, determined on expel- 
 ing Columbanus and his community from his kingdom. The cloister 
 was entered by the king ; an armed soldiery was stationed in the abode 
 of prayer and meditation, while Columbanus remained in the sanctuary, 
 and addressed the king in language becoming a man who was resolved 
 to lay down his life in the cause of religion and morals. “If,” he ex- 
 claims, “ thou art come, sire, to violate the discipline already estab- 
 lished, or to destroy the dwellings of God’s servants, know, that in 
 heaven there is a just and avenging power : thy kingdom sliall be taken 
 from thee, and both thou and thy royal race shall be cut off and 
 destroyed on the earth.” The king, alarmed and struck with remoi’se, 
 withdrew to his palace ; however, soon after, a body of troojis were 
 ordered to proceed, and expel Columbanus and his Irish associates from 
 the king’s dominions; those who were natives of France were permitted 
 to remain ; and our saint, on his departure, amidst the tears and lamen- 
 tations of his disciples,- besought them to be of good heart, that the 
 Lord of heaven and earth would be their father, and reward them in 
 those mansions of bliss, into which the perpetrators of sacrilege can 
 never expect to enter. St. Columbanus departed from the Vosges, 
 having resided about twenty years in that country. Ragamund, the 
 captain of the guard, had orders to escort those holy men to the sea- 
 board, — an office which he performed with the greatest cruelty, as the 
 minion of abused authority almost invariably is wont to do. The jour- 
 ney was continued without interruption, day and night ; and having at 
 length reached Flevers, they were compelled to embark in boats, then 
 plying on the Loire. Passing by Tours, they, with great difficulty ar- 
 rived at Nantz, where they remained a few days, awaiting a passage to 
 Ireland. A vessel being ready to put to sea, they embarked, and on hav- 
 ing reached the ocean, a violent storm arose, which drove back the ship, 
 and cast her on the shore, where she lay during the night. Tli^e cap- 
 tain and his crew, under the impression that his mishap arose from 
 having the saint and his companions on board, refused to bring them 
 further, and accordingly they were left on the shore. The storm imme- 
 diately abated, and the ship put to sea. Columbanus acknowledging 
 the will of heaven in the event, and reflecting on the important services 
 which he could render to the ignorant inhabitants of the district, di- 
 rected his steps to FTantz, and thenc^o Austrasia, over which Tlieodo- 
 bcrt, the brother of his persecutor, ruled. His ulterior aim was to form 
 a settlement in some part of Italy, near the Alps. During his journey 
 thither, he was kindly received by several bishops, and experienced 
 great hospitality’’ from Clotharius, the relative of Theodoric, and king of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 335 
 
 the Soissons. When he entered the dominions of Tlicodohert, he was 
 introduced to the king, and was received wdth every mark of resjiect 
 and attention. Having in a few days embarked on the Rliine, he con- 
 tinued his route to Mentz, and preached there at the request of the 
 bishop, who wished to detain him, but his zeal for the conversion of 
 those who were still in the darkness of error and superstition outweigh- 
 ing every otiier consideration, he was allowed to proceed on his journey. 
 At the desire of the good king Tlieodobert, of Austrasia, he travelled 
 along the lake Zurich, in Switzerland, and converted in tlie canton of 
 Zug, a great number of people to the faith of Christ. Tlience he de 
 parted for Arbona, near the lake of Constance ; but this district having 
 been tolerably well supplied with missionaries, he directed his course 
 towards the ancient Bregentz, which an idolatrous people inhabited, 
 and from whom he met with an immediate repulse. Deeming it more 
 prudent to begin his labors with the Swiss, who dwelt in the adjoining 
 lands, he removed amongst them, and by numerous miracles, incessant 
 preaching, and the good example of his community, he succeeded in 
 converting the entire population of this hitherto unfrequented territory. 
 Returning to Bregentz with his brethren and a number of the Swiss, 
 Columbanus entered their Pagan temple on a solemn festival, — address- 
 ed the people — invoked the name of Christ, and forthwith the three 
 great brazen statues which they worshipped were prostrated, and the 
 leading men and principal portion of the inhabitants were converted to 
 the faith. At their request, Columbanus erected a monastery in their 
 neighborhood, and according to the custom of Ireland, annexed a scliool 
 to it, which became, in after ages, much celebrated. 
 
 St. Columbanus feeling an impulse to go and preach the gospel to 
 the Yenetii or Sclavi, but warned from heaven that the period for their 
 conversion had not yet come, proceeded on his journey to Italy, and ar- 
 rived in Milan about the year 612. Tlie Arian heresy, though ably 
 refuted by different writers, and solemnly condemned by the general 
 council of Nice, was still upheld by a considerable portion of the 
 Eastern church. Against those heretics Columbanus published a very 
 learned tract, demonstrating the divinity of the Son of God, from the 
 authority of the sacred scriptures, as well as the uniform tradition of all 
 ages. At this time, likewise, the celebrated question of the three 
 chapters had caused an unusual sensation all over Italy. The pro- 
 duction called the “ three chapters ” was condemned in the second 
 council of Constantinople, the fifth general one of the church held in 
 the 3 'ear 533, and yet the controversy which they raised, was still agi- 
 tated at Milan ; and though their condemnation put an effectual stop 
 to the progress of Kestorianism, still there were many in the East and 
 
336 
 
 ECCLESIAS'nCAI. inSTOK'i OE IRELAND. 
 
 West who endeavored to uphold that impious heresy. It was this cir- 
 cumstance that caused St. Columbanus to address his famous epistle to 
 Pope Boniface IV. 
 
 “ To the most lovely of all Europe — to the head of all the churches 
 — to the beloved father — to the exalted prelate — to the pastor of pas- 
 tors,” ifcc. In the body of the letter, Columbanus proceeds to say : 
 “For we, Irish, are disciples of SS. Peter and Paul, and of all the 
 divinely inspired canonical writei’s, adhering constantly to the evangeli- 
 cal and apostolical doctrine. Amongst us, neither Jew, heretic, or schis- 
 matic can be found, but the Catholic faith unaltered, unshaken, precisely 
 as we have ‘ received it from you,’ who are the successors of the apos- 
 tles. For as I have already said, we are attached to the chair of Peter; 
 and although Rome is great and renowned, yet with us it is great and 
 illustrious, only on account of that apostolic chair. Through the two 
 apostles of Christ, you are almost celestial, and ‘ Rome is the head of 
 the churches of the world.’ ” 
 
 In the year 613, St. Columbanus, at the earnest request of the king 
 Arnulf, founded the monastery of Bobbio, in a romantic part of the 
 Apennines ; in the mean time, Theodoric w;is cut off, when on the point 
 of waging war against Clotharius, who was his relative ; two of his sons 
 were slain, and the third Avas expelled the kingdom. Tlie infamous 
 Brunchant was put to death by Clotharius, Avho ascended the throne, 
 and became monarch of all France, A.D. 613. , 
 
 Columbanus, thus tried in the furnace of pei’secution under Theodo- 
 ric, spent the remainder of his days in his holy retreat of Bobbio, and 
 died on the 21st of November, 615, and in the seventy -second year of 
 his age. 
 
 The pen of this great saint produced many essays on various sub- 
 jects pertaining to a spiritual life. His monastic rule consisted of ten 
 chaptere : — of obedience, silence, regimen, the shunning of cupidity, 
 contempt of vanity, on chastity, the divine office, discretion, mortifica- 
 tion, and the perfection of the monk. The memory of Columbanus 
 will be ever revered in the western church ; and Avhile in Ireland his 
 name is handed down with admiration, the images of Gallican history 
 will supply a splendid record of the services done to that nation by the 
 zeal, labors and writings of St. Columbanus. 
 
 Saint Callus or Gall was one of the principal disciples who had ac- 
 companied St. Columbanus on his mission from Ireland. Having 
 removed from Bregentz to Milan, in the year 612, Columbanus entrust- 
 ed his favorite companion, Gallus, Avith the care of the infant congrega- 
 tions, which had been formed in that territory. Zealous for the conv^er- 
 sion of this country, Gallus entered the deserts, with which it abounded. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAOT). 
 
 337 
 
 and having reached the banks of the river Stinace, he erected a monas- 
 tery on the site, where the town and abbey of St. Gall now stand. The 
 fame of his sanctity soon became celebrated throng] lout the country, 
 and the doctrine which he preached was attested by numberless mi- 
 racles. 
 
 Tlie see of Constance being vacant, and the prelates and clergy 
 having assembled to elect a chief pastor, Gallus was invited by the 
 Duke Gunzo to attend. As soon as he entered the assembly, the clerg)’- 
 arose, and casting their eyes on the holy Gallus, declared, with one 
 voice, that he was the person best suited to fill the vacant chair. The 
 duke himself, in the interim, addressed Gallus in the following words : 
 “ Do you hear what they say of you ?” “ I wish,” replied Gallus, “ that 
 what they have said liad been tiie fact; but do they not know, that the 
 canons will not, unless in some very urgent case, allow persons to be 
 ordained bishops of districts, of which they are not natives. I have a 
 deacon, John, a native of this country, to whom everything that has 
 been stated of me may be justly applied ; and as I think him elected by 
 the divine judgment, I propose him to you as your bishop.” John, who 
 was botli a learned and holy man, being made acquainted with the pro- 
 ceedings of the assembly, concealed himself in the church of St. Ste- 
 phen, without the town. Jolin was soon discovered and brought into 
 the presence of the clergy, and was elected bishop of Constance, on 
 the recommendation of St. Gallus. The learned abbot Eustasius, of 
 Luxen, which St. Columbanus had founded, being dead, the monks 
 determined on electing Gallus as his successor, and accordingly a 
 deputation Avaited on the saint, to whom he replied, “That having 
 abandoned his friends and his native country, and having chosen a soli- 
 tude for his abode, he could not think of being raised to any rank which 
 might involve him in the car^s of this world.” 
 
 St. Gallus, Avho was an assiduous preacher of the Gospel, has left 
 behind him some sermons and tracts on the scriptures and on mystical 
 theology. Tlie labors and miracles of St. Gallus were such, that he is 
 recognized as the apostle of the Swiss. Tie died in the ninety-fifth year 
 of his age, and on the ICth of October, A.D. 645. 
 
 Saint Fursey was about this time employed in forming a new and 
 extensive mission at Lagny and along the north-western coast of Gaul. 
 
 Fursey Avas descended of the kings of southern Munster, and re- 
 ceived his education in the island of Inisquin in the county of Galway. 
 Rathmat, near Lough Corrib, in the present deanery of Annadown, wa.s 
 his first establishment. Tliinkina: that his labors mi^lit be more use- 
 ful or necessary in some other region, he AAUthdreAv to Britain, taking 
 
 with him some religious companious, among whom were his brothel's 
 22 
 
838 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Foillan and Illtan. Sigberet, king of the East Angles, kindly received 
 the saint, and soon after, in the heart of a forest adjoining the ocean, he 
 erected a monastery, near .Burgh Castle, in Sutfolk ; this retreat he 
 regarded as well adapted for a contemplative life ; and moreover being 
 surrounded with a population grossly ignorant, partly Christian, partly 
 Pagan, his labors among them were extraordinary and eminently suc- 
 cessful. Through the advice of St. Fursey, Sigberet, having resigmed 
 the sceptre to his kinsman Eyrie, embraced the monastic state. 
 
 Penda, king of the Mercians, linding this opportunity for extending 
 his dominions, took the field and appeared at the head of a considerable 
 army ; the affairs of Eyrie being thus placed in a critical position, his 
 subjects prevailed on Sigberet to come forth from his solitude and 
 animate them in the conllict. 
 
 The pious king yielded to their wishes — with a ward in his hand lie 
 appeared in the midst of the engagement, and victory declaring in 
 favor of the Mercians, Sigberet and his kinsman were among the num- 
 ber of the slain. Fursey, alter this untoward event, wishing to lead a 
 more retired life, gave up the care of the monastery to his brother 
 Foillan, and repaired to France. On his way through Ponthieu, in a 
 place called Mazeroeles, he raised the son of the Duke Ilaymon to life, 
 and continuing his journey, was well received by Clovis, the second, 
 king of Neustria and Burgundy. Admiring the sanctity of Fursey and 
 his companions, and moreover, anxious that they should remain in his 
 dominions, the king assigned him some land at Lagny, near tlie Marne, 
 about six leagues from Paris, where Fursey erected a monastery, A.D. 
 6d4 ; his establishment was for centuries the asylum of the ojipressed, 
 and the fruitful nursery of saints and scholars. St. Fursey died at 
 Macerias on the 16th of January, A.D. 650; his remains were after- 
 wards translated to Peronne in Picardy and interred on the east side of 
 the high altar. Tlie Ulster annals and other authorities state, that 
 Fursey was a bishop. Among his disciples, who were natives of Ire- 
 land, and whose services are still recorded in various parts of the 
 Continent, may be mentioned the Abbots Eloquius, Adalgisus, Mal- 
 guil, Lactan, Mombulus, Fredegand, and Bertuin, bishop of Maconia, 
 in the territoiy of Liege, and Etto bishop and aoostle of the Avernes. 
 
 See Rathmat, County Galway. 
 
 Saint Kylian, tlje illustrious apostle of Franconia, was raised to the 
 episcopacy in Ireland ; withdrew from his native country in the year 
 686 to the Continent, accompanied by a number of missionaries, among 
 whom were Colman, a priest, and Totnan, a deacon. Among the in- 
 habitants of Wurtzburg, in Franconia, the errors of Paganism still 
 prevailed. And thither Kilian proceeded, having first obtained the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 339 
 
 sanction of Conon, who then presided in the See of Rome. Tlie truths 
 of the Gospel, enunciated by the example and the preaching of Kylian, 
 made rapid progress through the extensive territory of Franconia: 
 Gozbert, the ruling prince, embraced the faith of Christ, while the 
 labors of the holy missionary were eveiy day more successful. 
 
 The marriage of Gozbert with Geilana, the wife of his brother, after 
 some time called forth the admonitions of St. Kylian; he represented 
 to the king the improiiriety of such connexion, and the necessity of an 
 immediate separation, to which the king assented. Geilana, made ac- 
 quainted with the king’s resolution, procured two assassins, who entered 
 the church at night, while Kylian and his companions, Colman and 
 Totnan, had been singing the divine office. The holy missionaries 
 cheerfully submitted to the will of heaven and suffered on the 8th of 
 July, A.D. 089 ; their remains were interred in the church of Wurtz- 
 burg, where St. Kylian is revered as its apostle and patron. 
 
 Saint Fiacre was of an illustrious family in Ireland. Wishing to lead 
 a solitary life, he withdrew to France with some disciples, and applied 
 to St. Faro, who was attentive to the Irish on account of St. Coliunba- 
 nus, whom his father Channeric entertained, for some lonesome spot to 
 which he could retire from the trouble of the world. This good bishop 
 immediately gave him one out of his patrimony at a place called 
 Breuil, which was surrounded with forests : here he erected a mon- 
 astery in honor of the blessed Virgin, in which he received strangers 
 and his guests, living himself in his cell. Like unto other Irish saints, 
 he debarred females from admission to his monastery ; his reputation 
 for sanctity was such, that infirm persons from all parts were brought 
 to him, who received health by his laying hands on them. The year of 
 his death is not known, but his festival is observed on the 30th of 
 August. His remains were deposited in the oratory of Breuil, which 
 has been constantly frequented by pilgrims, though they \vere removed 
 to the cathedral of Meaux in the year 1568 for protection against the 
 Calvinists. Innumerable miracles are said to have been performed 
 there, and a great number of churches and oratories have been erected 
 in honor of St. Fiacre in France, where his festival is generally ob- 
 served. 
 
 Saint Livinus, Martyr. See archdiocese of Dublin. 
 
 Saint Rumold, Martyr. See archdiocese of Dublin. 
 
 Saint Frigidian, a native of Ireland and bishop of Lucca during 
 twenty-eight years. The saint was son of Ultach, king of Ulster. Re- 
 generated in the waters of baptism without the concurrence of his 
 parents, he became inflamed with such an ardent faith, that he did not, 
 when a youth, hesitate to travel to Rome through love to his Redeemer. 
 
340 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 He was there honorably received by Pelagius I., and constituted a 
 canon of the Lateran church, and having spent some time with them, 
 he at length embraced their institute. Having afterwards returned to 
 L'eland, his parents endeavoring to regain him to the errors of Pagan- 
 ism, advised him to enter on the matrimonial state ; hut by the opera- 
 tion of divine grace, having abandoned their idolatry, they were 
 converted to the fuitli of Christ, in whicli Frigidiau miraculously con • 
 firmed them by recalling his own sister, who had been dead, to life. 
 
 He soon left his fomily, founded a monastery, in which he estab- 
 lished the rule of his own institute, and lived there in the holiest 
 manner ; but the fame of his sanctity and miracles being spread far and 
 near, he again, in order to avoid the eulogy of men, returned to Italy, 
 and tarried at Lucca, where he was so much esteemed by the citizens 
 on account of his manifold virtues, that he was at their unanimous 
 solicitation consecrated their bishop ; having undertaken the office of 
 the episcopal function, his care, to enlarge and extend the benefits of 
 religion, was such, that within the space of twenty yearn, which ho 
 governed the see of Lucca, he erected as many baptismal churches, 
 the chief one of which was dedicated to the three holy Levites, and in 
 which is still preserved a luige rock, which could not be moved, until 
 the faith and piety of the holy bishop obtained its removal from the 
 Almighty. 
 
 The inhabitants of Lucca suffering much from the inundations of 
 the river, the holy bishop, having drawn a harrow or rake over its 
 banks, freed them from further injury. Full of merit and rich in good 
 works, St. Frigidiau rested happily in the Lord, A.D. 5SS. His re- 
 mains were deposited in the aforesaid church of the Levites. In the 
 time of Charlemagne, the body of a lady happened to be placed in the 
 same tomb in which that of Frigidiau lay; the dame immediately 
 reviving, exclaims, “Take me hence, because you have put me over 
 the body of St. Frigidiau.” By this incident was discovered the tomb 
 of the saint, which had been two hundred years unknown. Tlie inven- 
 tion of his relics is observed by the citizens of Lucca on the 14th of the 
 kalends of December. The lady having been mii-aculously instrumental 
 in discovering the body, again slept in the Lord. 
 
 Saint Cataldus, the renowned bishop of Tarentum, was a native of 
 Munster, and born, it is supposed, not far from Lismore. His father’s 
 name was Echu, his mother’s Achlenna. He studied at the famous 
 school of Lismore, and afterwards became a professor in that establish- 
 ment. His lectures were attended by a great number of students from 
 various countries. The precise time in which Cataldus was thus em- 
 ployed, cannot be ascertained. It is evidently later than the year 633 
 
ECCLKSIAS’nCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 341 
 
 ■when St. Carthag founded tlie monastery and school of Lismore. While 
 instructing othei-s in literature, his piety and devotion edified them. 
 He is said to have erected a church at Lismore, in honor of the Mother 
 of God. 
 
 It is related that Cataldus incurred the displeasure of a prince, -who 
 ordered him to be thrown into a dungeon. The king soon repented of 
 his violent conduct, and to make reparation for the injury, granted him 
 a district, which belonged to a chieftain, Meltridis or Moelochtride, -who 
 had recently died. Tliei’e the saint erected a church, of which he was 
 immediately appointed bishop, about A.D. 670. Having governed this 
 see at Eachan for some time, he is said to have gone on a pilgrimage to 
 Jerusalem, and intending to return to Ireland, he was admonished in a 
 vision to proceed to Tarentum. On his arrival there, he found the in- 
 habitants immersed in vice and crime almost heathenish. Having 
 landed some distance from the city, he cured on his w'ay to it a woman 
 who had been deaf and dumb, and when entering, relieved a man from 
 blindness. Immediately noticed, he was listened to with great atten- 
 tion, while preaching to the people, and soon after was unanimously 
 appointed to the see of Tarentum, which he governed many years with 
 singular wisdom and zeal. It is probable that his appointment to this 
 see occurred in or about the year 687. The year of his death is not 
 known. His festival is kept there on the 8th of March. He is held in 
 the highest veneration at Tarentum and elsewhere. A great number of 
 miracles are said to hav’e been performed at his tomb. A brother of 
 St. Cataldus, named Donatus, is reckoned among the bishops of Lecce, 
 a noble city of the kingdom of Naples. It is said that these holy 
 brothers lived together, as hermits, for some time near a small town, 
 now called San Cataldo. 
 
 Saint Donatus, bishop of Fiesole, in Tuscany, flourished in the ninth 
 century, was an Irishman, and it appears, had been a bishop before he 
 undertook his pilgrimage to Rome. A disciple, named Andrew, of a 
 very illustrious family, whom he had instructed in Ireland, accompanied 
 him on this expedition. Tliey arrived at Rome during the reign of 
 Lewis the Pious ; having remained there for some time, and having 
 obtained the benediction of the sovereign pontiff, they removed to Tus- 
 cany and visited some churches of that place. On arriving at Fiesole, 
 Donatus was received by the clergy and people of that city, then a very 
 respectable one, with great honor, and as the see happened to be vacant, 
 Donatus was requested to undertake the government of it. He at length 
 complied with their request, and acted, for a long time, the part of a 
 good pastor, until the Almighty was pleased to remove him to a better 
 world. His festival is observed on the 22d of October. The year of 
 
342 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF IRELAm>. 
 
 his death is not known ; it must have been subsequent to 861. Tlie 
 time of his accepting the see of Fiesole could not be in the year 816, as 
 Grusolphus was bishop there in that year, and attended at a Synod held 
 at Rome. 
 
 Donatus was bishop of Fiesole before 844, in which year he was pre- 
 sent at the coronation of Lewis, the son of Lotharius, as king of Italy, 
 lie was its bishop in 861, being present at a Lateran Council that sat 
 in this year under Pope Kicholas I., against John, archbishop of Raven- 
 na. Donatus, according to the most correct account, died in 863. 
 
 A sister of his disciple Andrew (by name Brigid), a very saintly 
 virgin, whom he. was anxious to see before his death, left Ireland to pay 
 her brother a visit, and arrived in t’.ne to find him still alive, though 
 near his end. On his death, she resolved to remain in Italy, and retired 
 to a forest above Fiesole at the foot of the mountains, where, in the 
 practice of gi’eat austerity, she led a solitary life and lived to a great 
 age, esteemed by the people of the neighborhood. She died about 880. 
 The disciple Andrew became a deacon of Fiesole and remained there 
 several years, until by the direction of Donatus he re-established the 
 church of St. Martin near the river Mensola, which washes the feet of 
 the Fiesole hills, and founded there a monastery, in which he piously 
 spent the remainder of his days. 
 
 Donatus is said to have written some tracts, which are not now 
 extant, except his own epitaph and a poem which is prefixed as a pro- 
 logue to a poetical life of St. Bridget. Die prologue begins thus : 
 
 Finibus occiduis describitur optima tellus 
 Nomine et antiquis Scotia dicta libris, 
 
 Insula dives opum, gemmarum, vcstis et aurl; 
 
 Comnioda corporibus, aere, sole, solo. 
 
 Melle fluit pulchris et lacteis scotia campis 
 Vestibus atque armis, frugibus, arte, viris 
 Ursorum rabies nulla est ibi : saeva leonum 
 Semina nee nunquam Scotica terra tulit. 
 
 Nulla venena nocent, nee serpens serpit in herba 
 Nee conquesta canit garrula rana lacu. 
 
 Inq\ia Scotorum gentes habitnre merentur 
 In clyta gens hominum milite, pace, fide. 
 
 Having thus described Ireland, the poem is continued as a preface to 
 the life of St. Bridget. The following is a translation of those lines: 
 
 Far westward lies an isle of ancient fame, 
 
 By nature blessed, and Scotia is her name : 
 
 An island rich, exbaustless is her store 
 Of veiny silver and of golden ore. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL niSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 343 
 
 Her fruitful soil forever teems with wealth, 
 
 With gems her waters and her air with health. 
 
 Her verdant fields with milk and honey flow, 
 
 Her woolly fleeces vie with virgin snow ; 
 
 Her waving furrows float with bearded corn. 
 
 And arms and arts her envied sons adorn. 
 
 No savage bear with lawless fury roves, 
 
 No rav’ning lion through her sacred groves, 
 
 No poison there infects, no scaly snake 
 
 Creeps through the grass, nor frog annoys the lake. 
 
 An island worthy of its pious race. 
 
 In war triumphant, and unmatched in peace. 
 
 Baint V'irgilius or Feargall was a celebrated Irish missionary in Ger- 
 many, together with St. Boniface. Tlie family or the district to which 
 this L-ish saint belonged, is not known ; it is however said, that he w’as 
 of noble extraction. Having very much distinguished himself by his 
 piety and gi’eat learning, he was ordained priest, and soon after set out 
 for the Continent, as a missionary. He arrived in France before the 
 year 740 and was graciously received by Pepin, son of Charles Martel, 
 and as yet only mayor of the palace, but who was afterwards raised to the 
 throne. He remained two years with Pepin, who was greatly attached 
 to him, at Carisiacum, a princely residence near Compiegne, on the 
 Oise, and thence proceeded to Bavaria, which was then governed by the 
 Duke Otilo, and to whom he was strongly recommended by Pepin. 
 
 Virgilius was in Bavaria when the disputes with St. Boniface began, 
 whose jurisdiction extended then over that country and other parts of 
 Germany. They occurred on a theological question, to which the igno- 
 rance of a priest gave rise. Hot understanding the Latin, the priest in 
 administering baptism, was wont to say, “ Patria et Filia et Spiritua 
 Sancta,” instead of terminating these words with tlie consonant S. 
 Boniface, informed of it, directed Virgilius and Sidonius or Sedna, a 
 companion of his, to re-baptize such pemons as had received the rite 
 from this priest: they however refused, rightly maintaining that the 
 baptisms administered by him w'ere valid, and in order to protect them- 
 selves against the exercise of any authority on the part of Boniface, gave 
 a full account of the transaction to Pope Zachary. 
 
 Astonished at the conduct of Boniface, the pontiff immediately 
 wrote to him, expressing the pain he had felt at his having given an 
 order for the re-baptizing of those persons, and put him on his guard 
 against a repetition of such an order, as the baptisms were valid and 
 could not be afi'ected by the mis-pronunciation of the priest. It seems 
 tliat Boniface, hurt by the reproof from Rome, treated Virgilius with 
 harshness and denounced him to the pope. Various are said to have 
 
344 
 
 EOCLESIASTICAX, mSTOEY OF lEELAND. 
 
 been the cliatges which he preferred on this occasion. Tliey are too 
 fris'olous to be recounted ; but as Yu-gilius maintained some astronomi- 
 cal doctrines, to which Boniface was a stranger, it was represented tc 
 the supreme pontiff, that Virgilius held “ that there was another world 
 and other men under the earth.” 
 
 The pope, under the impression that such was really the doctrine 
 imputed to Virgilius, wrote to his opponent, that a synod should be 
 convened, and Virgilius expelled from the Church, should lie peisist in 
 maintaining such opinions. He also informed Boniface that he was 
 about sending a letter to the Duke Otilo concerning Virgilius, for the 
 purpose of citing him to appear before himself, and if convicted of error, 
 of condemning him according to the canons. 
 
 It is now generally admitted that the opinion, which Virgilius main- 
 tained, was no other than that relative to the antipodes ; an opinion 
 which is founded on the sphericity of the earth. It was new to Boni- 
 face, and hence arose the mistake, which he made in representing the 
 doctrine of Virgilius on the subject to the pontiff. That Virgilius main- 
 tained no such extravagant notion as that which Boniface attributed to 
 him, is clearly to be understood from the abandonment of all further 
 proceedings in the matter. Virgilius was abbot of St. Peter’s monas- 
 tery at Saltzburg before the death of Duke Otilo, A.D. 748, and seems 
 to have continued in that situation, until he was promoted to the bish- 
 opric of that city by Pope Stephen II. and the king Pepin in 756. 
 
 It is said that Virgilius, though named to this see and exercising 
 episcopal jurisdiction, deferred his consecration for two years, until at 
 length he submitted to it, Avhen urged by the other bishops of the pro- 
 vince and the clergy and people of his diocese ; and that in the interim, 
 Dobda, a bishop, who accompanied him from Ireland, performed the 
 necessary episcopal functions in his stead. According to some accounts 
 Dobda Avas jjlaced as bishop at Chiem, in Upper Bavaria, by the Duke 
 Otilo, and established there a school, Avhich was much frequented by 
 students. 
 
 Another eminent Irishman, St. Alto, is said to have been the com- 
 panion of Virgilius. Alto Avas descended of an illustrious family and is 
 said to haA^e arrived in Bavaria, A.D. 743; he Ih^ed some years as a 
 hermit in a forest midAvay betAveen Augsburg and Munich. Tlie fame 
 of his sanctity reached the king Pepin, to whom that country was sub- 
 ject, and induced him to make a grant of a portion of the forest for the 
 purpose of erecting thereon a church and monastery. Alto imme- 
 diately began to clear the ground, and the good people of the neighbor- 
 hood assisting, succeeded in completing the monastery and church, 
 which St. Boniface dedicated. From him it was called Alt-Mun- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANt), 
 
 345 
 
 ster. Tire memory of tliis holy man was revered on the 9th of Feb- 
 ruary. 
 
 Among other Irish missionaries at this period iii Bavaria is reckoned 
 Duclan, who is said to have died at Frisengen, on, it seems, the 1st of 
 December. 
 
 Saint Virgilius, soon after his consecration, dedicated a church in 
 Saltzburg, to St. Stephen, in which he placed an abbot and monks taken 
 from the monastery and church of St. Peter, which was still considered 
 the cathedral. Some time after he repaired this monastery, of which he 
 had been abbot, and enlarged the cell built by St. Rupert, the first 
 bishop of Saltzburg. lie established another cell at Ottinga, which 
 count Gunther endowed, and at whose expense it was also erected. His 
 chief work was the great basilica, which he constructed and dedicated 
 inlhe name of St. Rupert, and having removed the saint’s remains to it, 
 constituted it the cathedral. While attending to the erection of tem- 
 ples to the living God, Virgilius, as a vigilant and assiduous pastor, con- 
 tinually preached, instructed, and propagated the sublime doctrines of 
 the gospel. 
 
 Karastus, a son of Boruth, the Sclavonian duke of Carinthia, and 
 Chetimar, nephew of the latter, (Boruth), being detained as hostages in 
 Bavaria, they were baptized and educated at the request of Virgilius, 
 as Christians. On the death of Boruth, Karastus became duke of that 
 country, but having died in the third year of his reign, he was succeed- 
 ed by Ciietimar, who was very religious, and had with him, as instruc- 
 tor, Majoranus, a priest, whom St. Virgilius had ordained. Some time 
 after his accession to the dukedom, Chetimar requested Virgilius, then 
 bishop of Saltzburg, to visit his territories, and confirm his subjects in the 
 faith. Compliance with the pious wish of the duke, not being within his 
 power, Virgilius sent to that country Modestus, a bishop, some priests, 
 a deacon, and other inferior clerics, authorizing Modestus to perform 
 the ordination of priests and the consecration of churches. This bishop 
 spent the remainder of his life in Carinthia, and at his death the duke 
 again requested the bishop of Saltzburg to proceed to his dominions ; 
 but the duchy being distracted with intestine troubles, Virgilius was 
 prevented from visiting it, and sent in his stead Latinus, a priest, who 
 was soon after obliged to withdraw. However, Virgilius did not lose 
 sight of the interests of the church of Carinthia, and during the ad- 
 ministration of Chetimar and his successor Watune, supplied it with 
 priests. Thus w'as the church of Carinthia established, and St. Virgi- 
 lius has been justly called the apostle of that country. 
 
 Towards the end of his life, Virgilius undertook the visitation of his 
 vast diocese, in order that he might eradicate the remnants of idolatry, 
 
346 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 and strengtlien his flock in the belief of the Christian religion. He was 
 everywliere received with attention by multitudes of all descriptions, 
 and during his progress consecrated churches and ordained priests ; 
 neither did he omit to visit Carinthia, through which he proceeded as 
 far as the frontiers of the Huns, where the Drave joins the Danube. 
 I’erceiving that his dissolution was approaching, A'irgilius returned to 
 Saltzburg, where, having celebrated the divine mysteries, and seized 
 with a light illness, he departed this life on the 2Tth of Xovember, 
 A.D. 785. It is stated, that many miracles have been performed at his 
 tomb, in Saltzburg. 
 
 Saint Mailduf, from whom Malmesbury, in England, is called. Its 
 former name was Ingeborn. Here our holy countiyman became emi- 
 nent as a teacher. Pleased with his situation, he lived at the foot of a 
 hill, as a hermit, but afterwards, in order to supply his necessary wants, 
 opened a school, which was not long after changed into a monastery. 
 The celebrated Aldhelm, the most distinguished of his scholai's, became 
 abbot of this establishment, in the year 675. He had received the 
 habit and tonsure from Mailduf, and greatly enlarged the monastery. 
 St. Mailduf died in the year 675, or a little prior to it. 
 
 SS. Caidoc and Fi'icor, two Irish priests, who were mucb distin- 
 guished by their sanctity in the territory of Ponthieu, in Picardy. 
 Peing badly received by the peiisants of that country, they were on the 
 point of being forced to quit, when a young nobleman, Picharius, who 
 lived at Centule, in. Ponthieu, took them under his protection, and in- 
 viting them to Ids house, treated them with attention and respect. He 
 listened to their instructions, and in sorrow for the past transgressions of 
 his life, made a confession of his sins, and became sincerely penitent. 
 Henceforth they preached with freedom and with great success through- 
 out various parts of Picardy. Fricor assumed the name of Adrian, as 
 more agreeable to his auditors. Meanwhile, Richarius, their patron, 
 was advancing in sanctity ; and at length, in obedience to the advice of 
 his holy director, resolved to retire from the world. Having distri- 
 buted a great part of his property to the poor, he founded the monas- 
 tery of Centule, about the year 625. He is said to have visited Rome, 
 in company with Caidoc. On their return, Caidoc embraced the mo- 
 nastic state, in that abbey, and continuing there until his death, was 
 buried within the precincts of that monastery, Fricor or Adrian also 
 became a monk, and was buried in the monastery of Centule. 
 
 Two other Irish missionaries, Rantic and Quilian, are said to have 
 assisted St. Vulganius or Bolcan, in preaching to the Morini, the inha- 
 bitants of that tract in which Boulogne is situated. Yulganins was 
 also an L-ishman and a bishop, became distinguished as a zealous mis- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAT, HISTOKY OF rRELAJTD. 
 
 347 
 
 sionary in Belgic Ganl, during a part of the seventh century, where 
 liis memory is still highly revered ; the 2d of J7ovember is his festival. 
 The remains of St. Vulganius are preserved in the collegiate church of 
 Lens, in the diocese of Arras. 
 
 Saint Tressan, who was, it seems, an illiterate person, but a very 
 good Christian, and wishing to lead the life of a pilgrim, went to 
 France, taking with him six brothers, Gibrian, ITelan, German, Veran, 
 Abran, Petran ; and three sisters,, Fracta, Promptia, and Posemna, all of 
 whom were very devout. He tarried in the territory of Rheims, near 
 the Marne, Avhen Remigius was bishop there, and who baptized Clovis I. 
 Having acquired sufficient learning, he was ordained a priest by Remi- 
 gius, to whom he was recommended by Genebaldus, bishop of Laon. 
 
 Tressan finished his days in the diocese of Rheims, near the ]\farne, 
 and was distinguished by his great piety, as well as by miracles. His 
 remains were deposited at Avenay, in Champagne. The 7th of Febru- 
 ary is dedicated to his memory. The year of his death is unknown. 
 
 Saint Albinus or Witta, the apostle of Thuringia, w’as a native of 
 Ireland, and flourished in the eighth century. It is affirmed by Trithe- 
 mius, that Albinus embraced the monastic state in Reland, and after- 
 wards repaired to Germany, where he converted numbers to the faith, 
 and became a bishop about the year 741. He entered on the same mis- 
 sion with St. Boniface, and was appointed by him bishop of Buraburg, 
 near Fritzlar, in Hesse. Albuin was in great esteem for his knowledge 
 of the sacred Avritings ; and through his preaching and missionary 
 labors has been venerated as the apostle and patron saint of that ex- 
 tensive country. Tliough honorable mention is made of this holy and 
 apostolic man, by Arnold AVion and others, yet the particulare of his 
 eventful life have not been handed down to us. Several works have 
 been attributed to him ; the only one extant is a book of meditations 
 addressed to the people of Duringen. His festival is observed on the 
 26th of October. 
 
 Ilelias or Elill, an Irishman, and a disciple of Theodulf, bishop of 
 Orleans, distinguished himself in France during the reign of Charles 
 the Bald, and afterwards became bishop of Angouleme. This eminent 
 prelate ranked among the learned men of the age, and for many years 
 presided in the schools of France, as professor of the sacred scriptures. 
 Among his scholars was the celebrated Eric, bishop of Auxerre. AVhen 
 bishop of Angouleme, Helias assisted, in 862, at the synod of Pistes, 
 knd in 866, at that of Soissons. This holy man died on the 22d of 
 September, A.D. 876. 
 
 Moengal or Marcellus flourished about the middle of the ninth cen- 
 tury. He travelled to Rome in 841, accompanied by his nephew, 
 
348 
 
 ECX!LESIASTICAL inSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Marcus, an Irish bishop, and afterwards visited the ancient monastery 
 of St. Gallus, in Switzerland. Becoming known to the fathers of the 
 house, who appreciated his learning, they requested him to remain. 
 Here he delivered theological lectures for many years, and among his 
 disciples are reckoned Notker, Balbulus, Ratpert, and Tutilo. lie has 
 written a commentary on the scrijitures, and homilies on the lessons of 
 the gospel. Moengal died there on the 30th of September ; the year of 
 his death is not recorded. 
 
 Patrick, who was an abbot, may be ranked among the number of 
 those ecclesiastics, who, about the year 850, fled from the fury of the 
 Danes, and retired to England. It is most probable that he had been a 
 bishoi) before his retiring from Ireland, and is supposed to have been 
 the Mael-Patrick styled bishop, anchorite, and abbot elect of Armagh. 
 On his arrival in England, Patrick repaired to the abbey of Glastonbury, 
 where he remained until his death. This circumstance gave rise to the 
 glaring absurdity of some writers, wdio attempted to maintain that our 
 apostle and patron died in England, and had been buried in Glaston- 
 bury. The abbot Patrick has published a book of homilies, several 
 religious tracts, and some letters to his countrymen. 
 
 ' St. Anatolius, the patron of the chief collegiate church of Salins, in 
 the diocese of Besangon. Anatolius was a native of Ireland, and in the 
 beginning of the tenth century repaired to the Continent. He was a 
 bishop in his own country before his departure, but not attached to any 
 see. Having travelled to Rome he remained there some years, and at 
 length his extensive knowledge of the scriptures and the fathers of the 
 church, brought him into notice, and he was appointed lecturer in some of 
 the principal schools. Desirous of leading a retired life, Anatolius left 
 that city, and travelled into France. AVhile he stayed in Burgundy, 
 his labors in preaching were incessant ; and after having traversed the 
 greater part of those extensive districts, he at length arrived at the city 
 of Salins. 
 
 At a small distance from the city and at the foot of a dreary moun- 
 tain stood an oratory, dedicated to St. Symphorian, martyr ; thither he 
 repaired, and knowing it to be the place which Providence had marked 
 out for him, as a retreat, he prayed for a time in the oratory, and re- 
 solved on flxing his abode in this lonely hermitage. He soon after 
 closed his mortal career, but his sanctity had been recognized by the 
 faithful in Salins and the surrounding country. Several churches in 
 the diocese of Besangon have been dedicated to his name, and especi- 
 ally one of the four churches of Salins, situated on the mountain, on the 
 south side of which is the hermitage of St. Anatolius. The body of the 
 saint was in the eleventh century removed to the principal church of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTORY OF LRELAUD. 
 
 3l<j 
 
 Salias, and in tbe year 1229, Nicliolas, bishop of that see, had it [laced 
 in a silv'er shrine, and deposited in the same cliurch. 
 
 Saint Maimbodus, another ecclesiastic of Ireland, retired from his 
 native country early in the tenth century, and travelled many parts of 
 the continent, preaching the gospel. His labors had been particularly 
 directed to the northern districts of Italy and Gaul, and having at length 
 arrived in Burgundy, he was hospitably entertained by a pious noble- 
 man, who earnestly besought him to fix his abode in that territory. 
 Thinking that his services were more necessary in other places, Maim- 
 bodus resumed his journey, stopped at the small village of Domnipetra, 
 eight miles distant from Besangon. On his departure, and at a small 
 distance from the village, the holy man was met by robbers, who, on 
 being disappointed in their expectation of money, wounded him so 
 severely, that he died on the spot. The body of the saint Avas buried 
 by the faithful, in the church of St. Peter, in that village, but was 
 afterwards translated with great solemnity to Montbelliard, by the order 
 of Berenger, bishop of Besangon. Tlie same prelate decreed that the 
 memory of St. Maimbodus should be celebrated in the diocese of Besan- 
 gon, on the 23d of January, the anniversary of his death. 
 
 Marianus Scotus Avas a native of the north of Ireland, and in the 
 year 1008, retired to Germany, bringing Avith him tAvo companions, 
 John and Candidas ; they remained for some time at Katisbon, and 
 afterwards became Benedictine monks, in St. Michael’s monastery, near 
 Bamberg. Marianus, Avho Avas as saintly as eloquent, and learned, ob- 
 tained, soon after for himself and his companions, a grant of the church 
 of St. Peter, near Katisbon, Avhich Avas confirmed by Henry IV., then 
 king of Germany. From the great number of Irishmen Avho had re- 
 paired to it, this monasteiy became so celebrated, and at the same time 
 so well supplied, that in the beginning of the twelfth century, another 
 was erected in the city of Katisbon, and which Avas dedicated to St. 
 James. In this manner the ancient foundation of St. Peter became the 
 parent of numberless religious retreats, by Avhich piety and literature 
 had been nourished for ages, in that, as Avell as in the adjacent territo- 
 ries. This monastery Avas also famous for the number of works which 
 the monks transcribed ; here, also, Adrian IV., the pontiff who 
 granted Ireland to the king of England, received his education under 
 another Marianus, Avho belonged to this establishment. 
 
 The founder, Marianus Scotus continued to govern the monastery of 
 St. Peter, at Katisbon, until his death, Avhich occurred in 1088. These 
 monasteries of Katisbon, with those of Wurtzburg, Nuremberg, Vienna, 
 and many others, continued in the hands of Irish ecclesiastics, until they 
 Avere dispossessed by Scotchmen. After the death of tlie founder, 
 
850 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 several applicants from Scotland had been kindly received by the 
 monks, and admitted into their German mo7*asteries. The number ura- 
 dually increased, so tliat in the thirteenth century, when the term 
 “ Scotia ” ceased to be used as a name to denote Ireland, the Scotch 
 availed themselves of tlie expression (Scotorum'i contained in the origi- 
 nal grants, and thus became, in a short time, the possessors of all those 
 religious foundations. The Irish monks Avere, before the close of that 
 century, compelled to withdraw from those establishments which their 
 countrymen had founded, and which they both governed and adorned 
 for so long a period. 
 
 Marianus Scotus, the chronograidier, a native of Ireland, was born n 
 the year 1018. Being anxious to retire from the world and to devote 
 himself to prayer and study, he entered the monastery of Clonard in 
 1052, and continued in that famous establishment four years. Mari- 
 anus, influenced by the example of many other Irishmen, formed the 
 design of retiring forever from his native country. In accordance with 
 his resolution, he arrived at Cologne in 1056, and soon after joined the 
 Irish monks of St. Martin, in that city. Here he remained two years, 
 and having been ordained priest at Wurtzburg, he removed to Pader- 
 born, and thence to Fulda. It is most probable that in this jilace he 
 had collected and arranged the materials for his chronicle : a work far 
 surpassing anything of the kind which the middle ages have produced. 
 In order to complete it, he became a recluse for ten years, and though 
 confined to study and debarred from all human intercourse, still the 
 flime of his virtues and of his exti-aordinary learning procured its Avay 
 beyond the silence of his cell, and among his admirei’s were many ot 
 the most distinguished prelates of that country. 
 
 At length this extraordinary man was brought from his favorite re- 
 tirement, by order of the bishop of Mentz and the abbot of Fulda, and 
 in 1069 he removed to Mentz, where he was again shut up, as he him- 
 self says, on the 10th of July, in that year. Here he remained until 
 1086, the year in which he died, and was buried in the church of Saint 
 Martin, beyond the walls of that city. 
 
 Our distinguished countryman, besides his chronicle, has written 
 “ Tlie Harmony of the Evangelists Of the universal account ; On the 
 great Paschal Cycle ; Amendments to Dionysius ; A Breviary on St. 
 Luke ; Annotations on the Scriptures ; Letters of Exhortation ; Com- 
 mentaries on the Psalms ; Annotations on all the epistles of St. Paul, 
 together with a copy of said epistles, transcribed by himself, and which 
 is extant in the imperial library of Vienna. 
 
 Helias, the saintly and learned abbot of St. Martin’s, at Cologne, 
 was an Irishman, and flourished in the eleventh century. About the 
 
ECCLESLV8TICAL IltSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 351 
 
 year 1022, St. llelias had been at Rome, and was the first wlio had 
 brouglit from that city tlie Roman note or church music to Cologne. 
 Before his journey to the Continent he spent some yeai's in tlie monas- 
 tery of Monaghan ; tlie rigid discipline of which he punctually ob- 
 served and enforced. The value which this saint placed on the virtue 
 of obedience was such, that when a member of the community at Co- 
 logne had, without asking permission, transcribed a neat copy of the 
 missal, for the use of the monastery, llelias consigned it to the flames, 
 lest others, imitating his example, should presume to infringe on the an- 
 cient discipline of the institute. llelias was also a learned man, and to 
 this distinguished native of Ireland, and to his community, society 
 had been indebted for the transcribing of several valuable portions of 
 both sacred and profane literature. Having spent a life of mortifica- 
 tion and sanctity, he died at Cologne, A.D. 1042. 
 
 John, the venerable bishop of Meckleiiburgh and apostle of Sclavo- 
 nia, was a native of Ireland, and flourished in the middle of the 
 eleventh century. About the year 1057 he arrived in Germany, and 
 was soon after placed over the see of Meckleiiburgh, by Adalbert, 
 archbishop of Bremen. The Yandals and the Yenuli who inhabited 
 that part of the ancient Sclavonia, which lies between the Elbe and the 
 Yistula, were at this time pagans ; thither John proceeded to jireach 
 the gospel, in 10G2. After having traversed the greater part of that 
 region — having visited their principal towns, in which he converted 
 great numbers — John, at length, suffered martyrdom at Rethre, the 
 capital. By the orders of a Pagan governor, he was first cast into a pri- 
 son, endured a great variety of torture, and was beheaded about the 
 year 1065. Adam, of Bremen, Trithemius, and other writers, make 
 honorable mention of this martyr, and John has always been 
 considered the apostle and patron of that ancient and extensive ter- 
 ritory. 
 
 Saint Colman departed from Ireland about the year 1012, for the 
 purpose of visiting Jerusalem. He arrived in the eastern part of No- 
 rica, now lower Austria ; at the time of his arrival the Austrians were 
 at war with the Moravians, and such had been the spirit with which 
 hostilities were carried on, that no quarter was given on either side. 
 Colman had scarcely reached Stockerau, when he was arrested as a spy, 
 and though he persisted in declaring his innocence, was cast into 
 prison, and afterwards put to death, by susjiending him from an old 
 tree, together with two robbers. The hay or twig rope by which his 
 head was fastened, and even the old tree, are said to have bloomed 
 and revived ; his body continued sound and entire, his nails and hair 
 to grow. Tliese extraordinary circumstances excited attention, which 
 
352 
 
 ECCI.ESTASTICAI. HISIOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 were still more enhanced by the fact of blood flowing from his body, 
 when a part of his flesh had been cut oti’ for being used as a cure. 
 It was concluded, that Cobnan was truly a holy pei’son, and that he 
 had been unjustly put to death. lie was therefore honored as a martyr. 
 His body was taken down, and deposited with great pomp in the 
 churchyard of Stockerau. Several miracles attested his sanctity, and 
 Henry, marquis of Austria, was so moved by them, that he got the 
 body removed to his residence, Medlica or Melek. On its removal the 
 body was found entire, and was placed in St. Peter’s church of that 
 town, on the 7th of October, A.D. 1015, three years after Cobnan had 
 been put to death. 
 
 A Benedictine monastery, established there in honor of St. Cobnan, 
 has become very famous, and it still exists in great splendor. Erchen- 
 frid, who was the third abbot of this monastery, has written the acts of 
 Colman. He relates several miracles, ivliich were Avrought after his 
 death. The name of Colman occure in the Roman martyrology on the 
 13th of October. 
 
 John Stabius, historiographer of the Emperor Maximilian L, haa 
 written an ode in honor of St. Colman. 
 
 “ Austria sanctus canitur patronus, 
 
 Fulgidum sidus radians ab Areto, 
 
 Scoticos gentis Colemannus acer 
 Regia proles. 
 
 Illedum sanctum Solyinorum urbem 
 Transiit, dulcem patriain relinquons, 
 
 Regios fastus, trabeam coronam 
 
 Sceptraque tempsit. 
 
 Propter et Christum peregrinus exul 
 Factus in terris alienus ultro 
 Coclicam pura meditatus aulam 
 Mente fideque. 
 
 Austria terras agitabat amens 
 Tunc furor ; fortes Moravos, Bohemos, 
 
 Pannones, hello simul impiicabat 
 Inferus hostis. 
 
 Ergo dum sanctum hospitio recepit, 
 
 Oppidum nostro Stockerau vocatum ^ 
 
 Patrio ritu. 
 
 A translation is unnecessary, as it would be repeating the incidents 
 already narrated. 
 
 In this manner the church of Ireland sent forth her missionaries to 
 distant countries ; meanwhile a good and gracious Providence suoolied 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANI). 
 
 353 
 
 her with an abundance of holy and learned pastors, who, both in the 
 cloister and in the troubled scenes of life, were leading myriads tc 
 heaven, and shedding new lustre around the cross of the Kedeemer 
 Tlie church of Ireland shone with peculiar brilliancy during those ages, 
 in which the sanctity of her missionaries fully illustrated the excellence 
 of these institutions, which she had from the days of her glorious 
 apostle so ardently cherished and sustained — which prepared tliose 
 holy ecclesiastics to engage in the work of conversion, disregarding the 
 ties of kindred and of country, — encountering perils of sea and land, — 
 contemning every danger and every comfort, in order that they 
 might announce the glad tidings of redemption, and erect the standard 
 of the Christian dispensation in the land of the savage and the bar- 
 barian, and of which it now becomes a pleasing duty to lay a record 
 before the public. 
 
 23 
 
351 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 MONASTERIES OP IRELAND.— COUNTY OF ANTRIM. 
 
 AcnADHDUBTHUiGn. In Magli-Li, a small territory near the river 
 Bann. Saint Goar, the son of Colman the Big, was abbot of this an- 
 cient monastery, in the seventh century, and is still the patron saint of 
 it. His festival is observed on the 22d of January. It is now un- 
 known. 
 
 Achadcinn, over which Saint Cathub, the son of Fergus was abbot. 
 Archdall informs us that St. Patrick founded tliis abbey. The apostle 
 of L-eland could not have erected all the monasteries which are attri- 
 buted to him in the county of Antrim. In the first place he could not 
 have found pei*sons qualified to govern them, unless he appointed his 
 own disciples. The firet care of an apostolic missionary would be to 
 provide parochial churches, and pastors to administer the sacraments. 
 The memory of St. Cathub is revered on the 6th of April. He died 
 A.D. 555. He is said to have lived 150 yeai-s. The site of this monas- 
 tery is now unknown. 
 
 Antrim.' — Monastery of. St. Patrick met here a youth, called 
 Mochoc, whom, after having instructed, he baptized, and gave him the 
 tonsure, dedicating him to the ecclesiastical state ; he also gave him the 
 book of the gospels, and some sacred utensils. Mochua governed the 
 church of Antrim, as bishop or abbot. This saint died on the 23d of 
 June, A.D. 497. 
 
 Durdract is named in some calendars. Tlie time in which he lived 
 is not known. 
 
 A.D. 638. Cridan died at Indroim or Antrim. 
 
 Saint Cronan, bishop of Antrim, whose name is mentioned in the 
 letter of the Pope elect, John, and the Roman clergy, to Thomian, 
 archbishop of Armagh, on the paschal computation, in the year 640. 
 This saint died on the 6tli of January, 642. 
 
 Saint Cuniineus, bishop of Aendrum, died on the 1st of July, 658. 
 
 A.D. 679. Maney the abbot died. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF ERELANH. 
 
 355 
 
 Ardraacnasca — Monastery of. Saint Laisrean was the founder of 
 this abbey, and governed it as abbot. He died on the 25th of October, 
 about the year 650, and is patron of the place. Archdall sets down 
 this monastery as belonging to the county Antrim, but it should be in 
 the county Down. It was situated near Loghloedh, or Calf’s Pool, 
 near Downpatrick. 
 
 Ballycastle, in the barony of Carye, and to the east of the castle is 
 an ancient building, called the abbey, of which there is no further 
 account. In a chapel of this abbey is the following inscription : — 
 
 “ In Dei Deiparaeque virginis honorem, illustrissimus ac nobilissi- 
 mus Eandolphus MacDonnell, Comes de Antrim, hoc saccellum fieri 
 curavit A.D. 1612.” 
 
 “ In honor of God and his virgin mother, the most illustrious and 
 most noble Eandal MacDonnell, earl of Antrim, caused this chapel to 
 be erected, A.D. 1612.” 
 
 Boithbolcain, a church near Conner, founded by Saint Bolcain. 
 Tliis saint was bishop of Eathmuighi, County Antrim. 
 
 Bonaraargy. The convent of Bonamargy was erected for Francis- 
 cans of the third order, by the family of MacDonnell, in 1498. This 
 family settled in the county of Antrim in the fifteenth century and were 
 afterwards raised to the Peerage. At the time of the suppression of 
 religious houses, this monastery and its possessions were granted to the 
 founder’s family. 
 
 Carrickfergus was founded by Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Ulster, A.D. 
 1231, for Franciscan friars. Heil MacCaine Oneill reformed this abbey 
 to the strict observance in 1497. 
 
 A.D. 1510. A general chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 At the suppression of abbeys by Henry VHI. and his daughter 
 Queen Elizabeth, this monastery and its possessions were granted to 
 Sir Edmund Fitzgerald, who assigned it to Sir Arthur Chichester, 
 ancestor to the Earl of Donegal. Tliis nobleman, who was several 
 times Lord Deputy of Ireland, erected a noble castle on the site of this 
 monastery about the year 1610. 
 
 Connor. The Bishop, MacHessa, died on the 3d of September, 506 
 or 613. 
 
 Saint Mainend of Connor. His festival is observed on the 16th of 
 September. 
 
 A.D. 537. Lugadius, the bishop, died. 
 
 Saint Dima Dubh (the black), bishop of Connor, died in 658. His 
 festival is observed on the 6th of January. 
 
 A.D. 771. Anfceally, the abbot of Connor, died. 
 
356 
 
 ECX:!LES1ASTICAL HISTORY OF EREL-AND. 
 
 A.D. 865, Aidhecar, abbot of Connor and Lynnealla, died. He 
 was a bishop and a learned chronologer, 
 
 A’.D. 949. Flanagan MacAlchon, the abbot of, <S:c., died. 
 
 A.D. 954. Malbrigid, son of Redan and successor of St. MacR^essa, 
 died. 
 
 Dornnach-Brain, Domnach-Coinre, Domnach-Combuir, Domnach- 
 Fothairbe, Domnach-Libeir, Domnach-Moelain, Domnach-Mor, Doin- 
 nach-Riascaigh, Domnach-Righduin, Domnach-Fainre, Glean-Indeachta, 
 Gluaire, Imleac-Cluan, Kilglais, Lanavach, Rath-easpoc-Innic, Rath- 
 sightlie, &c. According to Archdall, those establishments were founded 
 by St. Patrick. Tlie names of many of them refer to founders different 
 from our apostle. At Gluaire, St. Molassius is said to have been buried. 
 Of this saint’s name two or three eminent persons are known to have 
 flourished in the sixth or seventh century and at Imleac-Cluan, St. 
 Colrnan is said to have been presiding or living. They cannot be shewn 
 to owe their origin to St. Patrick or to have been monasteries. 
 
 Glenarm, from Avhich the barony is called. A monastery for Fran- 
 ciscan friars of the third order, was built here in the year 1465 by 
 Robert Bissett, a Scotchman. Tliere are still remains of the abbey on 
 the bay of Glenarm. Tlie monastery and lands belonging to it were 
 granted to Alexander MacDonnell, ancestor to the Earls of Antrim. 
 
 Good or Wood-born, near Carrickfergus. A priory, dedicated to 
 the Holy Cross, was founded here for White Canons, supposed to be 
 the same as Druin la Croix, and which was a daughter to the abbey of 
 Drieburgh in Scotland. 
 
 Tlie Bissets, a powerful family of Scotland, who were obliged to 
 fly, being principally concerned in the murder of the earl of Athol in 
 the year 1242, are supposed to have founded this monastery in expiation 
 of their crime. Ring Henry the Third assigned them lands in that part 
 of the country. 
 
 Gillerath MacCouragli, the last abbot, resigned into the hands of the 
 commissioners, on the 1st of March, 1542, and in the 34th year of King 
 Henry VIII., the property of this abbey. 
 
 The abbot was then seized of a certain parcel of land around the 
 monastery, and of the rectory of Entroia, and the tithes of sixteen town- 
 lands belonging to the rectory of Killaboj, in the Rents, the rectories of 
 Cnolille and Cormony, in the same country, and the tithes of two town- 
 lands in Island Magee, viz. Ballypor magna and Ballypor parva. 
 
 Kells or Diseart Kellach, so called because an anchoret Kellach died 
 there about the year 828. A priory of regular canons was erected on 
 the site of this ancient cell, under the invocation of the Blessed Virgin, 
 before the arrival of the English by O’Brian Carrog. It is four miles 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IKELAm). 
 
 357 
 
 north of Antrim, and close to Connor. Tlie last prior, Murtagli Mac- 
 Annullowe or MacMiller, surrendered it on the 1st of February, 1.542, 
 being then in possession of the temporalities as well as the spirituals 
 of eight townlands circumjacent to the priory, of five rectories, and 
 the tithes of Templemotragh, near Glenarm, and of Kildoran, in Island 
 Magee. 
 
 Killeaspuicbolcain, in the Reuts, called the church of the bishop 
 Clean. 
 
 Lambeg, near Lisburn. MacDonnel built a small monastery here 
 for Franciscan friars, of the third order, in the fifteenth century.^ 
 
 Linnella, an ancient abbey. The abbot Anfceally, who was also the 
 abbot of Connor, died A.D. 771. 
 
 A.D. 8G1, Aidhecar, abbot, a bishop, and a celebrated chronologer 
 died. 
 
 Massarene, from which the barony takes its name. A small mo- 
 nastery was founded in the fifteenth century for Franciscans of the 
 third order, by O’is’eil. On the 20th of November, 1621, it was 
 granted to Sir A. Chichester, baron of Belfast. 
 
 Muckamore, two miles from Antrim. In the year 550 a noble mo- 
 nastery was built by Colman-elo, otherwise called Columban, son of 
 Boegnai, under the invocation of the Blessed A'irgin Mary. St. Col- 
 man was a native of Meath, and spent many years of his life in the 
 diocese of Connor. Having returned to his own countiy, he found 
 King Aidus, son of Anmirech, and several othere, assembled, among 
 whom were saints Columkille and Cannech. This event must have 
 been after the synod of Drumceat, in the year 590, when St. Columba 
 visited his monastery of Durrow. It was proposed to the assembly by 
 Columbkille, that a spot of ground should be granted to their relative, 
 Colman, wliere he might establish a monastery. Aidus Flann or Slani, 
 prince of Meath, and afterwards king of Ireland, who was present, said, 
 that there -was a large forest called “ Fidh-elo, in the district of Fercall, 
 in the southei-n part of his principality, Avhere he might settle, if ho 
 pleased.” Colman, in accepting of the ofier, said : “ There shall be 
 my resurrection, and henceforth I shall be named from that place.” 
 He was thence surnamed “ Elo ;” and to the monastery which he 
 founded there, and which became very famous, was given the name of 
 Land-elo, now Finally, in the King’s County. Colman-elo, while still a 
 priest, visited St. Columbkille, at Hy, in the year 597, a little prior to 
 that saint’s death. Afterwards Colman-elo became a bishop, but the 
 date of his consecration is not known. St. Colman-elo has enjoyed a 
 great reputation, and died on the 26th of September, and in the fifty 
 sixth year of his age, A.D. 610. 
 
858 
 
 ECCLESIASnCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 949, Flanagan MacAlclion, comorb or successor of Colman- 
 elo, and of Mac Nessy, died. 
 
 A.D. 954, Maelbrigid, son of Kedan, abbot of Connor and Mucka- 
 more, died. 
 
 This monastery, on its new foundation, was endowed after the 
 English invasion by William Maitland, Stephen de Sandall and Gilbert 
 de Croft. 
 
 Bryan Doyomahallon was the last abbot, and surrendered it to the 
 king, being then seized of eight townlands adjacent to the monastery. 
 
 On the 3d of December, 1564, and the 7th of Queen Elizabeth, a 
 return was made, that the superior and all his monks were dead. 
 
 This religious house was granted to the family of Langford, and Sir 
 Roger Langford was in possession of it in the year 1639. 
 
 Eachlin, an island in the great Atlantic ocean, two miles north of 
 Fairhead point, on the coast of Antrim. Tlie annals of Ulster and Ti- 
 gernach assign the foundation of this abbey to Segenius, abbot of Hy, 
 and to whom it is also attributed by the Four Masters. The abbot Se- 
 genius was much displeased with St. Cummian, for adopting the 
 paschal computation of the Roman see. He governed the abbey of Ily 
 twenty-nine years, and died A.D. 652. 
 
 A.D. 734, St. Flann, bishop, died. 
 
 A.D. 738, St. Cumineus Ilua Kieran, abbot, died. 
 
 A.D. 743, Cobtach, the abbot, died. 
 
 A.D. 764, Murgaile MacHinned, the abbot, died on the 29th of 
 September. 
 
 A.D. 768, St. Aid, the son of Corbreus, died. 
 
 A.D. 790. A fleet of Danish pirates ravaged this island, with fire 
 and sword ; the shrines and holy altam perished in the general de- 
 struction. This was the fii’st descent of the barbarians on the coast of 
 Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 794, the blessed Feradach, abbot, died. 
 
 A.D. 848, the blessed Tuathal, the abbot of Rachlin and Durrow, 
 died. 
 
 A.D. 973, Saint Feradach, the abbot of Rachlin was crowned with 
 martyrdom by the Danes. 
 
 Rathaige is reckoned by Archdall among the monasteries of Antrim, 
 and he mentions a St. Foilan, as abbot or bishop. There was a St. 
 Foilan, brother of St. Furseus, who accompanied him on his mission to 
 Brabant. Foillan, his brother Ultan, and three disciples were put to 
 death in that country by robbers. 
 
 Ratheaspuic-inuic was, according to Archdall, founded by St. 
 Patrick, who placed this bishop Vinnoc here. Tliere is no authority to 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 359 
 
 establish the assertion. Vinnoc seems to be no other than Finnian, who 
 lived in the sixth eentury, but wlio is not to be confounded with the 
 great St. Finian of Clonard. This Finnian was a native of Ulster ; and 
 St. Columba was placed under a bishop Finian, in Maghbile, in the 
 county of Down. Finan and Yinan are the same in Irish, and arc 
 likewise diminutives of Fin or Yin. Yinan or Yinoc have been indif- 
 ferently used as appellatives, in the same manner as Coeman, Coemoc, 
 Aedan, Aedoc. Finian was born not far from Ratheaspuic-innic, in this 
 county. 
 
 Rathmoane, according to Archdall, was founded by St. Patrick, 
 where Erclacius, a disciple of his, presided. 
 
 Rathmuighe, where St. Olcan or Bolcan presided as the firet bishop. 
 
 Archdall places St. Brugacius, surnamed the Hospitable, as the suc- 
 cessor of Olcan. There was a bishop Brugacius consecrated by St. 
 Patrick, at a place called Rath-Mugeavnaich, which seems to be con- 
 founded with Rathmuighe. The feast of St. Brugacius is observed on 
 the 1st of November. The abbey of Rathmuighe was destroyed by 
 fire, in 612. The ecclesiastical structures in the early days of the L-ish 
 church were constructed of oak and covered with reeds. 
 
 A.D. 725, St. Adamnan, bishop and abbot of Rathmuighe died ; he 
 is different from the biographer of St. Columkille. 
 
 A.D. 779, St. Kieran, abbot of Rathmuighe, died on the 8th of 
 October. 
 
 The abbey was plundered and destroyed in 831 ; was again simi- 
 larly treated in the year 969. 
 
 Rathmurbuilg, in Dalaradia. Archdall mentions St. Domangart, 
 from whom Slieve Donard is called, as bishop of this jdace, but it seems 
 it is a mistake. Slieve Donard is situated in the county of Down, and 
 this saint is said to have erected a great monasteiy at the foot of this 
 mountain. His history is very obscure. His festival was observed on 
 the 24th of March, in two churches at Slieve Donard. 
 
 The ancient Dalaradia comprehended the south and south-eastern 
 parts of the county of Antrim, and the greatest portion, if not all, of the 
 county of Down ; it extended from Newry to the mountain “ IMis,” in 
 the barony of Antrim. Dalrieda com]>rehended the north, north-west, 
 and part of the south of Antrim. It lias also been called Reuta. 
 
 Rath-sithe, according to Archdall, built by St. Patrick, now un- 
 known. 
 
 Tulach, according to the same authority, founded by the national 
 apostle. He places there a bishop, St. Nehemias, appointed by St. 
 Patrick. 
 
3G0 
 
 ECCUESIASTICAX HISTORY OF IRELAlfD. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVL 
 
 COUNTY OP ARMAGH. 
 
 Saint Patrick, the great apostle of Ireland, founded the abhcj of 
 Armagh, in the year 457, for canons of the order of St. Augustin, and 
 dedicated it to the apostles SS. Peter and Paul. It continued, for 
 many ages, one of the most celebrated ecclesiastical foundations in the 
 world. 
 
 Saint Duach or Dubtach, the abbot, succeeded Cormac in the see of 
 Armagh, A.D. 497, and died in the year 513. lie presided over the 
 abbey thirteen j^ears, in a laudable manner, and was succeeded by one 
 of the same name and family. 
 
 A.D. 535, Alild or Ilelias, the abbot of Armagh, died. Another St. 
 Duach succeeded, who died A.D. 548. 
 
 A.D. 578, St. Fethlin, surnamed the White, abbot of Armagh, died. 
 
 A.D. 598, Saint Eochad, abbot of Armagh, and bishop of that see, 
 died. 
 
 A.D. 610, Saint Senach, abbot and bishop of Armagh, died. 
 
 A.D. 623, Saint MacLasre succeeded as abbot, and died. Was also 
 bishop of the see. 
 
 A.D. 657, Comyn, the abbot, died. 
 
 Tliomian was abbot and bishop. Wrote to Rome in order to have 
 the Paschal controversy decided ; died A.D. 661, and on the 10th of Ja- 
 nuary. An accidental fire destroyed the town of Armagh in 670. 
 Another happened in 687. 
 
 A.D. 703, Congussa, the abbot, died. 
 
 A.D. 715, Flan or Florence, abbot and bishop of Armagh, died on 
 the 24th of April. 
 
 Ferdacrioch, the son of Suibhne, was chosen abbot; he died in the 
 year 768. The town of Armagh was totally consumed by lightning on 
 the 2d of August, 778. 
 
 A.D. 791, Cudaniscus, abbot of Armagh, the son of Conasac, died. 
 
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 yn 
 
 ; • 
 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 361 
 
 A.D. 793, Dnbdalethe, the son of Senacli, abbot of, &c., died. 
 
 A.D. 794, Arectach Hna Foelain, abbot, &c., died. 
 
 A.D. 795, Fendaloecli, son of Moenach, the abbot, died. St. Fotbad, 
 a most learned lecturer and writer, of Armagh, and celebrated for bis 
 knowledge of the canons, flourished at this time. Fothad, along with 
 Conmach, the archbishop of Armagh, accompanied Aidus V. on his ex- 
 pedition against the people of Leinster. Having arrived at the frontiers 
 of Leinster and Meath, the clergy complained of being forced to per- 
 form military service, and applied to the king for an exemption. The 
 sovereign replied, that he would agree to the decision of Fothad, wdio 
 accordingly drew up a statement, in which he maintained that the 
 clergy ought not to be charged with a service so unbecoming their holy 
 profession. The judgment of Fothad produced the desired efi’ect. 
 
 A.D. 805, Gormgal, the abbot of Armagh died. 
 
 A.D. 806, Conmac, the abbot, died suddenly. 
 
 A.D. 808, Torbac MacGorman, reader of divinity, a learned scribe, 
 abbot and bishop of Armagh, died on the 16th of July. 
 
 Toctech Ilua Tigernach, the abbot, died the same year. 
 
 A.D. 812, Huad, son of Sagene, anchorite of Loch Vamba, abbot 
 and bishop of Armagh, died on the 19th of February. 
 
 A.D. 822, Flangus MacLoingle or Loingseach, abbot of Armagh, 
 died. 
 
 A.D. 826, Eogan, who succeeded as abbot, died. 
 
 Suibhne was abbot only two months ; was previously abbot of Da- 
 rinis ; died in 829. 
 
 A.D. 832, Artrigius, the abbot of Armagh, died. Farannan became 
 his successor in the abbacy. In that year the Danes plundered Armagh 
 three times in one month ; they carried away the relics and all the 
 other treasures, and obliged the abbot to seek an asylum in Munster. 
 
 A.D. 834, Eogan the abbot died. 
 
 Farannan, the abbot of Armagh, happening to be at Kildare with 
 his attending clergy, Fethlim, the son of Crimthan, violently entered 
 that abbey, and seizing on Farannan, carried him and his clergy intO' 
 captivity. The Danes burned Armagh and all its sacred edifices to- the 
 ground, in 839. The abbot Farannan was made captive at Clonmo- 
 cardy, by the Danes, and brought, with all his monks, relics and 
 books, to their ships, at Limerick. Diermit, called the wisest of all the 
 doctors in Europe, was chosen to succeed him. The captive abbot Fa-* 
 rannan, as well as his successor, died A.D. 852. 
 
 Amlave, at the head of his Danes, entered Armagli, jJundered the 
 town and reduced it to ashes, and desperately wounded and massacred 
 above a thousand of the unarmed clergy and people. 
 
362 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 879, the abbot Anmire died. 
 
 A.D. 883, Moelcova succeeded — died. Again, in 890, the Danes of 
 Dublin, undei* Gluniarin, despoiled Armagh, partly destroying the great 
 church, and leveling other edifices, and carrying away captive seven 
 hundred and ten of the inhabitants. 
 
 A.D. 896, the abbot Cassach died. 
 
 A.D. 926, the abbot St. Maelbrigid died. 
 
 A.D. 986, Moyle Patrick, abbot only five months, and one of the 
 sages of Ireland, died. 
 
 The abbot Muredach was deposed in 955, and Dubdaleth the Second 
 chosen in his place. In 989, the people of Uriel pillaged the town, 
 and burned the houses, church and steeple. Armagh became at this 
 time the most melancholy spectacle in the kingdom. In 995, the 
 town, churches, and towere having been rebuilt, were destroyed by 
 lightning. 
 
 King Bryan Borombh remained a week in Armagh, and on his 
 departure, A.D. 1001, left a collar of gold, weighing twenty ounces, as 
 an alms, on the great altar of the church. Bryan was interred in the 
 church of Armagh, on the north side, in a stone coffin, having lost his 
 life at the battle of Clontarf. Malachy, the monarch of Ireland, was 
 interred at Armagh, in the year 1022, with great funeral solemnity. 
 
 A.D. 1060, Cumuscah O’Eoredan succeeded Dubdaleth the Third in 
 the abbacy. Again, in 1092, the churches, with the citadel, were burned 
 on the 29th of August. Another fire occurred in the following year. 
 
 A.D. 1100, Imar, the preceptor of St. Malachy, archbishop of Ar- 
 magh, was abbot. In 1112, tlie citadel, with the churches, two streets 
 in Trian-Massain, and a third in Trian-mor, were destroyed by fire. 
 The town was formerly divided into four parts : first, Ratli-Patrick, i.e. 
 the citadel, Trian-mor, Trian-Massain, Trian-Saxon, i.e. the third por- 
 tion of the Saxons. This part was allotted to the English students. In 
 1116, the abbey was consumed by fire. Imar, the abbot, having under- 
 taken a pilgrimage to Pome, died there in 113-1. Imar introduced the 
 canons regular of St. Augustin, about 1126. 
 
 A.D. 1137, Gilda Macabeus succeeded, as abbot. In this year the 
 town was destroj^ed by lightning. In 1178, Sir John de Courcey, an 
 English adventurer, plundered Armagh, and Thomas O’Corcoran, arch- 
 deacon of the abl)ey, was barbarously murdered. Again, de Courcey 
 ^dundered Armagh in 1189, and repeated his visit in 1199, ravaged 
 the town, and set on fire every. church and house therein. 
 
 A.D. 1203, Moelisa O’Dorigh, of Tyi'connell, the abbot, died. 
 
 Hugh de Lacey, the younger, for ten days and nights plundered the 
 town and abbey, for which he soon felt the vengeance of the saints of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 363 
 
 Irelivnd ; and agcaiii this English harpy, on the vigil of St. Bridget, 
 plundered the town, A.D. 1208. This mode of reforming the Irish 
 church ^oas an admirable one. In 1373, Edward III., king of England, 
 granted to James Bellen, part of the possessions of this abbey, because 
 the abbot and convent being mere Irish, spent their rents and profits for 
 the support and entertainment of the natives of Ireland ; but those 
 lands were restored when an inquisition found that the abbot and the 
 monks were good and faithful subjects. 
 
 A.D. 1397, the abbot Nicholas O’Luchecan died. 
 
 A.D. 1539, Patrick O’llagan was abbot. 
 
 James O’Donnelly was the last abbot. He surrendered, or was 
 forced to surrender, in the year 1557, the firet year of Elizabeth’s reign. 
 It was then seized of the site thereof, on which was built a large 
 church, some stone chambers, a dormitory with cellars, a hall, store- 
 house, a great court, a cemetery, garden and orchard. 
 
 The abbey and all its vast possessions were granted in May, 1612, to 
 Sir Toby Caulfield, at the rent of five pounds Irish. Thus perished the 
 celebrated establishment of St. Patrick’s, the glory and the pride of 
 Ireland, the seat of literature and genius, and of sanctity, during eleven 
 centuries, until English heretics spread desolation over the land. 
 
 Culdees, or secular Canons. Tlie officiating clergy of the cathedral 
 of Armagh were so called. They sung in the church, lived in com- 
 munity, had a superior called prior, who acted as precentor, and who 
 was elected by themselves, but was confirmed by the archbishop. 
 When Armagh was pillaged in the year 921, by Godfrid, king of the 
 Danes of Dublin, he is said to have spared the churches and the Cul- 
 dees. They were established in the ninth century. There were Culdees 
 also at Clones ; and in the island of Devenish (county of Fermanagh), 
 there was another institution of this sort. Although the Irish Culdees 
 were generally considered clergymen, yet the name seems to have 
 been sometimes given to communities comprising also some pious un- 
 married laymen, inasmuch as they lived together. As to married ones, 
 there is not the least vestige of any such ever having been in Ireland. 
 Culdee is a corruption of Keledei, being so written in the Latin ; it 
 means “ the servant or companion of God ceile, in Irish, i.e. servant, 
 and Dhia or Dhe, in the same language, signifying God. 
 
 A.D. 982, the prior Muredach, son of Muregan, died. 
 
 A.D. 1001, the prior Trener died. 
 
 A.D. 1052, Giolla Patrick, son of Domnald, prior, died. 
 
 A.D. 1063, the prior Madagan Hua Kelechain, died. 
 
 A.D. 1089, the prior Giolla Patrick Hua Kelechain, died. By 
 an inquisition taken in the thirty-third year of Henry VHI., the prior 
 
3G4 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL niSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 was then seized of seven townlands in the eonnty, viz., Cannadisse, 
 Lisleagh, Ennogsegnrt, Aghavillic, Lesvonnowe, Killenure, and Magho- 
 earrell. By another inquisition taken in March, 1625, it appeared that 
 the prior, with his brethren, had totally forsaken their establishment, 
 and were all dead twenty-hve years before the holding of the inquest. 
 That Sir Toby Caulfield, the ancestor of Lord Charlemont, had, about the 
 year 1620, received as seneschal to Henry, then the parliamentary bishop 
 of Armagh, the rents of the said townlands, and that John Symons, clerk, 
 had, from the feast of All Saints, 1623, to the taking of the said inqui- 
 sition, received the profits of the said townlands, and of the tenements 
 in the town of Armagh. 
 
 Temple Brigid. — The church of Bridget, according to Archdall, is 
 said to have been founded by St. Patrick ; not likely, as Bridget was 
 born in the year 453, and had not taken the veil until two years after 
 the death of St. Patrick. 
 
 Temple Pearta. Church of the Miracles. — Tliis, it seems, was the 
 nunnery of Saint Lupita, supposed to have been the eldest sister of St. 
 Patrick. In the beginning of the seventeenth century her body is said 
 to have been f6und under the rubbish, in a standing posture ; two 
 crosses were also discovered before and behind the body. In January, 
 1618, King James granted the monasteries of Temple Feartagh and 
 Temple Brigid to Francis Annesley, Esq. 
 
 Dominican Friary. — Porter, in his annals, assures us, that a house 
 of this order existed at Armagh. The Primate Scanlan, who was a Do- 
 minican, would not, it is likely, have founded a monastery for Friars 
 minors, as charity well regulated would dictate the propriety of con- 
 sulting for the extension of his own fraternity. 
 
 Franciscan Friary of Armagh was founded by the Primate Scanlan, 
 in the year 1263, and became reformed in the year 1518, by the Ob- 
 servants. 
 
 A.D. 1303, Michael, the lecturer of divinity, was elected arch- 
 bishop of Armagh. 
 
 In 1580, Walter MacCuard was guardian; and in 1583, Solomon 
 MacConny performed the duties of that office, in whose time the de- 
 struction of the abbey was completed. 
 
 Clonfeakle. — Saint Lugaid, the s'^n of Fail chan, was abbot of Cluaen- 
 fiacuil, t.e. Church of the Tooth, so called because a tooth of St. Patrick 
 was preserved there. Saint Lugaid was a very old man in the year 
 580. 
 
 Kilmore. — Saint Moctheus is said to have founded Kilmore, in the 
 territory of Iluadmeth. His name shall occur in Louth. 
 
 Killslere or Killare, according to Wadding, was the principal mo- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 3G5 
 
 nastery belotiging to the Franciscans of the third order, in Ireland. 
 Tliotnas Orney was made perpetual commissary of it in the year 
 1457. 
 
 Kilislieve-Cuilin, in which Darerca, who has been called a sister of 
 St. Patrick, is said to have lived. This, it seems, was one of the pious 
 retreats for holy virgins and widows prior to those of St. Brigid. Da- 
 rerca or Monenna, died on the 6th of July, the day on which her fes- 
 tival is observed, and in the year 518. Others say, that Monenna 
 founded the nunnery of Fochard, the birth-place of St. Brigid, in the 
 county of Louth. It seems, however, certain, that Killslieve-cuilin 
 was erected before that of Fochard. 
 
 Saint Conchenna, who was either abbess or a member of Killslieve, 
 died, according to the four Masters, in 654. Her memory was revered 
 Oil the 13th of March. 
 
 Stradhailloyse. Wadding says, that a monastery for Conventual 
 Franciscans was founded here, A.D. 1282, and that a Provincial Chap- 
 ter of tlio Order was held therein in the year 1315. 
 
366 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVn. 
 
 COUNTY OF CARLOW. 
 
 Achad-Finolass. This abbey was situated near Leigblin, on the 
 east of the river Barrow, in the district of Idrone ; the precise time of 
 its erection is not known. St. Fintan of Clonenagh may have been the 
 founder. Tliis abbey was one of note in the year 8G4, as the Danes 
 then pillaged it. St. Aidus was abbot of this monastery. The festival 
 of this saint is observed on the 11th of Apill. St. Fintan, having been 
 at Achad-Finglass, advised a bishop Brandubh, who applied for admis- 
 sion into the monastery of Clonenagh, to remain where he was, as the 
 rule was less severe. 
 
 Athaddy. About the year 1151, an abbey was founded at this 
 place, for nuns of the order of St. Augustin, by Derinod, son of Mur- 
 chad, king of Leinster. lie appointed it to be a cell to the nunnery of 
 St. Mary de Ilogges, in the city of Dublin. 
 
 Ballymoon. About the year 1300, a preceptory was built here by 
 the knights Templars, which they did not long enjoy. 
 
 Killai'ge. In the reign of king John, Gilbert de Borard founded 
 a preceptory in this place under the invocation of St. John the Baptist 
 for knights Templars, but on the extinction of that order it was granted 
 to the knio-hts of St. John of Jerusalem. 
 
 O 
 
 In the year 1308, the king Edward 11., having received the com- 
 mands of the Pope, caused all the knights Templam in Great Britain 
 and Ireland to be made prisoners and their property to be sequestered. 
 Being a formidable body of men, it was necessary that much caution 
 should be observed in the management of this affair. 
 
 There was a writ directed to John Wogan, Lord Justice of L-eland, 
 informing him of the proceedings adopted in England for the apprehen- 
 sion of the Templars and seizure of their goods, and commanding him to 
 proceed in a similar manner against those in Ireland ; but the time and 
 place for the assembling of the sheriffs and their followers was left to 
 the discretion of the said lord justice and the treasurer of the exchequer 
 
ECCLESIA8TICAI, HISTORY OF IRELAFTO. 
 
 367 
 
 It was however ordered, that the writ should be executed before the 
 Temp^ai’S could learu the proceedings against the members of the order 
 in England. 
 
 In pursuance of those commands the establishments of Killarge and 
 Bally moon were suppressed. The instructions given to the English 
 eheriflfs were, that they should arrest all the Templars within their dis- 
 tricts, to seize all their lands, cattle and goods and to cause an inven- 
 tory of the same to be made in presence of the warden of the place, 
 whether Templar or not, and of respectable pei-sons in the neighbor- 
 hood ; to place said goods and chattels in safe keeping ; to keep the 
 Templars in safe custody in some convenient place, without subjecting 
 them to prison or to irons, and to preserve the charge of the goods and 
 chattels till they received instructions as to their final disposal. 
 
 The military order of the Templars was instituted about the year 
 1113. Some noblemen, who had followed Godfi’ey de Bouillon to the 
 holy wars against the Turks, were the founders of this military institute. 
 They were nine in number, and the principals were Hugh de Paganis 
 and Godfrey de Sacro Amore. They associated for the purpose of pre- 
 serving the holy places and defending the pilgrims from the outrages of 
 the Turks, while on their way to the Holy Land. To the three vows, of 
 which they made profession before the patriarch of Jerusalem, they 
 added a fourth — that of perpetual warfare with the Turks. They ob- 
 tained the name of Templars, because, at the desire of Baldwin the 
 Second, king of Jerusalem, they inhabited a house that was adjacent to 
 the temple of Solomon. They afterwards, in the year -1128, became a 
 religious order, were confirmed as such by Pope Honorius IL, and St. 
 Bernard compiled a rule which they were to observe. 
 
 The order of knights Templars being accused of various crimes. 
 Pope Clement V. called a council at Vienna, with a view, as he 
 himself declared, of ascertaining the truth of those allegations. Tliis 
 council was held in the year 1311, and is the fifteenth oecumenical one of 
 the Church. The second reason was to deliberate on the rescue or relief 
 of the Holy Land ; and the third motive was to provide for the main- 
 tenance of morals and discipline. Tlie decree of extinction, which was 
 only however provisional, not definitive, was passed on the sixth of the 
 nones of May, A.D. 1312. 
 
 It appears they were justly condemned, though the contrary is as- 
 serted. Tlie pontiflf, Clement V., after due examination, which he insti- 
 tuted, wrote to Philip the Fair of France, that the crimes of the Tem- 
 plars were acknowledged by seventy-four members of their body, that 
 they had freely and without any coercion whatever affirmed on oath 
 the truth of their guilt, and among other things confessed, that it was 
 
308 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF mELAND. 
 
 usual in the admission of members to abjure the Redeemer and spit 
 upon the Cross, that they committed horrible and disgusting crimes, 
 ■which he could not mention. It is moreover absurd to suppose that all 
 the cardinals, bishops, inquisitors, officials, magistrates and others, could 
 be so unmindful of their obligations and of public justice, as to be influ- 
 enced in their judgment, in order to gratify the cupidity or the resent- 
 ment of Philip the Fair of France. 'Whether guilty or not, as the order 
 became suspected, it became useless, as no honest or well-disposed per- 
 son would embrace its institute. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth granted the commandery of Killarge to Mary, wife 
 of Gerald Aylmer, on the 12th of December, 1590. 
 
 Killfortkern, a noble monastery in the territory of Idrone, said to 
 liave been founded by St. Fortkern. There was another saint of this 
 name at Trim. 
 
 Old Leigldin. Saint Gobhan founded this abbey for canons of St. 
 Augustine, in the year G16. 
 
 In the year G32, St. Gobhan surrendered his abbey to St. Laserian, 
 the son of Cairel and Blitha, Laserian is said to have had fifteen 
 hundred monks under his jurisdiction. Laserian was made bishop of 
 Leighlin. lie died in the year G3S, and on the 18th of Aj)ril. 
 
 A.D. G39. Delasse Mac'Winge, the abbot, died. 
 
 A.D. 725. Saint Manchen, bishop of Leighlin, died. 
 
 A.D. 7G7. Ernagh MacEhyn, the abbot, died. 
 
 A.D, 8G3. Manchen, the abbot, died, 
 
 A.D. 87G. -Dungall, the abbot, died. In the year 91G Leighlin was 
 plundered. 
 
 Saint Stephen’s priory, founded by Bui-chard, a Norwegian captain, 
 about the year lOGO. The founder was buried in the choir of the ca- 
 thedral. 
 
 Felix was prior, Philip was prior after him, in the year 1304. In 
 the following year, one John was prior. Tins priory was dissolved in 
 the year 1432, by authority of Pope Eugene IV., and the lands belong- 
 ing to it were annexed to the deanery of Leighlin. 
 
 Leighlin Bridge, two miles distant from Old Leighlin. About the 
 end of the reign of king Henry the Third, this convent was founded for 
 Carmelites by one of the Carews. Edward the Third and Richard the 
 Second were among its most liberal benefactors. 
 
 In the thirty-fifth year of Henry YHI., the convent of Leighlin- 
 bridge was annexed to the Crown, and was afterwards converted into a 
 fort, in which a regular garrison had been stationed. 
 
 Saint Mullins, a small village on the river Barrow. St. Moling, who 
 
ECXXESIA9TIC.U. HISTORY OF T RF.T.AT TD. 
 
 369 
 
 was born in IIj-Kinsellaeli, founded this abbey. He became bishop ot 
 Ferns, and died on the 17th of June, 697. 
 
 This abbey was plundered in 951, and was, in 1138, destroyed by 
 fire. 
 
 Tullach, a village in the barony of Kavilly, on the river Slaney. In 
 the sixth year of the reign of king Edward II., Simon Lombard and 
 Hugh Tallon granted to the Eremites of St. Augustin, a house and 
 three acres of land in the village of St. John, near this place, Tullagh. 
 
 John de Kell was prior in 1331, and in that year king Edward III. 
 confirmed their grant. Tullagh was a strong place in the time of Crom- 
 well, who took it with great slaughter of the Irish. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth granted this monastery in 1557 to Thomas, earl of 
 Ormond. 
 
 24 
 
370 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IKELASD. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVm. 
 
 COUNTY OF CAVAN. 
 
 Ballyllnch. There was an hospital here, hut neither history nor 
 tradition informs us who was the founder. It shared the fate of other 
 pious foundations. King James granted a lease of it for 21 years to Sir 
 Edward Moore at the yearly rent of three pence. A reversion of the 
 same, together with the hospitals of Dromlomman and Mounterconnaght 
 with other lands, was granted to him for 60 years from the 23d of 
 April, 1605. 
 
 Cavan monastery of the Yirgin Mary was founded in the year 1300, 
 by Giolla Ruadh O’Reilly, dynast of Breffny, for friare of the Domini- 
 can order. The same sept of the O’Reillys, about the year 1393, expelled 
 the Dominicans and gave the house to the conventual Franciscans. It 
 seems that such violence was not peculiar to Lreland. The friai-s of the 
 celebrated Dominican convent of St. Mark, at Florence, were similarly 
 expelled, and their house given to the Eremites of St. Augustin without 
 tlie knowledge or consent of the Holy See. 
 
 This monastery, in 1468, was burned, as well as the mansion of 
 O’Reilly, by the English under the lord deputy John Tiptoft, earl of 
 Worcester. The friars of the strict observance reformed this monastery 
 before the year 1499. Provincial chapters of the order were held in the 
 yeare 1521, 1539 and 1556. 
 
 John, son of Cathal O’Reilly, reformed this house in 1502. Under 
 James the First, assizes were held in this abbey. 
 
 The gallant Owen Roe O’Neill, commander of the Irish confederate 
 army, dying of poison through his boots at Cloughouter, in this county, 
 Nov. 16, 1649, was buried in this abbey. 
 
 Domnachmore, in Maghlughat, is now unknown. 
 
 Dromlomman, an hospital, leased to Sir Edward Moore at 2s. 6d. by 
 King James, in 1605. 
 
 Drumlahan, in the barony of Belturbet. There was a celebrated 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lEELAm). 
 
 371 
 
 monastery here, -which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, It was 
 founded before the year 550, in which St. Maidoc of Ferns was born, 
 and who was a native of Breffny. 
 
 Dubensius Ilua Forchelluigh was abbot of this abbey, and died in 
 the year 1025. 
 
 In the 13tli year of Queen Elizabeth, this monastery was granted to 
 Hugh O’Reilly of the Bretfny and head of his sept for the term of 
 twenty-one years at the rent of £8 14s. 8d. Irish. An inquisition being 
 taken in the 27th year of the virgin queen, Hugh O’Reilly was in arrear 
 eleven years and a half. 
 
 Killachad, an abbey founded for canons of St. Augustine. 
 
 A.D. 800, the monastery was destroyed by fire. 
 
 Saint Tigernach, who is supposed to be the founder, died on the 4th 
 of November, 805. See Doire-melle, County Leitrim. 
 
 A.D. 826, the abbot Abner died. 
 
 A.D. 843, Nuad, son of Segen, one of the religious, was put to death 
 by the Danes of Dublin, who plundered this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 919, the abbot Cellach, son of Congal, died. 
 
 In the year 937, the abbey was again plundered by the Danes, and 
 in two years after by Ceallachan, king of Cashell, accompanied by the 
 Danes ; and again after the departure of King Henry IL, the English 
 plundered this abbey, and many other religious houses. 
 
 Lough-outer, in the barony of Loughtee.' — About Christmas, in the 
 year 1237 or 1249, Clarus M’Moylin O’Maoilchonry, archdeacon of El- 
 phin, brought white canons from Trinity Island in Lough-kee, county of 
 Roscommon, to Lough-outef in the Brefthy, having obtained a grant of 
 land from Cathal O’Reilly. The abbey was dedicated to the Holy 
 Trinity. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth, on the 1st of February, 1570, granted the abbey, 
 with all its possessions, to Hugh O’Reilly, head of his sept, for the term 
 of twenty-one yearn, at the rent of forty-five shillings and eight pence, 
 Irish money ; he was afterwards in arrear eleven and a half years. 
 
 Mounter-connaght, in the barony of Castlereghen ; an hospital 
 founded here, — granted to Sir Edward Moore, at the rent of fifteen 
 pence. 
 
372 
 
 ECCLESIAS’nCAI, HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHArTER XXXIX. 
 
 COUNTY OP CLARE. 
 
 Beagh, in the barony of Burren. A monastery for the third order 
 of Franciscans was founded here. Tlie abbey and the townland of 
 Abbey Beghan are mentioned in the records. 
 
 Cean-indis. — See life of Saint Ita (Cluain-creadhuil, county of 
 Limerick.) 
 
 Clare, on the river Fergus, where it falls into the river Shannon, in 
 the barony of Islands. 
 
 An abbey was founded near this town, under the invocation of SS. 
 Peter and Paul, for canons of St. Augustine, by Donald O’Brien, king 
 of Limerick, the celebrated builder of churches and sanctuaries. He 
 appointed Donatus abbot, and richly endowed the abbey. The charter 
 of the abbey was dated at Limerick, in 1195, and was witnessed by the 
 archbishop of Cashell, the bishops of Killaloe, Ivilfenora, and Limerick. 
 
 In 1543, King Henry VHI. granted the abbey to Donagh O’Bryan, 
 baron of Ibrachan, together with a moiety of the rectories of Kilchriest, 
 Kilmoyle, Kilmacdevan, IHlberverragh, Ballinregdan, Ballylogheran, 
 and Ballylegford. The abbey was granted in fee to Donough, earl of 
 Tliomond, on the 19 th of Januaiy, 1620, and a new grant was made on 
 the 1st of September, 1661, to Henry, earl of Thomond. 
 
 Corcumroe or De Petra fertili, in the barony of Burrin. It was 
 thrice plundered by Roderick O’Connor and Dermot O’Brien, in the 
 year 1088. 
 
 A.D. 1194, Donald, king of Limerick, founded a splendid monastery 
 here, for Cistercian monks. Others say, that his son Carbrac was the 
 founder, in 1200. This abbey “ of the fruitful rock,” was a daughter 
 of that of Suire. Tlie cell of Kilshanny was annexed to this house. 
 
 A.D. 1418, the abbot John was made bishop of Kilmacduach. 
 
 This abb(5y, with eleven quarters of land in Corcumroe and Crlan- 
 managh, was granted to Sir Richard Harding. 
 
ECCLESIASTiaVL mSTORT OF IRELAND. 
 
 373 
 
 Ennis, on the river Fergus, in the barony of Islands. Donagh Car- 
 brac O’Brien built a very noble and beautiful monastery for conventual 
 Franciscans, in this place, A.D. 1210. Derinod and Mathew O’Bryan, 
 princes of Thoinond, had been munificent benefactors to this abbey, 
 which continued for centuries the usual cemetery of theTliomond family. 
 
 This friary received the reform of the strict observance. In a rental 
 of the crown, A.D. 1577, in the office of the auditor general, the 
 crown was then in possession of the site of this monastery, a mill on the 
 river Fergus, an eel and a salmon wier, with some houses and gardens 
 in the village. 
 
 On the 1st of June, 1621, it was granted to William Dongan, Esq. 
 
 Many of the ancient ornaments of this building still remain, which, 
 with many other similar instances, says Archdall, must argue the re- 
 fined taste of our ancestors, of course the Irish, who built it. 
 
 Under the miserable pedant, James I., when the judges made their 
 regular circuits, tlie assizes were held in the monastery of Ennis. 
 
 Enniskerry, — an island in the territory of Ilybreccan, in Thomond. 
 St. Senan, of Inniscathy, built an oratory, over which he placed some 
 of his disciples, before he founded his establishment in Scattery Island. 
 
 Innisfidhe, an island in the Shannon, where it receives the river 
 Fergus. 
 
 According to Archdall, a St. Brigid presided over a nunnery in this 
 island, in the time of St. Senan. She was, he says, of the family of 
 Mactalius, and daughter of Conchraid. Mactalius, who then was a 
 pagan, opposed the St. Senan in forming his settlement in Inniscathy, 
 about the year 540. A Saint Brigid left Ireland in the ninth century, 
 to visit her brother Andrew, deacon of Fiesole, in Tuscany, and the 
 disciple of St. Donatus, an Irishman, who was bishop of that see. The 
 festival of St. Brigid, of Fiesole, is observed on the 1st of February, as 
 well as that of the celebrated patroness of Ireland. — See life of St. 
 Senan, Inniscathy. 
 
 Inchycronane, an island in the river Shannon. Donald O’Brien, 
 king of Limerick, founded an abbey in this island for regular canons, 
 about the year 1190. 
 
 This abbey, and a moiety of the tithes of the parish of Inchcronane, 
 were granted to Donough, earl of Tliomond, January 19th, 1620, and 
 again given in fee to Henry, earl of Thomond, on the 1st of Septem 
 her, 1661. 
 
 Inchmore, an island of Loughree, in the Shannon. 
 
 St. Senan built a monastery in this island, which he governed for 
 some time, and then, about to retire, placed over it St. Liberius, whose 
 memory is still revered in the island. — See Inchmore, in Liuigford. 
 
374 
 
 ECCLESIASnCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Inisanlaoi or Calf Island. Tnrlogh O’Brien, son of Teigue, king of 
 Thomond, built a magnificent abbey here, in which he was buried, in 
 the year 1305. 
 
 Inniskeltra, an island in Loughderg, in the river Shannon. 
 
 Saint Carnin founded an abbey here. He led a solitary life, and ol 
 great austerity ; but as numbers of people resorted to him in this island, 
 for instruction, he founded this monastery. Although St. Camin or 
 Comin was of a very sickly constitution, he closely applie<l himself to 
 ecclesiastical studies, and wrote a commentary on the Psalms, compared 
 with the Hebrew text. This saint died on the 25th of March, 653. 
 His memory' was so much respected that the monastery of Inniskeltra 
 became very celebrated, and was considered as one of the principal 
 asylums in Ireland. 
 
 The abbot Saint Stellan became his successor. 
 
 St. Coelan, a monk of this abbey, whom some writers conjecture to 
 be the Saint Chilien who flourished in the eighth century, wrote a life 
 of St. Brigid in Latin verse, in which he mentions the abbey of Innis- 
 keltra as Benedictine. 
 
 A.D. 834, this island was ravaged by the Danes, and the same year 
 it was destroyed with fire by Tomar, a Danish commander from 
 Limerick. • 
 
 A.D. 1027, the monarch of Ireland, Brien Borumh, erected the 
 church of this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1040, Corcoran was abbot of Inniskeltra. He was the most 
 celebrated ecclesiastic of western Europe, both for religion and learning. 
 He died this year at Lismore. 
 
 Saint Amnichad, who was the disciple of Corcran, died in 1043, 
 at the abbey of Fulda. The occasion of his leaving Ireland is related 
 by Marianus Scotus. Amnichad being intrusted with the care of 
 strangers, happened, on a certain occasion, to entertain some brethren, 
 with the permission of his superior, Corcran ; after they had taken 
 food, and some of them having retired, othere, who remained sitting 
 near the fire, asked him to drink something. Amnichad refused, 
 asserting tliat he could not, without leave. At length being much 
 pressed, he consented, but previously sent sojne of the drink to the 
 superior to be blessed by him. On the next day Corcran inquired why 
 he had sent him that drink, and on informing him of what occurred, the 
 superior, slight as was the transgression, ordered him to leave Ireland. 
 Amnichad obeyed, and went to Fulda, — became there a recluse until 
 his death, on the 30th of January, A.D. 1043. Marianus further re- 
 lates, that lights were seen and psalmody heard over Amnichad’s tomb, 
 in the monastery of Fulda, and tliat while there a monk, lie himself 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IHSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 375 
 
 celeLrated mass over it every day, for ten years. Tlie reputation of tins 
 saint has been very great, and his name occurs in divers calendars, at 
 January 30th. 
 
 There yet remains in this island a fine round tower, with seven small 
 churches, which bespeak an elegance of taste. 
 
 Inisluinghe or Inislua, an island between Limerick and Inniscathy. 
 Here Saint Senan erected a church, and gave the veil to some daughter 
 of Brendan, the dynast of Ilyfiginte. 
 
 ‘ Inis, na-Gananagh — Island of the Canons. A priory founded by Do- 
 nald O’Bryan, king of Limerick, at the close of the twelfth century, for 
 canons regular, following the rule of St. Augustine. 
 
 Tlie lands of this abbey and the titlies of its demesne were granted in 
 fee to Donough, earl of Thomond, June 20th, 1G05. They were again 
 granted in fee to Henry, earl of Thomond, September 1st, 1661. The mode 
 of making adherents to Protestantism by granting them the lands of the 
 Church, was an admirable one, in the absence of truth and miracles. 
 
 Inniscatha, now Scattery island, a rich and beautiful little island, 
 in the mouth of the river Shannon. 
 
 St. Senan, the founder of this monastery, was a native of Corco- 
 baskind, a district in the western part of Thomond ; his parents were 
 noble and Christians. Ercan, his father, is said to have been of the 
 royal blood of Conary I., formerly monarch of Ireland ; his mother, 
 Coemgalla, was also of an illustrious family in Munster. The place of 
 his birth is mentioned, viz. : Magh-lacha, where his father had one 
 of his residences. It is related, that St. Patrick being near the 
 Shannon, about the year 448, foretold the birth and future greatness of 
 this illustrious saint, forty years before tlie auspicious event. 
 
 "When arrived at a certain age, he was forced, by the dynast of 
 Corco-baskind, to join in an expedition which he had undertaken 
 against the territory of Corcomroe, for the purpose of carrying off jilun- 
 der. As such an excursion did not accord with the pious disposition of 
 the young Senan, he contrived to have no share in devastating that ter- 
 ritory. God, the searcher of hearts, rewarded Senan for his Christian 
 behavior : for, when his party was routed, with great loss, and when 
 fallen into the hands of his opponents, Senan was allowed to depart 
 without injury, and to go wherever he pleased. This, with other cir- 
 cumstances which afterwards occurred, induced him to resolve on re- 
 nouncing the world ; he therefore placed himself under the abbot Cassi- 
 danus, and having received from him the monastic habit, became a pro- 
 ficient in piety and ecclesiastical learning. He next repaired to the 
 monastery of the most holy and learned I7atalis or Haal, where he 
 spent some years. In the school of St. Hatalis he became very distin- 
 
376 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF lEELAND. 
 
 giiished ; his superior talents and sanctity being the subject of universal 
 recognition. 
 
 The loss which the Irish southern church sustained in the deaths of 
 St. Ailbe, of Einl}'^, and of St. Declan, was soon repaired by the exer- 
 tions of Senan, and others, who were distinguished by their sanctity, 
 zeal, and the example of penance and mortification. It is said that 
 Senan, after leaving the monastery of St. ISTatalis, went to foreign parts, 
 and visited Rome and Tours, spent on his return towards Ireland some 
 time with St. David of Menevia, and with whom he continued an inti- 
 macy until his death. The first establishment of Senan was at Innis- 
 < arra, wdiere lie erected a church. While in this place a vessel arrived 
 in the harbor of Cork, bringing fifty persons, as passenger, from the 
 Continent, who came to Ireland either for the purpose of leading a life 
 of stricter discipline or of improving themselves in the study of the 
 sacred scriptures. Senan received them with the greatest civility and 
 kindness, retained ten of them with himself, the others lie distributed in 
 various establishments. He was not long in Inniscarra when Lugadius, 
 prince of the country, insisted on his submitting to certain exactions, 
 with which St. Senan refused to comply. The dispute was arranged 
 through the interference of two young noblemen, who were then at the 
 court of Lugadius. Having left eight of his disciples at Inniscarra, he 
 proceeded to Innisluinge, thence he set out by water for Innismore, but 
 being driven by advei-se winds to an island called Innis-tuaisceart, and 
 looking on the event as the will of Heaven, he erected a church, which 
 he left to the care of some of his disciples. He next erected the church 
 of Innismore, where he remained some time. Inniscaorach, now called 
 Mutton Island, was his next destination ; and at length we find him in 
 the island of Inniscatha. This establishment existed about the year 
 540, and to its erection much opposition was given by Mactalius, dynast 
 of Hy-figinte, who claimed the island as a part of his territory ; and 
 being moreover a pagan, endeavored, with his “ Magus,’" to expel the 
 saint. Through the interposition of the Almighty, he surmounted the 
 difficulty, and erected his monastery, which became highly celebrated 
 by the strictness of its discipline. Senan was probably for some time 
 before a bishop, when he founded this establishment ; but when conse- 
 crated, or by whom, is not on record. 
 
 One of the rules which was observed at Inniscatha i^’^as, that females 
 should not be admitted, — even with regard to the most holy virgins this 
 regulation was observed. Saint Cannera, a nun from Bantry, wished to 
 receive the holy viaticum from the hands of Senan, and to be buried in 
 Inniscathy. She accordingly set out for that island, and when arrived 
 near to it, was met by St. Senan. who sternly refused to allow her to 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF rBELANX). 
 
 377 
 
 land, and requested of her to go to tlie house of his mother, who lived 
 not far distant, and who was related to St. Cannera. At length, under 
 standing that she was near her end, and that she wished to receive the 
 holy eucharist, he complied with her desire. As she died soon after, 
 her wish to be interred in the island was also complied with. Tliis St 
 Cannera was of a distinguished family of the ancient Carberry, and 
 her memory was revered in some churches, particularly in that ter- 
 ritory. 
 
 It is read in the second life of Senan, that St. Brigid, daughter of 
 Concraid, who had her cell in Cluanfidhe, on the bank of the Shannon, 
 had prepared a vestment which she wished to send to Inniscathy, for 
 St. Senan ; finding no mode of conveyance, she folded it in hay, and 
 put it into a basket, directed it, having written thereon the address of 
 the saint, and that it arrived safely, wafted along by the current of the 
 river. 
 
 St. Senan perceiving that his dissolution was not far distant, resolved 
 on going to the monastery of his first master, Cassidus or Cassidanus, 
 and to the nunnery of St. Scota, his paternal aunt, who was the 
 daughter of Cobhtach, in order that he might apply himself more fer- 
 vently to prayer in those retreats, and prepare for his departure. On 
 his way thither, he turned off a little towards the church of Kill- 
 eochaille, for the purpose of visiting certain holy virgins, the daughters 
 of one Naereus, who had received the veil from him. Having per- 
 formed his devotions in the monastery of his first master, and on his 
 returning to Inniscathy, when in a field near the church of Kill- 
 eochaille, he heard a voice, announcing to him that he was to be re- 
 moved to heaven without delay. St. Senan died on that very day, and 
 his body remained at Kill-eochaille until the next, when several of the 
 principal members of his monastery arrived, and conveyed it to Innis- 
 cathy. Notice of his death was then sent to the prelates, clergy, and 
 the principal persons of the neighboring churches, and the obsequies 
 were celebrated during a week. On the eighth day, the remains of St. 
 Senan were deposited in his own church. His festival is observed on 
 the 8th of March, but the precise year of his death is not recorded. It 
 must be later than 544. The fame of this saint has not been confined 
 to Ireland, it spread over the Continent, and his acts have been pub- 
 lished among those of the saints of Britanny, and other countries. Yet 
 Ledwich, an Irish renegade to the ancient faith of Ireland, has had the 
 audacity to remark, that St. Senan was no other than the river Shan- 
 non personified. Thomas Moore has written a poem in allusion to the 
 interview of St. Senan with the holy virgin St. Cannera, who died and 
 was buried in Inniscathy, 
 
378 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOKY OF IRELAm). 
 
 Saint Kieran, called the son of the carpenter and the Ivieran ot 
 Clonmacnois, having left the island of Arran, came hither, and was 
 made providore for the strangers, by St* Senan. 
 
 St. Odran succeeded in the abbacy. It seems he was not conse- 
 crated. 
 
 A.D. 816, the Danes plundered this island, put the monks to the 
 sword, and defaced the monument of St. Senan. 
 
 A.D. 835, they renewed their ravages and destroyed the monastery. 
 
 A.D. 861, died the Abbot Aidan. 
 
 A.D. 908, Flahertach, who fomented the Avar in which Cormac 
 MacCulinan, bishop of Cashell and king of Munster lost his life, was 
 abbot. 
 
 Cormac bequeathed three ounces of gold to this abbey, and his 
 choicest vestments to the abbot. 
 
 This abbot Avas afterAvards elected to fill the throne of Munster. 
 He died in the year 954. 
 
 A.D. 975, eight hundred Danes were slain in this island, by Brien, 
 king of Munster, and his associates. 
 
 A.D. 994, died Colla, the abbot and doctor of Inniscathy. 
 
 A.D. 1081, died the abbot O’Burgus. 
 
 A.D. 1176, the Danes of Limerick plundered the abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1179, William Iloel, an English knight, wasted the whole 
 island, not even sparing the churches. 
 
 A.D. 1188, Aid O’Beachain, bishop of Inniscathy, died. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth granted this abbey, Avith the churchyard, twenty- 
 four acres of land, a house, a castle built of stone, and three cottages of 
 the island, and the several customs following : froin every boat of oysters 
 coming to the city of Limerick, once a year, one thousand oystere, and 
 from every herring boat, once a year, five hundred herrings ; also ten cot- 
 tages, one church in ruins, tAventy acres of Avo'od and stony ground in 
 said island, called Beachwood, AAUth all the tithes, to the mayor and 
 citizens of Limerick, and their successors, for ever, in free soccage, at 
 the annual rent of £3 12s. 8d. 
 
 Tlie monument of St. Senan is still to be seen here ; and in the stone 
 that closes the top of the altar window of the great church, is the head 
 of the saint, with his mitre, boldly executed, and still little defaced. 
 An ancient round tower, 120 feet in height, and in thorough repair, 
 graces the scene. 
 
 Innistymon, in the barony of Corcnmroe. 
 
 Saint Luctigerna Avas abbot of Innistymon ; he was the disciple ot 
 Euadan, of Lothra. He often visited the famous Saint Ita, called the 
 Brigid of Munster. He, on one occasion brought with him St. Laisrean, 
 
ECCLKSIASTICAL niSlX)RY OF IRELAND. 
 
 379 
 
 eon of Colman, and abbot of Drumliag. Laisrean, being unknown 
 to the nuns, was not welcomed at the gate. St. Ita, though she never 
 before saw Laisrean, told her nuns who he was, and that he w'as equally 
 holy as Luchtigerna. 
 
 Kilcarragh, endowed with a quarter of land adjacent thereto — either 
 an hospital or cell — granted at the dissolution of religious houses to 
 John King. 
 
 Killfobrick, in the barony of Ibracan. This monastery was founded 
 
 A.D. 741. 
 
 A.D. 837, the scribe and bishop of Killfobrick, Cormac, died. 
 
 Kilfenora, in the barony of Corcumroe. The foundation of this mo- 
 nastery cannot be ascertained ; it is attributed to a St. Fachnan, of 
 Ross ; but it' would appear the Fachnan of Kilfenora and of that see 
 are different persons. The saint of Ross flourished in the sixth century. 
 
 Tlie annals of Munster tell us that Morogh O’Brien burned the 
 abbey of Kilfenora, and slew many people therein, A.D. 1055. 
 
 Killaloe, situated on the western banks of the river Shannon, near 
 the cataract. 
 
 Saint Molua (the same as Lugeus), was of a distinguished family of 
 Hy-flginte, in Munster. His father was Carthar, surnamed Coche, and 
 his mother, Sochla, was a native of Ossory. Had he been at>St. Fin- 
 nian’s school at Clonard, his birth must have occurred several years 
 previous to the middle of the sixth century. It seems that Molua be- 
 came the disciple of St. Comgall, of Bangor, about A.D. 559. Under 
 this celebrated master he remained a considerable time, and having be- 
 come a religious, he was distinguished by his abilities and virtue ; and 
 Comgall perceiving him qualifled to govern others, gave him instruc- 
 tions to form an establishment for himself, and to nourish the servants 
 of Christ. Having returned to Munster, and attended by his disciples, 
 Molua repaired to Mount-Luachra, in the present county of Limerick, 
 and which was adjacent to the territory of Hy-figinte, in which he was 
 bom. Desirous to establish himself in that district, he was advised not 
 to remain there, by the Dynast Foelan, who was a worthy person. He 
 then retired from that district and went to Mount Bladhma, now Slieve- 
 bloom, near the place where his mother’s relatives resided, and erected 
 a monastery, since called Clonfert-mulloe. Hither a vast number of 
 monks resorted, from various parts, who were all received by Molua 
 with great kindness. He afterwards returned to Hy-flginte, where he 
 founded several cells and monasteries. He is said to have established 
 as many religious houses as one hundred. He compiled a rule for his 
 monks, which, we are told, was approved by Pope Gregory the Great. 
 
380 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAli HISTORY OF IRELAITO. 
 
 One of Ill's regulations was, the perpetual exclusion of women from the 
 monastery of Clonfert-Molna. 
 
 The cliurr-h of Killaloe is supposed to derive its name from this saint, 
 either from his living there, or its being dedicated in his name. A short 
 time before his death he visited Dagan, the bishop of Achad, in order 
 to consult him as to the appointment of a successor to his monastery. 
 Dagaii told him that he would be succeeded by Lactan, with whom he 
 was satisfied. 
 
 St. Molua departed this life on the 4th of August — the year is not 
 known — but it seems that his death occurred not long after the begin- 
 ning of tlie seventh century. Molua was reckoned among the fathers 
 of the Irish church. 
 
 It appeai-s that this saint is different from another Molua, the leper ; 
 the latter is called the son of Conall, the grandson of Cartlian Fion, 
 who had been baptized by St. Patrick. Molua the leper was brother to 
 Aoinbh-Caomh, king of Munster. Tliose saints were contemporaries. 
 In the collectanea of Vallancey, referring to the histories of Munster, 
 Molua the leper is called the firet bishop of Killaloe. Tlie prefix “Mo” 
 was a term of aftection or endearment which the Irish gave to their 
 saints, in either speaking or writing of their transactions. 
 
 Killnacallach or Kill-eochaile, two miles and a half north-west ot 
 Inniscathy, where St. Senan died on his return home to his own monas- 
 tery, in this island. St. Senan gave the veil to the daughters of Kae- 
 reus, in Kill-eochaille. 
 
 Killoen, in the barony of Islands. About the year 1190, Donald 
 O’Brien, king of Limerick, founded this nunnery, for the order of St. 
 Augustine, and dedicated it to St. John the Baptist. 
 
 Slaney, the daughter of Donogh Carbreagh, king of Thomond, 
 was abbess of this house ; she died A.D. 1260. She was preemi- 
 nent above the women of Munster in devotion, alms-deeds, and hos- 
 pitality. 
 
 Kilshanny alias Kilsonna, in the barony of Corcumroe. This cell 
 was annexed to the abbey of Corcumroe. Killshanny, with all its 
 appurtenances, mills and fisheries, was granted at the dissolution of mo- 
 nasteries, to Robert Hickman. 
 
 Quin, in the barony of Bunratty, five miles east of Ennis. 
 
 An abbey founded here was consumed by fire, A.D. 1278. 
 
 An abbey for Franciscan friars was founded in Quin by Sioda Cam 
 MacKamara, A.D. 1350. It was the first convent of the order in 
 Ireland in which the strict observants had settled. Pope Eugene lY. 
 having granted a license to that effect in 1433. The same year Macon 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 381 
 
 Dali Mac'N’amara, lord of Clancoileaii, reerccted this monastery, the 
 material beinff beautiful black marble — his tomb is still remainiuir. 
 
 The venerable establishment of Quin, even still in its ruins mag- 
 nificent, was involved in the general destruction of the sixteenth cen- 
 tury. Its manors, advowsons, and all its hereditaments were granted 
 to Sir Turlogh O’Brien, of Inishdyman, in fee, December 14th, 1583. 
 
 The Roman Catholics repaired this abbey in the year 1604. 
 
 Tlie state of this abbey about sixty years ago is thus described : 
 “ Quin is one of the finest and most entire monasteries that I have seen 
 Ml Ireland. It is situated on a fine stream, with an ascent of several 
 steps to the church. At the entrance, one is surprised with a view of the 
 high altar, entire, and of an altar on each side of the arch of the chancel. 
 To the south is a chapel, wuth three or four altars in it, and a gothic 
 figure in relief, of some saint. On the north side of the chancel is a 
 fine monument of the family of the MacNamaras, erected by the 
 founder. In the middle, between the body and the chancel, is a fine 
 tower, built on tlie two gable ends. The cloister is in the usual form, 
 with couplets of pillars, but is particular in having buttresses around 
 it as ornaments. There are apartments on three sides of it, — the refec' 
 tory, the dormitory, and another grand room to the north of the chan- 
 cel, with a vaulted room under each. To the north of the large room 
 is a closet, which leads through a private Avay to a very strong round 
 tower, whose walls are near ten feet thick. In the front of the monas- 
 tery is a building, which seems to have been an apartment for strangers, 
 and to the south-west are two other buildings.” 
 
 Instead of the monastic apartments for the stranger and the wearied 
 traveller, English reformers have given us the hotel of the present day ; 
 and instead of those houses (biataghs), in which maintenance was pro- 
 vided for the poor and the destitute and the traveller, without the bur- 
 den of taxation to the public, English legislators have enacted a poor 
 law, by which the rich man is ground down, the farmer is harassed 
 and oppressed, the indigent are starved, poverty is made a crime, and 
 the spoliation of the country is rendered permanent, lest justice be done 
 in restoring the property of the Catholic church to its original pur- 
 poses ; and lest the parliamentary establishment of England’s abomi- 
 nable heresies should be rooted out from the soil of Ireland, where this 
 exotic plant has, like unto the upas tree, diffused around it corruption 
 and crime, poverty and misery unparalleled, carnage and massacre in 
 the name of the God of sanctity and truth. 
 
 Ross-ben-choir, near the western ocean — now unknown. St. Con- 
 chea or Cocca was the first abbess of this nunnery. She is said to have 
 been the nurse of St. Kieran. 
 
382 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Sliraduff or Templediseart. The site of this abbey and the posses- 
 sions thereof were granted in fee to Sir Edward Fisher, kniglit, on the 
 12th of March, 1611. This is all the information we have of this reli- 
 gious retreat. We are however well aware that this mode of propa- 
 gating religion by robbery and plunder was totally unknown in the 
 days of the apostles. 
 
 Tomgrany, either three or four miles east of Lough Derg. 
 
 It seems that St. Cronan was the founder of this abbey befoi'e he 
 settled at Roscrea, having been on the west side of the Shannon, and 
 having formed some religious establishments there. 
 
 A.D. 735, died the abbot St. Manchen. 
 
 A.D. 747, died the abbot Conell. 
 
 A.D. 791, died the abbot Cathny O’Guary. 
 
 A.D. 886 and 949, the abbey was plundered. 
 
 A.D. 964, the celebrated Cormuc llua Killeen, died. He was 
 famous for his learning and good works ; was abbot of Tuam-grene, 
 and of lioscommon, and also abbot and bishop of Clonmacnois. He 
 built the church and steeple of this church. 
 
 A.D. 1002, died the abbot Dungal, sou of Beoan, 
 
 A.D. 1027, Brian Borumhe, monarch of Ireland, repaired the steeple. 
 
 A.D. 1078, died the abbot Cormac Hua Beain. 
 
 A.D. 1084, O’Rourke, of Breffney, reduced tliis abbey to ashes. 
 Tlie vengeance of Heaven soon overtook him, for he fell by the troops 
 of ThomoncL 
 
ECCLESIASTICAJ. DISTORT OF IREULND. 
 
 383 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 COUNTY OF CORK. 
 
 Abbey Mahon, in the barony of Barry roe. Monks of the Cistercian 
 order built this abbey at their own expense. The Lord Barry endowed 
 it with eighteen plowlands, which constitute the parish of Abbey-mahon. 
 At the suppression of monasteries these lands were seized by the crown. 
 The walls of the monastic church are still standing. 
 
 Ballybeg, in the barony of Orrery and Kilmore. 
 
 Philip de Barry founded this priory for canons regular of St. Augus- 
 tine, and dedicated it to St. Thomas ; and in the year 1229, endowed it, 
 in remembrance of which his equestrian statue in brass was erected in 
 the church. David, his grandson, enlai’ged the revenues which belonged 
 to the priory, in 1235. 
 
 David de Cardegan was prior in the reign of King Henry HI., and 
 John de Barry was prior in the succeeding reign. 
 
 The possessions of this house were in the sixteenth year of Queen 
 Elizabeth, granted for the term of twentj’^-one years to George Bourchier, 
 Esq., who forfeited them by the non-payment of rent. Those lands and 
 tithes were granted in trust to Sir Daniel Norton, for the wife of Sir 
 Thomas Norris, president of Munster, and were found in the year 1622, 
 to be of the yearly value of £2 6s. 
 
 Of this abbey there yet remain the east window and the steeple, 
 which is a strong building ; and the traces of the foundation, with a 
 high tower to the south-west, prove it to have been a magnificent 
 structure. 
 
 Ballymacadane, four miles from the city of Cork. 
 
 Cormac MacCarthy, son of Teigue the Strong, about the year 1450 
 founded an abbey here for canonesses of St. Augustine ; others affirm, 
 for friars of the same rule. 
 
 Ballyvourney, in the barony of Muskerry. 
 
 Saint Gobnata, who was descended from Conor the Great, monarch 
 of Ireland, was abbess of Bumeach ; her festival is on the 14th of Fe- 
 bruary. The church, which is dedicated to her, is 104 feet in length 
 
384 : 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF rKELA^O). 
 
 and 24 broad. St, Abban is said, but without sufficient authority, to 
 have presented her with this abbey, 
 
 Bantry, from which the barony takes its name. 
 
 Dermot O’Sullivan Beare, built a small monastery on the sea shore, 
 near the town of Bantry, for conventual Franciscans. The founder died 
 in 1466. 
 
 Bridgetown, on the river Blackwater, in the barony of Ferinoy. 
 
 A priory was founded in the reign of King John, and supplied with 
 canons regular, from Kewtown, in the county of Meath, and from the 
 abbey of St. Thomas, in Dublin. The family of Roche largely cou- 
 4ributed to the possessions of this priory. 
 
 In the year 1375, King Edward III. directed his writ to the bishops 
 and commons, to elect competent persons, who were to repair to Eng- 
 land to consult with his majesty and council concerning the government 
 of the kingdom, and the war, in which he was then engaged. Thomas, 
 prior of Bridgetown, was one of the persons selected for that business. 
 
 Brigoone, in the barony of Clongibbons. 
 
 There f et remain at this place the walls of a church, built of large 
 blocks of a tine freestone, brought with much labor from the mountains, 
 }ind the ruins of a round tower, which fell about the year 1720. The 
 erection of this establishment is erroneously attributed to St. Abban. 
 Some suppose it to have been erected by St. Finchu, whose staff was 
 kept there as a relic, and his festival observed on the 25th of Kovember. 
 
 Buttevant, in the barony of Orrery and Kilmore. 
 
 David Oge Barry, Lord Buttevant, founded a monastery for con- 
 ventual Franciscans, in Buttevant, A.D. 1290, and dedicated it to St. 
 Thomas the martyr. 
 
 A.D. 1306, David was prior, 
 
 A.D. 1311, John FitzRichard was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1318, Thomas was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1330, William Ketche was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1342, John FitzRichard was prior, and was indicted for as- 
 saulting, with some of his brethren, John Reynolds, in the city of 
 Dublin, and for imprisoning the said John. 
 
 In the year 1545, it was confiscated to the crown. 
 
 In the year 1604, the Roman Catholics repaired this convent.. 
 
 Cape Clear Island, the most southern part of Ireland, contains 
 twelve plowlands. On the north-west stands a castle, built on a rock 
 in the sea, whicli is called Dunanore. St. Kieran, of Saigir, was born 
 in that island. See the diocese of Ossory. 
 
 A.D. 820-23 and 51, this island suffered from many devastations. 
 
 A.D. 953, died the abbot Dunlang, son of O’Dunagan. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 385 
 
 A.D. 9G0, the island was again wasted. 
 
 Carigiliky, in the parish of Miros, in West Carbery. 
 
 Tliere are the foundations of extensive mins, with a large cemetery. 
 It appears this was the site of the abbey of Maure of the clear spring, 
 which was founded A.D. 1172, by Dermod MacCormac MacCarthy, 
 king of Desmond, who supplied it with Cistercian monks from the 
 abbey of Baltinglass. 
 
 A.D. 1252, Patrick was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1291, the abbot sued Dovenald O’Maythan for a messuage and 
 four carucates of land in Ardocherys. 
 
 A.D. 1519, the abbot John Imurily was made bishop of Ross. 
 
 In the thirtieth year of Queen Elizabeth, this abbey with its appur- 
 tenances of houses and lands, and the rectories of Maure and Lyslie, 
 was granted for ever to Nicholas Walsh, at the annual rent of 
 £28 6s. 6d. 
 
 Castle-Lyons or Castle-Lehan, in the barony of Barrymore. 
 
 John de Barry founded this monastery in the year 1307, for Domi- 
 nican friars. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The choir, nave, 
 and steeple of the church still remain. 
 
 About the year 1673, Constantine O’Cuiffe, provincial of the order, 
 instituted, at the instance of the earl of Barrymore, although a Protes- 
 tant, William Barry as prior, and to whom he restored all the posses- 
 sions of this abbey, when James II. ascended the throne of England 
 and of Ireland. 
 
 Tlie possessions of this monastery were granted to Richard Boyle, 
 earl of Cork, who bequeathed the rents and profits arising therefrom to 
 his daughter, who was married to David Barry, first earl of Barrymore 
 to huy her gloves and pins. 
 
 A Carmelite friary was founded here by de Barry. 
 
 Cloggagh. Tliere is no account of this abbey except in the inqui- 
 sition taken in the seventeenth year of King James I. 
 
 Clonmene, in the barony of Duhallow, and on the south side of the 
 Blackwater. 
 
 O’Callaghan founded a monastery for canons of St. Augustine in 
 this nlace. 
 
 Cloyne, in the barony of Imokilly. 
 
 A bishop’s see founded by St. Colman about the year 580. See his 
 acts at the diocese of Cloyne. 
 
 A.D. 978. the monastery of Cloyne was plundered by the people 
 of Ossory, and again plundered in 1089, by Dermot O’Brien. 
 
 A.D. 1159, O’Dubery, abbot of Cloyne, died. In the annals of Innis- 
 fallen he is called Bishop Diibrein. 
 
 25 
 
386 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF rEEL.VND. 
 
 Cluain, difi'ereut from tlie former, situated between the mountains 
 Crot and Marige. St. Sedna or Sidonius, a disciple of St. Senan, pre- 
 sided over a church erected in this place. Sedna was buried at Kin- 
 sale, probably owing to his having spent his last days there in the 
 monastery, which his brother, St. Gobban, founded, and who was the 
 disciple of the great St. Ailbe of Emly. 
 
 Cluain, Finglass. Saint Abban founded this abbey. This great 
 saint was of the illustrious house of Ilua-Cormac, in Leinster, and 
 nephew of St. Kevin of Glendaloch. Ilis first establishment was at 
 old Ross, in the county of W exford, where he presided as abbot about 
 the close of the sixth century. Ilis ardent zeal for the salvation of 
 souls, and his anxiety to promote monastic discipline, soon called him 
 from his favorite retreat. lie is said to have visited a considerable part 
 of Ireland, preaching in the towns and villages, forming religious com- 
 munities, and laying the foundations of new establishments. 
 
 This eminent saint, after years of difficulties, almost insurmountable, 
 returned to Ily-Kinsellagli, his native country, and founded his last 
 house at Maudlinton, near the site on which the present town of Wex- 
 foini stands. In this retreat St. Abban spent the remainder of his days 
 in prayer, contemplation and solitude. He died on the 27th of October, 
 and about the year 630. 
 
 Cork is a bishop’s see, founded by St. Finbarr, who died A.D. 623, 
 and is the second city of Ireland in importance, wealth, and commerce. 
 St. Finbarr’s remains were deposited in a silver shrine, and his festival 
 is held on the 25th of September. The abbey was founded A.D. 606. 
 
 St. Kessan, who is distinct from the great Kessan of Mungret, died 
 March 17th. St. Aengus, the Culdee, invokes in his litany seventeen 
 bishops (probably chorepiscopi), and seven hundred monks, whose re- 
 mains lie at Cork, with St. Barr and St. Nessan. 
 
 A.D. 685, the abbot Russin died April 7th. 
 
 A.D. 773, died Selbac, the successor of St. Barr. 
 
 A.D. 822 to 839, the Danes plundered and burned the city. 
 
 A.D. 908, Ailill M‘Eogan, the abbot of Cork lost his life in the same 
 battle in which Cormac MacCullenan, bishop of Cashell and king of 
 Munster met his melancholy fate. 
 
 A.D. 910 to 960, the Danes renewed their depredations. 
 
 A.D. 961, died Cathmogan, the successor of St. Barr. 
 
 A.D. 970, the Danes destroyed the abbey. 
 
 A.D. 990, died the Comorban, Columb M’Ciaragan. 
 
 A.D. 1025, Dongal Hua Donchada, king of Cashell, forsook the 
 world, and having dedicated himself wholly to the service of God, died 
 in this abbey. 
 
ECCLKSIASTICAL niSTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 387 
 
 A.D. 1026, Cellach O’Selbac, coinorb of St. Barr and chief among 
 the sages in Munster, died this year, on a pilgrimage. 
 
 A.D. 1027, died the comorb Nial O’Maelduibh. 
 
 A.D. 1028, died Airtri Sairt, the comorb. 
 
 A.D. 1034, d.ed Cathal, or Charles, comorb. 
 
 A.D. 1057, Mugron O’Mutan, the comorb of St. Barr was murdered 
 in the night by his own people. 
 
 A.D. 1089, Dermot O’Brien, son of Turlogh, spoiled and plundered 
 the town, and carried off the relics of St. Barr. 
 
 A.D. 1107, Maclothod O’lTailgenan, comorb of St. -Barr, died. 
 
 A.D. 1111, Patrick O’Selbac, comorb also, died. 
 
 A.D. 1134, this abbey was refounded for canons regular, under the 
 invocation of St. John the Baptist, by Cormac, king of Munster or of 
 Desmond. The son of the founder assures us that his father rebuilt this 
 abbey for the strangers from Connaught, w^ho were the countrymen of 
 St. Finbarr. 
 
 A.D. 1152, Giolla Aeda O’Mugin of Errew, of Lough Conn, in Mayo, 
 was abbot of this monaster}', and became bishop of Cork. He assisted 
 at the famous synod of Kells, which was celebrated in the presence of 
 three thousand priests, besides the bishops. Giolla, the abbot, was 
 justly esteemed for his piety. Tliis abbey, from him, acquired the name 
 of Gille. 
 
 The monks of this abbey erected tke first salmon wiers on the rivei 
 Lee, near the city of Cork. Some possessions of this abbey were 
 granted to Cormac MacTeige MacCarthy, on the 26th of June, and in 
 the thirty-third year of Queen Elizabeth ; they were regranted to Sir 
 Richard Grenville, knight. 
 
 The remains of St. Finbarr’s monastery were totally demolished 
 about the year 1745. 
 
 Gray Friar’s abbey. Dermot MacCarthy Reagh founded this mo- 
 nastery for coDventual Franciscans, A.D. 1514, and dedicated it to the 
 Virgin Mary. The founder dying in the year 1219, his son Finian con- 
 tinued the work ; and the lord of Newcastle, Philip Prendergast, was a 
 great benefactor, having rebuilt the abbey in 1240. Henry HI. and 
 Edward I. were great benefactors to this house. 
 
 A chapter of the order had been held here in 1291. In 1500, the 
 rule of the strict observance was adopted in this abbey. 
 
 Several illustrious members of the house of Desmond have been in 
 terred in this monastery. 
 
 In the eighth of Elizabeth, this abbey, with its appurtenar ces, forty 
 acres, and seven gardens, was granted to Andrew Skydie and his heirs, 
 in capite, at the annual rent of £2 18s. 8d. 
 
eo:lesiastical history of Ireland. 
 
 tf88 
 
 Tliis building, whicli was situate in the north side of the city, is now 
 entirely demolished. 
 
 Dominican Friary, called the abbey of St. Mary of tlie Island, be- 
 cause erected on an island (Cross-green,) at the south side of the city, by 
 Philip Barry, in the year 1229. 
 
 A.D. 13-10, John le Blound was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1484, license was given to Maurice Moral, prior provincial, to 
 reform this convent, by the general chapter of the order held at Rome. 
 
 Tlic 20th of December, and the thirty-fifth of King Henry VIIL, a 
 grant was made to William Boureman of this monastery, and its appur- 
 tenances, to hold the same in capite, for ever, at the annual rent of 
 Cs. 9d. sterling. 
 
 A.D. 1578, in October, Mathew Sheyn, Elizabeth’s bishop of Cork, 
 did publicly bum, to the great grief of the Irish inhabitants, at the 
 high cross in the towm, the image of St. Dominick, which had belonged 
 to this monastery. 
 
 In this zcalm^ hishop the Protestant church of Ireland, which 
 English law and German bayonets strove to establish, was blessed with 
 an Iconoclast heretic. A picture of a saint, martyr, or confessor, or an 
 image of Christ crucified, wdiereby we may be reminded of the heroic 
 virtues of the one, the fortitude and the patience with which the martyw 
 shed his blood for his faith, the austerity and the calmness with which 
 the confessor bore his chains and confessed his faith before the perse- 
 cutor, tlie dolors and the ignominy which the only begotten Son of God 
 endured, and whom the pure and immaculate Virgin Mary conceived 
 and brought forth for the redemption of his own sinful creatures, cannot 
 be tolerated by those wretches, who would rob that virgin mother of her 
 glory and dignity, the saints of that respect and veneration which is 
 their due, as the sincere and faithful servants of the Most High, and the 
 Catholic people of Ireland of that precious torch of faith by M'hich the 
 devoted Catliolic is taught to despise worldly goods, and in despising 
 tliem, to sigh after heavenly treasures, which are imperishable, in which 
 he finds solid comfort to sustain him in all the afflictions and trials of 
 life, and in which alone the sincere Christian can work out his salvation 
 by rendering them conformable with the life and sufferings of his 
 Saviour. 
 
 While the Protestants cf England and Ireland do not blush to 
 retain representations of cats and dogs, and other vile animals, they 
 ought at least not to molest the Catholic people of Ireland in cherish- 
 ing the memorials of the saints, the remembrance of whose virtues and 
 whose resignation under trials, affronts and injuries, has rendered tlie 
 
ECCLESIASTICAl. mSTOEY OF rRia^ANT). 
 
 389 
 
 Irish Catholics docile, patient and enduring beyond any other people on 
 the surface of God’s earth. 
 
 About the year 723, a captain of the Jews called Sarantapechis, in- 
 duced the Caliph Jezzid to commence a destructive war against the 
 sacred images in the Christian churches, promising a long reign to the 
 caliph, as his reward. lie accordingly published an edict, ordering the 
 removal of all images. The Christians, however, refused to obey, and 
 in six months afterwards God removed the caliph hy death. 
 
 Constantins, the bishop of Nacolia, in Phrygia, introduced this 
 Jewish doctrine among his flock, and was expelled from his see in 
 punishment of his perfidy, by his own diocesans. He at length ingra- 
 tiated himself with the emperor, and induced him to declare against the 
 images of Christ and his saints. In the early part of the year 730, the 
 emperor convoked a council, in which he enacted a decree against sacred 
 images, wanted the patriarch St. Germanus of Constantinople to subscribe 
 it ; but the holy bishop firmly refused, and preferred resigning his dignity. 
 He threw off his pallium, and said : “ It is impossible, my lord, that I can 
 sanction any novelty against the faith ; I can do nothing without a general 
 council,” and the patriarch left the assembly. The emperor, enraged at 
 the intrepid conduct of the patriarch, sent armed officials to eject him 
 from the archiepiscopal palace ; they executed their duty with blows 
 and outrages, not even respecting the venerable age of eighty years. 
 St. Germanus repaired to the house of his family, and lived there as a 
 monk, having left in consequence of the violent proceedings of the em- 
 peror, the see of Constantinople, which he had governed fourteen years, 
 in a state of the greatest desolation. Germanus died a holy death, and 
 the church venerates his memory on the 12th of May. 
 
 Be it then a consolation to the Lash Catholic to know, that a Jewish 
 captain and a Mohammedan governor originated this unholy warfare 
 against the Catholic practice of venerating and respecting the memo- 
 rials of Christ and his saints. 
 
 Augustinian Friary, now called the Bed Abbey, was founded on the 
 south side of the city, in the reign of King Edward I. 
 
 A grant was made of this abbey in the reign of Elizabeth, to Cor- 
 mac MacTiege MacCarthy, with its appurtenances, at the annual rent 
 of £13. 
 
 Of this building, the steeple, which is sixty-four feet high, and the 
 walls of the church, still remain. The east window, the only one in 
 the choir, was truly magnificent, and measured thirty feet in height, 
 and half that number in breadth. Tlie whole structure was converted 
 into a sugar-house. 
 
390 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Carmelite Friary was founded in Cork. De Burgo mentions it. 
 
 Kunnery of St. John the Baptist. William de Barry and John de 
 Barry, in the year 1327, did, together with John Fitzgilbert and Philip 
 Fitz-Robert, grant several quarters and parcels of land, tithes, and ad- 
 vowsons of churches to Agnes de Hereford, and other women, to serve 
 God in the habit of nuns, in the house of St. John the Baptist, in St. 
 John’s street, within the suburbs of Cork. 
 
 This nunnery, of which there are now no remains, was situated near 
 the present market house, and the site of it was accidentally discovered 
 in digging up some old tombs. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth, according to a tradition amongst the people, did 
 liberally reward the composer of an Irish song, which is found in llar- 
 diman’s collections, for the purpose of bringing contempt and derision 
 on the friai’s and nuns of Ireland ; that song is called “ Roisin dhub, i.e. 
 Black Rose,” and the words of it seem to corroborate the assertion of 
 the natives of Ireland. If it failed in producing that desirable object 
 among the Catholics of oppressed Ireland, the hatred and malignity to 
 the religious orders which then did and does still pervade the masses of 
 England, has been shamelessly reechoed in the senate of proud Eng- 
 land, and which would again recur to the torch and the faggot, if pru- 
 dential considerations did not restrain the bigotry of her people. 
 
 Preceptory of Knights Templar. William le Chaplain was master 
 of Cork about the year 1292. All the foundations of the templars were 
 abolished or suppressed, and their possessions given to the knights of St. 
 John of Jerusalem, called Ilospitallei-s. 
 
 Priory of St. Stephen. A house for the support of lepers was 
 founded in the south suburbs of the city, of which Edward Henry was 
 keeper, A.D. 1295. 
 
 This priory, when suppressed, was granted to the city of Cork, about 
 the year 1674. 
 
 Donagh-more, in the barony of Muskerry. Fingen, a disciple of St. 
 Finnbar, was abbot of Domnach-mor-mitine. 
 
 Fermoy, in the barony of Clangibbon, and on the river Blackwater. 
 
 An abbey was founded in Fermoy, under the invocation of the 
 Virgin Mary, for Cistercian monks, A.D. 1171, who were brought hither 
 from an abbey on the Suire, in the county of Tipperary. 
 
 A.D. 1248, the abbot was fined in the sum of £10, for divers 
 offences. 
 
 A.D. 1290, Maurice le Fleming made a considerable grant to this 
 abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1301, the abbot, Maurice Garton, fell from his horse into the 
 river Funcheon, and was drowned. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 391 
 
 A.D. 1311, Dionj'sius was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1355, David Eawyr O’Kytfe was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1367, Henry was abbot. In tbe same year William Fleming 
 was elected. 
 
 A.D. 1480, the abbot Nicholas O’Henesa was made bishop of 
 W aterford. 
 
 Elizabeth granted to Sir Richard Grenville, knight, and his heirs, 
 this monastery, with eighteen townlands, containing, according to esti- 
 mate, five hundred and fifty acres, at the rent of £15 18s. 4d. Irish 
 money. 
 
 Glandy, said to have been a daughter to the Cistercian abbey of 
 Jerpoint, in the county of Kilkenny. Was called the abbey of the Yale 
 of God. 
 
 Glanore, in the barony of Fermoy. Tlie family of Roche founded 
 this abbey in the year 1227, for the order of St. Dominick. It was de- 
 dicated to the holy cross. De Burgo, bishop of Ossory, thinks it was 
 built at a later period. 
 
 Grange or Graney, in the barony of Muskerry, and a mile east of 
 Kilcrea. 
 
 Saint Cera, or Chier, is said to have been the daughter of Duibhre, 
 and of an illustrious family of Muskerry, in the present county of Cork. 
 It is supposed that she was the St. Chier, who, together with five other 
 virgins, applied to St. Fintan Munnu, when he was residing in Ely 
 O’Carroll, for a situation on which she could establish a nunnery, and 
 to whom Fintan is said to have assigned the place where he had lived 
 himself, afterwards called Tech-telle, in the King’s county. It obtained 
 this name from St. Telle, the son of Segen, who was contemporary with 
 Fintan Munnu, and whose memory is revered on the 25th of June. 
 
 Returning thence to her own country, she founded a nunnery, called 
 from her name, Kilcrea, a few miles south-west from the city of Cork, 
 which she governed until her death, in the year 680 ; her reputation 
 was very great, and her festival was observed at Kilcrea, not only on 
 the 5th of January, the annivereary of her decease, but also on the 16th 
 of October, as a day of connnemoration. 
 
 Besides fins saint of Kilcrea, three other holy virgins of the same 
 name are mentioned in the Irish calendars. 
 
 Tlie foundation of this nunnery is said to be, according to the 
 records, at Grange, or Grany. 
 
 Inchrie, a Cistercian abbey built here, was dedicated to the Virgin 
 Mary. It was a cell to the abbey of Maure, and is now unknown. 
 
 Inniscarra, in the barony of Barretts, and on the river Lee. Saint 
 
392 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lEELAXD. 
 
 Senan, of Iniscatby, founded this establishment, and left there eiglit of 
 his disciples. 
 
 Innishircan, or Inis-Kieran, an island between Cape Clear and the 
 main land. 
 
 In the year 1490, Florence or Dermot O’Driscol founded a small 
 monastery for Franciscan friara of the strict observance, in this island. 
 
 In 1537, the citizens of Waterford destroyed all the villages of this 
 island, with the mill, castle, and friary. 
 
 Inispict, in the barony of Carberry, and near Innishircan. 
 
 Saint Carthag-mochuda, having visited Munster about the year 620, 
 erected the monastery of Inispict, and left there three brothers, Gobban, 
 Sraphan and Lasren, sons of Nescain, with the bishop Saint Domangen 
 and twelve disciples. 
 
 Tlie monastery of Innispict was for a long period held in high 
 repute. Tlie anniversary of Gobban was held on the ITth of March. 
 St. Domangen’s memory was revered on the 29th of April, at Tuaim 
 Muscraighe. 
 
 Killbeacan. St. Abban built an extensive monastery in this place, 
 and set over it St. Beacan, or Mobecoe. There were several saints of 
 this name. Killbeacan is situated on the north side of Mount Crotte, 
 in Muscry-ciure. See Rossmic trian, county of Wexford. 
 
 Kilchuilin, supposed to be in the barony of Bantry. A nunnery 
 existed here, of which St. Cannera was abbess, and who died in the 
 island of Inniscathy. 
 
 Kilcrea. — See Grange, or Graney. St. Cera was the foundress. 
 
 Franciscan Monaster}". Cormac MacCarthy, the great, prince of 
 Desmond, founded this convent in the year 1465, under the invocation 
 of St. Brigid. The founder and Tliomas O’lTerlihy, bishop of Boss, 
 were interred in this abbey. 
 
 When James I. ascended the throne of England, the Catholics, 
 vainly supposing that the calm of toleration had set in, undertook to 
 repair the abbey of Kilcrea, but the king surpassed, if possible, his pre- 
 decessors in intolerance ; and the splendid abbey of Kilcrea, permitted 
 ro moulder in its ruins, affords an instance of the architectural taste 
 and grandeur with which the Catholic religion is. associated. 
 
 This abbey was first granted to Lord Muskerry. In 1650, it was 
 taken by Cromwell, and soon after transferred to his favorite, Lord 
 Broghill. 
 
 A great part of this btiilding still remains, with the nave and choir 
 of the church ; on the south side of the nave is a handsome arcade of 
 three Gothic arches, supported by marble columns ; the arcade con- 
 tinues to form one side of a chapel, being a cross aisle. The steeple, a 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 393 
 
 liglit building, about eighty feet high, and placed between the nave and 
 choir, is still perfect, and supported by Gothic arches. 
 
 Ivillcruimther. Colgan is of opinion that a priest Fraech, whose 
 memory is there revered, founded this house. This place was situated 
 in the modern barony of Barrymore, and is unknown. 
 
 Killna-marhban — Church of the Dead ; attributed by some to St. 
 Abban ; was near the town of Brigoone. The tradition of the jdace 
 attributes the erection of the church of Brigoon to a St. Finachan or 
 Finchu, who was, according to Colgan, in the sixth century, a bishop at 
 a ])lace called Druimenaich, without telling where it lay. Several 
 places in the now county of Cork are named Drumanagh. 
 
 Kinsale. A corporate town ; well known for its excellent harbor, 
 and its strong fortifications. 
 
 Prioiy of Regular Canons. St. Gobban, a disciple of St. Ailbe, of 
 Emly, was patron of this monastery of Kinsale. St. Sedna, who presided 
 over Cluan, between the mountains Crotte and Marige, in Munster, was 
 buried in this monastery. 
 
 White Friars. This abbey was founded by Carmelites, in the year 
 1350, by Robert Fitz-Richard Balrayne. Part of its ruins still remain 
 in the north end of the town. In the thirty-fifth of Henry VIII., it 
 was confiscated to the crown. 
 
 Began. John de Compton was prior of this monastery in 1301, and 
 at the suppression of religious houses the prior of St. John’s, in Water- 
 ford, was found to be seized of this priory. 
 
 Lueim, was situated near the city of Cork, and David de Cogan 
 was patron in the year 1318. 
 
 Maur. See Carigiliky. 
 
 Middleton. Pleasantly situated in the barony of Imokilly, and is a 
 market and borough. 
 
 The Fitzgeralds or the Barrys founded a Cistercian abbey in this 
 town, A.D. 1180, and supplied it with monks from the abbey of ISTenay 
 or Maglo, in the county of Limerick ; it was called the abbey of Saint 
 Mary de Choro, or of the choir of St. Benedict. 
 
 Donald, the abbot, w’as succeeded by Robert, who presided A.D. 
 1309. 
 
 A.D. 1476. Gerald, bishop of Cloyne, appropriated several vicarages 
 to this abbey. 
 
 The 26th of July, thirty-first of Henry VIH., the abbot was seized 
 of the abbey, dormitory, cloister, chapter-house, a hall within the pre- 
 cincts, containing one acre, of the annual value of five shillings, besides 
 reprises ; also one hundred and twenty-three acres of land in the town 
 of Chore, a salmon-weir in said town, a water-mill, one hundred and 
 
394 
 
 ECX:)LESIASTICAL HISTORY OF rRELAND. 
 
 twenty acres of land in Killynemaraglie and Ballygibbon, and the rec- 
 tories Downbolloge, Kylowane, St. Katharine’s, and Moygyelle, with 
 their reprises, all situate in the county. 
 
 Tlie 17th of September and seventeenth of Elizabeth, this -abbey, 
 with two hundred and eighty acres in the town and lands of Chore, one 
 hundred and twenty acres in Kilmanagh, Downmacmore, and Ballygib- 
 bin ; a messuage and garden in Carrigh ; a parcel of land containing 
 fifteen acres ; the rectories of Chore, Donbolloge, St. Katharine’s, near 
 Cork ; Kilrowan, Kilcollehy and Moygelly, and the vicarage of Balline- 
 chore, all belonging to the abbey of Middleton, were granted in capite, 
 to John Fitzgerald and his heirs. 
 
 Mourne, in the barony of Barretts. A preceptory for knights tem- 
 plars was founded in the reign of King John, by Alexander de Sancta 
 Helena, or he was a principal benefactor to it. At the suppression of 
 this order it was granted to the Hospitallers. 
 
 Thomas Fitzgerald was commendator in the years 132G, ’27 and ’30. 
 
 John FitzRichard was commendator in the years 1334, ’35, ’37, and 
 ’39. 
 
 Tlie prior of Kilmainham appointed the said John to this com- 
 mandery, and the act was dated at the commandery of Tully, in the 
 county of Kildare, A.D. 1335 : 
 
 “We have granted unto friar John Fitzrichard, the whole govern- 
 ment and custody of our house of Mora or Mourne, with the appurte- 
 nances thereunto belonging, both in temporals and spirituals ; he paying 
 the dues usually paid by that house. And we require, that within the 
 space of the next ten years, he shall, at his own cost and charge, 
 erect a castle there, completely finished, both as to size, workmanship, 
 and materials.” 
 
 The body of the church, 180 feet in length, yet remains. Tlie foun- 
 dation walls of the commandery inclosed several acres. It was de- 
 fended on the south by a strong castle, and by two on the west. The 
 possessions were granted to Teige MacCarthy, whose descendants for- 
 feited them in the year 1641. 
 
 Omolaggie. A grant was made the twentieth of Queen Elizabeth, 
 to the provost and fellows of the Holy Trinity, near Dublin, of twenty 
 acres of land contiguous to a cross and parcel of the possessions of the 
 abbey of the Corbe of Omolaggie. Tliis house was tributary to the 
 abbey of Cong, in Mayo. There is at present no vestige of Omolaggie. 
 
 Ross, in the barony of Carberry ; an episcopal see. St. Fachnan 
 was the founder. A city grew up in this place, in which there was a 
 large seminary. 
 
 In the year 1131, the people of Connaught, under the command of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 395 
 
 Dono igli MacCarthy, plundered this asylum of religion and learning ; 
 they were soon after justly defeated, and Hugh O’Connor, the son of 
 Constantine, and O’Cachy, the chief poet of Connaught, were killed. 
 
 A.Ii. 1353, Cornelius was prior. 
 
 A.I). 1378, Odo was prior. 
 
 Tliis monastery has been generally given to the regular canons of 
 St. Augustine. It professed, afterwards, obedience to the Benedictine 
 abbey of St. James without the walls of the city of Wurtzburgh, in the 
 province of Mentz, in Germany. The ruins still remain. 
 
 Timoleague, in the barony of Ibawn and Barryroe. Tliis abbey was 
 founded by William Barry, lord of Ibawn, about the year 1370, for the 
 order of St. Francis. In llOOj the rule of the strict observance was 
 received. Provincial chapters of the order were held in this house in 
 1536 and in 1563. 
 
 At the suppression of the religious establishments, this convent, 
 with four acres of land, were granted to Lord Inchiquin. 
 
 De Courcey, a minorite, bishop of Boss, and John Imurily, a Cis- 
 tercian, bishop of that see also, were buried in this convent. 
 
 The Roman Catholics repaired this monastery, A.D. 1604 ; the walls 
 are yet entire, but unroofed. They enclose a large choir, with an aisle, 
 formed by arcades on the south, leading to a lateral wing. There is a 
 handsome Gothic tower, about seventy feet high, between the choir and 
 aisle, and on one side of the aisle is a square cloister, arcaded with a 
 platfoi’m in the centre ; the arcade leads to several large rooms, the 
 chapel, the chapter-house, refectory, a hall, dormitory, and a spacious 
 apartment for the father guardian. 
 
 Tracton, in the barony of Kinalea. Haurice Mac Carthy founded 
 this abbey A.D. 1224, for Cistercians. 
 
 A.D. 1231, the abbot was indicted for protecting his nephew, Mau- 
 rice Russell, who had committed a rape on an Englishwoman ; was 
 found guilty, and fined the sum of forty pounds. “ Had she been a mere 
 lAshwoman the offence would be overlooked.” 
 
 A.D. 1311, Owen was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1380, parliament enacted that no mere Irishman should be 
 suffered to profess himself in this abbey. The abbot of Tracton sat as 
 a baron in parliament. Queen Elizabeth granted this abbey to Henry 
 Guilford and Sir James Craig, on their paying a fine of £7 15s. ster- 
 ling. Sir James Craig assigned it to Richard, earl of Cork, who passed 
 a patent for the same in the seventh of James I. 
 
 Tuaim-Musgraidge, now unknown. 
 
 Saint Domangen, whom St. Carthag left at Inispict, with twelve 
 disciples, was venerated here. 
 
396 
 
 ECCLESIAS'nCAL HISTOKT OF lEELAirD. 
 
 Tulacli-Mliin, in the barony of Fermoy. St. Molagga, ono of the 
 Irish saints who survived the great pestilence of 665, was born in this 
 barony, of poor but pious parents, and is said to have been baptized by 
 St. Cummin Fada. St. Molagga received his education in itis own 
 country, and having distinguished himself by his piety and learning, 
 established his ' monastery and school at Tulach-Mhin. lie is said to 
 have afterwards visited other parts of Ireland, particularly Connor, in 
 Ulster, and to have passed over to Uorth Britain. Molaga seems to 
 have had some establishment in Fingall, near Dublin, where his me- 
 mory has been revered, and where he is said to have placed a swarm of 
 bees, thence called Lann-beach. 
 
 At length he returned to Tulach-Mhin, where he died, on a twentieth 
 of January. Ilis festival was celebrated on the amiivei-sary of that 
 day, at Tulach-Mhin and Lan-beach-aire. There were other saints of 
 this name. 
 
 Tullelash, in the barony of Duhallow. 
 
 Mathew MacGriffin founded this priory for canons regular of St. 
 Augustine. It became afterwards uuited to that of Kells, in the county 
 of Kilkenny. 
 
 W eeme, near Cork. An abbey of canons regular was here founded, 
 and was dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. 
 
 A.D. 1311, Thomas was abbot. Being deposed, Altan O’Kulla- 
 nagaly was elected. 
 
 Gilbert was abbot. 
 
 David was abbot in 1339. 
 
 Thomas succeeded. 
 
 Bichard O'Tenewir was abbot. 
 
 Youghal, a seaport and borough. The Franciscan friary on the 
 south side of the town was founded in the year 1221, by Maurice Fitz- 
 Gerald. In 1232, Maurice, the founder, was lord justice of Ireland ; 
 after which he retired to this convent, and embraced the institute of St. 
 Francis. He died in 1257, and was buried in his own convent of 
 Youghal. This convent was the parent of the order in Ireland. 
 
 Thomas, the second son of the founder, completed the building at 
 his own expense, and having died on the 26th of May, 1260, was also 
 interred in this abbey, which continued for centuries the cemetery of 
 the Desmond family. Several provincial chapters were held in this 
 convent, and it received the reform of the order in 1460. 
 
 During the terrors of Elizabeth’s reign, this extensive convent had 
 been pillaged and so completely demolished, that not even a vestige of 
 its ruins remains. Such of the friars as had escaped the storm, took 
 refuge in the mountains of the county W aterford, where they were pro- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF IRELANI). 
 
 397 
 
 tected, and finally settled in a retired and picturesque s][)ot called Cur- 
 raglieen, under the patronage of the benevolent family of Dromanagh. 
 
 The Dominican Friary of Youghal, called of St. Mary of Thanks, 
 at the north end, was founded by Thomas, Lord Offaley, in the year 
 1268. 
 
 A.D. 1303, Robert Percival, an eminent benefactor to this abbey, 
 W'as interred here on the 22d of October. 
 
 A.D. 1281 and 1304, general chapters of the order were held in this 
 abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1493, this house was reformed by Bartholomew de Comatio, 
 general of the order. 
 
 A statue of the Yirgin Mary was preserved in this monastery, 
 which is mentioned in the acts of the general chapter held at Rome, 
 A.D. 1644. 
 
 In the twenty-third of Elizabeth, this convent and eleven bouses 
 in the town of Youghal were granted to William Walsh, at the yearly 
 rent of 2s. Irish. 
 
398 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF rEELAlO). 
 
 CHAPTEH XLL 
 
 COUNTY OF DERRY. 
 
 Akragell, Badoney and Boitli-mealiblia are mentioned in ArcLdall 
 as religious houses founded by St. Patrick and St. Columbkille, but ap- 
 parently witbout any authority. 
 
 Camus or Cambos, in the barony of Coleraine, and on the river Bann. 
 
 The abbey of Camus was subordinate to that of St. Comgall, of 
 Bencbor, as it was founded by that saint. 
 
 St. Colman, contemporary with the St. Colman of Lismore, was 
 abbot of this once celebrated monastery of Camus. Colman was a 
 native of Hy Guala, or Gallfin, a part of Ulster and perhaps the Gallen 
 bills in the county of Tyrone. He governed three churches, viz : Camus, 
 Lann-Mocholmoc, either in the diocese of Down or of Dromore, and 
 Lin-Huachaille, apparently in the latter diocese. St. Colman died on 
 the 30th of March, 699, i.e. 700. 
 
 Coleraine, on the river Bann and the ancient territory of O’Cahane, 
 is a market town and parliamentary borough. 
 
 Priory of Canons of St. Augustine. St. Corpreus, bishop of Cole- 
 raine, is said to have flourished about the year 540, and to have been 
 contemporary with Tigernach, of Clones, whose schoolfellow he had 
 been in Britain, under the abbot Keniiio. Corpreus was the son of 
 Degill, and grandson of Xad-Sluagh, a dynast of the country about 
 Coleraine, and who became a Christian in St. Patrick’s time, and who 
 received the apostle of Behind with great respect and veneration. The 
 Bishop Brugacius whom St. Patrick raised to the episcopacy, conse- 
 crated St. Corpreus. The year in which this holy bishop died is not on 
 record, but his feast is observed on the 11th of November. Though he 
 fixed his see at Coleraine, it does not appear that he established a mo- 
 nastery at that place. 
 
 Saint Conall was the immediate successor of St. Corpreus. Aftei 
 the assembly at Drumceat, in the year 590, St. Columbkille having 
 visited Coleraine, the bishop Conall having collected almost innumera- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 399 
 
 ble presents from the people, prepared an entertainment for him. Such 
 presents were usually made on or at the arrival of distinguished persons 
 to the monasteries, in order that they might be well entertained by the 
 religious, whose means would otherwise have been inadequate to that 
 purpose, as at that time the monastic establishments were not largely 
 endowed. Adamnan assures us, that those presents were spread in the 
 court-yard of the monastery, that they might be blessed by St. Columba 
 before use would be made of them. 
 
 Saint Conall is apparently the founder of this monastery^ instead of 
 his predecessor. 
 
 A.D. 930, Ardmedius, abbot of Coleraine, was put to death by the 
 Danes. 
 
 A.D. 1171, Manus MacDunsleve plundered this and other churches ; 
 the vengeance of Heaven soon checked his career. 
 
 A.D. 1213, Thomas MacUchtry and the Galls, i.e. English, of Ulster, 
 built a castle, for which they raised all the pavements, and destro^'ed 
 ever}" part of the abbey, the church alone excepted. 
 
 The Dominican friary was founded by the MacEvelyns, in the year 
 1244, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 
 
 A.D. 1484, a general chapter of the order being held at Rome, 
 license Avas granted to Maurice Moral, prior provincial, to reform this 
 monastery. 
 
 In Porter’s annals it is related that Bishop Bdbington having at- 
 tempted, in vain, to hum an image of the Virgin Ifary^ which belonged 
 to this abbey, was suddenly seized with illness, which ended his life, in 
 September, 1611. 
 
 Shane O’Boyle Avas the last prior. lie surrendered the monastery 
 into the hands of the royal commissioners, Avhich, along Avith its pro- 
 perty, became confiscated to the crown. 
 
 Derry, the capital of the county and a parliamentary borough. 
 A good port, and memorable in its siege by the Irish forces, A.D. 
 1689. 
 
 Tlie abbey of this ancient town was founded by St. Columbkille. — 
 See his life. The monks Avere not canons of St. Augustine, but of St. 
 Columba’s order. 
 
 St. Mochonna was abbot of Derry. Signed the acts of the synod 
 held by Flan Febhla, primate of all Ireland, and by St. Adamnan, in 
 the year 659. Mochonna, of Derry, was a very holy man. He died in 
 the year 704, and his anniversary is kept on the 8th of March. 
 
 A.D. 812, the tOAvn was burned, and the Danes heightened the hor- 
 rore of the confiagration by putting to the SAvord the A’euerable clergy, 
 as Avell as the students. 
 
400 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAl, inSTOEY OF ntELAND, 
 
 A.D. 885, St. Maelbrigid was abbot, and was promoted to the see of 
 Armagh. 
 
 A.D. 903, died the abbot Diermit. 
 
 A.D. 920, died the celebrated abbot of Derry and Drumcliaff, the 
 blessed Kinaid. lie was esteemed the head and light of religion in 
 Tirconnell. 
 
 A.D. 927, died Cainchomrach, abbot and guardian of the canons of 
 St. Adamnan. 
 
 A.D. 937, died the blessed Finachta. lie was abbot of Derry, and 
 was well shilled in the antiquities of Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 948, the blessed Maelfinnan wivs abbot. 
 
 A.D. 950, the abbot of Derry, St. Atlhland, died. Has been cele- 
 brated for his charity and liberality to the poor. This saint was a de- 
 scendant of Conall Gulbhan. 
 
 A.D. 973, died the abbot Fogartach. 
 
 A.D. 985, the blessed Maelkieran O’Maigne, abbot of Derry, was 
 inhumanh’^ martyred by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 1096, the blessed abbot Eugene OTvearnich, died. 
 
 A.D. 1120, the archdeacon Giolla MacTeige was elected abbot, and 
 enjoyed the dignity sixteen years. 
 
 A.D. 1150, the Archdeacon IVIaelisa O’Branain, a man famed for 
 unbounded hospitality and munificence, excelling, in those virtues, th’e 
 whole north of Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 1175, died, after a tedious illness, the abbot Flathbert. He 
 was highly esteemed for his learning and exemplary virtues. 
 
 A.D. 1195, the abbey of Derry was plundered by Rughraighe, the 
 son of Donslieve, and the English. Soon after, his whole army w’as cut 
 to pieces at Armagh. 
 
 A.D. 1196, the altar of the great church was robbed of three hun- 
 dred and fourteen cups, the best of their kind in Ireland, and of those of 
 Moydery and O’Dogherty. On the third day after the sacrilege they 
 were recovered, and MacCienacht, the robber, was executed for the 
 crime. 
 
 A.D. 1203, the town was consumed by fire from the sanctuary of 
 Saint Martin to Adamnan’s well, Amalgaid Ilua Ferguail being then 
 abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1213, died the abbot Anmire O’Cofifey, a man equally esteemed 
 for learning, piety, liberality and charity. 
 
 By a decree enacted at the council of Brigh-macthighe, in the 
 county of Meath, held A.D. 1158, the abbot of Derry had supreme 
 jurisdiction over all the abbeys of the Columbian order in the kingdom. 
 A regular succession of its superiors continued, until the general sup- 
 
ECCr^SIASnCAL HISTORY OF ntEXANI). 
 
 401 
 
 pression of monasteries ; and its property, of which there is no account, 
 became involved in the common ruin. 
 
 Dominican friary was founded in the year 1274, by O’Donnell, 
 junior, prince of Tirconnell. The number of monks in this abbey was 
 generally one hundred and fifty. 
 
 A.D. 1397, Nicholas Loch-Lynnagh was prior. There is not a trace 
 of this abbey left since the siege of Derry, under King Janies II. Tlie 
 possessions of this abbey were granted to the corporation of London. 
 Derry, and those of Coleraine, were subsequently given to them. 
 
 Dizertoghill, Domnach-dola, Dunboe, are attributed to St. Patrick 
 and St. Columbkille. 
 
 Dunboe, supposed to be the same as Duncruthen, over which a 
 Bishop Beatus presided. Dunboe is situated in the barony of Coleraine. 
 
 Dungiven, in the barony of Kenaght. O’Cahane, prince of the 
 country, founded, A.D. 1100, a priory for canons of St. Augustine. 
 
 A.D. 1206, died the prior O’Lathvertagh. 
 
 A.D. 1215, died the prior Paul O’Murrey. 
 
 A.D. 1253, died the prior Maelpeter O’Murrey. 
 
 A.D. 1397, on the 16th of October, the archbishop of Armagh, at 
 the entreaty of the prior and convent, solemnly restored the church and 
 cemetery of Dungiven, which had been polluted by the effusion of 
 Christian blood. 
 
 Magilligan, in the barony of Kenaght. This abbey was plundered 
 A.D, 1203, by Diermit Hua Lochluin, who attempted to ravage the 
 country, and who was, with many of his foreigners, slain by the lords 
 of Kinel-Eoguin, who pursued them. The foundation of this monastery 
 is attributed to St. Columbkille. 
 
 Moycosquin, in the barony of Coleraine. This abbey, called de 
 Clarofonte, i.e. the Clear Spring, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was 
 founded for Cistercians, A.D. 1172. A.D. 1401, the abbot, John, was 
 appointed bishop of Derry, by the Pope. 
 
 26 
 
402 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XLH. 
 
 COUNTY OF DONEGAL. 
 
 Arstrath-Asiiroe, or de Samario, on the river Erne, near the town 
 of Balljshanaon. Roderick O’Cananan, prince of Tyrconnell, founded 
 this monastery for Cistercians, A.D. 1178. This abbey was daughter to 
 that of Boyle, in Roscommon. 
 
 A.D. 1241, Donnell O’Donnell, king of Tirconnell and Fermanagh, 
 having retired from the troubles of this life, died, and was interred in 
 this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1280, Lawrence O’Lachtnan, the abbot, was translated to that, 
 of Boyle. 
 
 A.D. 1319, Tliomas MacCormac O’Donnell, abbot of Ashroe, a man 
 eminent for learning, hospitality, and every virtue, was promoted to the 
 see of Raphoe. 
 
 A.D. 1348, Nicholas O’lledram, a monk of Ashroe, w'as promoted 
 to the see of Achonry. 
 
 A.D. 1377, the abbey was consumed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1398, Niall oge O’Neile plundered the abbey. 
 
 In the thirty-fii-st of Elizabeth, the possessions of this abbey, amount- 
 ing to fifty-three quarters of land, and the tithes of eleven townlands, 
 were merged in the general plunder of the church property. 
 
 Baile-negrahbartaich, in Inisowen, and another of the same name 
 in Tir-IIuorh, in which the celebrated relic of St. Columbkille is said to 
 have been preserved. Both are, if they have been monasteries, now 
 unknown. 
 
 Tlie relic of Columbkille was called the “ Cathach,” because borne 
 to their battles by the O’Donnells, princes of Tirconnell. 
 
 It is a brass box, nine inches and a half long, eight in breadth and 
 two in thickness ; it is divided into three arches, supported and sepa- 
 rated by clustered columns ; in the central compartment or arch is a 
 sitting figure of St. Columba, with his hair flowing over his shouldei’s. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 403 
 
 holding up liis right hand, the third and fourth fingers folded down ; in 
 his left, holding a book. The arms of the chair on which he sits, are 
 curiously carved with eagle heads. In the right arch is a figure of a 
 bishop in full pontificals, with his mitre, holding up his right hand, the 
 third and fourth fingers folded, and grasping a crozier witli his left. In 
 the third compartment is a representation of the passion, with a glory 
 round the head ; and as is usually represented, the tw’o Marys, one on 
 each side of the cross. Over the arms of the cross are engraved two 
 birds, apparently doves, and these figures are chased in relief. Over 
 the right arch is a figure, also chased, of an angel throwing up a cen- 
 ser, under which is engraved a figure of a priest holding something like 
 a basket or incense cup, and above is a grotesque figure, resembling 
 what is called a wyvern, in heraldry. Over the left arch is a similar 
 figure, of an angel, with a censer, above which is a figure, wyvern-like, 
 but with a human face, and below, a griffin. Round the whole box is 
 a chased border, of about three quarters of an inch wide, on the top 
 and bottom of which are grotesque figures of wyverns, cockatrices, and 
 lions, and on the sides, oak leaves and acorns ; in each of the corners is 
 a setting of rock crystal ; in the centre, at the top, is a crystal setting, 
 surrounded by ten gems, a pearl, tlii ee small shells, a sapphire and ame- 
 thysts, — all in the rough. Affixed to the right side of the box at 
 the top, is a silver censer, suspended to a curious flexible chain, and on 
 the censer is an inscription, in Gothic characters, too much defaced to 
 be legible. Tlie bottom of the “ Cathah” is of brass, plated wdth silver, 
 and round the rim or outer plate is a mutilated inscription in the Irish 
 character and language, requesting a prayer for the artizans who made 
 the box. The sides and ends are of brass, and consist of eight pieces 
 and four connecting plates, joined together like hinges. On the front, 
 in the centre, is affixed a semicircular piece of silver workmanship, di- 
 vided into four compartments, by three pillars ornamented with silver 
 wire, all richly gilt. At the bottom is a silver plate, on which are en- 
 graved the letters I. IT. S. (Irish characters), richly gilt. On the right, 
 which represents a shrine, are four compartments, and on the left six 
 oblong ones, divided in pairs, one above the other, and surrounded by 
 silver borders, — the centre being richly inlaid with pure gold, and 
 chased. Tlie back is also divided into fourteen similar compartments ; 
 the ten interior were also richly inlaid with gold, and chased ; the gold 
 inlaying of two is gone, and in four others much injured. The four 
 outer compartments were plated with silver, and chased in leaves and 
 flowers. Between each pair of compartments are three silver round- 
 headed rivets. The two end plates have been richly enameled, on 
 which is a silver serpentine pattern. At each of the four corners is a 
 
404 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF HIEL.VPTD. 
 
 hollow pillar, by which the top of the box was fixed to the body with 
 four thick pins with silver heads, which were so contrived as to be 
 movable at pleasure. 
 
 The contents of this box, when opened, were found to be a mde 
 wooden one, very much decayed, inclosing a manuscript, on vellum, — a 
 copy of the ancient vulgate translation of the psalms, in Latin, of fifty- 
 eight membranes. On one side was a thin piece of board, covered 
 Avith red leather. 
 
 It was so much injured by damp, as to appear almost a solid mass. 
 Tlie manuscript was oi'iginally about nine inches by six Avide ; it has 
 been most injured at the beginning. All the membranes before the 
 31st Psalm are gone, and the fiist few of those aa'IucIi remain, are much 
 decayed. Tlie last membrane contains the first thirteen verses of the 
 lOGth Psalm. “ I have collated several of the Psalms, Avith the Vene- 
 tian Auilgate, before mentioned, and find them to agree, nearly Avord for 
 word.’- — (Sir William Betham, Ulster king at arms.) 
 
 It is now the property of Sir Bichard O’Donnell, of ISIeAvport, Mayo, 
 and is deposited, for security, in the Poyal Irish Academy. 
 
 Bally Mac SAveeny, in the barony of Kilmacrenan. A monastery 
 was founded here for Franciscan friare, by Mac SAveeny. Some of its 
 ruins still remain. 
 
 Both-conais, in Innisowen. St, Comgal, abbot of this once-cele- 
 brated abbey, Avas the brother of St. Cele-Christus or Christicola. The 
 memory of St. Comgal, who is different from the abbot of Bangor, was 
 reA'ered on the 4th of September. 
 
 They Avere natives of Ulster, and are said to have belonged to a 
 branch of the Nialls. Christicola, having left his OAAm province, went 
 to a Avestei’n part of Leinster, called Ilydonchadha, Avhere he erected an 
 oratory, Avhich, from his name has been designated Kill-cell-Chriost. 
 He is said to liaA'e travelled to Rome AA’ith some companions. In 
 several Irish calendars his name occurs on the 3d of March. Christi- 
 cola died A.D. 722. 
 
 A.D. 987, died the Archdeacon Duhdaboirean. 
 
 There Avere preserved in the hands of the religious in that neighbor- 
 hood, many books which formerly belonged to the abbey, Avritten by 
 the hand of Mselisa, A\-ho was educated in this abbey, and Avho died the 
 16th of January, A.D. 1086. 
 
 Clonleigh, in the barony of Eaphoe, to the west of Loughfoyle, and 
 about tAvo miles from Lifford. 
 
 St. Carnech was abbot and bishop of this place. lie was of the 
 princely house of Orgiel, and grandson (maternal) to I.oarn, the first 
 chief of the Irish settlers in North Britain. As his mother was sister 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAJir). 
 
 405 
 
 to Erca, he was fii’st cousin to the then king of Ireland, Murchertach, 
 According to Cclgan, lie died about the year 530. The memory of St, 
 Carnech has been held in high veneration, and two brothers of his, 
 Ronan and Brecan, are also recloned among the Irish saints. 
 
 Carnech was succeeded by Cassan, and the latter was succeeded by 
 Massan. 
 
 Conwall, or Conbhail, in the barony of Kilmacrenan. St. Fiachra 
 was abbot of this monastery, and afterwards of Clonard, From St. 
 Fiachra, the abbot of Bangor, St. Comgal received the viatic. In the 
 second life of St. Comgall, Fiachra is said to have been from Idrone, 
 near the river Barrow. St. Fiachra died on the 8th of February. Col- 
 gan places him between the years 587 and 652. 
 
 Sitric O’Trutle, archdeacon of Conwall, died, A.D. 1204. 
 
 Cnodain, in the barony of Boylagh and Bannagh, near Ashroe. St. 
 Conan-“ dhil ” (the beloved), was of the Tirconnell line of the Xialls, 
 being the son of Tigernach, who was the great grandson of Conal Gulb- 
 han ; hence he was the distant relative of St. Columbkill. Conan gov- 
 erned the monastery of Cnodain, which he probably founded. Accord- 
 ing to some accounts he became bishop of Easroe, where his festival 
 w’as celebrated on the 8th of March, the anniversary of his death. 
 Conan died about the close of the sixth century. 
 
 Donegall, in the barony of Tir-IIugh, and situated on the bay, to 
 which it gives its name. 
 
 Hugh Roe O’Donnell, prince of Tirconnell, founded, A.D. 1474, 
 this monastery for Franciscans of the strict observance ; his wife, Pene- 
 lope, the daughter of Connor O’Brien, prince of Thomond, shared also 
 in the merit of this good work, 
 
 A.D. 1516, Menelaus MacCarmacan, bishop of Raphoe, died in the 
 habit of this order, and was interred in this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1551, Roderic O’Donnell, bishop of Derry, died in the same 
 habit, and was interred here. 
 
 There had been in this abbey a well-selected library. At a small 
 distance from the town, the ruins are still to be seen. The cloister con- 
 sists of small arches, supported by couplets of pillars on a basement. 
 In one part are two narrow passages, one over the other, about four feet 
 wide, ten in length, and seven high ; they seem to have been places for 
 depositing valuables in time of danger. The upper one is covered with 
 stones that are laid on the beams of others that cross it, and the lower 
 ^ne with stones laid across on the walls. Each of them are exactly 
 after the Egyptian manner of building. In a structure over it are plain 
 marks of a regular Roman pediment. 
 
 The annals of the Four Masters were compiled in the Franciscan 
 
 A 
 
406 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTOEY OF IKELAND. 
 
 abbey of Donegal. The monastery and the library, then the best of 
 any in the kingdom, became a prey to the rapacity of the brutal Ilenry 
 VIII. 
 
 Drumthuoma, in the barony of Tir-hugh. This liad been a cele- 
 brated monastery ; was probably founded by St. Adamnan. Ernene 
 died a very old man in this house. There is no reason to affirm that he 
 was abbot, as Archdall calls him. Adamnan saw him, when very old, 
 and speaks of him as having been a strong working man when Columba 
 died. 
 
 Flahertach O’Maeldory, king of Tir-connell, died, and was buried in 
 this abbey, A.D. 1197. 
 
 Fathen-Mura, now Fahan, in Innisowen, and on Loughswilly. St. 
 Mm-a is the patron of this monastery, — lie was probably the founder. 
 Mura was a descendant of Niall Jsiageillach, by his son Eugene, and 
 the great grandson of another Eugene who died in 565. Ilis father’s 
 name was Feradach, his mother’s Derinilla. lie flourished in the flrst 
 half of the seventh century. Ills memory, which is revered on the 
 12th of March, has been held in great veneration by the O’Tseil family, 
 who regarded him as their patron saint. Ilis staff, called Bachul-mura, 
 was preserved as a relic. St. Mura wrote a metrical life, in Irish, of 
 Columbkille. Ilis monastery, which is said to have belonged to the Co- 
 in mban order, flourished for many centuries. Mura died, it seems, 
 sometime before the year 658. 
 
 St. Keliach, the son of Saran, succeeded. 
 
 This noble monastery was richly endowed, and for many ages was 
 held in the highest veneration. Many monuments of antiquity were 
 here preserved, until they were destroyed by the reformers. Amongst 
 those which have been preserved are, a book of the acts of St. Columb, 
 written by Mura — a large and ancient chronicle, — the jiastoral staflT of 
 St. Mura, richly ornamented with jewels, still preserved by the O’Neils, 
 ind by which many miracles are said to have been wrought. 
 
 Garton, according to Archdall, was a monastery founded by Saint 
 Columbkille. Gartan was his birthplace. 
 
 Ilillfothuir was a Cistercian abbey, founded A.D. 1194, by O’Dogh- 
 erty. It professed obedience to that of Ashroe, and became united 
 to it. 
 
 Inver-naile, in the barony of Boylagh and Bannagh, and east of Kil- 
 lybegs. St. Natalis, or Naal, pronounced to have been the son of 
 Aengus, king of Cashel, and to whose abbey St. Senan was directed by 
 the abbot Cassidus. He is supposed to be the Naal of Inver and of 
 Killnaille, in Breffney ; was also revered at Kilmanagh. The death of 
 Naal of Inver Naal is assigned to the year A.D. 564. The memory of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND.^ 407 
 
 this saint was revered at Kilmanagh, on tlie 31st of July. St. Natalis 
 is also said to have been the abbot of Devenish. 
 
 A small momistery for Franciscans of the third order was founded 
 in this place, in the fifteenth century. It was granted by King Janies 
 I. to James, Viscount Clandeboy, and by him assigned to Arthur, Lord 
 Chichester, whose family has become very prosperous, as adventurers 
 hostile to the people and the religion of Ireland. 
 
 Liiscael, an island in the bay of Boylagh and Bannagh. A Saint 
 Conal is honored here on the 12th of May. It was attacked by jiirates 
 about the year 590. There is in this island a celebrated well, which, 
 with the church, is dedicated to Conal, and yearly visited by a great 
 numbei’ of pilgrims. 
 
 Inis-Samer, an island in the bay of Donegal, and at the mouth of 
 the river Erne. Flaherty O’Maoldora, king of Tii-connel, having re- 
 nounced the cares of the world, and having devoted himself to the ser- 
 vice of Heaven, died in this island, A.D. 1197. 
 
 Kilbarron, anciently called Kilbharind. A St. Barrindus is men- 
 tioned in the voyages of St. Brendan. His name shall occur again. 
 
 Killybegs, a seaport ; the safest on the Irish coasts, and in the ba- 
 rony of Boylagh and Bannagh. MaeSweeny-bannig founded a monas- 
 tery in this town for Franciscans of the third order. 
 
 Kill-O’Donnell, near Rathmellan, in the barony of Kilmacrenan. 
 In the beginning of the sixteenth century O’Donnell founded this mo- 
 nastery for Franciscans of the third order. 
 
 Loughdearg, in the barony of Tir-Hugh, and parish of Templecarn. 
 In this island there was a priory of canons regular. Its foundation was 
 attributed to St. Patrick, but in his days there was no such order. 
 Others attribute it to an abbot Patrick, who was the superior about the 
 year 850. Neither were they in existence during his time, as they were 
 introduced by Imar, the preceptor of St. Malachy. 
 
 Tlie far-famed purgatory of this island is also attributed to St. Pa- 
 trick. The purgatory is not mentioned in any of his lives, nor was it 
 heard of until the eleventh century, the period in which the canons 
 regular of St. Augustine appeared. By the authority of Pope Alex- 
 ander VI., it was demolished on St. Patrick’s day, 1497, by the father 
 guardian of the Franciscans of Donegal, and others, who were deputed 
 for this purpose by the bishop. A canon of the priory of St. Davoc, in 
 the same lake, usually resided on the island, for the service of the church 
 and pilgrims. It has been since, in some degree restored. 
 
 Moville, on Loughfoyle, in Innisowen. Seems to have been con- 
 founded with the Magh-bile of the county Down. 
 
 Magheribeg, near the town of Donegal. About the middle of the 
 
408 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTOKY OF tRELAKD. 
 
 fifteenth century O’Donnell founded this monasteiy for Franciscans of 
 the third oi’der, 
 
 Raphoe, in the barony to which it gives name, is a bishop’s seat. 
 
 St. Adamnan, abbot of Ily, patron and restorer of this monastery, 
 died the 23d of September, A.D. 703 or 704. It belonged to the order 
 of St. Columba. 
 
 Rathcunga, in the barony of Tir-IIngh. A very old establishment. 
 St. Asicus, of Elphin, and Baithen, are interred here. St. Patrick is 
 said to have erected this church. Rathene, monastery of, — See Ivill- 
 linan, in Mayo. 
 
 Rathmullen, on Long-Swilly, and in the barony of Kihnacrcnan. 
 MacSweeny Fannid founded this house for Carmelites, or white friars. 
 
 Sathreginden, in Tyrconnell, founded by St. Baithan, who lived in 
 Colnmba’s time, and became one of Ins monks. Baithan, having many 
 years presided over this establishment, and having applied to Columba 
 for his blessing, died at Derry. 
 
 Torre or Torey Island, eight miles from the main land of the barony 
 of Kilmacrenan, is extremely fertile. 
 
 The erection of a monastery on this island is attributed to St. Co- 
 lumbkille. Here also is a round tower, whose erection the islanders 
 and the inhabitants of the opposite coasts, by common tradition, attri- 
 bute to that saint. Ernan, who is called the son of Colman, -vas abbot 
 of Torey Island. He is difierent from the Ernan of Dromthuoma. The 
 abbot of Torey Island is revered on the 11th of January. It is sup- 
 posed that Ernan died about 650. 
 
 Tulacb-dubglaise, in tlie barony of Kilmacrenan. The churcli in 
 which S<t. Columba was baptized by the priest Cruthnecan. Archdall 
 calls i< 'iix abbey founded by the saint himself 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 409 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 COUNTY OF DOWN. 
 
 AnADCAOiL, in the barony of Dandrum, Archdall mentions a Saint 
 Killeen as abbot of this house, in the fifth century. 
 
 Ardicnise, now unknown, was a Franciscan friary, 
 
 Bangor, or Ben-chor, in the barony of Ardes, anciently called the 
 Vale of Angels. It is a seaport, market, and borough town. 
 
 St. Comgall was born A.D. 516, and was of a distinguished military 
 family of Dalaradia, the very country in which he founded the famous 
 abbey of Bangor. His father’s name v as Sedna, his mother’s Briga. 
 When having attained a certain age, he wished to engage in the reli 
 gious state ; and having left his father’s roof, placed himself under a 
 master, capable of instructing him in ecclesiastical learning. After 
 some time he repaired towards the more southern parts of Ireland, with 
 a view of improving himself in knowledge and monastic discij^line. 
 
 Having arrived in Leinster, he went to the monastery of Clonenagh, • 
 over which St. Fintan presided, and by whom Comgall was kindly 
 received, and admitted as a member of his community. As the dis- 
 cipline of this monastery was veiy austere, he felt a strong temptation 
 to leave the establishment, and return to his relatives and country, 
 Fintan, to whom he disclosed his uneasiness, having prayed to God in 
 his favor, he was soon relieved from his anxiety ; and while in the act 
 of praying himself, he perceived his heart, all on a sudden, overflowing 
 with spiritual comfort. Becoming fully satisfied with his state, he re- 
 mained several years under the direction of St. Fintan, who, on finding 
 him fully qualified, advised him to return to his own country, and form 
 there some religious establishments. 
 
 On his arrival in Ulster he preached in various parts of that pro- 
 vince, and spent some time in solitude on an island of Lough Erne. In- 
 tending to leave Ireland, and to finish his earthly career in Britain, he 
 was induced, by the urgent solicitations of Bishop Lugidus, who 
 ordained him, and of other holy men, to remain in his own country. 
 
410 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAJL HISTOEY OF IKELAOT). 
 
 Comgall then founded the abbey of Benchor, near the bay of Carrick- 
 fergus, about the year 559. For the direction of his disciples, Comgall 
 drew up a particular rule, which was reckoned among the principal 
 ones observed in Ireland. The number of persons who placed them- 
 selves under this holy abbot was so great, that it became necessary to 
 establish various cells and monasteries, in which, it is said, three thou- 
 sand monks were superintended by him. Among them is mentioned 
 Cormac, king of south Leinster, who, in his old age, repaired to Bangor, 
 and there closed his days. 
 
 The reputation of this monastery was very much enhanced by the 
 fame of some eminent men, who were educated under the holy abbot 
 of Bangor, particularly Columbanus, one of the greatest men of his 
 age, and the celebrity of whose virtues spread throughout Europe. St. 
 Comgall observed and followed the liturgy, which St. Patrick intro- 
 duced into Ireland, and which was called the “ Cursus Scotorum.” It 
 is related that in the seventh year after the foundation of Bangor, he 
 went to Britain, wishing to visit some saints, and to remain there some 
 time, and that he established a monastery in that country, called Ileth. 
 Comgall visited St. Columba, in one of the western islands. lie is said . 
 to have contributed to the convei*sion of Brideus, king of the northern 
 Piets. Having returned to Ireland, he continued to govern his monas- 
 tery, and its dependencies, until his death, which occurred on the 10th 
 of May, A.D. 601, after having received the holy viaticum from St. 
 Fiachra, abbot of Conbhail, and afterwards of Clonard. This eminent 
 saint has been justly placed among the fathers of the Irish church. 
 
 A.D. 605, died the holy abbot Beogna. In the same year died his 
 successor, Syllan. 
 
 A.D. 674, the abbey was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 812, the Danes burned the town and abbey. 
 
 A.D. 818, they again plundered it, putting the abbot and his monks 
 to death, and breaking open the rich shrine of St. Comgall. 
 
 A.D. 919, died the abbot Mainach, esteemed the most learned writer 
 of the Irish. 
 
 A.D. 1120, Malachy O’Moore, in the twenty-fifth year of his age 
 was placed over this abbey. 
 
 St. Malachy built an oratory of wood at Bangor. On being pro- 
 moted to the see of Connor, he appointed Malachy, brother to Christian, 
 the abbot of Mellifont, to succeed him in the government of Bangor 
 abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1380. In a parliament held this year, it was enacted that no 
 mere Irishman should be suffered to make his profession in this 
 abbey 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 411 
 
 William O’Dorman was the last abbot. Its possessions were very 
 extensive ; some of which were granted to Gerald, earl of Kildare. 
 
 The Franciscans of the third order obtained possession of the 
 abbey of Bangor, in the year 1469, according to the direction of Pope 
 Paul 11. 
 
 The Black Abbey, called the abbey of St. Andrew de Stokes, two 
 miles north of Ballyhalbert, in the great Ardes. 
 
 Sir John de Courcey founded, A.D. 1180, this abbey for Benedictines. 
 King David was not permitted to build the temple of Jerusalem be- 
 cause he was a man of blood. Tlie guilt of sacrilege did not stain the 
 breast of the pious psalmist, and yet the Almighty would not accept the 
 erection of a temple to his honor, at his hands, but reserved it to the 
 reign of Solomon, whose hands were not polluted with human gore. 
 
 By the enactments of 1380, no mere Irishman was permitted to 
 make his profession in this abbey. 
 
 In the sixteenth century, this priory and its possessions, consisting of 
 eleven carucates of Jand, were seized by the O’Neils, on whose rebel- 
 lion, as the English call it, the abbey, &c., became vested in the crown, 
 and King James I. granted them to Viscount Clandeboys ; they were 
 afterwards assigned to the Lord Ardes, and eventually to the see of 
 Armagh. 
 
 Castle-Buy, in the Ardes, near the Lough of Strangford. Hugh 
 de Lacie founded this commandery for the knights Templar, in the 
 twelfth century ; the building is now a heap of ruins. The family of 
 Echlin possess several townlands in freehold, and a manor court, which 
 belonged to this establishment. 
 
 Thus we find the plunderers of England expiating, or striving to 
 atone the huge robberies which they committed, not only on the native 
 proprietors, but also on the clergy of L-eland. Theirs has been the 
 merit, as reformers of the Iiish church, to invent this aristocratic mode 
 of redeeming sins and obtaining forgiveness from Heaven. It is no 
 wonder that the Almighty avenger has permitted their destruction in 
 the sixteenth century, as they were the oblations of men, whose hands 
 and hearts were reeking in blood. 
 
 Cluain-daimh, according to Archdall, had for its abbot a St. Mochoe- 
 moe. Among the disciples of St. Carthag, of Lismore, there are three 
 of that name mentioned : one, the son of Vairt, another the son of 
 Cuaith, and a third, who afterwards became a bishop. 
 
 Cumber, in the barony of Castlereagh. Bryan Catha Dun, from 
 whom the O’Neils of Clandeboys, are descended, built this abbey in 
 honor of the Virgin Mary, and supplied it with monks of the Cistercian 
 order, from the abbey of Alba-landa, in Wales. The founder was 
 
412 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 slain about the year 1201, by Sir John de Courcey, wlio signalized liim- 
 self by alternate acts of piety, revenge, and reparation. 
 
 John O’Mulligan was tbe last abbot, and be voluntarily resigned, 
 i.e. forced to resign, A.D. 1543. 
 
 Down-Patrick, a market and borough town. Founded by Saint 
 Patrick. 
 
 A.D. 584, died tbe bishop Fergus, on tbe 30tb of March. 
 
 A.D. 785, died the abbot Dungal, tlie son of Lasgair. 
 
 A.D. 940, tbe Danes plundered and burned tbe town. 
 
 A.D. 1111, tbe Danes repeated their attacks. 
 
 A.D. 1183, tbe secular canons were removed by Sir John de Courcey, 
 who placed therein Benedictines from tbe abbey of Chester. Sir John, 
 in tbe midst of victory and plunder, made several grants to this abbey, 
 for tbe spiritual benebt of bis deceased relatives, bis own, and of bis 
 faithful servants, wdio should die in his wars of plunder and massacre. 
 
 A.D. 1185, tbe bodies of Saints Patrick, Columbkille, and Brigid 
 were discovered in this abbey, with tbe following epitaph written over 
 them ; — 
 
 “ Hi trcs in Duno tumulo tumulantur in uno, 
 
 Brigida, Patricias, atque Columba pins.” 
 
 A.D. 1186, the translation of those relics took place. A portion of 
 St. Patrick’s were brought to Armagh. St. Columba bad been buried 
 in Ily, but tbe shrine in which bis relics were preserved was brought 
 to Ireland, Feradacb, tbe son of Cormac, being then abbot of Hy, 
 lest they should fall into tbe bands of the Danes, and were deposited in 
 Down, about the year 876 or 878, and whither also were those of Saint 
 Bridget conveyed from Kildare, by, it is supposed, tbe abbot Kellacb, 
 who died, A.D. 865. As it was generally believed that tbe bodies of 
 tbe three saints were in Down, Malacby, its bishop, and tbe second of 
 that name, was in tbe habit of praying frequently to God, that be 
 would vouchsafe to point out the particular place in which they were 
 deposited. At length, while praying on a certain night in the cathedral 
 of Down, he saw a light, like unto a sun-beam, traversing the church, 
 and stopping at the spot where the bodies were entombed. Imme- 
 diately procuring the necessary implements, he dug, and found the 
 bones of the three bodies, which he then put into distinct coffins, and 
 replaced them in their former positions. 
 
 Having informed John de Courcey, then lord of Down, of the 
 event, they determined on sending messengers to Pope Urban III., in 
 order that their removal to a more respectable part of the church would 
 be approved. The Pontiff acceded to the wishes of the bisho’^ and 
 
ECCLKSIASTICAL HISTOKY OF niELAXD. 
 
 413 
 
 Courccy, sent as liis legate, Vivian, cardinal priest of St. Stephen on the 
 Celian Mount, who had been nine years previously at Down, and who 
 was well acquainted with the bishop of Down and de Courcey. On his 
 arrival, the relics were removed, with the usual solemnities, to a more 
 distinguished part of the church, on the 9th of June, the festival of St. 
 Columba, and deposited in one monument. 
 
 At the translation, besides the cardinal legate, there were present 
 fifteen bishops, together with abbots, provosts, dea'is, archdeacons, 
 priors, &c., and it was resolved that the anniversary of the translation 
 should be celebrated as a festival on the day of its occurrence, and that 
 the feast of Saint Columba should be in future observed on the 17th of 
 June. 
 
 A.D. 1316, Edward Bruce, with his Scotch troops, destroyed the 
 abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1380, no mere Irishman was allowed to profess in this abbey. 
 
 John Boss was prior; he was succeeded by John Cely. Their acts 
 noticed in the bishops of Down. 
 
 A.D. 1538, the lord deputy Gray burned the church, defaced the 
 monuments of SS. Patrick, Columbkille, and Brigid, and was guilty of 
 many other sacrilegious acts. 
 
 The prior of this house sat as a baron in paidiament. Gerald, earl 
 of Kildare, obtained a grant of its vast possessions. 
 
 Die priory stood near the town, on the ascent of a hill, and though 
 in ruins, is still venerable. The roof was supported by five handsome 
 arches, which composed a centre aisle of twenty-six feet in breadth, two 
 lateral or side ones of thirteen feet each, and in length one hundred. 
 Tlie heads of the pillars and arches, tops of the windows, and many 
 niches in the walls, were adorned with a variety of sculptures. At the 
 east end is a very lofty and magnificent window, and over it are three 
 niches, in which were placed the statues of SS. Patrick, Columba, and 
 Brigid. Adjoining the east end of the church are two square columns, 
 in one of which was a winding staircase leading to the roof. 
 
 Priory of Regular Canons, called that of the Irish, was founded by 
 St. Malachy O’Moore, in the year 1138. 
 
 William was prior. Martin succeeded, and was prior in 1260. 
 
 A.D. 1276, William Rede, the prior, resigned. 
 
 The site and precincts, with its possessions, were granted to Gerald, 
 earl of Kildare. 
 
 Crossbearers, the priory of John the Baptist, called that of the Eng 
 lish, was founded by Sir John de Courcey, in the twelfth century, for 
 the order of Crossbearers. - 
 
 A.D. 1210, William was prior, and a subscribing witness to Sir John 
 
414 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORT OF lEELAND. 
 
 de Courcey’s charter to the Black Abbey. Sir John liimself surren- 
 dered life in this year. 
 
 Tl>e prior, William Rufus, was deposed in the year 1293. 
 
 A-D. 1380, John was prior before this year. 
 
 This priory, with all its possessions, was granted to Gerald, earl of 
 Kildare, who must certainly have been a special favorite with the sacri- 
 legious plunderers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. 
 
 An abbey of Cistercians was founded by a member of the Bagnal 
 family, in the twelfth century, of which nothing more is known. 
 
 Franciscan Friary, founded, according to some accounts, by Hugh 
 de Lacey, in the year 1240, and to others, by Africa, wife to Sir John 
 de Courcey. It passed into the hands of the Strict Observants in the 
 time of Thomas MacCominde, the warden, and Patrick Keavin, the 
 minister provincial. A provincial chapter of the order was held in this 
 abbey A.D. 1313. 
 
 This monastery, with its possessions, was granted to Gerald, earl of 
 Kildare. 
 
 The Leper’s Hospital Avas dedicated to St. Kicholas, and was, with 
 that of St. Peter, at Kllclief, on the 20th of April, 1413, granted, in 
 custody, to John Young, John Molyn, and Walter Celey, with all their 
 lands, tenements, and appurtenances : to hold the same as long as they 
 would continue in his majesty’s possession, being then in the hands of 
 the king, for certain causes. 
 
 Dromorc, a bishop’s seat. A market town and manor, in the barony 
 of Iveagh. Saint Colman, the founder. — (See diocese of, &c.) 
 
 A.D. 841, died the abbot Kellach, son of Caitginus. 
 
 A.D. 903, died the abbot Cormac. 
 
 A.D. 972, died the abbot Maelbrigid. 
 
 Drumboe, in the barony of Castlereagh. St. Mochumma is said to 
 have been the abbot of this house about the beginning of the seventh 
 century. 
 
 A.D. 1130, Connor, son of Artgal MacLoghlin, plundered this 
 abbey. 
 
 Its few remains show it to have been forty-five feet in length and 
 twenty broad. Here stands an ancient round toAver, thirty-five feet in 
 height, forty-seven in circumference, and nine in the diameter. 
 
 Dundrum, in the barony of Lecale. Sir John de Courcey erected 
 this castle for knights Templar. 
 
 Tlie revei*sion of this house and manor was granted to Gerald, earl 
 ot Kildare. 
 
 This castle was granted to the family of the Magennis, and on their 
 forfeiture thereof, it became the property of the earl of Ardglass, and 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IRELAND 
 
 415 
 
 afterwards of Lord Viscount Blundell. The ruins are of an irregular 
 multangular form, with a fine round tower, thirty-five feet diameter in 
 the interior. 
 
 Erynach-Carrig. Here is a well, dedicated to St. Finnian. It is 
 situated in the barony of Liecale. 
 
 Near the well, Magnell Makenlefe, king of Ulster, founded, on the 
 8th of September, A.D. 1120, an abbey for Benedictines, and called it 
 “ Carrig,” because built on a rock. Evodius was the first abbot. On 
 the day of his decease he is said to have ordered that his corpse should 
 be interred in the peninsula of Ennis, predicting that the abbey of 
 Carrig would be destroyed. 
 
 Odo, Devincius, and John, succeeded in Ihe government of this 
 abbey ; but in the incumbency of John it was given to the Cister- 
 cians, and made filial to the abbey of Furness, in Lancashire. At the 
 conquest of Ulster, John de Courcey totally demolished this house, 
 it having been converted into a fortification against him. In expi ation 
 of his sacrilege, he founded an abbey at Iniscourcey. 
 
 In 1187, John de Courcey, returning from an expedition in Con- 
 naught, was opposed by Connor Maenmoigi, the eldest son of Koderick 
 O’Conor, and Donald O’Brien, king of North Munster, and defeated 
 with considerable loss. 
 
 Gray Abbey, de Jugo Dei, of the Yoke of God, in the barony of 
 Ardes. Africa, the wife of John de Courcey, founded this abbey for 
 Cistercians, under the invocation of the Vii'gin Mary, in the year 1193. 
 She supplied it with monks, from Ilolmcultrain, in Cumberland. She 
 took up her last residence in this abbey. 
 
 John Cassels was the last abbot of Gray abbey. It was ruined 
 towards the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, while the wars of O’Neil 
 continued. It was largely endowed, and Gerald, earl of Kildare, ob- 
 tained a share of its spoils. 
 
 Tlie statue of Africa, the foundress, was carved in stone, on the 
 gospel side of the high altar. The building was large and magnificent ; 
 the east window of the church is a noble Gothic design, of three com- 
 partments, each being six feet wide and upwards of twenty in height. 
 On the north and south walls on each side of the altar is a large win- 
 dow of free-stone, neatly carved, and of the same breadth with the 
 eastern window. The cells, dormitory, &c., are all in ruins. 
 
 Hollywood, on the bay of Carrickfergus. The Franciscans of the 
 third order dwelt in this abbey. The founder is not known. 
 
 Conogher O’llamle, the last prior, resigned. An inquisition being 
 held, he was seized of the said priory, and of five townlands, wdilch, of 
 course, were confiscated. 
 
416 
 
 ECCLESIA3TICA1, HISTORY OF IKEI.ANB. 
 
 Inniscourcey, a peninsula on Lough Strangforcl. Sir John de Cour- 
 cey having demolished the abbey of Oarig, founded this monastery on 
 the 3d of June, 1180, for monks of the Cistercian order, and dedicated 
 it to the Virgin Mary. lie supplied it ■with monks of Furness, and 
 gave it the possessions, which belonged to the abbey, which his sacri- 
 legious hands had demolished. 
 
 A.D. 1380, it was enacted that no mere Irishman should profess in 
 this abbey. 
 
 Gerald, earl of Kildare, again flourishes, as the favorite child of the 
 English robbers. 
 
 The church of this abbey was built in the form of a cross, and a 
 part thereof yet remains. At the east end are three large Gothic arched 
 windows, upwards of twenty feet high ; in the north and south walls 
 are two windows, each of two arches, and scarcely inferior to the east- 
 ern ones. On the south side of the altar of this noble building are still 
 to be seen the tops of the seats of the ofliciating priest, and his assist- 
 ants, cut in the wall, and adorned with Gothic sculpture ; and on the 
 same side was the steeple, supported by an elegant arch. 
 
 Kilcholpa, or Rathcolpa, near Downpatrick, founded in the time of 
 St. Patrick. St. Tassach, the bishop, from whom the apostle of Ire- 
 land received the last sacraments, presided over this see. It is now un- 
 known. 
 
 Hospital for Lepers. — See at Downpatrick. 
 
 Ivilmbian. St. Fergus, who was of a princely family, and probably 
 the first bishop of Down, founded this church. Fergus died on the 30th 
 of March, 584. Its situation is now unknown. 
 
 Lin-IIuachuille or Magheralin, in the barony of Lower Iveagh, and 
 on the river Lagan. St. Colraan, who died A.D. 699, March 30th, 
 founded this monastery. 
 
 Moville, Maghbile, or Domnachbile, in the barony of Ardes, founded 
 by St. Finnian, who is different from the saint of Clonard. St. Columb- 
 kille studied in the monastery of Moville, under this bishop Finnian. 
 The precise time in which he founded the monastery is not recorded ; 
 but as St. Cblumba studied there, when young, most probably it was 
 erected about the year 540. 
 
 St. Finian, who is often called Finbhar, was son of Corpreus, of the 
 princely house of Dalfiatach, and his mother’s name was Lassara, both 
 of whom were Christians, for Finnian was, when very young, placed 
 under the care of St. Colman, of Dromore, by whom he was afterwards 
 recommended to the Abbot Caylan. This holy servant of God directed 
 him to the great school of Nennio, in Britain. Having spent some 
 time at Kennio’s school, it is said, that for the sake of more improve 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL UISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 41 r 
 
 raeiit, he went to Eome, where he studied for seven years, and was 
 raised to the priesthood. When he was consecrated is not on record. 
 The birtli of St. Finnian may be safely inferred to have taken place in 
 the beginning of the sixth century. 
 
 St. Finnian died in the year 576, and was buried in the monastery 
 of Maghbile, where his tomb, distinguished by miracles, was much fre- 
 quented by pilgrims. Ilis natalis, or the day of his death is the 10th of 
 September. 
 
 A.D. 603, St. Senell, bishop of this monastery, died. 
 
 A.D. 619, St. Sillan, abbot and bishop of Maghbile, called the 
 Master, died the 21st of October. 
 
 St. Cronan, abbot of Maghbile, died on the 7th of August, A.D. 
 650. 
 
 A.D. 823, the Danes destroyed all the sacred edifices by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1098, died in pilgrimage the abbot Flahertach. 
 
 A.D. 1149, the town and abbey were plundered. 
 
 A.D. 1170, Amlave, who had been expelled from the abbey of 
 Drogheda for his misdemeanors, was made the abbot of Moville. He 
 soon after, in conjunction with Eochadha, king of Ulidia, drove the 
 abbot and monks of Saul out of the abbey, which they themselves had 
 built, and plundered them of their books, vestments and furniture, with 
 all their herds, flocks and goods, whatsoever. 
 
 A.D. 1274. died the abbot Giolla-Christus Colman. 
 
 James MacGuilmore was the last abbot. This house became a prey 
 to the general devastation of monasteries on the 1st of February, 1542 ; 
 it was then seized of seven townlands, all adjacent to the abbey. 
 
 Neddrum, on the coast of Down, and the largest of the Copland 
 islands. 
 
 John de Courcey having granted the greatest part of the lands of 
 said island to the monks of St. Mary’s, at York, and of St. Bega, of 
 Coupland, in Cumberland, brought over some of these monks, and 
 founded for them a cell, in Neddrum, assigning to it lands in Duffren. 
 The founding of the cell took place in 1183, and hence the name of 
 “ Coupland” was given to Heddrum, and to the adjacent isles. 
 
 In 1194, Boger de Dunesforth made to this priory of Benedictines a 
 large grant, and Brien de Eschallers, on the 9th of June, A.D. 1202, was 
 a benefactor to it in the time of de Courcey. 
 
 Tliis abbey did not long exist. 
 
 Newry, de viridi ligno, a town of an extensive trade, and a parlia- 
 mentary borough. 
 
 A Cistercian abbey was founded in this town in honor of the Yirgin 
 Mary and St. Patrick, by Maurice MacLoghlin, monarch of Ireland, 
 
418 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lEELANTi. 
 
 with the unanimous consent of the kings and peel’s of Ulster and Ergel, 
 between the years 1148 and 1153. 
 
 A.D. 1160, the abbot Finnian MacTiarcain was made bishop of 
 Kildare. 
 
 A.D. 1162, the library of the abbey, all its effects, and the yew tree 
 which St. Patrick planted, were destroyed by fire. — (Newry signifies a 
 “ Yew.”) 
 
 A.D. 1373, this convent being mere Irish, conversing only with 
 Irish, and spending their rents and profits on said Irish, King Ed- 
 ward III. seized their lands, a carucate and a half in the county of 
 Louth, and granted the same at the rent of forty shillings, to James 
 Bellew, for life, if they should so long continue in the king’s 
 hands. 
 
 A.D. 1543, this convent was converted into a collegiate church at 
 the suit of Arthur Magennis, John Prowle, the late abbot being ap- 
 pointed warden. 
 
 Tlie college consisted of a warden and vicai-s choral ; at the sup- 
 pression it became a wreck. 
 
 The abbot of this house exercised episcopal jurisdiction over the 
 lordships of Newry and Mourne. A Mr. Needham still eiijoys the ju- 
 risdiction, who is descended from Sir Nicholas Bagnall, to whom King 
 Edward VI. granted this abbey. The seal of his court is a mitred 
 abbot in his alb, sitting in a chair, supported by two yew trees. 
 
 Newtown, in the barony of Ardes. A market town and borough. 
 
 Maher de Burgh, earl of Ulster, founded this abbey for Domini- 
 cans, A.D. 1244, in honor of St. Columbkille. Provincial chaptera 
 were held in this house. 
 
 Patrick O’Doran, the last prior, surrendered the priory. He Avas 
 then seized of the same, and of the townlauds of NewtoAvn, Kilcow- 
 mon, and Bearnes, all in the county. Some of its ruins are still to be 
 seen. 
 
 Saul, in the barony of Lecale, St. Patrick, the founder. It became 
 inhabited by canons regular. Saint Malachy O’Moore, Avhile bishop 
 of Down, rebuilt this abbey with stone. 
 
 The abbot of Moville and the king of Ulster plundered this monas- 
 tery. The king being desperately Avounded in battle, Avas, on the 
 Thursday after, murdered by his OAvn brother at Down. 
 
 A.D. 1217, the son of the abbot of Moville became the abbot of 
 Saul. Tlie infamous father, Amlave, was expelled from the monastery 
 of Drogheda, of which he was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1316. EdAvard Bruce plundered the abbey of Saul. 
 
 A.D. 1380. No mere Irishman Avas to profess here. Large ruins of 
 
BOCLH8IA8TICAL HISTORY OF IRFLAND. 
 
 419 
 
 this monastery still remain. It was, with its castles and lands given to 
 Gerald, earl of Kildare. 
 
 Slieve Donard, in the barony of Upper Iveagh. Saint Domangart 
 founded this monastery. This saint was a celebrated one. He was a 
 bishop, and his festival was observed on the 24th of March. Tlie 
 year of his death is not known. The mountain, anciently called Slieve 
 Slainge, from a hero of that name, has derived its modern one from 
 Saint Domangart, who is said to have been the son of Euchodius, 
 king of Ulster, in the end of the fifth and a part of the sixth cen- 
 tury. This king is represented as a tyrant, and persecutor of the 
 Christians. 
 
 Toberglory. Sir John de Courcey founded this abbey to the honor 
 of St. Thomas the martyr, near this well, which lies near Downpatrick. 
 He gave it to the canons regular of the church of the Virgin Mary, 
 at Carlisle ; endowed it with three carucates of land adjacent thereto, 
 besides the lands, meadows, pastures, mills, a burgage within the town 
 of Down. King Edward H. confirmed the grant. 
 
420 
 
 E(3C1JESIASTI0AL HISTORT OF lEEXAKD. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 COUNTY OF DUBLIN. 
 
 Castleknock. Richard Tyrrell founded an abbey here for canons 
 regular of St. Augustine, in honor of St. Brigid. The order of Saint 
 Vincent de Paul has been established at Castleknock, under the presi- 
 dency of the Very Rev. Philip Dovvley, formerly dean of Maynooth 
 college. 
 
 Clondalkin, in the barony of Newcastle, and distant from Dublin 
 about four miles south-west. 
 
 Saint Mochua, according to Colgan, was the founder and first abbot 
 and who flourished in the early part of the seventh century. Clou- 
 dalkin afterwards became a bishop’s see, and a place of great renown. 
 As Clondalkin became an episcopal see, it is not easy to suppose that 
 Dublin could have been a bishopric, as some writem maintain. 
 
 A large cross of granite, without ornament, is still to be seen in the 
 churchyard ; and of its former religious edifices a church in ruins in its 
 immediate vicinity remains. Here, too, is a round tower. 
 
 The feast of St. Mochua is held on the 6th of August. 
 
 A.D. 784, died the bishop St. Ferfugillus. His feast is kept on the 
 lOth of March. 
 
 A.D. 876, Cathald MacCormac, abbot and bishop of Clondalkin, 
 died. 
 
 A.D. 866, the palace of the Danish prince, Amlaive, was set on fire, 
 and destro 3 'ed by Ciaran, son of Ronan. 
 
 Clontarf, a commandery for knights Templar, called of St. Corn- 
 gall, was founded in the reign of Henry H. 
 
 Clontarf is in the barony of Coolock, and at the mouth of the river 
 Lififey. The Danes were defeated at Clontarf, and their power annihi- 
 lated by the victory which Brian Borumhe gained over them on Good 
 Friday, the 23d of April, 1014. 
 
 On that day the pious monarch of Ireland would have avoided 
 fighting, but left no alternative, as the Danes insisted, he resolved on 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 421 
 
 the defence of the rights of his country and religion. Holding a cru- 
 cifix in his left hand, and a sword in his right, the monarch rode 
 through the ranks, with his son Moragh, encouraging his army to ter- 
 minate forever the oppressions of those tyrants and usurpers who had 
 committed so many ci'uelties and sacrileges in Ireland, so that the me- 
 morable day on which Christ shed his blood on the altar of the cross, in 
 expiation of our sins, should be the last of their power in the kingdom, 
 and declaring his readiness to sacrifice his life in so holy and righteous 
 a cause. As soon as the engagement began, Maelseachlin, with his men 
 of Meath withdrew, and continued as mere spectatoi's of the battle. 
 Kotwithstanding their inactivity and defection, Brian and his faithful 
 troops, who heroically fought from sunrise until the close of the day, 
 gained a complete victory, which shall be ever memorable in the annals 
 of Ireland. 
 
 According to one account, the Ostmen or Danes, between killed and 
 wounded, lost thirteen thousand men, and the people of Leinster, who 
 joined the Danes, three thousand. The thousand Danes who wore coats 
 of mail, are said to have been cut to pieces, with their leaders, Charles 
 and Henry, Dolat and Coiimaol. Among the slain were also Brodar, 
 and two Danish princes of Dublin, with Maelmurry, king of Leinster. 
 The victory, however, was dearly purchased : for besides a great num- 
 ber of the Irish forces, Brian, the monarch, Morogh, his son, and Tur- 
 logh, his grandson, fell in this memorable contest, together with many 
 chieftains of Munster and Connaught. The monarch was slain in the 
 88th year of his age, and Morogh in the 63d. 
 
 Dublin. Abbey of the Virgin Mary. The foundation of this cele- 
 brated monastery is attributed to the Danes, on their conversion to 
 Christianity, about 948 ; by others it is ascribed to the Irish princes. It 
 was inhabited at firet by Benedictines. The first abbot, James, died on 
 the 11th of March ; the year of his death is not recorded. The year of 
 the foundation, 948, which some assert to have been the date thereof, 
 can scarcely be admitted. It was assuredly in existence in the eleventh 
 century. 
 
 A.D. 1113, died the abbot Michael, on the 19th of February. 
 
 A.D. 1131, died the abbot Everard, who was a Dane. 
 
 A.D. 1139, this abbey was granted to the Cistercians, through the 
 influence of St. Malachy O’Moore, who was the personal friend and ad- 
 mirer of St. Bernard, under whose care Malachy placed some Irish 
 youths, to be instructed in the discipline, which was observed at Clair- 
 vaux, the monastery of St. Bernard. 
 
 On the ITth of June, 1540, an annual pension of £50 Irish was 
 granted to William Laundy, the last abbot, at which period one thou- 
 
422 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lEELAUD. 
 
 sand nine hundred and forty-eight acres, parcel of its property situated 
 in the counties of Dublin and Meath, had been confiscated. A con- 
 siderable part of its possessions had been granted to Maurice, eaid of 
 Thomond, and to James, earl of Desmond. 
 
 In 1543, the abbey was granted to James, earl of Kildare, on con- 
 dition and under pain of forfeiture, should he or his heirs attempt at 
 any time to confederate with the Irish. IIow fortunate for the Irish 
 that the keys of heaven have been entrusted to the disinterested keep- 
 ing of St. Peter 1 
 
 The abbey was, however, in the twenty-fourth of Elizabeth, pre- 
 sented to Thomas, earl of Ormond, in common soccage, at the annual 
 rent of five shillings Irish. 
 
 The abbot of St. Mary’s sat as a baron in parliament. Princes, pre- 
 lates and nobles enriched it with their bequests. Kot a vestige of this 
 once magnificent abbey remains ; the site of which is at present 
 covered over with the habitations of traders and artizans. 
 
 Tliere was a beautiful image of the Virgin and Child in her arms, 
 in this abbey. 
 
 Priory of the Holy Trinity, commonly called Christ church. 
 Sitric, the Danish prince of Dublin, is said to have given Donatus, the 
 bishop of that see, a site on which to erect a church in honor of the 
 blessed Trinity. The year of the grant is marked in the “ black book” 
 of Christ church as taking place, A.D. 1033. 
 
 On the advancement of St. Lawrence O’Toole to the see of Dublin, 
 A.D. 1163, he instituted the canons regular of the order of Arras, in- 
 stead of the secular canons. 
 
 A.D. 1176 died Eichard, earl of Pembroke, called Strongbow, of a 
 cancerous sore in his leg, and was interred in the church of the Holy 
 Trinity, within sight of the holy cross. 
 
 A.D. 1546, the tomb of a bishop who had been many centuries in- 
 terred, was this year opened ; the body was found whole and uncor- 
 rnpted, with a gold chalice, rings, and episcopal vestments. 
 
 Eelics religiously preserved in this church : — A crucifix, said to 
 have spoken ; the staff of Jesus ; St. Patrick’s altar ; a thorn of our Sa- 
 viour’s crown ; part of the Virgin Mary’s girdle ; some of the bones of 
 SS. Peter and Andrew ; a few of those of the holy martyrs — St. Clement, 
 St. Oswald, St. Faith, the abbot Brendan, St. Thomas a Becket, St. Wool- 
 stan, bishop of W orcester, and St. Lawrence O’Toole, all of which have 
 been destroyed by the English reformers of the sixteenth and seven- 
 teenth centuries, in detestation of popery and idolatry. 
 
 Tlie cloistere and other buildings, attached to this magnificent 
 church, have been removed ; the church alone remains, reminding the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF rRELANO. 
 
 423 
 
 spectator of tlie splendor of ancient days, and of the piety and faith of 
 the Catholic church, as exemplified in works of art and architectural 
 taste. The court-yard and the aisles of Christ church are at present no- 
 thing more than the promenade of the idle and the curious. 
 
 Nunnery of St. Mary de Ilogges. In the year 1140, Dermot Mac 
 Murchard, king of Leinster, founded this convent for Augustinian nuns, 
 in a village called “ Ilogges,” adjoining the east end of the city of 
 Dublin. Gregory, of Dublin, and Malachy, primate of Ireland, were 
 directors of the building, and generous benefactors to it. In the year 
 3 151, the royal founder subjected the cell of Kilclehin, in the county of 
 iAilkenny, and that of Athaddy, in Carlow, to this house. 
 
 “ Oighe,” in the Irish language, means a virgin, and hence 
 it is likely the village took its name from the nunnery. Into this con- 
 vent no lady was admitted until she completed her thirtieth year of 
 age. 
 
 After the arrival of the English in Ireland, a plot was formed by the 
 natives against them, and many of the English having repaired to this 
 convent, the nuns secreted them. King John, so pleased with their ex- 
 emplary humanity, on coming to Ireland, rebuilt their nunnery, and 
 annexed thereto many chapels and livings. 
 
 The lady abbess, Matilda, died the 20th of March ; the year of her 
 decease is not recorded. 
 
 The lady Eossia was abbess. On her death license was granted^ 
 April 9th, 1277, to the nuns to pi'oceed to an election. 
 
 Tlie lady Mary Guidon, was the last abbess. 
 
 December 1st, sixth of King Edward VI., this abbey, with its ap- 
 purtenances, was granted forever to James Sedgrave, at the annua, 
 rent of eleven shillings and eight pence. 
 
 St. Sepulchre. It is supposed that the knights Templar had a prior}' 
 in a place called Casgot, in the south suburbs of the city, and that 
 Walter de Fernsfield was a great benefactor to it : it was probably where 
 the palace of the archbishop now stands in St. Kevin’s street. 
 
 Nunnery of St. Mary les Dames, without the east gate of the city, 
 which was thence called the gate of St. Mary, and the avenue leading 
 from the castle to the university, obtained the name of Dame-street. 
 In 1487, Lambert Simnell, supported by many of the nobles, was 
 crowned king in the priory of the Holy Trinity, by the name of Ed- 
 ward. The crown used on this occasion was borrowed from the statue 
 of the blessed Virgin, which stood in this nunnery. 
 
 George Browne, who was the schismatical and heretical bishop of 
 Dublin, united this church to that of St. Werburgh. 
 
 The abbey of St. Olave. King Henry 11. having granted the city 
 
42 ^ 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL UISTOEV OF IRELAND. 
 
 of Dublin to a colony from Bristol, this monastery was bnilt by them 
 for such of their countrymen as would be inclined to embrace the order 
 of St. Augustine, and called it from the abbey of the same order and 
 name in their native town. It stood in Castle-street, where was erected 
 the house of Sir James Ware. 
 
 Part of the possessions of this moniistery was granted to Edmond 
 Darcey, of Jordanstown, to hold the same for the term of thirty years, 
 at the annual rent of one pound five shillings, Irish money. 
 
 Monastery of Witeschan, of which there is but slight mention 
 made. It was situate in the west part of Dublin, passing from the 
 cathedral of St. Patrick through the Coombe, to the pool of the house 
 of St. Thomas the martyr. 
 
 There was an order of friai's de penitentia, who were also called the 
 sac friare. Their origin was in the year 1245, and their arrival in Ire- 
 land took ])lace in 1268. The order did not long survive ; it was con- 
 demned in England in 1307, and its houses passed into other hands ; and 
 in 1311, the council of Vienne condemned the order everywhere. This 
 monastery of Witeschan may liave been of that oi'der. 
 
 Priory of All- Hallows, or All-Saints, founded A.D. 1166, for canons 
 of the order of Aroasia, by Diarmod MacMurchard, king of Leinster, 
 now called College-green. Strongbow, the ravager of other shrines and 
 monasteries, was a great benefaetor to this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 117-4, died Milo de Cogan, another benefactor. 
 
 A.D. 1380, it was enacted by parliament that no mere Irishman 
 should be permitted to make his profession in this house. 
 
 A.D. 1548, died W alter Ilandcock, the last prior. The prior of this 
 monastery sat as a lord in parliament. 
 
 The prior was seized of a castle and divers edifices within the pre- 
 cincts thereof, and eight acres of arable land, and all its appurtenances, 
 near Wingates, and adjacent to the lands belonging to the college of 
 Maynooth, in the county of Kildare ; and of divers messuages and one 
 thousand aeres of arable land, seven hundred of pasture, one hundred of 
 wood, and two hundred of moor, witli their appurtenanees, &c., all of 
 whichwere granted to the city of Dublin, at the yearly rent of £4 4s. 
 Ojd. Irish money. 
 
 The university of Dublin is erected on the site of this monastery ; 
 the city of Dublin having granted the priory for this purpose, at the 
 pereuasion of Loftus, the queen’s bishop of that see. 
 
 The abbey of St. Thomas was founded in the part of Dublin (called 
 Tliomas-court) for canons of St. Victor, by William Fitz Adelm, butler 
 to King Henry H. 
 
 A.D. 1174. About this time Simon was abbot. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 425 
 
 A.D. 1200, Walter de Lacy, son of Hugh, the conqueror of Meath, 
 confirmed liis father’s benefactions to this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1205, the contest which arose between this abbey and that of 
 JBectiff, in the county of Meath, concerning the right to the body of 
 Hugh de Lacy, was determined in favor of St. Thomas’s. 
 
 A.D. 1326, Stephen Tyrrel was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1354, John Walsh was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1380, the parliament of the English pale enacted, that no mere 
 L’ishman should make profession in this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1505, Walter Walsh was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1529, James Cotterell was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1534, Henry Duffe wfis abbot. In July, 1538, he made a sur- 
 render of the abbey and its possessions. On the 10th of September an 
 annual pension of forty-two pounds was granted to him, and to his pre- 
 decessor, James Cotterell, a pension of £10. 
 
 The abbot of this house was a baron of parliament. Henry VIII. 
 granted a portion of the possessions of this abbey to William Brabazon, 
 Esq., forever, at the annual rent of 18s. 6d. sterling. 
 
 This ancestor of the earl of Meath obtained more grants of those 
 possessions from King Henry, at the yearly rent of £1 4s. lid. 
 
 In the 27th of Queen Elizabeth, a grant was made to Anthony 
 Deeringe, of large possessions belonging to this abbey, — one at 16s. 8d., 
 Irish money, another at 20s. Irish, and a third at £4 14s. 4d., all in the 
 county of Meath, to be held by him and his heirs forever. 
 
 By an inquisition taken the 16th of Januar}', 1625, it was found 
 that Ilenrj'- Harrington, knight, was seized of some of its possessions, at 
 the value of 7s., besides reprizes. 
 
 Priory of St. John the Baptist, was situated without the west gate 
 of the city. 
 
 Ailred le Palmer, about the end of the twelfth century, founded 
 this hospital for tlu sick. 
 
 John Comyn, the first English archbishop of Dublin, Leonard, 
 abbot of St. Mary Simon, prior of St. Thomas, and Duvenald, prior of 
 All Saints, were the witnesses of the act. The founder assumed the 
 office of prior. 
 
 A.D. 1216, Pope Innocent HI. gi’anted to Henry, the archbishop, 
 the patronage of this priory. 
 
 A.D. 1308, John Decer, mayor of Dublin, built the chapel of St. 
 Mary, in this hospital. 
 
 A.D. 1322, John Walsh was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1323, John Onextifie was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1331, Prior William was appointed lord chancellor of Ireland. 
 
426 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 1542, a pension was granted to Sir Thomas Everard, the late prior, 
 of fifteen pounds annually. 
 
 In this house was an infirmary, which contained fifty beds for the 
 sick. The houses, site and possessions, together with the priory of St. 
 John the Baptist, near Drogheda, were granted to James Sedgrave, 
 merchant of Dublin, at the yearly rent of 2s. 6d., who advanced the 
 sum of £1078 15s. 8d. to the plunderei’s. 
 
 In the 35th of King Henry VIII., this religious house was granted 
 to Maurice, earl of Thomond, at the fine of £14 18s. 8d., Irish ; and 
 in the sixth of Edward VI. it was granted, with houses and lauds, &c., 
 to James Sedgrave, forever, at the annual rent of fifteen shillings. 
 
 The friary of St. Saviour, on the north bank of the river Liflfey, 
 near the old bridge, and now called “ king’s inns.” 
 
 This house was founded between the years 1202 and 1218, by Wil- 
 liam Mareschall, the elder, earl of Pembroke, for the health of liis soul, 
 and that of his wife. Albinus, bishop of Ferns, who exposed the infa- 
 mies of English ecclesiastics, at the synod held in Christ church under 
 John Coniyn, and Hugh, bishop of Ossory, being the witnesses of the 
 charter. This house was founded for Cistercians. But the Dominicans 
 coming into Ireland, A.D. 1224, the monks of St. Maiy’s gave it to accom- 
 modate them on condition that they should yearl}', on the feast of the na- 
 tivity, offer a lighted taper at the abbey of St. Mary, as an acknowledg- 
 ment, that this monastery did originally belong to the Cistercian order. 
 
 A.D. 1238, this church was dedicated to St. Saviour. 
 
 A.D. 1264, Friar John was aj^pointed master of the order. 
 
 A.D. 1281, general chaptei-s of the order were held here. 
 
 A.D. 1304, the church was consumed by an accidental fire. 
 
 A.D. 1308, John le Decer was mayor of Dublin in this year ; he 
 was remarkably liberal to this monastery. On the sixth day in every 
 week he entertained the friars of this house at his own table. 
 
 A.D. 1300, Richard Balbyn, who had been some time minister of 
 this order in Ireland, Philip de Slane, lecturer of the order, and Friar 
 Hugh were appointed commissioners on the trial of the knights Tem- 
 plar. 
 
 A.D. 1316, on the approach of Edward Bruce, with his army, the 
 citizens of Dublin destroyed the church of this friary, converting its 
 materials to the building of the city walls, towards the quay. The 
 king, Edward H. commanded the mayor and citizens of Dublin to re- 
 store the church to its former state. 
 
 A.D. 1328, the lord Arnold Poer, who was accused of heresy, died 
 this year, in the castle of Dublin, and lay a long time unburied in this 
 monastery. 
 
EX:CLE8IA8TICAL HISTORY OF IKELAOT>. 427 
 
 A.D. 1361, on St. Maur’s day, tlie steeple of this church was de- 
 stroyed by a violent tempest. 
 
 The last prior, Patrick Hay, surrendered to the royal commissioners, 
 and quitted the monastery. * 
 
 Sir Thomas Cusack was granted its possessions in the county of 
 Meath, consisting of one hundred and twenty acres, with six messuages ; 
 and again, in the twentieth of Elizabeth, the convent, with divers pro- 
 perties in the city of Dublin, was given to Gerald, earl of Ormond, for- 
 ever, in free soccage, at the yearly rent of 20s. Irish money. 
 
 The friars of this house were eminent promoters of literature, in 
 those days, and in the year 1421 established a school of philosophy and 
 divinity on Usher’s-island ; on this occasion it was, that they succeeded 
 in erecting a bridge over the Liffey, since known as the “ Old Bridge.” 
 The Dominicans of Dublin are now engaged in erecting a new and 
 splendid monastery. 
 
 Monastery of St. Francis was erected in the year 1235, Ralph le 
 Porter having given the site in that part of the city now called Francis 
 street, and King Henry HI. patronizing the building. 
 
 A.D. 1293, King Edward I. granted a pension of thirty-five marcs 
 yearly to the Franciscans of Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Limerick, and 
 Drogheda. 
 
 A.D. 1308, John le Decer, mayor of Dublin, built a chapel in this 
 monastery, in honor of the Yirgin Mary. 
 
 A.D. 1309, Roger de Heton, guardian of the order in Dublin, and 
 Walter de Prendergast, lecturer of the same, were witnesses against the 
 knights Templar. A provincial chapter was held in this year in the 
 monastery of St. Francis. 
 
 A.D. 1332, died their generous benefactor John le Decer, and was in- 
 terred in this monastery. In the twenty-fourth of Henry VHI., tlie 
 convent, with its appurtenances, four houses in Francis-street, and six 
 acres of meadow near Clondalkin, was granted to Thomas Stephens, to 
 be held, in capite, forever, at the annual rent of 2s. Irish. 
 
 Tlie Franciscans are again established in Dublin, and have erected a 
 splendid church on Merchant’s-quay. 
 
 Monastery of the Holy Trinity was founded about the year 1259, for 
 Augustinian friars, by a member of the Talbot family, and on the site 
 of the street now called Crow-street. This convent was a general col- 
 lesre for the brethren of that institute in Ireland. 
 
 O 
 
 A.D. 1309, Roger was prior; and a witness against the knights 
 Templar. 
 
 A.D. 1359, John Babe was prior and vicar-general of his order. 
 
 In the thirty-fourth of Henry VHI. it was granted together with ten 
 
428 
 
 ECCLESIASTrCAi mSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 houses, three orchards and ten gardens in the parish of St. Andrew, four 
 acres and a park of six acres near College-green, two houses and gar- 
 dens in Patrick-street, three houses and three gardens in the parish of 
 St. Michan, and ninely-three acres in Tobberboyne, to Walter Tyrrel 
 forever, at the annual rent of six shillings Irish. 
 
 Tlie abbey of Carmelite or White friam. In the year 1278, the Car- 
 melite friars represented to King Edward L, that, by several grants of 
 Roger Owen, James de Bermingham, and Nicholas Bacuir, they had 
 procured a habitation for themselves with certain tenements and other 
 possessions within the city of Dublin, and that they proposed to erect 
 thereon a churcli ; the king by writ, dated tlie 6th of November, com- 
 manded the bailifts and citizens of Dublin to permit the friara to inhabit 
 the said place and build their cliurch witliout let or hindrance. 
 
 The citizens obstinately opposed the friai’s, shewing the many incon- 
 veniences, that would arise from their petition. Being thus defeated, 
 the Carmelites applied with more success to Sir Robert Bagot, knight, 
 chief justice of the king’s bench, who built a monastery for them in the 
 parish of St. Peter, in the south suburbs of the city, on a site which he 
 purchased from the abbey of Baltinglass, in the county of Wicklow. 
 
 A.D. 1320, John Sugdaeus, provincial of the Carmelite friai*s in Ire- 
 land, lield a chapter of the order. 
 
 A.D. 1333, the parliament sat in a hall of this monastery. 
 
 Among its benefactors were Richard II., Henry IV. and Henry VI., 
 from whom this house obtained a grant of 100s. annually, to be paid 
 out of the customs of the city of Dublin. 
 
 William Kelly was the last prior, and in the thirty-fourth of Henry 
 VHI. this convent with eleven acres, nine houses, gardens and orchards, 
 was granted to Nicholas Stauehurst, at the annual rent of 2s. Qd. It 
 was afterwards conceded by Elizabeth to Francis Aungier, created 
 baron of Longford, in June, 1621. 
 
 Tlie Carmelites have again established themselves in the metropolis 
 of Ireland. 
 
 Hospital of St. Stephen was situated in the south suburbs of the city, 
 and Mercer’s charitable hospital has been erected on the site thereof. 
 January 30th, 1344, a license was granted to Geoffrey de St. Michael, 
 guardian of St. Stephen’s, permitting him to go to foreign countries for 
 the space of two years. Nothing more known of the establishment. 
 
 Steyne Hospital. Henry de Loundres, archbishop of Dublin, about 
 the year 1220, founded this hospital in honor of God and St. James, in 
 this pl.ace so called, near the city of Dublin. 
 
 He endowed it with the lands of Kilmachurry, Kilinalmalmock, 
 Slewardach and the church of Delgeny. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRET.AHD. 
 
 429 
 
 Allen’s Hospital. Walter, archbishop of Dublin, about the year 
 1500, granted a space of ground, on which to build a stone house for 
 ten poor men. 
 
 June 8th, 1504, John Allen, then dean of St. Patrick’s cathedral, 
 founded this hospital for sick poor to be chosen from the families of 
 Allen, Barret, Begge, Hill, Dillon, and Hodier, in the diocese of Dublin 
 and Meath ; and to be good and faithful catholics of good fame and 
 honest conversation ; the dean assigned lands for their support and 
 maintenance, and further endowed the hospital with a messuage in the 
 town of Duleek, county of Meath. 
 
 The founder died Januaiy the 2d, 1505. 
 
 Finglass, in the barony of Castleknock, two miles north of Dublin. 
 
 According to Archdall, this monastery was founded in the early ages 
 ot the Irish Church, and probably by St. Patrick himself. 
 
 One would suppose, that the disciples of St. Patrick were required 
 for the -wants of the mission, nor can it be imagined where postulants 
 for admission to all those establishments could be procured all at once. 
 
 Saint Kenicus is called abbot of Finglass ; his festival was observed 
 here on the 12th of October. 
 
 Saint Florentius, whose feast is observed on the 21st of January, 
 according to Archdall, is buried in Finglass. There is a St. Florentius 
 who was contemporary with St. Germain of Paris, who died in 576. 
 Florence was a priest and an Irishman of great reputation, and -Nvhose 
 memory is revered at Amboise in France. 
 
 Dagobert, son of Sigebert, king of Austrasia, had been sent when a 
 child, to a monastery in Ireland after his father’s death, A.D. 655, by 
 Grimoald, mayor of the palace. The monastery in which he -was placed, 
 is said to have been that of Slane. Dagobert remained in Heland until 
 about the year 670, when he was recalled to his own country and re- 
 ceived a part of Austrasia from Clnlderic II. On the death of Chil- 
 deric, he became sovereign in 674 of all Austrasia, by the name of Da 
 gobert IL, and ruled over that country until he was assassinated in 679. 
 After his return to Austrasia, we find some distinguished natives of Ire- 
 land, particularly St. Argobast and St. Florentius, and who is different, 
 it seems, from the saint of that name revered in Amboise. 
 
 Argobast was living in a retired manner at Suraburg, when he was 
 raised to the bishopric of Strasburgh about the year 673, by king Dago- 
 bert. At Suraburgh a monastery was erected in honor of St. Argobast. 
 Being a very holy man, he is said to have possessed a considerable share 
 of learning and to have written some ecclesiastical tracts. St. Argobast 
 died on the 2l8t of July, 679, and was succeeded in the same year by 
 his friend and companion St. Florentius. 
 
430 
 
 BXXJLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAXD. 
 
 Florentiiis took up his abode in the forest of Ilasle in Alsace near 
 the place where the river Bruscha flows from the Vosges. 
 
 Here was founded a monastery either by himself or for him by 
 Dagobert, by whom he M'as greatly esteemed. It is said that he re- 
 stored her sight and speech to the daughter of that king. While bishop 
 of Strasburgh, he founded, according to some accounts, the monastery 
 of St. Tliomas in that city for Scots or Irish. Having govenied the see 
 of Strasburgh eight years, St. Florentius died on the 7th of November, 
 A.D. 687. 
 
 A.D. 795, died the abbot Dubhlitter. 
 
 A.D. 865, died Robertach, bishop and chronographer of Finglass. 
 If Dublin had been a see as eaily as some pretend it to have been, 
 it would be -absurd to have a bishop at Clondalkin and another at 
 Finglass. 
 
 Tliere is a remarkable well at Finglass dedicated to St. Patrick ; 
 tradition aflinns that it was formerly celebrated tlirough the miracles 
 wrought there. 
 
 Glassmore. Saint Mochua is said to have presided over this monas- 
 tery, but without suflicient authority. 
 
 Grace Dieu, in the barony of Balruddery and three miles north of 
 Swords. 
 
 About the year 1190, John Comyn, archbishop of Dublin, removed 
 thither the nunnery of Lusk and dedicated it to the Virgin Mary. He 
 filled it with regular canonesses of St. Augustine, and granted it an 
 endowment. Henry de Loundres, archbishop of Dublin, added to it 
 the parish church of Ballymaddon with the chapel thereunto belonging 
 instead of the parish church of St. Audeon given by archbishop Comyn. 
 
 Felicia, anchoritess of Ballymaddon, claimed an annual rent charge 
 payable by the prioress of Grace Dieu. 
 
 A.D. 1531, tins nunnery paid £3 6s. 8d. proxies to the archbishop 
 of Dublin. 
 
 The extensive possessions of this nunnery were granted forever to 
 Patrick Barnwell, Esq., at the annual rent of £4 8s. Gd. Irish money. 
 Tlie grant was renewed on the 8th of January, the first of Edward VI. 
 
 In October, 1577, the prioress was seized of a messuage and eighteen 
 acres of land with divers buildings. Towards the south of said build- 
 ings, the prioress and nuns with the chaplain had a small dwelling, and 
 celebrated the divine offices in the parish church of Portrane, all of 
 which were held by Isabella W alsh by a demise from the prioress before 
 the dissolution. 
 
 Many Catholics obtained grants of property belonging to the monas 
 teries, which they religiously reserved for the use of their inmates. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF UtELAND. 
 
 431 
 
 Ilolmpatrick. Sitrick, the son of Murchard, founded a priory for 
 canons regular in Innis Patrick. 
 
 The blessed Maeltinan, son of Flannagan, prince of the Bregii, re- 
 signing his throne, became a monk in this abbey ; was afterwards abbot, 
 and died in 898, 
 
 A.D. 1148, Gelasius, archbishop of Armagh, and Malachy, apostolic 
 legate, held a synod in this abbey, at which fifteen bishops, two hun- 
 dred priests, and several others of the clergy were present. 
 
 Its insular situation being very inconvenient, Henry de Lonndres, 
 archbishop of Dublin, removed it to Holm-Patrick, on the sea-side, four- 
 teen miles north of Dublin. Its ruins are still visible on the island. 
 
 A.D. 1280, Adam was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1366, Stephen was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1383, the prior, Stephen Drake, being dead, the temporals were 
 seized by the king. Proof being furnished by John Randolph, the 
 newly-elected prior, that the founder was Sitric MacMurchard, they 
 were restored. 
 
 A.D. 1531, the priory paid to the archbishop of Dublin, the sum of 
 two pounds, thirteen shillings and fourpence as proxies. 
 
 Peter Manne was the last prior. The extensive possessions of this 
 monastery were granted, on the 16th of October, twentieth of Queen 
 Elizabeth, to Thomas FitzWilliams. 
 
 Innis-Patrick — same as Ilolmpatrick — now called Ireland’s eye. 
 Innis MacNessain, the ancient name, is a small rocky island to the 
 north of the hill of Howth. The book of the four Gospels, called the 
 Garland of Howth, was preserved in this island, of which archbishop 
 Allen of Dublin, says, “ Tliat book is held in so much esteem and vene- 
 ration, that good men scarcely dare to take an oath on it, for fear of 
 the judgments of God being immediately shewn on those who would 
 forswear themselves.” 
 
 Tlie ruins of the church of the sons of Hessan still remain on the 
 south side of the island. See Mungret, county Limerick. 
 
 Kilmaiuham, adjoining the city of Dublin, on the south side, 
 anciently called Kill-Magnend. St. Magnendus was abbot of this mo- 
 nastery, in the early part of the seventh century ; he is said to be the 
 son of Aldus, prince of Orgiel, who died A.D. 606. The name of St. 
 Magnend occurs in the Irish calendars at the 18th of December. 
 
 Priory of Kilmainham, under the invocation of St. John the Baptist, 
 was founded about the year 1174, for knights Templar, by Richard 
 Strongbow, earl of Pembroke, or Strigul. King Henry H. confirmed 
 his act. 
 
 Hugh de Cloghall was the first prior. 
 
432 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 1205, Maurice de Prendergast was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1231, John de Callan was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1274, the prior, William Fitz Roger was made a prisoner, with 
 several others, by the L'ish at Glendelory, when many of the friars were 
 slain. 
 
 A.D. 1301, William de Rosse was prior. He was also lord deputy 
 of Ireland. In 1302, William was chief justice. 
 
 A.D. 1307, Walter de Aqua was prior. In this year the Templars 
 were everywhere seized. 
 
 Gerald, fourth son of Maurice, lord of Kerry, was the last grand 
 prior of that order in Ireland. 
 
 In the space of one hundred and twenty-six years, during their in- 
 stitution, to the time in which the order was suppressed, the knights 
 Templar were in possession of 16,000 lordships. Their lands and pos- 
 sessions of every kind were bestowed on the knights of St. John of Je- 
 rusalem, by the Pope, the king confirming the grant. 
 
 In England, many of the knights Templar Avere committed to 
 monasteries, with a daily allowance to each of four pence, and to the 
 grand master of two shillings, daily ; the chaplains Avere alloAved three 
 pence daily, and to their servants the sum of tAvo pence were given ; 
 and for this alloAA-ance they were to perform the former services they 
 had before done for the Templai's, while their lands were in their pos- 
 session. 
 
 It is probable that the same mode of treatment was adopted in Ire- 
 land by the minister of the croAvn. 
 
 This priory, Avhich was granted to the knights of the order of St. 
 John, became an hospital for the reception of guests and strangers, 
 totally excluding the sick and infirm, Avho had admission before this 
 change. It became exempt from all ordinary jurisdiction. 
 
 A.D. 1315, William de Ross was probably the first prior. 
 
 A.D. 1316, Roger Outlaw was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1321, Roger OutlaAV, the prior, was lord chancellor of Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 1327, Roger continued prior and lord chancellor. 
 
 A.D. 1328, Roger Avas accused of heresy by Richard Ledred, bishop 
 of Ossory. On enquiry made he Avas honorably acquitted. 
 
 A.D. 1333, Roger was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1340, Roger was prior and chancellor; he died this year; — is 
 recorded as an upright and prudent man, Avho by care and the especial 
 favor and license of the king, had procured many lands, churches, and 
 rents for his order. 
 
 A.D. 1340, John Marshall succeeded, as prior. 
 
 A.D. 1341, John le Archer was prior and lord chancellor of Ireland. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 433 
 
 A.D. 1349, John continued in Ins offices. 
 
 A.D. 1479, James Keating was prior. In consequence of mal- 
 administration lie was deprived by the grand master of Rhodes, Peter 
 Daubussen, who appointed Marmaduke Lomley, an Englishman, of a 
 noble family, to succeed. Having landed at Clontarf, a commandery 
 of the order, Keatinge, hastened thither with a body of armed men, 
 took Lomley prisoner, and detained him in close confinement until he 
 had resigned all the instruments of his election and confirmation, Lom- 
 ley protesting against the violence that was offered to his person. 
 
 An account of those violent proceedings being forwarded to the 
 king, and to the grand master at Rhodes, Keating, enraged at the 
 sentence of excommunication which was pronounced against himself, 
 expelled Lomley from the commandery of Kilsaran, which he had be- 
 fore assigned him, and threw him into prison, accusing the unfortunate 
 Lomley as the cause of those troubles. The archbishop of Armagh 
 strenuously, but in vain, strove to liberate him. Lomley died, as ap- 
 pears in an act of the tenth of Henry VIL, of a broken heart. 
 
 Keating was at length dislodged, having kept forcible possession of 
 the hospital until 1491, and ended his factious life, as is supposed, in 
 the most abject poverty and contempt. 
 
 Keating having alienated the property of the hospital, it was en- 
 acted, in 1494, that all persons who should have in their custody any 
 relic of the holy cross, jewel, or ornament belonging to the priory of 
 Kilmainham, pledged by Keating, should be restored to the present 
 prior, James Wall, who was directed to pay the money for which the 
 said relics were sold or pledged. 
 
 A.D. 1496, Sir Richard Talbot was prior; was displaced in the year 
 1498, by the grand master. 
 
 A.D. 1498, Robert Evers was prior ; removed in 1591, by the same 
 authority. 
 
 A.D. 1535, Sir John Rawson, the prior, surrendered to the royal 
 robber. King Henry YIII. Sir John was created viscount of Clontarf, 
 with a pension of five hundred marcs from the estate of the hospital. 
 
 A.D. 1557, the prior of the hospital was, by authority of Cardinal 
 Pole, the Pope’s legate, whose mother, the countess of Salisbury, King 
 Henry VIII. sent to the block, restored to his former possessions, (^ueen 
 Mary having confirmed the act under the great seal, on the 8th of 
 March. Sir Oswald Massingberd was made prior, who, on the acces- 
 sion of Queen Elizabeth, withdrew from the kingdom. 
 
 Tlie priory of Kilmainham, at the dissolution, was one of the most 
 spacious and elegant structures in the kingdom. By an inquisition 
 
 taken the thirty-second of Henry VIII., the hospital had three gardens 
 27 
 
434 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 and an orchard •within the ■walls, four towel’s erected on those ■n’alls, 
 three other gardens, and an orchard, and two hundred and sixty acres 
 of arable land. 
 
 Parcels of its possessions were granted to the burgesses and com- 
 monalt}^ of the town of Athenrj, in the county of Galway ; another to 
 Anthony Deering, tlie twentieth of Queen Elizabeth, to hold forever, at 
 the annual rent of 16s. Irish money ; and again, in tlie thirty-sixth of 
 that good Protestant queen, a grant was made to William Browne, to 
 hold to him, and to his heire forever, in free soccage, at the annual rent 
 of £57 10s. 
 
 Kilnais, near Swords, where St. Cumanea is honored. She is men 
 tioned as the daughter of Aidus, king of Leinster. The daughters of 
 this prince were distinguished by their piety, and lived in a nunnery; 
 their names are given as Ethnea, Sodelbia, and Cumanea. The name 
 of Cumanea does not appear in the calendai’S. 
 
 Killsaghlin, in the barony of Castleknock. In the twenty-eighth of 
 Henry VIII., an inquisition was taken in tlie county of Dublin, of 
 the lands belonging to this monastery. Iso more account of it is on 
 record. 
 
 Lusk, in the barony of Balruddery, twelve miles north of Dublin. 
 
 A.D. 497, St. Culineus or Macculine, was abbot and bishop of Lusk, 
 his feast is there observed on the 6th of September. 
 
 A.D. 498, died the bishop Cuynea MacCathmoa. 
 
 A.D. 616, died the bishop Petranus. 
 
 A.D. 695, died Cassan, the learned scribe of Lusk. In this year a 
 synod was held at Lusk. St. Adamnanus was present ; it was also at- 
 tended by the principal prelates of the kingdom. There are extant 
 certain decrees, usually called the canons of Adamnan, and which are 
 chiefly relative to some meats improper for food, together with a prohi- 
 bition of eating such of them as contain blood. 
 
 Colga, the son of Moenach, abbot of Lusk, attended the synod. 
 
 A.D. 734, died the abbot Conmaole MacColgan. 
 
 A.D. 781, died the abbot Conel or Colgan. 
 
 A.D. 825, the Danes destroyed and ravaged this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 835, died Ferbassach, bishop of Lusk. 
 
 A.D. 854, the abbey and town were destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 874, died the bishop Benacta. 
 
 A.D. 882, died the bishop Mutran. 
 
 A.D. 901, died Buadan, bishop of Lusk. 
 
 A.D. 906, died the bishop Colman. 
 
 A.D. 924, Tuathal MacOenagan, bishop of Duleeke and Lusk, died. 
 
ECCLKSIAS'nCAL mSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 435 
 
 A.D. 965, died the blessed Ailild, son of Moenach, bishop of Swords 
 and Lusk. 
 
 Many of the ancient monasteries having been totally demolished 
 and wrecked by the Danes, the succession of bishops has been lost and 
 those minor sees became merged in the greater bishoprics. Many of 
 those ancient monasteries have not been rebuilt, as persons desirous to 
 embrace the monastic state, could enter the establishments of canons 
 regular as well as those of the Benedictine and Cistercian order, whicli 
 were introduced by St. Malachy. 
 
 Tlie church of Lusk consists of two long aisles di\ ided by seven 
 arches ; adjoining the west end, stands a handsome square steeple, three 
 angles of which are supported by round towers and near to the fourth 
 angle is one of those ancient round towers so peculiar to Ii’eland, it is 
 in good preservation, and rises several feet above the battlements of the 
 steeple. 
 
 Nunnery. Tliis house, which was originally founded for nuns of the 
 order of Aroasia, was afterwards appropriated to the priory of All Saints, 
 Dublin, and in the year 1190, it was translated to Grace Dieu by Jolm, 
 archbishop of Dublin. The walls, said to have been those of this an- 
 cient nunnery, are still to be seen at Lusk. 
 
 Moortown, considered the same as Glassmore. 
 
 Mountown, a grange belonging to the priory of the Holy Trinity, 
 Dublin. 
 
 Palmerstown, in the barony of Newcastle, on the river Liffey, and 
 three miles west of Dublin. 
 
 Kichard, prior of the house of St. Lawrence, near Dublin, sued Regi- 
 nald de Barnevalle and his mother Joan for a freehold in Tyrnewer, 
 which they held contrary to law. 
 
 A.D. 1427, Henry VT. granted the custody of the leper-house, near 
 Palmerstown, to John Waile, to hold the same with all the messuages, 
 lands and tenements, thereunto belonging at the yearly rent of three 
 shillings, so long as the same would continue in his the king’s hands. 
 
 Saggard, in the barony of Newcastle, and six miles south of Dublin. 
 Tliis monastery was founded by St. Mosacra, from whom it got the name 
 of Teghsacra, i. e. the house of Sacra, the original name of the saint. It 
 was afterwards called Tassagard, and has been still more contracted into 
 “ Saggard.” 
 
 The founder is said to have been of an illustrious family, and the 
 son of Senan; he also governed the monastery of Finnagh in Fotharta, 
 for some time. He was one of those abbots, who attended the synod of 
 St. Adamnan and Flann Febhla, archbishop of Armagh, in 695. The 
 
436 ECCLlrSIASTICAI- HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 year of Lis death is not known. The day thereof is marked at the 3d 
 of March. 
 
 A.D. 1311, Saggard was invaded by the tribes of O’Byrne and 
 O’Tuathal. 
 
 A.D. 1387, a gold ring worth forty pounds sterling w’as found in a 
 field between Rathcoole and Saggard, by John Lawless and his servant 
 John Browne. 
 
 St. Catherine’s, in the barony of Newcastle, and near the river 
 Liffey. A j)riory of canons of the congregation of St. Victor wjis 
 founded here. 
 
 Warrisius de Peche, about the year 1220, for the welfare of his soul 
 and that of Alard Fitz William, and also those of his ancestors and suc- 
 cessors, granted to the church of St. Catharine, near the salmon-leap, 
 the land in Incherathyn, on which the priory Avas built, and several 
 parcels of land adjacent, with liberty to said canons to'build a mill on 
 the river and to make a mill-dam, whenever they should find it conve- 
 nient. He further granted to them the church of Lucan with all its 
 appurtenances. Witnesses Avhereof Henry, archbishop of Dublin, 
 Simon, bishop of Meath, Peter, bishop of Ossory, and Simon, abbot of 
 St. Thomas, Dublin. 
 
 John AVarrisius was prior, and the lord of Lucan, who was their 
 patron, enfeofied John with lands to enable him to find six chaplains to 
 celebrate divine offices forever in the priory of St. Catharine, for the 
 souls of all his progenitors. Adam de Hereford, kniglit and lord of 
 Leixlip, also enfeoffed the prior John with lands wherewith to find six 
 chaplains in the said pi-iory to celebrate as the former ones for the same 
 spiritual purpose. 
 
 A.D. 1323, Richard Turner was prior. In his time the priory became 
 so poor and oppressed with debts, that the canons were not able to sup- 
 port themselves. The king, therefore, granted license to the said prior, 
 enabling him to assign to Stephen Tyrrell, abbot of St. Thomas, in Dub- 
 lin, the said priory with all its lauds and possessions. And William de 
 llastend, descended from the first founder, confirmed the assignment. 
 AVitnesses Alexander, archbishop of Dublin, William Rodier, dean of St. 
 Patrick’s, Dublin, AVilliam de Nottingham, precentor, Peter de AA^ilby, 
 official to the archbishop, and AVilliam Donee, mayor of Dublin. 
 
 Saint Doulagh or Dulech, four miles north-east of Dublin. This 
 saint was an Irishman, and the son of Amalgaid, the son of Sinell. The 
 memory of this saint was revered on the 17th of November. The 
 church of Doulagh is one of the most ancient in Ireland. 
 
 There is also a beautiful octagonal w^ell at the rear of St. Doulagh’s 
 
ECCLESIASnCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 437 
 
 cliurch, which formerly served as the baptistery and is dedicated to the 
 saint. 
 
 Swords, in the barony of Coolock, six miles north of Dublin. By 
 some attributed to St. Columbkille. St. Finan, surnamed the leper, from 
 his having been afllicted with some cutaneous disease during thirty 
 years of his life, governed the monastery of Swords, and very probably 
 was the founder. He was a native of Ely O’Carrol, then a part of Mun 
 Bter, and was of an illustrious family. Two other monasteries are attri- 
 buted to St. Finan — the celebrated monastery of Innisfallen, an island in 
 the lake of Killarney and that of Avdtinan in the county of Tipperary. 
 Finan spent some time of his life apparently as abbot of Clonmore, 
 which had been founded by St. Maidoc of Ferns. The house of Swords 
 was his principal residence, and probably the place of his death. St. 
 Finan died in the reign of Finachta, monarch of Ireland. The day of 
 his death is marked in Irish and foreign martyrologies at the 16th of 
 March. He is said to have been the disciple of St. Columbkille, but as 
 his death is placed between the years 675 and 695, he could not have 
 been the disciple of that saint, who died in 597. Swords is called 
 “Surdum Sancti Columbae,” a name it may have received from its 
 beine: of the order of St. Columba. 
 
 A.D. 965, died the bishop of Swords, Aillila, son of Moenach. Here 
 again w^e meet with bishops in the vicinity of Dublin, both at Lusk and 
 Swords. 
 
 A.D. 1012, the Danes reduced the town to ashes ; in 1016, renewed 
 their ravages. 
 
 A.D. 1025, died Marian Hua Cainen, bishop of Swords. He was 
 surnamed the “ Wise.” 
 
 A.D. 1042, died the archdeacon of Swords, Eochogan, a celebrated 
 scholar and scribe of this monastery. 
 
 A.D. 1135, Connor O’Melaghlin, king of Meath, sacked and wasted 
 the towns of Swords and Lusk. Lie w'as slain in the expedition. 
 
 A.D. 1138, the reUques and churches were destroyed by fire. 
 
 Nunnery. In the fourteenth year of the reign of king Edward IV., 
 A.D. 1474, there is an actual grant by Parliament of twenty shillings 
 yearly from the crown revenue to Eleonora, prioress of Swords and her 
 successois. No more recorded of it. 
 
 Tallaght, in the barony of Newcastle, and five miles from Dublin. 
 St. Maelruan was abbot and bishop of Tallaght. Is reckoned among 
 the learned men of his age, and probably was the first among the authors 
 of the Martyrology of Tallaght. Among his disciples for several years 
 was Aengus, the great Haglologist. St. Maelruan died on the 7th of 
 
438 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF EKELAND. 
 
 July, A.D. 788. Here another bishop resided within five miles of 
 Dublin. 
 
 A.D. 824, Saint Aengus was abbot. 
 
 Tliis celebrated saint was of an illustrious family, descended from 
 the ancient princes of Dalaradia, in Ulster. Ills father was Aengaven, 
 son of Iloblen ; hence Aengus is distinguished by that surname. lie 
 embraced the monastic state in the convent of Clonenagh under the 
 holy abbot Moetlagen, and made great progress in piety and leaining. 
 lie was accustomed to spend a great part of the day in a lonesome spot 
 not far distant from the monastery, called after him, “Diseart Aengus,” 
 where he was engaged in reading the Psalms and in constant prayer. 
 Ilis reputation for sanctity becoming very great, he wished to withdraw 
 to some place in wliich he woidd be unknown. Having heard of the 
 strict and exemplary discipline with which St. Maelruan governed his 
 monastery, he resolved to put himself under his instruction and guid- 
 ance. 
 
 "When arrived at the monastery of Tallaght, Aengus concealed his 
 name and his rank in the Church and requested to be I’eceived as a novice. 
 It is said, that he was employed seven years in the most laboiious avoca- 
 tions ; and his humility and the austerity of his life were so remarkable, 
 that he was called “ Celle Dhia,” i. e. the servant or companion of God. 
 At length his rank and acquirements were discovered by St. Maelruan 
 in consequence of his having assisted one of the school-boys of the mon- 
 astery in preparing his task, at which he had been either dull or negli- 
 gent, and who was afraid of being punished by St. Maelruan. The boy 
 hid himself in the barn, where Aengus was working, and who taking 
 compassion on the youth, assisted him so well, that he was enabled to 
 recite his task to the satisfaction of his master. Surprised at the change 
 of his pupil, Maelruan pressed him to tell how it came to pass, and 
 compelled him to relate the whole circumstance, although Aengus de- 
 sired him to be silent on the matter. 
 
 Maelruan, who had hitherto considered Aengus as an illiterate rustic, 
 repaired to the barn, and embracing him, complained of having con- 
 cealed his name, and expressed his deep regret for the humble and 
 abject manner with which he had been treated. Aengus prostrating 
 himself at the feet of the holy abbot, begged pardon for what he had 
 done. Henceforth he was regarded with the greatest consideration ; 
 and it is probable, that he remained at Tallaght, until Maelruan’s death 
 in 788. He must then have succeeded to the abbacy of Tallaght. He 
 became afterwards the abbot of Clonenagh. He was also raised to the 
 episcopal rank without leaving the monasteries, which he governed. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF lEELAI^D. 
 
 439 
 
 Aengiis died on the 11th of March, but in what year is not recorded, 
 and was buried at Clonenagh. 
 
 Besides the martyrology of Tallaght, he composed another work on 
 the saints of Ireland, divided into five small books : the firet containing 
 the names of three hundred and forty-five bishops, two hundred and 
 ninety-nine priests and abbots, and seventy-eight deacons ; the second, 
 entitled the “ Homonymous,” or saints of the same name, as Colman, 
 &c. ; the third, the “ book ” of sons and daughters, giving an account 
 of holy persons born of the same parents ; the foui’th, giving the mater- 
 nal genealogy of about two hundred and ten Irish saints ; and the fifth, 
 a collection of litanies, in which are invoked groups of saints, among 
 whom are included several foreigners, who died in Ireland. In this 
 litany he specifies the very places in which they are interred ; and as it 
 may be new, as well as interesting on this side of the Atlantic, the 
 reader is presented with it in the Latin language : 
 
 “ SS. Romanos, qui jacent in Achadh-Galma. in Ybh-Echia in auxilium meum in- 
 voco per Jesum Christum, etc. 
 
 SS. Romanos de Lettir-Erca, invoco in auxilium meum, etc. 
 
 SS. Romanos qui cum Cursecha filia Brochani jacent in Achadh-Dalrach, invoco in 
 auxilium meum, etc. 
 
 SS. Romanos de Cluainne Chuinne, invoco, etc. 
 
 SS. Peregrinos, de Cluaine-mbhor, etc. 
 
 SS. Romanos qui cum Aido, jacent in Cluan-Darthada, etc. 
 
 SS. Conchennacios qui cum Sancto Manchano, jacent in Leth-mor, etc. 
 
 SS. Duodecim Conchennacios, qui cum utroque Sinchello, jacent in Kill-Achadh. 
 
 SS. Septem Monachos Aegyptios, qui jacent in Disert-Ulidh. 
 
 SS. Peregrinos, qui cum Sancto Mochua, jacent in Domnach-Ressen. 
 
 SS. Peregrinos de Balach — forchedail, etc. 
 
 SS. Peregrinos de Cuil-ochtair, etc. 
 
 SS. Peregrinos de Imleac-mor, etc. 
 
 SS. Peregrinos, foci )S sancti Sinchelli, invoco, etc. 
 
 SS. Peregrinos Romanos, qui in centum quinquaginta cymbis sive scaphis advecti, 
 comitati sunt SS. Eliam, Natalem, Nemanum et Corcnutanum, invoco, etc. 
 
 SS. centum quinquaginta Peregrinos Romanos et Italos, qui comitati sunt sanc- 
 tum Abbanum in Hiberniam, etc. 
 
 SS. Gallos de Saliduic, invoco etc. 
 
 SS. Gallos de Magh-Salach, invoco, etc. 
 
 SS. Saxones, i. e. Anglos, de Rigair, invoco, etc. 
 
 SS. Saxones de Cluain-mhuicedha, etc. 
 
 SS. Peregrinos de Inis-puinc, etc. 
 
 SS. duodecim Peregrinos de Lethglais-mor. 
 
 SS. centum quinquaginta Peregrinos in Gair-mic-Magla, etc. 
 
 SS. quinquaginta Monachos de Britannia socios filii Mainani in Glenloire, invoco 
 in auxilium meum, etc. 
 
 SS. quinque Peregrinos de Suidhe-coeil, etc. 
 
440 
 
 ECXJLESIASnCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 SS. 150 Discipulos Sancti Manchani Magistri, invoco, etc. 
 
 SS. 510 qui ex partibus transmarinU venerunt cum Sancto Boethio Episcopo, 
 decernque virgines eos comitantes, invoco. 
 
 SS. duodecim socios sancti Riochi transmarinos, invoco, etc.” 
 
 In addition to the evidence which this litany supplies of the ancient 
 fame and sanctity of Ireland, and of the esteem and veneration with 
 which the natives of other countries regarded our isle as the asylum of 
 piety, and learning, and hospitality, there are all over the country mon- 
 umental ‘inscrijjtions, which evidently demonstrate the truth which the 
 litany of Aengus unfolds. And although Ireland converted myriads in 
 the sister isle, and aflbrded liospitality to her princes and to her ascetics, 
 still England, and England alone, and wherever she has planted the 
 false tenets of lier heretical doctrines, the name of Ireland and of Irish 
 men is despised. While all over the continent of Europe, Ireland and 
 her peojile are revered and respected. 
 
 English, Eoman, Italian, Gallic, and even Egyptian saints, seven in 
 number, are recounted in the litany of Aengus. Another work of his, 
 a poetical one, comprises the history of the Old Testament, which he 
 put into the form of prayere and praises to God. 
 
 A.D. 8S9, died St. Dichull. There was an abbot of Louth of this 
 name, of whom St. Patrick is said to have prophesied. 
 
 A.D. 937 died Laidgene, comorb of Ferns and Tamlacht. 
 
 A.D. 964, died Cronmalius, professor of this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1125, died Maelsuthumius, another professor. 
 
illonasttrj cf Stbcnii-b 3£lt, Counts Jtrmanagt). 
 
KOOI^SIASTICAL HISTOBY OF lEKULND. 
 
 441 
 
 CHAPTER XLY. 
 
 COUNTY OP FERMANAGH, 
 
 Cluain-Inis, an island in Lough Erne, three miles south of Ennis- 
 killen. St. Sinell, son of Maynecur, or Moenach, and a distinguished 
 disciple of St. Finnian, was abbot of this island monastery, in Lough 
 Erne. Accordingly he flourished in the middle and latter half of the 
 sixth century, and must have lived, until at least the year 597, that in 
 which tlie great Fintan Munnu, after having spent eighteen yeara under 
 Saint Synell, went to the monastery of Hy. The memory of St. Sinell 
 is revered on the 11th of November. 
 
 Devenish, an island in Lough Erne, and a mile and a half N.W. of 
 Enniskillen. 
 
 Saint Laserian, called also Molaisse, though much celebrated be- 
 fore and after his death, yet his history is but little known. He was 
 the son of Natfraich, and a native of Carbury, in Sligo. He was in 
 structed at the famous school of Clonard, under St. Finnian. Soon 
 after, it appeal’s, he repaired to the island of Devenish, where he erected 
 a monastery, which became very famous, and continued so for many 
 centuries. Here he was settled before St. Columba set out for the north 
 of Scotland, in the year 563. Molaisse is said to have formed a rule for 
 his monastery of Devenish, and was considered as one of the chief ab- 
 bots of his time. He was visited by divers holy men of that period, 
 among whom was St. Aidus of Killare. The year of his death is not 
 precisely known ; some assigning it to 563, others to 571 ; as to the 
 day, it is marked at the 12th of September. Molaisse founded other 
 religious establishments, which shall be noticed in their proper place. 
 St. Natalis is said to have succeeded him. (See Inver-naile, county of 
 Donegal.) 
 
 A.D. 658, died St. Sillan, bishop of Devenish, on the 17th of May, 
 
 A.D. 822, the Danes plundered the island and the abbey, 
 
 A.D. 917, died the abbot Queran, or Kieran. 
 
 A.D. 995, died the abbot Cormac Hua Congaile, 
 
442 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 1025, Christian, the professor of this abbey, died. 
 
 A.D. 1462, died the prior O’Flanagan, 
 
 Tliis abbey was a large and curious building, the workmanship of 
 which is exceedingly good. Next to the round tower is a vaulted build- 
 ing of hewn stone, ending in a point, and is called the house of Saint 
 Molaisse ; near to this is the bed, in the shape of a stone coffin, in which 
 he used to pray. 
 
 The beautiful round tower, seventy-six feet in height and forty-one in 
 circumference, is on the east of the church ; the walls, three feet thick, 
 are built of hewn stone, each of which are about a foot square within and 
 without, and with scarcely any cement or mortar ; the roof is in the 
 form of a cone, with a richly sculptured band immediately beneath the 
 roof, and finished with a single stone, in the shape of a bell ; it has four 
 windows near the top and opposite the cardinal points, each wiudov^ 
 adorned with the form of a man’s face ; the door is nine feet from tho 
 ground ; the interior of the tower is nearly as smooth as a gun barrel, 
 and at the base on the outside is a circle of stone, or plinth, projecting 
 five inches. 
 
 In the year 1130, the order of Culdees or secular canons was estab- 
 lished in this island. 
 
 It became a wreck at the dissolution of religious houses, and its 
 property became confiscated. 
 
 Domnach-more, founded in an island called Inismacsaint, by Saint 
 Nennius, who was abbot and bishop. 
 
 This saint is called Laomh-dearg, to distinguish him from another of 
 that name, who was contemporary with St. Brigid, and who adminis- 
 tered the holy viaticum to her. The founder of this monastery was a 
 disciple of the great St. Finnian of Clonard, and it seems, formed an ac- 
 quaintance there with Kieran of Clonmacnois, who visited him in this 
 monastery about the year 635. He was also bishop of a neighboring 
 district, in which are the ruins of several churches. (See Ardbraccan, 
 county Meath. 
 
 Gola, adjoining Lough Erne. A monastery of the Dominican order, 
 in honor of the Virgin Mary, was founded by the dynast of that place, 
 MacManus. Maguire, lord of Fermanagh, contributed largely to the 
 foundation, and John, son of the founder, who had been educated at 
 Athenry, was extremely solicitous in forwarding the work. Some of 
 its ruins are still to be seen. 
 
 Inis-eo, an island in Lough Erne. In the catalogue of illustrious 
 monks, collected by Hugh Kirkstead, a Cistercian, St. Constans, son of 
 Fuasclac, abbot and anchorite of this island monastery, is mentioned. 
 Constans died on the 14th of November, 777. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANl). 
 
 443 
 
 Matliew MacCatasaid the second, bishop of Clogher, translated 
 the relics of Constans and of St. Fergurnith, bishop of Culmain, into 
 shrines. 
 
 Inis-rocha. St. Berchan was abbot of this monastery ; his festival is 
 observed on the 24th of November. Saint Mohhy “ Clairineach ” was 
 also called Berchan or Byrchinus. A saint of this name was contem- 
 porary with St. Kevin, in whose acts he is spoken of as having lost his 
 sight, and to have been endowed with the gift of prophecy. 
 
 St. Berchan belongs to the sixth century. 
 
 Lisgool, an abbey under the invocation of the Virgin Mary, was 
 founded in this place for regular canons of St. Augustine, by Mac 
 Noellus Mackenlif, king of Ulster, A.D. 1106. 
 
 A.D. 1286, Mathew, bishop of Clogher, was consecrated in this 
 abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1320, Nicholas, bishop of Clogher, was consecrated in this 
 abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1360, the abbey was consumed by fire. 
 
 Cuchonnacht More MacGuire held the right of presentation and pa- 
 tronage of all the churches and vicarages in the county of Fermanagh, 
 until the Pope, in the time of the council of Trent, deprived him of the 
 privilege. 
 
 The abbey in want of necessary repairs and divine service being dis- 
 continued therein, the abbot Cahill MacBrian and MacGuire entered 
 into terms with the lord of Fermanagh to restore it to its pristine state. 
 By an agreement, which the Pope confirmed, this abbey was to be 
 given to the Franciscans, the abbot receiving a yearly recompense. 
 
 Maguire, lord of Fermanagh, began to rebuild the abbey in a most 
 agreeable and pleasant situation ; but before it was finished, the 
 work of destruction, under Henry YHI. overwhelmed it in the year 
 1530. 
 
 TFe possessions of this monastery were granted to Sir John Davis, 
 knight. 
 
 Lisgool is situated on the west bank of the river Erne, near Ennis- 
 killen. 
 
 Poss-Orry, on the west side of Lough Erne, near Enniskillen. 
 
 Saint Fanchea is revered in this place on the 1st of January. She 
 is said to be the sister of Enda, and to have heen born at Rathmore, 
 near Clogher, formerly a eastle and residence of the princes of Orgiel. 
 It does not appear that she founded a monastery here. 
 
444 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lEELANT). 
 
 CHAPTER XLVL 
 
 COUNTY OF GALWAY. 
 
 Abbey Gormogan, in the barony of Longford, and about nine miles 
 east of Loughrea, This monastery de via nova was founded under the 
 invocation of the Virgin Mary for canons regular of St. Augustine hy 
 O’Gormogan. 
 
 Dermod O’Feigher was abbot of this house about the year 1309, in 
 which William, son of William Hacket, sued the abbot for live acres of 
 pasture and forty of turbary in Corbcllynegall. Richard, son ot Gilbert 
 de Valle did also sue the prior for fifty -four acres of land with their ap- 
 purtenances, in Fynounta, of which Dermod O’Feigher, the former 
 abbot, had unjustly disseized his father Gilbert. 
 
 July 1st, 34th of king Henry VIH., this abbey was granted to Ulick 
 Bourke, first earl of Clanrickard. 
 
 Abbey Knockmoy, of the Hill of Victory, in the barony of Tiaquin, 
 six miles south-east of Tuam. This abbey was founded by Cathol O’Con- 
 nor “ crovdearg,” king of Connaught, for Cistercians, in the year 1190, 
 and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 
 
 Cathol O’Connor, having gained a victory over the English, built 
 this monastery in thanksgiving for the victorjq and hence it was called 
 “ the Hill of Victory.” It was a daughter to the abbey of Boyle. 
 
 King Cathol, the founder, was expelled his kingdom in the year 
 1200. During his exile, William Burke, called the Conqueror of 
 Connaught, totally spoiled the abbey. Cathol was again restored in 
 1202. 
 
 A.D. 1204, died the Conqueror of Connaught, William FitzAdelm 
 de Burgo. His awful death is recorded in the annals of Clonmacnois, 
 as follows: “ William Burke took the spoils of all the churches in Con- 
 naught, and God and the patrons of these churches shewed their mira- 
 cles upon him, that his entrails and fundament fell from his privy place, 
 and it trailed after him to the very earth, whereof he died impenitently 
 
ECCLF.8IA8TICAL HISTORY OF IRFLAITO, 
 
 445 
 
 without shrive (confession), or extreme unction, or good burial in the 
 kingdom, but in a waste town.” 
 
 Gerald Barry gives a fi-ightful character of this warrior, and it seems, 
 it was not overdrawn, as the natives of Connaught give the same pic- 
 ture of him and his descendants to the present day. “ They are said to 
 be men of honeyed lips and hearts of poison.” Sed quicquid honoris, 
 says Barry, cuiquam impendit, semper in insidiis, semper in dolo, sem- 
 per propinans sub melle venenum, semper latens anguis in herba, vir in 
 facie liberalis et lenis, intus vero plus aloes quam mellis habens. 
 
 A.D. 1224, the royal founder, having assumed the Cistercian habit 
 in this abbey, died on the 28th of May, and was interred in the abbey, 
 where his tomb yet remains. The monument of O’Connor is adorned 
 with fresco paintings. One compartment represents our Saviour on the 
 cross ; another exhibits six kings. Roderick O’Connor, the last monarch 
 of Ireland, is represented in the group with a shamrock, a plant which 
 the Irish greatly regard, as St. Patrick is said to have held it up as an 
 emblem of the blessed Trinity. The princes on his side are his vassals. 
 The grand falconer holds a hawk in his hand ; the other with a sword 
 is the grand marshal. Below sits a brehon or judge with his roll of 
 law'^s, having pronounced sentence of death on MacMurrogh’s son, who 
 was his hostage, for the crime of his father, because he joined the Eng- 
 lish. The boy is tied to a tree, and two archers are executing the sen- 
 tence, his body being transfixed with arrows. 
 
 Hugh O’Kelly, the last abbot, having acknowledged the supremacy 
 of Henry VIIL, obtained a grant of the abbey possessions ; but he en- 
 joyed it a short time only, as death put an end to his career. The pro- 
 perty in the counties of Galway and Sligo, was extensive. In 1620 
 Valentine Blake held the abbey and a considerable part of its pos- 
 sessions. 
 
 Aughrim, in the barony of Kilconnell, and about four miles east of 
 Ballinasloe. An abbey for canons regular of St. Augustine, under the 
 invocation of St. Catharine, was founded, according to some authorities, 
 in the 13th century, by Theobald the first butler of Ireland. 
 
 When the monastery was suppressed, its property was granted to 
 Richard, earl of Clanrickard and his heirs, in capite, at the yearly rent 
 of £68 9s. Qd. 
 
 Ahascrath, in the barony of Kilconnell ; and near the river Suck. 
 Saint Cuanna is revered here. See Kilchoonagh. 
 
 The islands of Arran. There are three of those islands in the 
 W estern Ocean, opposite to the bay of Galway ; the principal isle is 
 called Aran of the Saints. 
 
 Arran na Haomh. Saint Enda having obtained, through the 
 
446 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAX HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 influence of Saint Ailbe, of Emly, a grant of the island of Arran from 
 Aengus, king of Cashell, who, it appears, did not know of such an 
 island, hastened from Cashell to Arran, and immediately set about 
 building a monastery, in which he governed one hundred and fifty 
 monks according to the strictest rules of monastic discipline. Enda 
 was of the illustrious family of the Princes of Orgiel, and son of Conal 
 of Clogher, perhaps having been born at or near that place ; according 
 to some accounts he was brother-in-law to king Aengus, who is said to 
 have been married to his sister Dairine. The resort of so many cele- 
 brated persons to his monastery, and the mention of his name in the 
 calendars and martyrologies, shew that he was a saint both eminent and 
 highly respected. It does not appear that he attained a higher dignity 
 than that of abbott : it is likely that he founded the monastery about the 
 year 480. The festival of this eminent saint is fixed at the 21st of 
 March, and his death is assigned to the year 540. 
 
 St. Benedict succeeded. lie was the brother of Saint Ivieran of 
 Saigir. In the Calendar of Cashell, Benedict is called the “Papa” of 
 the island of Arran. Papa means a father, and the Greeks give that 
 name, “ Pappas,” to every priest. 
 
 Saint Cronan is said to have been abbot of Arran. 
 
 A.D. 650, Saint Nemius, who died the 19th of June, is called the 
 comorb of Enda ; his tomb is shewn in the churchyard of Tcglagh- 
 Enda. 
 
 A.D. Y55, died the abbot Goimdibla. 
 
 A.D. 865, died the abbot Moeltulius. 
 
 A.D. 916, died Egnech, bishop, anchorite and comorb of Enda. 
 
 A.D. 1020, the abbey was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1081, the Danes pillaged and destroyed the abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1334, the isles of Arran and Bophin were plundered, burned, 
 and hostages taken thence by Sir John Darcy, Lord Justice of Ireland, 
 who surrounded the island with a fleet of fifty-six sail. 
 
 A.D. 1400, Donatus O’Leyne was abbot of Arran. 
 
 Tlie middle or second island subordinate to the first. 
 
 The third is called Ardoilean. 
 
 A description of those islands was furnished by Malachy O’Quely, 
 archbishop of Tuatn, to Colgan, when compiling the acts of the Irish 
 saints. This archbishop was slain near the town of Sligo, some of the 
 Puritan troops having lain in ambush for liim and his followers. 
 
 1st. The parish church on the great island, commonly called Kill- 
 Enda, lies in the county of Galway, (it formerly belonged to Munster, 
 and hence the application of Enda to the king of that province,) and 
 
ECCLESIAS'nCAL HISTOUV OF IRELAND. 447 
 
 half-baronj of Aran ; and in it is venerated Enda, as patron, on the 21st 
 of March. 
 
 2d. The church called Teglach-Enda, to which is annexed a ceme- 
 tery, wherein is the tomb of Saint Enda, with one hundred and twenty- 
 seven other sepulchres, in which none were ever buried but saints. 
 
 3d. Tlie church called Temple MacLonga, dedicated to a Saint Mac 
 Longuis, is situated near the parish church, sometimes called Kill-Enda. 
 
 4th. Tlie church called Temple Mic Canonnagh, near the said parish 
 church. 
 
 5th. Tlie church called of St. Mary, not lar from the parish church. 
 
 6th. Tlie church called Temple Benain, or the tem 2 )le of Saint 
 Bcnignus. 
 
 7th. The church called “ Mainistir Conachtach,” or the Connaught 
 Church ; it was afterwards demolished, and a chapel built in its stead, 
 dedicated to Saint Kieran. 
 
 8th. The church called “ Killnamanach,” cell of the monks, which 
 was dedicated to Saint Caradoc, surnamed the rough. 
 
 9th. The church called “ Temple Assurnuidhe,” which is said to be 
 dedicated to Saint Assurnidhe, or perhaps Asserninus ; this church is 
 held in the gi’eatest veneration among the islanders. 
 
 10th. Called “ Tempuil na Creathuir aluin,” church of the four beau- 
 tiful saints, who were Fursey, Brendan of Birr, Conall and Berchan, 
 whose bodies are also said to be buried in the same tomb, lying in the 
 cemetery of the same church. 
 
 11th. Called “Tempuil Mic Duach,” or the church of Colman, and 
 is a handsome church, dedicated to that saint. 
 
 12th. “ Tempuil Brecain,” or the church of Brecan, a handsome one, 
 and formerly the parochial church, dedicated to this saint, and in which 
 his feast is celebrated on the 22d of May. 
 
 13th. Another church of Brecan. 
 
 Tlie second island has a church called “ Tempuil Ceannannach,” 
 dedicated to the same Saint Ceannannach, and another dedicated to the 
 Blessed Virgin, both of which are subject to the parish of Saint Enda. 
 
 Tlie third island, called Ard-oilen, or High Island. 
 
 1st. Tlie church of “ Kill-Choemhain,” dedicated to Saint Coeman, 
 and in which he is also venerated. 
 
 2d. A church consecrated to Saint Paul. 
 
 3d. Killgradh an Domhain, in which is venerated Saint Gobnata, on 
 the 11th of February. 
 
 High Island does not properly belong to the isles of Arran ; it is 
 several leagues north-west of Arran, and is at present known by its 
 modern name (High Island). 
 
448 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HTSTOET OE IKELAITO. 
 
 In this “ High Island ” is the church of St. Coeman ; in it iras a 
 monastery of note, which was erected by St. Fechin. 
 
 The abbot, St. Goringal, died on the 5th of August, 1017, and was 
 there interred, together with divers holy hermits, who lived there with 
 him, ten of whom are mentioned by Colgaii, in the life of St. Endeus : 
 Mselsuthunins, Celecharius, Dubhtacus, Dunadachus, Cellachus, Tressa- 
 chus, Ultanus, Mielmartinus, Coromaclius, Coumachus et alii plures. 
 Gormgall was a very spiritual person, and of renowned sanctity, and 
 in the annals of the Four Masters is styled “ chief anchoret of the 
 Irish.” 
 
 High Island is situated about six miles from the coast of Omey, and 
 contains about eighty acres. It is only accessible in the calmest wea- 
 ther, and besides its antiquities, affords views of the Connemara and 
 Mayo mountains, of unsurpassable beauty. The church of this island is 
 among the rudest of the ancient structures, which the fervor of the 
 Christian religion raised, Avhen it was introduced into Ireland. Its in- 
 ternal measurement, long and broad, is but twelve feet by ten, and in 
 height, ten feet ; the doorway is two feet wide and four feet six inches 
 high, and its horizontal lintel is inscribed with a cross, like unto that of 
 the one of the doorway of St. Fechin’s great church, at Fore, and of 
 othere of the same period. 
 
 Tlie east window, the only one in the building, is semicircular- 
 headed, and is but one foot high and six inches wide. Tlie altar still 
 remains, and is covered with offerings, such as nails, buttons, and shells, 
 but chiefly fishing-hooks, which may have been tributes characteristic 
 of the calling of the votaries. On the east side of tlie chapel is an 
 ancient stone sepulchre, composed of large mica slates, with a cover of 
 limestone. The stones at the ends are rudely sculptured with orna- 
 mental crosses and a human figure, and the covering slab was also 
 carved. The chapel is surrounded with a wall, allowing a passage of 
 four feet between them ; and from this a covered passage, about fifteen 
 feet long by three in width, leads to a cell, which was probably the ab- 
 bot’s habitation. This cell, which is nearly circular, and dome-roofed, 
 is internally seven feet by six, and eight high. It is built, like those in 
 Aran, without cement, and with much rude art. On the east side there 
 is a larger cell, externally round, but within, a square of nine feet, and 
 seven feet six inches in height. The doorways in those cells are two feet 
 four inches wide, and three feet six inches in height. On the other side of 
 the chapel are a number of small cells, large enough to contain each a 
 single pei-son ; they are but six feet long, three wide, and four feet high, 
 and they formed a laura, like the dwellings of Egyptian ascetics. Tliere 
 is also a covered gallery, twenty four feet long, four feet wide, and four 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 449 
 
 feet six inches high, and the doorway or entrance is but two feet three 
 inches square. This apartment may have been a store for provisions. 
 
 The monastery is surrounded by a stone wall, without cement, 
 nearly circular, enclosing an area of one hundred and eight feet in dia- 
 meter. The entrance into this enclosure is at the south-east side, and 
 from it leads a stone passage, twenty-one feet in length and three wide. 
 At each side of this entrance, and outside the great circular wall, were 
 round buildings, which probably were for the use of pilgrims. Within 
 the enclosure are several rude stone crosses, and flags sculptured with 
 rude crosses. 
 
 In the surrounding ground there are several rude stone altars, or 
 penitential stations, on which are small stone crosses, and on the south 
 side of the enclosure there is a small lake, from which an artiflcial out- 
 let is formed, which turned a small mill. And along the west side of 
 this lake there is an artificial stone path, two hundred and twenty yards 
 in length, which leads to another stone cell of an oval form, at the 
 south side of the valley, in which the monastery is situated. This house 
 is eighteen feet long and nine wide, and there is a small-walled en- 
 closure joined to it. Tliere is also adjoining to it a stotie altar, sur- 
 mounted by a cross, and a small lake, wdiich, like the former one, seems 
 to have been formed by art. 
 
 Near the church of St. Brecan, on the great island of Ai’an is a mon- 
 umental slab, wdth a cross engraved thereon, and which marked the^ 
 grave of seven Romans who were there interred, and on Avhich, around 
 the arms of the cross, is an inscription in Roman letters, denoting the fact. 
 
 The troops of Oliver Cromwell battered the sacred edifices on the 
 islands of Aran. On the preacliing of St. Patrick, and the consequent 
 conversion of the kingdom, the pagan priests, who obstinately refused 
 to submit to the truths of the gospel, fled to those islands, and there 
 practised the errors of their superstition. But to the zeal of St. Enda 
 and his disciples, paganism yielded its last stronghold, and those 
 islands became the isles of saints and anchorites, whose orisons ascended 
 to heaven, bringing back those special benedictions throngh which Ire- 
 land is and has been the fruitful olive of God’s church, continually, 
 though oppressed and persecuted, engendering faithful sons, whose 
 tenacity to the faith of their fathers is without parallel in the annals of 
 the world. May that tenacity continue ; and if the chastening hand of 
 the Almighty strike still longer, in order to propagate and strengthen 
 the spiritual kingdom of his divine Son, may the Irish people be ever 
 ready to bear every trial — to make every sacrifice of temporal w'eal, 
 sooner than forego their right to those treasures that are to us invalu- 
 able, because purchased for us by an infinite price. 
 
'150 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Franciscan Friary, according to Alleinande, was founded in one of 
 those isles, in the year 1483. 
 
 Atheiiry, which gives its name to the barony, is a market town. 
 
 Meyler de Bermingham, the second baron of Athenry, gave to the 
 Dominicans 160 marcs, to assist in building their house, and granted the 
 site on which to erect tlie monastery ; lie also presented them with a 
 hogshead of wine. Tliis noble monastery was dedicated under the 
 invocation of SS. Peter and Paul, A.D. 1241. 
 
 i^.D. 1242, a general chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1252, Meyler, the. founder, was buried in this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1256, died Florence McFlynne, archbishop of Tuam. He 
 founded a house for scholai’s in this friary, and bequeathed many exem- 
 plary rules for the friai-s. 
 
 A.D. 1263, Thomas O’Kelly, bishop of Clonfert, was interred in this 
 abbey. He was a great benefactor to it. 
 
 A.D. 1374, Thomas, Lord Athenry, who died in this year, was a 
 liberal benefactor to this abbev. 
 
 A.D. 1423, Pope Martin Y., the monastery being consumed by 
 fire, granted indulgences to all persons visiting it on the feasts of Saint 
 Patrick and Saint Peter ad vincula, and contributing to its repail’s. 
 The same Pope issued them a license to found two convents here. 
 
 A.D. 1445, Pope Eugene lY. enforced the bull of Pope Martin 
 the Y. ; and it appears from his bull, that there were thirty friare in 
 Athenry. 
 
 Many persons of distinction have been interred in the monastery. 
 In the reign of Elizabeth, the convent, with thirty acres of land in 
 Athenry, and twelve in Ballidana, was granted to the portrieve and 
 burgesses of the town of Athenry, at the yearly rent of 26s. 4d., Irish 
 money. 
 
 In the year 1296, a sanguinary battle was fought at Athenry, by the 
 English and Irish trooiis. Feidhlim O’Connor, the last of his name who 
 assumed the sovereignty of Connaught, with a powerful army, met Sir 
 AVilliam Leigh de Burgh, and Eichard de Bermingham, the fourth 
 baron of Athenry, who were sent against him ; and one of the most 
 bloody battles on record was fought, near the town of Athenry, in 
 which the native troops were signally defeated. O’Connor fell in the 
 battle, and 8000 of his troops are said to have been slain. The walls of 
 Athenry are said to have been built from the spoils of the vancpiished ; 
 and the power of the O’Connors, which in this bloody struggle received 
 its final blow, was totally destroyed. 
 
 The ruins of this monastery shew it to have been a magnificent 
 building ; part of it was taken down to erect the present barracks in its 
 
>XX:LE8IASTICAL history of IRELAND. 
 
 451 
 
 Btoad. Tlie great east window is bold and of good workmanship. Tlie 
 tombs of the many distinguished persons buried in the church have 
 been defaced by the soldiers and their fragments scattered over the 
 church. 
 
 Franciscan Friary of Athenry, was founded A.D. 1464, under the 
 invocation of Saint Michael, by Thomas, earl of Kildare. His wife, 
 Margaret Gibbon, erected the first chapel ; the second was built by an 
 earl of Desmond, and the third by O’Tully. 
 
 Ballynahinch gives name to the barony. 
 
 A monastery for carmelites, or white friars, was founded by O’Fla- 
 lierty, in the year 1356. Ko more is known of this house. 
 
 Beagh. A monastery for Franciscans of the third order was founded 
 in this place about the year 1441. 
 
 In an inquisition, the 28th of Elizabeth, it is called the ruined church 
 of Beagh, in the barony of Clare ; its possessions were half a quarter of 
 land, pasture, arable, &c., with its appurtenances and tithes, which 
 were long concealed, and were of the yearly value of 6s. 8d. Irish 
 money. 
 
 Boilean-Clair, in the diocese of Tuam. 
 
 A monastery was founded here fcr Franciscans, in the year 1291. 
 Wadding affirms that this house was very rich, and had considerable 
 possessions. 
 
 Clare Galway, in the barony of Clare, five miles north-east of Gal- 
 way, on a small river which falls into Lough Corrib. 
 
 About the year 1290, John de Cogan built this monastery for 
 Franciscan friars, in a very elegant and expensive style. 
 
 On the 7th of March, 1368, Thomas, lord Athenry, granted the 
 lands of Cloy-melayn, which were contiguous to the town of Clare, for 
 the purpose of purchasing bread, wine and wax, for the celebrating of 
 mass in this friary. 
 
 The high tower in the centre of the church, and erected on arches, 
 is a curious piece of architecture. De Burgo erected a strong castle at 
 this monastery. 
 
 Clochin Cantualaig. O’Madden founded a monastery for the Fran- 
 ciscans, about the beginning of the 15th century. It is supposed that 
 this abbey was in the barony of Longford, the territory of that family. 
 
 Clonfert, in the barony of Longford, and near the river Shannon, 
 and a bishop’s see. 
 
 Saint Brendan of Clonfert, had been, according to some authorities, 
 a native of Connaught, but the more ancient and consistent accounts 
 assure us that he was born in Kerry. His father was Finloga, of the 
 distinguished family of Hua Alta. 
 
452 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IHSTOEY OF LEELAND. 
 
 Brendan -^ras bom in the year 484, and is said to have received Ins 
 education under a bishop Ercus. We are also assured that he studied 
 theology under Saint Jarlath of Tuam, who was then old and infirm, or 
 rather conferred with the bishop of Tuam on tliose religious subjects; he 
 is also said to have attended lectures in the great school of Clonard, 
 under Finnian, who was then probably as old as Brendan himself. To 
 atone for the deatli of a person who had been drowned, and to which 
 melancholy event Brendan feared he had involuntarily contributed, he 
 is said to have gone to Brittany, through the advice of Saint Ita, who, 
 it seems, was a relative of his. It is said that when he was a year old, 
 the bishop Ercus placed him under the care of this celebrated virgin, 
 and that he was reared by her during the space of five years. Having 
 paid a visit to Gildas, who was then living in that country, and 
 advanced in yeai’s, and who retired to Brittany also between tlie years 
 520 and 530, he went to another part of Brittany, where he formed a 
 monastery or school, at Ailech (the ancient Alectum, and at present St. 
 Malo). It is also added, that he erected a church in a place called 
 Ileth, somewhere in the same province. 
 
 According to some accounts, the famous voyages of this saint took 
 place after his arrival in Brittany ; but according to the Irish authori- 
 ties, tliey were undertaken from a port in Kerry, (Brendan’s hill,) and 
 had been terminated before his departure from Ireland to that country. 
 AVith regard to those voyages, it can be admitted that Saint Brendan 
 sailed in company with some other pereons towards the west, in search 
 of some island or country, the existence of which had been known. St. 
 Barrinthus and Mernoc, a disciple of his, are said to have been in that 
 country ; and, it is added, that tlie account given of it by Saint Barrinthus, 
 induced Brendan to undertake his voyage. In that account it is repre- 
 sented as a western country or island, but yet so large, that although 
 they traversed it for fifteen days, they could not reach the end of it. The 
 direction of Brendan’s Amyage is said to have been “ contra solstitium 
 jestivale,” by which is probably meant the north-west point, alluding to 
 the setting of the sun in summer. After fifteen days’ sailing, the wind 
 ceased, and the navigatom, though there Avas wind noAV and then, left 
 the vessel to itself, Avithout knoAving its course. It could have thus 
 arrived in America ; and an idea, one Avould suppose, existed, that there 
 had been a western country far distant from Ireland. Another native 
 of Munster, who will be noticed in his proper place, set out from his 
 home, resolved to undertake a similar voyage in quest of an unknoAvn 
 island. 
 
 It is said, that Saint Brendan laid in provisions for fifty days, which 
 proves that his voyage was considered a long one. His voyages are 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 453 
 
 said to have continued for seven years. Soon after his return from 
 Britanny, he founded the monastery of Clonfert. For this monastery, 
 and others connected with it, Brendan drew' up a particular rule, which 
 was observed for many centuries by his successors, having been particu- 
 larly esteemed, as an angel is said to have been the dictator of it to 
 Brendan. He presided over three thousand monks, partly at Clonfert 
 and in other houses of his institution, in different parts of Ireland, all 
 of whom maintained themselves like St. Paul, by the labor of their 
 owm hands. He established a nunnery at Enachdime, over which his 
 sister Briga presided as abbess. Another cell was erected by him in 
 Iimisquin, an island of Lough Corrib. 
 
 At a late period of his life, he paid a visit to St. Columbkille in one 
 of the western isles of Scotland, St. Brendan died at Enaghdune in his 
 sistei’'s nunnery, on the IGth of May, A.D. 577, and in the 94th year 
 of his age. From that place his remains were conveyed to Clonfert, and 
 there interred. 
 
 This great saint is usually styled abbot. St. Patrick, Avhen in the 
 south of Ireland, foretold that the great Brendan would be born in 
 West Munster (Keia-y). The church of Ardfert was dedicated under his 
 name. 
 
 A.D. 570, died Moena, who was intended as the successor of 
 Brendan. 
 
 A.D. 590, Fintan Corach was abbot and bishop. 
 
 A.D. 744, Clonfert w'as destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 801, died the abbot Mui-doch. 
 
 A.D. 839, the Danes burned the abbey and slew the abbot. 
 
 A.D, 845, Turgesius, the Danish tyrant, w'as guilty of the most hor- 
 rid depredations. He burned the churches and the dwellings of the 
 religious. Turgesius w'as afteiwvards seized by some native nobles, wdio 
 dressed themselves in female attire, and who drowned him in Lough 
 Bee. 
 
 A.D. 867, died Cormac “ the Wise,” the economist and writer of 
 Clonfcit. 
 
 A.D. 945, Ceallachan, king of Cashell and Donough his son pre- 
 sented to this abbey the spoils they had taken from the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 1170, died Cormac Hua Lomluin, the divinity lecturer of this 
 abbey, and the most learned Irishman of his time. 
 
 A.D. 1201, the abbey and town were pillaged by William de Burgo, 
 who again in 1204 plundered it. 
 
 Henry O’Gormocain w'as the abbot at the time of the general sup- 
 pression ; he never surrendered, but kept possession of the temporalities 
 until his death, though the king united them to the bishopric. Imme- 
 
454 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HI3T0KT OF IRELAND. 
 
 diateiy on the decease of Henry, William O’Gormacain supported by 
 the O’Maddens, procured the abbey from the Pope, and retained pos- 
 session thereof till the year 1567, in which the temporals were divided 
 between the bishop and abbot. This abbey paid the bishop 20s. procu- 
 rations for the rectory of Clonfert. 
 
 Clonkeen. About the year 1435, Thomas O'Kelly, bishop of Clonfert 
 and afterwards archbishop of Tuam, converted the parish church of 
 Clonkeen into a monastery of Franciscans of the third order, at the in- 
 stance of David and John Mulkerrill, professors of the said order. 
 
 Pope Eugene IV. contirmed the donation in 1441. 
 
 Tlie property of this abbey was seized by the crown. 
 
 Clontuskert, in the barony of Clonmacowen, and si.x miles northwest 
 of Clonfert. Boadan or Broaden, founded this monastery for Augustine 
 canons — was the first abbot. He died about the year 809. 
 
 This abbey paid proxies to the bishop of Clonfert. It was granted, 
 with its possessions, to Richard, earl of Clam-ickard. 
 
 Cloonyvornoge, a cell of the third order of Franciscans ; was built 
 about the year 1442. 
 
 By an inquisition held in the 2Sth year of queen Elizabeth, this 
 chapel was found in possession of half a quarter of land, arable and 
 pasture, &c., and the tithes of the same, all of the yearly value of 
 6s. 8d. 
 
 Cluain-fois. An abbey of this name was founded hy St. Jarlath of 
 Tuam. Here was a celebrated school about the year 550. 
 
 Crevebawn, a friary of Carmelites which it is supposed, owes its 
 foundation to an earl of Clanrickard in the 14th century. 
 
 This monastery, with a quarter of land, sixteen acres of arable and 
 twelve of pasture in the town and lands of Crevaghbawn, was granted 
 to the burgesses and commonalty of the town of Athenry. 
 
 Dundrynan. Thomas was abbot of this monastery in the year 1374, 
 and in the 29th year of king Edward HI. it was dedicated to the Virgin 
 Mary. Of this house no more is known. 
 
 Dunmore" gives name to the barony, and is six miles north of Tuam. 
 Tills place was called Domnach-patruic either because St. Patrick 
 founded this church or it was dedicated to him. Archdall places here 
 a bishop Fulartach, whose memory is revered on the 29th of March. 
 See Clonard. 
 
 A friary for Augustine Eremites was founded here by Walter de 
 Bermingham, lord Athenry, in the year 1425. A portion of this huild- 
 ing now forms the market-place ; the remaining oart was levelled, while 
 another was converted into a parish church. 
 
 Enaghdune, in the barony of Clare and on Lough Corrib. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 455 
 
 The nunnery, was founded by St. Brendan f©r his sister Briga under 
 the invocation of the Virgin Mary. 
 
 Pope Celestine IL, by a bull, dated the 26th of February, A.D. 1195, 
 did confirm this church, together with the town of Kelgel to the nuns 
 of the order of Aroasia. 
 
 Tlie steeple or round tower of this nunnery was erected in the year 
 1238. 
 
 At the suppression it was granted to Richard, earl of Clanrickard. 
 
 Saint Mary’s Abbey de portu patruin, was founded for white canons 
 of the order of Premonstre. 
 
 Nicholas was abbot in the year 1311. Gilbert, bishop of Enaghdune, 
 recovered from him, in right of his church, a messuage, twenty acres of 
 arable land, six of meadow, forty of wood, twenty of moor and sixty of 
 pasture, all in Slianthill. 
 
 Franciscan friary, of Enaghdune was considerable, having had a 
 custody to which the Franciscan monasteries of Connaught and Ulster 
 were subordinate. 
 
 College of Saint Brendan, in which four priests were supported. It 
 was long concealed fi-om the royal inquisitors of Elizabeth. Twenty- 
 three quarters of tithes belonged to this college. While it was con- 
 cealed, it was in the hands of Clement Skerrett and Thady Macinyllis, 
 both of whom were })riests. 
 
 Fallig, the name of the founder, who was according to Wadding, an 
 Irishman. 
 
 This house was erected for gray friars in the year 1390. It is now a 
 vicarage, of course a Protestant one, in the barony of Longford. 
 
 Fidhard. St. Patrick is said to have built this abbey, and to have 
 placed St. Justus over it. A St. Justus is said to have baptized as well 
 as instructed Saint Kieran of Clonmacnois. 
 
 Galway is a remaihable seaport, and sends representatives to Parlia- 
 ment. 
 
 Franciscan friary, A.D. 1296, Sir William de Burgh (the gray) 
 founded this monastery for Franciscans, in St. Stephen’s island, without 
 the north gate of the town. Tlie founder died A.D. 1324, and was in- 
 terred in the abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1494, died Edward Philbin, who built the dormitory of this 
 house. 
 
 A.D. 1513, died the celebrated archbishop of Tuam, Maurice O’Fihely, 
 known as “ Flos mundi,” the flower of the world, and was interred in 
 this monastery. Ilis humble monument is still shewn. 
 
 A.D. 1520, William de Burgh granted this abbey the fishery of the 
 river of Galway. 
 
456 
 
 ECCIJ:8IASTICAL history of IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 1536, the archbishop of Tuam died, and was buried in the 
 same tomb with his predecessor Maurice. 
 
 Provincial chapters of the order were held in this abbey in the years 
 1470, 1522, and 1562. 
 
 March the 9th, 1570, Queen Elizabeth granted part of the posses- 
 sions of this abbey to the corporation and their successoi’s, which grant 
 was renewed in September, 1578, for forty yeai’s. 
 
 A.D. 1603, James I. granted tlie entire possessions of this house to 
 Sir George Carew, his heim and assigns, forever. 
 
 A.D. 1657, all the buildings of the abbey were demolished, except 
 the church, in which assizes were held. 
 
 A.D. 1698, the several membei's of this and the other religious 
 houses of the town were banished ; they afterwards gradually returned, 
 and for many years suffered the most severe persecutions, having been 
 frequently imprisoned, tried, transported, and often in danger of their 
 lives. 
 
 Galway was, until the mitigation of the penal laws, one of the 
 principal places in Ireland, which afforded refuge to the prescribed ec- 
 clesiastics of the religious ordere. 
 
 Dominican friary is situated on an elevated spot, near the sea-shore, 
 in the west suburbs of the town. It stands on the site of an ancient 
 convent of St. Mary of the Hill, a daughter of the Holy Trinity of the 
 Premonstratenses of Tuam, which was founded by the O’Hallerans. On 
 the nuns forsaking it, the secular clergy entered, and retained possession 
 a considerable time. The inhabitants of the town having petitioned 
 I’ope Innocent YlII., it was granted to the Dominicans of Athenry, 
 A. D. 1488. 
 
 The Dominican order being thus established in Galway, the convent 
 was richly endowed by many individuals of the town, and several con- 
 siderable additions were made to the church and monasteiy. James 
 Lynch Fitzstephen, who was mayor of Galway, in 1493, and celebrated 
 for immolating his only son, because that son stained his hands in the 
 blood of a young Spaniard, at the shrine of public justice, erected the 
 choir of this church. 
 
 A.D. 1570, March 9th, Queen Elizabeth granted to the corporation, 
 and their successors, part of the possessions of this monastery, then 
 lately dissolved. 
 
 A.D. 1642, Lord Forbes, landing at Galway, took possession of this 
 house, which he converted into a battery, with the intent to reduce the 
 town. Having failed in his design, he defaced the church, and in his 
 brutal rage dug up the graves, and burned the coffins and bones of the 
 dead. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL UISTOKY OF IRELAKD, 
 
 457 
 
 A.D. 1652, the friars surrendered the church and monastery to the 
 coiporation, which were soon after razed to the ground, lest they 
 should be converted by Cromwell’s troops into a fortification against 
 the town. 
 
 Henceforth the friars of this house suffered in common with their 
 brethren of the other Orders, all the persecutions, to which tliey were 
 subjected. 
 
 Augustinian friary was situated on an eminence near the sea, in the 
 south suburbs of the town, and within a few hundred yards of the 
 walls. It was founded in 1508, by Margaret Athy, wife of Stephen 
 Lyncli FitzDominick, at the instance of Richard Hangle, an Augus- 
 tiniau hermit, who afterwards became archbishop of Tuam. This mo- 
 nastery was commenced by this pious lady during the absence of her 
 husband in Spain. The church and the steeple having been finished on 
 his return, he was surprised at beholding from the bay a building so 
 stately, erected in a place where there was not a single stone laid at the 
 time of his departure. When, on landing, he discovered that it had 
 been erected by his own wife, in honor of St. Augustine, his surprise 
 was converted into joy ; and the good man, falling down on his knees 
 on the sea-shore, returned thanks to Heaven for inspiring her with that 
 pious resolution. This lady afterwards made a. pilgrimage to Saint 
 James’s tomb, in Gallicia (Spain). 
 
 A.D. 1517, Richard Edmund de Burgo made grants to this monas- 
 tery for the souls of himself, his parents and successors. 
 
 A.D. 1570, Queen Elizabeth granted to the corporation, and their 
 successors, part of the possessions of this monastery, then lately dis- 
 solved, and which grant she afterwards renewed for forty years. James 
 I., A.D. 1G03, granted all its possessions to Sir George Carew, his heirs 
 and assigns, for ever. 
 
 On the suppression of the monastery, the friars removed to a large 
 house within the town, in which they resided for many years. The 
 church, however, remained standing, and on the building of St. Augus- 
 tine’s fort, in 1G02, it was converted into a store for the use of the sol- 
 diery. When this fort was demolished, in 1G43, the monastery was 
 spared, and delivered up to the friars, by whom it was repaired ; but in 
 1G52, being again surrendered to the corporation, it was pulled down, 
 lest it should be fortified against the town. Since that time not a ves- 
 tige of it remains. 
 
 Carmelite fi'iary is said to have been founded by the de Burgo fami- 
 ly, but upon what authority or at what period, is not recorded. 
 
 In 1G47, those friars opposed the Pope’s nuncio, Rinuccini, and his 
 treatment of them on the occasion formed one of the prmcipal articles of 
 
458 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAIi HISTORY OF IRELAIYD. 
 
 accusation against him by the supreme council. Tlie friars having 
 shewn resistance to the wislies of the nuncio, their dwelling was assault- 
 ed by night and tlieir persons abused. In a fit of rage he ordered their 
 bell to be pulled down, and placed two priests at the entry to their 
 chapel, to keep the peojile from resorting there to prayere. 
 
 These friars were soon after banished with the other religious and 
 clergy, and have never since been reinstated in the town. 
 
 Capuchin friars. On the restoration of the Catholics, in 1689, the 
 Capuchins petitioned the corporation for leave to return and be estab- 
 lished in as full and ample manner within the town as their predecessor 
 formerly had been. The request was granted, but they soon shared the 
 fate of the other religious, and have not since revived in Galway. 
 
 Knights Templar were established beyond the east gate. The order 
 being suppressed in 1312, its possessions were given to the Ilospitallera 
 of St. .Tohn of Jerusalem. 
 
 Franciscan nunnery of Saint Clare, In 1511, "Walter Lynch Fitz 
 Tliomas, who was mayor of Galway in 1504, and again in 1513, bestowed 
 on Ids daughter a dwelling-house near St. Nicholas’ church, which was 
 afterwards known as “ the house of the poor nuns of the third order of 
 St. Francis.” 
 
 These nuns having presented a memorial to the corporation, in 1649, 
 praying a grant of as much ground in island Attenagh at the west end 
 of the town, as would be sutticient for erecting a monastery and other 
 necessary buildings ; their petition being acceded to, they erected a 
 handsome convent on that island ; but they enjoyed it only for a short 
 period, as they were, on the surrender of Galway in 1652 to the troops 
 of the Farliamentarians, obliged to disperse and retreat to foreign parts, 
 where those pereecuted and defenceless females endured all the miseries 
 of a long and comfortless exile. After a lapse of many years, and on 
 the change.of political circumstances, which took place during the short 
 reign of James II., the few who survived, returned to Galway, and have 
 ever since continued. 
 
 During the persecution of 1698, all the convents of the town were, 
 on the 1st of May, broken into by the military; the chapels torn down 
 and every religious emblem destroyed. The nuns were at the same time, 
 forced out, obliged to change their habits and take shelter with their 
 friends in the country. The heat of the persecution somewhat relaxing, 
 they reassembled and came back to their former dwellings. They re- 
 mained unmolested until the mayor of Galway, Edward Eyre, was 
 directed, in 1712, to suppress the “ nunneries.” Those defenceless ser- 
 vants of the Most High, whose only ofience was the consecration of their 
 lives to solitude and ])rayer, were again turned out of doors and obliged 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OP IRELAND. 
 
 459 
 
 to have refuge with their friends. In the height of their distress, John 
 Bourke, the then provincial of their order in Ireland, obtained permis- 
 sion from Edmund Byrne, the archbishop of Dublin, to admit them into 
 his diocese, hoping they would be less noticed in the capital than in 
 Galway, as the government watched the latter so closely. A few of 
 those ladies were sent to Dublin ; but scarcely had they reached there, 
 when the lords justices received information of the fact and immediately 
 ordere were issued for their apprehension ; as if the arrival of a few 
 weak and helpless females was calculated to overthrow the government 
 or endanger the stronghold of the Protestant Church. In consequence 
 of the alarm which this event caused, these ladies were arrested in the 
 habits of their order. A proclamation then issued, dated tlie 20th of 
 September, 1712, to appreliend the aforesaid John Bourke, the archbishop 
 of Dublin, and doctor Nary, popish priests, who presumed to exercise 
 ecclesiastical jurisdiction contrary to the laws of the realm, and laws 
 which German bayonets mainly established ; and it was ordered, that 
 all the laws in force against the Papists should be strictly carried into 
 execution. 
 
 In the meantime, the convents of Galway were converted into bar- 
 racks. The storm again subsiding, the nuns again came forth from their 
 retreats, and at length succeeded in regaining their former habitations. 
 They were visited again in 1731, and have continued since without mo- 
 lestation. 
 
 Dominican nunnery. The inhabitants of Galw’ay founded this nun- 
 nery by the consent of the general and provincial chapter, about the 
 year 1644. Father Gregory French, a learned and virtuous Dominican, 
 who was afterwards banished from his native country, and who died an 
 exile in Italy, was appointed the first superior. 
 
 "When Galway was taken, in 1652, by Cromwell’s forces, the nuns, 
 with their then vicar, fiither Gregory O’Ferrall, went to Spain. Two 
 only of the number survived, Julia Nowlan and Maria Lynch, who 
 returned to Galway in 1686, by direction of John Browne, provincial of 
 the order in Ireland. On their arrival, Julia Nowlan was appointed 
 prioress, and the companion of her exile subprioress ; a house being 
 provided for them in the town, the community soon increased, and 
 became, before the end of two years, completely established. 
 
 In 1698, they were again dispersed. It was most deplorable, says 
 O’Heyne, the historian of those distressing scenes, to witness the cries 
 and tears of those oppressed females, by which their very pei’secutors 
 were moved to compassion. The convent was converted into a barrack ; 
 however, the nuns remained secretly in town amongst their friends, 
 under the direction of Julia Nowlan, the prioress, who was released by 
 
4(50 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI- HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 death from all her sufferings, in 1701, at the age of ninety years, and 
 was succeeded by the sub-prioress, Maria Lynch. 
 
 They were soon after obliged to depart from the town altogether, 
 and disperse among their relatives in the country, without the most 
 distant hope of returning. In this forlorn condition, Hugh O’Callauan, 
 the provincial of the order, having obtained permission from doctor 
 Byrne, the archbishop of Dublin, to admit them into his diocese, eight 
 of the nuns repaired to the capital, where they arrived in March, 1717, 
 and dwelt together in a house in Fisher’s-lane, on the north side of the 
 river. In September following, they removed to Channel-row, aftei*- 
 wards Bruuswick-street, where they originated the convent of Jesus, 
 Mary and Joseph, of Dublin. In the meantime, the ladies who 
 remained near Galway returned to the town, and having obtained pos- 
 session of their former abode, liave ever since continued. 
 
 The names of the sisters who founded the convent of Dublin, are — 
 Maria Bellew, Elizabeth Weever, Julia Browne, Ilonoria Yaughan, 
 Alicia Bice, Helena Keating, Catharine Plunkett, and Maria Plunkett. 
 
 Maria Bellew was constituted the prioress of the new convent. 
 Catharine Plunkett, having obtained the permission of her superioi’s, 
 repaired to Brussels, where she remained until recalled for the pui’jiose 
 of establishing a convent at Drogheda. 
 
 In the year 1756, there were thirty-one nuns in the convent of 
 Galway ; their names are — Anastasia Lynch, prioress ; Maria Lynch, 
 subprioress ; Maria Lynch, Margaret Darcy, Christina Darcy, Juliana 
 Bodkin, Elizabeth Lynch, Margaret Browne, Brigid Kirwan, Rosa 
 Kelly, Cecilia Kelly, Brigid Geraldine, Marcella Erencli, Catharine 
 Lynch, Elizabeth Browne, Brigid Browne, Barbara Blake, Maria 
 Browne, Theresia Browne, Catharine Kowlan, Elizabeth Bodkin, Mar- 
 cella Darcy, Anna French, Monica Bodkin, Elizabeth Yaughan, Maria 
 Bodkin, Anna Bodkin, Marcella Blake, Anastasia Blake, Monica Joyce, 
 and Maria Joyce. 
 
 May the constancy of those faithful souls, and their heroic example 
 under trial and persecution for the sake of their holy faith, tend to 
 strengthen and support those of their sex who are scattered over this 
 vast country, under every affliction and under every danger to which 
 their morals, as well as their faith, may be exposed. 
 
 Augustinian nunnery was established in Middle-street, early in 
 tlie last century. In 1731, the mayor reported that he had searched the 
 house, and that none were found but servants therein ; but that he 
 discovered in it seven rooms, ten beds in which, it was ayiprehended, the 
 reputed nuns lay before their dispersion. 
 
 Kunnery, to the west of the town, was situated in an island of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF IRELAITD. 
 
 461 
 
 Lough Corvib, hut of its liistory nothing is recorded. "Witli regard to 
 this nunnery being situated in tlie island, Archdall must be under a 
 mistake. Tliere is an island called Inisnagoile, on which there are 
 extensive ruins. This nunnery, according to the tradition of the natives, 
 ■was situated near the shore of the lake, where they still point out an 
 artificial stone path leading from the building. See Inis an Ghoil, &c. 
 
 Iinay, an island on the coast of Galway county. 
 
 Saint Fecliin founded the monastery of this island. The annals of 
 the Four Masters record the death of Fergus, vicar of lomaith. It 
 appears that this island was one of the last retreats of Paganism in Ire- 
 land. The account of the erection of tliis monastery is as follows, from 
 the latin of Colgan : 
 
 “ On a certain night, the holy man (Fechin) being in the monastery 
 of Ballysadare, (county of Sligo,) was by an angel admonished in his 
 sleep, that it was the divine wdll that he should go to a certain island of 
 the ocean (Imay), situated in the -westerii district of Connaught. Saint 
 Fechin obeys the warning of the angel, and with the intention of gaining 
 many souls to God and increasing the monastic institute, accompanied 
 by some disciples, he sought the island, where he proposed to dwell and 
 build a church. But the inhabitants, at the suggestion of the devil, 
 endeavoured by all means to exclude him : hence, at night they several 
 times cast into the sea the spades, axes, iron tools, and other instru- 
 ments, which the monks used in the work of building ; but as often as 
 they were thus cast, so often being thyown back on shore, they were 
 found by the monks in the morning. But when the man of God and 
 his monks, thus meeting with the opposition of the people, persisted in 
 continual labours, watchings and fastings, and the people hardened in 
 malice, denied them all nourishment, at length two of the brethren 
 perished, being exhausted through want. But Saint Fechin, having 
 poured forth for his servants a prayer to the Lord, in complying with 
 whose will, those who were thus exhausted had perished, merited that 
 they should be recalled to life. And when the reports of the occun-ence 
 had reached the ears of the king, Guarius, son of Colman, he took care 
 that sufficient nourishment in meat and drink should be brouglit to 
 Saint Fechin. He added also his royal phial, which even to this day is 
 called ‘Cruach Fechin.’ Afterwards, all the islanders being converted 
 to Christ, were baptized by Saint Fechin, and they consigned themselves 
 and their island to the use and service of the saint and his successors.” 
 
 The king mentioned in this account was the generous and hospitable 
 Guaire of Connauglit, who died A.D. 663. 
 
 Inis na Ghoil Craibhtaigh, the island of the devout foreigner. 
 
 Tliis island has two chapels — the one dedicated to Saint Patrick, the 
 
462 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL niSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 other to the saint from whom it is named, and in which, it seems, no one 
 is buried. Murgesius O’Nioc, archbishop of Tuam, died in this island, 
 A.D. 1128. 
 
 The first cliapel is called Temple-Fatrick, and undoubtedly bears 
 marks of a very high antiquity, and is, perhaps, as the tradition of the 
 country asserts, of the same age v’ith the apostle. It is not easy to 
 determine who the devout stranger is, from whom the island has derived 
 its name. 
 
 A monumental slab or pillar, about four feet high, situated at a 
 little distance from Temple-Fatrick, serves to throw light on the history 
 of the devout foreigner. Tlie lettei-s on this sUib are very deeply cut, 
 and in perfect preservation, and are read as follows, in English : 
 
 “ Lie Lugnaedon Mac Linenueh.” 
 
 The stone of Lugnaedon, son of Limenueh. 
 
 It is related in the transactions of Saint Fatrick, that when at Oran, 
 in Magh Aoi, the very neighbourhood of which we treat, he was 
 solicited by his Gallic disciples and followers to assign them situations, 
 in which they could lead lives of retirement and contemplation, a 
 request with which the saint complied. Of these Galls or Franks, who 
 were fifteen in number, Avith one sister, the names of three are only 
 given — Bernicius, Ernicius and Inaepius. As those foreigners have 
 settled in this locality at so early a period, the devout foreigner seems 
 to be one of them. In an ancient list of Saint Fatrick’s followers or 
 household, a Saint Lugnath is set doAvn as the pilot of tlie apostle ; and, 
 again, the most ancient authorities concur in stating that Lugnath was 
 one of the seA’^en sons of the Lombard, tlie nepheAv of Saint Fatrick by 
 his sister Liemania. Their names are as follow — Sechnall, or Secun- 
 dinus, a bishop ; Nechtan, a bishop ; Dabonna, a saint ; Mogornan, 
 a saint ; Darioc, a saint ; Auxilius, a bishop ; Lughnat, a saint. The 
 ancient martyrologies state, that the mother of these sons of the Lombard 
 Avas Liemania, the daughter of Calphurnius, and sister of Saint Fatrick. 
 It does not appear that Resti tutus, called the Lombard, was ever in 
 Ireland. Liemania has been buried in Finnuair-abha, on the banks of 
 the Boyne. See Kill-Clogher, county Louth. Other sisters of Saint 
 Fatrick are also spoken of, such as Lupita and Darerca ; and though 
 there may be room to question the authorities respecting the latter, 
 there seems to be no just ground to call in question the history of the 
 Lombard and Liemania ; the constant tradition of the country, moreover, 
 records those seven sons, and also reference is frequently made to the 
 seven churches of those seven brothers. 
 
 Inisquin, an island of Lough Corrib, and in the barony of Clare. 
 St. Brendan founded the monastery of Inisquin, and having resigned the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IEELA>rD. 
 
 463 
 
 government of Clonfert, he spent the latter part of his life in this retreat, 
 preparing himself for the way of all flesh. 
 
 Saint Meldan was the successor of the founder, and was of the Sept 
 Ilua-cuin from which the island took its name, and which possessed the 
 country about Lough Orbsen (the ancient name of Lough Corrib). 
 St. Meldan was abbot of Inis-hua-cuin, about the beginning of the 7th 
 century, and was also probably a bishop. The memory of St. Meldan 
 was universally respected. In this island the great St. Fursey, whose 
 mother was a native of Hy-brun in Connaught, repaired to the monas- 
 tery of Meldan and spent some years under his guidance. St. Meldan 
 died some time before the year 626, and his festival is observed on the 
 7th of February. 
 
 Kilbought, in the barony of Athenry, and four miles east of Lough- 
 rea. The family of Waley founded this monastery, and in the inquisi- 
 tion, the 6th of Elizabeth, express mention is made, that the Franciscans 
 of the third order were possessed of this friary. 
 
 A.D. 1507, Mathew Macreagh, bishop of Clonfert, died here. 
 
 Kilbrenan. The monastery of Kilbrenan with its appurtenances, 
 containing one acre, six small cottages in the town of Kilbrenan, thirty 
 acres of arable land and fifteen of pasture in the said town, were granted, 
 together with the abbey of Mayo, to the burgesses and commonalty of 
 Athenry. 
 
 Kilcorban. The church of this monastery was dedicated to St. Cor- 
 ban. This saint is suppossd to be the Cerban, of Kilcerban, near Tarah 
 in Meath, who died, A.D. 500. TTiis church was afterwards dedicated 
 to the Virgin Mary. 
 
 A.D. 1446, Thomas de Burgo, bishop of Clonfert, with the consent 
 of his chapter, granted this chapel with some land adjoining, to the 
 friars of the third order of St. Dominick, at the earnest entreaty of John 
 Fitzrery, vicar general of that order and his brethren. Pope Eugene 
 IV. confirmed the donation, by bull directed to the abbot of Vianova 
 or abbey Gormogan, in the diocese of Clonfert. The bishop died the 
 same year 
 
 In this church of the Eosary of the blessed Virgin, there was a 
 statue of the immaculate mother of our Eedeemer, of which John 
 O’lleyne thus speaks, “ Tlie frequent miracles which God performs 
 through that statue, daily confirm the Catholics in the true faith and in 
 the veneration of the Queen of Heaven.” 
 
 Killcolgan, in the baron of Doonkillen, and diocese of Kilmacduach. 
 St. Colgan or Colga was the brother of St. Foila, a holy virgin of the 
 house of Hy Fiachra in South Connaught. Another branch of this family 
 of Ily Fiachra is the O’Dowda of Tireragh, North Connaught. 
 
464 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF LRELANI). 
 
 Saint Colga was the son of Aidns or Ilng'h, a great grandson of 
 Dathy or David, the king of Ireland, who wtis killed by lightning at 
 the foot of the Alps, while on a military expedition in that country. 
 The festival of Colga is marked at the 20th of February. 
 
 Kilcolgan, in the diocese of Clonfert, over which ahotjier Colga, a 
 disciple of St. Columbkille, presided, and to whom Adamnan introduces 
 the sainted abbot of Ily as speaking about his diocese. Ilis feast is 
 also observed on the 20th of February. 
 
 Ivillconnell — see Tearmondearbhill, county Mayo — gives its name to 
 the barony, and is seven miles west of Ballinasloe. 
 
 An ancient abbey or church, over which St. Conall presided, or it 
 was dedicated to him. Of this saint scarcely any record remains except 
 that he is spoken of as the brother of the holy virgin Athracta, whose 
 name we shall meet with in another place. Conall is supposed to have 
 been a bishop. His festival is marked at the 18th of March. 
 
 A monastery for Franciscan friare was founded in Ivillconnell about 
 the year 1400 by William O’Kelly, wdiose death is recorded in the 
 obituary of the abbey, as having occurred in May, 1464. 
 
 At the dissolution of monasteries, it was granted to Charles Cal- 
 thorpe. 
 
 A.D. 1604, the Catholics repaired this monasteiw. 
 
 Saint Conall is called one of the four beautiful saints of Ire- 
 land. 
 
 The reform of the strict observance was received in this abbey about 
 the year 1460. The prop<yty of this house was given to Lewis Brisket, 
 Esq., by queen Elizabeth, for the term of fifty years at the annual rent 
 of 32s. Irish. 
 
 Killcoonagh, in the barony of Clare. St. Cuanna was matemal bro 
 ther to St. Carthag, of Lismore. Having governed Killcoonagh either 
 as abbot or pastor, he is supposed to have been the abbot of Lismore 
 immediately succeeding Carthag, and perhajis as bishop. Another saint 
 of this name occurs in the Irish calendars, who was a disciple of Saint 
 Columba, and whose church was situated in the county of Sligo, also 
 called after him. 
 
 The festival of St. Cuanna is observed on the 4th of February, the 
 year of his death being unknown. 
 
 Tipraid, prince of Hy Fiachra, is said to have given the site of this 
 religious foundation. 
 
 Kilcreunata, called the nunnery “ of the Chaste wood,” was founded 
 by Cathal Crovbh-dearg O’Connor, A.D. 1200, for Benedictine nuns. 
 The cells of Inchmean in Mayo, and Ardcarn in Roscommon were after- 
 wards annexed to this nunnery. 
 
* ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 465 
 
 A.D. 1301, died the lady abbess Fynola (Penelope), daughter of 
 Felym O’Connor. Derbhill O’Connor was the last abbess. 
 
 At the suppression of monasteries it was granted to Eicliard, earl of 
 Clanrickard. 
 
 Killfaile, in the diocese of Kilmacduach. St. Faila or Foila, whose 
 memory is revered in this church, was the daughter of Hugh or Aidus, 
 great grandson of Dathy, king of Ireland. Three brothers of hers are 
 reckoned among the Irish saints, Colgan, Aidus and Sorar. The year 
 of her death is not known. Her festival is observed on the 3d of March. 
 Tlie reputation of this holy woman is very great, as her church has been 
 the resort of pilgrims during centuries. 
 
 Killine Bondina. A.D. 1428, was built this monastery for Francis- 
 cans of the third order, which, according to Wadding, became one of 
 the most considerable houses of that order. 
 
 Killoebhain, in the diocese of Clonfert. It is related, that St. Mac- 
 cecht, of Domnach-Loebhain, made the famous relic called “Finfai- 
 dheach.” He was one of the artificers of St. Patrick. The relic was a 
 bell. St. Patrick is recorded to have distributed bells for the use of the 
 churches ; and an officer, called “ aistire ” in Irish, which means a bell- 
 man, existed in his time. Tlius at Armagh, St. Sinell is styled “ Cam- 
 panarius,” the Latin of the Irish word referred to. It is then apparent, 
 that bells existed in the early ages of the Irish church. There has been 
 one preserved on Croagh Patrick, in Mayo, which is said to fiave be- 
 longed to the apostle. Bells have been first invented in a town of Italy 
 called “ Campana.” 
 
 Kilmacduach, called after St. Colman, the son of Duach, a bishop’s 
 
 Bee. 
 
 Maurice Ileyan, bishop of this see, erected, A.D. 1283, a monastery 
 here for canons regular of St. Augustine. 
 
 A.D. 1289, John was abbot. 
 
 Tliere is a holy well in this place, with a circular inclosure. The 
 church of this building, though small, was a very handsome one. The 
 pillars and arches, from the entrance to the altar and east window, are 
 finished in an elegant style, and the angles at the east end are worked 
 in pillars. 
 
 Tlie round tower of Kilmacduagh leans seventeen feet and a half 
 from the perpendicular. Tlie celebrated tower of Pisa, in Italy, leans 
 only thirteen feet. 
 
 Killmac-Dara, off the coast of Connemara, and in the pailsh of Moy- 
 rus. This saint is known by the name of Senach, the son of Dara. The 
 island is an inviolable sanctuary, dedicated to this saint. Here his sta- 
 tue of wood remained for ages, until Malachy O’Quely, archbishop of 
 30 
 
46G 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Tuam, caused it to be buried under ground, probably to prevent 
 asseverations, which were customary, and which the clergy strove to 
 prevent. 
 
 The bronze cross of the saint still exists, and his altar is still pre- 
 served in the parish church. Ilis festival is observed as patron of Moyrus, 
 on the 16th of July, though marked in the Irish calendars at the 2Sth 
 of September. The little church of MacDara measures fifteen feet in 
 length, and eleven broad ; and its walls, two feet eight inches thick, are 
 built of stones of great size, and its roof of the same material. The 
 circular stone-house of this saint, built without cement, and in the same 
 style, still remains, but greatly dilapidated ; it is an oval of twenty-foui 
 feet by eighteen, and its walls are seven leet in thickness. 
 
 MacDara is venerated as the principal saint of the western coast of 
 Ireland. 
 
 Kiltullagh, a cell of the third order of St. Francis, was built here, 
 6ome time before the year l-idl. ^ 
 
 Kilmurry, in the barony of Beallymoe, was given to Gilleduff 
 O’Cahan, for a certain term of years, by Elizabeth. It was a mendi- 
 cant friary. 
 
 Kinalekin, a commandery of knights hospitallers, was founded here 
 in the thirteenth century, by O’Flaherty. 
 
 A.D. 1310, John was prior. John de Blohely was prior, and a third 
 John succeeded, who sued John de Burgh for a townland in Tullagh 
 M‘Rnskyn, of which John O’Leyn, bishop of Clonfert, had unlawfully 
 disseized the former prior. , 
 
 A Franciscan friary was founded here before the year 1325. 
 
 A.D. 1359, Hugh Bernard was provincial of the Franciscans in 
 Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 1438, John O’Heyn, the provincial, was made bishop of Clon- 
 fert. 
 
 A.D. 1447, John With, minister of the order, was elected bishop, 
 but was not consecrated. 
 
 Loughreagh, a market town in the barony of Doonkillen. 
 
 Carmelite friary. Eichard de Burgo, earl of Ulster, founded this 
 monastery in the year 1300, for the Carmelites, under the invocation of 
 the Virgin Mary. 
 
 Tliis abbey was granted to Eichard, earl of Clanrickard. 
 
 A leper-house was also founded in this town. 
 
 Maghele. St. Abban, who died A.D. 630, built tliree churches in 
 this plain. 
 
 Meelick, in the barony of Longford, and four miles east of Clonfert. 
 O’Madden, lord of the country founded this abbey for conventual Fran- 
 
ECCLESIA8TICAX HISTOIiY OF mELANB. 
 
 467 
 
 ciscans. Tlie situation of it was delightful, and the building itself spa- 
 cious and beautiful. During the winter months, the friary was sur- 
 rounded by the inundations of the river Shannon. 
 
 In the year 1203, William de Burgo, the conqueror of Connaught, 
 marched at the head of a great army into that province, and on to Mee 
 lick ; profanely converted the church into a stable, round which he 
 erected a castle, of a circular form, wherein he was seen to eat flesh 
 during the whole time of lent. 
 
 The monastery of Meelick was granted to Sir John King, who 
 assigned it to the earl of Clanrickard. 
 
 Muck-enis, in Lough-dearg, and bordering on the county of Gal- 
 way. The festival of St. Kegulus is held here on the_ 16th of October. 
 
 Ivar, a northman or Dane, having arrived at Limerick, proceeded 
 along the Shannon, with his followers, and set fire to this establishment, 
 A.D. 946. In this year they were defeated by Comgall II., and again, 
 in 948, this king defeated them in another battle, in which the Danish 
 king, Blacar, and a thousand of his men, lost their lives. 
 
 Pallice, eleven miles north-west of Portumna. A friary for Carme- 
 lites, under the invocation of the Virgin Mary, was founded at Kal- 
 tragh na Pallice, by Bermingham, lord of Athenry, in the fourteenth 
 century. 
 
 August 27th, thirty-first of Elizabeth, a grant was made to John 
 Rawson, of this monastery, with a church and chapel in ruins, a quar- 
 ter of land, sixty acres of arable and sundry other lands in the county, 
 to hold the same forever, in free soccage, at the annual rent of £8 12s. 
 7d., Irish money. 
 
 Portumna, a town on the river Shannon, in the barony of Longford 
 Tlie Cistercians of Dunbrody having forsaken this cell, O’Madden, the 
 dynast of the country, gave it, with the approbation of the former pos- 
 sessors, to the Dominicans, wdio erected a convent and church dedicated 
 to the blessed Virgin, and to SS. Peter and Paul ; they also erected a 
 steeple, cemetery, and all other necessary buildings. 
 
 Pope Martin V. confirmed by bull their possessions, and granted, in 
 Kovember, 1426, indulgences to all who contributed towards the build- 
 ing. The walls are still nearly entire, and shew that the monastery ot 
 Portumna was not an ignoble structure. 
 
 When de Burgo wrote his “ Hibernia Dominicana,” the earl of 
 Clanrickard was in possession of the property belonging to this abbey. 
 
 Among the brothers of this abbey, Malachy O’Loghlin, Richard 
 O’Madden, Edmund MacEgan, (and de Burgo adds another to the num- 
 ber,) Christopher Walsh, were men of publicly acknowledged virtue. 
 Christopher Walsh was a missionary apostolic ; having studied in Sj)ain, 
 
4C8 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTORY OF lEELAHI), 
 
 and having returned to Ireland, he suffered much during the usurpation 
 of Cromwell. The sisterhood of the order built a hut for him, in which 
 he lay concealed. Tie was beloved by all for his candor and religion. 
 Christopher died, A.D. 1707. 
 
 Kathmat, or Kill-Fursa. Saint Fursey founded this establish- 
 ment. It was situated near Lough Corrib, and in tlie deanery of 
 Annadown. 
 
 Saint Fui-sey is calLd one of the four beautiful saints of Ireland. 
 Ilis acts, as a missionar/, are elsewhere noticed. He is said to have had 
 visions, in Avhic-h he saw the bishops Becan and ]\Ieldan, whom he 
 thought, on their approaching him, to be dead ; from them he received 
 much instruction concerning the dreadful effects of pride and of disobe- 
 dience to superiors of every description, the duties of ecclesiastics and 
 monks, but particularly the nature and heinousness of inward and spi- 
 ritual or sacrilegious sins. They told him, that some glory in what they 
 have received from God, as if they acquired it by their own labor. 
 Othere atHict their bodies by abstinence and fasting (abstinence now-a- 
 days is ridiculed by the advei*saries of the Catholic church, who glory 
 in the Bible, and nothing but the Bible ; should they read in that sa- 
 cred volume of the fall of man, they will find that the only law which 
 the Lord God imposed on man, the masterpiece of creation, was the law 
 of abstinence,) and are shocked at the slightest external transgre.ssions, 
 while they think nothing of pride, which drove angels from heaven, 
 (l)ecause, according to St. John Crysostom, those proud spirits refused 
 to adore the divine Word, when the Eternal Father revealed the incar- 
 nation in time,) nor of avarice, i. e. the desire of knowing good and 
 evil, by wdiich our first parents forfeited tlie bliss of the terrestrial para- 
 dise ; nor of envy, which induced Cain to kill liis brother Abel ; nor of 
 false testimony, by which our Saviour was condemned, — and thus they 
 regard those that are the most grievous in the sight of God, as sins of 
 the lightest description. And those saints added, — it is not enough to 
 chastise the body, unless the soul be cured of malice and iniquity. 
 “ Charity,” said they, “ is the root and source of all good works.” St. 
 Fursey is said to have had those visions in the year 627, having proba- 
 bly founded Eathmat two or three years previously. It seems he re- 
 signed the administration of this house, as we find him announcing over 
 Ireland, what he saw and heard in those visions, and for ten years, 
 preaching and exhorting the people to repentance. 
 
 There are no traces of this monastery. 
 
 Boss, a monastery for conventual Franciscans, was founded in this 
 place, which is in the diocese of Tuam, A.D. 1431. It is a very soli- 
 tary place, surrounded on all sides by water. 
 
ECCI-ESIASnCAL HISTORY OF mELAIYD. 
 
 469 
 
 A.D. 1470, the reform of the strict observance was introduced. 
 
 Kosserelly, in tlie bai’ony of Clare, situated on the river of Ross. 
 Tlie Lord Granard founded this monastery for the strict observants, 
 A.D. 1498. 
 
 A.D. 1509, a chapter of the Franciscan order was held here. 
 
 At the suppression of religious houses, this monastery was granted 
 to the earl of Clanrickard. 
 
 A.D. 1604, the R«nan Catholics repaired the abbey of Rosserelly ; 
 its ruins, which still remain, show it to have been a very extensive 
 building ; it has been lately purchased by the archbishop of Tuam. 
 
 Sleushancogh, a monastery of conventual Franciscans, which was, 
 at the suppression of religious houses, granted to Sir Francis Sammes, 
 or Symes. 
 
 Teagh-Saxon, two miles west of Athenry. This ancient establish- 
 ment was burned by lightning, in the year 1177. 
 
 Its name tells its purpose, and shews that Ireland was at one time 
 the mart of literature and the home of the Saxon stranger. 
 
 A friary of small dimensions was erected in the reign of Henry YH. 
 of England, by a member of the Bourke family, for Franciscans of the 
 thifd order. 
 
 It was, with its appurtenances, granted to the burgesses and com- 
 monalty of Athenry. 
 
 Temple-Mojde, another friary of the third order of St. Francis, 
 founded after the year 1441. 
 
 It was granted to Edmond Barrett. 
 
 Tombeola, in the barony of Ballynahinch, a monastery of Domini- 
 cans, founded by O’Flaherty, about 1427, assisted by the friars of 
 Athenry. There were usually eight members in this house. Though 
 the building was wholly demolished in the beginning of Queen Eliza- 
 beth’s reign, and the stones even of the church were made use of 
 towards building a castle in the neighbourhood, the friars remained tilH 
 they were expelled by the Cromwellians. 
 
 Richard Martin, of Dangan, had been the possessor of its property, 
 when De Burgo wrote. 
 
 Tuam, in the barony of Tuam, is a market town and borough, and 
 the archiepiscopal see of Connaught. 
 
 Saint Jarlath is the patron saint. Three abbots of Tuam are ex 
 pressly mentioned. 
 
 A.D. 808, died the abbot Cellach, son of Eochad. 
 
 A.D. 877, died in October, Nuadat Hua Bolcain, abbot and an- 
 chorite. 
 
470 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IKELAm*. 
 
 A.D. 879, died Cormac, son of Kieran, abbot of Tuam, and prior of 
 Clonfert. 
 
 Prior)! of St. John the Baptist. Tirdelvac O’Connor, king of Ire- 
 land, founded this priory about the year 1140, the order of wliich is not 
 known. The property of this abbey was granted to Bichard, earl of 
 Clanrickard. 
 
 Abbey of the Holy Trinity was founded by a member of the l)e 
 Burgo family, about the beginning of the reign of Henry HI. of England, 
 for Premonstre canons. 
 
 A.D. 1204, William Bourke burned the churches of Tuam. Ilis 
 death has been noticed at Knockmoy. The posterity and followers of 
 this man have supplanted the O’Connors, O’Flaherties, and the Celtic 
 tribes of Connaught ; and their Celtic descendants have been, with some 
 few exceptions, reduced to the condition of “ hewers of wood and draw- 
 ers of water.” Such has been the bitter fruit of those unnatural 
 dissensions, which have prostrated , the energies of the kingdom, and 
 rendered triumphant the adventures of the Anglo-Horman invaders. 
 
 Giolla Chriost O’Laghtnan, abbot of this house, was drowned in the 
 Irish sea, A.D. 1251. 
 
 August 20th, twentieth of Elizabeth, this monastery and its po^es- 
 sions, half an acre of land, and two quartere, containing eighty acres 
 of arable and twenty of pasture, with the tithes of corn, were granted 
 to the burgesses and commonalty of Athenry. 
 
 A.D. 1134, the town of Tuam was stormed, and the cathedral burned 
 by the Dalcassians. 
 
 A.D. 11G4, the cathedral was again burned. 
 
 The cathed)‘al was, it seems, erected between the yearn 1130 and 
 1150, when Aod O’lloissin became bishop of Tuam. In this pious 
 undertaking he was assisted by Turlogh O’Connor, king of Ireland, 
 Of this church, the chancel only remains ; and that portion of it makes 
 ^ us acquainted with the general style of its architecture, and shews that 
 it was not only a larger, but a more splendid structure, than Cormac’s 
 church at Cashell, and fully worthy of the monarch by whom it was 
 chiefly erected. 
 
 The chancel is a square of twenty-six leet, in external measurement, 
 and the walls four feet in thickness. Its east end is perforated by three 
 circular-headed windows, each five feet in height and eighteen inches 
 in width externally, but splayed on the inside to the width of five 
 feet. Tliese windoATO are ornamented with zig-zag and other mouldings, 
 both within and without, and are connected with each other by string- 
 course mouldings, of which the external one is ornamented with pateras. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 471 
 
 In the south wall there is a w'indow similarly decorated, hut of smaller 
 size. 
 
 The great feature of this chancel is its triumphal arch, which is 
 considered the most magnificent specimen of its kind remaining in 
 Ireland. It is composed externally of six semicircular, concentric and 
 recessed arches, of which the outer is twenty feet six inches wide at its 
 base, and nineteen feet five inches in height ; and the inner, fifteen feet 
 eight inches in width, and sixteen in height. The shafts of the columns, 
 which, with the exception of the outermost at each side, are semicircu- 
 lar and unornamented ; but their capitals, which are rectangular, on a 
 semicircular torus, are very richly sculptured, chiefly with a variety ot 
 interlaced tracery, and in two instances with grotesque human heads. 
 The imposts are, at one side, very richly sculptured with a scroll and 
 other ornaments, and at the other side present a kind of inverted ogive ; 
 and these imposts are carried along the face of the wall, as tablets. 
 Tlie bases are unadorned, and consist of a torus and double plinth. 
 The arch mouldings consist of the nebule, diamond frette, and varieties 
 of the chevron, the execution of which is remarkable for its beauty. 
 
 The cross of Tuam, which justly ranks as the finest monument of its 
 class and age remaining in Ireland, has been noticed elsewhere. (See 
 the transactions of Aod O’lloissin, archbishop of Tuam.) 
 
472 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XLYII. 
 
 COUNTY OP KERRY 
 
 Agiiadoe. Aodh, son of Connor, son of Auliffe mor O’Donogliue, 
 king of Eoganacht Loclialein, died in the year 1231, and was buried in 
 liis old abbey at Aghadoe. Nothing more is on record regarding this 
 abbey. 
 
 Aghamore is situated on a small island, called Abbey isle, near the 
 mouth of the river Kenmare. 
 
 This small abbey was founded by the monks of St. Finbharr, in the 
 7th century, for canons of St. Augustine. The walls of this ancient 
 monastery are washed by the waters of tlie sea. 
 
 At low water the Isle of the Abbey joins the main land. 
 
 Ardfert — Mount of the miracles, in the barony of Clamnaurice. St. 
 Brendan, of Clonfert, who was a native of Kerry, is said to have erected 
 the monastery of Ardfert, or it was dedicated to him. 
 
 A.D. 10S9, the abbey and town were destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1151, it was again destroyed by Cormac O’Cullen. 
 
 In the year 1253, Thomas, lord of Kerry, founded a Franciscan 
 monastery at Ardfert. 
 
 A.D. 1280, died the founder, and was interred here. 
 
 A.D. 1309, William de Bristol was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1354, died Desideria, daughter of Gerald Fitzmaurice, who 
 ■was a liberal benefactress to this house. This monastery was the bury- 
 ing place of the lords of Kerry. 
 
 This priory was in high estimation on account of the numerous 
 miracles wrought there. “Ardfert means the mount of miracles.” 
 The ruins of this noble structure are a little to the east of the town. 
 Tlie walls of the steeple, the choir with some of the cloisters, the dor- 
 mitory and the chapel for morning prayer remain entire. In the church 
 is a fine figure of St. Brendan in relief. Adjoining was the round 
 tower, one hundred and twenty feet in height, and esteemed the finest 
 in Belaud. Being neglected, it fell to the ground in the year 1771. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 473 
 
 In the 35th of Ileniy YIII., Ardfert became a ruin, 
 
 Ballinaskeligs or St. Michael’s Mount, in the barony of Ivereagh. 
 An abbey of regular canons of St. Augustine, uhder the invocation of 
 St. Michael, was founded in the island of the great Skelig ; but the time 
 of its erection is uncertain. This ancient abbey appears to have been 
 a very noble and extensive edifice. The sea is continually demolishing 
 its ruins. 
 
 Here is a well dedicated to St. Michael the archangel, which is am 
 nually visited on the 29th of September. 
 
 Nov. 24th, t\t-enty-eighth of queen Elizabeth, a lease of this abbey 
 was granted to John Blake for the term of twenty-one years at the 
 yearly rent of £6 13s. 4d. 
 
 Innisfallen, an island containing twelve acres in the lake of Kil- 
 larney. 
 
 St. Finan, surnamed the leper, founded the monastery of Innisfiillen. 
 
 A.D. G40, St. Dichul was abbot. There was a Dichull abbot of 
 Louth. 
 
 A.D. 1180, this abbey, ever esteemed a paradise and a sanctuary, in 
 which the treasure and valuable effects of the whole country were de- 
 posited in the hands of its clergy, was plundered by Maolduin O’Do- 
 naghui. Many of the clergy were slain, even in their cemeteries by the 
 MacCarthy. God soon punished their acts of impiety and sacrilege 
 with untimely deaths. 
 
 A.D. 1197, died the abbot O’llaurehan. In this year died also 
 Giolla Patrick O’Huihair, in the 79th year of his age. He was superior 
 of this convent and the founder of many religious houses, to all of which 
 he presented books and vestments. He was a celebrated poet and was 
 greatly esteemed for his chaste life, piety, wisdom and universal charity. 
 
 A.D. 1215, flourished the author of the annals of Innisfallen: a 
 work which forms one of the most valuable remnants of the ancient and 
 national literature of Ireland. The annalist, whose name is not known, 
 begins with the history of the creation, and in a brief and clear manner 
 brings the reader to the year 430 of the Christian era. From that 
 period he confines his researches to the annals of Ireland, taking of 
 them an accurate, though comprehensive view down to the period in 
 whicli he wrote. The annals of Innisfallen were continued by another 
 writer, whose name is also concealed, to the year 1320. 
 
 August 18th, thirty-seventh of queen Elizabeth, this abbey with its 
 possessions was gi'anted to Bobert Callan. 
 
 The ruins of this abbey are very extensive, and the situation ex- 
 tremely picturesque. A small chapel at some distance from the abbey, 
 
474 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 has been converted into a banquetting house for the reception of visitors 
 to the scenes of Killarney. 
 
 Irrelagh, or Muckruss, in the barony of Magunihy, and on the 
 borders of Lough-Lene. Donald, son of Thady MacCarthy, founded, 
 A.D. 1440, this friary for Conventual Franciscans, under the invocation 
 of the holy Trinity. He also repaired it in 14(38, a few months before 
 his decease. 
 
 A.D. 1603, this abbey was rebuilt; but it went soon after to ruin. 
 The choir, nave and steeple are yet entire as well as the cloistei’s, which 
 consist of several Gothic arches, all of solid marble, enclosing a small 
 square, in the centre of which stands a tall yew tree, overshadowing and 
 throwing a brown shade over the niches of the whole cloister. The 
 steejjle of this extensive building, large enough for a single bell, is sup- 
 ported by a Gothic or pointed arch. 
 
 A miraculous image of the Virgin Mary has been preserved here. 
 
 The abbey with its possessions Elizabeth granted to Robert Callan. 
 
 Killachad-Conchen, is attributed to St. Abban ; but it would seem 
 that St. Finau was the founder, and who was called of Kinnitch (Kin- 
 nity in the King’s county). A holy virgin, Conchenna, is said by some 
 ■writers to have given name to this monastery. This saint died A.D. 
 739, and her memory is said to have been revered here on the 28th of 
 April. She is said to have been the daughter of Kellagh Chuallan. 
 N othing more of her is known. 
 
 Killagh, in the barony of Truckanackmy. A priory of regular 
 canons, under the invocation of the Virgin Mary, was founded by Geof- 
 frey de Mariscis, in the reign of king John, the prior of which was a lord 
 of parliament. 
 
 The walls of this church are of great length and strong in propor- 
 tion. These and a noble window in the pointed style, are yet entire. 
 This house possessed a large property in ditferent parts of the country, 
 which was granted for the term of twenty-one years to Thomas Clinton, 
 at the annual rent of £17. 
 
 Lislaghtin, in the barony of Iraghticonnor. O’Connor, prince of 
 Kerry, founded this monastery in the year 1464, for Franciscans of the 
 strict observance. 
 
 The steeple, choir and many other parts of the building are still to 
 be seen. 
 
 At the suppression, the abbey was granted to James Scolls. It was 
 afterwards granted for the term of twenty-one yeai*s to Sir Edward 
 Denny, at the annual rent of 71s. 
 
 Monaster ni Oriel, in the barony of Glanerought. Smith, in his his- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTORY OF IRELAND. 475 
 
 tory of Kerry, mentions that a religions house was situated in this place. 
 There are traces of an ancient building. 
 
 Melchedor’s church, or Killmelchedor, an ancient hermitage at Ga- 
 lerus near Smerwick, where the Spaniards landed in 1579. 
 
 Tliis cell is worth describing. The door is five feet high and two 
 and a half broad, placed in one end of the building, and at the other 
 end is a small neat window, the sides and bottom of which consist only 
 of one stone, extremely well cut, with scarcely any mark of the chisel 
 upon it. The room is about twenty feet long by ten broad and twenty 
 higli on the outside to the top of the arch, and the Avails are about four 
 feet thick. The wdiole is so neatly jointed within, that it would be very 
 difficult to insert the point of a knife between any of the stones, which 
 are dovetailed, for the most part, into each other, and set without the 
 least particle of any kind of mortar. The side-walls incline together 
 from the bottom to the top, forming a kind of parabolic curve. 
 
 Odorney, or Kyrie eleison, in the barony of Clanmaurice. This 
 abbey was founded in the year 1154, under the invocation of the Virgin 
 Mary, and was supplied with monks from the Cistercian abbey of Magio, 
 in the county of Limerick. 
 
 A.D. 1186, Christian O’Conarchy, bishop of Lismore and legate 
 apostolic of Ireland, having retired from the Avorld, died in this abbey, 
 and was there interred. 
 
 A.D. 1188, the abbot Nicholas was appointed bishop of Ardfert, 
 (Kerry.) 
 
 A.D. 1537. This being a very rich abbey, Edmond, Lord Kerry 
 was created baron of Odorney and Viscount Kill-maule. In the same 
 year a grant Avas made to him of several religious houses, among which 
 was this abbey, Avith its appurtenances, to him and to his male issue : 
 in default thereof they reverted to the crown, (a very Avise provision, as 
 a good Protestant substitute could be found to accept them.) 
 
 The abbot of Odorney Avas a lord of parliament. 
 
 In the thirty -ninth of Elizabeth, a portion of its property was granted 
 to the provost and fellows of the Protestant college of the Holy Trinity, 
 near Dublin. 
 
 It is now a shapeless ruin. 
 
 Rattoo, in the barony of Clanmaurice, said to have seven churches, 
 and the residence of a bishop. A high round tower stands in the pre- 
 sent churchyard. The architecture of this ancient church is of the 
 Cyclopean character. 
 
 A bishop Lughach, one of the earliest propagators of Christianity in 
 Kerry, is supposed to be the founder, of whom nothing more is preserved 
 than his name and festival, the 6th of October. 
 
476 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI. inSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A brother William is said to have erected a commandery for knights 
 hospitallers here. David, bishop of Ardfert, who was consecrated in 
 1193^ and who died in 1207, was witness to the charter thereof. It was 
 afterwards converted into a monastery of canons regular, of the order 
 of Aroasia, and dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul. 
 
 A.D. 1281, the abbot John resigned. 
 
 The abbot of Pattoo was a lord of parliament. 
 
 A.D. 1600, the rebels, as English Avriters are pleased to term the 
 Irish, who took up arms in defence of their religion, dearer than life, 
 fortified this abbey ; but on the approach of Sir Charles Willmot, they 
 set fire to it, and destroyed the fortifications. 
 
 In the twenty -third of Elizabeth, a lease was granted to John 
 Zouclie, of this abbey, for the term of twenty-one years, at the yearly 
 rent of seventy-nine pence, Irish money. 
 
 Skellig, an island about ten miles from the main land, of the barony 
 of Iveragli. Founded by St. Finan. 
 
 A.D. 812, the Danes plundered and destroyed the abbey ; kept the 
 monks in close confinement until they perished from hunger. 
 
 A.D. 860, the abbey was rebuilt. 
 
 A.D. 885, died the abbot Flan MacCellach. 
 
 The situation of the abbey being too much exposed, and the ingi’ess 
 and egress extremely hazardous, it Avas removed to the main land, (Bal- 
 lynaskelig.) 
 
 Tralee, in the barony of Trughanackmy — a parliamentary borough. 
 Tlie Dominican convent of Tralee, under the invocation of the Holy 
 Cross, Avas founded by Lord John Fitzthomas, A.D. 1213. In 1261 the 
 founder and his son Maurice were slain at Callin, in the principality of 
 Desmond, and Avere interred in this abbey. 
 
 The celebrated Daniel O’Daly, alias Dominicus de Rosario, Avas a 
 native of Kerry, born in the year 1595, and an alumnus of the convent 
 of Tralee. He retired at an early age to the Dominican convent of 
 Lugo, in Gallicia, Avhere he made his solemn profession, and afterwards 
 completed his ecclesiastical studies at Burgos, in old Castile ; he soon 
 after returned to his native convent of Tralee. About the year 1624, 
 the Irish Dominican college at Louvain had been founded. Students, in 
 large numbere from Ireland, repaired thither, and in a fcAV years it be- 
 came an establishment of importance. In compliance Avith the instruc- 
 tions of the provincial, Nicholas Lynch, O’Daly proceeded to Louvain, 
 where he Avas constituted lecturer in divinity. His learning and his vir- 
 tues rendered him a general favorite ; and' being moi’eover a man of 
 consummate prudence and address, he Avas regarded Avith peculiar 
 esteem by Philip FV., then king of Spain and Portugal. Daniel O’Daly 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANP. 
 
 477 
 
 long contemplated tlie design of establisliing an Irish Dominican col- 
 lege at Lisbon, and having repaired thither, with three other eminent 
 Irish Dominicans, and having procured the assistance of the Portuguese 
 provincial and the patronage of the archbishop of Lisbon, he obtained 
 possession of a small hospital in the street “ Rua nova de Almada,” 
 near the king’s palace, and was appointed its rector, A.D. 1634. 
 
 On the elevation of the duke of Braganza (John lY.), to the throne 
 of Portugal, O’Daly was nominated one of the queen’s confessors, and 
 was so highly esteemed by the king, that in 1665, he was sent as am- 
 bassador to the court of Lewis lY., in order to treat of a league and 
 affinity between the two crowns ; in the meantime his first establish- 
 ment became celebrated, and it produced several missionaries, eminent 
 for virtue and learning, and who heroically sealed their faith with their 
 blood, during the persecution of Cromwell. Under the auspices of the 
 Queen Lucia, and at the instance of O’Daly, the college of Corj^o 
 Santo was founded, on the 4th of May, A.D. 1659. Through the in- 
 strumentality of this zealous ecclesiastic, a convent was also erected for 
 Irish Dominican nuns, at Balem, a considerable fortress situated at the 
 north of the Tagus, and about three miles west of Lisbon. Having 
 been appointed to the archbishoprics of Braga and Goa, he declined ac- 
 cepting of those dignities ; but at length yielding to the entreaties of 
 his friends, and with a view of advancing the interests of Corpo Santo, 
 ho gave his consent to undertake the government of the diocese of Co- 
 imbra ; but before his consecration could have taken place he died in 
 his own convent of Corpo Santo, on the 30th of June, A.D. 1662, and 
 in the sixty-seventh of his age, having governed that college and the 
 former one with great applause, twenty-eight years. 
 
 The twenty-sixth of Elizabeth this friary was found to be in posses- 
 sion of a considerable property, which has been granted to Sir Thomas 
 Denny, by whom the building has been repaired and modernized. 
 
47ft 
 
 ECCLE8IA.BTICAL HISTOEY OF IKELAND 
 
 CHAPTER XLYIU. 
 
 COUNTY OP KILDARE. 
 
 Atiiy, in the barony of Horagh and Rlicban. A friary for crouched 
 friai-s was erected under tlie invocation of St. Thomas, by Richard ie 
 St. Michael, in the reign of King John. 
 
 A.D. 1347, John was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1531, tlie priory paid proxies to the archbishop of Dublin. 
 
 A.D. 1575, August the 8th, a lease of this priory was granted to 
 Anthony Power, which, having reverted to the crown, was conferred by 
 act of parliament, in the eighteenth of Charles II., on dame Mary 
 Meredith. 
 
 Dominican friary, on the east side of the bridge, was founded by the 
 families of Boiseles and Hogans, A.D. 1253. 
 
 General chapters of the order had been held in this convent in 1288, 
 1295 and 1305. 
 
 It was granted, in the thirty-fifth of king Henry YIH., to Martin 
 Pelles, at an annual rent of 2s. 8d. 
 
 Castledermot. Saint Diermot is supposed to have been the founder 
 in the fith century, whose memory was celebrated on the 8th of July. 
 This saint also founded the monastery of Glean-ussen, probably in the 
 Queen’s county. He is diftcrent from the St. Diermit of Innisclothran, 
 in Lough Ree. 
 
 The latter Diermit was contemporary with St. Senan, and a particu- 
 lar friend of his. He is said to have descended of the illustrious house 
 
 # 
 
 of Hy-Fiachra (Tireragh), of Connaught, and is supposed to have founded 
 his monastery of Innisclothran, in Lough Ree (Longford), about the year 
 540. He is usually styled priest and abbot. The year of his death is 
 unknown. Tlie day marked as such is the 10th of January. St. Fed- 
 limid of Kilmore is said to have been his brother. 
 
 A.D. 842 or 844, the Danes sacked the abbey. 
 
 The learned and pious abbot Snedgus, of Castledermot, was the pre- 
 ceptor of Cormac mac Cullenan, bishop and king of Munster. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAMD. 
 
 479 
 
 A.D. 919, died the abbot Carpreus, justly venerated for liis years and 
 exemplary life. He was a holy anchorite, and in his time, head of reli- 
 gion in Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 1040, the abbey was pillaged. 
 
 Abbey of Crouched Friars. In the reign of king John this estab- 
 lishment was founded by Walter de Eiddlesford, lord of the town. It 
 was situated withouc the town walls and adjoining the road which leads 
 to Dublin. According to the tradition of the place, its erection is due 
 to the knights Templar. ' 
 
 A.D. 1264, Richard de Rupella, lord justice of Ireland, with the 
 lord Theobald Butler, and the lord John de Cogan, were taken pri- 
 soners by Maurice Fitzgerald and Maurice Fitzmaurice of Tristledcrmot, 
 alias Castledermot. 
 
 A.D. 1531, this priory paid proxies to the archbishop of Dublin. 
 
 In the 8th of Elizabeth, Richard Keating was granted a part of the 
 possessions of this hospital. In the 20th of queen Elizabeth, another 
 portion was given to the burgesses and commonalty of Athenry ; and 
 Sir Henry Harrington, knight, died, in 1612, seized of this hospital and 
 its possessions. 
 
 The castle of this hospital still remains. 
 
 Franciscan friary. This house was founded for Conventual Francis- 
 cans, in the year 1302, by Thomas, lord Offaley, to which the family of 
 De la Hoyde were great benefactors. 
 
 A.D. 1316, the Scotch, under Bruce, destroyed this convent, took 
 away its books, vestments, and ornaments. They were soon after de- 
 feated by the lord Edmund Butler, near the town. 
 
 A.D. 1328, Thomas, the second earl of Kildare, who built the chapel 
 of St. Mary in this convent, died. 
 
 A.D. 1499, on the 26th of August, a parliament was held here, in 
 which an act was passed, imposing a penalty on any lady who did not 
 use a saddle, when she rode out. 
 
 Clane gives its name to the barony. Saint Ailbe of Emly is said to 
 have presented St. Sinell, senior, with a cell, in which he had lived 
 himself for some time, at Clane. Sinell was the son of Kinfinnain and 
 grandson of imehad, of the royal blood of Leinster. It is not known 
 how long Sinell remained at Clane, nor is the year of the donation by 
 Ailbe of Emly ascertained. It may have been about the year 500. As 
 Clane was not then a permanent establishment, Sinell moved to Kil- 
 leigh, where he established a monastery, which in course of time became 
 very celebrated. St. Sinell, the friend of the great Ailbe, is styled 
 senior to distinguish him from Sinell, who was a relative of his, and a 
 
480 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTORT OF IRELANX). 
 
 priest, and wlio lived with him at his monastery of Killeigh. Having 
 lived to a good old age, he died on the 26th of March, A.D, 549. 
 
 Franciscan Friary w’as erected in Clane some time before the year 
 1266, by, it is said, Gerald Fitzmaurice, lord Offaley. 
 
 A.D. 1546, a provincial chapter was held here. 
 
 In the 24th of Henry VIII., tliis abbey was given, with its posses- 
 sions, forever to Kobert Eustace and John Trevore, at the annual rent 
 of 2s. 4d. 
 
 O'Sullivan relates, that Eustace saw, as if in a vision, some one 
 threatening him and foreboding destruction to himself and to his family, 
 should he consent to accept of church property. Be this as it may, 
 James Eustace, the son and heir of the viscount Boland, was driven by 
 the English from his patrimony, and died in exile. Some Irish peers 
 accepted of grants of property belonging to the church; but generally 
 they did not convert it to their own use. The annals of the four Mas- 
 ters, in praise of Pierce Butler, observe, that he did not possess one 
 penny of the property of the church of God “ by right of Pope or 
 Prince.” 
 
 In tlie parliament held A.D. 1556, the grants of church property 
 made to laics during and after the reign of Henry VIII., are confirmed, 
 and with the approbation of Pope Paul IV. Fourteen abbots sat in 
 that parliament. Six or seven heads of religious orders are stated to 
 have assented to the act. 
 
 Cloonagh. At the time of the general suppression, it is related, 
 that the religious house of Cloonagh was dedicated to St. Finan. In 
 time of war, the inhabitants contiguous to it were exempt from the 
 usual burdens of the country. In the centre of a circle there was a 
 stone cross and two yew-trees, from one of which hung a bell. 
 
 The house of Cloonagh existed about the year 1396, for at that time 
 the priests thereof procured lands in perpetuity, contrary to the statute 
 of mortmain, and without the king’s license. John Lye, of Eathbride, 
 seized of certain lands in the townland of Cloonagh, levelled the limits 
 and tenement^ of the establishment, threw down the cross, and having 
 destroyed the yew-trees, erected a tower with other buildings on its site ; 
 all of which were concealed from the king. They were afterwards dis- 
 covered in an inquisition held at Naas, in the sixth of James I. 
 
 Cloncurry, in the barony of Ikeath and Oughterany. John Boche 
 founded a Carmelite friary in this place, A.D. 1347, under the invoca- 
 tion of the Virgin Mary, having obtained the royal license to do so. 
 
 January 18th, thirty-fifth of Henry VHL, this abbey, with ten acres 
 of land in Cloncurry, was granted forever in capite to "William Dickson, 
 at the annual rent of 8d. Irish money ; and again in the 8th of queen 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 481 
 
 Elizabeth, this friary, with one messuage, one cottage, twenty-eight acres 
 of arable land, and seven of pasture, adjoining the same, was granted to 
 Kichard Ilayiie, for the term of twenty-one years at the yearly rent 
 of 16s. 
 
 In 1618, Andrew Forrester died, seized of this monastery, wdth a 
 church, hall, and dormitory, ten acres of land thereunto belonging; all 
 of which were held of the king, in capite, by military service, namely, 
 the twentieth part of a knight’s fee. 
 
 Diseart Fulertach. Fulertach, the son of Brec, and bishop of Clon- 
 ard, who died in 774, built an oratory in Hy-Falgia (the barony of Olfa- 
 ley) called after him as above. 
 
 Glassnoidhen. St. Mobhius, surnamed the lame, was abbot of this 
 monastery. He is reckoned among the relatives of St. Brigid, and 
 studied under the great Finnian of Clonard, among whose principal dis- 
 ciples he is expressly named. 
 
 St. Mobhius died on the 12th of October, 545. This house is not 
 known at present. 
 
 Grange Holvea. Said by tradition to have been a nunnery. 
 
 Graney, in the baronies of Kilkea and Moon. Walter de liiddles- 
 ford, about the year 1200, founded this nunnery, under the invocation 
 of the Virgin Mary, for canonesses of St. Augustine or of St. Brigid. 
 
 King John granted them a charter of confirmation, and the Pope, 
 Innocent III., in 1207, took this nunnery, and all its possessions, into his 
 especial protection, particularly the grants made by Walter de Biddles- 
 ford, which were very large and ample. 
 
 A.D. 1409, Margaret was prioress. “ The king, on reflecting that 
 the nunnery of Graney, in the county of Kildare, was so surrounded by 
 Irish enemies and English rebels, that neither the prioress nor her 
 tenants could there dwell, without holding communication with them : 
 and also reflecting that the said nunnery is a great comfort and support 
 to his liege subjects of the said county, his majesty grants full license 
 to the prioress, and her tenants, to hold communication with the said 
 enemies and rebels, and to afford them a safe conduct to come to the 
 nunnery, and the tenants of the house, and there safely to abide, and 
 with safety to return : to give and to sell bread, wine, ale, and English 
 and Irish clothing ; and that the prioress and her tenants may lawfully 
 pay all fines and ransoms necessary, for the good and conveniency of 
 themselves and their property.” This extraordinary patent of King 
 Henry IV. is dated at Kilkenny, the 10th of February. 
 
 Aegidia Wale was the last prioress. The extensive possessions of 
 this convent were granted forever to fii’ Anthony St. Leger, knight. 
 
 31 
 
482 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lEELAISTD. 
 
 Great Conall, a village on the banks of the LifFej, which gives name 
 to the barony. 
 
 A.D. 1202, this priory was founded under the invocation of the 
 Virgin Mary and St. David, by Meyler Fitz Henry, and was supplied 
 w'ith canons regular from the monastery of Lanthony, in Monmouth- 
 shire. 
 
 A.D. 1205, King John confirmed the grants of land made by Mey- 
 ler, whose father w’as natural son to King Henry I. Tlie hither of 
 Meyler came to Ireland with the first adventurere, — was young, and in 
 high esteem ybr his 'personal bravery and warlike exploits in subduing 
 the Irish. 
 
 A.D. 1209, Henry was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1340, William was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1380, it was enacted by parliament, that no mere Irishman 
 should make his profession in this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1531, this priory paid proxies to the archbishop of Dublin. 
 
 Tlie prior of this house was a lord of parliament. Its property 
 was granted to Edward Randolph, and in revemion to Sir Edward But- 
 ler. In Elizabeth’s time it was re-granted to Sir Kicholas White, in re- 
 version of sixty-one years, at the annual rent of £26 19s. 5d., Irish 
 money. 
 
 The nave and choir of the church measured two hundred feet in 
 length, by twenty-five ; two gothic or pointed windows have alone 
 resisted the ravages of time. There are some pillars with curious ca})i- 
 tals,' and some of the stalls. On an adjoining hill is a small square 
 house, with pediment fronts, seemingly a turret belonging to ‘the 
 priory. 
 
 Killybegs, in the barony of Clane. Tlie knights hospitallers had a 
 comrnandery in this place, of which there is no record. 
 
 Kilcock, a town in the barony of Ikeath and Oughterannjn Tlie 
 virgin. Saint Cocliea, is honored in the church of Killcocha, on the bor- 
 ders of the county Meath. St. Cocliea is said to have nui-sed Saint 
 Kieran. She was the first abbess of Ross-Benchuir, in the county of 
 Clare. 
 
 Killcullen gives its name to the barony. St. Isserninus, who either 
 accompanied St. Patrick or who followed him to Ireland, was left at 
 Kilcullen as bishop, assisted St. Patrick in drawing up ordinances for 
 the Irish church. St. Isserninus died in the year 469. 
 
 A.D. 549, died Saint Mactalius, the bishop of Killcullen, June 
 the 11 til. • 
 
 A.D. 782, died the abbot Moylecraick MacDonnell. 
 
 A.D. 936, the town and abbey were plundered by the Danes. 
 
ECCLESUSTICAL HISTOKT OF IRELAND. 
 
 483 
 
 Old Ivilcullen was a large walled town, with seven gates, one of 
 which remains, ten feet high, with a handsome arch. 
 
 Kildare. St. Brigid, the foundress of Kildare and the patroness of 
 the church of Ireland, was descended of an illustrious family of Lein- 
 ster. Her father, Dubhtach, was of royal blood, being of the race of 
 Eochad, brother to the celebrated Con, of the hundred battles. Her 
 mother, Brocessa, was of the noble house of O’Connor, in the southern 
 part of the territory of the Bregii (between Dublin and Drogheda). 
 Both were Christians, according to the most creditable account. The 
 mother of the holy virgin is everywhere spoken of as the wife of Dubh- 
 tach, and consequently it cannot be admitted that St. Brigid was of ille- 
 gitimate birth. Her father is represented as a noble and pious man : 
 still more noble through his spouse, and their holy offspring. 
 
 “ Dubhtachus ejus erat genitor cognomine dictus, clarus homo 
 mentis, clarus et a proavis. Kobilis atque humilis, mitis. pietate re- 
 pletus, Nobilior propria conjuge, prole pia.” 
 
 Kor could such an assertion be reconciled with the circumstance of 
 the parents having been Christians, and strict ones, as then were in Ire- 
 land, nor with the rank of her mother’s family. 
 
 Usher, Ware, and others have passed over the narrative of this cir- 
 cumstance, as undeserving of notice. St. Brigid was born at Faugher, 
 about two miles north of Dundalk, and in a district which was formerly 
 considered a part of Ulster. Various are the surmises regarding the 
 year of her birth, but it may, with Usher, be assigned to the year 453. 
 Adhering to this computation, she was twelve years of age ; or allow- 
 ing her birth to have occurred in 451, the earliest assigned, she was in 
 the fourteenth year of her life when St. Patrick died, A.D. 465 ; neither 
 does St. Brigid, in the most consistent and authentic account of St. Pa- 
 trick, appear to have been consecrated a virgin, nor to have founded a 
 monastery during the lifetime of the apostle. She may have been 
 known to him on account of her singular sanctity — conspicuous even in 
 her early life. In the tripartite life of St. Patrick, mention is made 
 only once of St. Brigid, when it relates, that the saint listening to a 
 sermon of St. Patrick’s fell asleep, and was favored with a vision rela- 
 tive to the then state of the Irish church, and its future vicissitudes. St. 
 Patrick desiring her to tell what she saw, Brigid informed him that she 
 at first saw a herd of white oxen amidst white crops — then spotted ones 
 of various colours, after which appeared black and dark coloured oxen : 
 these were succeeded by sheep and swine, Avolves and dogs, jarring witli 
 each other. Tlie Almighty conceals from the wise, and imparts to the 
 little ones, in whom there is no guile, the secrets of his ways ; and while 
 the scribes and pharisees, and the other enemies of our Redeemer were 
 
484 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IRELAND. 
 
 contriving plans to ensnare the Son of God and put him to death, the 
 children of Juda received him in triumph, exclaiming, “Hosanna to 
 the Son of David.” In the narrative, then, of this vision, there is no- 
 thing repugnant to the councils of God. 
 
 Our patroness received a good education, and to singular modesty 
 and propriety of mannere united an extraordinary degree of charity 
 towards the poor. Instances are related of the interposition of Provi- 
 dence in replenishing the store, which she applied to her benevolent 
 purposes. When arrived at a proper age, her parents were anxious to 
 have her. settled in the married state, hut she announced her resolve to 
 remain a virgin, to which they assented. She then applied to the holy 
 bishop, St. Maccailleus, who being Avell assured of her good disposition, 
 admitted her into the number of sacred virgins, by covering her with a 
 Avhite cloak, and placing a white veil over her head. This occurrence 
 is said to have taken place at Usny hill (Westmeath), where probably 
 the holy bishop resided, or was engaged in the exercise of his pastoral 
 functions. St. Brigid must have been then in the sixteenth year of 
 her age, as that was the earliest at which the ceremony of admission 
 was permitted. W e are assured, that when kneeling at the foot of the 
 altar during the time of her profession, the part on which she knelt 
 being of wood, recovered its original freshness, and continued green to 
 a very late period. It is also related, that seven or eight other virgins 
 assumed the veil with her, and that some of. them, together with their 
 parents, besought her to remain with them in their country — a wish 
 with which she complied ; and being named to govern her companions, 
 by the bishop, she remained for some time in a place which the bishop 
 assigned them in his district, (supposed to have been about Kilbeggan, 
 in Westmeath.) In her new position the fame of her sanctity spread 
 far and near, and crowds of young women and widows applied to her 
 for admission into her convent. 
 
 As it would be inconvenient to assemble so many persons in one 
 place, and as the good of the church required that those pious ladies 
 should be established in other districts, and of which they might have 
 been natives ; we find St. Brigid visited other parts of the country, Tefiia, 
 of which St. Mel was bishop, having been the first. Ere the bishop 
 of Slane was one of her friends, whom she is said to have accompanied 
 to Munster, when paying a visit to his relatives, as he was of that 
 country. A synod having been held in the plain of Femyn, Ere spoke 
 highly of St. Brigid, and of the miraculous pov/ers with which she was 
 endowed by the Almighty. Thence she is said to have gone with her 
 female companions to the house of a person with whom she spent a 
 considerable time, and who lived near the sea. In those early days of 
 
St. JSrilJgct, ^3attoiuss of 3rtIanlJ. 
 
ECCLESIAS'nCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 485 
 
 the church of L’eland, before the erection of nunneries, virgins conse- 
 crated to God were wont to live with their friends and relatives, and 
 could, as often as duty required, appear in public, their virtue and sanctity 
 being, as Fleuiy observes, their cloister. We next find her in the plain 
 of Cliach, in the county of Limerick, where she obtained, it is said, 
 from a chieftain, liberty for a man whom he held in chains. From that 
 country she went to the territory of Labrathi, (Hy Kinsellagh) in south 
 Leinster, and tarried there for some time : having not seen her father 
 for several years, she thence proceeded to his residence to pay him a 
 visit, and after a short stay, set out for Connaught and fixed her resi- 
 dence, together with some ladies of her institution, in the plain of 
 Magh-ai or Hai, in the level country of Eoscommon. While in this 
 territory, she was occupied in forming various establishments for per- 
 sons of her own sex according to the rule she had drawn up. 
 
 As the great reputation of St. Brigid and the supernatural gifts with 
 which she was endowed, attracted persons from all parts of Ireland to 
 the place of her residence, the people of Leinster thought that they 
 were best entitled to her services as being of a Leinster family : they 
 accordingly sent a deputation to the part of Connaught where she then 
 was, consisting of several respectable persons and friends of hers, to 
 request that she would come and fix her residence among her own 
 people : she acceded to their wishes, and having arrived in that district, 
 , was received with the greatest joy — she was immediately provided 
 with a residence for herself and the pious companions of her journeys, 
 and to which was annexed some land as a helj? towards the mainten- 
 ance of her establisliment ; this place obtained the name of Kildare, 
 there being a large oak tree near her habitation. St. Brigid and her 
 nuns were poor and frequently alms were brought to her nunnery — 
 still, whatever she possessed she liberally shared with the poor, and it is 
 said, that in order to find relief for the destitute she gave in charity 
 some very valuable vestments, the bishops used to wear on solemn 
 festivals ; to strangers, and particularly bishops and religious persons, 
 she was particularly hospitable ; her humility was so great, that she 
 occasionally tended the cattle on her land. 
 
 The establishment at Kildare being resorted to from all quarters, it 
 became necessary to enlarge the buildings in proportion to the number 
 of her nuns and postulants ; as well as provide for the spiritual direc- 
 tion and assistance, both for the institution itself and its frequent 
 visitors. And knowing that such an advantage could not be efiiciently 
 supplied without a bishop, she applied and procured the appointment of 
 a holy man to preside over the nascent church of Kildare and the others 
 belonging to her institute. Some privilege of this sort existed in the days 
 
486 
 
 EO(XESIASTICAX, HISTORY OF HtELANI). 
 
 of Cogitosus, as Kildare was the ecclesiastical metropolis of Leinster. 
 This is perhaps one of the earliest instances of religious being exempted 
 from the jurisdiction of the ordinary or the bishop of the district in which 
 such houses were situated — Conlaeth was the person whom St. Brigid 
 recommended as worthy of being raised to the exalted dignity of bishop. 
 In his transit to the other life St. Conlaeth, bishop of Kildare, preceded 
 the holy foundress, having died on the 3d of May, 519. The nunnery 
 of Kildare was founded about the year 487. St. Brigid died on the 1st 
 of February, 525, as St. Columbkille is said to have been born four 
 years prior to the death of our national patroness, A.D. 521. 
 
 A monastery for canons of St. Augustine was founded at Kildare, 
 of Avhich St. Katfroich is said to have been the first abbot — he was the 
 priest who attended the institution of St. Brigid before the appointment 
 of its first bishop — he is spoken of as the spiritual companion of St. 
 Brigid, and to have remained with her all his life, notwithstanding the 
 superintendence of Conlaeth, and it is also stated, that he was wont to 
 read in the refectory while the nuns were at their meals. 
 
 St. Derlugdacha, who is said to have been a great favorite with St. 
 Brigid, succeeded as abbess and survived her only a year. The feast 
 of this saint is observed also on the 1st February. 
 
 A.D. 694, died the abbot Lochen “ the wise and the silent.” • 
 
 A.D. 726, died the abbess St. Sebdana, daughter of Corcius. 
 
 A.D. 738, died the abbess St. Aff'rica. 
 
 A.D. 747, died the abbot Cathald Mac Forannan. 
 
 A.D. 833, died the abbess Affrica : the Danes plundered Kildare. 
 
 A.D. 836, the Danes attacked Kildare — destroyed the shrines of SS. 
 Conlaeth and Brigid — her relics were conveyed to Down about this time. 
 
 A.D. 862, died Owen Britto, scribe and anchorite of Kildare, aged 
 116 years. 
 
 A.D. 868, died the abbot O’Muredach, a man of exemplary piety 
 and wisdom. 
 
 A.D. 870, died the abbot of Kildare, Murrough Mac Brian, 
 formerly king of Leinster. 
 
 A.D. 919, died the abbess Morean. 
 
 A.D. 962, died the abbess Murenna. The Danes committed awful 
 ravages. Keil Oherluibh redeemed at his own expense as many of the 
 ecclesiastics as could stand in the great house and church of St. Brigid. 
 
 A.D. 1009, died the abbess Eithne. 
 
 A.D. 1112, died the abbess Gormfhlaith. She was a remarkable 
 exemplar of penitence. 
 
 A.D. 1135, Diarmod MacMurrough, king of Leinster, forcibly took 
 the abbess from her cloister and compelled her to marry one of his own 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAIH5. 487 
 
 people. It is related that 170 persons of the town and abbey were de- 
 stroyed during the commission of this sacrilegious act. 
 
 A.D. 1220, Henry de Loundres, archbishop of Dublin, extinguished 
 the tire, which had been preserved by the nuns of St. Brigid. 
 
 Of this inextinguishable fire, as it is called, nothing was knowm in 
 the lifetime of St. Brigid. The first author w'ho mentions it, is Gerald 
 Barry. 
 
 A.D. 1 643, the earl of Castlehaven quartered his troops in Kildare. 
 
 In the twenty-seventh of Elizabeth, who has been the disgrace of her 
 sex, and whose infamies were legalized by an act of parliament, the 
 monastery of St. Brigid, with its appurtenances was granted to Anthony 
 Deering, and the renegade of the ancient faith, which the perjured 
 queen of England strove to supplant, Ledwich, has declared the patron- 
 ess of Ireland ,as an imaginary person, in his antiquities. Ilardiman of 
 Galway, who is justly styled the “light of the west,” assures us, that 
 there is not one word of truth in the book of Ledwich except w’hat he 
 has taken from O’Flaherty’s Ogygia. A manuscript copy of the four 
 evangelists was preserved at Kildare, in the time of Gerald Barry, said 
 to have been dictated by an angel to St. Brigid, and elaborately described 
 by Gerald as an unequalled specimen of caligraphy and illumination. 
 
 Gray Abbey was erected for Franciscans, in the year 1260, by lord 
 William de-Vesci. 
 
 A.D. 1320, a provincial chapter was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1520, the strict observance was received. 
 
 Thomas was guardian of this house in the thirty-first of queen 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 Daniel Sutton obtained a grant of this abbey and its property, in 
 capite or by military service, at the annual rent of 2s, 3d. Irish money. 
 
 A considerable part of the abbey still remains. 
 
 Carmelites. A house for this order was founded in the year 1290, 
 by William de Vesci. 
 
 Several chapters of this order were held in Atherdee and in Dublin 
 by David O’Bugey, a native of Kildare, and a man of sound erudition ; 
 was esteemed as such at Oxford and at Treves in Germany. He was 
 well versed in divinity, philosophy, rhetoric, the civil and canon law, 
 and was generally called the “ burning light, the mirror and the orna- 
 ment of his country.” His knowledge of tliose subjects was so accurate 
 and extensive, that not only the justiciaries but even the parliaments 
 were accustomed to consult him on cases of unusual importance and diffi- 
 culty. O’Bugey flourished about the year 1320, when he was provin- 
 cial of his order, and died full of years and full of honor in this friary, 
 where he was interred. 
 
488 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAIYD, 
 
 Xillbill, in the barony of Salt. Maurice Fitzgerald founded tbis 
 commandery for knights hospitallers, in the 13th century. 
 
 A.D. 1326, the grand prior of Kilmainhain held a chapter here. 
 
 At the suppression of religious houses, John Allen obtained a grant 
 of this establishment. 
 
 Killossy, called after St. Auxilius, the nephew of St. Patrick, and 
 son of Restitutus, the Lombard, was bishop here, and assisted St. 
 Patrick in compiling the ordinances by which the L'ish church was to 
 be guided. 
 
 St. Auxilius died on the 27th of August, 455. 
 
 Killrushe. William Mareschal, earl of Pembroke, founded this 
 abbey, for canons regular of St. Augustine, about the beginning of the 
 13th century. It was a cell to the priory of Carthmell in Lancashire. 
 
 This abbey, with its appurtenances was given to th,e earl of Or- 
 mond. 
 
 Leixlip, a town in the barony of Salt. In the year 1463, it was en- 
 acted by parliament that the church of St. Columb should be annexed 
 to the monastery of the blessed Virgin, near Leixlip. 
 
 Maynooth, a town in the barony of Salt. A.D. 1518, Gerald, earl 
 of Kildare, founded a college adjoining the town, in which he placed a 
 provost and viceprovost with live priests, two clerks and three boys to 
 pray for his soul and that of his wife, an act which w'as confirmed by 
 the archbishop of Dublin. 
 
 At the general suppression of religious houses, this college was seized 
 of twelve acres of land in the Windgates, near Taghtoo. 
 
 English policy has enabled the Irish prelates to found a college for 
 the education of the Irish priesthood at Maynooth, whose creed it has 
 proscribed for centuries, and an institution that has become one of the 
 most respectable in Europe. 
 
 Monasterevin, in the barony of OfFaley. St. Abban founded this 
 monastery, to which was annexed the privilege of a sanctuary. Abban 
 M’as of a Leinster family. This monastery is supposed to have taken its 
 name from its position, as it was contiguous to the river Barrow, the 
 Irish word “ Abhan ” meaning a river. 
 
 A.D. 1178, Dermod O’Dempsey, prince of Oflfaley, founded the Cis- 
 tercian abbey of Monasterevin (de Rosea valle), under the invocation 
 of the Virgin Mary, and richly endowed it. 
 
 A.D. 1199, the abbot John was appointed bishop of Leighlin. 
 
 A.D. 1297, the abbot, accused of harboring “Irish felons, plunderers 
 and robbers ” of Otfaley into his house, appeared and pleaded, that his 
 monastery was situated in the marches and out of the pale, and that he 
 never, knowingly, received any persons of this stamp. The jury, how- 
 
ECCLESIASTIC AX HISTOEY OF IRELAISTD. 
 
 489 
 
 ever, admitting that he had not voluntarily harbored sucli men nor 
 had the power of resisting or detaining them, fined him half a marc, 
 because he did not raise the “ hue and cry.” 
 
 The abbot of Monasteverin sat as a baron in parliament. 
 
 At the general suppression, this abbey was granted to George, lord 
 Audley, who assigned it to Adam Loftus, viscount Ely. It has finally 
 fallen into the hands of the earl of Drogheda, by whom it has been 
 modernised, still retaining its venerable monastic appearance, and is at 
 present known as Moore abbey. 
 
 Moone, formerly a Franciscan monastery. There is still a large 
 church in ruins. An old cross still remains, with several Irish inscrip- 
 tions. It has been usual to erect crosses near the entrances to monas- 
 teries, by which the sanctity of the place was brought to the mind of 
 the beholder, and by which ladies were reminded, that their presence 
 within the precincts or enclosures of these retreats was not pbrmitted. 
 
 Naas, formerly a place of importance, as the kings of Leinster re- 
 sided at Naas. It is a market town and borough. 
 
 The baron of Naas founded the priory of canons regular of St. Augus- 
 tine, in the 12th century. 
 
 A.D. 1317, Tliomas w'as i^rior 
 
 In the reign of Elizabeth it was discovered that part of the posses- 
 sions of this house was concealed by Edward Misset, of Dowdington. 
 
 Richard Mannering obtained by patent, A.D. 1553, the possessions 
 of this house, value yearly £35 18s. 2d. 
 
 The Dominican abbey, in the centre of the town, was erected by the 
 family of Eustace, for this order, under the invocation of St. Eustachius, 
 martyr, A.D. 1355, from whose family they were descended. 
 
 At the dissolution of monasteries, the property of this house was 
 granted to Sir Thomas Luttrell, who assigned them to John Travers, 
 knight. 
 
 A public inn has been erected on the site of this monastery. 
 
 The Aiigustinian abbey of Eremites was founded in the year 1484. 
 Its ruins are still to be seen at the foot of the mount, which lies at the 
 farther end of the town. 
 
 June 6th, twenty-sixth of queen Elizabeth, a lease of this abbey, for 
 the term of fifty years, was granted to Nicholas Aylmer. 
 
 New Abbey, on the river Lifley, and near Kilcullen bridge. 
 
 Sir Rowland Eustace founded this abbey, for the strict observants ot 
 the Franciscan order, in the year 1460*. 
 
 A.D. 147 6, the founder died and was interred in the chancel. 
 
 August 24th, 1582, a lease of this abbey was granted to Edmond 
 Spenser at the yearly rent of £3 L'ish money. 
 
490 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF rEELANT). 
 
 Sir Ileniy Harrington was seized of its property in May, 1612. 
 
 A great part of the church still remains. The steeple fell to the 
 ground about the year 1764. 
 
 Saint Woolstan’s, in the barony of Salt, near Leixlip, and on the 
 river Litfey. Adam* de Hereford founded this priory, for canons of St. 
 Victor, A.D. 1202, in honor of St. Woolstan, the bishop of Worcester, 
 then placed on the calendar. William was the first prior to whom de 
 Hereford granted lands on the river Liffey. 
 
 A.D. 1308, John le Decer, Mayor of Dublin, erected the bridge near 
 this priory, at his own expense, over the Litfey. 
 
 A.D. 1390, died Maurice, earl of Kildare, a munificent benefactor 
 to this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1536, Hichard Weston was the last prior. Henry V TTT. 
 granted this abbey, with its extensive possessions, to Allan, of Isorfolk, 
 master of the rolls, in 1538, and afterwards lord chancellor, in whose 
 family it continued until the year 1752, when, by order of the court ol 
 exchequer it was sold, — purchased by the parliamentary bishop of 
 Clogher, Robert Clayton, who bequeathed it to his niece, Anne, the 
 wife of Thomas Bernard, bishop by royal patent, of Killaloe ; and we 
 are now consoled by the fact, that the right reverend purchaser has 
 made extensive alterations and additions, whereby St. Woolstan’s has 
 become an elegant edifice, in which (of couree) the property of the 
 church and the poor of Christ is liberally spent on my lord’s sons and 
 daughters. 
 
 In Ireland, the appropriation of the church property to the support 
 of an alien establisliment, and to such purposes as the history of Saint 
 Woolstan’s develops, is the monster evil of that unfortunate country. 
 In England it is quite otherwise, because the masses of the people have 
 embraced the state religion ; and where, if it has not produced the 
 heart-burnings and the massacres which peculiarly belong to it in Ire- 
 land, it lias engendered evil of another and a worse description : gene- 
 ral depravity, indifterence to revealed truths, infidelity, blasphemy 
 against God and his saints. 
 
 It is a fact, and a melancholy one, and which cannot be contro- 
 verted, that the families of Protestant clergymen, who decry the salu- 
 tary discipline of celibacy in the Catholic priesthood, chiefly supply 
 that stall’ of unfortunate females who infest the streets of London. 
 
 Of the ancient priory of St. W oolstan’s, which was of considerable 
 extent, two towers and two large gateways, that have been arched, 
 remain. 
 
 Timolin, in the barony of Horah and Rheban. Of an ancient abbey 
 founded here, we have no account, except that it was plundered by the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lEELAJID. 
 
 491 
 
 Danes in 835, and that Doulih Mac Sealvoy, who was abbot of Tiraolin 
 and lector of Glendalogh, died in the year 927. 
 
 Robert, lord of Rorah, about the beginning of the reign of king 
 John, founded this abbey for nuns of the order of Aroasia under the in- 
 vocation of the 1'’irgin Mary, and placed therein his daughter, Lecelina. 
 "William Piro, bishop of Glendalogh, was a benefactor to this convent. 
 
 A.D. 1220, Henry, archbishop of Dublin confirmed the prioress 
 and nuns in their possessions. This house paid proxies to the see of 
 Dublin. 
 
 May 6th, twenty-third of Elizabeth, this nunnery, with its posses- 
 sions, was granted to Henry Harrington, and his heirs, in capite, at the 
 annual rent of £21 19s., Irish money. 
 
 Tully, about a mile south of Kildare. A commandery of knights 
 hospitallers. 
 
 A.D. 1293, Thomas was prior. 
 
 AiD. 1326, a chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1337, Richard de Bran was preceptor. A chapter held here. 
 Four others held. 
 
 Sir Henry Harrington and his heirs obtained a grant of its posses- 
 sions, three hundred acres of land, at the annual rent of £21 6s. 8d. 
 
 Tlie commandery is now always held by the bishop of Kildare, in 
 commendam. 
 
ECCI.ESIAB'nCAL HISTOEY OF IRF.T.ANP. 
 
 192 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 COUNTY OF KILKENNY. 
 
 Callan, in tlie barony of Kells, formerly a walled town, and of 
 gi-eat note. 
 
 James, earl of Ormond founded the Augustinian friary of Eremites, 
 about the year 1487. ^ 
 
 William O’Fogarty was the last prior. On .the 13th of December, 
 1557, this convent, with a portion of its appurtenances, was granted, 
 for ever, to Thomas, earl of Ormond. 
 
 The tower and walls still remain. 
 
 Chantry. In the parish church of Callan, were two chantries under 
 the invocation of the Holy Trinity and St. Catharine. Tlie nave of 
 this church, with its fine lateral aisles, still remains in good preserva- 
 tion. The tomb of the founder’s family, now ivy-clad, adjoins the 
 choir. 
 
 Diarmagh, now Durrow, formerly part of the Queen’s county. St. 
 Fintan Maeldubh, who succeeded St. Fintan, abbot of Clonenagh, is 
 said to have been the founder of Dermagh, in the north of Ossory, but 
 nothing satisfactory is known of it. 
 
 Fertagh. The family of Blanchfield founded this priory, under the 
 invocation of St. IHaran, for canons regular of St. Augustine, in the 
 tliirteenth century. 
 
 A.D. 1396, the prior held the churches of Ferikeragh and Domnach- 
 more, in the diocese of Ossory. 
 
 This priory paid proxies to the bishop. In the ninth of Queen 
 Elizabeth, this monastery and appurtenances, consisting of one hundred 
 and one acres of land, cottages, and other property, were granted for 
 ever to James Butler, junior, at the yearly rent of £12 13s. 3d. 
 
 Fiddown, attributed to St. Maidoc, bishop of Ferns. 
 
 Freshford, Achadur, in the barony of Crannagh. St. Lactean, of 
 Achad-ur, was the intimate friend of St. PuLiherius. Lactean was of 
 the illustrious house of Corpre Musk, of Muskerry, in Cork, one of the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL nTSTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 493 
 
 sons of Conar II., formerly king of Ireland ; he is called by some the 
 son of Torben, and by others of Corpre, the son of Nuachar. lie 
 founded this extensive monastery of Freshford. In the life of St. Car- 
 thag, of Lismore, it is related, that while he was at Rathen, before his 
 expulsion from that place, Lactean, moved by pity for the distressed 
 state of Carthag’s community, brought him a present of thirty cows, a 
 bull, two herdsmen, and some utensils. 
 
 He is called in various martyrologies a bishop. He died on the 19th 
 of March, A.D. 623. 
 
 Graignemanach — ^Yale of St. Saviour. A.D. 1204, was founded this 
 abbey for Cistercians,, under the invocation of the Mother of God, by 
 William Mareschal earl of Pembroke. 
 
 A.D: 1225, William, junior, confirmed the donations in land of his 
 father to this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1330, Richard O’Holan was besieged in the steeple of this 
 abbey, and was compelled to deliver his son as a hostage for his future 
 good conduct. 
 
 A.D. 1380, It was enacted by parliament, that no mere Irishman , 
 should make profession in this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1524, Charles O’Cavanagh, the abbot, made a present to the 
 abbey of a beautiful cross of silver, richly gilt, and adorned with pre- 
 cious stones ; he also purchased for the monasteiy several rich vest- 
 ments, and attended the Lateran council held in 1515 and 1516, as 
 vicar-general to the bishop of Leighlin. 
 
 A.D. 1537, a pension of £10 annually was granted to the last abbot, 
 Charles Mac Murrough O’Cavenagh. 
 
 By an inquisition held in the ninth year of Elizabeth, this abbey 
 was found to possess six hundred and twenty acres of arable and pas- 
 ture land, eight townlands,. and eleven rectories, with the tithes and 
 alterages of the same. Tlie properties of this abbey were granted 
 by patent to Sir Edward Butler, of Lowgrange, and to James Butler, 
 junior, at the annual rent of £41 Irish. 
 
 Jerpoint, in the barony of Knoctopher. Tliis abbey was founded 
 for Cistercians, in 1180, by Donald, prince of Ossory, and was richly 
 endowed by the founder. 
 
 A.D. 1202, died the bishop of Ossory, Felix O’Dullany. Many 
 miracles were wrought at his tomb, on the north side of the altar. 
 
 A.D. 1380. Though this house was founded by an Irish prince, the 
 infamous enactment of excluding mere Irishmen was enforced. Tlie 
 abbots of Jerpoint were lords of parliament. Oliver Grace was the last 
 abbot. 
 
 By an inquisition taken in the thirty-first of king Henry VHI. the 
 
m 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 possessions of Jerpoint consisted of fifteen messuages and 220 acres of 
 land in Jerpoint ; four water-mills, forty-three messuages, 1320 acres ot 
 land in various parts of the country, together with rectories, all of which 
 were granted to James, earl of Ormond, to hold, in capite, at the annual 
 rent of £49 3s. 9. 
 
 Inistioge, in the barony of Gowran, on the river Xore. Thomas, the 
 son of Anthony, seneschal of Leinster, founded this house, A.D. 1206, for 
 canons regular of St. Augustine, and dedicated it to the Virgin Mother of 
 God and St. Columb. 
 
 A.D. 1324, died David the prior, who was venerated as an honorable 
 and exemplary man. 
 
 Milo Barron, alias FitzGerald, was the last prior. At a great ex- 
 pense he built a new steeple to this priory, and a cloister adjoining it. 
 lie obtained an annual pension of £20 Irish money, when the monas- 
 tery was suppressed. Milo died, A.D. 1551, and was interred in this 
 priory. 
 
 By an inquisition in the thirty-fiist of Henry YIII., its possessions 
 consisted of nine hundred and fifty acres situated in the counties of Kil- 
 kenny, Carlow, and Wexford, nine rectories, eighteen burgages, and 
 thirty-nine messuages, all of which, with the exception of the rectories, 
 were granted, in the tenth of Elizabeth, to Edmund Butler and his heiis, 
 at the yearly rent of £28 12s. Irish. 
 
 Kells, an ancient walled town, gives its name to the barony. 
 
 Geofirey FitzRobert, founded this abbey, for canons regular of St. 
 
 * Augustine, A.D. 1193, which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It 
 was supplied with monks from the monastery of Bodmin, in Cornwall. 
 Strongbow, earl of Strigul, was the adviser of this pious act and the 
 patron of the founder, to whom he assigned the barony of Kells as his 
 share of the spoils. While some of the English settlers were founding 
 monastic establishments, others were engaged in destroying them and 
 the towns in which they were situated. 
 
 A.D. 1252, the lord William de Bermingham burned Kells. 
 
 A.D. 1327, de Bermingham and the FitzGeralds burned the 
 town. 
 
 The foundation of this establishment was confirmed by Felix O’Dul- 
 lany, bishop of Ossory and by various charters during the reigns of 
 Richard II. and Henry lY. Tlie prior of Kells sat as a baron in parlia- 
 ment. Its last prior was Philip Holegan, who surrendered its posses- 
 sions, which consisted of forty-five messuages, two hundred and ten 
 acres of arable land in lulkenny, together with thirty-three messuages, 
 three water-mills and eleven hundred acres of wood and arable land in 
 Desert, Grange, and other parts of the country, aU of which were con- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 495 
 
 fiscated. James, earl of Ormond, was granted the priory with six carii- 
 cates of land, and the rectory of Kells. 
 
 Killaghy, supposed to have been founded by St. Sinell, whom Aen- 
 gus invokes in his litany. 
 
 Killamery. Colgan is of opinion that the St. Gobban, wlio reeeived 
 St. Laserian at old Lcighlin wdth much attention, and to whom he as- 
 signed that monastery, is the one of that name who governed this 
 church of Kill-lamraighea, alias Killamery, and who died at Cloneiiagh. 
 
 This church was not far distant from the famous Slieve na mhban. 
 lie is said to have governed one thousand monks in this establishment. 
 Others say that he presided over them in a church of Teagh da Gobbha 
 in the county of Down. 
 
 Killcleeheen, on the river Suir and opposite the city of Waterford. 
 
 A.D. 1151, Dermot MacMurchard, king of Leinster, founded this 
 nunnery, as a cell to that of St. Mary de Iloggis, near Dublin. It was 
 also called de Bello-Portu. 
 
 J6hn, earl of Morton, and lord of Ireland, endowed it conjointly with 
 David Fitz-Milo. 
 
 A.D. 1257, Mabilla de Cursy, the abbess, being dead, license was 
 given to elect another in her stead. 
 
 A.D. 1287, the lady abbess. Desiderata le Poer, died. 
 
 A.D. 1291, the abbess, Matilda Comyn, died. 
 
 A.D. 1313, the abbess, Joanna de Laundesey, being dead, the prior- 
 ess paid to king Edward II. forty shillings for license to elect a suc- 
 cessor. 
 
 Katharine Motyng was the last abbess. In the twenty-sixth of 
 queen Elizabeth, this monastery, taken from its pious inmates, was 
 conferred on the mayor, sheriffs, citizens and commonalty of Waterford. 
 Its property in lands and tithes were ample, as they brought a rent of 
 £59 yearly. 
 
 Killphian, or Killfane. Archdall, on the authority of Colgan, at- 
 tributes the foundation of this abbey to St. Phian. 
 
 Kilkenny, a beautiful city on the river Kore, and the seat of a 
 bishop. Is a parliamentary borough. 
 
 Near Kilkenny, St. Fiachra is said to have built a church, called 
 after him “ Killfiachra,” or perhaps it was dedicated to him. This 
 great saint is noticed elsewhere. 
 
 Kilkenny, the church of Cannice, the saint to whom it was dedicated 
 
 St. Kennice, or Cannice, was a native of Kiennacta, in the county of 
 Londonderry, and of which he is the patron saint. His father was a 
 celebrated poet, Laidec of the Sept of Mocudalan. His mother’s name 
 was Melda. Cainnech, as he is also called, was 'born in the year 516, 
 
496 
 
 ECCLESIASTIC^VL HISTORY OF IRELAITD. 
 
 and having attained the age of discretion, and desirous of acquiring 
 learning and leading a life of retirement and contemplation, repaired to 
 Britain, and placed himself under the venerable abbot Docus or Cadoc 
 of Lancarven, with whom he remained for some years in close applica- 
 tion to his studies, and in the practice of monastic discipline. He is 
 afterwards found at the great school of Clonard, and he is reckoned 
 among the principal scholars of the great St. Finnian. Having left the 
 school of Clonard, he is said to have preached for some yeare in the 
 northern parts of Ireland, and to have been on some occasion, probably 
 when his friend St. Columba visited Ballysadare, after the assembly at 
 Drumceat, near the mouth of the river Moy at Killala, as it then joined 
 the bay by that egress, and to have blessed the port of that town. He 
 is also said to have lived as a hermit in North Britain. Having re- 
 turned to Ireland, he directed his steps towards the South, and having 
 tarried some time in a religious house, as is supposed, in Lough-ree of 
 the Shannon, wrote a copy of the four Gospels, which was preserved a 
 very long time, and which obtained the name of “ Glass Kinnicli, i. e. 
 the Chain of Cainech, (a name by which a continuous commentary on 
 the Gospels was known in the middle ages). 
 
 Thence he proceeded to the country now called Upper Ossory, and 
 being kindly received by the inhabitants, ^founded the great monastery 
 of Aghaboe, some time before the year 577. In course of time it be- 
 came the residence of the bishop of Ossory, the see of Saigir having 
 been transferred to it. Cainech, patronized by Colman Mac Feraidhe, 
 prince of Ossory, founded, it is said, some other establishments in that 
 country. With the saints Columba, Brendan, Comgall, Fintan and 
 Pulcherius, he was connected with ties of mutual attachment. Cainech 
 was occasionally endowed with supernatural gifts. Knowing by divine 
 revelation, that St. Columba, to whom he was very much attached, and 
 his companions to have been in a perilous situation at sea in the gulf of 
 Lough-Foyle, St. Cainnech was at Aghaboe engaged in prayer for their 
 safety. He was equally versed in the art of composing books, as a bio- 
 grapher and poet, a life of Columba and hymns in praise of the Irish 
 church being attributed to him. Having governed his monastery of 
 Aghaboe as abbot and priest, St. Cainnech died in the Slth year of his 
 age, on the 11th of October, A.D. 599. 
 
 A.D. 1084, the town was consumed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1173, Donald O’Brien, King of Thomond, retracted his 
 homage to king Henry H,, and at the head of his troops of Munster 
 demolished the castle of Kilkenny, and destroyed all the English 
 settlements in that country. 
 
 St. John’s abbey was founded in the beginning of the 13th century, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 49T 
 
 about the year 1212, by 'William Mareschal, the elder, Earl of Pem- 
 broke, on the east side of the town and near the head of the small 
 bridge, for the relief of the indigent poor, to which he made large and 
 
 extensive grants. 
 
 A.D. 1308, Robert was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1500, James Shorthall was prior. 
 
 Richard Cantwell was the last prior ; in the thirty-first of Henry 
 YIIL, he was forced to surrender the monastery, being then seized of the 
 same, a church, belfry, and cemetery, hall, dormitory, six chambers, a 
 kitchen, store, granary, two orchards, three gardens and sundry other 
 closes, containing four acres within the precincts of the abbey. The 
 ruins of this building still remain in John street. 
 
 The prior paid £4 proxies to the bishop. This monastery was granted 
 to the mayor and citizens of Kilkenny, with 102 acres of land and forty 
 gardens; a water-mill, a wood and 200 acres of land adjoining, with ten 
 messuages and 200 acres in Drakeland in the county, and one other 
 messuage in Kilkenny, to hold the same for ever in mortmain. 
 
 The Black Abbey in Irishtown was founded for Dominicans in the 
 year 1225, by William Mareschal, junior, earl of Pembroke, in honor of 
 the holy Trinity. 
 
 A.D. 1259, Hugh, bishop of Ossory, made many donations to this 
 house — a chief rent arising from two messuages in Friar street and the 
 
 O O 
 
 wel. zf St. Canice with an aqueduct. 
 
 General chapters of the order were held in the years 1281, 1302, 
 1306, and 1346. 
 
 Peter Cantw'ell was the last prior. Was found seized by the royal 
 inquisitors of the said priory, containing within the precincts a church 
 and belfry, a small castle near the church, a dormitory, and beneath it 
 the chapter-house, a chamber, called the king’s chamber, and adjoining 
 it a small turret, a castle over the gate and three small gardens, &c. 
 
 In the thirty-fifth of Henry this monastery with its property 
 
 was granted to Walter Archer, the sovereign and to the burgesses and 
 commonalty of Kilkenny for ever, at the yearly rent of 12s. 4d. Irish. 
 
 This noble structure was situated in that part of the Irish-town, 
 called the Buts. Tliese Buts or marks were erected for archers trying 
 their skill, before the material of gunpowder was discovered. The friai-s 
 continued until the year 1744, that in which they were altogether re- 
 moved from the convent through the bigotry of local and inferior magis- 
 trates. 
 
 This ancient and beautiful edifice had been entirely demolished with 
 the exception of the tower and the principal south aisle of the church. 
 
498 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF mELAKD. 
 
 superior elegance. Its immense window of stained glass, and tlie inter- 
 nal decorations, contrasted with the ivy-mantled tower and the massive 
 pile of ruins which surround it, have conti'ibuted to render the black 
 abbey of Kilkenny one of the most venerable and magnificent remains 
 of monastic anticpiity in the kingdom. 
 
 The air of Kilkenny is tlie most salubrious of Ireland ; its coal being 
 of the anthracrite description, burns Avithout flame, and does not pro- 
 duce smoke. 
 
 The Franciscan friary, situated on the banks of the river Eyre, im- 
 properly called Kore, was founded for conventual Franciscans, by 
 Richard Mareschal, earl of Pembroke. 
 
 A.D. 1244, King Henry III. granted £20 annually to the Fran- 
 ciscans of Kilkenny, Dublin, AVaterford, Cork, and Athloue, for the 
 purpose of buying them tunicks. 
 
 A.D. 1277, a provincial chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1347, died Elizabeth Palmer, Avho built, at her own expense, 
 the forepart of the choir. It is said that she died a virgin at the age of 
 seventy years, though married A^ery young, and to several husbands. 
 This is not an extraordinary instance in Ireland, remarkable as it is 
 above any other country for the purity and virtue of its mothers and 
 daughters. The most embittered enemies of Ireland and of the faith, 
 Avhich the masses pf her people profess, are coerced into the admission 
 of this tact so creditable to the character of the Irish female. Even in 
 the British senate, the lords and commoners of the empii-e bear testi- 
 mony to the truth of their vii-tue. And on a recent occasion, a tourist, 
 Sir Francis Head, aaRo Avas desirous to obtain “ particular inlbrmation 
 on this particular point,” acknoAvledges this extraordinary characteristic 
 of Irish Avomen. 
 
 In country parishes, Avith a population of several thousands, the pa- 
 rochial registry seldom attests an illegitimate birth ; but this is the case 
 in parishes where the members of the Protestant church are not lo- 
 cated. 
 
 A.D. 1350, this year a great and universal pestilence raged through- 
 out the kingdom, of which A'ast numbers died, and amongst the rest the 
 celebrated annalist and friar John Clynne. 
 
 John Clynne was the first guardian of the Franciscan convent of 
 Carrick-on-Suir, in 1336. Soon after he repaired to the abbey of Kil- 
 kenny, in which he is said to have Avritten the greater part of his an- 
 nals ; they commence with the Christian era, and in a concise but per- 
 spicuous manner, are brought in chronological order to the year 1313. 
 From this period the annalist becomes more circumstantial, and con- 
 tinues his chronicle to the close of the year 1350. During the time 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 499 
 
 that he was compiling his annals, in 1349, this dreadful pestilence 
 raged all over the country, so that it was almost depopulated, and our 
 annalist, as is supposed, became a victim to this frightful visitation. At 
 the conclusion of his annals, in 1349, giving an account of this merci- 
 less visitor, he says: “But I, brother John Clynue, a Franciscan friar 
 of the convent of Kilkenny, have, in this book, written the memorable 
 things occurring in my time, of which I was either an eye witness or 
 learned them from the relation of such as were worthy of credit. 
 Moreover, that these notable transactions might not perish by time, and 
 vanish out of the memory of our successors, seeing the many evils 
 that encompass ns, and every symptom placed, as it were, under an 
 evil influence, expecting death among the dead, until it comes. Such 
 things as I have delivered with vei-acity, and have striotly examined, I 
 have reduced into writing ; and lest the writing should perish with the 
 writer, and the work should fail with the workman, I leave behind me 
 parchment for continuing it, if any man should have the good fortune 
 to survive this calamity, or any one of the race of Adam should escape 
 this pestilence, and live to continue what I have begun.” 
 
 These annals remained in the possession of the Franciscans of Kil- 
 kenny until about the time of Cromwell ; they were afterwards faith- 
 fully transcribed through the means of Sir James Lee, earl of Marl- 
 burg, on which occasion the cojjy was carefully deposited in the hands 
 of Henry, earl of Bath, on condition that it should be printed. 
 
 The last guardian of this abbey was Patrick Delany ; and in the 
 thirteenth of Henry VIII. it was, with its appurtenances, nine town- 
 lands, granted to the sovereign, burgesses, and commonalty of Kil- 
 kenny. 
 
 The building, with its offices, occupied the entire site, from the river 
 to the street of Irishtown. The great chancel of the church still re- 
 mains, with its tower, which is both light and lofty. Its halls of philo- 
 sophy and divinity were frequented during a long series of years ; and 
 the venerable ruins, still remaining, clearly evince its former grandeur 
 and magnificence. 
 
 Hear the infirmary of this abbey is a well, which was sacred to St. 
 Francis, and which was formerly celebrated for the miracles said to 
 have been performed there. 
 
 Killmanagh, in the barony of Crannagh, and eight miles west of 
 lulkenny. St. Katalis is said to have been the founder. He was the 
 son of King Aengus, of Cashel, and is much spoken of in the transac- 
 tions of St. Senanus, of Inniscathy. His memory is celebrated at Kill- 
 managh, on the 31st of July. As his father, Aengus, was slain in 490, 
 we can form an idea of the time in which this saint flourished. There 
 
500 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 is mention of another St. I^atalis, of Breffmy and Devenish, whose fes- 
 tival is observed on the 27th of Januaiy, and who is said to have been 
 abbot of the latter monastery, St. Molaisse having died A.D. 5Gi or 
 571. These saints are considered to be distinct persons (Lanigan is of 
 this opinion). St. Natalis, son of Aengus, if young at the time of liis 
 father’s death, could have lived to succeed St. Molaisse, as his imme- 
 diate representative. Whether they be different or otlierwise, the Irish 
 saints seem to have been of a migratory disposition, and were, many of 
 them, fond of solitude and retirement, in places where they wei’e not 
 known. 
 
 A.D. 842, died the abbot Breasall Mac Angne. Others place him as 
 abbot of Killmanagh, in the county of Sligo. 
 
 Knoctopher gives its name to the barony, formerly the territory in 
 which the Walshes were located. 
 
 A.D. 1356, James, second earl of Ormond, founded a Carmelite 
 friary in the town of Knocktopher, under the invocation of the Virgin 
 Mary. 
 
 A.D. 1396, Henry Brown was prior. 
 
 William was the last prior. The priory, with its appurtenances, 
 was granted in the thirty-fourth of Henry VHI., to Patrick Barnewall, 
 for ever, at the annual rent of 4s., Irish money. 
 
 Ivossbercan, in the barony of Ibercon, on the river Barrow. Tlie 
 families of Grace and Walsh founded the abbey of Rossbercon, for Do- 
 minicans, under the invocation of the Virgin Mary, in September, 
 1267. 
 
 At the period of the foundation of this ecclesiastical edifice, the 
 family of Walsh enjoyed vast possessions in this county. The baron of 
 CourtstoAyn, Grace, married Honoria, the dowager of Walter Walsh, of 
 Castle Hoel, Baron Shanacher and lord of W alsh’s country, and by the 
 marriage of his descendant with Elizabeth APalsh, and of John Bryan, 
 of Bavmmore, with Ui'sula Walsh, whose only surviving child, Eliza- 
 beth Bryan, married Oliver Grace, of Gracefield, the two daughters and 
 eventual co-heii’s of Walter Walsh and of Magdalen Shefiield ; the 
 Graces of Courtstown and of Gracefield, became the representatives of 
 die Walsh of Castlehoel, or the elder branch. From the younger 
 branches sprung the W alshes, lords of Brabant and counts of Serant 
 in France. 
 
 Count Walsh, the last survivor of the L’ish brigade, died in France, 
 in the month of December, 1852. 
 
 Mathew Fleming was the last prior of this house, which he surren- 
 dered, i. e.^ forced to, in the thirty-first of King Henry VTH. The 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 501 
 
 royal spoliation was conferred, by patent, on John Parker, and after- 
 wards on John Blake. * 
 
 From the ruins of this monastery, it can he inferred, that it was not 
 an ignoble structure. • 
 
 Tibrach-Fachtna, a town of ancient repute, and on the banks of the 
 Suir. St. Ilomnoc, or Modomnoc, i. e., my Dominick, as the “ Mo ” 
 was a prefix, expressing affection, or endearment — a disciple of Saint 
 David ; was of the princely house of the Nialls, son of Saranus, and 
 fourth in descent from Eugene, one of the sons of Mali Neigilliach. 
 Scarcely anything is known of the earlier part of his life, except that, 
 on returning to Deland from St. David’s, after having completed his 
 studies, he brought with him swarms of bees to Ireland, which are 
 strangely said to have been the first in the island. This assertion is a 
 mistake, as St. Patrick makes mention of wild honey, as well-known in 
 Ireland, and as the rule of St. Ailbe of Emly orders that a portion of 
 honeycomb should be allowed the monks at their meals. 
 
 St. Donmoc settled in this place of Tipraid ; but it is not known 
 whether it was a monastery or a simple church. The year of his death 
 is not on record ; the day for his festival was observed afl^this church 
 on the 13th of February. 
 
 St. Domangart is mentioned as a brother of his, who is different 
 from the saint of that name -who founded his monastery at the foot of 
 Slieve Donard, and from whom that mountain has taken its appel- 
 lation. 
 
602 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 
 KING’S COUNTY. 
 
 Birr, in tlie barony ot Fercall. St. Brendan, senior, of “ Biorra, or 
 Birr,” to distingnisli him from Brendan, junior, of Clonfert, "svas the son of 
 Lnaigene, and is stated to have been of an illustrious family of Munster, 
 lie is reckoned among the relatives of St. Ere, of Slane, and the de- 
 scendant of prince Oorb, who resided in the Decies. Clonard was the 
 school in which he received his education, and among the principal 
 disci})les o^ St. Finnian he was highly esteemed for his sanctity and 
 supernatural gifts as a prophet. He was intimate with the Kierans, 
 Brendan of Clonfert, and chiefly with Columbkille, to whom he ren- 
 dered an important service. 
 
 St. Adamnan relates, that a certain synod, supposed to have been 
 held in Geashill, in the King’s county, had issued a sentence of excom- 
 munication, not a just one, hoAvever, against Columba, on account of 
 some venial and excusable proceeding. On the arrival of Columba at 
 the synod, Brendan, Avho saw him at a distance, rose up, saluted him 
 with great respect, and embraced him. Some of the assistants or prin- 
 cipals at the synod, taking Brendan apart, remonstrated with him for 
 having shewn such attention to a person Avhom they had so severely 
 censured. Brendan replied, “ If you had seen what the Lord has been 
 pleased to make manifest to me this day concerning this elect of his, 
 whom you are dishonouring, you would never have passed that sen- 
 tence : whereas the Lord does not in any manner excommunicate him 
 in virtue of your wrong sentence, hut rather exalts him still more and 
 more.” They, then asking how this could have been, were assured by 
 Brendan, that he saw a luminous pillar advancing before this man of 
 God, when on his Avay, and holy angels accompanying him through the 
 plain. Therefore, added Brendan, I dare not treat with contempt, him 
 whom I see preordained by God, as a guide of nations unto life. Upon 
 which the whole proceedings were withdrawn, and the whole synod 
 paid Columba the greatest re.spect and veneration. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 503 
 
 At wliat precise period St. Brendan founded tlie monastery of Birr 
 is not recorded. It must have been founded before tlie year 563, that 
 in wliich St. Columba repaired to the north of Scotland. Brendan died 
 on the 29th of November, A.D. 571. Tlie exit of Brendan to the other 
 life was revealed to St. Columba, then in Ily, the very momenf it hap- 
 pened. In one of the lives of Columba it is said, that Brendan had 
 composed some verses concerning the virtues and exemplary conduct of 
 St. Columba, who was much esteemed by the abbot of Birr. 
 
 During the administration of the abbot St. Kilian, in the seventh 
 century, the reputation of the school of Birr had been so high, and the 
 influx of foreigners so great, that numbers of the native students 
 generally yielded to the strangers, and proceeded to other monasteries, 
 in which they completed their studies ; and so unbounded was the 
 hospitality of this abbot, that the monks themselves were frequently 
 sent out by St. Kilian, through the surrounding country, to discover 
 if there was any person in distress. This good abbot died A.D. 690. 
 
 A.D. 780, died the abbot Joseph O’Foilan, “the Wise.” 
 
 A.D. 812, the abbey was plundered by the Danes. 
 
 The last superior was Sioda MacNamara, who died in the year 1311, 
 after which this venerable establishment was permitted to moulder ; nor 
 does it appear that any efibrt was made to restore it to its former 
 splendor. 
 
 Clonfert-Mulloe, in the ancient diocese of Roscrea, now Killaloe. 
 St. Molua Avas the founder. See Killaloe. 
 
 A.D. 622, St. Lactean, who educated St. Laidgen, a monk of extra- 
 ordinary sanctity, and whose memory has been highly respected, died 
 A.D. 661. 
 
 A.D. 792, died the abbot Momagh. 
 
 A.D. 858, died the abbot Aengus. Was held in high estimation, 
 and was surnamed “ the Wise.” 
 
 A.D. 91:8, the Danes devastated this monastery. 
 
 Clonmacnoise. St. Kieran was the founder. See diocese of. Saint 
 Tigernach succeeded the holy founder. 
 
 A.D. 591-, died St. Alither, who was abbot of Clonmacnoise when St. 
 Columba visited 't. 
 
 A.D. 663, died of the plague, the abbot Baothan Hua Cormac. 
 
 A.D. 665, died of the plague, the abbot Colman Casse. 
 
 A.D. 751, Clonmacnoise was consumed by an accidental fire. 
 
 A.D. 781, died the eminent abbot Murgall. 
 
 A.D. 831, the Danes plundered this abbey. The monastery was 
 repeatedly ravaged by the Danes. 
 
504 : 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 987, on the 16th of January, the saintly Diinchad O’Braoin 
 departed this life in his hermitage, at Armagh. 
 
 This saint was of the illustrious family of the Nialls, and was born 
 in a district of the county of Westmeath, now called the barony of 
 Brawny. At an early age he repaired to the monastery of Clonmac- 
 nofse, where he embraced the monastic state, and made great progress 
 in learning and piety. In the schools of this celebrated establishment, 
 Dunchad gave lectures on the sacred Sci‘i})tures, and was considered the 
 most eminent among the divines of the Irish church, in the tenth cen- 
 tury. The applause which his learning procured him, became so great, 
 that he formed the resolve of retiring for ever from public life. Urged 
 on by his resolution, he witlidrew to a solitary spot in the mountains of 
 Ely O’Carroll, where he was completely shut out from the world, and 
 lived as an Anchoret for many years. On the death of the abbot 
 Tuathal, who had been both abbot and bishop of Clonmacnoise, in 969, 
 Dunchad was unanimously chosen to succeed him in the abbacy, and 
 having been brought from his solitude, was reluctantly compelled to 
 undertake the government of the monastery, but his love of retirement 
 would not permit him to remain long in the exalted situation of abbot, 
 lie accordingly withdrew to a distant part of the island, where he 
 would be altogether secluded from the intercourse of the world. 
 Having chcsen Armagh, in 96I-, he expected to find a retreat which 
 would suit his disposition ; but in this expectation he was disappointed, 
 as bis reputation for learning and holiness soon spread throughout the 
 neighbourhood, and the respect with which his virtues were regarded, 
 again prompted him to seek elsewhere a solitude more congenial with 
 his love of retirement. Ilis determination becoming known to the in- 
 habitants, a deputation, composed of the principal persons of the 
 country, waited on the saint, requesting of him to remain another year 
 in their vicinity — a request to which he acceded with much reluctance. 
 Dunchad is said to have performed many miracles, and to have restored 
 to life the infant child of a widow. Tigernach, author of the annals of 
 Clonmacnoise, atfirms, that Dunchad was the last of the Irish to his 
 time, 1088, through whose intercession God restored a dead person to 
 life. The year having elapsed, the saint was preparing to depart, when 
 the inhabitants of Armagh renewed their request, which they repeated 
 year after year, until his death. 
 
 A.D. 1088, died at Clonmacnoise, the abbot and annalist Tigernach 
 O’Braoin, who by his talents and research cast new light on the ancient 
 records of his country. This eminent man belonged to a sept that in- 
 habited an eastern part of Connaught, probably Roscommon, having 
 been the abbot of Roscommon before his election to that of Clonmac- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 505 
 
 noise. In this latter one lie compiled his celebrated annals of Ireland, 
 •which he brought down to the year of his death. It is observed, that 
 in this invaluable work there are frecpient quotations from Latin and 
 Greek authors, such as Horace, Virgil, Pliny, Eusebius, Origen, Saint 
 Jerome, Julius, Africanus, Anatolius, Bede, &c., and not_ only quoted 
 from with accuracy, but frequently contrasted, weighing their authority 
 with much critical acumen. 
 
 A.D. 1130, the jewels stolen from this abbey in 1108, were this 
 year found in the ijossession of Gill e Comdhan, a Dane of Limerick, 
 who was taken by Conor O’Brien, king of Limerick, find delivered to the 
 community of Clonmacnoise. At the time of his execution he openly 
 confessed that he was at the ports of Cork, Lismore and W aterford, 
 in expectation of a passage thence to another kingdom : that all the 
 other ships left their harbours with fair winds ; but as soon as any ves- 
 sel he entered into set sail, he saw St. Kieran with his staff return it 
 back, and that the saint continued to do so till he was taken. 
 
 A.D. 1170, money was coined at Clonmacnoise. 
 
 A.D. 1198, Roderick O’Connor, monarch of Ireland, was interred 
 in this abbey, on the north side of the high altar. 
 
 A.D. 1201. As king Henry 11. undertook to reform the “rude and 
 barbarous church of Ireland,” the following instance of the improvement, 
 which his vassals were intent on effecting, is recorded. In this year the 
 English of Melick, on the Shannon, did rob, prey and pillage the church 
 of Clonmacnoise on the feast of St. Gregory; and though they seized a 
 very rich spoil, the same company from the abbey of Melick which they 
 also pillaged, came the succeeding day and forcibly carried off' every 
 article which remained, plundering the church of the holy vestments, 
 books and chalices, the abbot and monks of all their provisions, flesh, 
 corn, &c., and to conq)lete the devastation, they laid waste the whole of 
 the crops, gardens and houses in the town. 
 
 A.D. 1204, xWilliam Burke, the Conqueror of Connaught, whose 
 death is recorded in the history of the abbey of Knockmoy, ravaged this 
 monasterjL 
 
 x\.D. 1205, Melaghlin O’Melaghlin erected an altar of stone in the 
 great church of Clonmacnoise. 
 
 A.D. 1230, died the abbot Moylemoory O’Moeloin. He was a good 
 and reverend man, and while he presided over this abbey, constantly 
 exercised an unbounded hospitality. 
 
 A.D. 1552, the English garrison of Athlone plundered and devas- 
 tated the abbey of Clonmacnoise, an act which the annals of the four 
 masters record of those piotts reformers in the reign of Edward VI. in 
 the following words, “ they took the large bells out of the cloicteach 
 
606 
 
 ECCLESUSTICAL mSTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 (the steeple or belfry) and left neither large nor small bell, image, altar, 
 book, gem nor even glass in a window in the chnrch, that they did not 
 carry away with them, and that truly was a lamentable deed to plun- 
 der the church of Ciaran, the patron saint.” 
 
 The situation of this monastery on the right bank of the Shannon 
 and within ten miles of Athlone, is delightful and picturesque. There 
 were two round towers, elegantly built of hewn stone. The larger one, 
 called O’Rourke’s, wants the roof, is sixty-two feet in height and fifty- 
 six in circumference. The erection of this tower has been ascribed to 
 Fei’gal O’Rourke, who was king of Connaught, about the middle of the 
 10th century. The family of O’Rourke had their cemetery near it and 
 as the annals of the four masters record an injury done this tower by 
 lightning in the year 1135, the family of O’Rourke may have only re- 
 paired it. The other tower, called MacCarthy’s, is seven feet in diame- 
 ter, the walls are three feet in thickness and fifty six in height, includ- 
 ing the conical shape of the top. Tlie next considerable building is the 
 cathedral of the ancient abbey, the doors of which are richly carved. 
 
 This monastery, v Inch belonged to the canons regular of St. Augus- 
 tine, was peculiarly and universally esteemed. It Avas uncommonly 
 extensive and wonderfully enriched by kings and princes ; hence the 
 cause of the savage depredations which the Danes, the English (really 
 worse than the former, as they were pagans), and even some Irish 
 princes, committed on this noble sanctuary. Its landed property was so 
 great, and the number of cells and monasteries subject to it so numerous, 
 that almost half of Ireland was said to be within the bounds of Clon- 
 macnoise. 
 
 Lynch, in his life of bishop Kirwan of Killala, sums up the numbers 
 of monks in some of the ancient establishments of Ireland, which were 
 usually called canons of St. Augustine. They afterwards obtained the 
 name of canons regular, and were introduced by Imar the holy precep- 
 tor of St. Malach}" of Armagh, Avhen the church of Ireland enjoyed re- 
 pose from the awful devastations of the Danes, whose Pagan fury Avas 
 chiefly directed against the Asyla of religion and literature. Lie also 
 asserts that St. Patrick, being a member of the first order, founded 
 Armagh and Sa\il for those canons. As St. Patrick has been instructed 
 by St. Martin of Tours, it is supposed that he embraced the institute of 
 this celebrated bishop, and hence it is that the name and festival of St. 
 Martin are so much revered in Ireland. Kildare, founded by St. Brigid, 
 of the same class. Durrow, Derry and Kells, by St. Columba. Clonard, 
 with its three thousand monks, by St. Finian. Foure, Cong, Balysadare, 
 which contained three hundred monks, by St. Fechin. Imay, Termon- 
 fechin. Bile, by the same Saint. Deveni.sh, with fifteen hundred, by 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF TEELAND. 
 
 507 
 
 St. Molaisse. Aran, with a similar number, by St. Entla. Bangor, 
 with its three thousand morks, by St. Comgal. Clonfert and Anna- 
 down by St. Brendan, with a like number of blessed inmatesv Mayo, 
 founded by St. Colman, and which St. Gerald, an Englishman, supplied 
 with thi-ee thousand three hundred monks. Many other monasteries 
 were possessed by the order of Canons Eegular of St. Augustine, when, 
 they became confiscated to the crown. 
 
 The cemetery of Clonmacnoise contained about two Irish acres, on 
 which ten churches were erected by kings and princes of the adjacent 
 country : Temple Eigh, built by O’Melaglin, king of Meath ; Temple 
 O’Connor, built by O’Connor Don ; Temple Kelly ; Temple Finghin, 
 erroneously supposed to have been built by MacCarthy of Munster : 
 this church was, according to Tigernach, dedicated to St. Finnian, one 
 of the primitive Irish Saints, whose grave is situated beside the church, 
 and which is still used as one of the principal penitential stations of 
 this famed sanctuary, and whose well, held in the greatest veneration, 
 still bears the name, which the annalist Tigernach O’Braoin gave it, 
 “Til iroid Fingen.” Such was its name A.D. 758, and again A.D. 1015 
 it is recorded that the great oak of Fingen’s church, at Clonmacnoise, was 
 prostrated by a storm, which occurred in the autumn of that year. It 
 is also worthy of remark, that the round tower, which is attached to 
 this church, and which forms an integral part of the building, has its 
 entrance-doorway within the chancel and on a level with the floor, a 
 circumstance wdiich throws much liglit on the use of the round tower. 
 The chancel of St. Fingen’s church was lighted by a single round- 
 headed window in the eastern wall, in the south wall of which there is 
 still in perfect preservation a curiously ornamented piscina. This 
 church, it seems, in after ages became the burial-place of the MacCar- 
 thys, and the name of Fingen became patronymic in the family. Tem- 
 ple-Kieran, the church of the holy founder ; Temple-Gauny ; Temple- 
 Doulin ; and lastly, Temple-MacDermot, before whose west door stands 
 a large cross of one entire stone, wdth an inscrijjtion in antique and un- 
 known characters. The north doors are very low, but guarded with 
 small pillars of flne marble curiously wrought. Another of these 
 churches hath within it an arch of greenish marble, flat wrought and 
 beautifully executed, the joints of which are so close, that the whole 
 appears to be of one entire stone. In the cemetery, besides the cross 
 of Temple-MacDermot, there are three other crosses. Those crosses 
 were erected in many of the sanctuaries and cathedrals of Ireland, 
 commemorating the event of their erection, as well as the names of 
 the founders, as at Tuam, and the limits of the sanctuary. 
 
508 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 On the west side of the cemetery the ruins of the episcopal palace 
 may still be seen. 
 
 Nunnery of Clonmacnoise was founded early in tliis place ; in the 
 year 1180 the church of this nunnery was consumed by an accidental 
 lire. 
 
 A.D. 1170, Dervorgilla, the daughter of Murrogh O’Melaghlin, king 
 of Meath, and wife to Tiernan O’Rourke, rebuilt the said church. 
 
 Drumcuillin, in the Barony of Eglish. St. Barrinthus or Barrindeus 
 was Abbot of Drumcuillin ; he was also Abbot of Killbarron, in Tir- 
 connell, county of Donegal. Tliis Saint is mentioned in the voyages of 
 St. Brendan, and his travels in a western country are alluded to in the 
 Acts of the Irish Saints : “ Terra repromissionis sanctorum quam Domi- 
 nus daturus est successoribus nostris in ‘tempore novissimo.’” Tlie land 
 of repromise of the Saints, which the Lord is about to give to our suc- 
 cessore in distant ages. Let the reader pronounce on the coincidence 
 between this passage and the great emigration from Ireland to America 
 in those late years. 
 
 Barrindeus was of the Niall fomily : this saint died on the 21st of 
 May, the year of which is uncertain. 
 
 Durrow in the barony of Ballycowen. 
 
 Saint Columba founded the abbey of Durrow about the year 546. 
 
 Saint Cormac Ilua Liethain, a disciple of the great Columba, is 
 said to have succeeded him in the monastery of Durrow. 
 
 It is related of Cormac that he and some companions of his sailed 
 from the district of Erris, in Mayo, three times, in seai’ch of some un- 
 inhabited spot in the ocean, which he thought adajited to the accom- 
 modation of a religious community, but without success. In the 
 sdcond voyage he was obliged to, take shelter in one of the Orkney 
 islands, where he would have been put to death, had not the timely 
 recommendation of St. Columba, who foresaw the event, obtained St. 
 Cormac the protection of the prince of the islands. In the third voy- 
 age, being driven northwards for fourteen days, he was in danger of 
 perishing, but the wind having providentially changed, he was enabled 
 to put back from that latitude. 
 
 Ilis being called a descendant of Liethain seems to indicate that he 
 was of the sept of the Ilua Liethaius, in the County of Cork, (Barry- 
 more) : the memory of St. Cormac is revered on the 21st of J une ; the 
 year of his decease is not known. 
 
 A.D. 980, the abbot Mulkieran O’Mayney was slain by the Danes 
 of Dublin. 
 
 A.D. 1059, a great slaughter of Leinster Danes was made at Dur- 
 row through the interference and merits of St. Columba. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOUT OF HJELAND. 
 
 509 
 
 A.D. 1175, the English laid this house of St. Coluinba and the ad- 
 jacent country waste. 
 
 A.D. 1180, Hugh de Lacey who made himself Lord of Meath, by 
 conquering and massacring the Irish natives, was slain on the 25th of 
 July, by a laboring man, whose name was O’Mey, who happened to 
 to be along with the conqueror wdiile inspecting the w’orks of his new 
 castle, on the site of Durrow Abbey, and who, while de Lacey was 
 in a stoojiing position, severed with one blow of an axe the head from 
 the body. Having aspired to the sovereignty of all Ireland, the death 
 of de Lacey freed Henry H. from the uneasiness, which the ambitious 
 view's of this pow'erful subject had created in the royal mind. 
 
 In the annals of the four masters, de Lacey is styled “ the profaner 
 and destroyer of the sanctuaries and churches of Ireland his execu- 
 tioner or rather the avenger of the sacrileges, which de Lacey com- 
 mitted, fled, and (as the annalists have it) by his fleetness of foot, made 
 his escape from the English and Irish to the wood of Killclare. He 
 afterwards w^ent to the Fox and O’Brien, at whose instigation he had 
 killed the earl : it is not certain that O’Mey was a laborer, others put 
 him down as a person in disguise. 
 
 It W'as on account of the relics of this sacrilegious plunderer, that 
 the abbeys of Bective, in Meath, and St. Tliomas, in Dublin, had the 
 controverey, which was eventually decided in favor of the latter. 
 
 A similar disaster has some years since happened at Durrow : the 
 noble proprietor. Lord ISTorbury, having prevented the surrounding 
 families from burying their dead in this ancient cemetery of Durrow', 
 and having built a castle on the site of de Lacey’s, was assassinated by 
 a hand still unknown. 
 
 A.D. 1204-, John de Courcey and the Englishmen of Meath fell into 
 great contentions, strife and debate, among themselves : de Courcey is 
 also styled by the four masters “the plunderer of churches;” the ulti- 
 mate fate of de Courcey, the conqueror of Ulster, is not know'n. In 
 one of those contentions to w'hich the annals allude, he w'a^ attacked 
 unarmed, and having no weapon at hand, he ran towards a wooden 
 cross that stood in the church-yard, and having torn the shaft from its 
 socket, he dealt so formidably on his assailants that he killed thirteen of 
 them at the moment ; being how'ever finally overpowered, he was put 
 in fetters and delivered to de Lacey who had him conveyed to London, 
 where he was confined in the tower and condemned to perpetual im- 
 prisonment. Sad W'as the fate of the mighty champion, who had im- 
 brued his hands in the blood of Ulstermen, who ravaged Armagh, and 
 who spoiled the sanctuaries of St. Patrick. 
 
 Having procured the favor of King John he was at length set at 
 
510 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 liberty, and restored to bis conquests of Ulster. lie then committed 
 himself to the mercy of the sea, but was put back by contrary winds 
 which rose suddenly on his embarcation: his attempt he renewed for 
 fifteen days, and upon every repulse was admonished at night in a 
 vision, that all his attempts to cross the sea to Ireland were vain, for it 
 was preordained that he should never set foot on Irish ground, because 
 he had grievously offended there by pulling down the master and 
 setting up the servant. On being driven back the fifteenth time, his 
 visions wrought so powerfully upon his imagination, that he submitted 
 to the decrees of Heaven — passed sentence on himselt^ — and withdrew 
 to France, where he died, A.D 1210. 
 
 Sir Henry Spellman, in his history of English and Irish sacrilege, 
 enumerates the frightful punishments which have befallen the original 
 spoliators who aided Henry VIII. in robbing the churches of England 
 and Ireland, as well as those which visibly have happened to their heirs 
 and successoi’s. 
 
 The abbey of Durrow paid annually to the bishop of Meath two marcs 
 as proxies. A manuscript copy of the four evangelists of St. Jerome’s 
 translation, adorned Avith engravings on silver plates, setting forth that 
 it was written by St. Columba in the space of twelve days, was pre- 
 served in the abbey of Durrow. 
 
 October 18th, fourth of Elizabeth, a lease of this abbey was granted 
 to Nicholas Herbert, Esq., for the term of twenty-one years, at the an- 
 nual rent of £10. 
 
 Frankford, in the barony of Ballyboy. Hugh O’Mulloy, head of 
 his sept, founded this monastery for Carmelites, under the invocation of 
 the Virgin Mary. 
 
 A.D. 1451:, Hugli, the founder, died on the feast of St. Eemigius. 
 
 A.D. 14G8, died the prior, Edward Brakan. 
 
 At the general suppression of monasteries, this convent and posses- 
 sions were granted to Robert Leicester. 
 
 G alien, in the barony of Garycastle, and near the river Brosna. St. 
 Patrick having left Munster, arrived at Brosna, where he was enter- 
 tained by Trian, a bishop and a foreigner, who lived at a place called 
 Craobech ; thence he proceeded to Ily-failge, where a chieftain of that 
 name, and an obstinate pagan, formed a plan for murdering St. Patrick. 
 Odran, the faithful servant of the apostle and his charioteer, having ob- 
 tained information of the impious resolve of the chieftain, without 
 communicating the matter to the saint, requested permission to sit a 
 while in the easy part of the vehicle, feigning himself greatly wearied; 
 the apostle of Ireland .complying Avith his desire, condescended to act 
 in the mean time as driver. As they were going along, Failge ad- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 511 
 
 vancetl, and mistaking Odran for St. Patrick, transfixed liiin witli a 
 lance. Failge was soon after struck dead by the Aliniglity, in punish- 
 ment of his crime. 
 
 Gallen monastery was founded by St. Canoe, or Conoc, of wliich he was 
 abbot, probably about the middle of the sixth century. He is said to 
 have been a native of Brecknock, in Wales, but son of an Irish prince, 
 who had settled there, and from whom it derived its present name. 
 Brecan, such was the father’s name, is said to have had a great num- 
 ber of children, of whom Canoe is usually stated to have been the 
 eldest. 
 
 A.D. 820, Felim MacCromhain destroyed the church and sanctuary 
 of Gallen. There was a celebrated school here for scholars from Wales; 
 it was ravaged repeatedly ; still it continued to exist, when Colgan com- 
 piled his acts of the Irish saints, at which time it belonged to the canons 
 regular of St. Augustine. 
 
 Of this abbey and its extensive possessions, Sir Gerald Moore became 
 the fortunate patentee. 
 
 Kilcolgan. This church is attributed to St, Colga. See Kilcolgan, 
 Galway. 
 
 Kilcolman, Doire-mor, in the barony of Ballybrit, and diocese of 
 Killaloe. Saint Colman, son of Aengus, called so, because a descend 
 ant of his and of Darrine or Daire ; is distinct from Colman-elo. 
 
 lie was of the royal blood of the kings of Cashel and a lineal de- 
 scendant of Aengus, king of Cashel, who was slain in 490. Colman was 
 a bishop in the reign of Failbhe Fland, king of Cashel, who succeeded 
 immediately to the throne on the death of his brother, Finghin, A.D. 
 61 9. He resided in his monastery of Doire-mor (the great grove), 
 which he had himself founded. It is related that the king of Cashel 
 having done an injury to Colman, upon which he applied to St. Pul- 
 cherius, who had great influence over the king, to accompany him to 
 the royal residence, for the purpose of obtaining redress. Having 
 represented the case to the king, who addressed him in a haughty tone, 
 and refused to accede to the wishes of Colman, Pulcherius then ac- 
 costed the king, saying : “ It does not become you to answer in this 
 manner to a great pontiff, who is most holy in the sight of God, and 
 not inferior to you, according to the nobility of this world, for ye are of 
 the same stock.” Pulcherius continued his discourse, reprimanding the 
 king so severely, that becoming greatly alarmed, he granted what St. 
 Colman desired. The materials of his life are so scanty that the year of 
 his death is not on record. His festival was kept at Doire-mor, on the 
 iJOth of May, as the annivereary of his new birth for heaven. 
 
 Kilcomin, in the barony of Clonlish. Many saints of the name, 
 
512 
 
 ECCLESIAS'nCAL HISTOKY OF lEELAND. 
 
 Cumin, occur in tlie Irish annals. Tlie founder of this church is said to 
 have enriched, and to have presented to it many relics of SS. Peter and 
 Paul. See Kilcumrnin, in Mayo. 
 
 Killagally, in the barony of Garrjmastle. St. Trian, a bishop, and a 
 foreigner, is said to have presided over this establishment, as abbot. 
 See Gallen. 
 
 A.D. 872, Donogh Mac Moylduin, abbot of Killcalga, was slain by 
 the Danes. 
 
 Killhuaillech, in the territory of Fercal, which contains the present 
 baronies of Ballycowen, Ballyboy, and Fercal. St. Lonan is said to 
 have presided over this establishment before the middle of the sixth 
 century. In process of time the monks of Clonmacnoise exchanged it 
 with those of Clonard, for the churches of Killochuir and Cluain-alahd- 
 deirg, both situate on the eastern coast of Louth. Killochuir is said, by 
 others, to hare been on the coast of Down. 
 
 Killeigh, in the barony of Geashill. St. Sinchell founded this 
 monastery for canons of St. Augustine. See Clane, Co. Kildare. 
 
 A.D. 81:9, died Reaghtawry, abbot of Killeigh. 
 
 June 28th, eighteenth of Elizabeth, this monastery, with three" mes- 
 suages, one hundred and twenty -four acres of arable land, twenty-four 
 of pasture, three of meadow, and four of underwood : and three mes- 
 suages, six cottages, twenty acres of arable land and seven of pasture, 
 in the town of Donfeigh, in the county, with the tithes, were granted 
 for ever, in capite, to John Lee, at the yearly rent of 45s. 6d. 
 
 May 16th, 1578, this abbey, with all its temporal possessions, was 
 granted to Gerald, earl of Kildare, and his heirs, at the yearly rent of 
 33s. 4d., with an obligation of maintaining one able horseman. 
 
 A nunnery for canonesses of St. Augustine existed here. Its erec- 
 tion is attribirted to the Wari’ens ; biit before the English settled in Ire- 
 land, this establishment was in existence. They may have repaired it. 
 
 Gray friary. This house was erected in the reign of King Edward 
 I., by an O’Connor, as some suppose. 
 
 A.D. 1303, Donald O’Bruin, guardian of this monastery, was made 
 bishop of Clonmacnoise. 
 
 At the general suppression, this abbey was granted to John Alee. 
 
 Killeigh was formerly a place of note, and its religious houses were 
 amply endowed, particularly the monastery of the canons regular. 
 
 Killiadhuin, founded by St. Kieran, of Saigir, for his mother, St. 
 Lidania. See diocese of Ossory. 
 
 Kinity, in the barony of Ballybritt. St. Finan was abbot of Kin- 
 nitty about the end of the sixth century. Supposed also to have been 
 the founder of Kill-achad-Conchin, instead of St. Abban. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF LRELANI). 
 
 51S 
 
 A.D. 839, This abbey was destroyed by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 850, died the abbot Kellacli, son of Crunmal. 
 
 A.D. 871, died the abbot Colga Mac Conagan, esteemed the best 
 and most elegant poet in the kingdom, and also the principal historian. 
 
 Lemanchan, or Lemanaghan. St. Munchen or Manchen, surnamed 
 the wise, is considered the founder of this monastery. lie was a de- 
 scendant of Cormac Cas, king of Munster, and was held in high vene- 
 ration throughout the territory of Thomond, both for learning and 
 sanctity. Ware is of opinion that he was the first bishop of Limerick, 
 but at this early age there was neither a city nor bishopric there. 
 Manchen may have founded a convent, over wdiich he presided as 
 abbot ; others think, with more probability, that he was the abbot of 
 Mundrehid, in the present barony of Upper Ossory. In all the ancient 
 calendars the title of bishop is not annexed to his name. St. Munchen 
 w^as the founder of several religious houses, and having been greatly 
 revered for his sanctity, it is probable that many churches have been 
 dedicated to him — Limerick among the rest. The day assigned to the 
 festival of St. Manchen, “ the wise,” and the Munchen of Limerick, is 
 the 2d of January, being the one fixed in all the Irish calendars for 
 Manchen. The death of St. Manchen occurred A.D. 652. 
 
 A.D. 694, another St. Manchen, of Leth, lived after this year. 
 
 A.D. 1205, Gillbrenan O’Rocholly, abbot of Leithmanchen, died. 
 
 Tlie ruins of this establishment are still to be seen, surrounded by a 
 bog or marsh. 
 
 Leathmore. St. Pulcherius, or Mochoemoc flourished, in the sixth 
 and seventh centuries. lie was the son of Boean, a native of Coumacne, 
 in Connaught, (Conmacne, of Galway,) who, having left his own 
 country, settled in Ily-Conall-Gaura, in the west of the county Lime- 
 rick, where Pulcherius was born, about the year 550. His mother’s 
 name was Nessa, of the Handesi sept, and through her he was nephew 
 to the celebrated St. Ita, called the Brigid of Munster, with Avhom he 
 remained twenty yeai’s. Being well prepared for the ecclesiastical and 
 monastic state, he went, with her consent and approbation to place him- 
 self under the guidance of St. Comgall, of Bangor. Qualified to pre- 
 side over others, the holy abbot of Bangor advised him to found a reli- 
 gious establishment for himself, wherever the Almighty would direct. 
 
 Having, in compliance with the instructions of Comgall, repaired 
 from the austere retreat of Bangor to his own country, and having been 
 introduced to the chieftain of Ely O’Carrol, who received him with at- 
 tention, and generously offered his own residence, for the purpose of 
 converting it into a monastery ; he declined the offer of the prince, but 
 
 Pulcherius accepted the grant of a lonesome spot in a thick forest, tc 
 33 
 
514 : 
 
 ECXiLESIASnCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 whicli he gave the name of Leathemore. Here he spent some yeai^ 
 shut out from the intercourse of the world, training up a numerous 
 body of disciples in the duties and observances of a spiritual life. The 
 prince, who was his benefactor, having died, Ronan, his successor, 
 intended to expel the saint from his territory, and went with this resolve 
 towards the monastery, having in his train a party of soldiers to execute 
 his mischievous design. Wlien he arrived near the monastery, Pulche- 
 cherius was celebrating the divine mysteries. lionan, suddenly struck 
 by the vengeance of Heaven, could not stir from the spot on which he 
 stood. Repenting his rashness, the prince sent word to Pulcherius, re- 
 questing that he would come and relieve him from his situation. The 
 message was not conveyed to Pulcherius until he had finished not only 
 the sacrifice, but likewise Tierce, a part of the divine office. Pulche- 
 rius replied, that he would not go out of the monastery until after 
 finishing another part of the office, called None ; having done so, he 
 visited Ronan, and having imparted his benediction, relieved the prince 
 from the awkward position which his own temerity had procured. 
 
 Thenceforth a great friendship existed between them ; and after 
 Ronan’s death, the saint fervently supplicated the father of mercy for 
 the repose of his soul. At a later period. Failbhe Fland, king 
 Munster, being displeased with Pulcherius for preventing some^iorses 
 of his to graze in the field belonging to his monastery, ordered the 
 chieftain to expel him from that country. Pulcherius having proceeded 
 to Cash'd, remonstrated with the king on the injustice of his order ; but 
 the king, who received him in a very insulting manner, was immedi- 
 ately seized with violent pains in one of his eyes, and was deprived of 
 its use. The courtiers having entreated St. Pulcherius to procui-e him 
 some relief, he blessed water, which, on being applied to the eye, the 
 pain ceased — the blindness still continuing. On the following night 
 the king had a vision during his sleep, in which he thought he saw from 
 his castle on the rock, the plains, north and south of the city, covered 
 with all the saints of Ireland, and was told by a venerable-loojiing per- 
 son, that they had assembled in defence of Pulcherius, and that he and 
 his posteritv would be destroyed in case of not complying with the re- 
 quest of Pulcherius. Accordingly, the king on the next day sent for 
 him, and granted what the saint required : henceforth Pulcherius was 
 held by the king in great veneration. Several miracles are attributed 
 to Pulcherius, among others, his having cured of blindness a holy vir- 
 gin Cannera, daughter of Fintan, who is considered to have been the 
 relative of St. Molua, of Clonfert Molua. The celebrated Dagan was, 
 in his youngei days, a disciple of St. Pulcherius, as was also Cuanchear, 
 of whose history little is known. Besides St Cainnech, Colman of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 515 
 
 Doirc-more, Pulchcrins was intimate with St. Molua of Clonfert-molua, 
 St. Liictean, of Achad-ur, a St. Finbliar, and St. Luchern, who had been 
 his fellow-students at Bangor. 
 
 Through the sanctity and labors of Pulcherius, a desolate and unin- 
 habited forest became the abode of saints and scholars. Our saint died, 
 having lived to a great age, on the 13th of March, A.D. 656. 
 
 A.D.747, died St. Cuangus Mac Dali, a man of eminent sanctity and 
 learning, and abbot of Leathmore, where his festival was observed with 
 that of the founder, on the 13th of March. 
 
 A.D. 868, died the abbot Dubhdatul. 
 
 A.D. 900, died the abbot Flannan jO.’Lonain. 
 
 A.D. 1014, Maclenna, abbot of Lethmore, was killed. 
 
 Lynally, in the barony of Ball^^cowen, and four miles from Durrow. 
 St. Coiman-elo, the founder. See Muckamore, county Antrim. 
 
 A.D. 709, died the abbot St. Tedgalius, whose feast is observed on 
 the 16th of ^pril. 
 
 A.D. 861, died Aidhecar, abbot, and a learned scribe, of Lynally. 
 
 A.D. 884, died Euchedius, son of Congan ; he lived to a venerable 
 age, and was called bishop of Launella. 
 
 Monisteroras, in the barony of Collstown, near Edenderry. Sir John 
 de Birmingham, earl of Louth, in the year 1325, founded this monastery 
 for conventual Franciscans ; it was called from his own name, in the 
 Irish language, Monaster-Feoris. 
 
 A.D. 1511, Cahir O’Connor was slain near this monastery, by his 
 own countrymen. 
 
 This monastery was once a place of strength, having held out a con- 
 siderable time, in the year 1521, against the earl of Surrey, then lord 
 lieutenant. 
 
 At the general suppression it was granted to Nicholas Herbert. 
 
 Mugna. St. Finnian, of Clonard, is said to have erected a monas- 
 tery in Mugna of Hy Bairrche, having obtained the site from Carbreus, 
 king of Leinster. Nothing more is known of it. 
 
 Rathbeg, in the barony of Clonlish, east of Birr. St. Abbhan is 
 • said to be the founder. 
 
 Rathlibthen, in the barony of Ballycowen and Ballyboy. St. Bland 
 founded this monastery. He flourished about the year 540 ; is said to 
 have been the descendant of the monarch Leogaire, in the fourth gene- 
 ration. St. Aidus, son of Brec, was educated in this monastery. The 
 memory of the founder is revered on the 10th of June. The statue of 
 the saint is still to be seen in this church, with his episcopal mitre, and 
 a crozier in his hand. The head of the statue was broken ofi" by some 
 sacrilegious wretch. 
 
516 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Eeynagh, in tlie barony of Garrycaste, and near Banaglier. St. 
 Eegnacb or Regnacia, sister to the illustrious Saint Finnian, of Clonard, 
 was abbess of this church, called after her, Killreynach. The mother 
 of both those saints is also called abbess of this convent ; if so, Talacia, 
 or Talech must have lived to a great age, as it seems the daughter was 
 the foundress, or she might have resigned the charge to her mother. 
 
 Saint Lasra, one of the pupils or “ eleves” of St. Eegnacia, became 
 distinguished not only for piety but for knowledge, having been in- 
 structed by St. Finnian, and who afterwards erected a church in her 
 own country, at Doire Mac Aidmecain, a place now unknown. 
 
 Seerkieran, in the barony of ^Pallybritt, and four, miles east of Birr. 
 St. Ivieran, the founder. See Ossory, &c. 
 
 A.D. 811, the abbey was pillaged, and set on fire by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 876, died the abbot Cormac, a learned scribe. 
 
 A.D. 1079, died the abbot Cellach. 
 
 On the surrender of this monastery, the prior was seized of the site 
 containing one acre, in which were the walls of h church, a small tower, 
 a great stone house, covered with thatch, and two other houses, then the 
 residence of the canons. Tlie villa of Shyre belonging to the canons, 
 in which were six cottages and forty acres of hrable and pasture lands ; 
 the rectory of Shyre or Seirkeran, its tithes and alterages, all of which 
 were granted to Sir William Taafl'e, who assigned them to James, earl of 
 Roscommon. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OP IRELAND. 
 
 617 
 
 CHAPTER JLI. 
 
 COUNTY OF LEITRIM. 
 
 Annadupfe, or Anagliyew, in the barony of Leitrim, near Lough- 
 botfin. An abbey was erected here, A.D. 766. The ruins of the ancient 
 cburcb still remain. The Protestants wishing to give their creed a sem- 
 blance of antiquity, call it their parish church, having erected a con- 
 venticle there. In the thirty -seventh of Elizabeth, this house possessed 
 half a townland, and two quarters. 
 
 Balleguarcy. In the year 1518, Cornelius O’Brien founded this 
 beautiful monastery for conventual Franciscans. 
 
 Cloon-cholling, in the barony of Mohill. St. Froech, a priest, 
 founded this monastery, which was once very famous. lie lived in the 
 sixth century, and died on the 20th of December, the day on Avhich his 
 memory was revered. 
 
 In the thirty-seventh of Elizabeth, an inquisition being taken, it 
 was found that this house was endowed with three townlands and a 
 quarter, making in the gross fifty-two small cartrons. 
 
 Crevelea, in the barony of Dromahare, situated on the river Bonid, 
 wdiich falls into Lough Gille. 
 
 This monastery was founded for Franciscans of the strict obser- 
 vance, A.D. 1508, by Margaret, daughter of Lord O’Brien and wife to 
 Eugene, Lord O’Rourke ; she died in 1512 and was interred here ; the 
 building was never completed. 
 
 By an inquisition taken in the first of King James, the last abbot 
 was found to be seized of one carucate of land, and the rectory of 
 Krellew containing two carucates of glebe land: the rectory of 
 Clonlogher, one carucate : the rectory of Drenleis, two carucates of 
 glebe : the rectory of Ballcyhinechain, four quarters ; the rectory of 
 Ivillkrumena, one carucate ; the rectory of Lisanemis, four quarters ; 
 the rectory of Killifargen, four carucates and all the tithes of the 
 
 same. 
 
518 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IKELAND. 
 
 Tlie walls of this abbey are still entire, and the altar nearly so ; the 
 building is of the same extent with the abbey of Sligo, but inferior in 
 execution. 
 
 Doiremelle, situated on the banks of Lough Melve, in lower 
 Breffny. 
 
 St. Tigernach founded this nunnery for his mother, St. Mella, who 
 died about 787. 
 
 Having lost her husband, she resolved on leading a religious and a 
 secluded life ; in this monastery, which her son had built, she collected 
 a number of pious females, whom she governed as abbess for many 
 years ; she had another son, Cannech, who was a priest, and who was 
 also a very holy man. St. Mella is mentioned twice in the caleudei-s at 
 the 9th and 31st of March, under the name of Doire-Melle, the oak 
 grove of Melle, the name by which her nunnery is distinguished. Her 
 pious and saintly son Tigernach, founded another for himself, called 
 Killacadh. See Cavan. 
 
 Drumlias, in the barony of Drumahare and bordering Lough Gille. 
 
 St. Patrick is said to have founded this church, and to have placed 
 over it St. Benignus ; if so, Benignus must have remained a very short 
 time, as he was the constant companion of the apostle. 
 
 Drumahare. See Crevelea. 
 
 Feenah, in the barony of Leitrim, Saint Caillin having converted 
 Aodh Fin, the son of Feargna, the chief of the country, that prince 
 resigned unto him his Cathair or stone fortress, in order that Caillin 
 might erect his monastic building within it ; of this fortress there are 
 vestiges still remaining. 
 
 According to the book of Feenagh, a copy of which taken in the year 
 1517, for the abbot O’Roda is still preserved ; it apjiears that this fortress 
 was of very great antiquity as well as importance ; its erection is attri- 
 buted to Conaing, the fearless, the sixty-fifth monarch of Ireland in the 
 Irish regal list, and who flourished nearly four-hundred yearn before the 
 Christian era. 
 
 In mentionins: the resignation of this fort and the surrounding district 
 to St. Caillin, by Aodh Fin, reference is made to the door of the for- 
 tress, which was closed by a huge stone. 
 
 “ Aodh came out to the rock in the chief door of the Cathair, i. e. for- 
 tress, so that he gave land to Caillin, his spiritual friend.” 
 
 A similar resignation of a pagan fortress is on record, and which 
 was given to St. Patrick and Benignus, by Lughaid, lord of the country 
 near Tuam, Co. Galway, in which a church called Killbannon was 
 erected : in many other instances groups of religious buildings are found 
 within fortresses of the gi-eatest celebrity in Lish history; building.s 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF rRELAND. 
 
 519 
 
 vliicli btaineJ the name of Cashells, the principal one of whicli shall 
 bb Tescribed in its proper place. See Innismurry, Co. Sligo. 
 
 The festival of this saint is observed on the 13th of November ; St. 
 Caillin is by some called bishop of Down, but without sufficient 
 authority ; he flourished in the flfth and sixth centuries. 
 
 A.D. 1377, died the abbot John O’Rodaghan, a truly good man. 
 
 In the east end of the church is a window of curious workmanship ; 
 this place was formerly celebrated for its divinity school, and was the 
 general resort of students from every part of Europe ; there is a well 
 about half a mile from the church dedicated to St. Caillin. 
 
 Jamestown, a town on the banks of the Shannon, and formerly a 
 place of note, in the Barony of Leitrim. 
 
 A Franciscan friary was erected here ; but there is no record of its 
 foundation. 
 
 Here the catholic bishops and clergy met, who were opposed to the 
 peace with Inchiquin, and who were favorable to the views of the 
 Nuncio Einuccini. 
 
 There are vestiges of the ancient church as well as of the fortifica- 
 tions, which were erected to defend the ford of the Shannon. 
 
 Killdareis. Probably the same as Carcuirshineil, i. e. the reclusory 
 of Sinell, in Lough Melvin. 
 
 In the books of Ballymote and Lecan, he is called “ the man of the 
 ringing of the bell,” or Campanarius. Killdareis means the cell of 
 the two palms of the hands. 
 
 Killnaille. St. Natalis is named as the founder ; he is already no- 
 ticed at Killmanagh. 
 
 Mohill, in the barony of the same name and diocese of Ardagh. 
 St. Manchan is the founder ; was also Abbot of Mohill. He is by 
 some considered as identical with him who was surnamed “ the wise,” 
 but in the calendars they seem to be different persons. St. Manchan’s 
 festival was observed on the 14th of February, wliile that of Manchan 
 the wise is held on the 2d of Januaiy; 
 
 St. Manchan built his monastery of Mohill about the year 608. He 
 IS the patron of seven churches. Many glebes, lands, vassals, fees and 
 tithes were given to this church, which was dedicated to the Virgin 
 Mary. 
 
 At the suppression of religious houses, this abbey was seized of two 
 cartrons of land, each containing eighty acres, together with five other 
 cartrons in difierent town lands, all of which were valued at £2 6s. Sd. 
 The value of money was at this time very high, a shilling then being 
 nearly worth a pound of the present currency. 
 
520 
 
 ECCLESIAS'nCAL HISTORY OF ERELAHD. 
 
 There were live other small establishments, which were seized bj 
 the government, viz : » 
 
 Killjnonyre, on an inquisition taken in the thirty-seventh of Eliza- 
 beth, found to be endowed with a townland, or four .^quarters. 
 
 Killyre, in the same year, found to be seized of a townland and four 
 quarters. 
 
 Kilronamna, in the same year, seized of four quarters of land. 
 
 Killtaghwerke, in the same year, found to be seized of four quarters 
 of land. 
 
 ’ Killtebberd, in the same year, found to be endowed with four quar- 
 ters of land. 
 
 Thacineling, a monastery for Grey Friars, was founded in a place of 
 this name, A.D. If 14, by William O’Reilly. It was afterwards given 
 to the strict Observants by Malachy O’Reilly. This place is not known. 
 As Cavan was the Breffney O’Reilly, this house more properly belongs 
 to Cavan. 
 
IDOOLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 521 
 
 CHAPTER LU. 
 
 COUNTY OP LIMERICK. 
 
 Abbingdon-Wotheny. This abbey was founded, A.D. 1205, for Cis- 
 tercian monks, by Theobald FitzW alter, lord of Carrick, and chief butler 
 of Ireland, who richly endowed it, and having died, was interred here in 
 1206. It was supplied with monks from the abbey of Savigniac in 
 France. 
 
 A.D. 1228, William was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1290, the abbot, having harbored the king’s enemies, was fined 
 in the sum of sixty marcs. 
 
 A.D. 1307. It appears the abbot of Abbingdon paid to the convent 
 of Kells, in Ossory, the sum of 100s. 
 
 John O’Mulryan was the last abbot. At the suppression of monas- 
 teries, eleven rectories and fifteen townlands in the counties of Limerick 
 and Kerry were granted, at an annual rent of £57 2s. 3d., to Peter 
 W alsh for ever in capite, and who was by compact bound to maintain 
 one horseman on the premises. April 1st, eighteenth of King James, 
 Sir Edward W alsh, knight, was found to be seized of its possessions. In 
 Spelman’s history of sacrilege it is related, that this family have gone 
 to desolation. 
 
 Abbey Feal, in the barony of Connillo. An abbey of Cistercians 
 erected A.D. 1188 ; made a cell to Monasternenagh, which see. 
 
 Adaire, formerly a place of note, in the barony of Kennery. 
 
 Trinitarian Friary. This house was founded for the order of the 
 holy and undivided Trinity, for the redemption of captives, in the reign 
 of king Edward I., by John, earl of Kildare. 
 
 November 4th, thirty-seventh of Elizabeth, this abbey, wdth all its 
 possessions was granted to Sir Henry Wallop, knight, for ever, by fealty 
 only in free and common soccage, at the annual rent of £26 17s. 8d. 
 Irish money, Sir Henry engaging to maintain two hoi'semen on the pre- 
 
522 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF lEELAND. 
 
 raises, and that no part whatever of the same should be alienated to the 
 Irish. 
 
 From the invasion of Ireland by Henry II. to the close of Elizabeth’s 
 reign, almost a period of four hundred years, the insidious policy of 
 England has exhibited, because it has engendered them, the most tragic 
 scenes of mfatiiated misrule on the one side and of insubordination 
 necessarily arising from oppression and of resistance, sanguinary but 
 unsuccessful, on the other ; ever since that fatal period, the history of 
 L-eland is that of physical or moral opposition as circumstances dictated 
 to the leader of Ireland ; and during this melancholy period, the ac- 
 tuating jjrinciple, which guided the rulers of England in their schemes 
 of devastation and horror — a principle which according to even Protest- 
 ant writers, originated with the lalse and insidious Cambrensis, whose 
 mode of civilizing the Irish was “ to exterminate them and seize their 
 estates,” seems to have been inberited by their successoi-s of the present 
 day, who have maniiestly improved on the system of their predecessor, 
 adding thereto all that infuriate malice and bigotry of which the gov- 
 ernment of England, as well as her people, are so susceptible, when a 
 consciousness of her strength can dictate aggression on the rights as 
 well as the religion of the Irish people. 
 
 Some large and perfect ruins of this abbey still remain. The steeple 
 resembles a castle, and is supported by a plain arch, with four diagonal 
 ogives meeting in the centre, and stair leading to the battlements. 
 
 Augustinian friary, situated on the south side of the river Mague, 
 was founded by John, earl of Kildare, son to earl Thomas, who died 
 A.D. 1315. Iving Edward II. confirmed the grants of the founder, 
 A.D. 1317. 
 
 This friary, with its possessions, was granted to Sir Henry TFallop, 
 knight, on the terms of the former grant of the Trinitarian property. 
 
 A great part of this friary still remains in good preservation. Tlie 
 steeple, similar to the former, is supported on an arch ; the choir is 
 large, with stalls, and the nave answerable thereto, Avith a lateral aisle 
 on the south side. To the north of the steeple are some beautiful ciois- 
 tei's, with pointed windows, within which, on three sides of the square 
 are corridors, and on most of the windows are escutcheons, with Eng- 
 lish crosses, ranged alternately with saltire ones. The workmanship is 
 simply elegant, the principal parts being of hewn stone, which appear 
 so fresh as to give it a modern, yet venerable appearance. Adjoining 
 the cloisters Avere several apartments, Avhich seem to be more ancient 
 than the other parts of the building. 
 
 Gray friary was founded in the year 1465, by Thomas, earl of Kil- 
 dare, and his Avife Joanna, at their sole expense, and was consecrated 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IREL^\jn). 
 
 523 
 
 the following year ; the founders pi’esenting it with two silver chalices 
 and a bell, which cost £10. 
 
 Ko vestiges of this building remained in 1781, except a lofty square 
 steeple. This abbey and its possessions were granted to Sir Henry 
 AVallop, knight. 
 
 Any, in the barony of Small County, situated on a broad and plea- 
 sant, though shallow river 
 
 This friary was founded for hermits of St. Augustine, in the reign of 
 Henry IL, by John, son of Robert, and sundry others. 
 
 June 23d, thirty-first of Elizabeth, a lease was made to Edward Abs- 
 ley, to John and Mary Absley of this monastery, for the term of forty 
 years, at the annual rent of £17 7s. 6d. 
 
 Ardpatrick, an ancient abbey of which there is no historical account. 
 
 In the thirty-second of Elizabeth, this abbey was found to be seized 
 of the lands of Balliugowsee, Ballycowsynye, Ballnanyone, and Bally- 
 gertayne, containing forty acres of the great measure ; annual value, 
 besides reprises, 6s. 8d. 
 
 In the thirty-ninth of Elizabeth it was found, that the hill named 
 Ardpatrick, containing three acres of the large measure, or twenty-one 
 of the small measure, w'as in former times granted to the Corbeship or 
 Termonland, founded in the church of Ardpatrick ; that the said otfice 
 of Corb or Erenach had continued by succession from time immemorial, 
 in the sept of the Langanes, and that Maurice Langane was at that 
 time the possessor. 
 
 Tliere was a noble castle belonging to the FitzGeralds, earls of Des- 
 mond, situated on the river. 
 
 Askeaton, in the barony of Conillo, and on the river Deel, formerly 
 a walled town, now" a depopulated village. Many of the towns of Ire- 
 land owed their origin to the monasteries, and since the destruction of 
 those religious establishments, those towns have gradually disappeared. 
 
 James, the seventh earl of Desmond, founded, A.D. 1420, this mo- 
 nastery, w"hich adjoined the castle, for conventual Franciscans. 
 
 In 1490, it was reformed by the strict observants. 
 
 A.D. 1564, while persecution was raging in all its fury under Eliza- 
 beth, a provincial chapter of the order was held in the convent of 
 Askeaton. It was soon after suppressed, and in its ruins reminds the 
 beholder of that tenacity with which the Irish Catholic has constantly 
 adhered to the ancient faith, and of the unavailing efforts of the pei’se- 
 cutor to extinguish that creed. 
 
 Bally nabrahir — town of the friars, in the barony of Small County. 
 Tlie family of Clangibbon founded this monastery for conventual Eraa- 
 ciscans, in the thirteenth century. 
 
624 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 February 4:tb, tbirty-fiftli of Henry VHI., this friary, with three 
 acres and a stang of arable land, was granted for ever to Robert Browne, 
 at the yearly rent of 12d. Irish money. 
 
 James Gould died in the year 1600, seized of this priory and of one 
 carucate of land, in free and common soccage. 
 
 Ballynegall, town of the strangers, in the barony of Killmallock. 
 The family of Roche founded a monastery in this place for Dominican 
 friars, in the fourteenth century. 
 
 In the patent of Elizabeth, and in the thirty-ninth year of her reign, 
 it is. expressly called a Carmelite friary. It was, with a half carucate 
 of land, granted to the university of Dublin. 
 
 Donoghe O'Dangane was the last prior, who was, in the reign of 
 Philip and Mary, seized of the site of liis monastery, containing two 
 acres and a church ; also a water mill, and four acres of arable land, 
 with six in pasture, in Ballynagall. 
 
 Ballynwillin, town of the mill. A house founded for Dominicans, 
 and of which there is no account, except what the records of confisca- 
 tion supply. It was granted, with sixteen acres of land in Ballynwillin, 
 to the patentee of Ballynabrahir, which see. 
 
 Carrigogonill, on the river Shannon, six miles west of Limerick. A 
 house for knights Templar was erected in this village. A.D. 1350, it 
 was the seat of Donogh O’Brien, lord of Poble O’Brien. 
 
 A.D. 1691, it was a place of strength. 
 
 Castletown-Maceneiry, in the barony of Conillo, and the seat ot 
 Mac Enery. Here are the ruins of a very large monastery, and other 
 buildings, which sufficiently evince the piety, dignity and splendor of 
 this ancient family. 
 
 Cluain-creadhuil, or Kilita. St. Ita, styled the Brigid of Munster, 
 was of the princely house of Decies, now in the county of W aterford ; her 
 father’s name was Keenfoelad, her mother’s, Hecta, both Christians, as 
 it appears St. Ita was baptized in her childhood. The year of her birth 
 is not known, but it is supposed she was born about 480. 
 
 From her earliest yearn she appeared to be animated with the Holy 
 Spirit, observing, besides her other religious duties, even the fasts which 
 the chulch prescribed, and displa^dng an extraordinary degree of mo- 
 desty, sedateness and sweetness of temper. It is related, that while she 
 was still very young, a room in which she was asleep, seemed to be all 
 in a blaze, and that some persons who hastened to extinguish what 
 they considered to have been material fire, found it uninjured, and on 
 her awaking, observed Ita to exhibit an angelical form, of exquisite 
 beauty. Having reached an age which rendered her competent to 
 choose a permanent state of life, she applied to her mother, and having 
 
ECCI.ESIASTICAI, HISTOKT OF TREEANt). 
 
 525 
 
 dilated on the divine commandments, requested of her to procure her 
 father’s permission to consecrate herself to the service of her Redeemer, 
 the true spouse of the soul. The mother, in accordance with the pious 
 wish of her daughter, sought the father’s permission, but he obstinately 
 refused, particularly as a powerful and noble young man had made 
 proposals for obtaining Ita in marriage. The holy virgin said calmly to 
 some persons who were near : “ Let my father have his own way for a 
 while ; I tell you that he will soon not only permit, but order me to 
 give myself up to Christ, and will allow me to go whithersoever I 
 please, for the purpose of serving God.” 
 
 Not long after she fasted for three days and nights, during which time 
 she was constantly assailed with the attacks of the enemy of mankind, 
 which she resisted with invincible firmness. On the third night her 
 father was admonished in a vision not to oppose the inclination of his 
 daughter any longer ; and without loss of time, having informed her of 
 what occurred, he advised her to go and take the veil immediately. 
 Affairs being thus arranged, she repaired to the cluirch, and was, in due 
 form, clad with the veil, and enrolled in the list of consecrated virgins, 
 by the holy prelate, St. Declan, of Ardmore. Soon after she prayed to 
 God to direct her to that place where she might best serve him, and 
 was instructed in a vision to proceed to the territory of Ily-Conaill, 
 and to remain in the western part thereof, at the foot of the mountain 
 Luachra. Tliither she went and fixed her residence in a secluded 
 spot, called Cluaincredhuil, where she was soon visited by a number of 
 pious ladies, who flocked from all parts of Ily-Conaill, to place them- 
 selves under the direction of St. Ita. (Tliis saint is by some called 
 Ida, as later Irish writers often use “ d” instead of “ t,” which the 
 ancient ones preferred), she is also called Mida, which signifies “ My Ida.” 
 
 Tlie princes of Hy-Conaill, on being informed of the extraordinary 
 sanctity of this holy virgin, waited upon her and offered a large tract of 
 land adjacent, for the purpose of maintaining her establishment; she, 
 however, accepted of no more than a small garden, which she deemed 
 sufficient. As another instance of her disinterestedness, it is related, 
 that an opulent individual laid before her as an offering, a considerable 
 sum of money, which he could not induce her to take ; she happened to 
 touch it and then called for water to wash the hand which had been as 
 if defiled by the contact of corruptible silver. She carried abstinence 
 and fasting to such a degree, that it is said she was admonished by an 
 angel to be less abstemious for the future, and not exhaust her frame 
 by an austerity so excessive. Several miracles, some of which are of 
 an extraordinary kind, have been attributed to her, one of them is said 
 to have been performed on a man, named Feargus, whom she delivered 
 
626 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 by her prayers from excruciating pains in his eyes and whole body, by 
 which he was brought to the last extremity. She was favored witli the 
 gift of prophecy and with the knowledge of persons whom she had never 
 seen, and of distant and seci'et occurrences. When Columbanus, a 
 Leinster bishop, was on his way to visit her wdthout giving any previ- 
 ous notice, she ordered an entertainment to De prepared, and on his 
 arrival sent to ask his benediction, before she could have known, in an 
 ordinary manner, that he was a bishop, and mentioned other circuni- 
 stances, which she could not have learned, except by supernatural 
 means. A theft had been committed in a nunnery, which was estab- 
 lished at Doire Chuisgribh, (and which must have belonged to her own 
 institution) ; one of the nuns was unjustly accused ; and the affair 
 being involved in obscurity, the abbess and the whole community 
 waited on St. Ita to consult her : she immediately declared, that the 
 nun who was charged with the offence was innocent, and told them, at 
 the same time, wdio was the guilty person ; one of her own maidens 
 had misbehaved, and having left the nunnery, rambled up and down 
 until she was reduced to the necessity of becoming a servant some- 
 where in the province of Connaught. St. Ita knowing b}" inspiration 
 how she was situated, and that she would do penance if an opportunity 
 was afforded her, sent to her friend, St. Brendan, of Clonfort, to request 
 that he would procure liberty for this distressed creature. Brendan 
 attended to the message and sent her back to the nunnery, where she 
 was received with great joy by St. Ita, and everything turned out as 
 she had foreseen. 
 
 She had a knowledge of some transactions even of the other world, 
 an instance of which is related ; an uncle of hers having died, she sent 
 for his eight sons, who lived in the country of the IMandesi, and upon 
 their w’aiting on the saint, she said to them, “Your father, who ivas my 
 uncle, is alas ! now suflfering in the lower regions for his offences,” such 
 was the term by which the state of purgation was then expressed and 
 still used in the liturgy ; “ Libera me, &c., de pjenis inferni et de profundo 
 lacu,” “ and the manner in which he is tormented has been related to 
 me. Let us do something for the good of his soul, that he may be de- 
 livered. I therefore desire that each of you do give, every day during 
 this whole year, food and lamps to the poor, for the benefit of his soul, 
 and then at the end of the year return to me.”' 
 
 They being wealthy, acted according to her instructions, and on their 
 returning she said, “ your father is half raised from his first situation 
 through your alms and my prayers : now go and repeat your donations 
 during this year and come to me again.” They did so, and then she 
 told them that their father was quite out of the lower world, but that 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRET.AND. 
 
 527 
 
 he was still without clothing, (not fit for that heavenly clothing of which 
 St. Paul speaks, 2 Cor., ch. v., v. 2), because in his lifetime he had not 
 given clothes to any one in the name of Christ. Now,” said the saint, 
 “ Let your alms consist of clothes during this year, that he may be 
 clothed.” Having obeyed her orders, they returned at the end of the 
 year, and were informed that through the great mercy of God, their 
 alms and her prayers had been attended to, and that their father was 
 then in the enjoyment of eternal rest. 
 
 Saint Ita liad been once as far as Clonraacnoise and there received the 
 body and blood of Christ from the hand of a worthy priest without its 
 being laiown who she was. When discovered that she had been there, 
 the priest who had given her the Eucharist, set out with some others of 
 the clerical order for Clnain-credhuil for the purpose of receiving her 
 blessing. One of them, having lost his sight on the way, recovered it 
 immediately through the intercession of St. Ita. She asked the same 
 priest to sing mass in her jiresence ; wliich done, she ordered the vest- 
 ments, in which he had sacrificed, to be given him. He said that he 
 could not take them, as the abbot Aeneas had enjoined them not to 
 accept of anything from her, but her prayers. She replied that he 
 would not be displeased, mentioning a circumstance, which slie desired 
 them to communicate, and adding, that the abbot on hearing it would 
 receive her present with joy. This induced the priest and his com- 
 panions to take the vestments ; and the affair ended as St. Ita had as- 
 sured them. Other holy abbots of tliose times held her in great vene- 
 ration. St. Comgan, abbot of Glen-ussen, finding his end approach, 
 sent for St. Ita, and in the persuasion, that her attendance would be 
 conducive to his eternal happiness, prevailed upon her to lay her hands 
 upon his lips and close his mouth at the moment of his death, which is 
 supposed to have taken place at Cean-indis, on the banks of the Shannon. 
 She was often visited by St. Luctigherna, abbot of Ennistymon, who 
 brought with him the abbot of Drumliag. (See Ennistimon). Tlie great 
 St. Brendan was wont to consult her on the nature of Christian duties, 
 and the answers which she gave, were full of wisdom and discretion. 
 This extraordinaiy virgin, having reached a great age, called together 
 her nuns and told them, that her decease was near at hand ; soon after 
 she was taken ill, and having given her blessing to them, to the clergy 
 and people of Hy-Conaill, departed this life on the 15th of January, 
 A.D. 570. 
 
 A crowd of people from the whole country assembled around her 
 remains, and several miracles took place on that occasion. They were 
 tlien deposited in her own monastery. Tlie clergy and people adopted 
 St. Ita as their patron saint. The veneration in which she has been 
 
528 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 held, extended far beyond that territory. Alcuin in one of his poems 
 joins her with St. Brigid. 
 
 Cluain-claideacli, in Ily-Conaill. St. Maidoc, of Ferns, erected this 
 monastery. — See Ferns. 
 
 Galbally, in the barony of Coshlea. A member of the O’Brien fam- 
 ily founded this monastery, which was a considerable one, for gray 
 friars. Its ruins shew it, along with those of several other religious 
 foundations, to have been a place of magnificence. 
 
 January 20th, and 35th of King Henry YIII., this monastery with 
 three gardens, six messuages, and six acres of arable land, Wixs granted 
 to John, of Desmond, for ever, at the yearly rent of 4d. Irish money. 
 
 Hospital, in the barony of Small county. It is always called the 
 hospital of Any, though situated a mile north of that village. 
 
 A commandery for knights hospitallers, under the invocation of St. 
 John the Baptist, was founded in the reign of king John, by Geofiry de 
 Marescis, who was chief governor of Ireland in the year 1215. 
 
 A.D. 1326, John le Mareschal was preceptor. 
 
 A.D. 151:3, Aeneas O’lleflfernan, the last master of Any, was made 
 bishop of Emly. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth granted this hospital and its possessions to Sir Va- 
 lentine Browne, who erected a magnificent castle on the site of the 
 same, which is now in ruins. 
 
 Tlie walls of the ancient church still remain ; and in a niche on the 
 north side of .the high altar is the tomb of a knight, in alto relievo, 
 which is said to be the tomb of the founder. 
 
 Kildimma. A St. Diuina is said to have been the preceptor of St. 
 Ailbe, of Emly. 
 
 St. Diuma is supposed to have been an Irish priest, who accompa- 
 nied St. Aidan on his mission to Northumbria. St. Finan, the successor 
 of this illustrious apostle, having preached with great success to the 
 Middle- Angles, and the number of converts becoming so large that it 
 was deemed expedient to appoint a bishop for them, Diuma was chosen 
 for this purpose, and being consecrated by St. Finan, was placed over 
 not only tlie province of the Middle- Angles, but likewise the kingdom 
 of Mercia, which had fallen under the dominion of Oswin. During the 
 short time, that he lived, St. Diuma acquired a still more numerous flock 
 for the Lord, and was succeeded by Kellagh, an L-ishman, who soon 
 returned to Hy. 
 
 Lingard, in his history of the Anglo-Saxon church does not mention 
 those Missionaries as Irish, he merely calls the companions of Finan 
 “ four Northrumbian priests,” three of Avhom were English, and the 
 fourth, Diuma, an Irishman, though Bede expressly states, that the lat- 
 
FXCLKSIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 529 
 
 ter was not of English descent. lie does not even mention Finan or his 
 Irish missionaries, who have been of such signal service to that country. 
 He studiously passes over the great obligations that England is under 
 in this respect to Ireland. It seems as if English priests as well as Eng- 
 lish rulers are not disposed to do justice to Ireland. Catholic England 
 has robbed Catholic Ireland of her property, and eventually England, 
 become Protestant, would fain plunder Ireland of her religion as she 
 has left nothing else to extirpate. 
 
 Diuma has given his name to this church. 
 
 Kill-fiaclina, in the barony of Conillo and adjoining the mountain 
 Luachra. The cell of St. Fiachna was near Conrngnibh in this district 
 of Conillo. Fiachna was the disciple of St. Carthag. Aidan, another 
 disciple of St. Carthag, had another cell called after him, and in wliich, 
 it appears, that Fiachna was buried, both cells having been in Conillo. 
 Fiachna is in all probability the saint whose memory was revered at 
 Inispict, on the 30th of March. From the fact of the burial, Killaidan 
 got the name of Kill-tiachna. 
 
 Killmallock. St. Mochellock is said to have been the relative of 
 St. Finan of Kinnity. lie was the disciple of the priest Dimma and is 
 said to have been a bishop. He is usually called Mochelloc of Cathuir 
 mac Conchuibh, once a town in the county of Waterford. Beside some 
 establishment at this place, the foundation of the church of Killmallock 
 (supposed a contraction of Kilhnochelloc) is usually attributed to him. 
 
 The St. Mochelloc died very old some year between 639 and 656. 
 His acts are mentioned at the 26th of March. 
 
 Killmallock was formerly a town of great repute, being walled, and 
 its houses beautifully and elegantly built of hewn stone ; and even in 
 its ruins it has been called “ The Balbec of L-eland.” Lamartine, in his 
 eastern tour, describes the ruins of Balbec. 
 
 Dominican Friary. This order was established at Killmallock, A.D. 
 1291, by Gilbert the second, son of John, lord OfFale^', according to 
 tradition. 
 
 A.D. 1340, a general chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 April 24th, thirty-sixth of Elizabeth, a grant of this abbey was made 
 to the sovereign and corporation of Killmallock to hold the same for 
 ever in free soccage at the annual rent of 53s. 8d. Irisli money. 
 
 The ruins of this monastery, which was within the town, still con- 
 v^ince the observer, that it was an elegant edifice. 
 
 Killratha. Tlie foundation of which St. Patrick is said to have fore- 
 told. Archdall makes a St. Coeman founder of it, whom he also calls a 
 disciple of St. Patrick, but without sufficient authority. It cannot be 
 ascertained at present, where this monastery stood. 
 
530 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IKELAND. 
 
 Killsliane, in the baton j of Conillo. A friary of conventual Francis- 
 cans was established here by FitzGerald, lord of the territory of Clenlis, 
 and bordering on the county of Cork. 
 
 Cistercian abbey, founded in the year 1198, and dedicated to tlie 
 Virgin Mary. It was subject to the abbey of Corcuniroe and afterwards 
 became a cell to it. 
 
 Florence O’Tigernach, abbot of this house, was made bishop of Kil- 
 fenora, in the year 1273. 
 
 Iviltecl, in the barony of Coonagh. Tlie knights Templar had a 
 church here, which was erected on an eminence. 
 
 Kill-teidhil, in the territory of Ara-cliach. St. Patrick foretold the 
 erection of this church. It is supposed the same as Killteel. Seven 
 bishops are said to have been here interred. 
 
 Kynnethin. In Michaelmas term, 1300, a writ issued to the sheriff 
 to distrain the abbot of Kynnethin, at the suit of Robert de Bland, for 
 the sum of thirteen marcs, an arrear due of the annual rent of forty 
 shillings. Ko other mention is made of this house. 
 
 Limerick is the capital of the county and the seat of a bishop ; was 
 taken by the English in 1174, and has been famous for withstanding the 
 arms of William III. in 1690 and 1691. 
 
 Kunnery. Donald O’Brien, king of Limerick, founded this nun- 
 nerv for black nuns of St. Aus-ustine, and was dedicated to St. Peter. 
 
 Priory of canons regular. In the reign of king John, this house was 
 founded, under the invocation of St. Mary and St. Edward, king and 
 confessor, by Simon Minor, a citizen of Limerick, for this order. 
 
 The prior of this house had the first voice in the election of mayor, 
 according to Sir James Ware. In the inquisition taken with regard to 
 tlie monasteries, it is mentioned that this privilege belonged to the Ere- 
 mites of St. Augustine. 
 
 A.D. 1319, Kicholas le Bloand was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1413, John Fleming was prior. 
 
 This priory, which was situated near Ball’s bridge, was granted at 
 the suppression, to Edmund Sexton. 
 
 Dominican friary. Donagh Carbreagh O’Brien founded this monas- 
 tery, under the invocation of our holy Saviour. Seven bishojis are 
 interred in the cemetery of this abbey. The founder was buried here 
 in 1241. 
 
 A.D. 1279, a general chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1504. This monastery was reformed by Vincentio de Blan- 
 dello, of Newcastle, master of the order, by authority of Pope Julius 11. 
 
 At the suppression of religious houses, Edmond was prior, and then 
 was found to be seized of the site, church, steeple, and dormitory, three 
 
ECCLESIASnCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 531 
 
 chambers, a cemetery, and sundry closes, containing an acre and a half 
 within the precincts, a garden of four acres without the walls of the 
 monastery and thirty acres of arable and pasture land within the liber- 
 ties of the city, its possessions in and about the city of Limerick. 
 
 In the thirty-fifth of king Henry VIII., this sumptuous monastery, 
 with its appurtenances, was granted to James, earl of Desmond. In 
 1623, James Gould, who died in 1600, was seized of its possessions. 
 Part of the monastery has been converted into a tan-yard. A large 
 barrack has been erected on another portion. 
 
 Gray friary. O’Brien, a lineal descendant of the kings of Thomond 
 and Desmond, founded this monastery in the reign of Henry IH. 
 
 A.D. 1376, the bishop of Limerick treated those friars with much 
 indignity. 
 
 A.D. 1534, this monastery received the reform of the strict obser- 
 vants. 
 
 Donogh was the last guardian. Its possessions were seized and 
 granted for ever to Edmond Sexton. 
 
 This monastery stood without the town wall. On the site of which 
 the county court-house is erected. The old church has been converted 
 into a county hospital. Wadding affirms that another Franciscan 
 monastery was founded in the year 1293, in the King’s island, near 
 Limerick. 
 
 Augustine friary, called the house of the blessed Virgin Mary and 
 of the Holy Cross. It was founded, in the 13th century, by O’Brien, 
 the lineal descendant of the kings of Limerick and Tliomond. 
 
 A.D. 1472, Aquila, general of the order, gave command, that regular 
 discipline should be observed in this house. 
 
 Stephen Sexton, who had the first voice in the election of mayor of 
 Limerick, as prior of this house, died in the year 1594. A vestige of 
 this house does not remain. It is supposed, that it was situated near 
 Quay-lane. 
 
 Knights Templar had a commandery near this house of the Augus- 
 tinians, which has also disappeared. 
 
 Milltown, in the barony of Coonagh. Hellan O’Mulloy erected this 
 house for Carmelite friars. Nothing more is recorded of it. 
 
 Monasternenagh, in the barony of Poble O’Brien. This abbey was 
 founded in honour of the Virgin Mary, A.D. 1151, by Donald O’Brien, 
 who furnished it with Cistercians from the abbey of Mellifont. 
 
 A.D. 1174, Donatus was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1304, Isaac was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1307, William was abbot. 
 
 A. D. 1365, Henry was abbot. 
 
532 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANI). 
 
 A.D. 1579, Marslial Malbj, at the head of 100 liorse and 500 foot, de- 
 feated 2000 of the Irish, though tlie later fought valiantly at first ; 200 
 were slain, among whom, was Dr. Allen, the famous legate from the See 
 of Rome, so state the English accounts. O’Sullivan Bearre does not 
 mention Dr. Allen in his history. 
 
 The abbot of Monasternenagh was a baron of parliament. 
 
 This monastery, with its aj)purtenances, was granted to Sir Henry 
 allop, knight, the patentee of Adaire. 
 
 Monasterna-galliagh, in the barony of Small county, near Lough- 
 Gir. A house foi’inerly of canonesses of St. Augustine, which was de- 
 dicated to St. Catharine. 
 
 The rectories of the parishes of Drishane, Cullen, Nohavel, Kilineen, 
 and Drumtariff, in the barony of Duhallow and county of Cork, be- 
 longed to this nunnery. It was, with its possessions, given to Sir Henry 
 "Wallop, knight. 
 
 Muugret. St. Hessan, who died, A.D. 552, was the disciple of St. 
 Ailbe, of Emly. ISTessan was most probably the founder of Mungret 
 monastery ; he never attained in the church a’ higher dignity than that 
 of deacon, by which title he is constantly known ; yet his rejmta- 
 tion is so great that he is reckoned among the fathers of the Irish 
 church. 
 
 His festival was celebrated at Mungret, on the 25th of July. 
 
 The monastery of the island, called Ireland’s Eye, in the county of 
 Dublin, is said to have been founded by a St. Ressan. That isle, origi- 
 nally c'alled Inis-faithlen, obtained the name of Inismac-nessan, from 
 the sons of Hessan, who were revered there on the loth of March. 
 Their names are Dichull, Munissa, and Xeslug. 
 
 A.D. 552, died the abbot St. Hessan. St. Manchin, called the first 
 bishop of Limerick, is said to have been abbot of Mungret. 
 
 A.D. 760, died the abbot Ailill. 
 
 A.D. 820 and 831, tbe Danes devastated the abbey of Mungret. 
 
 A.D. 1102, the 5th of October, the blessed Mugron O’Moore, prin- 
 cipal professor of divinity at Armagh, and in all the west of Europe, 
 died in this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1107, this abbey was again sacked. 
 
 The psalter of Cashel relates, that this establishment had at one 
 period six churches within its walls, and contained, exclusively of 
 scholars, 1500 religious, 500 of whom were learned preachere, 500 were 
 psalmists, and the remaining 500 aj)plied themselves to contemplation, 
 works of charity, and other spiritual exercises. 
 
 Newcastle, in the barony of Conillo. The knights Templar erected 
 a castle in this place, and adjacent thereto a town sprung up, which 
 
ECX)LES1ASTICAL HISTORY OF mELAND. 
 
 633 
 
 ■v^as walled, and became a coqjoration. In process of time it fell to de- 
 cay, and is now in ruins. 
 
 Eathkeale, in the barony of Conillo. A priory, under the invoca- 
 tion of the blessed Virgin, was founded at this place by a person of the 
 name of Harvey, for Augustin canons of Aroasia. 
 
 Before 1280, John was prior. In this year Eleonora Purcell granted, 
 to this priory the tenth loaf of every baking, and tenth flagon of every 
 brewing, the tenth pork and tenth mutton, and a considerable portion 
 of every ox or cow killed in her manor of Mayer, to the due perform- 
 ance of which she bound herself and her heirs for ever. In default of 
 this obligation the prior sued her son Hugh, who replied that his mother 
 ' made the same grant to the prior posterior to the settlement she had 
 made upon him, of this manor; upon which the prior rejoined, that 
 after the death of Eleonora, the prior John was put into the possession 
 of the said charity by the said Hugh, who ratifled his mother’s deed. 
 
 The affair was compromised in a friendly manner between both 
 parties. Some of the ruins of this house still remain. 
 
 Saint Michael’s. Ah inquisition taken in the thirty-second of Eliza- 
 beth, finds that certain lands in the barony of Clan-William, containing 
 three acres of the great Irish measure, granted in mort-main to the 
 church of St. Michael, in the said barony, were of the annual value, 
 besides reprises, of 3s. 
 
 Timolynne. Of this monastery there is no account, except what is 
 supplied by the royal commission, which the government instituted, 
 with a view to its being suppressed. In the twentieth of Elizabeth, it 
 was found, that the rectory of Urgire, in the diocese of Limerick, 
 annual value 20s., was appropriated to the abbot of this monastery, who 
 was also patron of the vicarage. 
 
534 : 
 
 ECX3LE8IASTICAJL HISTOKY OF IKELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER LIU. 
 
 COUNTY OP LONGFORD. 
 
 Abbey Shrttix, in the barony of Shruel, and near the river Inny. 
 
 A.D. 901, died the abbot Moelpoil. 
 
 A.D. 952, died the abbot Macatalius. 
 
 O’Ferrall founded an abbey for Cistercians, under the invocation of 
 the Virgin Mary ; the year of its erection is said to have been 1150 or 
 1152. 
 
 May the 2d, the eleventh of Queen Elizabetli, the site of this monas- 
 tery, "with its appurtenances, twenty-four cottages in the town of Vore. 
 one hundred and eighty acres of land in the vicinity of the same, eighty 
 acres of pasture and underwood adjacent, one messuage, four cottages 
 in the town of Cranaghe, and sixty acres adjoining ; two messuages, 
 four cottages in the town of Ballynemanagh ; and sixty-four acres, two 
 messuages, three cottages in the town of Knockaghe, and sixty-four 
 acres adjacent thereto, were granted to Robert Dillon, and his heii-s, at 
 an annual rent of £10 14s. 4d. In another inquisition it was dis- 
 covered that the abbot was seized of some possessions, which were until 
 then concealed. 
 
 Ardagh, in the barony to which it gives its name. 
 
 Canons Regular : — St. Mel was bishop of Ardagh. See diocese of. 
 
 Archdall almost invariably calls the friare of St. Augustine canons 
 regular, though no such order existed in Ireland until they were intro- 
 duced by St. Malachy and Imar, they were then called canons of St. 
 Augustine or secular canons, as St. Augustine drew up no particular 
 rule for men. 
 
 St. Melchuo, said to be the brother of St. Mel, succeeded as abbot 
 and -bishop. See diocese of. 
 
 A.D. 741, died the abbot Beochuil. 
 
 Franciscan friary, not known when it was founded. Reformed by 
 friars of the strict observance in the year 1521. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORT OF lEELANT. 
 
 535 
 
 Ballynasaggurd. Tlie family of O’Ferrall erected this house for 
 brotliers of the third order of St. Francis. 
 
 Cloone. Archdall places here a monastery, founded A.D. 663, but 
 of which, he informs us, there is no particular account. 
 
 Clonebrone, in the barony of Granard, between Granard and Edge- 
 worthstown. The two Emerias are said to have been placed here in the 
 time of St. Patrick, and they are also said to have been the daughters 
 of the unfortunate Milcho, who refused to listen to the words of salva- 
 tion from the lips of St. J’atrick, because the saint had been his captive. 
 It is also said, that at the time of receiving the veil, they left the im- 
 pression of their feet in the stone on which they stood. 
 
 A.D. 738, the virgin and abbess of Clonebrone, St. Samthanna, 
 daughter of Dyamranus, died. Her festival is celebrated on the 19th 
 of December. 
 
 A.D. 771, died the abbess Sithmath. 
 
 A.D. 775, died the abbess Forblaith. 
 
 A.D. 778, this nunnery was destroyed by tire. 
 
 A.D. 780, died the abbess Elbrigh. 
 
 A.D. 791, died the abbess Lerveanvan. 
 
 A.D. 804, died the abbess Finbil. 
 
 A.D. 810, died the abbess Gormley, daughter of Flathnia. 
 
 A.D. 1107, died the abbess Cograch, daughter of Unon. 
 
 Deirg abbe}', in the barony of Moydoe. A priory of canons 
 regular was founded here, in the reign of King John, by Gormgall 
 O’Quin. 
 
 A.D. 1217, died Oisin, abbot of this monastery. 
 
 At the suppression of monasteries, this house, with its possessions, 
 was granted to Nicholas Aylmer. 
 
 Druimeheo, said to have been a nunnery, in which St. Lupita pre- 
 sided. Armagh seems to have been the place where she dwelt. Lani- 
 gan thinks that the nunnery of Druimeheo should be attributed to St. 
 Brigid, as she visited St. Mel, of Ardagh, and spent some time in the 
 neighborhood. 
 
 Fairgney, which Archdall omits, or rather places in Westmeath, was 
 founded by Munis, a bishop, supposed to have been the brother of St. 
 Mel, about the year 486. 
 
 The festival of this saint was affixed to the 18th of December. 
 
 Hospital of Clondai’agh. Inquisition, 27th January, thirty-seventh 
 of Elizabeth, finds that this hospital, or termon, erenach or corbship, 
 was endowed witli four cartrons of land. 
 
 Hospital of Clonebrone was endowed with eight cartrons of land in 
 the barony of Granard. 
 
536 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Hospital of Clonoglirir found endowed with three great cartrons of 
 land, in the barony of Moydow. 
 
 Hospital of Granard-Kill found to be endowed with two cartrons of 
 land, in the barony of Granard. 
 
 Lichniore, in the barony of Granard, and in Loughree. 
 
 Founded by St. Seuan, of Inniscathy. See Inchmore, in County 
 Clare. 
 
 St. Boedhan of Inismore died on the Idth of January ; there was a 
 bishop of this name at Ardcarn, in Bosconinu^. 
 
 A.D. TiS, died Dicolla McMenidi, abbot of this house. 
 
 A.D. 800, died McLaisre, the abbot, surnained, “the excellent.” 
 
 A.D. sod, the Danes destroyed this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 895, Toictinch, the abbot, died. 
 
 A.D. Idld, died Edmond McFindhair, prior of Inismore. 
 
 Inisbofin, an island in Loughree. St. Kioch founded this monastery, 
 which continued for several centuries. He is said, but erroneously, to 
 have been the ne})hew of St. Patrick ; he is called Mac Laing or Hua- 
 laing. St. Aldus, bishop of Killare, visited him in the island of Inis- 
 bolin, which e.xisted in or about the year 510. St. Bioch, though 
 usually styled abbot, was also bishop — the year of his death is not 
 recorded — his festival was the 1st of August. 
 
 A St. Roc is still held in veneration, by the people of Connaught, 
 somewhat similar to that which in Italy is paid to St. Anthony, of 
 Padua ; according to tradition, St. Roc was a most holy man, and 
 a worker of miracles ; his church, which is said to have been a sanctu- 
 ary, is at present a ruin on the south side of Black-Sod bay. County of 
 Galway. There are many ancient churches of Ireland not at all enume- 
 rated in the monastic histories. ’Whether the Rioch of Loughree, and 
 Roc of Galway, be identical, cannot be determined. St. Rioch is said 
 to have been the son of Darerca, alias, Lemania, sister of St. Patrick. 
 St. Rioch is not one of those whose name is to be found among the 
 holy sons of Liemauia. See Inisanghoill, Co. Galway. This saint then 
 belong-s to the Gth century, the one in which his visitor, St. Aidus, 
 flourished. 
 
 A.D. 750, died the abbot Fienglach. 
 
 A.D. 770, the abbey was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 809, died the abbot Blathmac. 
 
 A.D. 1010, the abbey was plundered by the men of Munster. 
 
 A.D. 1025, died the abbot Chonfal. 
 
 A.D. 1087, the men of Munster renewed their ravages. 
 
 A.D. 1089, the Danes plundered the abbey. 
 
 Inisclothran, an island in Lough-Ree, St. Diermit founded this 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF LRELAND. 
 
 537 
 
 monastery about the year 540. See Castle Dei’mot, County Eall- 
 dare. 
 
 A.D. 719, died the abbot Senach, 
 
 A.D. 780, the abbot Eochy Mac Foharty, flourished. 
 
 A.D. 1050, the abbey was plundered. 
 
 A.D. 1089, the abbey was plundered by the Danes and the men of 
 Munster, under O’Brien. 
 
 A.D. 1136, Aodh O’Finn, bishop or abbot, flourished. 
 
 A.D. 1160, died Nehemias O’Dunin, principal of the schools in this 
 abbey, and a celebrated scholar, poet and historian. 
 
 A.D. 1170, died the abbot Diarmoid O’Braoin. 
 
 A.D. 1193, Gilbert de Nangle, an English adventurer, plundered 
 the monastery of Innisclothran. 
 
 Island of All Saints, Inis-aingan, in Loughree. Anciently called In- 
 is-aingan, given to St. Ivieran, of Clonmacnoise, by Dermod, monarch of 
 Ireland, who used to take shelter in this island, when persecuted by his 
 predecessor, Tuathal ; others affirm that it was given by a priest Daniel, 
 “ Et venit ipse presbyter Daniel repletus Dei gra.tia et insulam angin, 
 quoe erat in sua possessione, Deo et santo Kierano in seternum obtulit.” 
 See diocese of Clonmacnoise. 
 
 St. Ivieran founded the monastery of All Saints, about 542 ; here 
 he was surrounded by a number of excellent monks ; this was the first 
 establishment of St. Ivieran ; he continued to govern it till 548, when, 
 having left Adamnan or Domnan, a Munster man, in charge of this 
 monastery, he proceeded to found the celebrated abbey of Clonmacnoise. 
 
 A.D. 1087, the men of Munster ravaged this abbey, assisted by the 
 Danes. 
 
 A.D. 1272, died the prior Aractac Y-Finn. 
 
 It is related that a descendant of Sir Henry Dillon, of Drumrany, 
 erected an abbey on this island, and probably on the site of the ancient 
 abbey of St. Kieran. 
 
 A.D. 1405, died Augustin Mac Graidin, and was buried in this 
 monastery ; in many of the monasteries, both ancient and modern, there 
 were erected subterraneous cemeteries under the churches. 
 
 Augustin Mac Graidin was a learned Augustinian canon of this ab- 
 bey : the only works of his that now remain, are his Lives of the Saints 
 of Ireland and a chronicle, which he continued to his own time. This 
 latter work had been brought down to a later period by another, a 
 portion of which, in manuscript, was in the possession of Sir James 
 Ware, and is preserved in the Bodleian library at Oxford. 
 
 This abbey was granted at the suppression, to Sir Patrick Barnwall. 
 
 IGllglais, to the south of Ardagh ; where a sister of St. Mel, 
 
538 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF LRELA^TO. 
 
 Ecliea, is said to have presided as abbess ; perhaps founded bj St. 
 Brigid. 
 
 Killinmore, in the barony of Granard, Archdall, quoting Allemande, 
 conjectures that a St. Palladius, who flourished about 450, founded this 
 church. 
 
 Lerrha, near Granard. This monastery was dedicated to the Virgin ‘ 
 Mary. A saint Guasact, or Gosachus, who is said to have been a dis- 
 ciple of St. Patrick, presided here. Ilis festival is remembered on the 
 24th of January. Some call liim the son of Milcho. 
 
 A.D. 765, died Fiachra, of Granard. 
 
 A.D. 1205, Lord Richard Tuite founded an abbey for Cistercians, 
 whom he bi’ought from St. Mary’s, near Dublin. 
 
 A.D. 1211, the founder having been crushed by the fall of a tower 
 at Athlone, was interred liere. 
 
 A.D. 1315, Edward Bruce ravaged this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1541, Richard O’Farrell, the last abbot, was made bishop of 
 Ardagh. Its property was seized by the crown. 
 
 Longford, a market and borough town, situated on the river Camlin. 
 A monastery was founded in the early ages of the Irish church in this 
 place, over which St. Idus or Aidus, a disciple of St. Patrick, presided 
 as abbot, and whose feast is celebrated on the 14th of July. 
 
 A.D. 1400, a very fine monastery was founded by O’Ferrall, prince 
 of Annaly, nnder the invocation of the Virgin Mary, for Dominicans. 
 De Burgo atfirms, that Cornelius O'Ferrall, bishop of Ai’dagh, was the 
 founder, who died A.D. 1424. 
 
 A.D. 1429, the monastery was destroyed by fire. Pope Martin V., 
 by a bull, granted an indulgence to all who would contribute towards 
 the rebuilding of it. Pope Eugene IV. granted a similar indulgence. 
 
 A.D. 1448, three righteous friars of this monastery died of an infec- 
 tious disease. 
 
 In the reign of Philip and Mary, Richard I7ugent obtained a grant 
 of this monastery, and its possessions. In the twentieth of Elizabeth 
 they were granted to Sir i7icholas Malby. 
 
 A.D. 1615, King James 1. granted this monastery to Francis 
 Viscount Valentia. Sudden changes in the possessors have taken 
 place. 
 
 Instead of the children of St. Dominick, the Protestants of Long- 
 ford are at present in possession of the ancient monastic church. 
 
 Moydoe, or rather Killmodan, in the barony to which it gives name. 
 A bishop Modan resided here, he was surnamed the “ Simple.” He is, 
 styled abbot of Killmodan and bishop of Carnfurbuidhe, by Archdall, 
 and his death is set down at 561. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 539 
 
 Erclaciis, a disciple of St. Patrick, as Arclidall is pleased to call 
 him, was a priest of Killinodhan. It would seem better to place Kill- 
 modan, or Kathinodan, in the diocese of Connor, county of Down. 
 
 St. Johnstown, in the barony of Granard. There was a gray friary 
 (Franciscans), dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It was situated at or 
 near this town. 
 
 CIIAPTEK LIV. 
 
 COUNTY OF LOUTH. 
 
 Ardee, or Atherdee, gives name to the barony. Eoger de Pippard, 
 lord of Ardee, built a magnificent castle in this town ; and for the 
 health of his soul, his wife’s, Alicia, his father’s, William, his mother’s, 
 Joan, and his brethren, Gilbert and Peter, founded an hospital under 
 the invocation of St. John, for cross-bearers, or crouched friars of St. 
 Augustine’s order, A.D. 1207. 
 
 A.D. 1425, John Hyde was prior. 
 
 George Dowdall, the last prior, surrendered the monastery on the 
 6th of December, thirty-first of King Henry YIII. On giving up the 
 property of the abbey, George Dowdall was allowed an annual pension 
 of twenty pounds until he should be preferred to some ecclesiastical 
 benefice. He afterwards became archbishop of Armagh, and strenu- 
 ously opposed the innovators. 
 
 A.D. 1612, King James, by letters patent, bearing date the 4th of 
 June, conveyed the extensive possessions of this abbey to Sir Garrett 
 Moore, at the annual rent of £79 8s. 4d. 
 
 Tlie continuators of Sir Henry Spellman allude to the sacrileges 
 which the Stuart family have committed, and attribute the visible 
 punishments which have been inflicted on that family as justly due to 
 their aggressions on the rights of the church. Catholic writers assign 
 them to the defection of James I., of England, from the faith of their 
 
540 
 
 ECCLE8IA8TICA1, in8TOEY OF IRELAm). 
 
 fathers, and Irish annalists might add, the spoliation of Ulster and Con- 
 naught, by that pedantic sovereign. Whatever may have been the 
 cause of the evils which have been attendant to the posterity of James, 
 manifold as are the evils which Ireland has endured at the hands of the 
 ungrateful Stuarts, still the descendants of Irish parents, whose ancestors 
 shed their blood in defence of the second James, and the last Catholic 
 sovereign of England, will with pleasure learn, that his children have 
 profited by the lesson which advei’sity supplied, and that the inheritance 
 of an eternal crown became to them of more importance than all the 
 splendor, and pomp, and majesty, which temporal sway confers. 
 
 James II. left a son, prince of Wales, who was, on the death of his 
 father, declared in France, by the sovereign of that countiy, king of 
 England, Ireland and Scotland, who, as the rightful heir of those realms, 
 under the name of James III., made unsuccessful attempts towards re- 
 covering the throne of his ancestoi’s. He is described by de Burgo, 
 bishop of Ossory, to have been as prudent as he was pious, as martial 
 as he was magnanimous. Having been frustrated in his hopes of regain- 
 ing the crown of England, he repaired to Home, where he was received 
 by the pontiff, Clement XL, and the cardinals, with marks of particular 
 distinction. He there married the princess Maria Clementina Sobieski, 
 the grandchild of John Sobieski HI., king of Poland, who was unques- 
 tionably the greatest hero of his age, and the liberator of Europe from 
 the fixte which the arms of the Saracens menaced. 
 
 Who can, says de Burgo, sufticiently extol this renowned queen, 
 distinguished by prudence beyond her sex, endowed with beauty, as 
 with every virtue ? Who can, as is meet, describe the austere manner 
 of her life, though engaged to fulfil the obligations of the married state, 
 while she wonderfully brought under subjection her flesh by prayer, 
 fasting, vigils, and other acts of mortification, refreshing her spirit with 
 the bread of life? Who can narrate those acts of piety, charity and 
 penance which she daily practiced, and as studiously concealed, — the 
 innumerable benefits which she conferred on the members of religious 
 communities — the extraordinary humility by which she waged a per- 
 petual warfare on the vanity and folly of this world, by which, devoted 
 to acts of mercy and sympathy, she attended the sick in tlie hospitals, 
 relieved the indigent, became the patroness of the poor, the destitute 
 and the widow ? This eminent queen having been the model of ma- 
 trons, especially at Borne, where she dwelt so many years, and the pat- 
 tern of perfection, was esteemed and honored, on account of her singular 
 sanctity, which even endeared her to the enemies of her faith, and was, 
 after her death, an event much regretted, both in the Eternal city, as 
 well as in foreign countries, rendered still more illustrious by the mira- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 541 
 
 cles wliicli are said to have taken place, and adorned lier exemplary 
 life. 
 
 She died at Rome on the 18th of January, 1735, and was, at her 
 own request, in the habit of the Dominican nuns, interred in the Vati- 
 can Basilica, where a marble mausoleum was erected to her memory. 
 
 James III. had two sons by the illustrious Maria Clementina Sobi- 
 eski : Charles Edward, born on the 31st of December, 1720, whose 
 p^enius, in unison with absolute prudence and the acutest judgment, as 
 well as his great fortitude in arduous undertaking, combined with cou- 
 rage aq^l bravery and skill in military tactics, has shone conspicuously 
 in the wars of 1745 and 1746, having been present in person. Chailes 
 Edward, is the pei-son whom the English people dreaded so much, as 
 the “ Pretender ” to the throne of his fathers. 
 
 Tlie other son, Henry Benedict, duke of York, was born on the 6th 
 of March, 1725, and was adorned as much by his virtues as he was by 
 his manners and habits of life. Benedict XIII., who was a Dominican, 
 administered to the young prince the sacrament of baptism, conferring 
 on him, at the same time, the name of “ Benedict.” Tliough young, 
 but advanced and matured in wisdom and intellect, Henry Benedict 
 was enrolled in the college of Cardinals by the illustrious pontiff, Bene- 
 dict XIV., who was created or raised to the purple by his predecessor. 
 The cardinal duke of York was appointed bishop of Frascati, a town in 
 the vicinity of Rome. Animated with zeal in the cause of the church, 
 his singular piety, his charity, remarkable prudence, fortitude, invinci- 
 ble constancy, integrity, and his love towards the poor, with other 
 virtues, by which he conciliated the good-will and esteem of all towai-ds 
 his person, stamp upon his brow a crown of imperishable glory. This 
 good bishop daily visited the churches of Rome, never omitting to 
 assist at the perpetual adoration of the holy eucharist, and thus edifying 
 the faithful, so as to have been a model to the city, and as if a mirror, 
 by which his sanctity and good w'orks were reflected. 
 
 When the Pope was compelled by the emperor of the French to 
 abandon his capital, and the cardinals were dispersed, the cardinal duke 
 of York took refuge in London, and having renounced his claims to the 
 throne'of England, was allowed a considerable pension from the British 
 government, about the year 1798. 
 
 White friary. A Carmelite friary was founded here, to which 
 Ralph Pippard, in the reign of King Edward I., granted certain allow- 
 ances, yearly, out of his manor in Ardee. 
 
 A.D. 1315, the church of this friary, filled with men, women and 
 children, was consumed to ashes by the Scots and Irish, under the com- 
 mand of Edward Bruce. 
 
642 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 1320, John Sugdaeus, provincial of the Carmelites, held a 
 chapter in this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1489, another chapter was held. 
 
 A.D. 1504, the provincial synod, which Octavian de Palatio, arch- 
 bishop of Armagh, had summoned to meet at Drogheda, in the month 
 of July, was, on account of the plague then raging, removed to this 
 church. 
 
 Patrick, the last prior, surrendered the pnory and its possessions to 
 the royal commissioners, being then seized of the same : the walls of a 
 church, a dormitory, and certain chambers, with five messuages and 
 four gardens thereunto belonging ; sundry messuages and gardens in 
 ruins ; four other gardens, a park, and other property, all of the annual 
 value of 27s. 2d., besides reprises. 
 
 Ardpatrick, a church said to have been built by St. Patrick. No 
 account of which remains, except that the apostle had lived there for 
 some time. 
 
 Carlingford, a borough and market town in the barony of Dundalk. 
 Richard de Burgh, earl of Ulster, founded the monastery of Carlingford 
 for Dominicans, A.D. 1305, under the invocation of St. Malachy of 
 Armagh. 
 
 Thirty-fourth of King Ilenry VIII., the prior was found seized of a 
 church and belfry, chapter-house, dormitory, hall, kitchen, and other 
 buildings, one acre, one park, a close, seven messuages, and a water- 
 mill, with their appurtenances, of the annual value, besides all reprises, 
 of £4 6s. Sd. 
 
 This monastery, with its appurtenances already enumerated, was 
 granted for ever to Sir Nicholas Bagnell, who assigned them to Viscount 
 Hamilton, of Claneboy. 
 
 Tlie ruins of this monastery bespeak its former magnificence. 
 
 Cluain-braoin. St. Patrick foretold the birth of a Dichul, called 
 Abbas Ernatiensis. He was abbot of Louth, A.D. TOO. Colgan conjec- 
 tures, that he was the Dichul, whose memory was revered at Cluain- 
 braoin. Perhaps he was the son of Nessan, of Ireland’s eye. See 
 Mungret, county Limerick. 
 
 A.D. 750, Kelbhil was abbot of this monastery. 
 
 Drogheda, on the river Boyne, a parliamentary borough ; was a 
 walled town with four gates, which were shut, agreeably to ancient cus- 
 tom, every night at the hour of twelve. Was besieged by Oliver Crom- 
 well ; quarter was offered and accepted ; the enemy having entered the 
 to'wm, the pledge, which had been given, was now violated ; and as 
 soon as resistance on the part of the besieged had ceased, Cromwell 
 ordered or tolerated a general massacre. “ During five days the streets 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 643 
 
 of Drogheda ran with blood. Revenge and fanaticism stimulated the 
 passions of the soldiers. From the garrison, they turned their swords 
 against the inhabitants, and one thousand unresisting victims were im- 
 molated together within the walls of the great church, whither they had 
 fled for protection.” — Linganl’s England, 1649. 
 
 Cromwell, in his despatch to the speaker of the house of Commons, 
 informs that officer of his success in the following words : — 
 
 “ Sir. — It has pleased God to bless our endeavours at Drogheda. 
 After battering, we stormed it. The enemy were about three thousand 
 strong in the town. I believe we put to the sword the wEole number 
 of the defendants. I do not think thirty of the whole number escaped 
 with their lives ; and those that did, are in safe custody for the Barba- 
 does. This hath been a marvellous gi’eat mercy. I wish that all honest 
 hearts may give the glory of this to God alone, to whom indeed the 
 praise of this mercy belongs. For instruments they were very inconsid- 
 erable to the work throughout. O. Cromwell.” 
 
 Really England is intoxicated with the blood of Irish victims ; and 
 as indulgence renders the appetite more insatiable, she still thirsts after 
 the extinction of the Irish name and race, lest Ireland be a standing and 
 a permanent memorial of her sanguinary and unrelenting oppression. 
 
 Regular canons, or the canons of St. Augustine, whom Archdall too 
 frequently confounds. 
 
 The period of their institution in Drogheda is not known. 
 
 A.D. 738, Cuan, the scribe, died here. 
 
 A.D. 1170, the abbot Amlave, was expelled from tliis monastery. 
 See Moville, county 4)own. 
 
 Saint Mary’s hospital, situate without the west gate of the city, was 
 founded by Ursus de Swemele, who, with the consent of his wdfe Chris- 
 tiana, granted all his possessions in Ireland for the aid and support of 
 the sick and infirm in this house. The transfer of the property was wit- 
 nessed by Eugene, archbishop of Armagh. 
 
 The cross-bearers, following the rule of St. Augustine, were intro- 
 duced ; but the period is uncertain. 
 
 A.D. 1377, John Aumell was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1476, William was prior. 
 
 At the suppression of religious houses, this establishment and its 
 possessions were granted to the mayor of Drogheda. 
 
 Saint Lawrence’s priory, situated near the gate of that name which 
 still remains, is said to owe its foundation to the mayor and citizens of 
 Drogheda. 
 
 A.D. 1300, Martin, of Termonfeckin, having slain Lawrence de 
 
644 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF rRELAND. 
 
 Hell, in the dwelling-house of the master of this priory, took sanctuary 
 in the church of St. Mary’s hospital. 
 
 On the suppression, it was granted to the mayor of Drogheda. 
 
 Dominican friary, was founded, under the invocation of St. Mary 
 Magdalene, in the north part of the town, by Luke Netterville, arch- 
 bishop of Armagh, who began its erection, A.D. 1224. 
 
 A.D. 1227, the founder having died, was buried in his own mon- 
 astery. 
 
 A.D. 1271, died the primate Patrick Oscanlain, and was interred 
 here. 
 
 A.D. 1290, a general chapter of the order Avas held here. Pope Boni- 
 face IX. granted indulgences to all peinions visiting the church of this 
 aaonastery in the years 1399 and 1401. 
 
 A.D. 1451, a parliament Avas held in the city of Drogheda. 
 
 A.D. 1494, a parliament was held in Drogheda, Avhich enacted the 
 laAV of Sir EdAvard Poyning, rendering the introduction of any bill by 
 the Irish commons informal Avithout the previous consent of the English 
 jabinet. 
 
 Peter Lewis was the last prior. Its possessions were granted to 
 VTalter Dowdal and EdAvard Becke for ever. 
 
 In the year 1722, March the 2Sth, Hugh MacMahon, in the prima- 
 tial chair of Armagh, initiatojy steps Avere taken towards the revival of 
 the Dominican order of nuns in Drogheda. 
 
 Ivatharina Plunket, having returned from Brussels, was constituted 
 the prioress. She received young ladies of respectable parentage and 
 innocence of life soon after, as noA'ices, who were many of them succes- 
 sively chosen as superioresses. • 
 
 The head of the martyred Oliver Plunkett, archbishop of Armagh, 
 kept in a silver shrine, has been preserved in the convent of Drogheda, 
 which has been dedicated to St. Katharine, of Sienna. The first, prioress 
 died on the 1st of July, 1767. 
 
 A.D. 1759, there Avere eighteen nuns in this convent. Brigid Taafie, 
 prioress ; Maria O’Reilly, sub-prioress ; Eleanor O’Xeil, Maria Plunkett, 
 Maria Balfe, Maria Bellew, Eleanora Jolly, Brigid Dillon, Rose Bellew, 
 Margaret Savage, Frances O’Reilly, Catharine Ford, Catharine Clarke, 
 Anna Tracy, Marianna Bath, Maria Kirwan, Maria O’Kelly, Maria 
 Dodd. 
 
 Gray friary. The family of Plunkett founded this monastery, near 
 the north side of the Boyne, for conventual Franciscans, in the year 
 1240. 
 
 A.D. 1300, Richard Deblet, Robert Savage, and John Bole, efiected 
 their escape from the prison of the tOAvn, and took sanctuary in the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF lEELANT). 
 
 545 
 
 clmrch of tliis abbey, where they abjured the land. Thomas le Morson. 
 having killed John de Middleton, took sanctuary here in the same year 
 where, secure from all danger of arrest, he abjured the land. 
 
 A.D. 1330, the monastery was materially damaged by an inundatioi 
 of the Boyne. 
 
 A.D. 1518, the strict observants reformed this house. 
 
 Richard Molane was the last guardian, when in the thirty-fourth oi 
 Uenry YIIL, this convent, with its appurtenances, six acres of meadow, 
 and a messuage in Swords, was granted for ever to Gerald Aylmer, at 
 the yearly rent of 3s. 6d. Irish. 
 
 Augustinian friary, was founded in the reign of king Edward L 
 The family of Brandon did afterwards repair this monastery. 
 
 A.D. 1359, a general chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 At the suppression, it was granted to the mayor and burgesses of 
 Drogheda in the thirty-third of king Henry VIII. 
 
 House of St. James. Richard is mentioned as master of this 
 house, at Drogheda, in the year 1302. There is no more account 
 of it. 
 
 House of St. Bennet. In the parliament held at Drogheda, A.D. 
 1467, before John, earl of Worcester, lord deputy, it was ordered, that 
 divers lands should be granted to the house of St. Bennet, in Drogheda, 
 together with sundry rents in Dublin. 
 
 Dromcarr, five miles east of Ardee, between it and the sea. 
 
 A.D. 811, died the abbot Eellagh. 
 
 Dromfioinn. St. Finnian, the first instructor of St. Columbkille, m 
 monastic discipline, and bishop of Maghbile, according to some author- 
 ities, founded this establishment. In the several Irish calendars there is 
 no allusion to this monastery as belonging to St. Finnian. See Maghbile, 
 county Down. 
 
 Dromshallon, church of — not far from Drogheda, was founded by 
 St. Patrick. It does not appear that it was a monastery in the time of 
 the apostle. 
 
 A.D. 664, the abbot St. Ronan, the son of Berach, died of the plague. 
 Tills saint was intimate with St. Fechin, who also died of the plague. 
 St. Ronan’s relics were deposited in a shrine which was ornamented 
 with silver and gold. 
 
 A.D. 876, died the abbot Tiernach, son of Muiready. 
 
 A.D. 879, St. Aldus VI., surnamed Finliath, king of Ireland, and 
 who held the throne sixteen years, died in this monastery. 
 
 A.D. 969, the Danes took possession of this abbey. It was attacked 
 by Muirceartagh, prince cf Oileach and son of Donnell, king of Ireland, 
 
 and, observes Archdall, during the perpetration of this sacrilege, many 
 35 
 
546 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF TRELAND. 
 
 of tlie Danes were slain, as if it w’ere sacrilege to expel pagan robbers, 
 who spared nothing sacred, 
 
 Dundalk, a market town and parliamentary borough. 
 
 Cross-bearers. Bertram de Verdon, lord of the town, about the 
 close, of the reign of king Ilciiry II., founded this religious structure for 
 the order of Crucifei’s following the rule of St. Augustine, and dedicated 
 it to St. Leonard. It was afterwards an hospital for both sexes, and ad- 
 mitted the sick, the aged, and the intirm. 
 
 A.D. 1270, Patrick Oscanlin, primate of Armagh, died here and was 
 interred in the Dominican convent of Drogheda. 
 
 A.D. 1287, Pichard was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1425, John Myleard was prior. 
 
 Patrick Galtrym was the last prior. lie surrendered the hospital in 
 the thirty-first of Henry, being then seized of a church and chapter- 
 house, a dormitory, hall and other buildings within the precincts. This 
 hospital, with its appurtenances, was granted to Henry Draycot and his 
 heirs, at the annual rent of £11. 
 
 Gray friary, was erected on the east side of the town, in the reign of 
 king Henry HI., by lord John de Yerdon. In the east window of this 
 church was some curious and elegant workmanship. 
 
 A.D. 1282, a chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 The possessions of this friary were found by inquisition to consist ot 
 a church, belfry, and dormitory, a park, an orchard, two gardens, one 
 messuage, a park called Brandon’s, a rood of land, all of the annual 
 value of 10s. besides reprises. 
 
 April 30th, thirty -fifth of Henry VIIL, this convent, with a messuage 
 and close, and four acres of arable land, was granted to James Brandon, 
 at the fine of £9 10s., and the annual rent of 6d., all Irish money. 
 
 Ernatiensis. See Clonbrone. 
 
 Faugher, the birth-place of St. Brigid. 
 
 Nunnery of Fochart-Bridhe, said to have been founded by St. ]VIo- 
 nenna, about the year 630. The accounts of this holy virgin are not 
 satisfactory. 
 
 Her father was Maughteus, prince of the great sept of the Conalls, 
 about Dundalk, and in the county of Down, and ruler of an extensive 
 territory, stretching from Iveah to the neighborhood of Armagh. The 
 time in which she flourished, is variously stated. She is said to have 
 gone to Britain and to have established seven churches in different parts 
 of that country, in one of which she died, during the lifetime of St. Co- 
 lumbkille. If so, the convent of Fochart-Brighde must have been 
 founded much earlier, as St. Columba died A.D. 597. Usher remarks, 
 that Columba, the first bishop of Dunkeld, was probably the person, in 
 
ECCLESLA.STICAI^ IHSTOKY OF IKELANP. 
 
 547 
 
 wliose lifetime St Monenna died ; the clmrcli, in which she died, is 
 called Lanfort, which is supposed to have been near Dundee, in Scot- 
 land. 
 
 That there had been in Britain an Irish virgin is beyond controverey, 
 as Camden says, “ that Modwenna, an Irish virgin famed for her won- 
 derful piety, built a nunnery near Pollesworth, in Warwickshire.” 
 
 It is related that she governed over one hundred and fifty virgins in 
 the nunnery of Fochart-Bridhe and having resigned the government 
 thereof to Orbila or Servila, she built another for hei-self at Killslieve, 
 in the county of Armagh. See Killslieve, in Armagh. 
 
 If St. Modwenna or Monenna died in the lifetime of Columba, 
 bishop of Dunkeld, her death may be placed about the year 640. 
 
 Canons, following the rule of St. Augustine, are said to have been 
 established here in honor of St. Brigid. 
 
 Iiiismochda — the church of^ — pillaged by the Scandinavians or Danes, 
 A.D. 940. It is more probable that Inismochda should be placed in the 
 barony of Slane, county Meath. It was again ravaged and burned in 
 the years 1026, 1139 and 1152. 
 
 Iniskin-Deghadh. St. Dageus, who attended St. Moctheus, of Louth, 
 and who administered to him the holy viaticum, is said to have been 
 of the royal blood of Neil Neigillach, and to have distinguished himself 
 by his assiduity in transcribing sacred books and ingenuity in making 
 elegant covers for them, as also utensils and bells for the service of the 
 church, many of which he distributed gratis in various parts of Ireland. 
 He also governed a college or monastery, and it is related that he per- 
 formed several great miracles. He w'as bishop of Inis-chaoin-Deghadh, 
 but he seems not to have been consecrated, when attending Moctheus. 
 He lived to a good old age, as he did not die until A.D. 587. His fes- 
 tival is marked at the 18th of August. 
 
 A.D. 779, died the abbot and bishop Flann. 
 
 A.D. 853, died the abbot Robartagh, a learned scribe. 
 
 A.D. 871, died the abbot Dungal. 
 
 A.D. 879, died the abbot Duibhinse. 
 
 A.D. 881, died the abbot Conallan. 
 
 Asicus, bishop of Elphin, Biteus and Tassach, who fabricated sacred 
 utensils, are noticed as such as well as Dageus. The ingenuity of the 
 last saint is described in his life, which Colgan quotes, “ Idem enim 
 episcopus (Dageus) abbatibus, aliisque Hibernise sanctis, campanas, 
 cymbala, baculos, cruces, scrinia, capsas, pixides, calics, discos, altariola, 
 chrismalia, librorumque coopertoria: quaedam horum nuda, qusedara 
 vero alia auro atque argento, gernmisque pretiosis circumtecta, pre 
 amore Dei et sanctorum honore, sine ullo terreno pretio, ingeniose ac 
 
54S 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 mirabiliter composuit.” Another celebrated artificer in brass, and of 
 the fifth or sixth century, is Conla, who was the manufacturer of a 
 shrine remarkable for its beauty, preserved at Duncruthen near the 
 eastern shore of Lough Foyle, about the beginning of the 16th century; 
 and Colgan tells us, that so great was tlie fame of this artificer, that it 
 had given origin to several popular sayings. 
 
 “ Prmstantia illius artificis fecit locum diversis proverbiis Uibcrnis 
 familiaribus. Quando enim volunt quempiam tanquam bonum auri- 
 ficem sea lerarium artificem laudare, dicunt.” “ ISTec ipse Conla est eo 
 priestantior artifex.” “ Item quando volunt ostendere aliquid esse irrepa- 
 rabile vel inemendabile.” “ Xec hoc emendaret oerarius artifex Conla.” 
 From the many references to shrines in authentic Irish annals, it would 
 appear, that previously to the irruptions of the Danes, there were few, 
 if any, of the distinguished churches of Ireland, which did not possess 
 costly shrines, containing the relics of their foundei-s, and other cele- 
 brated saints. Hence we find that the Danes invariably ravaged and 
 plundered the shrines of the saints, wherever they were discovered. 
 The relics of St. Ronan, abbot of Drumshallon, were put into a shrine, 
 which was ornamented with silver and gold. The relics of St. Conleath, 
 first bishop of Kildare, according to Cogitosus, who described it, were 
 deposited in a shrine of gold and silver. 
 
 Kill-clogber, on the banks of the Boyne, anciently called Kill- 
 finnabhair, where St. Liemania is interred. She was the sister of St. 
 Patrick and the mother of his seven nephews. St. ISTectan, one of them, 
 and a bishop, is said to have presided here. In the calendar of Aengus, 
 he is called Kectan de Kill-unche. His festival is noted at the 2d of 
 May. 
 
 Kill-saran, in the barony of Ardee. Maud de Lucie founded this 
 commandeiy for knights Templar, in the twelfth century ; in the reign 
 of Edward 11. it was given to the hospitallers. 
 
 A.D. 1327, Friar Roger Utlaugh was preceptor of Kilsaran and Kil- 
 mainhainbeg. 
 
 A.D. 1318, William Tyneh am was preceptor. 
 
 A.D. 1183, Keating, prior of Kilmainham, appointed Marmaduke 
 Lomley preceptor of this house. See Killmainham. 
 
 Killunche, now unknown. St. Kectan, of Killunche. See Kill- 
 clogher. St. Nectan is buried there. 
 
 Knock, near Louth. Donchad Hua Kervail, prince of the country, 
 and Edan Coellaidhe, bishop of Clogher, founded this priory for canons 
 regular of St. Augustine, A.D. 1118, and which was dedicated to SS. 
 Peter and Paul. » 
 
 A.D. 1181, died the abbot Marianus O’Gorman, the celebrated 
 
ECCLESIASnCAI, IHSTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 649 
 
 « 
 
 ha^eologist. In 1172, he was constituted prior, or abbot of this estab- 
 lishment. lie has written, in Irish verse, a martyrology, comprising 
 not only the saints of Ireland, but also those of other countries. This 
 work is in high repute, for its accuracy, as well as the elegance of its 
 diction. Marianus continued in the priory of Knock, which he adorned 
 by his virtues as much as he did by his learning. 
 
 A.D. 1168, Donchad, the founder, died. 
 
 A.D. 1417, the abbot Henry O’Connellan, was succeeded by James 
 Lockard, who was fined for receiving into the profession of this house, 
 John Mac Kennavanne, a mere Irishman, in the sum of 13s. 4d. 
 
 A.D. 1435, James Lockard having resigned, Patrick Ledwich, a 
 canon of St. Mary’s, at Louth, was elected. 
 
 A.D. 1507, James Mac Mahon, the commendatory prior, was made 
 bishop of Derry. 
 
 In Kovember the 25th, and thirty-first of King Henry VHI., the 
 extensive possessions of this celebrated abbey were granted to Sir John 
 lung, knight, at the yearly rent of £16 5s. 4d. 
 
 Louth, founded by St. Mocteus, who "was a Briton, and a disciple, 
 most probably the last, of St. Patrick’s. The establishment of St. Moc- 
 theus has been highly celebrated, and he himself has been represented 
 as a man of learning. It was usual with the early founders of monas- 
 teries to attach to them schools, in imitation of the plan which the great 
 St. Martin of Tours adopted. 
 
 St. Mocteus is styled “ Pater egregias familije, Lucerna Lugmaden- 
 sium (Louth men). Magnus egregius et longsevus. Having attained the 
 venerable age of one hundred years, St. Moctheus died, A.D. 535, and 
 it seems on the 19th of August. 
 
 Moctheus became a bishop about the year 470 ; received the holy 
 viaticum, as was already observed, from St. Dageus. 
 
 A.D. 638, died the abbot Scanlan. 
 
 A.D. 700, St. Dichull, of Ernatiensis, was abbot of Louth. 
 
 A.D. 784, died the eminent abbot Fethach, of Louth, Slane, and 
 Duleek. 
 
 A.D. 823, died Cuan, abbot and bishop of Louth. He was a man 
 of uncommon erudition, and as a doctor, was universally esteemed. 
 
 A.D. 830, the Danes pillaged this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 839, the Danes destroyed the abbey, killing and taking prison- 
 ers many bishops and ecclesiastics 
 
 A.D. 878, died Crunmaol, bishop of Louth, a holy anchorite. 
 
 A.D. 968, the Danes being in possession of this abbey, were at 
 tacked by Muirceartagh, who slew many of those pillagers. See 
 Drumshallon. 
 
550 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 981, the steeple of Louth was blown down. 
 
 A.D. 1075, the town of Louth and all its churches were destroyed 
 by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1148, the abbey was again consumed. Donchad O’Kervail, 
 prince of Orgiel, and Edan O’Coellaidhe, bishop of Clogber, did jointly 
 erect a priory of canons regular here, after which, St. Malachy, of Ar- 
 magh, consecrated and made it a sanctuary. It is supposed that it was 
 built on the site of the ancient abbey. It was under the invocation of 
 the Virgin Mary. 
 
 A.D. 1242, a chapter was held here by the archbishop of Armagh, 
 at which were present all the abbots and priom of the order in Ireland. 
 Many of the relics which St. Mocteus brought from Rome, were shewn 
 to the people. 
 
 A.D. 1378, 'William O’Money, the prior, was fined for admitting 
 into his abbey, Richard O’Kenwall, a mere Irishman, who still remained 
 there as a canon, contrary to the statute. 
 
 The prior of this house sat as a baron of parliament. 
 
 John Wile was the last prior. The tithes belonging to this monas- 
 tery were granted partly to Ambrose Ap-IIugh, and partly to Robert 
 Harrison. 
 
 Mellifont abbey, in the barony of Ferrard, and about five miles 
 from the city of Drogheda, situated in a pleasing valley. 
 
 Mellifont has been one of the most important, and at the same time 
 the most magnificent monastic edifices in Ireland. It was founded by 
 Donogh O’Carrol, prince of Oriel, A.D. 1142, at the solicitation of St. 
 Malachy, of Armagh. Having been built for monks of the Cistercian 
 order, particular attention was paid, and no expense spared in render- 
 ing it worthy of the patronage of the great St. Bernard, who had sent 
 from his own inonastery at Clairvaux, monks to inhabit it, four of whom 
 were Irishmen, who were sent thither by St. Malachy, and educated 
 in the discipline of the order, under the care and vigilance of that 
 saint. 
 
 It was consecrated by the primate Gelasius, in the year 1157, 
 Christian, bishop of Lismore, who was then apostolic legate, and many 
 other prelates, and numbers of the inferior clergy having attended. 
 There were also present Murtogh O’Loghlin, king of Ireland, O’Eocha- 
 dha, prince of Ulidia, Tiernan O’Rourke, prince of Ereifny, and 
 O’Carrol, prince of Oriel. On this occasion the king of Ireland gave, 
 as an ofi'ering to Almighty God, one hundred and forty oxen, sixty 
 ounces of gold, and a townland, near Drogheda, called Finnabhuir na 
 ningean ; O’Carrol, of Oriel, sixty ounces of gold ; Dervorghill, wife of 
 O’Rourke, of Breifny, sixty ounces of gold, with a chalice of the same 
 
\ 
 
 a ®tsttrtiaiT fblonk 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAICD. 
 
 551 
 
 material ; she also gave sacred vestments for each of the nine altam 
 that were erected in the church. 
 
 For a considerable period, the abbey of Mellifont as well as the 
 other Cistercian houses of the kingdom, continued in connexion with 
 the abbey of Clairvaux, to which considerable sums of money were re- 
 mitted. To correct this abuse or practice, an act was passed in the reign 
 of Edward III. enjoining all ecclesiastics not to depart tlie kingdom on 
 any account whatever, nor to raise or send any sums of money openly or 
 privately from the country, contrary to the statute. In consequence of 
 this enactment, the abbot of Mellifont, Keginald, was by a jury, in 
 1351, found guilty of raising 661 florins from the abbots of Boyle, 
 Knockmoy, Bective and Cashell, one half of which he had remitted to 
 the abbot and monastery of Clairvaux ; and again in the year 1370, 
 John Terrour, the abbot, was similarly indicted for remitting the sum of 
 forty marks to the same abbey. 
 
 Little now remains of this magnificent abbey ; a few fragments of 
 which sufliciently attest its former splendor and beauty : they consist of 
 the beautiful little chapel dedicated to St. Bernard, and which is an ex- 
 quisite specimen of pointed architecture. This chapel had a noble east- 
 ern window and three smaller ones on each side, nearly all of which are 
 now destroyed, together with the entrance doorway. The doorway was 
 ornamented with a profusion of gilding and painting in variegated 
 colors, and is said to have been one of the most beautiful of the kind in 
 Ireland. It has been sold, the purchaser intending to make of it a 
 chimney-piece. 
 
 There is still left an octagonal building called a baptistery, on the 
 top of which was a large cistern, from which water w'as conveyed by 
 means of pipes to the different apartments of the abbey. 
 
 The lofty gateway of the abbey still remains. Through the arched 
 gateway runs a mill-dam, by which the machinery of a mill erected on 
 the ruins is worked. The well of the abbey, which had been filled with 
 rubbish, has been recently discovered. There are also some of the 
 vaults to be seen. The earth around is literally strewn with fragments 
 of walls and foundations, of which in the year 1819, it would be impos- 
 sible to form any opinion. 
 
 A.D. 1193, Dervorghilla, wife to Tiernan O’Rourke, prince of Breif- 
 ny, died in this abbey. She may be justly styled “ the Helen ” of 
 Ireland, as her faithlessness has been accessory to the English invasion 
 of Ireland. It is to be hoped, that she has expiated her crime by a 
 sincere conversion in this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1380, it was enacted that no mere Irishman should make his 
 profession in this abbey, though an Irish prince founded it, and was 
 
652 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAIi inSTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 consecrated before the foot of an English invader ever polluted the soil 
 of Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 1472, Roger was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1479, John Logan was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1486, Jolin Troy was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1524, died the abbot Tlioinas Harvey. 
 
 A.D. 1540, llichard Center was the last abbot, to whom an annual 
 pension of £40 was granted for lile. 
 
 The abbot of Mellifont was a baron of parliament. The property of 
 Mellilbnt abbey consisted of one hundred acres, being the demesne land, 
 five water-mills, eiglit messuages, and two hundred and fifty-five acres of 
 land in the sheep-grange, together with seventy-two messuages and two 
 thousand acres in the county of Loutli ; it amounted to one hundred 
 and eighty-one messuages, two thousand five hundred and ninety-six 
 acres of arable and pasture land, in the county of Meath, besides the 
 tithes of various rectories in both counties. 
 
 At the dissolution, there were one hundred and fifty monks besides 
 lay brothers and servitors in the abbey of Mellifont. At the period of 
 the general plunder of the church property, all its possessions were 
 granted to Sir Edward Moore, the ancestor of the present Marquis 
 of Drogheda, and under him and his descendants it underwent many 
 changes and vicissitudes. Among other ornaments, were the statues 
 of the twelve apostles in stone, and Sir Edward, or one of his imme- 
 diate successors, conceiving they were as useful in a temporal as in a spi- 
 ritual capacity, clothed them in scarlet, put muskets on tbeir shoulders, 
 and transforming them into British grenadiers, placed them to do duty 
 in his hall — a station which they occupied for some time, but they are 
 now gone. 
 
 Sir Edward Moore made this abbey his principal residence, convert- 
 ing the abbey at the same time into a place of defence. In the memo- 
 rable confederation of 1641, a considerable body of the Irish besieged it ; 
 and the garrison, Avhich consisted of only fifteen horse and twenty foot, 
 made a vigorous defence ; but on the failure of their ammunition, the 
 foot men surrendered, and the horse charging vigorously through the 
 LIsli, reached Drogheda in safety. 
 
 Monasterboice, in the barony of Ferrard. St. Boetius, of whom 
 scarcely anything is recorded, was a bishop, and probably abbot of this 
 house. The death of this saint took place in 522, the 7 th of December. 
 
 A.D. 759, died the abbot Cormac, son of Aillill. 
 
 A.D. 762, the abbot Dubhdainver, son of Cormac, was drowned in 
 the Boyne. 
 
 A.D. 836, died the abbot Flaithri, a holy anchorite. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOKY OF LRELAOT). 
 
 553 
 
 A.D. 958, the abbey was plundered, 
 
 A.D. 1052, died Flann, a professor of this abbey and an eminent 
 antiquarian. 
 
 A.D. 1056, died Flann Mainistreach, a professor of this abbey, a 
 man of uncommon know ledge in learning, antiquity, and poetry. 
 
 A.D. 1097, the abbey was destroyed by fire. 
 
 The ruins of this ancient abbey and its round tower, situated between 
 Drogheda and Dunleer, form a singular and interesting group. The 
 enclosure of a small churchyard, containing the shells of two small 
 chapels, two perfect stone crosses and a broken one, are the finest speci- 
 mens of Irish ecclesiastical antiquity to be met with in the kingdom. 
 The round tower is also in good preservation. One of the crosses, about 
 eitrhteen feet hiwh and of one entire stone, is said to have been sent 
 from Dome and erected by order of the Pope. It is called after the 
 founder of the monastery, St. Boetius, and is considered the most an- 
 cient one in Ireland. On this cross are numerous devices and an 
 inscription in old L-ish characters referring to a king of Ireland, who 
 died A.D. SSI. 
 
 To the northwest of one of the churches stands the round tower, which 
 is one hundred and ten feet high. Its circumference is seventeen yards, 
 diminishing gradually from its base, like a Tuscan pillar. The walls 
 are three feet six inches thick, the door of which is five feet six inches 
 in height, twenty-two inches wide, and six feet from the present level 
 of the ground. It is arched and built with free stone, as are also the 
 windows of the chapels. In the inside or diameter, it is nine feet, and 
 above the door it is divided into five stories by rings of stone slightly 
 projecting. 
 
 Termon-fechin. Termon is the Irish word expressing the Latin one 
 “ Terminus,” a boundaiy. Tlie lands adjoining the monastery were 
 called Termon-lands and with regard to these enclosures or marks of 
 the ecclesiastical property, were canons enacted for their protection. 
 “ Let the terminus of a holy place have marks about it — Wherever you 
 find the sign of the cross of Christ, do not any injury there.” Three 
 persons consecrate a “ terminus ” of a holy place, a king, a bishop, and 
 the people. In these “ termini ” were erected crosses, which denoted 
 as well as reminded the observer of the sanctity of the place as well as 
 of the boon of redemption, whereby he could, with the assistance of 
 divine grace and by his own co-operation, secure a heavenly inherit- 
 ance. 
 
 St. Fechin of Ballysadare is said to have been the founder of this 
 religious establishment. He died of the great plague in 665. See 
 Ballysadare, county Sligo. 
 
554 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF ERELAOT). 
 
 A.D 935, died Conangenius, abbot of Tegb-fecbin, and a principal 
 presbyter of Armagb. 
 
 ISTunnery of, was founded by Mac Mabon, for regular canonesses of 
 St. Augustine, under tbe invocation of tbe Virgin Mary. Pope Celes- 
 tine m. confirmed tbeir possessions, by a bull, bearing date tbe 26tb of 
 February, A.D. 1195. 
 
 By letters patent, granted in tbe year 1418, tbe prior of tbe monas- 
 tery of Loutb bad tbe fii’st vote in tbe election of tbe prioress of 
 Termon-fecbin. 
 
 Tbe last prioress was Margaret Ilabbard. Its possessions were 
 seized, and afterwards leased by tbe crown, to Catbarine Bruton, on tbe 
 20tb of April, 1578. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL DISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 555 
 
 CHAPTEE LV. 
 
 COUNTY OF MATO. 
 
 AGnAGOiYER. ’Its firat clmrcli erected by St. Patrick, over which he 
 placed St. Senach, a most holy and humble man. It is not supposed to 
 have been a monastery at this early age, as postulants could scarcely be 
 found to enter it. Archdall too frequently asserts that the parochial or 
 pastoral churches were monastic establishments. 
 
 There is in this place a round tower, which proves that it must have 
 been a place of imjDortance. These structures are found only where 
 monastic establishments were erected, and were intended as belfries, 
 and also places of strength and security in cases of attack or of fire. 
 See Ardbrackan, in the county of Meath. 
 
 Aghamore, in the barony of Costelloe, and near the bordei-s of Eos- 
 common. St. Patrick placed his disciple St. Loam, over the church of 
 Aghamore. This is also to be numbered among the parochial churches 
 as well as the former, in its early days. 
 
 Annagh, in the barony of Killmain. A cell of Franciscans, to 
 which belonged two quarters and a half of land, viz. ; Leaghcearran, 
 Innany, and Leighcarrow-clondore, of the annual value of 13s. Id. 
 sterling. Others say, that it was a cell to the abbey of Cong, and 
 assures us, that it was founded for Augustinians, by Walter de Burgo. 
 Walter, Lord Mac William-Oughter (Lower), died here in the year 
 1440. 
 
 Balia, in the barony of Clanmorris, eight miles south-east of Castle- 
 bar. St. Mochua, the founder of Balia. It was anciently “ Eoss 
 Darbreach,” and Colgan, in the life of this saint informs us, that it re- 
 ceived its present name from the walls with which the saint enclosed 
 the celebrated fountain of Balia. 
 
 St. Mochua was an eminent architect, and was the builder not only 
 of his own church, and its round tower, as it is decidedly contempora- 
 
556 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL niSTOET OF IKELANX). 
 
 neous with the church, and as the stones and workmanship in both edi- 
 fices are the same. 
 
 St. Mocima died in the year 637, according to Irish annalists, and 
 on the 30th of March. His festival is held on the 1st of January. 
 
 A.D. 637, Duclina, of Balia, died. 
 
 Many of the wells or fountains of Belaud have been similarly en- 
 closed with walls. In England, also, wells have been covered Avith 
 arched roofs, the cross surmounting them. Tlie worehip of Avells with 
 which sectaries in Ireland find so much fault, is not so deserving of cen- 
 sui’e as they think. The practice of visiting such places has been 
 handed doAvn from the earliest Christian times in Ireland. St. Patrick 
 baptized his Heophytes in the waters of these Avells, as at Ballina and 
 Mullifarry, and many other parts of the country, as he proceeded in the 
 Avork of conversion. Hence the early Christians Avere in the habit of 
 revisiting those places, in which they offered their prayers of thanks- 
 giA’ing and of gratitude to the Father of mercies, for haA'ing drawn 
 them from the darkness of supei*stition to the admirable light of the 
 gospel. They are then memorials of our ancient faith, and as such, 
 the}^ are necessarily displeasing to the modern innovator ; and as his 
 SAvord could not extirpate the national religion, his pen, as Avell as his 
 tongue, is employed in casting ridicule on the simplicity of the Irish, 
 who assemble still in memory of this ancient custom, and supplicate 
 the intercession of the saint Avith whom the history of those fountains 
 is associated. Hor should the modern sectary forget, that in the desire 
 of an heretical government to obliterate every vestige of our faith, the 
 Catholic inhabitants of Ireland, Avhen their priests Avere hanged, 
 draAA-n, and quartered, and immolated to the Moloch of Protestantism, 
 and its ascendancy laAA’s, had no place to offer to the God of Majesty 
 their orisons, but the retreats in which many hallowed fountains are 
 situated. 
 
 To the Irish Catholic, then, the sneer of the Protestant is of little 
 value, AAdien he knows that tlie saints of L’eland usually blessed those 
 fountains, and that it Avas customary Avith St. Columbkille to bless, among 
 other things, for the use of the faithful, those fountains, at Avhich the 
 sectarian sneere so much. In the ancient life of St. Columbkille, in the 
 “ Leabhar Breac,” presei’A^ed in the library of the Koyal Irish Academy, 
 the folloAving passage occui-s : — ■ 
 
 “ He (Columbkille) blessed three hundred miraculous crosses.” 
 
 “ He blessed three hundred wells, which were constant.” One hun- 
 dred book, or relic covers — “ polaires,” noble, one coloured ; “ with 
 one hundred croziem, with one hundred satchels.” 
 
 Ballentully, of which no account remains than that which the words 
 
ECCL'ESIASTICAL HISTORT OF mEEAND. 
 
 557 
 
 of the suppression supply. It was found to be seized of eight quarters 
 of land, with the tithes thereof, and each quarter was valued at 13s. 4d. 
 
 Ballyhaunes, in the barony of Costello. The I7angles, who have 
 assumed the name of Costelloe, founded this monastery for Augusti- 
 nians, which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 
 
 By an inquisition taken the 12th of May, 1608, this house was 
 found in possession of twelve acres of land, with the tithes thereof. 
 
 At the commencement of the Irish rebellion, in 1641, as English 
 writers are pleased to designate the struggle of Ireland in defence of 
 her property and holy faith, against the Puritan regicides of old Eng- 
 land, some of the friai’s took possession of the monastery. I believe they 
 have since clung to it. 
 
 This abbey was endowed largely by the founders. In 1625, Lord 
 Dillon was seized of the environs. 
 
 Ballina-glasse, on the banks of the Moy, and in the demesne of 
 Colonel Gore. An abbey was founded in or about the year 537, and it 
 seems that it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, as it is called in the 
 annals of the Four Master, “ the beautiful abbey of St. Mary’s.” I 
 have lately walked over its ancient site, a stone of which does not re- 
 main, to point out its historic beauty — still its foundations can be traced 
 in the uneven surface of the earth ; its pond remains, and probably 
 some portion of its orchard opposite the quay or pier, which is on the 
 right bank of the Moy. Adjacent to the pond is an eminence, which 
 may have been a Calvary or penitential station. It also appears that 
 the fishery of the river Moy (Moada, in Latin) belonged to the beautiful 
 abbey of St. Mary’s, in right of which, the present proprietor strove to 
 establish his claim, in opposition to the lessee. The erection of the 
 structure, which entitled it to the appellation of “ beautiful,” seems due 
 to William O’Dowda, the eminent bishop of Ivillala, and who is re- 
 corded to have been the builder of churches and sanctuaries. A manu- 
 script history of this abbey, now unfortunately lost, was some time ago 
 in the hands of an inhabitant of Ballina ; he has left, taking with him 
 the manuscript, having been, as is supposed, well paid for his disappear- 
 ance, by the defendant in the suit regarding the fishery. 
 
 A nunnery also was established in the vicinity of this celebrated 
 abbey. The Lindseys destroyed those edifices. See Moyne, Co. Mayo. 
 
 A St. Cormac was the founder. Tliere were two saints of this 
 name. See Durrow, King’s county. One of them is represented as of 
 the Hua Liathain, of Munster ; the other is said to be of the Eugenian 
 line of the royal house of Munster. Having left his own countjy for 
 the sake of leading a religious life, he reached the county of Mayo, and 
 on his way thither, called at the court of Eugene Bel, son of Kellach, 
 
558 
 
 ECCLE81ASTICA1, HISTORY OF IKELAHD. 
 
 king of Connaught. Eugene Bel was killed in the year 538, according 
 to the four Masters and Colgan ; and our St. Connac visited him some 
 time before. He soon after founded his monastery on the banks of the 
 Moy. Tliough some think they were distinct, still in their history there 
 are coincidences which would lead to the inference, that there was only 
 one of this name. If the first Connac be, as is said, of the Ilua Liathain 
 of Munster, there is one point of agreement. He is said to have sailed 
 from Erris in quest of an unknown island. Both, if they existed, flou- 
 rished in the 6th century. See Inchmean, in Lough Masg, Co. Mayo. 
 
 Ballynsmall, in the barony of Clanmorris. A friary for Carmelites 
 was founded here by the Prendergasts, in the 13th century, under tlie 
 invocation of the Virgin Mary. 
 
 Donoghbuy O’Gormly was the last prior. At the suppression, he 
 was seized of the quarter of land of Lissenisken, in Ballynsmall, with a 
 mill-race. The whole valued yearly at 13s. 4d. sterling. 
 
 This abbey, which was a very extensive building, was granted to 
 Sir John King. 
 
 Ballinrobe, in the barony of Killmain. It takes its name from the 
 river Robha, on which it is situated. 
 
 “About the beginning of the eleventh century, Tuathal O’Maly, lord 
 of Oules, built the Augustinian Mendicant priory of Ballinrobe. There 
 was also a small abbey or cell, St. John’s, gone to ruin, and a small cell, 
 called Kilerara, which was a small house of nuns.” Such is the de- 
 scription of Ballinrobe, made in the year 1684. The possessions of those 
 houses were few. On the 2d of July, 1608, Thomas Nolan of Ballin- 
 robe, gent., obtained a grant by patent of the four quarters of land in 
 Ballinrobe, for ever. 
 
 This gentleman, Thomas Nolan, before the date of the above grant, 
 resided at the “ Crewaghe,” now called, Creagh in the barony of Kill- 
 main. Nolan obtained the castle of Crevagh and three quarters of 
 land thereunto adjoining, free from composition rent, “ in respecte of 
 his sufliciencie to act as a clerke in the said countreye.” Thomas Nolan 
 was one of the first “ English tavern-keepers ” in the province of Con- 
 naught. When the Irish houses of hospitality “ Biataghs ” ceased, they 
 were succeeded by those English improvements. On the 21st of De- 
 cember, A.D. 1616, a license was granted to John Coman, of Athlone, 
 merchant, and “ Tliomas Nolan, of Ballinrobe,” to keep taverns and sell 
 wines and spirituous liquors. 
 
 The next grantee of those lands in the succeeding century, under the 
 act of settlement, w'as Mr. James CuflFe, ancestor of the late lord Ty raw- 
 ley and of the present proprietor of the Crevaghe, whose first appear- 
 ance here w'as in the capacity of clerk or secretary to Cromwell’s com- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF HtELAND. 
 
 659 
 
 missioners of transplantation to Connaught, as appears by the following 
 order, “ By' the lord deputy and council it is ordered, that Mr, James 
 Cufie he and is hereby appointed secretary to Sir Charles Coote and the 
 rest of the commissioners appointed and nominated in a commission 
 bearing date this day for the setting out of lands to the transplanted 
 Irish and inhabitants of Connaught and Clare. Dated at xVthlone, the 
 16th of June, 1655.” On the 12th of April following, Mr. Cutfe was 
 himself appointed a commissioner of assessment for Mayo, where he 
 afterwards acquired considerable grants of forfeited lands, and among 
 others, of the town and manor of Ballinrobe, which the descendants of 
 Thomas Nolan forfeited. 
 
 Tliis lord Tyrawley was created baron, when the English govern- 
 ment, by bribery and corruption, succeeded in extinguishing the Irish 
 parliament. His son James Cutfe was the virulent opponent of the Ca- 
 tholic claims ; had been M. P, for the borough of Tralee, and by his 
 dexterity contrived to levy oP the rate-payers of Mayo the expenses of 
 his elections for that borough. His career as a senator was put an end 
 to, O’Connell, the liberator of Belaud, having reminded Mr. Cuffe of 
 his “ scandalous birth.” The name of Cutfe becomes extinct in Tyn-aw- 
 ley, as the present representative of that family is heirless. Lord Tyraw- 
 ley is said, and I believe on good grounds, to have died a Catholic, 
 having been attended by the Rev. John Magee, formerly the pastor 
 t)f Lacken. 
 
 Ballintobber, in the barony of Carra. Cathal O’Connor, king of 
 Connaught, founded Ballintobber, for Eremites of St. Augustine, A.D. 
 1216, and dedicated it to the holy Trinity. Bricq^ius Lnaun was the first 
 abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1224, the abbot and the founder died. 
 
 A.D. 1263, the abbey was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1416, Thomas O’Ronan was abbot and Eugene O’Donnell was 
 prior. 
 
 Walter MacEvily, alias Staunton, was the last abbot. Tliis abbey 
 was largely endowed by different benefactoi*s. It was originally a mag- 
 nificent pile, and the workmanship of superior excellence. Many parts 
 of the ruins are still entire. The grand arch, on which the steeple 
 rested, is entire about fifty feet high, and of equally curious and solid 
 elegance. The great door is beautiful, being a pointed arch supported 
 by five columns. 
 
 December 10th, 1605, a lease of this abbey, in reversion for fifty 
 years, was granted to Sir John Eng, knight. The present Catholic in- 
 cumbent has been engaged in restoring this ancient church, as a paro- 
 chial one 
 
560 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IKELAIST). 
 
 Boglimojen, in the barony of Tyrawlej. An inquisition finds, the 
 23d of October, third of king James, that tiiis monastery belonged to 
 the friars of the order of St. Augustine, who were possessed of two quar- 
 ters of land, annual value, besides reprises, 2s. 6d. 
 
 The founder of Boghmoyen is unknown ; but it seems, that it is of 
 great antiquity. Archdall does not point out its situation. In the 
 parish of Moygawnagh are the vestiges of an ancient edifice, where 
 there are stone buildings in the form of cones and similar to those found 
 in the islands of the western coasts of Galway, Mayo and Sligo. Adja- 
 cent to these cells is a church situated on the banks of the river Avon- 
 more, and which belongs to the family of the Ormes, who are resident 
 there : a family which has been exalted by their industrious pursuits in 
 trafficking on tithes and levying fines which were inflicted on the pea- 
 santry for breaches of the revenue laws. 
 
 Boghmoyen signifies the field or plain of arched cells. “ Bothan ” 
 being the Irish term for such structures and “ Magh ” for field or plain, 
 
 Bophin island, on the coast of Mayo, and about twelve miles from 
 the barony of Murrisk, is said to contain 1200 acres. 
 
 An abbey was founded on this island by St. Colman, who succeeded 
 St. Finan, bishop of Lindisfarne, and who afterwards resigned that see 
 in consequence of the paschal controverey, Colman having been a zeal- 
 ous supporter of the Irish mode of computation. He succeeded St. 
 Final! in the year 661. 
 
 St. Colman was very probably a native of Mayo, as venerable Bede 
 informs us that he went home, where he founded the monasteries of 
 Mayo and Bophin. Colman was a monk of the order of St. Columb- 
 kille, and had spent some time at the monastery of Ily. At the period 
 of his appointment to the see of Lindisfarne, it seems that he was then 
 in Ireland. Shortly after his arrival in Northumberland, the contro- 
 versy regarding the time of Easter, was again mooted and carried on 
 with greater warmth than it had been during the incumbency of St. 
 Finan. "Wilfrid, who had spent some time among the Irish monks of 
 Lindisfarne, repaired to Borne, where he became acquainted with the 
 Boman observance and other practices. On his return to England, 
 Wilfrid had an opportunity of exerting his zeal for the Boman custom, 
 having acquired the friendship of Alchfrid, son of king Oswin, and who, 
 jointly with his father ruled the kingdom of Northumbria. Alchfrid 
 was instructed by him in ecclesiastical learning, and became so much 
 attached to Wilfrid, that he assigned him the monastery of Bippon, 
 having turned out the monks, to whom he had already granted it, be- 
 cause they refused to adopt the Boman practice of observing Easter. 
 
 In the mean time, Agilbert, bishop of the West Saxons, a native of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANI). 
 
 5G1 
 
 France, and who spent a considerable time in Ireland, studying the 
 Scriptures, came to Northumberland, accompanied by a priest Agathon, 
 and ordained, at the request of Alchfrid, his friend Wilfrid, priest, in 
 his newly-acquired monastery. A controversy having arisen there con- 
 cerning the paschal question, it was agreed that a synod should be held, 
 for the sake of terminating this and other disputes in the monastery of 
 Whitby, which was then govei-ned by the abbess Ilild. The two kings, 
 Oswin and Alchfrid, attended. Colman, with his clei-gy, wdio were 
 L’ish, and also Agilbert, with the priests Agathon and AYilfrid, being 
 present. Wilfred’s view of the question was supported by a deacon 
 Jacob, whom Paulinus left at York, and by Romanus, a Kentish priest, 
 who had been with the queen Eanfled ; while Colman was sustained 
 by the abbess Ilild, and her community, together with the venerable 
 Bishop Cedd, whom St. Finan had sent with Peada, prince of the Mid- 
 dle Angles, as a missionary. 
 
 The debate was opened by King Oswin, who entertained no parti- 
 ality on the subject for discussion, as he had been instructed and bap- 
 tized by an Irish missionary. The king observed, that as they all 
 equally served God, and expected the same kingdom of heaven, it was 
 right that they should, in like manner, observe the same ordinances, 
 and that it was fit to institute an enquiry into the true tradition, which 
 all should follow. He then directed his Bishop Colman to speak first, 
 who said, “ The Easter which I observe I have received from my elders, 
 who have sent me hither as bishop : and all our fathers, men beloved 
 by God, are known to have celebrated it in the same manner ; it is that 
 which was followed or celebrated, as we read, by the blessed evangelist 
 John, and all the churches over ■which he presided.” Colman was mis- 
 taken in this latter observation. The debate having been carried on in 
 Irish and Anglo-Saxon, the Bishop Cedd acted as interpreter to both 
 parties, — and Wilfrid having been called upon to reply, said, “ Tlie 
 Easter which we hold, we have seen celebrated by every one at Pome, 
 where the blessed apostles Peter and Paul lived, taught, sutfered, and 
 were buried ; it is observed at one and the same time in Africa, Asia, 
 Egypt and Greece, and in short by the whole Christian world, except 
 by our adversaries and their accomplices, the Piets and Britons.” Col- 
 man having again appealed to the authority of St. John, Wilfred an- 
 swered, by allowing that St. John retained the Jewish pasch, whereas 
 in the commencement of the church it was thought expedient not to 
 reject immediately all the practices of the Mosaic law. “ But after all,” 
 added Wilfrid, “ what has your system to do with St. John’s ? he cele- 
 brated the pasch on the fourteenth day of the first month, without 
 caring on what day of the week it fell, while you never celebrate your 
 Easter except on a Sunday, so that you do not agree with John, 
 36 
 
5G2 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Peter, or the law or the gospel/’ The observation of Wilfrid regard- 
 ing tlie paschal regulations of St. Peter was incorrect, as the day of 
 Easter was not the same observed in Wilfrid’s time as in that of St. 
 Peter's. 
 
 Colman, who was not acquainted with the old Roman system, did 
 not perceive the mistake of his opponent, and continued, by asking, 
 whether it could be supposed that their most revered father, St. Colunib- 
 kille, and his holy successors, who followed the Irish system, entertained 
 bad sentiments, or acted contrary to the scriptures ; men, whose sanc- 
 tity was proved by miracles, and whose example and rules he endea- 
 vored to adhere to in every respect. Wilfrid acknowledged that they 
 were holy men, and that as they were not acquainted with the true 
 paschal system, their not observing it was of little detriment to them ; 
 and he added — “ I believe, that had they been rightly informed on the 
 subject they would have submitted to the rules proposed to them, in the 
 same manner as they are known to have observed the commandments 
 of God, which they had learned. But 3’ou and your associates certainly 
 commit sin, if after having heard the decrees of the apostolic see, nay, 
 of the univei'sal church, and those confirmed by the Scriptures, you dis- 
 dain to follow them. For although your fathers were saints, is their 
 small number from a corner of an island in the extremity of the world, 
 to be preferred to the whole church ? And however holy and great a 
 performer of miracles as your Columba was, could he be preferred to the 
 most blessed prince of the apostles, to whom the Lord has said— Thou art 
 Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell 
 shall not prevail against it : and I will give unto thee the kej's of the 
 kingdom of heaven ?” The king then said, “is it true, Colman, that the 
 Lord has thus spoken to Peter ?” The bishop replied in the affirmative. 
 Tlie king added : “ Can you show that so great a power was granted to 
 your Columba? “ No,” said Colman. The king continued : “Do you 
 agree on both sides that this has been said principally to Peter, and 
 that the Lord has given to him the keys of the kingdom of heaven ?” 
 Undoubtedly, was the general answer. The king then concluded : 
 “ Now, I tell you, that this is the gate-keeper, whom I wdll not contra- 
 dict, and whose decrees I wish to obey, as far as I know and am able, 
 lest, on my arrival at the gate of the kingdom of heaven, there should 
 be no one to open it for me, as he who holds the keys would be against 
 me.” Thus the question was decided, and the assembly at large de- 
 clared in favor of ^’^ilfrid. 
 
 Colman, not coinciding in the views of the synod, resigned the im- 
 portant see of Lindisfarne, departed, taking with him all the Irish, and 
 about thirty of the English monks belonging to that establishment. On 
 his way to Ireland he went first to Hy, where he remained a short time. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 563 
 
 lie thence proceeded, as is supposed, about the cessation of the great 
 plague, to the island of Bophin, and founded his monastery, placing 
 there both the Irish and English monks, who had followed him from 
 Liiidisfarne. Some time after a disagreement arising between the 
 parties, Colman thought it advisable to separate the members of the 
 respective nations, and having found a spot suited to the erection of a 
 monastery, at Ma^’o, purchased it from a nobleman, who was its pro- 
 prietor, with a condition annexed, that the monks to be placed there 
 should pray for him. 
 
 According to Bede, the Irish monks, whom he calls “ Scoti,” went 
 in summer and harvest from the monastery to various places, where 
 they were acquainted, and that on returning in winter, they wished to 
 partake in common of the articles which the English had prepared 
 during their absence. From this circumstance arose the cause of the 
 disagreement. 
 
 Tlie monastery of Mayo having been built with the assistance of the 
 nobleman and the neighboring inhabitants, Colman removed thither the 
 English monks, leaving the Irish in the island. St. Colman seems to 
 have resided chiefly in Innisbofln, until his death, which occurred on 
 the 8th of August, in the year 676. The foundation of the monastery 
 of Bophin is assigned to the year 667. 
 
 A.D. 711, died the bishop Boethan. 
 
 A.D. 809, died the abbot St. Blathmac; he went to Hy, and was 
 slain by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 916, died the abbot Fearadach. 
 
 Inisbofin, “ Island of the white cow,” is not to be confounded with 
 an island of the same name in Lough Bee of the Shannon, where St. 
 Rioch founded his monastery. In the island of Innisbofln, on the coast 
 of Mayo, Cromwell built a castle, in wdiich were imprisoned many 
 priests before they were shipped for the Barbadoes. 
 
 Borriscarra, in the barony of Carragh. The Carmelites had this 
 house, which Pope John XXIII. gave to the Eremites of St. Augustine, 
 A.D. 1412. 
 
 At the general suppression this friary was possessed of a quarter of 
 land, with the tithes thereof, valued at 13s. 4d. annually. 
 
 23d of October, third of James I., it was found that the prior of 
 Borriscarra was seized of a quarter of land, called Borriskerra ; annual 
 value, besides reprises, 3s. 
 
 Bowfinan, in the barony of Tyrawley, and parish of Addergoole. 
 This was a house of conventual Franciscans. 
 
 An inquisition taken on the 12th of May, 1608, it was found, that 
 the prior of BoflTwynan, in the barony of Tyrawley, was seized of four 
 quarters of land, with their appurtenances, tithes, &c. 
 
564 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAIID. 
 
 The name of the founder is not recorded. As this territory be- 
 longed to the Bourkes, who expelled the ancient proprietors, it may be 
 supposed that family founded Bowtinan. 
 
 Bnrrishool gives name to the barony, and is about two miles distant 
 from the town of Newport. It appears from a bull of Innocent YIIL, 
 dated 9th February, 1486, that Richard de Burgo, Lord William Ough- 
 ter and helld of the family of Turlogh, founded this monastery under 
 the invocation of the V^irgin ^lary, for Dominican friai’s. 
 
 At the sui)pression of religious houses, the abbey was granted to 
 Nicholas Weston, who assigned it to Theobald, Viscount Costello- 
 Gallen. 
 
 Richard O’lleyne, of this convent, was a distinguished missionary 
 of London, and was senior chaplain to the Spanish church, where he 
 died, A.D. 1728. 
 
 Two nuns, of the Dominican order, Ilonoria de Burgo and Ilonoria 
 Magaen, suffered martyrdom, and were interred in this house. 
 
 Glare-Island, in the barony of Murrisk, where the celebrated Grace 
 O’Malley frequently resided. It contains about 2400 acres. 
 
 A cell for Carmelites was founded here by the O’Malleys, under the 
 invocation of the Virgin Mary, in the year 1224. It afterwards became 
 annexed to the abbey of Knockmoy, in the county of Galway. 
 
 Cong, in the barony of Killmain, between Lough-Corrib and Mask. 
 It was formerly a town of note, as having been the residence of the 
 kings of Connaught. 
 
 Saint Fechin erected the monastery of Cong, according to some ac- 
 counts, under the invocation of the Vii-gin Mary. Othei’s say it was 
 founded in the year 624 by Donald, son of Aodh, nephew to Aumireach, 
 king of Ireland, and that Fechin was for some time abbot pf it. 
 
 St. Mollaga is said to have been abbot of Cong. See Tulachmhin, 
 in the county of Cork. 
 
 A.D. 1137, the abbey of Cong was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1198, Roderic O’Connor, the last monarch of Ireland, died in 
 this abbey, calmly resigned to his fate, having been in the eighty-second 
 year of his life and the twelfth of his retirement from the world. He 
 was interred at Clonmacnoise. 
 
 The monarch of Ireland and king of Connaught, Roderic O’Connor, 
 who tamely permitted the encroachments of the English adventurers, at 
 length roused from his lethargy, crossed the Shannon with a considerable 
 army, and proceeded towards the capital, which he invested. In conse- 
 quence of the unhappy dissensions which prevailed among his troops, and 
 which have been at all times unfortunately the ruin of the Irish, he was 
 defeated and obliged to sue for peace. Tlie monarch dispatched depu- 
 ties to England who met the king at Windsor, where a peace was most 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 665 
 
 Rolemnlv concluded between the two monarclis ; Roderic consenting to 
 do homage and pay tribute to the king of England, whereupon he was 
 to hold his kingdom of Connaught, with the title of king under the 
 English sovereign, and in as ample a manner as he had done before the 
 coming of the English. Roderic faithfully performed the treaty, to 
 which he engaged to adhere, while the English monarch flagrantly 
 violated his compact. 
 
 In the year 1178, the English first set foot on the soil of Connaught. 
 Murrough, one of Roderic’s sons, having received or pretending to have 
 received some injury, privately despatched messengers to Milo de Cogan, 
 who then lay in Dublin, inviting him to march into Connaught with a 
 sufficient force and promising that he would be ready to assist him ; at 
 the same time holding forth great prospects of plunder. Milo, who only 
 wanted the invitation, immediately set out with upwards of 500 men, 
 and soon arrived in Connaught ; but having met with a reception far dif- 
 ferent from that wdiich he expected, he was obliged to make a shameful 
 retreat, wdth considerable loss. The traitor Murrough was deservedly 
 sentenced to lose his eyes and suffer perpetual imprisonment. Having 
 been soon afterwards liberated, he became the guilty cause of the most 
 lamentable dissensions. 
 
 William EitxAdelm de Burgo, who, during his government of Ire- 
 land, formed the plan of obtaining a grant of the entire province of 
 Connaught, where he hoped he would be enabled to establish himself 
 in consequence of its distracted state. Having been recalled from his 
 government, he confidently applied to Henry on the subject. The king, 
 though he should recoil with indignation from an act, by which he 
 shamefully violated his solemn treaty with the sovereign of Connaught, 
 made the desired grant to William de Burgo and his heim in the year 
 1179 ; and although de Burgo, during his life never gained any benefit 
 from the concession, the country, thereby, became the melancholy 
 theatre of war and confusion. 
 
 Soon after this grant was obtained, Hugo de Lacey, one of the most 
 bold of the adventurers, entered Connaught for the purpose of plunder- 
 ing, but being resolutely opposed, he saved himself and his men by a 
 precipitate flight. In 1186, the rebellious sons of the unhappy Roderic 
 were the first to dethrone their father. Tliey abstained however from 
 imbruing their hands in his blood, but they obliged him to fly and take 
 refuge in the venerable abbey of Cong, where he found an asylum for 
 the remainder of his life. Connor, one of his sons, placed himself on 
 the throne of Connaught, and soon signalized himself by routing with 
 great slaughter, John de Courcey, who in 1186, taking advantage of the 
 existing broils, made an incursion into the province. Connor, wdio did 
 not long enjoy his usurped dignity, was slain by one of his own brothers, 
 
566 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAJID. 
 
 who in return was slain by his nephew, one of Connor’s sons ; where- 
 upon Cathal or Charles, “ the bloody-handed ” succeeded, and soon after 
 his succession, gained a victory over de Courcey, whom he defeated 
 with a loss of 200 foot and 30 horse ; in commemoration of which he* 
 founded the abbey of Knockmoy in the county of Galway. 
 
 A.D. 1201, William de Burgo ravaged the abbey of Cong. Tin’s 
 ye^r died the eminent Catholicus O’Duft’y, bishop of Tuam, and was 
 here interred. 
 
 A.D. 1201-, William Bourke repeated his ravages. 
 
 At the general suppression, Aeneas MacDonnell was abbot, when he 
 surrendered, being seized of the lands and possessions of this abbey, all 
 of which were granted, for fifty yeai-s, to Sir John King, ancestor to the 
 earl of Kingston. Tliis family acquired vast possessions in Ireland. 
 Many grants of church property have been made to their ancestor, and 
 within tlie past year, 1852, they have been sold in the court of encum- 
 bered estates. The abbots of Cong were continued, the last of whom, 
 Prendergast, died some years ago. The cross of Cong was sold for a 
 hundred guineas to the Royal Irish Academy by the present pastor of 
 Cong. 
 
 Cross, in the half barony of Erris and parish of Kilmore, was formerly 
 called “ Holy Cross,” and is opposite to Ennisgluaire. 
 
 The abbots of Ballintubber erected the monastery of Cross, which 
 was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The superior was appointed by the 
 abbot of the parent house, to which he was to pay (in the name of a 
 chiefry) the sum of 30s. 4d., and the sub-prior was to expend a farther 
 sum of 5s., being the remainder of their income, in the sujjport of him- 
 self and convent, and also in defraying the expenses and necessary repairs 
 of their house. 
 
 By an inqusition taken the twenty-seAmnth of queen Elizabeth, this 
 monastery was found in the possession of three quarters of land with the 
 tithes of the same. It is now a burial-place ; its ruins are strewn over 
 with drift-sand. 
 
 The wliole district of Ems is held by Bingham and Carter, the first 
 having obtained his property by fraud and circumvention. It is now 
 destined for the court of encumbered estates. 
 
 Crossmolina, in the barony of Tyrawley and parish to which it gives 
 name, to the west of Lough Conn, and situated on the river Deel. 
 
 In the year 1306, John, the son of William de Rathcogau, Walter 
 de Usser and Walter de Cogan were indicted for assaulting and im- 
 prisoning the abbot of the blessed Virgin near Crossmalyne, and also 
 for taking away his goods and chattels to the amount and value of ten 
 marcs. A writ hereupon issued to attach the said John, which w'as ac- 
 cordingly done. 
 
FX}CLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 567 
 
 By RH inquisition taken the twenty-seventh of queen Elizabeth, this 
 abbey was found to possess foux* quarters of land, each of the annual 
 value of 13s. 4d. sterling, and the tithes of the same. 
 
 O’Mulleny was the lord of this district, Moy Eleog, before the 
 Bourkes and the Barretts robbed and plundered the ancient inhabitants. 
 It is said that an O’Mulleny was the last abbot, and hence it has gotten 
 its name from the cross erected there and from the family, who pos- 
 sessed, of old, the territory adjacent to it. 
 
 A vestige of this beautifully situated abbey does not remain. Tlie 
 orchard is still to be seen. 
 
 A Major Orrne, some years ago, to shew the sincerity of his hatred 
 to the religious establishments of popery, demolished the ruins, pro- 
 faned the tombs of the dead, and erected on the site of the abbey- 
 church, a mansion which he did not long enjoy, having died there 
 almost a pauper ; his body, seized by a Catholic inhabitant of the town, 
 was detained, until a sum of money due to this person was duly ac- 
 counted for. There is another family in the neighborhood of Crossma- 
 liria, who possess a portion of the monastic property of this abbey as its 
 name denotes (Grortner-abbey) ; a family particularly distinguished by 
 persecution and cruelty towards the people, whenever an opportunity 
 occurred. The unfortunate rebellion of 1798 gave the representatives 
 of this family and the Jacksons an opportunity of indulging their spleen 
 and of imbruing their hands in the blood of the Rev. James Conry, of 
 Addergoole. Within the last twenty years the vengeance of Heaven 
 has been visibly displayed towards the Ormsbys of Gortner-abbey. 
 
 Domnachmor, in the barony of Tyrawley, and parish of Killala. 
 The first church erected by St. Patrick after the conversion of the 
 prinTjes and people, at Mullifarey. “ It was erected of earth, because 
 there had been a scarcity of timber in the district.” The body of the 
 bishop St. Muckna was buried there. See the proceedings of St. Pa- 
 trick in Tyrawley. Page 256. 
 
 The ruins of an ancient church are still to be seen in the townland 
 of Tawnagh-more, which is contiguous to the famous fountain, with 
 whose "waters the apostle baptized the multitudes whom he there con- 
 verted. It was not a monastery in those early times. Archdall sets it 
 down as an abbey ; however, in the next townland there was a nunnery 
 of “ black nuns,” convenient to Cross-patrick, and which had been 
 largely endowed. Archdall makes no mention of it. With this fact 
 before us, we can infer that Domnachmore was a monastery at some 
 period, as the nunneries were often erected in the vicinity of the others, 
 in order that they could have the ordinary services of religion adminis- 
 tered without delay and without interruption. 
 
 Erew, in the barony of Tyrawley, and parish of Crossmolina, — a 
 
568 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 peninsula, stretching far into Lough-Con. Errew, of Lough-Con, has 
 been a celebrated monastic establishment. See Gille abbey, county of 
 Cork. 
 
 Archdall mentions, that a St. Leogar was abbot of Lough-Con, and 
 that his feast is observed on the 30th of September. Of another saint, 
 who is frecpiently mentioned in the annals of the Four Masters, there is 
 still a relic in the country, and which has been preserved at Rappa- 
 castle, called “the dish ofTiarnan.” Its use was for the washing of the 
 abbot’s or the bishop’s hands. It had been frequently used for the pur- 
 pose of adjuration, by the people. 
 
 A.D. 1172, died O’Mugin, bishop of Cork, of the people of Errew, 
 of Loiigh-Con. 
 
 13G0, Cathar O’Connor marched, with his forces, into Tyrawley, 
 (probably to enforce tribute,) and destroyed many houses and chm'ches. 
 
 A.D. 1362, Amlave Mac Firbis, historian elect of Tyrawley, died. 
 This family lived at Rosserk, removed thence to Leackan, in the parish 
 of Killglass, Tyreragh, where are still the ruins of the family castle, 
 and in which the book of Leacan was partly compiled. When the per- 
 secution commenced, the historian, Mac Firbis, and biographer of the 
 O’Dowdas, sought a retreat in the caves and solitudes of the country, 
 in which he continued his narrative. Assuredly the diocese of Killala 
 has done good service to the cause of Irish literature, through MacFirbis, 
 and John Lynch, bishop of Killala. 
 
 A.D. llrOlr, Thomas Barrett, bishop of Elphin, the most eminent 
 man in Irelantl for wisdom and a superior knowledge of divinity, 
 having died, was interred in the abbey of Errew, of Lough-Con. 
 
 A.D. 1413, Henry Barrett was taken prisoner by Mac Watten 
 (Robert Barrett,) in the church of Errew, from which he took him by 
 force. The saint of the place, in a vision, demanding his freedom ; 
 Mac Watten, then lord of the country, dedicated a quarter of land for 
 ever to St. Tiarnan’s shrine, as an eric (recompense) for having profaned 
 his sanctuary. Hence it follows, that a sanctuary was established in 
 this abbey church, and that St. Tiarnan was- the founder, as his shrine 
 was there preserved. 
 
 A.D. 1536, the chiefs of Korth Connaught — O’Connors, MacDo- 
 naghs, and the O’Dowdas, marched against the sept of Richard Bourke, 
 at the instigation of Richard Barrett, bishop of Killala. The people of 
 the country fled before them, with their property, to the monastery of 
 Errew, of Lough-Con ; but the bishop carried off the prey out of the 
 * “ Termon ” Tiarnan, to the forces, and would not restore them in honor 
 of the saint. 
 
 Tradition, as well as history, records the bloody deeds of the 
 Bourkes and the Barretts, in Tyrawley. They were said to be the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 569 
 
 “Devil’s companions.” The English settlers of the reign of Henry IL, 
 in Ireland, were usually called by the natives “ festering boars and 
 goats.” Much to be lamented as is the subjugation of Ireland to the 
 English yoke, and which nothing but the unnatural dissensions of the 
 native princes could accomplish, abstracting j)erliaps the will of Hea- 
 ven for its own counsels, in propagating the Catholic faith, many of 
 those adventurers became national in feeling as the Irish themselves, 
 and were the Maccabees of Ireland. 
 
 Ey an incpiisition taken the twenty-seventh of Queen Elizabeth, it 
 appears that the monastery of Errew did possess one quarter of land, 
 together with the tithes thereof, valued at 13s. Id. sterling, annually. 
 
 The church of this ancient abbey still remains. At the period of 
 the Cromwellian persecution, a few of the friars were resident. As it 
 was within view of Eniscoe, the property of the Jacksons, reminding 
 them then of their modern title to their estates, and of the sacrilegious 
 jilunder of the church, an onslaught was made on these defenceless 
 friars. Wild or untamed horses were procured, to which the friars 
 were attached, and then drawn asunder, to give sport to the Puritan 
 adventurer. One of those animals having run into the church of the 
 abbey, he was pursued by one of the party, and having entered the 
 door, the animal struck him with his hoof, dashing his brains around, 
 and besmearing the wall with his blood, marks of which still remain. 
 About nineteen years ago, a young Jackson, mounted on a hunting 
 charger, in the farm-yard, fell from his horse, and received an injury, of 
 which he immediately expired ; the father died an outcast from his 
 family ; his late representative was cut off by fever, in 1848, while act- 
 ing as a poor-law official, in the county of Clare. 
 
 An ancient church still remains near the abbey, which is said to be 
 that of a nunnery. 
 
 Inisgluaire, or Inisglory, in the district of Ends, and parisli of Kill- 
 more, within the Mullet. It is situated opposite to the monastery of 
 Cross ; it was founded by St. Brendan, of Clonfert, county Galway. 
 On this little island are the ruins of four primitive stone houses, called 
 “ Cloghans,” nearly of a bee-hive form, and three small churches, the 
 oldest of which is dedicated to St. Brendan. 
 
 Here also was a nunnery. There are singular properties attributed 
 to this island, wdiich are, however, deemed fabulous. It is said that 
 human bodies required no burial there, being free from putrefaction ; 
 but this is not the case. It is however said with the appearance of 
 truth, that many bodies interred there have been incorrupt, a fact which 
 shows the sanctity of the former possessors. 
 
 There is a well dedicated to St. Brendan, from which no female can 
 take water. Should any woman approach, and bring it with her, the 
 
570 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAOT). 
 
 water immediately corrupts. See Ardoilen, county of Galway, for a 
 description of its buildings, similar to those of Inisgluaire. 
 
 Inchmean, in Loughmeask. See Ballina of the Moy, in this county. 
 
 Eugene Bel, the fourth Christian king of Connauglit, who began his 
 reign, according to Tigernach, A.D. 502, held his residence in this 
 island, when St. Cormac, the founder of the monastery on the banks of 
 the Moy, visited that sovereign. On this occasion St. Cormac foretold 
 the erection of the monastery. The book of Lecan contains the life of 
 St. Cormac. 
 
 A.D. 1223, Maoilisa, son of Torlogh O’Connor, prior of Inismaoin, 
 died. 
 
 A.D. 1227, the abbey was burned by, the forces of Hugh O’Connor, 
 assisted by the Bourkes. 
 
 Some ruins of this abbey, which still remain, indicate it to have 
 been a small, but beautiful building. The site and considerable ves- 
 tiges of the dun or fortress of Eugene Bel are still traceable. 
 
 This, it appears, was a Benedictine establishment. De Burgo, bishop 
 of Ossory, ranks its nunnery as belonging to that order. 
 
 Nunnery of Inchmaoin. An inquisition in the thirtieth of Queen 
 Elizabeth informs us, that this nunnery contained within the precincts 
 thereof, eight acres or half a cartron of land, the ruins of the church, 
 and two other buildings, and three gardens, annual value, besides 
 reprises, 3s. Id. sterling. And in Joyce’s country, on the west side of 
 the Lough, are four quartern and a half, mostly of mountain land, 
 which, with the tithes thereof, did belong to this nunnery, viz. : the 
 quarter of Droniseling, the cartron of Famigh, the cartron of Dow- 
 neryse, a cartron in Grogill, — the cartron of Savoncharon, the half quar- 
 ter of Tonemsoney, the half quarter of Letterlagygh, half a quarter in 
 Becan, half a quarter in Dristan, and half a quarter in Ballinaboy. 
 Said lands, with the tithes, being of the annual value, besides reprises, 
 of 30s. sterlins;. 
 
 Innis-tor-mor, in the barony of Tyrawley and parish of Killala, now 
 called Ross. It is said that Tliady O’Dowda, lord of Tyrawley, gave 
 the lands of Inistormor to Eugene O’Cormyn and Tliady Mac Firbiss, 
 Eremites of St. Augustine, to erect thereon a monastery, under the in- 
 vocation of the Holy Trinity. Pope Nicholas V. confirmed the dona- 
 tion by bull, dated the 12th of December, 1151, wherein he granted the 
 friars a license to keep a boat on the adjoining river, proper for fishing, 
 and also for salting the fish for sale (this is the Avonmore which sepa- 
 rates the parish of Killala from Temple-murry). “ It is so written in 
 our annals,” says friar William O’Meghyr ; but according to Alle- 
 mande it is a matter of doubt whether this house was ever in being. 
 
 In this peninsula is a holy well, dedicated to St. Becan, and near it 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF lEELAND. 
 
 571 
 
 was a burial place, which was much frequented until the drift sand 
 covered its surface. To this place the people resorted to celebrate , the 
 memory of this saint, in large numbers ; “hence the name, which sig- 
 nifies the peninsula of the great station.” “ Tur,” in Irish, the same as 
 tour in the English language, and “ mor,” great. The Irish word now 
 commonly used is “ Turas.” Tur is also used to denote a fortress, and 
 adjacent to the fountain is a cashell, a sort of ecclesiastical structure, 
 which has been common in Ireland. See Fenagh, county Leitrim, and 
 Innismurry, county Sligo. 
 
 Killcoman, in the barony of Tyrawley, and opposite the peninsula of 
 Inistormor, in the bay of which the French, under General Humbert, 
 landed in 1798. 
 
 Founded by St. Cumian, who is much venerated through the pro- 
 vince of Connaught, in the 7th century. The founder was buried here, 
 and at his head was placed a slab, on which were inscribed Irish letters 
 in the contracted form. • This slab was broken in contempt of every- 
 thing Catholic, some years ago, by the son of a neighboring parson. 
 Soon after, in consequence of the profane use which was made of it by 
 some ill-minded persons, who must have been guided by the spirit of 
 malice and revenge rather than of charity, it was removed by John 
 Lyons, dean of Ivillala and pastor of Kilmore-Erris to the church of Bal- 
 lina, and when the present cathedral was commenced, the broken slab 
 was deposited in the work under the altar. The St. Becan, whose name 
 is connected with the history of Inistormor was the brother of St. Cum- 
 mian. 
 
 There are two celebrated saints of this name : Cumineus Albus, 
 abbot of Ily, who wrote the life of St. Columbkille, and who governed 
 the monastery of that saint in the year 657. Cumineus Albus was the 
 son of Ernan, a brother of the abbot Segineus, who died in 652, and who 
 was succeeded by Suibhne or Sweeny, son of Curthri, who presided over 
 the abbey of Ily, until Cummian became abbot. He was accordingly 
 a descendant of Fergus, the grandfather of St. Columbkille. Cummian 
 died, after an administration ot twelve years, on the 21:th of February, 
 A.D. 669. 
 
 This Cumineus, though different, is frequently confounded with the 
 Cummian, writer of the encyclical letter to the abbot of Hy. 
 
 Kilcommon, in the barony of Erris and parish of Kilcommon Horth, 
 is another church either founded by or dedicated to St. Cummian. It 
 is now a burial place, and is situated at the foot of Cornhill, and on the 
 banks of the river of Glenamoy ; the fishery of this river constituted a 
 portion of its property. 
 
 St. Cummian, author of the celebrated epistle to Segineus, abbot of 
 Hy, was a native of Leath-Mogha, or the southern half of Ireland, and 
 
572 
 
 ECJCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 received liis education in the monastery of Durrow. This Cummian, 
 then, as well as Cumineus Albus or Fin, was of the Coluinban order : 
 and at the time, in which his treatise was published, he appears to have 
 been in the monastery of Dhesert-Chumin, now Killcommin in the 
 King’s county. This celebrated production was written about the year 
 634. In it he enters on the various cycles of St. Patrick, whom he calls 
 the “ Pope ” or father of the Irish church, (whom an antiquarian of 
 our own days, Ledwich, calls an ideal pemonage), of Anatolius, Theo- 
 philus, &c. 
 
 St. Cummian, surnamed Fada, i. e. the long, was one of the princi- 
 pal abettors of the Poman computation and promoter of its adoption in 
 the South of Ireland. As he was a Coluinban monk, Segineus, abbot 
 of Hy and his disciples, who were greatly attached to the Irish method 
 on account of its being observed by their founder St. Columba, were 
 much displeased with Cummian for his opposition to it and for having, 
 as is supposed, induced the monks of Durrow to join with the clergy 
 and people of the south in the adoption of the Roman practice of observ- 
 ing Easter. In justification of his conduct, Cummian wrote his epistle. 
 He says, that “ prior to his having consulted the successors of St. Ailbe 
 and other eminent saints, he spent a whole year in studying the ques- 
 tion in dispute ; that he searched the holy scriptures ; examined ec- 
 clesiastical history ; inquired into the various cycles, and into the divers 
 Paschal systems of the Jews, Greeks, Latins, aTid Egyptians.” Besides 
 a multitude of texts of scripture, he quotes passages from Origeu, 
 St. Cyprian, St. Jerome, St. Augustin, St. Cyril of Alexandria, and 
 Gregory the great. He refers also to councils, and enters into the in- 
 tricacies of the Paschal computations, founding his arguments partly on 
 the nature and origin of the Paschal solemnity and partly on author- 
 ity, particularly that of the great body of the Catholic church. Laying 
 great stress on the doctrine of St. Cyprian, and other holy fathere, re- 
 garding the unity of the church, he says, “ Can anything more perni- 
 cious be conceived as to the mother church than to say, ‘ Rome errs, 
 Jerusalem errs, Alexandria errs, Antioch errs, the wdiole world errs ; 
 the Scots and Britons alone are right.’ ” This great man did not, how- 
 ever, succeed in convincing the monks of Hy, as they continued to fol- 
 low the Irish computation, until St. Adamnan effected an uniformity in 
 its observance in all the Coluinban monasteries. 
 
 St. Cummian was likewise the author of other valuable works, 
 among which should be noticed a tract “ De psenitentiarum mensura,” a 
 learned epitome of the ancient penitential canons. This treatise was 
 afterwards found in the monastery of St. Gail, in Switzerland, with the 
 name of the abbot Cumian, of Ireland prefixed. It was published by 
 Sirin, and republished in the edition of the “ Bibliotheca patrum,” at 
 
KCCLKSIA.STICAL inSTORV OF IRELAND. 
 
 573 
 
 Lyons, in 1GT7. To tliis day it remains a valuable document of anti- 
 quity, 2 >i'oving beyond question, the divine institution of sacramental 
 confession with the penances enjoined, the sacritice of the mass, prayers 
 for the dead, celibacy of the clergy, and many other points of faith and 
 discqjline, which the Catholic church always has and will ever continue 
 to hold. 
 
 Cummian died on the 2d of December, A.D. 6G2. In the epistle to 
 Segineus, he mentions Becan, who is styled the solitary, as his brother. 
 It would then appear, that the author of this celebrated epistle is the 
 Cummian so much venerated in Connaught, and the founder of the 
 churches whicli bear his name. 
 
 Killcrau or Killchree, in the barony of Killmain, and near Ballin- 
 robe. In the thirtieth of queen Elizabeth, this house was seized of half 
 a quarter of land with the tithes and appurtenances thereof, valued at 
 Gs. sterling annually. See Tarmoncarra, county Mayo. 
 
 Xilledan, in the barony of Gallen and on the river Moy, either 
 founded by or dedicated to St. Aidan, bishop of Mayo, who died, A.D. 
 769. Another church in Erris, at the junction of the river Munnin wdth 
 the Avonmore has been called Killteain, perhaps after St. Cormac Hua 
 Liathain, who travelled into Erris, with a view of sailing in quest of an 
 unknown country, and who founded the abbey on the banks of the Moy. 
 
 The first has been a friary of Conventual Franciscans, which, by an 
 inquisition taken the 12th of May, 1608, was seized of divers lands and 
 tenements, with four quarters of land, the tithes of the same, &c. 
 
 Killnatrynode. Its situation is not known. It was endowed wfith a 
 quarter of land adjoining. It became afterwards united to the abbey of 
 the holy Trinity in Lough Key, county of Roscommon. 
 
 Killfinan, in the territory of Kera, now the barony of Carragh. This 
 church, it seems, was dedicated to St. Finan, whose name it bears, and to 
 whom is also attributed the erection of Kilpliian. Archdall calls him 
 also abbot of Rathene, in Tirconnel, county of Donegal, wliich existed 
 only a short time. Rathene was commonly called Rathenaspuic, i. e. 
 Bisliop’s fortress or residence. 
 
 Kilmore-moyle, in the barony of Tyrawdey and parish of that name. 
 An ancient church of Cyclopean construction, said to have been founded 
 by St. Patrick for his disciple St. Clean. 
 
 It seems that there was a saint of this name at some period, in Tyraw- 
 ley. In the parish of Killala, adjoining Lacken, there is a place called 
 “ Cluain-Olcan,” i, e. the retreat of Clean. There was a St. Clean, a 
 disciple of the apostle of Ireland, who became a bishop and was placed 
 at Rathmuighe, county Antrim. The Clean of Kilmore-moyle is a dif 
 ferent person from the bishop of Rathmuighe. 
 
 St. Patrick baptized the prince of this place and his people in the 
 
674 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAIi HISTORY OF IRELAIfD. 
 
 well, wliicli is contiguous to this church, and which is dedicated to St. 
 Patrick. Of the antiquity of this church there can be no doubt. It 
 must have gotten its modei'n name from him, who perhaps reconstructed 
 it. Tlie churches of Ireland have generally been called after the priest 
 or bishop, who founded them ; seldom after tlie prince or laic, who 
 might have contributed towards the pious work. Many of the nunneries 
 are also called after the holy foundresses. Killmore-moyle means the 
 great church of Moyle. Mil or Moyle was one of the leaders of the 
 Firbolgs, who settled in the West of Ireland, about the hi-st century oi 
 Christianity. St. Kellach is distinctly called bishop of Kilniore-moyle. 
 
 Ivillala, an ancient town and formerly the residence of the Catholic 
 bishop. See Moyne, in this county. 
 
 The episcopal palace is now a house for paupers, under the system 
 of public relief, which the English government have substituted, instead 
 of the more evangelical provision, which the monastic establishments 
 supplied without an odious infliction on the public pui-se. As Parlia- 
 ment in its omnipotence can make and unmake bishops, there is no 
 episcopal pretender to dispute the succession to the chair of Muredach 
 with the rightful heir of the apostles. The last Protestant bishop, who 
 is saifl to have been a silversmith, repaired before his death a breach in 
 the round tower, which was efl:ected by lightning. 
 
 Amlave, prince of Tyrawley, having retired from the world, built a 
 cell in this place, which soon gave origin, as in many other places, to the 
 town ; and probably this circumstance induced Muredach to fix his see 
 here. At the top of the round tower is a beam, which evidently sup- 
 ported a bell. It is one of the most perfect in Ireland ; is built in 
 the usual form, with a plinth at its base, and tapering until it attains 
 the elevation for its crown or apex, finished in a point. It has been put 
 together in the most solid and compact manner. At the top some of 
 the stones project in consequence of having been displaced by the shock 
 Avhich it sustained from the lightning. 
 
 Its erection is attributed to a celebrated architect Gobhan-Saer, who, 
 it appears, flourished early in the 7th century. It was prophetically 
 said, in the ancient life of St. Abbhan, that the fame of St. Gobhan, as 
 a builder in wood as well as in stone, would exist in Ireland to the end 
 of time. 
 
 In the life of St. Moling, there is mention made of a wooden build- 
 ing, which Gobhan constructed, “ Gobbhan laid hold of it by both^ 
 post and ridge, so that he turned the duirteach (house of oak) upside 
 down, and not a plank of it started from its place, nor did a joint of any 
 of the boards move from the other.” The round towers of Kilmacduagh 
 and Antrim also were, it is recorded by tradition, built by this eminent 
 man. The age assigned to Kilmacduagh is 620, and it is also remark- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. ' 
 
 575 
 
 able, that it is affirmed among the natives of Ireland, who speak only 
 the Irish language, that he never visited or was employed in buildings 
 south-west of Galway or of Tipperary. It is probable, that Gobbhan 
 was born at Turvy on the northern coast of the county of Dublin, which, 
 it is stated, took its name from his father, as being his property, and 
 which, as he was not a person of Milesian extraction, he migiit have 
 received as a reward for his mechanical skill. 
 
 Tlie erection of the church of Kilmacduagh is also ascribed to the 
 Gobbhan saer. Tlie masonry of the cliurch bears a perfect similarity 
 with that of the tower, which indicates that those buildings were con- 
 temporaneous. The church of Kilmacduagh was built about the year 
 610, by the kinsman of St. Colman, Guaire Aidhne, king of Connaught, 
 the time in which Gobbhan flourished. 
 
 Kear Killala is the ruin, or at present the foundation of a church 
 which he is said to have built, and which is called Ivillgobbin. It is 
 situated in the townland of Cartoon, the property of John Knox, ot 
 Castlerea, and a few yards from the main road. 
 
 In the half barony of Rathdown, county of Dublin, about six miles 
 from the city, is a village called Ivillgobbin. A castle, not remaikable 
 for its strength or solidity, has been erected there, it seems, as a place ol 
 defence against the incursions of the Irish clans, who inhabited the 
 mountains of Wicklow. 
 
 It also appears, that the cave in which the wife of this famous 
 . architect was buried, was searched by the Danes for plunder, A.D. 
 862. 
 
 Tlie people still have it by tradition that the Danes ravaged Killala, 
 but the precise time they cannot tell. See Mayo. 
 
 Killnagarvan, in the barony of Gallon, six miles north of Foxford. 
 St. Fechin, of Ballysadare, is said to have been the founder. Lani 
 gan would rather ascribe it to the person whose name- it bears. 
 
 Kill-patrick, or Dunpatrick, in the barony of Tyrawley, and parish 
 of Dunfeeny. A church which St. Patrick erected when the Pagan 
 altars there were overthrown. See his proceedings, &c., page 257. 
 
 There i| at this church a singular isolated rock, on which are the 
 ruins of an ancient Pagan Dun, or fortress. It is of equal height with 
 the ocean cliff" of the main-land, and distant from it about three hundred 
 feet ; it is of a triangular flgure, and terminates in the shape of a cone, 
 from a broad base to a top, the surface of wdiich is apparently about 
 sixty yards in circumference. There is in the main-land precipice an 
 angular indenture, and an angular prominence corresponding with it in 
 the insulated rock. Tlie prominence and indenture of the fracture, as 
 well as the colour and quality of the rock, and the cliff", seem to corre- 
 spond. 
 
576 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 In aiiproacliing this point, one passes wiDiin a quarter of a mile of 
 the extremity of it, over an arch, formed by the working of the water, 
 or enlarged thereby, a hundred and fifty feet broad and a hundred 
 high, tlirough which the water of the ocean rolls with tremendous fury, 
 when in the least agitated, and which is visible through an aperture on 
 the top of the arch, twenty feet in diameter. The insulated rock is 
 called Dunbriste, i. e. the broken fort. One of the apertures, tlie larger 
 one, is called Poll-na-shan-tine, “ the pool of the ancient fire.” See life 
 of St. Patrick. 
 
 At the foot of this neck of land is a well, dedicated to St. Patrick. 
 It has been a penitential station to which the people repaired on the 
 fii-st Sunday of harvest, to celebrate the extraordinary miracles which 
 the apostle is said to have performed, when his preaching was resisted 
 by the votaries of the ancient superstition. 
 
 Killbride, in the same parish. A church called after St. Brigid. 
 
 She is said to have visited Killala, and to have blessed the port 
 thereof, as well as St. Patrick, St. Columbkille, St. Cannech of Kil- 
 kenny, and St. Muredach, the patron saint of the diocese. It is Avithin 
 a mile of the church of St. Patrick. 
 
 Killiney, in the same parish. Hot a vestige of the monastery re- 
 mains. An inquisition taken in the twenty-seventh of Queen Elizabeth, 
 the Franciscan friary of Killiney Avas seized of one quarter of land, and 
 tithes of the same, valued at 13s. 4d. annually. It is at present in the 
 possession of an Ormsby. This abbey Avas beautifully situated in the- 
 picturesque valley of the Laggan, and sufiiciently elevated to command 
 a vieAv of the Atlantic and Dunpatrick. 
 
 Killfian, in the barony of TyraAvley and parish of the same name. 
 Tills church was either founded by, or dedicated to St. Libana, who was 
 celebrated in Ulster, and whose festival occurs on the 18th of Decem- 
 ber. She was of princely extraction, and had St. Comgall, of Bangor, 
 as her director. This house existed only a short time. 
 
 Killyn, in the barony of Tyrawley. This abbey was seized of the 
 church of Attimas, and a quarter of land called DromskoAvlogue and 
 Carrownecargy, with the tithes of the same. ^ 
 
 Tliere is a Killyn in the parish of Crossmolina, which now belongs 
 to Lewis O’Donnell, Avho also holds the “ Termon-Tiarnan of Errew, in 
 the same parish. 
 
 Liacnamanagh, in the barony of Tyravvley, and adjacent to the mo- 
 nastery of Killmoremoyle. Archdall makes it a monastery, but it 
 seems that he is mistaken. Some monks took possession of this spot and 
 made it part of their estate; they were probably those of Killmore- 
 moyle. St. Patrick is stated to have made a con\"ert of Eochad, son of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 577 
 
 the former monarch Dathy, at this rock. I lately examined it, ■\vithoiil 
 finding any vestiges of an ancient building or church ; it was one o 
 those circular fortresses so common in Ireland, with a large rock in the 
 centre, having a cross inscribed ; it is now a cemetery for the Catholic 
 population. Liacnamanagh signifies the “ rock of the monks.” 
 
 Louffheon. Island-Glasse. An ancient church has been erected in 
 this island, it is now called Killbelfad, and the parish takes its name also 
 from it. Tradition has not preserved the name of the founder ; all that 
 is retained of his memory is, that he was distinguished as a preacher. 
 In this island the clergy had a safe retreat, when hunted by the Croni- 
 wellians. 
 
 Ballina was formerly known by the adjunct “ glasse,” and in Tire- 
 ragh is an ancient church called “ Killglass.” It is probable that those 
 churches were dedicated to St. Aidus, surnamed “ Glasse,” who was a 
 descendant of the southern Ily Fiachra, and brother to St. Faila, of 
 Killfaille, in the diocese of Killmacduach. There were two branches 
 of this family, one in the north and the other in the south of Connaught. 
 Tlie family of O’Dowda, which belongs to the northern branch, and to 
 which all this territory was subject, may have erected them in honor 
 of this saint, who was their relative. And at Killglass stood also a 
 castle, which was erected by a member of that family, quite contiguous 
 to the church, but not a vestige of his residence remains. See Kill- 
 faill, county of Galway. St. Finnan, of Killfinan, is said to have been 
 abbot of Rathene, in Tirconnell, where also the memory of Aidus- 
 Glasse is revered on the 16th of February. 
 
 Kilroe, in the barony of Tyrawley and parish of Killala. The ruins 
 of an ancient church, built in the rude or Cyclopean style. Around it 
 are heaps of stone. This church was built by St. Patrick, over which 
 he placed Mac Erca, of Tireragh, as pastor. Mac Erca is the pati’on of 
 the parish. 
 
 It was not, it appeai-s, a monastery in the time of St. Patrick, as 
 Archdall asserts ; the ruins or heaps of stone shew that there were other 
 buildings besides the church. It is likely, that the first church of Kii- 
 roe, like its neighbor of Domnachmore, was made of earth. If it ever 
 was a monastery, it was not of long duration. 
 
 Mayo, of the Saxons, which gives name to the county, and is situated 
 on a river, wliich falls into Lough Carra. Tliis monastery of the Eng- 
 lish was built by St. Colman, bishop of Lindisfarne, who, on having re- 
 signed that see, founded the monastery of Bophin-island, and soon after 
 erected the great abbey of Mayo for his English adherents. See Bophin- 
 island. 
 
 “ Tills monastery,” says Bede, “ is still possessed by English resi- 
 dents. For it is that, which having become a large one is usually called 
 3T 
 
578 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTORV OF IRELAND. 
 
 ‘ Muigh-eo,’ and better regulations having been received there, contains 
 a distinguislied congregation of monks, who being collected from Eng- 
 land, live by their own labor in great strictness and purity under a 
 canonical rule and an abbot.” 
 
 In the latter end of the 7th century, Alfred, an Anglo-Saxon prince, 
 son of Oswy, king of Xorthumbi-ia, and who afterwards succeeded to 
 the throne, having been exiled from his native soil, repaired to Ireland, 
 and, according to Bede, studied many years in its seminaries, particu- 
 larly in Mayo. Having travelled over all parts of Ireland, he composed 
 a poem under the name, “ Flan Fin ” on Ireland, consisting of niuety- 
 six verses, from which are taken the following passages : 
 
 “ I found in Connaught, famed for justice, 
 
 Affluence, milk in abundance, 
 
 Hospitality, lasting vigor, fame. 
 
 In this territory of Cruachan of heroes.’’ 
 
 “ I found in Armagh the splendid, 
 
 Meekness, wisdom, circumspection, 
 
 Abstinence in obedience to the Son of God, 
 
 Noble, pi'osperous, learned sages." 
 
 “ I found in the country of Conall, 
 
 Brave victorious heroes. 
 
 Valiant men of fair complexion. 
 
 The exalted stars of Erin." 
 
 “ I found in the province of Ulster, 
 
 Long blooming beauty, hereditary vigor. 
 
 Young scions of energy. 
 
 Though fair, yet fit for war, and brave.” 
 
 A.D. 726, died the bishop St. Muredach, son of Indrect, who is sup- 
 posed to have been one of the Indreds, kings of Connaught. According 
 to some writers, he survived St. Gerald, an Englishman, who was abbot 
 of Mayo, and who died, A.D. 732, and on the 13th of March. St. 
 Gerald is said to have, on his arrival in Ireland, and before he was 
 elected abbot of Mayo, presided over some monks at Elitheria, which 
 was probably a cell belonging to the abbey of Mayo. Elitheria signifies 
 the cell or house of the pilgrims (called Tempuil Gerailt). Mochonna 
 of Mayo died the 27th of March. The year of his demise is uncertain. 
 
 A.D. 7 68, died the bishop St. Aidan. 
 
 A.D. 778, the abbey was destroyed by lightning. 
 
 A.D. 818, Turgesius, the Danish tyrant, in contempt of God and of 
 the saints, burned and destroyed this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 908, the abbey was consumed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1201, "William Bourke, sacrilegiously plundered the abbey. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF IRELANP. 
 
 579 
 
 A.D. 1209, died the bishop O’Duibthaigh. 
 
 A.D. 1380, it was enacted, that no mere Irishman should make his 
 profession here ; and even to this day, some good English priests would 
 draw' a partition in their churches between their English and Irish 
 congregations. 
 
 A.D. 1478, died the bishop O’lliginus. 
 
 A.D. 1578, Patrick O’llely, the bishop of Mayo, suffered martyrdom, 
 together with his companion, Cornelius O’Rourke. 
 
 Eugenius MacBrehoun was the last bishop of Mayo. 
 
 This monastery, with its site, containing half an acre, whereon was a 
 hall, cloister, six chambers, a small cemetery, and three small gardens, 
 with four acres of land adjoining the said site, eighty acres of arable 
 and one hundred and twenty of pasture in Kilticollo, tw'O cottages and 
 forty acres of underwood in Ilayne, and one hundred acres of land in 
 Portagh, together with the rectories, churches, &c. of Ilayne and Robin 
 (in MacWilliam Bourke’s country), and of Killcollman and Kilticollo, 
 all in this county, parcel of the temporal lands and spiritualities of the 
 said monastery, and the tithes thereunto belonging, together with the 
 monasteries of the Holy Trinity in the town of Tuam ; Killbrenan, 
 Craighbane and Teagh saxon, in the county of Galway, and a parcel of 
 the possessions of the abbey of Cong, were granted, in the tw'entieth of 
 queen Elizabeth, to the burgesses and commonalty of the town of Gal- 
 way and their successora, in free soccage, at the aimual rent of £26 12s. 
 Irish money. 
 
 Nunner^^, said to have been here, and governed by St. Segretia, who 
 died of the plague with one hundred of her nuns, in the year 664. Said 
 to have been sister to St. Gerald, who died, A.D. 732. This could not 
 be reconciled with her death in 664, and the fact of her being then an 
 abbess. The monastery of Bophin was founded in 667, and consequent- 
 ly there could not have been a nunnery there at the time. 
 
 Domnach-Keine, now unknown, belonged to St. Segretia, who is 
 marked in the Calendars on tiie 18th of December. The fact of her 
 having died of the plague with her nuns may be true, but it is plain, 
 that this melancholy event did not happen in Mayo. 
 
 Mons pietatis. De Burgo, of Ossory, mentions a Franciscan 
 house of this name in the county of Mayo. Nothing more of it is 
 known. 
 
 Morrisk, on the bay of Westport, and situated at the foot of the 
 mountain Cruach-phadruig. Tlie O’Mallies, lords of the country, 
 founded this monastery, for Eremites of St. Augustine. 
 
 At the general suppression, these Eremites were seized of one quar- 
 ter of land, and the tithes of the same, valued annually at 13s. 4d. ster- 
 ling. Large ruins of it are still left. 
 
680 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Jolin Garvey is the present liolder of this monastery and its posses- 
 sions. 
 
 Moyne, in the barony of Tyrawley, parish of Killala, and on tlie 
 river Moy. A singular tradition is preserved concerning this abbey. 
 The founder was about erecting it at Ivai)pagh, when a dove came, and 
 by its movements attracted attention. It is said that the bird continued 
 moving, until it reached the present site of the abbey, and then marked 
 its foundations on the dew with its wings. A shower of snow in the 
 summer marked out the site of a church at Home, called tlie church of 
 St. Mary ad Aiives or St. Mary Major, an event which is commemorated 
 on the 5th of August. 
 
 The ciistles of Ardnaree, Castlelacken, Kewtown, or Deelcastle, 
 Castle-Cloghans, Eoppagh, Eathroe, Inniscoe, Carukill, Ballintubber, 
 and Belleck belonged to the Bourkes. They also had castles in the 
 Laggan of Tyrawley. The Barretts had their fortresses in Ballysakery 
 and Crossmolina, and in Backs. Meelick at Killala and Castlerea, 
 west of the town, belonged to the Malshes. The Lynots had their 
 castles about Ardagh and Moygawnagh. 
 
 If the tradition of the country be correct, we may suppose that Eap- 
 pagh was the residence of the MacWilliam. Some assert, tliat this 
 abbey was founded in IIIO ; others say, that it was erected in 1460. If 
 the lirst year be the true one, it was founded by Edmund MacWilliam 
 Bourke, who succeeded in that year to the dignity of the “MacWil- 
 liam.” If 1460 be the date of its erection, Moyne was founded by 
 Thomas, junior, who succeeded to the title in the year 1458. 
 
 Neliemias O’Donoghue, provincial of the strict observants, coun- 
 selled the erection of Moyne abbey. See Eosserk. 
 
 Provincial chapters of the order were held here in the years 1464, 
 1498, 1512, 1541, and 1550. 
 
 The abbey is still almost perfect, except the roof and some buildings 
 on the north side, which were taken down about 1750, by the then pro- 
 prietor Knox, to furnish materials for a dwelling-house, w'hich was 
 erected nearly on the site of the old walls and almost adjoining the great 
 church. 
 
 Tlie church is 135 feet long by 20 broad towards the east ; from the 
 west door to the tower, the breadth varies from 40 to 50 feet ; on the 
 broadest space is a gable with a pointed window of stone, and of fine 
 workmanship. To the eastern Avail of this portion of the building were 
 tAVO altars, having a piscina to each ; betAveen the altars there is an 
 arched recess, which would seem to have been a place of safety for the 
 sacred utensils of the altars. Entering the west door, which has been 
 mutilated, in 1798, by some Hessian defenders of the British throne, a 
 lateral aisle opens to the vieAV the beautiful eastern Avindow through the 
 

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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 581 
 
 arch of the tower. On the right of the aisle is a range of arches corre- 
 sponding with the lieiglit of that of the tower, done in hewn stone ; the 
 arches, which are hexagonal and turned on consoles, support the tower, 
 which is nearly in the centre of the church, and about 100 feet in height. 
 Tlie ascent to the summit of the tower is by a helix of 101 steps, and well 
 rei^ays him who mounts it, as the scenery aroniid is of unsurpassable 
 beauty. The monastic buildings are fast tottering to destruction. In 
 the centre of the monastic buildings is a square or arcade built on plain 
 ])illars in couplets. The tower and church are in perfect preservation. 
 Tlie tower is a remarkable one not forming a square. Its ascent is ot 
 superior workmanship, and more convenient than that of the tower of 
 the Minster at York. 
 
 The abbey was surrounded with a very strong wall. Under the clois- 
 ter was a fountain, which supplied it with water. Its situation is low, 
 almost on the banks of the Mcy. 
 
 In the month of J une, thirty-seventh of Queen Elizabeth, a grant was 
 made to Edmund Barrett of this abbey and its possessions, containing 
 an orchard and four acres of pasture, together with the tithes and other 
 appurtenances, to bold the same for ever by fealty at the annual rent of 
 5s. Elizabeth’s patent did not hold for ever ; her patentee made way 
 for the drummers and bandmen and usurers of Cromwell’s puritan 
 army. 
 
 Tlie blood of John O’Dowda, the John E’epomucene of Ireland, was 
 shed at Moyne, about the year 1579. The gore of the martyred priests 
 of the diocese is still to be seen in the apartments of the castle of Kil- 
 lala. A bishop W alsh in partihts infidcUum lost his life in the castle 
 of Meelick, near Ivillala, which was the last to surrender to Cromwell’s 
 forces, having been battered from an adjacent height by a party of 
 soldiers from the garrison of Athlon e. 
 
 Another bishop, Mac Donagh, was slain in Tireragh, who was not 
 attached to any particular place, as his fellow martyr. It seems that in 
 the height of the persecution under Elizabeth, the holy see deemed it 
 advisable to send such bishops, who were not known to the persecutors, 
 and who could, therefore, with more personal safety, travel over the 
 country, confirming the people and exhorting them to pei*severance in 
 their holy faith. A similar practice existed in Rome, during the perse- 
 cutions, so that in the event of the pontiff being put to death, a bishop 
 was at hand to succeed, and keep up the succession, without its being 
 interrupted. The remains of bishop Mac Donagh have been interred at 
 Dromard, (county Sligo.) 
 
 The first grantee of Moyne abbey went to destruction. The next 
 possessc>rs of the abbey were the family of Lindsay, who blew up the 
 roof of the buildings with gunpowder, and to whom the last prior of 
 
582 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IKELAND. 
 
 Moyne, Cathal dubv O’Dowda (Charles tlie black), gave his curse, 
 ■when setting out for the Continent. I have a copy of the curse which 
 he pronounced, in the Irish language ; in it allusion is made to the bell 
 of the abbey, which the Lindsays sold, it is said, for £700, which was 
 an enormous sum for such an article. Having been a present to the 
 abbey from the Queen of Spain, it is then no Avonder that its material 
 was so valuable. In it, also, allusion is made to his sons and to his pos 
 terity. They certainly have all disappeared ; nor is there a Lindsay in 
 the barony at present ; even the monumental slab of the family at Kil- 
 moremoyle has fallen from its position, and lies unnoticed in the earth — 
 the inscription being Avorn off. This family has been signally punished, 
 and tlieir property at present is in the hands of Colonel Gore. A Lind- 
 say never set foot on the abbey lauds Avithout meeting Avith some mis- 
 fortune. IIoAV truly applicable are the Avords of David, in the 36th 
 Psalm : — “ I liaA^e seen the Avicked highly exalted and lifted up, like the 
 cedars of Lebanon. And I passed by, and lo, he Avas not : and I sought 
 him, and his place Avas not found.” 
 
 The next possessore Avere the Knoxes, Avho Avere in the habit of pol- 
 luting the altars. They, too, have felt that there is “ a God in Israel.” 
 The last inheritor, struck Avith the aAvful punishments of the family, be- 
 came a Catholic, and is buried in the centre of the arcade. In conse- 
 quence of litigation, Avhich ensued after his death, the property Avas 
 sold, and purchased by Charles KirkAVOod, of Bertra, aaLo is, during the 
 last three years, confined in a lunatic asylum of the metropolis. 
 
 It is but justice to add, that the Knoxes of TyraAvley Avere never ar- 
 rayed as pereecutors of the ancient faith. They had the good sense to 
 enjoy their estates Avithout such an idious distinction. 
 
 A prince of Spain, Avho Avas of the strict observance, and who at- 
 tended one of the chapters held in the abbey of Moyne, is buried near 
 the eastern AvindoAV. 
 
 Odbhacheara, in Partrigia, the north of the barony of Killmaine. 
 The saints Liban and Fortchern are said to have belonged to this 
 church. They are noted in the Irish annals as the smiths of St 
 Patrick. 
 
 Eathbran, in the barony of TyraAAdey, parish of Killala, and on the 
 banks of the river Avonmore. A Dominican abbey, founded by the 
 Jordans, in the year 1271 ; othere say that Sir William Burke, the grey, 
 and for some time lord justice of Ireland, who was married to Finola 
 Jordan, of Gallon, was the founder. 
 
 A.D. 1513, Edmund Burke, of Castlebar, was murdered in this mo- 
 nastery on the 2d of February, by the sons of his brother Walter. 
 
 At the dissolution of monasteries, this house was found to be seized, 
 of tAvo quarters of land, with the tithes thereof, each quarter being 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORT OF lEEI^AND. 
 
 683 
 
 valued at 13s. 4d. sterling, annually ; and a lease of the same was 
 granted in September, 1577, to Thomas Dexter, or Jordan. 
 
 They were afterwards given to John Knox, in whose possession 
 they were in 1756, of Castlerea. The estates of this house are nearly 
 ripe for the court of encumbered estates. 
 
 Tliey are now held by Sir Eoger Palmer, whose family enjoyed, to 
 a large extent, church property, besides about £1500 a year in tithes. 
 Near this abbey is Palmerstown house, formerly the residence of Mary 
 Browne, who is said to have died in the odour of sanctity. This abbey 
 has given to the Irish church two martyrs, Hugh Mac Goil and Walter 
 Fleming. 
 
 In 1756, there were five friars attached to this church : Richard 
 Bellew, Thomas Mac Evila, sub-prior, Dominick Mac Philbin, Thomas 
 Barrett, and Patrick Mac Donnell. 
 
 Between the abbey and Ternple-murry is a well, dedicated to Saint 
 Brendan. 
 
 Templemary, as it is now called, is distant from Rathbran about 
 one hundred yards. It is at present a burial place, having none of its 
 buildings left except the foundation. The property on which it is situ- 
 ated belongs to Palmer, of Summerhill, — a family not blessed with 
 much prosperity ; as well might they have burning charcoal on their 
 heads. 
 
 It may have been a Dominican nunnery. 
 
 The church of Rathbran is fast mouldering. Over an elevated win- 
 dow of the western gable is a figure of the Saviour crucified, on which 
 the marks of the chisel still appear. The beautiful pointed window 
 to the east gable was demolished by the awful storm of 1839. 
 A chalice belonging to this abbey is preserved at Carrukeel, by Walter 
 Bourke. 
 
 Rathcolp, now unknown. The festival of St. Tassach, a bishop, was 
 observed in this place on the llth of April. 
 
 St. Tassach was the bishop who administered the holy viaticum to 
 our national apostle. 
 
 Rosserick, in the barony of Tyrawley and parish of Ballysakeera, 
 on the river Moy. A Franciscan monastery was built here, in 1400, by 
 the Joyces, who were a family of high consideration in England and 
 Ireland. They had no possessions in this district. Perhaps, as was the 
 case with Rathbran, one of the Joyces may liave been married to a 
 Barrett, whose property it was about this time. 
 
 It is a beautiful specimen of monastic architecture. The church 
 measures 99 feet long by 20 broad. In the eastern gable are the re- 
 mains of a very fine window, looking over the river Moy. Almost in 
 the centre of the church is a grand arch, of singularly exquisite beauty 
 
584 
 
 ECCLESIaSTICAI, history of IRELAND. 
 
 and workmanship ; it is composed of two curved columns, six feet asun- 
 der, and each three feet broad, both bending, as they rise, into two 
 arches thiity feet high, forming the nave and connected at top by two 
 cross arches, and other very elegantly carved stone work, over and upon 
 which is erected a very fine steeple, about sixty feet high. 
 
 On the south side issues a small and beautiful clnirch, divided from 
 the large one by very fine arches. On the north are the monastic 
 buildings, on which time has Avrought very little injury. 
 
 The friars of this liouse having refused to receive the reform of the 
 strict observance, were placed under an interdict, whereby it became 
 deserted ; and it seems, that in consequence of their refractory conduct, 
 the provincial, Xehemias O’Donohue, procured the erection ot Moyne, 
 which is not much more than a mile distant from Rosserick. 
 
 Archdall observes, that there Avas in this church, as Avell as in 
 Moyne, a closet of hewn stone, in which tAvo confessoi-s used to sit ; 
 even one person could not conveniently sit in either of those closets. 
 Tliere is, however, on the right side of the altar an arched recess, in 
 Avhich Avere sedilia, for the celebrant and his assisting priests, of beau 
 tifuljy carved stone. 
 
 Strade, in the barony of Gallon, and on the river Moy. The Jor- 
 dans founded this monastery, for Franciscan friars, under the invocation 
 of the Holy Cross ; but in the year 1252, it was given to the Domini- 
 cans by Jordan de Exeter, lord of Athleah, or by his son Stephen, at 
 the particular request of his Avife Basilia, daughter of the lord Meiler de 
 Bermingliam. 
 
 A.D. 1434, Pope Eugene IT. enriched this monastery with nume- 
 rous indulgencies. 
 
 August 9th, thirtieth of queen Elizabeth, a lease of this abbey was 
 granted to Patrick BaniAvall for forty years. 
 
 Tlie walls of the abbey churcb, Avhich was singularly beautiful, are 
 still entire, and the high altar is adorned Avith gothic ornaments ; in 
 the centre of the altar is an image of our Saviour, when an infant, in 
 the virgin’s lap, and a person, in relief, within a compartment on each 
 side. Here also is a tomb adorned Avith curious relievos of four kings 
 in different compartments, one of Avhom is kneeling before a mitred 
 person ; near to Avhich is another relievo of the Saints Peter and Paul. 
 
 In 1756, James O’Hara, lord of TyraAvley and Killmain, was in pos- 
 session of this abbey and its property. 
 
 There Avere then, despite the pereecution, seven friare living adjacent 
 to the monastery, Thady Tuohy, the prior, MatheAV Higgins, the sub- 
 prior, Thomas Roche, James Mannin, Anthony de Burgo, Thomas 
 MacNicholas, and John Blake. 
 
 Strade Avas called de sancta cruce. Holy Cross, because in the 
 
ECCLESLVSTICAL HISTOKY OF IKPXAND. 
 
 585 
 
 divine office of the church, a commemoration was made daily of the 
 cross. 
 
 Tarmoncarra in the peninsula of the Mullet and half barony of Erris. 
 The ruins of this ancient nunnery are nearly buried in the sands. See 
 Grange or Greany, county Cork. There were three Irish nuns of the 
 name of Cera or Chir, one of whom is said to have lived in St. lirendan’s 
 time, who founded the monastery of Innisgluaire. 
 
 Termoncarra signifies the church property of Cera. Cera was also 
 the ancient name by which the present barony of Carragh w'as known. 
 The very name of Termoncarra shews that one of those saints was dis- 
 tinguished in Mayo, and particularly in Erris. See Grange or Graney, 
 county Cork. 
 
 Termondeai'bhile, also in Erris, and in the same parish. 
 
 A.D. 124:8, Murtogh O’Dowda, lord of all the country from Killdar- 
 bile to the strand (of Tireragh), was slain by Eelim O’Conor. 
 
 We have more data of St. Dearbhile, of Erris. She is buried in the 
 churchyard of the church which commemorates her name. Her church 
 is in form a simple oblong, measuring internally forty feet in length and 
 sixteen broad, and is lighted at its east end by a small unadorned, semi- 
 circular-headed window, splaying considerably on the inside. The ma- 
 sonry is of the most massive description. Seen from the interior of the 
 church, is a sort of tablet, which is adorned by a simple interlaced 
 tracery over its doorw'ay, which is also semicircular-headed and which 
 is placed in the west wall. 
 
 It appears that this St. Dearbhile lived in the 6th century, and she 
 is also named as one of those religious and illustrious persons who as- 
 sembled to meet St. Columbkille at Ballysadare in the year 590. She 
 was the fourth in descent from the monarch Dathy, who was struck by 
 lightning in 427, as her pedigree is preserved in the genealogies of the 
 Irish saints. She was of the second class of Irish saints, and her festi- 
 vals are marked in the calendars at the 3d of August and 26th of October. 
 
 Bingham is the present proprietor of those “Termon” lands, whose 
 ancestors have been remarkable for cruelty towards the oppressed Ca- 
 tholics. One of them at Castlebar had in his employ the notorious 
 priest-catcher John Muldowney, who was protected by a body guard in 
 doing the work of Sir John Bingham, in slaying and beheading defence- 
 less friars and priests. The late Major Bingham, of Erris, exhibited his 
 zeal in 1798, by capturing the Rev. Manus Sweeney, of Newport. 
 
 Richard Bingham, the governor of Connaught, was removed because 
 of his cruelties towards the people. He was known by the name ot 
 “Falx Diaboli,” the Devil’s Sickle, and badly disposed as w’as Elizabeth 
 towards her Catholic subjects of Ireland, she became sensible of this 
 man’s enormities, while governing the province of Connaught. 
 
5S6 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORr OF IRELAND. 
 
 Yet this monster spared the abbey of Killconnell, in Galway, and 
 even ordered the friars to preserve it. In the year 1596, Captain Stryck, 
 who was quartered there with fifteen troops of soldiers, ordered the 
 friars to remain in the convent, and pledged himself to punish any sol- 
 dier who should burn any of the timbers of the church or otherwise 
 injure it. During nine months of its military occupation, the friars 
 were allowed to say mass privately in the sacristy, and had some cells 
 for their own exclusive use in the dormitory. 
 
 The cruelties practised at Castlebar recently, entitle another of the 
 name to the same title which his distinguished ancestor has borne. 
 
 Tlie priest-catchers were abominated by all classes, even the Pro- 
 testants, unless with very few exceptions, such as Bingham. So odious 
 were they, that their appearance in public often endangered their lives, 
 as they used to be pelted with stones by the mobs, who sometimes were 
 of opinion that the club would be also useful in making those infamous 
 wretches conscious of their base and sacrilegious engagement. De 
 Burgo, in his “ Hibernia Dominicaua,” speaks of a Portuguese Jew, 
 named Garzia, who, feigning himself a Catholic clergyman, succeeded 
 by his cunning in having seven ecclesiastics arrested in 1718, and who 
 were sent into exile ; one of them, Anthony MacGuire was provincial 
 of the Dominicans, two Jesuits, a Minorite or Franciscan, and three 
 secular priests. 
 
 Urlare, in the barony of Costello. One of the family of Nangle 
 (afterwards Costello) founded this monastery for Dominicans, which was 
 dedicated to St. Thomas. Having seated themselves here without 
 licence of tlie Pope, they obtained from the Pontift’ Eugene lY. a bull 
 granting the same. On account of the prohibition which Pope Boniface 
 VHI. issued under pain of excommunication against any of the Mendi- 
 cant ordere, who would presume to establish themselves in any new 
 locality without the special authority of the Holy See, it was necessary 
 to obtain this bull in approbation of their proceeding. A similar occur- 
 rence took place in Burrishool convent. 
 
 The monastery of Urlare was the general novitiate for the province 
 of Connaught. The bull of Eugene lY. bears date the 18th of March, 
 1434:, which is then the date of its legitimate foundation. 
 
 By an inquision taken on the 12th of May, 1608, it appears, that the 
 prior of Urlare was seized of the site, &c., and of twelve acres of land 
 with the tithes thereof, and again in 1610, the prior was also found to 
 possess twenty-four acres of land in Ballyhaunes. 
 
 On the dissolution of monasteries, it was granted to lord Dillon, 
 whose representative, in 1756, professed the Catholic religion. 
 
 This monastery has given martyrs to the Irish church. 
 
 A.D. 1654:, a chapter was held in this convent. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAi mSTORY OF IRELAOT). 
 
 5S7 
 
 A.D. 1756, there were six friars living there: Andrew Duffy, pi .or, 
 Hugh Morilly, sub-prior, Tliomas Philips, John MacDonnell, James 
 Ile^’iies, and Dominick Mac Jordan. 
 
 CHAPTEK LVI. 
 
 COUNTY OF MEATH. 
 
 Ardbreccan, “ the high place of Breccan,” in the barony of hfavan, 
 and within two miles of that town. St. Breccan was the brother of St. 
 Carnech, of Clonleigh. See which, in county Donegal. 
 
 Ardbreccan was a see of which this saint was bishop. According to 
 Ware, Brecan was alive in 650. The death of his brother Carnech, ac- 
 cording to Colgan, occurred about the year 530. These dates would at 
 least give Breccan an age of 120 years in the supposition of his birth in 
 the lifetime of the abbot of Clonleigh. Either W are is wrong in assign- 
 ing that year to his death, or we must suppose, that Breccan was born 
 long after the decease of his brother. The feast of St. Breccan is marked 
 at the 16th of July. He is also one of the four prophets of Ireland. 
 
 One of his predictions has been fulfilled centuries after it was de- 
 livered. Among the natives of Ireland, who were much given to nar- 
 ratives of this sort, are recorded many predictions, which have been ful- 
 filled long since in the unfortunate history of Irish oppression, and to 
 which they still cling wilh confidence, as they give a hope of its future 
 deliverance from the yoke of England ; one of which still adhered to is, 
 that the liberation of our isle of saints and sages, of the brave and the 
 beautiful, will be accomplished by the descendants of her own sons in 
 this land of freedom and happiness. As the prediction of Breccan has 
 been fulfilled long since, may the latter one be soon realized, if it be so 
 ordained in the councils of Heaven. Of Breccan’s prophecy the words 
 are subjoined in Irish, but in common characters, as the Celtic ones 
 could not be printed. 
 
5S8 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAl, HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 “ Tigfaid geinti tar muir mean, 
 
 Measgfaid air fearaibh Eireann 
 Budh uathaibh ah air gach cill 
 Budh uathaibh Ri fear Erinrf,” 
 
 The following lines are the translation of those prophetic words, 
 
 “ Erin’s white crested billow shall sleep on the shore, 
 
 And its voice shall be mute, while the spoilers glide o’er. 
 
 And the strangers shall give a new priest to each shrine. 
 
 And the sceptre shall wrest from her own regal line.” 
 
 Tlie prophecy of Breccan has been verified, and English heresy has 
 given to the shrines of Irish saints “ Ministers ” who banished God’s 
 priests and laughed his religion to scorn. 
 
 A.D. 657, and on the 4th of September, died St. Ultan, bishop of 
 Ardbreccan. He is surnamed Ilna Conchovar (O’Connor), and is said to 
 have been related to St. Brigid by her mother’s side, and is supposed 
 the founder of this see instead of his predecessor. He wrote a life of 
 St. Patrick and also a treatise concerning the transactions of St. Brigid. 
 A hymn is attributed to him which he wrote in Latin, and in praise of 
 the sainted abbess of Kildare. Kennidhe Lamhglan is mentioned too 
 as the author of that liymn. 
 
 This St. Kennidhe, called the clean-handed, is diflferent from another 
 of the name, and surnamed Laomh-dearg, abbot and bishop of Inis- 
 muighe-samh, county Fermanagh, who was highly respected, and is 
 reckoned among the chief founders of the Irish monasteries. The clean- 
 handed was a student at Kildare, when St. Brigid, happening to be with 
 some of her nuns not far fi’om the monastery, saw him running very 
 fast, and in an unbecoming manner. She sent for him, and, on his 
 coming uji, appearing somewhat abashed at the message of the saint, 
 asked him whither he was running in such haste, he replied, as if in 
 jest, that he was running to the kingdom of heaven. “I wish,” said 
 Brigid, “ that I deserved to run along with you to day to that kingdom ; 
 pray for me that I may arrive there.” Atfected by the observation of 
 the holy abbess, he requested, that she would offer up her prayers for 
 his pursuing a steady course towards heaven. She then prayed for him, 
 and the Almighty was pleased to touch his heart, so that he did penance, 
 and ever after led a most religious life. She next foretold him, that he 
 was the person from whose hand in due time she would receive the holy 
 viaticum on the day of her death. Kennidhe went afterwards to Britain, 
 where he remained until near the time that St. Brigid died. From the 
 care he took in keeping clean the hand that was to administer the viati- 
 cum to the patroness of Ireland, he got his surname. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IKELAND. 
 
 589 
 
 Tireclian, a disciple of St. Ultan, wlio wrote the acts of St. Patrick, 
 was the immediate successor of tliis saint. 
 
 A.I). 731, died the abbot Daniel Mac Colman. 
 
 A.D. 700, died the abbot St. Tola. 
 
 A.D. 779, died St. Algnicd, bishop of Ardbreccan. Ilis festival is 
 marked in some calendars at the 8tli of March. 
 
 A.D. 886, Ardbreccan was laid waste bj the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 992, they repeated their ravages. 
 
 A.D. 1014, died Dubhslaine, a priest of this abbey, and prime an- 
 chorite of all Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 1031, Sitric, of Dublin, with his Danes, plundered and burned 
 the abbey ; carried olf upwards of two hundred prisoners, as many 
 more having perished in the flames. 
 
 A.D. 1055, died Moelbrigidhe, a professor of this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1136, Dermot Mac Murrough, king of Leinster, burned this 
 abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1166, Moriertach, king of Ireland, granted a parcel of land to 
 this abbey in perpetuity, at the yearly rent of three ounces of gold. 
 
 A.D. 1170, the steeple of this abbey fell. 
 
 The memory of St. Breccan is revered in the island of Aran, where 
 a church is dedicated to his name. His tomb having been opened to 
 receive the body of a Catholic clergyman, who desired to be buried 
 therein, a slab was found, with an inscription in contracted Irish letters, 
 requesting a prayer for Brecan, the pilgrim. See Aran, county of 
 Galway. 
 
 In Brechin, now the county of Angus, in Scotland, is a round tower, 
 the door of which has the flgure of our Saviour on the cross, wdiich 
 surmounts the entrance, with two images or statues towards the middle, 
 and which clearly shew it to have been the work of a Christian archi- 
 tect. 
 
 Sir Walter Scott observes, in his Beview of Ritson’s Annals of the 
 Caledonians, that the round towers of Abernethy and Brechin were 
 built after the introduction of Christianity (of which there can be no 
 doubt, as the figure of the crucifixion indicates), and adds, in all proba- 
 bility, by or under the direction of Irish monks, who brought Christi- 
 anity into Scotland. See Domnach-more, in this county. 
 
 Ardcath, in the barony of Duleek, was not a monastery. In this 
 parish church was founded a perpetual chantry, with a priest to cele- 
 brate constantly divine service. 
 
 Ardmulchan, in the barony of Duleek, and situated near Painstown. 
 Another chantry, endowed as well as the former, with appurtenances, 
 which was contrary to the statute. 
 
 Ai'dsailech, “ hill of the sallows,” in the barony of !Navan, and on 
 
590 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 the river Boyne. The name of the illustrious St. Finnian, of Clonard, 
 is connected with this place. 
 
 Ardslane, near Shine, a monastery of which St. Mochua was abbot 
 
 Athboy, in the barony of Lune, six miles north-west of Trim. A 
 market and borough town, which sent two members to the Irish parlia- 
 ment before its extinction by the British government. 
 
 A.D. 1317, the 17th of October, a licence was granted to 'William 
 de Loundres, permitting him to make a donation to the friai*3 of tlie 
 blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel, in Athboy, of a lot of ground in the 
 said town, whereon this monastery stood. 
 
 A.D. 1325, a provincial chajiter of the order was held before John 
 Bloxham, vicar general of tlie institute in Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 1372, The friare were indicted for acquiring two gardens, con- 
 trary to the statute. 
 
 A.D. 1467, another chapter was held. 
 
 April 31st, and of Henry VIII. the thirty-first, the prior of. Athboy 
 was found seized of a church and a belfry, a cloister, a stone tower, a 
 mansion, a small orchard, and six small gardens, all within the precincts 
 and of the annual value, besides reprises, of 2s. ; also eight messuages, 
 value 24s. The monastery, with these and other appurtenances, was 
 granted for ever to Thomas Casey, in capite, at the aimual rent of 2s. 
 L'ish. 
 
 Ballybogan, De laude Dei, in the barony of Moysinrath, and on the 
 river Boyne. Jordan Comin founded this priory for Augustinians, in 
 the twelfth century, under the invocation of the Holy Trinity. 
 
 A.D. 1446, The priory was consumed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1447, the prior of this house died of the plague. 
 
 A.D. 1537, Thomas Bermingham was the last prior. A considerable 
 number of the ancient monasteries of the kingdom, about the period of 
 the foundation of Ballybogan, adopted the rule of the canons regular of 
 St. Augustine, and were much diftused over Ireland, before the begin- 
 ning of the thirteenth century. 
 
 Tliis establishment was surrendered in the nineteenth of Henry 
 VHI., when its possessions were found to consist of five thousand two 
 hundred acres of arable land, in various places. This priory, with 
 various parcels of its property, was granted to Sir William Bermingham, 
 at an annual rent of £4 3s. 4d. 
 
 This was an excellent mode of making good, sound Protestants, — 
 stem and uncompromising defenders of British rule and Protestant as- 
 cendancy in unfortunate Ireland. However this be, the savage tyranny 
 of the English government in subjugating the oppressed Catholics of 
 Ireland, has cost that proud nation millions of treasure ; and Elizabeth, 
 with all her resources, could not subdue two provinces, Ulster and Con- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF IRELAilD. 
 
 C91 
 
 nauglit, until the government of her deputy, Mountjoj, perceived, as 
 well as carried out a sliort method of doing so, by burning and destroy- 
 ing the crops of the Irish. 
 
 A.D. 1538, this year a crucifix, which was held in great veneration, 
 was publicly burned. 
 
 A.D. 1850, in the month of November, and in the metropolis ot 
 England, the holy and immaculate Virgin mother of the Saviour, who 
 died on the wood of the cross for the redemption of mankind, was in- 
 sulted by the burning of her effigy, in the streets of London. 
 
 In the pride and in the enjoyment of that evangelical liberty, which 
 the doctrine of the “ private spirit ” confers on every dissenter from 
 the Catholic church, and which, it seems, prompts him to heap indignity 
 on every thing which the church of God deems worthy of veneration, 
 
 let England boast of her especial enlightenment in this respect. To 
 
 tlie liumble Catholic and the sincere disciple of Chi-ist crucified, the 
 
 cross, w'hich the book of wisdom calls the “ wood of contempt,” is his 
 
 greatest glory. To him it is a consolation to venerate the sacred em- 
 blem, at which the scofiers sneer, because his Saviour expired on that 
 instrument of ignominy, — because St. Peter, the prince of the apostles 
 chose a similar but an humbler mode of laying down his life on the 
 cross, his head having been towards the earth, — because St. Andrew, 
 the apostle, when sentenced by the prefect ^geas, to undergo a death 
 similar also to that of his Redeemer, exclaimed, on seeing that cross, on 
 which he was to suflFer : “ O good cross, which received beauty from 
 the members of my Lord, — long desired by me — ardently loved — con- 
 stantly sought — and at length, according to my earnest desire, prepared, 
 — accept me from men, and restore me to my Master, that he who has 
 redeemed me, through thee, may receive me.” 
 
 This apostolic predilection for this wood of contempt, is to us. Ca- 
 tholics, the more valuable, as the sneer of the sectarian may be the 
 more insulting. 
 
 As to thee, 0 Mary, be it ours to exalt you, while a vile rabble 
 offers an indignity to your Son, in the person of his sacred mother. 
 You, whom all nations call “blessed” — the elect of the eternal Father, 
 and the spouse of the Holy Ghost. Who bore your divine Son — nursed 
 him in his infancy — endured, with him, the poverty of the stable, the 
 cold of the winter blast while travelling to Egypt, watched over his pro- 
 gress in years and in wisdom, administered to his wants. You, through 
 whom that divine Son performed his first miracle at the marriage feast ; 
 and finally, you, who bore his sorrows on the cross, and whose heart 
 was pierced with the sword of grief, while he was expiating the crimes 
 of sinful man, and effecting a reconciliation between the Creator and 
 his rebellious creatures ; and you, whose province it is to destroy 
 
592 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 heresy ; and tliongh the deicide Jews were inflicting the cruellest tor- 
 tures on “ the Word made flesli,” aided by a Pagan soldiery, still they 
 respected the sufterings of his holy mother. 
 
 Beamore, in the barony of Duleek, and about two miles south of 
 Drogheda. Here are some remains of an ancient building, which, tra- 
 dition informs us, was a preceptory belonging to Kilmainham. 
 
 Beanbec, in the same direction as Beamore from Drogheda. In the 
 reign of King John, Walter de Lacie, lord of Meath, did grant to the 
 church of St. Mary and St. Lawrence of Beanbec, all his laud situate 
 in Killokeran, together with the liberty of keeping a boat free of toll. 
 
 A.D. 1332, King Edward I. granted a license to the abbot of 
 Beanbec, in Normandy, to assign to the abbot of Fumes, the manor of 
 Beanbec, near Drogheda, together with three messuages, sixty acres 
 and a half of land, and fifty-seven shillings and nine pence, annual rent, 
 arising from Marinston, Renneles, and the town of Drogheda, on both 
 sides of the river ; also a fishery in the Boyne ; saving, however, to the 
 lords of the fee, their proper services. 
 
 A.D. 1348, King Edward, in a charter, dated May 4th, recites* and 
 repeats the grant of Walter de Lacie, and farther saj’s, that King 
 Henry III. had confirmed the same, and that the abbot of Beanbec, of 
 the Cistercian order, had afterwards, with the king’s license, granted 
 the aforesaid manor of Beanbec, to the abbot of Fumes. 
 
 BectifF, in the barony of Navan, and on the river Boyne. Murchard 
 O’Melaghlin, king of Meath, founded the Cistercian abbey of Bectiflf, 
 in the year 1146, under the invocation of the Virgin Mary. 
 
 The reader cannot but observe, that a large number, if not the 
 greater part of the Irish monasteries, was dedicated to the Mother of 
 God. Always devotion to the Virgin Jtfary has been practised in Ire- 
 land. Tlie poor reaper of Ireland, on his autumnal pilgrimage to 
 England, to earn a few pounds wherewith to pay the Irish landlord a 
 portion of his rack-rent, implored Mary, the star of the sea, to protect 
 “ her dear Irish boy, wherever he roamed confident of her protection 
 the Irish emigrant betakes himself to the watei*s of the mighty Atlantic, 
 and when the winds of heaven agitate the vast deep, threatening with 
 destruction the bark, to wdiose temporary keeping English rule and 
 landlord oppression, wome than Egyptian bondage, have consigned him, 
 the Irish Catholic, no other hope being left, entreats Mary to suppli- 
 cate her Son, whom the seas and winds obey, in his behalf. 
 
 Tlie abbey of BectiflT was called de Beatitudlne. 
 
 -A.D. 1340, John was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1488, the abbot James, of Castlemartin, received the king’s 
 pardon for the part he had taken in the affair of Lambert Slmnell. 
 
 Jidy the 31st, and thirty-fourth of Henry VIH., the abbot snrren- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAJID, 
 
 593 
 
 dered, according to the acceptation of the word in the English use, it 
 means forced to surrender^ the possessions of this abbey, amounting 
 to .twenty messuages and one thousand two hundred acres of arable 
 and pasture land, in the county of Meath, became involved in the 
 general confiscation ; and yet as the royal plunderer progressed in his 
 sacrilegious career, new wants arose, seemingly as cruel and as tyrannic 
 as his thirst for the blood of his faithless wives. 
 
 Tlie abbot of Bective sat as a baron in parliament. Large ruins of 
 Bectiff abbey still remain. The cloisters and tower are almost entire. 
 
 Caillefochlada. A.D. 869, Curoius, the abbot died. 
 
 This house was situated in the ancient territory of Meath. It is now 
 lost in oblivion. 
 
 * Calliaghtown, in the barony of Duleek. Of this cell there are now 
 no remains. It was dependent on the nunnery of St. Brigid, of Odder. 
 
 It was supposed to stand near the well of Shallon, which was dedicated 
 to St. Columbkille. 
 
 Clonard, in the barony of Moysenrath, and is near the Boyne. St. 
 Finnian, the founder of Clonard. This celebrated school of Clonard 
 sent forth into the vineyard of the Lord hosts of learned men, while its 
 missionaries were not only the ornaments of their own country, but 
 also the luminaries of foreign and distant lands. See Clonard, diocese • ' 
 of Meath. 
 
 A.D. 838, The Danes destroyed the abbey, and put the clergy to the 
 sword. 
 
 A.D. 939, again plundered by the Danes, under Ceallachan, king of 
 Cashell. 
 
 A.D. 940, died St. Moel Mochta, lecturer of divinity, and the head 
 of religion and learning in Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 949, King Congalagh granted to this abbey a perpetual free- 
 dom from cess, press, or other charge thereon. 
 
 A.D. 951, died Angal, a professor of this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1135, Connor, king of Munster, spoiled Meath, and forcibly 
 carried off the riches of the whole province, which were laid in this 
 church for safety. 
 
 ‘A.D. 1136, the inhabitants of Breffney sacked Clonard, and behaved 
 in so shameless a manner as to strip O’Daly, then chief poet of Ireland, 
 even naked, and leave him so ; and amongst other outrages they took 
 from the vestry the sword of St. Finnian, the founder. 
 
 A.D. 1114, died Giolla Patrick, priest and principal of the schools 
 of Clonard, a learned doctor, and universally esteemed for his un- 
 bounded benevolence and amiable disposition. 
 
 A.D. 1170, Dermod MacMurrogh, with his English hirelings, plun- 
 
 38 
 
594 
 
 ECCLESIASTIC A.L HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 dered and burned Clonard. The inhabitants afterwards rebuilt the 
 towTi and abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1175, they repeated their ravages. • 
 
 About this time, Walter, son of Hugh de Lacie, erected the monas- 
 tery of Clonard for regular canons of St. Augustine. 
 
 A.D. 1538, Gerald Walshe was abbot. Gerald died in 1540. 
 
 At the period of the general suppression of religious houses in Ire- 
 land, Clonard monastery was found to possess 160 messuages, with their 
 gardens ; 912 acres of arable land ; 1280 acres of pasture ; of meadow, 
 192 ; of underwood, 184 ; and of moor, 400 acres, a great proportion of 
 which had been situated in Kilbreny, Ballynlogh, and other parts of the 
 county of Kildare. 
 
 Nunnery of Clonard was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and was 
 endo-wed, before the English invasion, by O’Melaghlin, king of Meath. 
 It was founded for canonesses regular, Ac. 
 
 A.D. 1195, the lady Agnes was abbess. Pope Celestine confirmed 
 her possessions. 
 
 A.D.^1282, the abbess being dead, a license was obtained, the 16th 
 of !May, to elect an abbess in her stead. 
 
 A.D. 1286, the lady abbess Felicia being dead, a license was granted 
 to proceed to an election. 
 
 A.D. 1288, Burgenilda, the lately elected abbess, resigned. After- 
 wards this nunnery was annexed to the house of St. Brigid of Odder. 
 
 Cloonmainan is wholly unknown. 
 
 Cloonmorfernarda, in the territory of Bregia. St. Columbkille is 
 said to have placed St. Ossin, the son of Kellach, over this establish- 
 ment. Unknown at present. 
 
 Colpe, at the mouth of the Boyne. A.D. 1182, Hugh de Lacie 
 founded this abbey for regular canons of St. Augustine, having made it 
 dependent on the abbey of Lanthony, in Monmouthshire. 
 
 A.D. 1300, Boger, the prior of Colpe, was attached for stopping the 
 Dominican friars of Drogheda in the high street of the said town, and 
 there robbing them of the body of Roger Wetherell, and also for forcibly 
 taking from them the bier and pall thereunto belonging. He was fined 
 in the sum of 20s. 
 
 At the suppression of monasteries, the prior was found seized of 
 the following tithes in the county of Meath: Colpe, eight ’couple of 
 corn; Newtown, one and a half; St. James, one; Stagrenan, one; Pills- 
 town and Ballymad, one ; Ballangstown, four and a half, and the tithes 
 of W eisle’s farm in Mornington. 
 
 Tliis abbey paid four marcs annually to the bishop. 
 
 Discrtola, in the ancient territory of Meath. St. Tola bishop of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRFXAOT). 
 
 595 
 
 Clonard presided here several years, whose festival is observed on the 
 30th of March. 
 
 A.D. 919, died the bishop Claran. 
 
 A.D. 936, died the abbot Moelcarny. 
 
 • A.D. 975, died the abbot Goringal. 
 
 A.D. 1010, died the abbot Dalach, a chosen scribe. 
 
 A.D. 1128, died the abbot Coscan. 
 
 This place is now unknown. The devastation of the Danes have not 
 left traces of some of the ancient monasteries. 
 
 Doiremacaidmecan. Archdall places it in this county. See Rey- 
 nagh, King’s county. Wherever it was situated, St. Lasra was the 
 foundress. 
 
 Domnach-sarige. Archdall makes this place a monastery. Tlie 
 father of St. Cethecus lived here or was born in it. St. Cethecus, &c. 
 
 See Oran, county of Roscommon. 
 
 Domnach-mor, in campo Ethnach, near Kavan. Tlie original 
 clmrcli of Domnaghrnore was built by St. Patrick, who placed there his 
 disciple St. Cassanus, whose relics were preserved in this church and 
 held in the highest veneration for ages after his deatli. < 
 
 A.D. 813, died the abbot Robertagh, the son of Flinn. 
 
 The round tower of Domnachmor has a doorway with a figure of the 
 Saviour crucified, sculptured in relievo, on its keystone, and the stone 
 immediately placed over it ; the head of the figure reached the joint of 
 this upper stone, while nearly approaching the curve of the keystone. 
 
 On each side of .the door is a human head carved ; the one partly on 
 the band, and the other outside it. This doorway, placed at an ele- 
 vation of twelve feet from the base of the tower, measures five feet two 
 inches in height, and its inclined jambs are two feet three inches asun- 
 der, and two feet at the spring of the arch. 
 
 This tower is considered to belong to the 10th century. That the 
 round towers are of Christian origin is undeniable. Kowhere ai’e they 
 as )'et discovered, unless in connexion with the ancient ecclesiastical 
 establishments of the country. If they had been used for other pur- 
 poses than Christian belfries, or for the worship of fire as some pre- 
 tended, in ignorance of the early history of the Irish church, how is it 
 that at Tarah, the stronghold of that form of paganism, there is no ves- 
 tige of any such tower or building ? nor at Downpatrick in Tyrawley, 
 another place in which the fire-worship was observed, nor in the islands 
 of Aran, to which the obstinate votaries or priests of the old supersti- 
 tion had fled, sooner than embrace the saving truths of the Gospel ? 
 
 When St. Patrick founded Armagh, there is no record of the existence 
 of a round tower there, while the building of St. Patrick’s cathedral is 
 80 accurately described as well as the office of his “ campanarius ” or 
 
596 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 bellman, and if a tower of this description bad been converted into a 
 belfry, how is it that such a fact would be unrecorded ? When the 
 converted princes gave up their fortresses as at Fenagh and Killbannon, 
 mention is made of those grants ; of the yew-tree, which the apostle 
 planted at Newry, memory is kept in the Irish annals, and if the apostle 
 had consecrated the Pagan places of woi-ship to that of the true God, 
 such an act of triumph over the errors of Paganism would be faithfully 
 recorded. At Kildai*e, which took its name from the oak-tree growing 
 there at the time that St. Brigid founded her church, there was no 
 round tower until a subsequent period. Tlie woi'ship of lire was carried 
 on in many places over the country, and those places still retain the 
 names which designate the fact, such as Greany, Tomgreauy, Ac., and in 
 which no traces of the round tower exist. 
 
 The annals of Ireland point out the era of the erection of some 
 towers as at Clonmacnoise and Annadown. In the former establish- 
 ment is Temple-Finghen and its round tower, which is entered by a 
 door-way from the church, and level with the floor thereof. If some 
 towers remain without vestiges of an ecclesiastical building attached, be 
 it remembered, that many of those churches were built of wood and 
 consigned to the flames by the plundering Danes who devastated in 
 particular everything sacred. 
 
 These towers were used, it appears from the Irish annals, not alone 
 as belfries, but also as places of security for the valuables of the altars 
 in cases of sudden attack, being, by their construction and solidity, 
 capable of resisting every kind of military machine then known, and 
 also tire. They were also in many places, as at Killala, peculiarly 
 adapted for the purpose of signal towers, as well as beacons to guide the 
 wearied traveller towards the sacred buildings, where they found reli- 
 gion as well as hospitality practised towards them. 
 
 Donnygarney is situated a mile east of Colpe. According to tradi- 
 tion, was a numiery, the possessions of which were granted to the family 
 of Dray cot. 
 
 Donogh-Patrick, in the barony of Kells. Tlie apostle of Ireland 
 founded a church in this place, his admirer and friend, Conall, brother 
 of the monarch Leogaire, having given him the site or rather his own 
 castle to be converted into a church. 
 
 A.D. 745, this abbey was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 886, it was plundered by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 949, renewed ravages by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 951, again ravaged by the barbarians. 
 
 A.D. 988, this abbey was plundered by the same despoilers, who 
 were assisted by Murtagh O’Conolay. It is related, that all concerned 
 in this act of sacrilege died within a month after its commission. 
 
ECX1LE6IASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 597 
 
 A.D. 992, the Danes continued their hostilities. 
 
 A.D. 994, they again, assisted by some Irish, plundered the abbey. 
 
 Domnach-tortain, near Ardbraccan. Saint Patrick founded this 
 church, over which he placed a St. Justin or Justianus, who is men- 
 tioned in Tirechan’s list. 
 
 Drogheda, on the Meath side of the river. Priory and hospital of 
 St. John, of the order of Cross-bearers, was founded in, it is supposed, 
 the reign of King John, by Walter de Lacie, who was, if not the found- 
 er, at least, its principal benefactor. It belonged to the grand establish- 
 ment at Kilmainham. 
 
 This hospital paid annually half a marc proxies to the bishop of 
 Meath. 
 
 Tliomas Dane was the last prior, and on the 26th of J uly, the thirty- 
 first of king Henry VIII., was found seized of a church and belfry, 
 chapter-house, dormitory, and dwelling, with its other appurtenances. 
 In tlie sixth of Edward VI. it was granted, with a j)arcel of its property, 
 to James Sedgrave, for ever, at the annual rent of 10s. lOd. 
 
 Carmelite friary, on the Meath side of the river, and convenient 
 to the castle or garrison of Drogheda. This house was founded by 
 the inhabitants of Drogheda, for Carmelites, in honor of the blessed 
 Virgin. 
 
 In the first year of Edward II., it appears by inquisition, that the 
 corporation of Drogheda had granted to the friars of this order a piece 
 of land containing eighty virgates ; and on the 23d of June, 1346, 
 Edward III. granted a license to Eichard, the son of William Massager, 
 of Drogheda, permitting him to assign to this house four acres of land 
 adjoining the same, with the appurtenances, for the purpose of increasing 
 and maintaining the lights burning in honor of the blessed Virgin in 
 this church. 
 
 In the year 1468, it was enacted by Parliament, that this convent 
 should for ever enjoy a chief rent of ten shillings yearly, which had been 
 granted to the burgesses of the town. 
 
 Part of this friary was afterwards repaired for the service of the 
 parish, i. e. the Protestant. 
 
 Drumcorcothri, supposed to have been in the barony of Slane. Tliis 
 church was founded by St. Patrick, over which he appointed a St. 
 Diermit. 
 
 Druimfinchoil, in the ancient territory of Meath. Archdall quoting 
 the “ Trias Thaumaturga,” says, that this establishment was founded by 
 St. Columbkille and St. Lugad, who placed there the son of Tuchan as 
 abbot. Lugadius was abbot of Drumshallon. Ho trace of this house 
 exists nor of the following. 
 
 Dniimmacubla, if it ever existed. According to Archdall. St. Sedna 
 
598 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 was abbot, A.D. 458. Sedua or Sedonius was a disciple of St. Senaii, 
 of Iimiscathy. See which, county of Clare. 
 
 Duleek, which gives name to the barony, is four miles south-west of 
 Drogheda. Duleek-Damhliagh, “ a house of stone,” recorded as the 
 first structure of stone for a monastery in Ireland. 
 
 In the calendar of Cashell, St. Kienan, of Duleek, is stated to have 
 •written a life of St. Patrick. This eminent saint died, according to the 
 Four Masters, A.D. 489. 
 
 St. luenan was, it seems, a native of Meath, and was baptized by 
 St. Patrick, when an infant. Ilis birth is stated to have occurred about 
 the year 442. Ilis episcopacy, then at Duleek, could not be earlier than 
 472. Ilis family was an illustrious one. The Ivienan of Duleek is not 
 to be confounded with another Kienan, who was a native of Connaught, 
 and who went to Gaul, became a monk in the monastery of St. Martin, 
 at Tours, and who is said to have erected a church in the territory of the 
 Eugenian sept. 
 
 To the saint of Duleek St. Patrick gave a copy of the gospels, which 
 was then an inestimable gift. 
 
 In the poem of Flann, of the monastery, preserved in the book of 
 Leacan, the following passage occurs, which shows us that the house- 
 hold of the national apostle consisted of persons who were skilled 
 in difierent arts. Elsewhere is mention of his silversmith, bell- 
 founder, &c. 
 
 “ His three masons, good was their intelligence, 
 
 Caeman, Cruithneach, Luchraid strong, • 
 
 Thej made ‘Damhhliags’ first 
 In Erin. Eminent their history.” 
 
 A.D. 749, died Caerban, of Duleek. 
 
 A.D. 778, died Fergus, bishop of Duleek. 
 
 A.D. 870, in his eighty-seventh year, Gnia, abbot, bishop, anchorite, 
 and scribe, died. 
 
 A.D. 878, plundered by the Danes. Their leader, it is related, 
 came to an untimely end. 
 
 A.D. 1147, the steeple was injured by lightning. 
 
 A.D. 1149, the abbey of Duleek was pillaged by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 1170, the abbot was empowered by parliament to erect a weir 
 on the river Boyne. 
 
 A.D. 1171, the forces of Miles de Cogan committed frightful de- 
 struction within this sanctuary. But the Danes of Dublin (at this time 
 Christians), whom Providence had now raised up as a scourge against 
 the invaders, fell suddenly upon de Cogan and his troops, and took 
 ample satisfaction for the sacrilegious outrage which he had committed. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND, 
 
 599 
 
 After the lapse of eleven years this monastery was rebuilt at the ex- 
 pense of Hugh de Lacie, at which time the canons regular of St. 
 Augustine were introduced, and it became, moreover, subject to the 
 priory of Lanthony, near Gloucester. 
 
 Its priors continued until the period of the general suppression, 
 when its possessions, consisting of eighty-three townlands, became a 
 sacrifice to the rapacity of English heretics. Those immense posses- 
 sions were granted to Sir Gerald Moore. 
 
 Priory of the Virgin Mary, In the twenty-ninth year of King 
 Edward III., it was found that a priory for canons regular was founded 
 here, by the family of O’Kelley, long before the English invasion. 
 
 A.D. 1200, Gilbert was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1380, it was enacted, that no Irishman should be permitted to 
 profess Iiimself in this j)riory. 
 
 At the confiscation, the value of the possessions of this priory may 
 be estimated by the amount of rent, £G6 Is. 8d. annually, payable 
 by Henry Draycot and his heirs, to whom they were assigned. The 
 fortunate adventurer. Sir Gerald Moore, obtained of its other posses- 
 sions, a grant at the annual rent of £9 11s. 7d., being obliged to main- 
 tain an archer on said lands for ever. Fidelity to England ; treason to 
 God and religion ; perfidy and treachery to parents, aided by the rack 
 and by the torture, by tlie sword as well as by the cannon, have been 
 the instruments by which that nation has striven to implant the heresies 
 of her bastard queen on the soil of Ireland. Having tailed to establish 
 them by sanguinary means, England tries the seductive charms of her 
 treasury, wdiich the spoils of nations have more than replenished, by 
 giving to the middle classes of Ireland a system of godless education, 
 with which she would soon undermine the ancient faith of Catholic 
 Ireland. 
 
 Hospital. A.D. 1403, the custody of an hospital was granted by 
 King Henry IV., to Thomas Scargyl, together with sundry gardens in 
 the said town, being part of the possessions of St. Mary of Odder and 
 all profits belonging to the aforesaid hospital, then seized in the king’s 
 hands. To hold to him the said Scargyl, during life, free of all rent 
 saving, however, all taxes and impositions payable by the said hospital, 
 which the said Scargyl conditioned to discharge. 
 
 A.D. 1419, January the 29th, King Henry V. granted to John 
 Tonour, the custody of the house called the Magdalen, in Duleek, with 
 all lands, rents, &c., thereunto belonging, and then seized in the king’s 
 hands, to hold the same whilst they continued in that state, free of all 
 rents and taxes. 
 
 Dunshaughlin, in the barony of Katoath, and within fourteen miles 
 of Dublin. St. Secundinus, who was a native of Gaul, and a bishop 
 
600 
 
 ECCLESUSTICAX mSTOKY OF IKELAKD. 
 
 about 439, fixed bis residence at Dunsbaiigblin. lie is also named as a 
 nephew of St. Patrick, by his sister Liemania. St. Seaclmal or Secun- 
 dinus, died in the year 448, and tlie seventy-fifth of his age. lie was a 
 very wise and holy prelate, and the firet bishop who died in Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 1026, Gearr-an-Choggay preyed and sacked this abbey. On the 
 next succeeding day, he and his two brothers met their merited fate 
 and were all three slain. 
 
 A.D. 1027, the abbot Donoghu, esteemed the most learned philoso- 
 pher in Ireland, died at Cologne, in German 3 ^ 
 
 A.D. 1040, died the abbot Dermod O’Seachnasy. 
 
 A.D. 1043, the abbey was destroyed b} fire. 
 
 A.D. 1152, the sept of Ily Bruin plundered the abbey. 
 
 Feartachearbain, near Tarah. A St. Cerban is mentioned as bishop 
 of this place. Ills death is assigned to the year 500. Nothing more is 
 known of him. 
 
 Ifidenen, in the territory of Bregia and in the neighborhood of Slane. 
 
 A.D. 849, Suarlech, of Indennen, attended a convention at Ai-magh, 
 with the clergy of Meath. 
 
 A.D. 902, died the abbot Ferghil, who was bishop of Finnabrach. 
 
 A.D. 920, died the abbot Maolpoil MacAililla, who was respected as 
 a bishop, anchorite and scribe, and esteemed the most learned of the 
 Northern Irish. Inuismochda, near Slane, was pillaged by the Danes, 
 A.D. 940. 
 
 Kells, on the river Blackwater, gives its name to the barony. Is 
 attributed to St. Columbkille, about the year 550 ; by others to Kellach, 
 abbot of Hy, who took refuge there from the ravages and attacks of the 
 Danes, and u ho is said to have founded the abbey. However this may 
 be, mention is made of abbots of Kells long prior to his flight from Ily. 
 
 A.D. 692, Muredach O’Cricain was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 713, in the seventy-fourth year of his age the abbot Foylcow 
 died. 
 
 A.D. 802, the abbey of Kells Avas destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 804, it was rebuilt in honor of St. Columba. 
 
 A.D. 806, the Danes having killed many of the monks of Hy, the 
 abbot Kellach sought safety in Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 899, the abbey was sacked and pillaged. 
 
 A.D. 919, the Danes plundered Kells and laid the church, which 
 was of stone, level with the ground. 
 
 A.D. 1061, died the blessed St. Ciaran, famed for his great erudition, 
 wisdom and exemplary piety. 
 
 This abbey is remarkable for many memorable events. The Danes, 
 having made a furious attack in the year 967 on this monastery, were 
 routed with great slaughter by O’Neil the Great, king of Ireland. In 
 
ECCLi3IASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 601 
 
 1152, the famous synod of Kells was held under cardinal Paparo, at 
 which three thousand ecclesiastics attended, besides the bishops. The 
 abbey was destroyed six times by fire, but was afterwards rebuilt in a 
 style of greater magnificence, partly by the bounty of the princes of 
 Ireland, but chiefly by the revenues which were attached to it. It 
 possessed the most splendid library of any monastery in the kingdom, 
 having been celebrated for its manuscripts, among which was St. Co- 
 lumbkille’s book of the four Gospels, adorned with gold and precious 
 stones. 
 
 Pichard Plunket was the last abbot, when in 1537, Henry YIIl 
 took into his own hands the extensive possessions of this abbey. The 
 grants of De Lacie in 1173 consisted of 36 townlands. In Kells it pos- 
 sessed 90 acres ; in Grangestown, 86 ; in Corbally, 82 ; in Malerdone, 
 16 messuages and 300 acres ; in Kilbride, 220 acres ; in Kiltome, 350 
 acres, together with 19 rectories. These several possessions were granted 
 to Sir Gerald Plunkett. 
 
 At Kells is still to be seen St. Columba’s house, situated outside the 
 boundary wall of the cemetery on the north side ; in its ground plan it 
 presents a simple oblong form measuring externally twenty-three feet 
 nine inches in length and twenty-one in breadth, the walls being three 
 feet ten inches in thickness. It is roofed with stone, and measures in 
 height from its base to the vertex of the gable thirty-eight feet. The 
 lower part of the building is arched semicircularly with stone, and has 
 at the east end a small semicircular-headed window about fifteen feet 
 from the ground. At the south-side is a second window with a triangu- 
 lar head about the same height from the ground, and measuring one 
 foot nine inches in height. Those windows have a considerable splay 
 on the inside. The apartment placed between the arched floor and the 
 slanting roof is six feet in height, and appears to have been originally 
 divided into three apartments of unequal size, of which the largest is 
 lighted by a small aperture at the east end. Li this cliamber there is 
 a flat stone six feet long and one thick, called St. Columba’s penitential 
 bed. 
 
 Priory or Hospital, under the invocation of John the Baptist, was 
 founded by Walter de Lacie, lord of Meath, in the reign of king Richard 
 I., for Cross-bearers of St. Augustine. 
 
 A.D. 1302, John Dawe was prior. 
 
 Cornelius was the last prior. Its property, all situate in the county 
 of Meath, was granted to Richard Slane, for the term of twenty-one 
 years, at the annual rent of £14 10s. 
 
 Chantry, founded in the parish church of St. Colurnb, in Kells, to 
 celebrate mass daily. Was found to have acquired property, contrary 
 to the statute, amounting to the yearly value of £2 6s. 8. 
 
4 
 
 602 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Ivillabbhan, in the northern part of Meath. St. Abbhan founded 
 this church. Nothing more is known of it. 
 
 Kill-ailbhe, of Sencluia, “The church of Ailbe,” which is attributed 
 to St. Abbhan. Its name points out the founder. His death is marked 
 at A.D. 54G. 
 
 Killeen, in the barony of Skrine, two miles south of Tarah, gives a 
 title to the family of Fingal. Near the castle, which De Lacie built, 
 A..D. 1180, was a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, beautifully 
 carved and in the pointed style. The east window was large and of 
 considerable height, and west of the church were two towel’s. The 
 ruins of many ancient tombs are still to be seen, wnth several figures in 
 the episcopal habit and mitres on their heads. 
 
 This is supposed to be the Killeen in which seven bishops are in- 
 terred. 
 
 Canons of St. Augustine. St. Endeus or Enda founded an abbey 
 at Killmaine. lie also founded the monastery of Arran, which see. 
 
 St. Sidonius is honored here on the 9th of March. St. Sedna, the 
 son of Neman, was abbot in the year 594. 
 
 Nunnery of, was built by St. Enda for his sister Carecha, alias Fan- 
 chea, w'ho lived to a very great age, and died, according to the four 
 Masters, A.D. 578. Her memory has been held in high veneration. 
 
 Killdu-magloin. Among the scholars of the illustrious St. Finnian 
 of Clonard is mentioned Mogenoch, who probably is the Menoc, a 
 Briton, who followed him to Ireland. He was bishop of this place, and 
 his memory was revered on the 26th of December. 
 
 Killmainham-beg, in the barony of Kells. In the reign of king 
 Richard I., Walter de Lacie, lord of Meath, founded this monastery for 
 knights of the order of St. John of Jerusalem. 
 
 A.D. 1292, friar John, of St. Bottulph, was preceptor. 
 
 A.D. 1326, friar Roger Utlaugh, was preceptor. 
 
 A.D. 1588, an inquisition found this commandery in a ruinous state, 
 owing to the devastations committed by Sir Thomas Barnewall, knight, 
 his son Alexander, and Sir Thomas Cusack. 
 
 In the thirty-third of queen Elizabeth, it was granted to Sir Patrick 
 Barnewall, knight, for the term of sixty-one yearn, at the annual rent of 
 fifty marcs for the first twenty-one yeais, and £63 12s. 2^d Irish money 
 for the remainder of the said term. 
 
 Killmainham-wood, in the barony of Kells. The family of Preston 
 founded this commandery for knights Hospitallers, in the 13th century. 
 
 A.D. 1587, September 23d, a. lease of the said commandery w’as 
 made for the term of twenty-one years, to Henry Duke, at the yearly 
 rent of £4 10s. 
 
 Killscliire, in the barony of Kells, bordering on Westmeath. This 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 603 
 
 cliiiixih was erected under the invocation of the holy virgin St. Schiria, 
 whose name it bears. She was venerated on the 24:th of March, while 
 Corcaria Caoin, a sister of hers, is not met with in the calendars. They 
 were the daughters of an Eugene, who was great-gi;andson to Fergus, a 
 brother of Keil Xegilliach. St. Schiria was living in 580 
 
 A.D. T45, died the abbot Dubdaleithe Nagraifne. 
 
 A.D. 750, died the abbot Daolgus. 
 
 A.D. 866, died the bishop, the first and only one at Killschire, St. 
 Conall, son of Fiachna, prince of East Meath, and of the royal blood of 
 Ireland. The memory of St. Conall was revered in the isle of Arran, 
 where he is interred with the three other beautiful saints of Ireland, in 
 the same tomb. See Arran, county of Galway. 
 
 Many of the Irish saints, when their last days were near, repaired to 
 this island, in order to prepare for the journey to eternity, and to have 
 the assistance of those holy men who served God in this famed retreat 
 of contemplation and sanctity. 
 
 A.D. 920, died the abbot Aligns. 
 
 A.D. 949, the Danes plundered and pillaged this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 951, Godfrid, son of Sitric, at the head of the Danes, did again 
 spoil the abbey. 
 
 Lismullen, in the barony of Skrine, about two miles north of Tarah. 
 Alicia, sister to Kichard de la Corner, bishop of Meath, founded the 
 nunnery of Lismullen for canonesses of St. Augustine, in the year 1240, 
 under the invocation of the Holy Trinity. 
 
 The prior of Hewtown, near Trim, having enfeoffed the said bishop 
 with the lands of Dunsenkill, reserving only to himself and the priory, 
 two pounds of wax, or in lieu, twelvepence annually, the bishop made 
 a grant of the same to this nunnery. 
 
 A.D. 1322, the lady prioress, Eleonora, sued John, bishop of Meath, 
 for the advowson of Paynstown-Dullard, near Tyanoure, of which a 
 former prioress, Alicia, was seized in the reign of Henry IH., and also 
 for the advowson of the church of Ardmulchan. 
 
 A.D. 1347, this year, the prioress claimed sundry privileges in the 
 lands of Lismolyn, Belegrene and Ardcath. 
 
 A.D. 1470, Margaret was prioress. This nunnery paid to the bishop 
 of Meath six marcs proxies. 
 
 Maria Cusacke was the last lady prioress. 
 
 Sir Thomas Luttrell, of Luttrellstown, Thomas Cusack, Gerald, earl 
 of Kildare, and Robert Harrison, were the grantees of the very 
 extensive possessions of this nunnery, which were then worth £32 
 15s. lOd. 
 
 Lough-shillen adjoins the county of Meath, Westmeath and Cavan. 
 On an island in this lake, near to the county of Meath, the ruins of 
 
G04 
 
 ECCLESIASTIUAI. HISTOKF OF IRELAND. 
 
 largo monastic buildings are yet to be seen. To whom the merit of its 
 erection is due, is not known. It is now a burial-place of note. 
 
 Navan, at the conflux of the Blackwater and the Boyne. It gives 
 name to the barony. The monastery of Navan, for canons regular of 
 St. Augustine, was eitlier founded or rebuilt by Joceline Nangle, about 
 the end of the twelfth century, under the invocation of the Virgin 
 Mary. If it had existed previously, cannot be determined. 
 
 Navan was formerly a town of high repute, aud had been walled by 
 Hugh de Lacie. 
 
 Christian O’Loddan was abbot in the reign of King John. 
 
 A.D. 1281, Richard was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1310, Thomas was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1391, John de Warren was elected abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1150, John Bole was abbot, who procured a bull from Pope 
 Kicholas V., granting certain indulgences to all pei-sons undertaking 
 pilgrimages to this abbey, or contributing to adorn or repair it. 
 
 A.D. 1509, Peter Manne was abbot. 
 
 A.D 1512, Patrick Cantwell was abbot, 
 
 A.D. 1539, an annual })ension of fifteen pounds was granted to 
 Thomas Wafer, the last abbot. On the site of this abbey a horse-bar- 
 rack has been erected for troopers, to do duty there, instead of the 
 meek servants of the gospel. 
 
 This priory, with three hundred and sixty acres of land, were granted 
 at an annual rent to Robert Dillon. 
 
 Kewtown, on the north bank of the town, and half a mile below 
 ^ Trim. Simon de Rochfort, bishop of Meath, founded this priory for 
 canons regular of St. Victor. He also erected the church into a cathe- 
 dral, which he dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul. 
 
 A.D. 1206, William was the fii-st prior. 
 
 A.D. 1221, Simon, the founder, was interred here. 
 
 A.D. 1240, Simon was prior. See Lismullen. 
 
 A.D. 1365, the prior, Thomas Scurlock, was elected abbot of St 
 Thomas’s, Dublin. 
 
 A.D. 1464, Kicholas Herbert was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1516, Henry Garnet was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1528, Thomas Browne was prior. 
 
 Laurence White was the last prior, when, in the twenty-ninth of 
 Henry VHI. this priory, with five hundred acres of arable land and 
 pasture, and the I’ectories of Galtrim, Tillanoge and Fennor were 
 granted to Robert Dillon, at the annual rent of £16 5s. 9d. One 
 hundred acres in Moyvalley, part of the possessions of this priory, were 
 conferred on Gerald, earl of Kildare. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 605 
 
 Tlie prior of Kewtown sat as a baron of parliament, and was the 
 third ecclesiastic in dignity. 
 
 Priory of St, John the Baptist was erected in the thirteenth century, 
 minder the invocation of the holy precursor, for cross-bearers. The 
 bishops of Meath were either the founders or benefactors of this 
 house. 
 
 Edmond Dillon, fourth brother to Sir Bartholomew, who was made 
 chief bax’on of the exchequer in 1513, was prior of this house and of 
 Luske. 
 
 Tlie prior of this house paid annually to the bishop of Meath, half a 
 marc, proxies. The priory stood on the south side of the river, and 
 contiguous to the bridge. The ruins are extensive, though not remark- 
 able for regularity of style, nor have they much appearance of a reli- 
 gious foundation. A square castle adjoins the bridge, whence a regular 
 range of building along the water’s edge, extends to another castle at 
 the east end, near which is the east window of a small chapel of a light 
 triple form, and on the road-side is a very neat turret, built in an octa- 
 gon form. 
 
 Tills priory and possessions were given to Robert Dillon. 
 
 N’uadchonbhail. Archdall, relying on the authority of Colgan, 
 assures us, that this ancient abbey was situated on the banks of the 
 Boyne, between Drogheda and Trim. St. Fachtna was abbot of this 
 monastery, and whose festival is observed on the 19th of January. 
 
 Odder, in the barony of Skrine, and two miles south of Tarah. The 
 family of Barnewall founded this nunnery in honor of St. Brigid, pa- 
 troness of Ireland, for canonesses regular of St. Augustine, to whom, in 
 the year 1195, Pope Celestine III. granted a confirmation of their pos- 
 sessions. Several cells of nuns were annexed to this house. 
 
 The prior of the Virgin Mary of Louth had the first voice in elect- 
 ing the abbess of this house, by letter patent, dated in the year 1418. 
 
 This nunnery paid annually one marc to the bishop. Its last 
 prioress was Margaret Silke, who was, with her nuns, plundered by the 
 royal robbers of the English throne, of 75 messuages, 1289 acres 
 of arable, pasture, moor, meadow, lands which were leased to James 
 Stanihurst, and on their reversion to Queen Elizabeth, they were 
 granted for ever to Richard Power and his heirs, to hold by fealty, at 
 the annual rent of £19 5s. Irish. 
 
 Pieretown, in the barony of Duleek, five miles south of that tov/n. 
 It seems that it w^as anciently called Lecknagh, and that it was, accord- 
 ing to Corny, founded A.D. 750. Of this and the next religious house 
 there is little or no account. 
 
 Rathossain, near the west gate of Trim. St. Ossan, whose name 
 occui’s in the Irish calendars, at February 17th, in some of which he is 
 
606 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORT OF IRELAND. 
 
 called a bishop, died in 686. He is said to have been a descendant of 
 King Leogaire. 
 
 Ratoath, in the barony to which it gives name ; the ruins of which 
 are scarcely perceptible. 
 
 The abbey of St. Mary Magdalene, near this town, which existed in 
 1456, was found seized, in the year 1538, of forty acres of land, annual 
 value 6s. 8d. 
 
 Chantry, in the parish church of St. Thomas the Apostle, was found, 
 contrary to the statute, to have acquired possessions to the value of 
 thirty shillings sterling. 
 
 Roseach or Rosse, south-east of Tarah, about a mile. St. Coeman 
 Breac was abbot of this house. He had been the intimate friend of 
 St. Fechin. 
 
 Coeman died, A.D. 615, and on the 14th of September. 
 
 A.D. 717, died Cuarinan, of Rosse, on the 10th of April. 
 
 Skrine gives name to the barony ; called the shrine of St. Co- 
 lumba. 
 
 Tlie relics of St. Colurnbkille brought to Ireland by Dermit, abbot 
 of Ily, A.D. 831, might have been deposited here, before their removal 
 to Down. 
 
 Tlie ancient town of Skrine has become nearly depopulated. The 
 ancient sanctuaries gave many of the Irish towns life and vigor. 
 
 A.D. 1175, Adam de Feypo erected a castle in this town. 
 
 Abbey of canons regular. A.D. 1027, this abbey was plundered by 
 the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 1037, they renewed their depredations. 
 
 A.D. 1058, again plundered by tbe inhabitants of Teffia, (Ardagh.) 
 
 A.D. 1152, it was again wasted and destroyed. 
 
 Eremites of St. Augustine. A.D. 1341, Lord Francis de Feipo 
 granted to those friars certain lands, bounded to the west by his own 
 park, to the east and south by his holdings and land, and by William 
 Genuets, to the north, for the space and term of ninety-nine years, at 
 the rent of a peppercorn, annually. And the said Lord Francis made 
 a farther grant of twelve acres, near the village of Ponetown, at the 
 annual rent of 12d., with pasturage for three horses, in his own pasture 
 of Skrine, for the aforesaid term. 
 
 On the surrender of this friary, the thirty-first of Henry YIH., the 
 prior was seized of a church and belfry, chapter-house, dormitory, hall, 
 two chambers, a stone house, kitchen, cemetery, stable, and a park, 
 containing one acre, of no value, besides reprises ; a messuage, garden, 
 fifteen acres of arable land, five of pasture, and three stangs of mea- 
 dow ; annual value, 29s. lOd. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 607 
 
 Tliis friary, with its possessions, was granted for ever to Thomas 
 Cusack. 
 
 Lord de Feipo, about the year 1342, founded a perpetual chantry in 
 the aforesaid town of Skrine, for the health of his soul, and that of his 
 wife, Eyl de Verdon, and for his ancestors and successors. By the 
 plunder of the church, the pious intention of the founder has been frus- 
 trated, and some minister of English heresy, together with his wife and 
 children, enjoys the fruits of this chantry, and moreover declares the 
 sacrifice of the mass idolatrous, transubstantiation a figment, and purga- 
 tory all nonsense, as the private spirit assures him that there is no me- 
 dium between the narrow path to heaven and the broad way to hell. 
 
 Slane, six miles west of Drogheda, and on the north side of the 
 Boyne. It was formerly a town of note and a borough in the palatinate 
 of Meath. 
 
 On the hill of Slane, visible from the heights of Tarah, St. Patrick, 
 in violation of a standing law, enkindled a fire, by which he attracted 
 the notice of the monarch and the court. See diocese of Meath. 
 
 St. Ere was bishop of Slane. 
 
 Dagobert, king of Austrasia (a part of France), was sent to Ireland 
 by Griinoald, mayor of the palace, to be instructed, and is said to have 
 remained in Slane many years, until he was recalled and placed on the 
 throne. 
 
 A.D. 746, the first abbot of this monastery, whose name is preserved 
 in history, was Colman, son of Faelan, and called the Briton. 
 
 A.D. 797, died the abbot Aillil, son of Cormac, a man skilled in phi- 
 losophy, and who was an upright and learned j udge. 
 
 A.D. 838, the Danes plundered this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 854, Sodamna, bishop of Slane, was martyred by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 947, the Danes received a great defeat in this town, where 
 Blacar, their commander, .with sixteen hundred of his men, were slain 
 in battle. 
 
 A.D. 948, the Danes set fire to the abbey, and Probus, the prelector 
 of the school of Slane, lost his life, together with several of his holy 
 companions ; and the pastoral staff of St. Ere, and many other relics of 
 the saints, and the best bell in Ireland, were wholly consumed. 
 
 Probus or Caenachair was the author of the life of St. Patrick, 
 written in two books, and which is esteemed as one of the most circum- 
 stantial and correct records which has been handed down on that inter 
 esting subject. This eminent man was chief lecturer in the schools of 
 Slane, in this year, and having taken shelter in the belfry of the church, 
 with many others, was consigned to the flames. 
 
 A.D. 1042, this year Eochagan, a celebrated author, professor of 
 Swords, and archdeacon of this abbey, died at Cologne. 
 
608 
 
 ECCLESUSTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 1170, MacMurroiigh, king of Leinster, with a body of the Eng- 
 lish, led on by Earl Strongbow, burned and sacked the town. 
 
 A.D. 1175, the English forces repeated their barbarities. They 
 seem to have been more cruel than the Danes, who generally were con- 
 tent with carrying off the moveable property of those places which they 
 ravaged. Die English depredator not only seized the moveable, but 
 they also took possession of the immoveable property of the country 
 without regard to the rights of the native Irish, whom they also put to 
 death. 
 
 Dermot MacMuiTogh, who was the I7ero of Ireland, died an awful 
 death. Dy his plunder of the churches he added crime to crime, sacri- 
 lege to sacrilege, and like his prototype Kero, gloated over the misfor- 
 tunes which his crimes and oppressions brought on the unhappy land 
 that gave him birth. 
 
 Strongbow, to Avhom he gave his daughter Eva in marriage, died 
 also a death which his crimes against the sanctuaries of Ireland well de- 
 served. 
 
 Die abbey of Slane was rebuilt with some degree of elegance In the 
 year 1512, having been refounded for Franciscans of the third order, by 
 Christopher Fleming, lord of Slane, and his wife, Elizabeth Stuckle, 
 who, finding Malachy and Donagh O’Brine friars of the same order 
 dwelling in the ancient hermitage of St. Ere, removed them to this new- 
 house, having obtained a proper and sufficient license for so doing. 
 
 In the present remains of lord Slane’s building are several fragments 
 of the ancient abbey, and many of the architraves were evidently cut 
 out of the ornamental parts, particularly one with the appearance of a 
 head crowned. 
 
 In the thirty-second of Henry ViH., the prior of Slane -vi-as seized of 
 a church and belfry, dormitory, garden, and two closes containing one 
 acre, annual value 18s. Die family of Fleming obtained it by grant. 
 It subsequently became forfeited in the year 1611, and w'as given to the 
 family of the marquis of Conyngham. 
 
 Togh-enian, so called from St. Ernan. There had been an Ernan, 
 who was maternal uncle to St. Columba, placed over the monastery of 
 Himba, which had been a favorite retreat with the dove of the Irish 
 church. Another Ernan was abbot of Torey island, on the coast of 
 Donegal, and another is revered at Rathnew, in the county of Wicklow, 
 on the 18th of August. 
 
 St. O’Dran is also mentioned as abbot of Togheman. See Lettrach 
 O’Dran, county of Tipperary. 
 
 Teglisinche. St. Abbhan is said to have founded this establish- 
 ment for St. Sincha, who, it seems, was abbess of Kells, and who died 
 in 597. 
 
ECCLKSIASTICAL UISTOEY OF lEELAND. 
 
 609 
 
 Teltown or Killtalton, or Teaghtelle. See the latter in county of 
 Westmeath. 
 
 Trevet, in tlie barony of Skrine, and three miles south-east of Tarah. 
 Hugh de Lacie rebuilt this ancient town, in which he i^lanted a colony 
 of his English adherents. The founder of its ancient monastery is un- 
 known, but it is very old, and existed in the time of St. Columba, 
 though it did not belong to his order. 
 
 A.D. 73i, died Cuaiman O’Bessair, the remarkable scribe of Trevet. 
 
 A.D. 769, died Forannan, another scribe, and bishop of Trevet. 
 
 A.D. 808, died the abbot Conall. 
 
 A.D. 848, died the abbot St. Cormac, son of Conall. 
 
 A.D. 885, died the abbot Maolpatrick, a learned scribe. 
 
 A.D. 898, died Suarlech, anchorite, and bishop of Trevet. 
 
 A.D. 917, the Danes spoiled the abbey and barbarously murdered 
 the abbot Indrech Inreachta. 
 
 A.D. 1004, the abbot St. Aedh, a professor of divinity, closed an ex- 
 emplary life, at A^’inagh, and was there interred with much funeral 
 honor. Colgan calls him a bishop, a wise man and a stranger. 
 
 A.D. 1145, the abbey was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1152, the people of Ily-Bruin plundered it. 
 
 The English, under Hugh de Lacie, erected here a large church in 
 honor of St. Patrick, now in ruins, many fragments of beautiful monu- 
 ments and tombs still remaining. 
 
 Trim, in the barony of Havan, and situated on the Boyne. St. Lo- 
 man the founder of the see of Trim in the 7th century. 
 
 A.D. 741, on the 17th of Febimary, died the bishop St. Cormac, the 
 son of Colman. This saint has been confounded with Cormac, archbishop 
 of Armagh. 
 
 Cormac, of Trim, is said to have been of the royal house of the 
 Nialls. Three brothers of his are mentioned in the Irish annals, Ru- 
 mond, a very wise man, deeply skilled in history and antiquities, and 
 who died, A.D. 743. In the annals of Tighernach, his death is thus 
 recorded • “ Human MacColman poeta optimus quievit.” Human is 
 styled by Irish annalists, the Virgil of Ireland. St. Baitellach, abbot of 
 Trim, whose death is marked at the 5th of October, 752 ; and Ossan, a 
 priest, whose death is not dated, and who is not to be confounded with 
 his namesake of Hath-Ossan. 
 
 A.D. 1110, died Flann O’Kionedha, dean and abbot of Trim, and a 
 poet in high esteem. 
 
 A.D. 1444, great miracles were wrought before the image of the 
 blessed Virgin, which was preserved in this abbey. Sight was restored 
 to the blind, speech to the dumb, and the use of their limbs to the weak 
 
 and decrepit. 
 
 ^ 39 
 
610 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL UISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 This is not to be wondered at, in other countries similar miracles are 
 recorded. On the 23d of July, 1418, a Swiss soldier struck with his 
 dagger a stone image of the blessed Virgin placed at the corner of the 
 “ rue aux Ours ” and the “ rue de Salle-au-Compte,” in Paris, ‘‘ and 
 the blow made the blood spout forth in abundance from the stone 
 statue.” Similar occurrences have taken place in Italy, and a few 
 years ago the convei'sion of a Jew, Monsieur Ratisbon, now a priest, 
 suddenly took place in Home, having been viewing a painting of the 
 blessed Virgin, who appeared to him, while his friend was praying at 
 the great altar of the church of St. Andrew delle Pratte. 
 
 A.D. 1454, Robert Acton, senior, a canon of this house, was elected 
 abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1464, numerous miracles were wrought in presence of this 
 image. 
 
 A.D. 1484, a parliament was held in Trim. 
 
 A.D. 1538, the famous image of the Virgin Mary was publicly 
 burned. The four Masters record the proceedings of this memorable 
 year in the following words : 
 
 “ A heresy and a new error sprang up in England through pride, 
 vain-glory, avarice and lust, and through many strange sciences, so that 
 the men of England went into opposition to the Pope and to Rome. 
 Tliey at the same time adopted various opinions, and (among othei-s) the 
 old law of Moses in imitation of the Jewish people ; *and they styled the 
 king the chief head of the Church of God in his own Mngdam. Xew 
 laws and statutes were enacted by the king and parliament according 
 to their own will. Tliey destroyed the ordei-s to whom worldly posses- 
 sions were allowed, namely, the monks, canons, nuns, brethren of the 
 Cross, and the four poor orders, the minors, preachers, Carmelites and 
 Augustinians ; and the lordships and livings of all these were taken up 
 for the king. They broke down the monasteries, and sold their roofs 
 and bells, so that from Arran of the saints to the Iccian sea (between 
 France and England) there was not one monastery that was not broken 
 and shattered with the exception of a few in Ireland, of which the Eng- 
 lish took no notice or heed. They afterwards burned the images, shrines 
 and relics of the saints of Ireland and England. They likewise burned 
 the celebrated image of the blessed Virgin Mary at Trim, which used to 
 perform wonders and miracles-, which used to heal the blind, the deaf 
 and the crippled, and persons affected with all kinds of diseases ; and 
 they also burned the staff of Jesus, which was in Dublin, performing 
 miracles from St. Patrick’s time to the present, and had been in the 
 hands of Christ, wdiile he was among men (said to have been given to 
 St. Patrick in the island of Lerins). They also appointed archbishops 
 and sub-bishops for themselves, and tliough great was the persecution 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL UISTOKY OF UtELAND. 
 
 611 
 
 of the Roman emperors against the church, scarcely had there ever 
 come so great a persecution as this from Rome (when Pagan). So that 
 it is impossible to narrate or tell its description, unless it should be nar- 
 rated by those who saw it.” 
 
 Anthony St. Leger, knight, and Richard Ilayne, obtained the posses- 
 sions of this monastery from Elizabeth. 
 
 The steeple, usually called the yellow steeple, was a lofty and hand- 
 some square lower, one half of which was demolished by Oliver Crom- 
 well, against whom it held out a considerable time as a garrison. 
 
 Gray friary, which was dedicated to St. Bonaventure, was originally 
 founded by John King, for the order of strict observants. Others say it 
 was founded by the Plunketts. The Observantines reformed this house 
 before the year 1325. 
 
 A.D. 1330, the Boyne overflowing its banks, the building was under- 
 mined and a great part of it fell. 
 
 Maurice was the last prior, who was found seized of the church and 
 steeple, a dormitory, hall, three chambers, and sundry other offices 
 within the precincts and of no value. Its possessions in land, about one 
 hundred acres, &c., with appurtenances, were granted to Lodwyche 
 O’Tudyr, parson of Roslaye, John Morye, parson of Walterstown, and 
 John Wakely, at the annual rent of 2s. lOd. Irish money. 
 
 This friary has been totally demolished. In the church of this friary 
 assizes were held before the erection of a session house on its site. 
 
 Father Richard Plunkett, -who wrote an Irish Dictionary, now in the 
 public library of Dublin, resided in this convent. 
 
 Dominican friary, situated near the gate leading to Athboy, was 
 founded in honor of the Virgin Mary, A.D. 1263, by Geoffrey de Gene- 
 ville, lord of Meath. 
 
 A.D. 1285, a general chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1291, on the Sunday next after the feast of St. Matthew, a 
 general meeting was held in this abbey, the four archbishops, bishops, 
 deans, &c., attending, and enacting measures for the good of the Irish 
 church. 
 
 A.D. 1308, the founder of this abbey assumed the habit of the order. 
 In 1273, he had been viceroy of Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 1314, died the pious founder, and was interred here. 
 
 A.D. 1315, a general chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1368, the church was consumed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1418, Mathew Hussey, baron of Galtrim, and a great bene- 
 factor of this convent, was interred here. 
 
 A.D. 1446, in a parliament held here, it was enjoined that the 
 Irish should not wear shirts stained with saffron. 
 
 A.D. 1484-87 and 1491, parliaments were held here. 
 
612 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTORY OF IKFXAND. 
 
 A.D. 1756, Sir Arthur Cole, created Baron Banelagli by George I, 
 occupied the possessions of this abbey. 
 
 There were at this time seven friars in the vicinity of their convent : 
 Patrick Lynham, prior, Michael Wynn, Thomas Hussey, pastor of the 
 parish of Donore, Thomas Curtis, Philip O’Beilly, William Cruice, and 
 Vincent Coffey. 
 
 Brethren of the cross, cross-bearers. Tliis priory was dedicated to 
 St. John the Baptist. A bishop of Meath is said to have been the 
 founder, and his successors in the see were great henetactore to it. 
 
 Tlie last prior, Hussey, with his brethren, abandoned their monas- 
 tery on the 4th of February, and in the twenty-seventh of Henry VIH. 
 Its possessions were a church and belfry, chapter-house, dormitory, hall, 
 three chambers, a store, kitchen, stable, and cemetery, three gardens, with 
 an orchard within the precincts. These and other appurtenances were 
 granted for ever to Sir Thomas Cusack, knight, at the annual rent of 
 8s. 5d. Irish. 
 
 This priory was a truly magnificent building. 
 
 Hunnery, founded in Trim, but no account of its history remains. 
 
 Greek church. An ancient church existed here of old. A fact 
 which shows that Ireland was the mart of literature, and that students 
 from all quarters of Europe flocked to her celebrated schools. 
 
 Chantry. A perpetual chantry was founded in the parish church of 
 St. Patrick. Contrary to the statute, they, the priests, acquired a castle, 
 and ten messuages in Trim, with eight tenements and ten acres of land 
 in Donderry and Irishtown, in the county of Meath. In return for the 
 intention of the founder, some meek minister of the reformed creed 
 must be incited by the private spirit to cui-se pope and popery, as well 
 as execrate that faith which prompted the pious bequest which gives 
 him aliment, while he may be celebrating the victories of the “ glo- 
 rious and immortal memory” in a bumper of genuine Boyne water. 
 
 Tullen. A.D. 550, died Carnich, principal of the monastery of 
 Tullen. 
 
 A.D. 940, the Danes plundered Tullen. 
 
 A.D. 951, Gotfrid and the Danes of Dublin plundered the monas- 
 tery. On his return to Dublin, he and his army were surprised by the 
 Irish, routed, and obliged to leave their plunder behind. 
 
 A.D. 1170, Dermot Mac Murrough, king of Leinster, and the English 
 under Strongbow, burned and plundered Tullen. 
 
E0CLE8IASTICAJU HISTOEY OF IKELAin). 
 
 613 
 
 CHAPTER LYII. 
 
 COUNTY OP MONAGHAN. 
 
 Clones, founded by St. Tighernacb. See Clones or Clogher. 
 
 St. Feidlihm, the third in succession, as bishop, was interred near 
 him, in the church. 
 
 A.D. 714, died the abbot Cele Tiarnach. 
 
 A.D. 747, died the abbot St. Dichull. 
 
 A.D. 773, died the abbot St. Fionan. 
 
 A.D. 805, died the holy abbot Gormgall. 
 
 A.D. 839, died the abbot and bishop Joseph, of Eossmore, who pre 
 sided over several monasteries, and was esteemed an excellent writer. 
 
 A.D. 1095, the abbey was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1139, died the abbot Cathal, son of Maelfin. 
 
 A.D. 1207, Hugh de Lacie destroyed this town and abbey by fire. 
 The English rebuilt them in five years after. 
 
 A.D. 1353, died the abbot John O’Cairbre. 
 
 A.D. 1506, died Thomas Buidhe, dean of Clones. 
 
 By an inquisition taken the twenty -ninth of Queen Elizabeth, the 
 abbot was found seized of the site, — a church, half thatched, the walls 
 of a cloister, hall, kitchen, other buildings in ruins, a garden and 
 orchard, pieces of land commonly called taths — fifty in number, and 
 each tath containing forty acres, all of which were granted, with the 
 abbey, to Sir Henry Duke, knight ; it afterwards became the property 
 of Lord Thomas Dacre, who preferred the favor of the English court to 
 the patronage of the tutelary St. Tigliernach. 
 
 There is still remaining one of the ancient round towers, and the 
 foundation of the church, with the walls of a cm-ious little chapel ad- 
 joining. 
 
 Corbeship, of Clones, 'was in the nature of a collegiate church, 
 which, during the struggles for country and creed, in the reign of Eliza- 
 beth, was obtained from the Pope by Mac Mahon, for his son. 
 
 Monaghan gives name to the county and barony ; is a market town, 
 and formerly sent representatives to Paidiament. 
 
614 : 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELASD, 
 
 An ancient abbey existed here, of which St. Moeldod was abbot, 
 and perhaps the founder, and who was a member of the great house of 
 the Dynasts of Orgiel. The time in which he lived is not marked. 
 
 A.D. 830, the Danes plundered Monaghan, and the abbey. 
 
 A.D. 912, the abbot Maolciaran, the son of Cochagan, died. 
 
 A.D. 931, the abbey was again pillaged by the barbarians. 
 
 A.D. 936, died Caoin Comrac, the anchorite. 
 
 A.D. 1042, the abbot Ail ill, or Elias, esteemed the principal of all 
 the monks of Ireland, died at Cologne. 
 
 A.D. 1044, died the abbot Moenach. 
 
 A.D. 1462, Phelim Mac Mahon founded, on the site of this ancient 
 abbey, a monastery for conventual Franciscans, which was granted at 
 the suppression, to Edward Withe. 
 
 Lord Edward Blaney erected a castle on the site of St. Tighernach’s 
 abbey. 
 
 Tehallen, in the barony of Monaghan. St. Tellan, son of Colgan, a 
 chief of this district, has given his name to this church ; his festival oc- 
 curs in the Irish calendai-s at June the 25th. Tlie memory of St. Kil- 
 len, a bishop, was also kept at Tehallen, on the 27th of May ; some say 
 he was placed there by St. Patrick. 
 
 A.D. 671, it was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 865, died Cosgrach, the anchorite and scribe of Tehallan. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL UISTOEY OF tUELAND. 
 
 615 
 
 CIIAPTEK L7in. 
 
 QUEEN’S COUNTY. 
 
 Abbly-Leix, on the river I^ore, and in the barony of Cullinagh. 
 Tliis abbey was founded in honor of the Virgin Mary, A.D. 1183, by 
 Corcheger O’More. 
 
 The monks were brought thither from the Cistercian abbey of Bai- 
 ting! ass. 
 
 A.D. 1421, the Yth of May, a great slaughter was made near this 
 abbey by O’More, of the retinue ot Lord Ormond, then lord lieutenant 
 of Ireland. Twenty-seven of the English were cut off, the chief of 
 whom were Purcell and Grant ; ten persons of superior rank were 
 made prisoners, and two hundred others were saved by flying to this 
 monastery. 
 
 No counties in Ireland were more dearly purchased by the English 
 adventurers than the King’s and Queen’s. The O’Moores were engaged 
 more than sixty years in deadly conflict with the invaders. 
 
 The lands of tliis abbey, 1227 acres, were granted by lease for 
 thirty-seven years, to Tliomas, earl of Ormond, at the yearly rent of 
 £6 IGs. 8d., and afterwards, at their reversion, at an increased rent of 
 £10 5s. 
 
 The family of Ormond have profited much by their fidelity to the 
 English government. The duke of Ormond, so celebrated in the Irish 
 annals of the seventeenth century, obtained enormous grants of lands, 
 tithes, and impropriations. The book of the exiled Nicholas French, 
 bishop of Ferns, called the “ Unkind Deserter,” has unmasked the came 
 of the duke’s treachery to the cause of his king and country. Tliis 
 tract is at present extremely rare, as the family of the duke, in order to 
 keep to themselves the secrets which it divulged, purchased, at any 
 price, wherever they could find it, such an obnoxious piece of evidence. 
 Similar has been the prudence of English parsons in buying up from 
 Catholic booksellers Cobbett’s History of the Reformation. 
 
 A trace of the abbey of Leix is not to be found. It seems that its 
 ruins were as cutting as the “ Unkind Deserter.” 
 
616 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Agliaboe, in the barony of Upper Ossory, near Mountrath. Saint 
 Cannice was the founder. See diocese of Ossory. 
 
 A.D. 618, died the abbot Liberius. 
 
 A.D. 781, died the abbot St. Virgih or Feargil. 
 
 A.D. 915, the abbey was plundered by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 926, died the abbot Ciaran. 
 
 A.D. 1015, died Cana, a noble priest of Aghaboe. 
 
 A.D. 1052, a church was erected, in which the shrine of St. Cannice 
 was placed. 
 
 A.D. 1250, the cathedral of St. Cannice having been translated to 
 Kilkenny, Fitzpatrick, ancestor to the lords of Upper Ossory, erected 
 on the site of the ancient cathedral, under the invocation of St. Canice, 
 a Dominican monastery. 
 
 A.D. 1316, May the 13th, Dermot Mac Gilla-patrick, a man, says 
 Archdall, remarkable for his villanies, burned the town. The shrine 
 and relics of St. Cannice were lost in the conflagration. 
 
 In the forty-third of Elizabeth, this monastery, with its appurte- 
 nances, was granted to Florence Fitzpatrick, at the annual rent of 
 £5 ISs. Those lands were of considerable extent, and of the best 
 quality. 
 
 Tlie church of Aghaboe is one hundred feet in length, and twenty- 
 four wide. Its west and south windows are handsome pointed work ; 
 between the east windows is a pedestal, intended for a statue, and under 
 it a stone, hollowed and shaped like an inverted cone, with eight 
 grooves, supposed to have been for holy water, or for the ablutions ot 
 the holy utensils of the altars. A door on the north side leads into a 
 quadrangle of sixty feet. The cells for the friars, usually ten in num- 
 ber, lay to the east, and opposite was the kitchen, with servants’ apart- 
 ments. The cellars were large, and over them the abbot’s apartment, 
 measuring forty-six feet b}^ seventeen, at the end of which was a bed- 
 chamber, seventeen feet square. There was a fire-place at the south 
 end, and a stone stairway made a communication with the church and 
 cellai's. 
 
 A Protestant vicar of the parish demolished much of the building 
 and made use of the materials to enclose his demesne. 
 
 Aghmacart, in the barony of Upper Ossory, fom* miles west of Dur- 
 row. An ancient abbey existed here. 
 
 O’Dempsey founded a priory on the ancient site, for canons regular, 
 under the invocation of St. Tighernach, which paid £2 proxies to the 
 bishop of Ossory. 
 
 In the forty- third of Elizabeth a grant was made of this monastery, 
 with its appurtenances, to Florence Fitzpatrick. 
 
 Several ruins of this building yet remain. In the entrance gate was 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 617 
 
 a well turned arch of good workmanship, and having stone sockets for 
 the gate to turn in. Similar sockets are to be seen in other monastic 
 buildings. 
 
 Annatrim, in the diocese of Upper Ossorj, founded by St. Colman, 
 who was the disciple of St. Columba, of Tirdaglas, and the contemporary 
 of St. Fintan, of Clonenagh. Here St. Colman spent his days in great 
 sanctity, and died highly revered on a 3d of November. 
 
 * This St. Colman, who ia^ it appears, different from the Mocumin 
 brother of St. Coemghen, of Glendaloch, ffourished about the year 550. 
 Others say, that St. Pulcherius resigned the monastery of Annatrim to 
 St, Colman ; but it does not appear that St. Pulcherius was the founder. 
 See Leathmore, in King’s county. 
 
 Clonenagh, in the barony of Maryborough. St. Fintan, of Clonenagh, 
 W’as the celebrated master of Comgall, of Bangor. Fintan was a native 
 of Leinster, and son of Gabhren and Findath, both of whom were Chris- 
 tians. On the eighth day after his birth, he was baptized at Cluain- 
 mic-trein, which was probably in the neighborhood of Boss. Ilis birth 
 took place about the year 520. lie received his early education under 
 the holy man by whom he had been baptized, and when of mature age, 
 he attached himself to St. Columba, son of Crimthan, with whom lie 
 remained until by his advice he established himself at Clonenagh about 
 618. Young as Fintan was, his reputation for saixtity soon spread, so 
 that numbers of persons from various quarters of Ireland flocked to 
 Clonenagh, and became members of his institution. Ilis monks not only 
 lived by the sweat of their brows, but cultivated the ground -with the 
 spade, not having as much as a cow to assist them in their agricultural 
 labors. The discipline of the house was exceedingly severe, and the 
 fasting seemed almost intolerable to some holy men, St. Cannecli among 
 others, on whose interference Fintan relaxed the discipline, allowing 
 milk to the monks, while towards himself he was unbending. 
 
 It is related, that Cormac, a young prince, son of Dearmod, king of 
 Ily-Kinsellagli, was kept in chains by Colman, king of In orth Leinster, 
 and who intended to put him to death, and that St. Fintan, having gone 
 with some of his disciples to tlie king’s residence, in order to procure 
 the deliverance of the young prince, so affrighted Colman or Colum, 
 that he gave him up. This young prince, having afterwards ruled for a 
 considerable time, ended his days in the monastery of St. Comgall, of 
 Bangor. Fintan was also gifted with a prophetic spirit, an instance of 
 which is stated to have happened on hearing an unworthy priest offer- 
 ing the holy sacrifice. Being horror-struck at his impiety, the saint 
 foretold that this unhappy priest would abandon his order and habit, 
 and returning to the world, would die in his sins, 
 
 Columbkille is said to have had such an esteem for Fintan, that he 
 
618 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAJS’D. 
 
 dii*ected a young religious, named Coluinbanus, of tbe district of Leix, 
 who was returning from Hy to Ireland, to choose him for his spiritual 
 director and confessor. Accordingly, Coluinbanus waited upon him 
 and related what the holy abbot of Hy had recommended. Fintan de- 
 sired that he would not mention it to any other pej-son during his 
 lifetime, and died very soon after. Before his death, which was some- 
 what prior to that of Columbkille, he appointed, with the permission, 
 and benediction of the brethren and of other holy men, who had come 
 to visit him, Fintan Maeldubh as abbot and successor at Clonenagh. 
 Blessing his community, and partaking of the body of the Lord, he de- 
 parted this life on the ITth of February. His name is mentioned with 
 particular respect in various Martyrologies, both foreign and Irish. Tlie 
 year of his death is not mentioned, as is the case with other saints of 
 Ireland, while the day is faithfully recorded. “ Hatalis,” which means 
 a natal or birth-day, is used to express the day of a saint’s death, be- 
 cause he then enters on a life that is everlasting ; other hagiologists say 
 Coepit vivere,” he begins to live ; hence it is the day on which the 
 memory of the saint is preserved, while the year of his death is omitted. 
 
 A.D. 625, died the abbot St. Fintan Maeldubh. His festival is ob- 
 served on the 20th of October. 
 
 A.D. 830, the Danes destroyed this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 8GG, died the abbot Laicten. 
 
 A.D. 909, died Tiopraid, bishop of this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 919, again plundered by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 937, Ceallachan, king of Cashell, assisted by the Danes of 
 "Waterford, wasted the country of Meath, pillaged and sacked this 
 abbey, making the abbot a prisoner. 
 
 A.D. 9'10, Ceallach, bishop of Clonenach, died. 
 
 A.D. 970, died the bishop and abbot, Muredach O’Connor. 
 
 . A.D. 991, died the abbot Diarmit, a professor of Kildare, and a man 
 ol uncommon erudition. 
 
 Cluanchaoin, not far distant from Clonenagh. The following saints 
 are recorded as bishops in this place : St. Fintan, a holy anchorite, who 
 died A.D. 8G0 ; Aromeus or Aaron, whose festival is held on the 1st of 
 August. 
 
 Cluainemurchair. St. Breccan is mentioned as abbot of this place 
 in the time of St. Abbhan. There is mention of a St. Breccan, the 
 grandson of Carthen Fion, the first Christian prince of Thomond and 
 the son of Eochaid Balldearg, also prince of Thomond, who was baptized 
 by St. Patrick at Saingel, near Limerick. If this genealogy be correct, 
 this Breccan is different from the St. Breccan who is described at Ard- 
 braccan, and who is called the brother of Carnech, whose memory was 
 levered near Lough-foyle. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTOKY OF lEELAKD. 
 
 619 
 
 Disert-Cliuellin. See Mundrehid. 
 
 Disert-Enos, in the barony of Maryborough. St. Aetgus retired to 
 this desert, where he founded a monastery, which for some time retained 
 his name. This Aengus is the celebrated martyrologist. 
 
 A.D. 1033, Constant, of Desert-Enos and Mungaerid, died. 
 
 Disert Odran, in the territory of Hy-Falgia. St. Odran, who was 
 transfixed with a lance through mistake for St. Patrick, was the cha- 
 rioteer of the apostle. 
 
 Another St. Odran, was a native of this place and abbot of Lettrack- 
 Odran. Wishing to lead a religious life in some part of Ireland, he 
 was advised to remain in his own country by St. Kieran, of Saigir. He 
 then erected this monastery, which became very respectable ; and hav- 
 ing been a man of great virtue and sanctity, his memory has been 
 highly revered. Odran died on the 2d of October. 
 
 Gleanussen, which more properly belongs to this county than to the 
 King’s, and where some have placed it. 
 
 St. Diermit was the founder. He is different from the Diermit of 
 Inuisclotliran. 
 
 St. Comgan succeeded. His name occum in the life of St. Ita, at 
 whose death she was present. 
 
 St. Murgenius was abbot of Glenussen. His name occurs in the 
 calendars at the 27th of January. 
 
 A.D. 915, died Moelmoedoc, a learned scribe of Glenussen. 
 
 A.D. 1016, died Coenchomroe, a professor in this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1041, the abbey was plundered. 
 
 A.D. 1028, died Conchouran, a professor in this abbey. 
 
 Killdelge, in the barony of Upper Ossory. SS. Sillan and Cuanan, 
 the latter of whom died A.D. 721, are mentioned in connexion with 
 this place. It is now a rectory in the diocese of Ossory. 
 
 A.D. 866, died the abbot Congal MacFeadach ; and the four Mas- 
 ters call him a distinguished scribe. 
 
 A.D. 866, the abbot Donough MacMoeldun was slain by the Danes. 
 
 Killebbane, in the barony of Ballyadams. St. Abban founded this 
 establishment. Ho accounts of this abbey can be traced. 
 
 Killermogh, in the barony of Upper Ossory. St. Columbkille is said 
 to have been the founder. 
 
 Killfoelan, in the territory of Leix. Either founded by Foilan or 
 dedicated to that saint. 
 
 A Foilan was bishop of Emly. Another Foilan was brother to St. 
 Fursey. 
 
 Leamchuil, on the borders of Leix and Hyduach. St. Fintan Corach, 
 who was bishop of Clonfert, and who is there interred, is said to have 
 been abbot of this place. 
 
620 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 In the barony or district of Erris, county of Mayo, and parish of 
 Ballycroy, there is an old church in ruins, dedicated to St. Fintan. 
 Here also is his well. It has been long used as a cemetery. A small 
 creek under the church is called Cuan-Fintan. Hear the church is a 
 rocking-stone, so poised tliat a slight touch sets it in motion, and which 
 had been an object of superstition with the Pagan Irish. 
 
 St. Mochonna is said to have been abbot or bishop of this place. A 
 St. Mochonna is also found as abbot of Derry ; he was a very holy man. 
 lie lived in T04-, and his festival is marked at the Sth of March. 
 
 Mundrehid, in the barony of Ossory, between Burros and Annatrim, 
 and five miles west of Mountrath. 
 
 St. Lasren, who was also abbot of Durrow, is mentioned as abbot of 
 Mundrehid. 
 
 St. Manchen, “ the wise,” who is styled abbot of Disert-Chuilin, in 
 Leix, by some writers, died A.D. 652. 
 
 Rosstuirc, in Ossory, and near Sleeve-Bloom. 
 
 St. Brogan, of Rostuirc, who had been requested by St. Ultan of 
 Ardbraccan, to do so, wrote a celebrated poem, praising tlie virtues and 
 miracles of St. Brigid. The festival of Brogan is observed on the 17th 
 of September. St. Brendan, probably of Birr, is said to have governed 
 this church, and was, likely, the founder. Archdall places the death of 
 St. Brogan in the year 525, but that date is not reconcileable with the 
 request of St. Ultan, who lived until the year 657. 
 
 Sletty, in the barony of Sleevemarge. Tlie see of St. Fiech, the 
 disciple and favorite of St. Patrick, and to whom the apostle presented 
 many valuable gifts. 
 
 St. Aldus, bishop of Sletty, who died in 699, and whose name oc- 
 curs in the Irish calendars, at the 7th of February, and to whom a life 
 of St. Patrick was addressed by a writer called Macuthenus, was one of 
 the fathers who composed the synod of Flann Febbla, primate of 
 Armagh and of St. Adamnan, abbot of Hy. Seven disciples of St. 
 Fiech rest in Sletty : Moehatoc, Augustin, Tegan, Dermot, Hennid, 
 Paul, a hermit, and Fedhlim. 
 
 Stradbally gives name to the barony. In the twelfth century “ The 
 O’Morra” founded this monastery for conventual Franciscans. 
 
 August 18th, 1582, Queen Elizabeth was seized of this friary and 
 all its appurtenances, which consisted of, besides other property, three 
 hundred and forty-five acres of land, in different townlands, all of 
 which were granted to Francis Cosby, and his heirs, at the annual rent 
 of £17 6s. 3d. L’ish, under an obligation of finding, yearly, nine 
 English horsemen (to defend and maintain British supremacy). 
 
 In 1609, a new lease was made to Richard, son of Alexander 
 Cosby. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAI. IHSTORY OF mELAND. 
 
 621 
 
 Teach-scliotin, in the barony of Slievemarge. St. Scutin, or Sca- 
 than, was of an illustrious family, and is said to have been related to 
 St. Ailbe of Einly. lie had been a disciple of St. David, at Wales. 
 On his return to Ireland, he constructed a cell for himself, called after 
 him, and which seems to have been a solitary habitation. After a very 
 edifying life spent in the practice of great austerities, he died on a 2d of 
 January — the year being unknown. 
 
 Tempuil na cailleagh, church of the nuns, in the barony of Upper 
 Ossory. The founder or foundress is unknown. Two small chapels 
 were dependant on it. As it is in the vicinity of Aghaboe, it may have 
 been under its control. 
 
 A round tower, in fine preservation, and some ruins of the monas- 
 tery, are still to be seen. 
 
 Timahoe, in the barony of Cullinagh, and south of Stradbally, an- 
 ciently called Teagh-mochoe, from the founder. Archdall would lead 
 us to think that St. Mochoe, of Antrim, was the founder, who does not 
 seem to have any establishment beyond the confines of Ulster. As 
 there were other saints of this name, it must have been erected in some 
 time posterior to the age of the Antrim saint, who died in 497. 
 
 A.D. 925, died the abbot Moyle Kevin. He is the first abbot whoso 
 name is recorded. 
 
 A.D. 931, died the abbot Cosgrach. 
 
 A.D. 951, died Gormgall, prelector of this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 969, died the abbot Finghen O’Fiachrach. 
 
 A.D. 1001, died the abbot Conaing O’Fiachra. 
 
 A.D. 1007, died the abbot Fensneachta O’Fiachra. 
 
 A.D. 1142, the abbey was burned. 
 
 A round tower, in fine preservation, as well as some of the monastic 
 ruins, are still to be seen. The doorway of this tower is the finest of 
 the kind remaining in Ireland ; has some things in its style peculiar to 
 the round tower of Kildare. The doorway is formed of a hard siliceous 
 sandstone. It consists of two divisions, separated from each other by a 
 deep reveal, and presenting each, a double compound recessed arch, 
 resting on plain shafts, with flat capitals ; the carving is all in very low 
 relief ; its height is fifteen feet from the ground. The capitals of the 
 shafts are decorated with human heads, and the bases, which are in 
 better preservation than the capitals, present at their alternate eastern 
 angles, a similar human head, and at their alternate western angles, a 
 figure, not unlike an hour-glass. The measurement of the shafts of the 
 external arch, including the bases and capitals, is five feet eight inches ; 
 the breadth at the spring of the arch is three feet nine inches, and at 
 the base, four feet ; and the entire height of the arch is seven feet six 
 inches. 
 
622 
 
 KCCLEBIASTICAL mSTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER LIX. 
 
 COUNTY OF ROSCOMMON. 
 
 Aileciimor, in the territory of Artech. Archdall, and Seward in 
 his Topography, who seems to have copied from the former, place Dom- 
 nal, a disciple of St. Patrick, in this monastery. 
 
 He is called the son of Crimthan, who was, perhaps, the king of 
 Ily-Kinsellagh, who is said to have erected a large number of churches 
 in the time of the apostle of Ireland. Lanigan rejects his founding 
 those churches, as irreconcilable with the hatred which this king bore to 
 the family of St. Fiech. 
 
 Ardcarne, which was an ancient see, is situated in the barony of 
 Boyle. St. Beoadh, son of Clean, was of royal descent, and of a very 
 generous disposition ; he has been held in high estimation in the Irish 
 calendai’s. The death of this sainted bishop occurred on the 8th of 
 March, 524. The name is a compound of “ Beo,” animated or lively, 
 and “ Aidh,” Hugh. 
 
 A.D. 1225, died the archdeacon Dionysius O’Mulkyran. 
 
 A.D. 1240, Gilla na naomh O’Dreain, dean of this abbey, died. 
 
 It is not ascertained when the monastery of Ardcarne was erected, 
 or who has been the founder. In the thirty-fifth of Elizabeth it 
 was discovered by the royal inquisitors, that the abbot of Ardcarne 
 was seized of the townland of Clonecalliagh, and eight acres of land, 
 with the tithes ; the townland of Clonefinlaghe ; two parts of a quarter 
 of land, the tithes, &c. ; the lands of Kilfegan and Killgefin, with their 
 tithes. 
 
 The good queen, who did not abhor courts of inquisition while they 
 were useful in discovering the property of the Catholic church, granted 
 this monastery, and its appurtenances, to Trinity college, Dublin ; and 
 this Protestant college, mainly supported by the spoils of the Catholic 
 church, with true Protestant feeling and liberality closes its dignities to 
 the Catholic student, unless that Catholic sacrifices his religious convic- 
 tions to the Moloch of Protestant ascendancy. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IKELAND. 
 
 623 
 
 Nunnery. A Benedictine nunnery, which was a cell to the abbey 
 of Kilcreunata, in the county of Galway, existed here. 
 
 In the thirty -second of Queen Elizabeth, whom Protestant writers 
 dignify with the title of “ virgin,” and in eompliinent to whom an 
 American state has been named, found that this nunnery (the virgin 
 queen would not even spare the virgins of her own sex,) was built on a 
 piece of land called Ferane Culliagh, containing eight acres of arable 
 and pasture, annual value, besides reprises, 20d. ; and within the pre- 
 cincts was a church, and two houses of stone ; other possessions, with 
 tithes, &c., all of the value of 61s. Irish money. 
 
 Ath-da-larg, ford of the two forks. See Boyle, in this county. 
 
 Athleague, in the barony of Athlone, and on the river Suck, An 
 ancient monastery, of which there is no account, save the following re- 
 cord of one of its abbots — 
 
 A.D. 1206, died Macliosa O’llanayn, abbot of Eoscomrnon and 
 Athleague. 
 
 Athlone, situated on the river Shannon. A market-town and parlia- 
 mentary borough, rendered famous through its vigorpus defence against 
 the arms of King William III., the “ Absalom” of England, and gives 
 the title of earl to the family of Ginckle. 
 
 A Cistercian abbey was founded here, in the twelfth century, which 
 was called de Innocentia, 
 
 A.D. 1216. King John, by a grant, dated the 30th of May, gives to 
 this abbey four carucates of land, in the fee of Lagscuetli, in exchange 
 for the site on which he erected the castle of Athlone, and granted to 
 the said monks the tenth of the expenses of the aforesaid castle. 
 
 A.D. 1279, King Edward I,, on the 5th of June, granted to this 
 abbey the weirs and fisheries of Athlone, and the toll of the bridge ; 
 also eight acres of arable land, at the yearly rent of £12. 
 
 A.D. 1455, died the abbot Thomas Cumin, a man celebrated for ex- 
 tensive knowledge and unexampled wisdom. 
 
 In the time of Queen Elizabeth, this abbey was in the possession of 
 Sir Eichard Bingham, knight, first commissioner of Connaught, to- 
 gether with three chapels in the barony of Athlone, Cama, Kiltoame, 
 and Dray me, collectively worth TOs. Irish money. 
 
 Twentieth of Queen Elizabeth, a grant was made to Edmund O’Fal- 
 lon, of Athlone, of a mill, on the water of Clonekille, in this county, 
 and two other mills above the bridge of Athlone, with a castle on the 
 east end of the bridge, and a small piece of land adjacent to said castle, 
 lately built in the county of Westmeath, to hold the same at the annual 
 rent of 12d. Irish money. And on the 5th of August preceding, 
 another royal grant was made to said Edmund, of a stone house, and 
 two gardens thereunto belonging, with two other houses on the south 
 
624 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF lEELiAND. 
 
 side of the said castle, and an eel-weir on the river Shannon — all par- 
 cels of the property of this abbey. 
 
 In the ninth of King James I. it was found, that a house and gar- 
 den thereunto annexed, in the town of Athlone, parcel of this abbey, 
 annual value, besides reprises, 12d., was, by a grant from the crown, in 
 the possession of Edward "White, late of Ballynderry, in this county. 
 
 Bais leac mor. St. Sacellus, a disciple of St. Patrick, was bishop 
 of this place, now called Baslick. He was one of those who attended 
 the synod at Maghscola. Whether he Avas then a bishop or not, remains 
 in doubt. 
 
 Bealaneney, was a house of conventual Franciscans. It was found 
 to contain a church, Avith other buildings, and a cemetery, orchard, and 
 garden within the precincts ; eight acres of arable land and seven of 
 pasture ; a castle in the town of Athlone, near the cemetery of the 
 parish church, in which were tAvo chambei’S, and a parcel of land ad- 
 ’’acent to the said castle, extending from the east near the market-place, 
 sixty feet, and in length, near the river Shannon, tAvo hundred feet. 
 These possessions were granted to Edmund O’Fallon, of Athlone, at the 
 annual rent of 44:S. Td., Irish money. 
 
 Boyle, anciently called Athdalarg. See 'Easmacneirc. A market- 
 town on the river Boyle. 
 
 A.D. 1148, tlie Cistercians procured a settlement at Grelacdinach. 
 They afterAvards removed to Athdalarg or Boyle. Peter O’Morra, a 
 man of great learning, became their first abbot ; aftei’Avards promoted 
 to the see of Clonfert, and Avas unfortunately droAvned at Port de Caneog, 
 on the riA’^er Shannon, 27th of December, 1171. 
 
 Boyle abbey was one of the most celebrated monasteries of Eu- 
 rope. Boyle Avas filial to Mellifont, and was dedicated to the Yirgin 
 Mary. 
 
 Aodh O’Maccain succeeded the learned O’Morra. He moved his 
 monks to Drumconaid. His successor, Maurice O’Dubhay, having con- 
 tinued there near three years, removed to Bunfinne ; remained in this 
 latter place near two years and six months, Avhen they finally settled at 
 Boyle in the year 1161. 
 
 MacDermot, prince of Moylurg, erected this noble monastery. The 
 estates of the Macdermots have been seized by the King family, and 
 lord Lorton is the present occupant. 
 
 A.D. 1174, the abbot Maurice O’Dubhay died the 27th of December, 
 and Avas interred here. 
 
 A.D. 1218, the abbey church of Boyle was consecrated. 
 
 A.D. 1235, the English forces, under the command of lord justice 
 Maurice Fitzgerald and MacWilliam Bourke, encamped within the 
 abbey Avails, sacrilegiously seized all the goods, holy A’cstments, chalices, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL niSTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 fi2b 
 
 &c., belonging to this abbey, and very irreverently stripped the monks 
 of their habits in the midst of their cloister. 
 
 A.D. 1250, the abbot Dunchad O’Daly, the “ Ovid of Ireland,” died 
 [le was superior to all the poets of his time in hymnal compositions. 
 
 A.D. 1315, Rory O’Connor pillaged this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1331, MacDermot, lord of Moylurg, resigned Ids lordship and 
 assumed in this abbey the habit of the order. 
 
 A.D. 1342, Dermot Roe MacDermot died here in the Cistercian 
 habit. 
 
 A.D. 1383, died the abbot MacDairt, a charitable and humane 
 gentleman. 
 
 A.D. 1444, the abbot Thady died at Rome. 
 
 At the suppression, Tumaltach MacDermot was the abbot. Patrick 
 Cusacke, of Gerrardstown, in the county of Meath, o’otained a grant of 
 the possessions of this abbey, then consisting of 2350 acres in various 
 counties. 
 
 A.D. 1603, a second grant of this abbey and its possessions was made 
 to Sir John King. 
 
 In the reign of Elizabeth, the abbey of Boyle was converted into a 
 place of defence. Within a few miles of the abbey, on the north side 
 of the Curlew mountains, O’Donnel, on the morning of the 15th of 
 August, 1598, defeated the English troops under the command of Clif- 
 ford, governor of Connaught. Every Irish soldier, imitating the good 
 example of their commander, prepared himself for the approaching com- 
 bat by confession and communion. Scarcely had the divine sacrifice 
 been concluded on the morning of this festival dedicated to the holy 
 and Immaculate mother of God, the queen of heaven, and the mother of 
 the afflicted, when the English army appeared slowly advancing with 
 great order and regularity. 
 
 A notion then prevailed among the native Irish, that one of the ob- 
 jects of the reformation was to impugn the virginity of blessed Mary, 
 mother of God. And this notion, which the language of the reformers 
 then as well as the present day too fully justified, impressed such a hor- 
 ror against the English in the minds of the Irish clergy and laity, that it 
 rendered their detestation more intense, and the English, objects of 
 greater abhorrence. O’Donnel, impatient for the combat, which he 
 deemed decisive of his country’s fate, harangued his troops in the lan- 
 guage of old Ireland, pointing out the advantages which their situation 
 gave them over their opponents. “ Moreover,” continued O’Donnel. 
 “ were we even deprived of those advantages, we should trust to the 
 great dispenser of eternal justice, to the dreadful avenger of iniquity 
 and oppression, the success of our just and righteous cause. He has 
 
 already doomed to destruction those assassins, who have butchered our 
 40 
 
G26 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IKELANT). 
 
 wives and our children, plundered us of our properties, set fire tc our habit- 
 ations, demolished our churches and monasteries, and who have changed 
 the face of Ireland into a wild and uncultivated desert. On this day 
 more particularly, I trust to heaven for protection, a day dedicated to 
 the greatest of all saints, whom those enemies to all religion endeavor 
 to vilify ; a day on which we have purified our consciences, to defend 
 honestly the cause of justice against men whose hands are reeking with 
 blood, and who, not content with driving us from our native plains, 
 come to hunt us like wild beasts, into the mountains of Dunaveragh. 
 But what ! I sec you have not patience to hear a word more. Brave 
 Irishmen, you burn for revenge. Scorning the advantage of this im- 
 pregnable situation, let us rush down and shew the world that, guided 
 by the Lord of life and death, we e.xterminated those oppressors of the 
 human race. lie who falls, will fall gloriously, fighting in defence 
 of justice, liberty, his native country ; his name will be remembered 
 while there is an Irishman left, and he who survives, will be pointed 
 out as the companion of O’Donnel and the defender of his country. 
 The congregation shall make way for him at the altar, saying, ‘ That 
 hero fought at the battle of Dunaveeragh.’ ” 
 
 In this engagement the English lost fourteen hundred men. Clif- 
 ford’s head was struck oft‘, and the cause of the British thrown into con- 
 fusion by this victory, which the brave and the pious O’Donnel gained. 
 
 The natives of Dunaveragh still poiut out the spot where Clifibrd 
 fell. 
 
 Boyle abbey was once one of the finest buildings in Ireland, and 
 even still in its fallen yet picturesque condition, is signally creditable 
 to the architectural taste and skill of the native princes as well as that 
 of the clergy, previously to the English invasion. 
 
 Its ruins consist of the nave, choir and transepts, with a lofty square 
 steeple in the centic of the cross; the south side of the nave is formed 
 by a range of four lofty circular arches, supported by round piers or 
 columns of considerable solidity. These columns support a lofty wall, 
 on the side which the ivy now mantles, and are still ornamented with 
 some beautifully carved corbels, which once supported the vaulted roofs. 
 The great arches supporting the tower were forty-eight feet high, three 
 of them circular, while the fourth singularly formed a pointed arch ; the 
 bases of these columns are traced with various ornamental devices, each 
 studiously differing from the other, and all equally beautiful. 
 
 The eastern window was particularly attractive. It consisted of 
 three pointed arches, divided by mullions with decorated heads, all 
 tolerably perfect. Some of the capitals are plain, others adorned with 
 carving. The walls round the nave were perforated with a triforium, 
 which opens into the body of the building, through various small circu- 
 
ECCLESUSTICAL niSTORY OF mELAND. 
 
 627 
 
 lar arclies, still traceable behind the ivy. The entrance was at the 
 western end by a small arch pointed door. The stone used in the build- 
 ing is of the most solid description. 
 
 Briola, in the ancient country of Tirmany. An abbey, of which 
 nothing is recorded, with the exception of the founder’s name, John 
 FitzJetfry. ^ 
 
 Caldry wollagh, in the barony of Boyle. A friary of the third order 
 of Franciscans. The founder is not known. 
 
 By an inquisition taken in the twenty-sixth of queen Elizabeth, it 
 was found that one small quarter of land, containing sixty acres, with 
 their appurtenances and tithes, formed the whole possessions of this 
 abbey, and that the said land was a long time waste, but when culti- 
 vated, was valued at the annual sum of 13s. 4d. Irish money. 
 
 August 24th, 1582, a lease of this friary was granted to. Bryan Mac 
 Dermot, at the yearly rent of 9s. 4d. Irish money 
 
 Clonrahan. O’Connor Roe built this monastery for Franciscans of 
 the third order. Its history is lost. 
 
 Clonshanvil, in the barony of Boyle, and five miles from the river 
 Gara. An ancient abbey existed here, of which St. Connedus was 
 bishop. It was rebuilt by MacDermot Roe about the year 1385. It 
 was dedicated to the Holy Cross, and was presented to the Dominicans. 
 
 Bernard MacDermot Roe, the prior of this house, was obliged, with 
 many other soldiers of Christ, to go into exile, A.D. 1698, and died in 
 the province of Occitania, where a house of the order gave the L-ish 
 Dominicans a very generous reception. 
 
 In 1756, there were five of the brethren in this establishment, 
 Jerome O’Deugenan, prior; Andrew MacCostello, sub-prior; Peter 
 Conaghten, Michael MacDermot, and Patrick O’Beirne. 
 
 At the suppression, the abbey, with its appurtenances, was granted 
 to William Taatfe, who sold them to Dillon, viscount of Costello-gallen, 
 in the county of Mayo. These lands were tenanted in 1756 by a family 
 of the name of Davis. Some of the martyred friars, put to death by 
 the predecessors of this family (Davis), have been buried in a field near 
 the abbey ; over the bodies rushes home since grown. 
 
 Tlie walls of the friary and the church are still to be seen. 
 
 Clontuskert, in the barony of Roscommon. At the stippression, a 
 friary of canons regular was located here. TJJieir possessions were 
 granted, in the thirty-third of Elizabeth, to Fryal O’Ferrall, for the term 
 of twenty-one years, at the annual rent of £11 9s. 8d. 
 
 Clooncraft, in the barony of Roscommon, St. Berach, abbot of this 
 place, was the son of Remnald, a descendant of Bryan, formerly prince 
 of Connaught, and brother to Nial Neigilliach and of Finnaith, the 
 sister of a celebrated priest called Froech (see Cloone, county of Lei 
 
628 
 
 ECCLESIASnCAL HISTORY OF IKKLAND. 
 
 trim), Berach was born at a place belonging to Froecb near Cluan in 
 the territory of Conmacnie, and when only seven years old, he was sent 
 to the school of St. Dageus of Iniscain in the county of Louth. Having 
 there distinguished himself by his piety and learning, he removed to 
 Glendaloch, where he placed himself under the direction of St, Kevin, 
 and embraced the monastic state. 
 
 Tlie year of Berach’s death is unknown. Tlie day of his decease is 
 marked at February 15th. 
 
 Cluain-borean, in the territory of Ilymaine, and situated on the 
 banks of the Shannon. St. Carecha v.'as of the princely house of Orgiel 
 (Clogher), and a relative of the St. Enda, of Arran. Tliis saint died on 
 the 9th of February, A.D. 578, after having presided over this house, 
 Tlie four Masters represent her as surnamed Dergain. 
 
 St. Maugina, of Clogher, for whom St. Columba had a particular 
 regard, and whom he called a “ holy virgin,” was revered in Cluain- 
 Borean, or perhaps presided. She was the relative of Enda, of Arran, 
 and of St. Carecha. Maugina having been ill, St. Columba, when in 
 Ily, foretold her recovery, and that she would survive twenty-three 
 years. Her death, then, is to be assigned to the end of the sixth cen- 
 tury, and to a 15th of December. The residence of St. Maugina seems 
 to have been at Clogher. 
 
 Cluainmuin, the situation of which is not known. St. Ailila is men- 
 tioned as bishop, so is St. Coleman, probably the priest who foretold the 
 future greatness of St. Declan, of Ardmore, and afterwards a bishop. 
 There are more than twenty-seven saints called Colman, in the Irish 
 calendars. The festivals of the saints revered at this place were observed 
 on the 1st of July and the 5th of June. 
 
 A.D. 857, died the abbot Mailcola O’Feolan. 
 
 A.D. 885, died the abbot Feargal Mac Fionachton, and the prior 
 O’Mannan was slain by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 1089, this abbey was plundered. 
 
 Cluainamanagh, in the territory of Arteach, where St. Dabhonna, 
 son of Bestitutus and nephew of St. Patrick, by his sister Liemania, 
 was bishop. 
 
 Derane, two miles north-east of Eoscommon, A body of canons 
 regular were seated at this place, which was granted them by O’Con- 
 nor. Nothing more is jjnown relative to it. 
 
 Domnachmoree, Magh-seolga, in the territory of Hy-Bruin-seola. 
 
 St. Felartus, a disciple of St. Patrick, was bishop of this church, 
 lie attended the synod of Maghseola, which St. Patrick held here. 
 
 Esis-mac-neirc, founded by St. Columba, who placed over it the 
 abbot Dochonna, This saint has been more generally known by the 
 name Mochonna ; “ Me” being a prefix as already observed. 
 
ECX;LESIASTICAL niSXORY of IEELANT). 
 
 G29 
 
 According to Colgan, Chonna was of the family of a famoiis chief- 
 tain, Ere, from whom this jdace got its name. In the tripartite life of 
 St. Patrick, it is related, that the apostle of L-eland foretold the erection 
 of this monastery by St. Columba. It is supposed to have been the 
 site of the famous Cistercian abbey of Boyle ; a supposition that is 
 strengthened by the fact, that the ruins of a round tower have been dis- 
 covered there. That an ancient monastery existed at Athdalarg is 
 certain, as a St. Maccann was revered there, and whose festival was ob- 
 served on the 1st of December. 
 
 Elphin, in the barony of Boscommon, — the seat of a bishop. St. 
 Patrick appointed St. Asicus bishop of, &c. See diocese of Elphin. 
 
 A.D. 11G7, Elphin was burned. 
 
 A.D. 1177, the English destroyed Elphin. 
 
 A.D. 1150, Cornelius, bishop of Elphin, with the consent of the in- 
 habitants and of his canons, did grant the church of Elphin to the con- 
 ventual Franciscans. 
 
 A.D. 1460, died Buary Fitz Manus O’Connor, provost of Elphin. 
 
 The inquisition, taken after the general suppression of monasteries, 
 says, that this building did belong to the friars of the third order of St. 
 Dominick, who were at that time possessed of a church, cloister, and 
 dormitory, with the half of a catron adjacent thereto, and its tithes, 
 valued at 20d. Irish money. Said tithes had been long waste, but were 
 then found in the possession of Dr. J. Lynch, parliamentary bishop of 
 Elphin. And it was further found, that half a quarter of land, of 
 various kinds, called Kilvegoone, in O’Flanagan’s country, with the 
 appurtenances and tithes of the same, of the annual value of 6s. 8d. 
 Irish, did also belong to this convent. 
 
 Tins house, and its possessions, were granted to Terence O’Beirne. 
 
 Fidhard, in the territory of- Ily-Maine. St. Patrick founded this 
 church, and left there a St. Justus, his disciple, who, as the Tripartite 
 adds, baptized St. Kieran, of Clonmacnoise, in his one hundred and 
 fortieth year of age. 
 
 Inchmacnerin, an island of Loughkee, which receives the river 
 Boyle. St. Coliimba founded the monastery of this island before his 
 departure to the isles of Scotland. It appears that all the religious 
 houses attributed in Ireland to the apostle of the Hebrides, were founded 
 before his departure, A.D. 563. 
 
 A.D. 1222, the prior Maolisa O’Flyn, died. 
 
 A.D. 1229, the prior Muireadhach O’Gormgaile, died. 
 
 A.D. 1234, Prior Moylisa O’Gormgaile, died. 
 
 The greater portion of the property belonging to this monastery of 
 canons regular, was situated in the county of Sligo ; another portion 
 was in O’Connor Reagh’s country (Roscommon), all of which were 
 
630 
 
 ECCLESIAS'nCAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 granted, witli tlieir tithes, to William Taaffe, who assigned them to 
 Thomas Spring They were of great extent, and were concealed on 
 account of the “ incivility” of the country. If the incivility of Con- 
 naught and Ulster had been exhibited in the other provinces towards 
 the English, the subjugation of Ireland would have been dearly pur- 
 chased. See Boyle, in this county. 
 
 Inchmean, a cell of Benedictines, which was afterwards united tc 
 Killcreunata, a nunnery in the county of Galway. Archdall says that 
 it was a house for monks. See Killcreunata. 
 
 Inchmore, an island of Loughree, in the Shannon. See Inchmore, 
 county Clare, and also in Longford. 
 
 30th of June, and the ninth of Queen Elizabeth, a lease of this 
 abbey was granted to Christopher, Lord Delvin, for the term of twenty- 
 one years, at the annual rent of £G 14s. Sd. 
 
 Kill-chule. St. Clean is said to have been the founder of this house, 
 in the teri-itory of Siolmuiredhuigh. 
 
 This St. Clean has been called a disciple of St. Patrick. Many of 
 the adherents of the national apostle remained in the province of Con- 
 naught ; a7ul it is remarkable that the people of this province, who are 
 the oldest of Ireland, are and have been singularly attached to their 
 faith. They have been the steady and determined opponents of British 
 aggression on their tenltory ; and even at the present day, when no 
 battle is to be fought, save at the hustings, their votes ai’e recorded 
 against the oppressive government of England ; and when the thirst of 
 conquest prompts the British ministry to extend their sway, none of the 
 Irish soldiei’s are more distinguished than the men of Connaught, and 
 yet England fears to acknowledge, or is unwilling to do justice, to the 
 bravery and courage of her Irish troops. When Irish blood is shed in 
 her defence, or in the unrighteous extension of her rule, England only 
 acknowledges those feats as those of “ British valour and British blood.” 
 It seems that her policy in subjugating the Irish peasantry to the mer- 
 ciless tyranny of Cromwellian plunderers has been directed towards 
 making tliose people the material of her armies, when of necessity her 
 “ bounteous shilling ” must be accepted, when the poor Irish peasant 
 has not the means of self-support, or of betaking himself to the free and 
 generous land of America. Perhaps England has carried her policy in 
 this respect too far, as the province in wliich she found the staple of her 
 armies is well-nigh depopulated, and the strong arm of the peasant, who 
 survives her cruel misgovernment, has been unnerved in the woi’k- 
 houses, which are memorials or monuments of the devastation of the 
 country she has misruled, and of the utility of the monastic establish- 
 ments which she has levelled to the ground, in detestation of that faith, 
 to which she is hxdebted for the great charter of English rights. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 C31 
 
 Killaraorlit. St. Athracta cither founded this house or it was dedi- 
 
 o 
 
 cated to her. It was not her first establishment. See Ivillara^ht, Co. of 
 Sligo. 
 
 At the suppression, the thirty-third of Queen Elizabeth, the abbess 
 of this house was seized of three carucates of land, near the water of 
 Lorgbella, two beyond the water towards the north, and one towards 
 the west ; the whole of the annual value of 5s. Irish money, besides 
 reprises. 
 
 This nunnery, with its appurtenances, was granted to Terence 
 O’Beirne, who assigned them to the earl of Clanrickard. 
 
 Killidvin, or Killunechair, in the barony of Boyle, where a St. Lune- 
 chairia is honored, and who was born before the year 637. 
 
 Killmore, on the banks of Loughree, and six miles north-west of 
 Athlone. A priory of canons regular was erected in honor of the Vir- 
 gin Mary, by Con O’Flanagan, which was consecrated by Donagh 
 O’Connor, bisliop of Elphin, A.D. 1232. O’Flanagan presided here till 
 the time of his death, wliich liappened on the 25th of April, 1249. 
 
 A.D. 1260, died the prior Kyne O’Byrne. 
 
 A.D. 1380, the prior Benedict O’Flanagan died. 
 
 A.D. 1 383, died the prior Mathew Mac Muireadhuigh. 
 
 A.D 1580, a lease of this priory, for the term of twenty-one years, 
 was granted to Tyrrell O’Farrell, at the annual rent of £3 10s. Irish 
 money. 
 
 It was afterwards granted to Sir Patrick Barnewall. 
 
 Killomy. In the year 760, a monastery was founded here by St. 
 Coeman, of which no further account remains. 
 
 Ivilltullagh, in the barony of Ballintubber, and bordering on the 
 county of Galway. A monastery for Franciscans of the third order 
 and de Poenitentia was erected hero, after the year 1411, of v/hich no- 
 thing else is recorded. 
 
 Knockvicar, in the barony of Boyle, and on the bank of the river, 
 distant about two miles from the mansion of the Mac Dermot of the 
 rock. According to some accounts this monastery belonged to the 
 Franciscans of the third order ; to others, it was a cell of Dominicans, 
 subject to Clonshanville, situated in the same barony. Tlie monastery 
 w’as erected on an eminence, but a vestige of its ruins has not escaped 
 the ruthless hands of the levellers of the sixteenth and seventeenth 
 centuries. 
 
 The monastery possessed a cartron of land adjoining thereto, with 
 the moiety of another quarter in the parish of Arcara, the whole con- 
 taining forty acres of arable, pasture, and mooi*, wdtli the tithes of the 
 same and an eel-weir on the river Boyle, all valued annually at 13s. 4d. 
 Irish money. 
 
632 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAX, HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A lease of this abbey was granted to Richard Kendleinarch. 
 
 Loughkey. The river Boyle runs through this lake, in which there 
 is an island called Trinity Island, an abbey dedicated to the holy and 
 undivided Trinity having existed there, A.D. 700. 
 
 A.D. 1215, the eminent Clarus Mac Mojdin O’Mulchonry, archdea- 
 con of Elphin, refounded this abbey under the invocation of the Holy 
 Trinity, for Premonstre canons, lie also founded the church of Deryu- 
 donne. See Tulsk, in this county. 
 
 A.D. 1231, on the 15th of December, died here Dionysius O’Morra, 
 who had retired from the bishopric of Elphin. 
 
 A.D. 123-1, Gillisa O’Gibbellan, anchorite of this island, died. 
 
 A.D. 1239, Basra Fina, daughter of Cathal Croivdeargh and wife of 
 O’Donmail, granted to this abbey the half town-land of Rosbuni, being 
 part of her dower. 
 
 A.D. 1380, the abbot, who was son of MacDermod Roe, died. 
 
 A.D. 1110, the abbot died. 
 
 A.D. 1106, the abbey was consumed by an accidental fire, caused 
 by the negligence of a woman. 
 
 This abbey was filial to the abbey of Premonstre, in France. Its 
 possessions were granted, with other property, valued at £26 13s. 8d. 
 annually, to Robert Harrison for ever, in free soccage. The annals of 
 Loughkey were preserved here. 
 
 Lysdufi', in the barony of Roscommon, and in O’Connor Roe’s 
 country. 
 
 This priory was a cell dependant on the abbey of Cong, in Mayo. 
 In the general inquisition it was found seized of four quarters of land, 
 with the tithes and appurtenances thereof and the vicarage of Lysdutf, 
 and also all the tithes and possessions belonging to the abbey of Cong, 
 in tlie county of Rosscommon included, were granted to the provost and 
 fellows of Trinity College, Dublin. The English parliament at one time 
 imposes on those “Fellows” the public profession of celibacy, which is 
 relaxed at another period, according as the ministry is composed of 
 good and pious viembers or otherwise. To her military men, while serv- 
 ing in the army, the senate does not permit the state of marriage, lest 
 its burdens would render them less efficient when called upon to fight 
 the battles of their country, while they deride in the Catholic church 
 the salutary discipline of continence, Avhich the hierarchy and clergy 
 voluntarily embrace, in order that they may, unburdened with the 
 trammels of worldly obligations, as true and faithful servants, fight the 
 battles of their spiritual warfare. 
 
 Maghselga or Seola, Domnachinore of. In the life of St. Patrick, by 
 Evin, it is stated that the apostle, having come to this plain, near El- 
 phin, found three pillar stones, which had been there raised by the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 633 
 
 Pagans, either as memorials of events or for the celebration of Pagan 
 rites, on one of -which he inscribed the name “ Jesus,” on another 
 “ Soter,” the Greek of Saviour, and on another “ Salvator,” the Latin 
 of Saviour. 
 
 Monasterevan, in the same barony. An inquisition instituted by 
 Elizabeth, lor the purpose of robbing the rightful owners, in the twenty- 
 eighth year of her reign, found that this monastery in O’Connor Dun’s 
 country, was possessed of two quarters of land, to wit, the half town 
 land of Kynetty in this county, valued at 20s. then waste, and for a long 
 time concealed. 
 
 The tribunal of inquisition, established in the neighboring states for 
 the trial and punishment of criminals, heretics and disturbers of religion 
 as well as of the public peace, is, and has been, an object of horror to 
 the Protestants of England : and their fellow Protestants of Holland 
 could teach their children to wash their hands in Catholic blood, and 
 while upbraiding the Catholics of Ireland with its abuses in other coun- 
 tries, if such existed, they have been striving to conceal their own enor- 
 mities towards the unoffending and devoted Catholics who have never, 
 even when in their power, maltreated a single dissenter to the ancient 
 faith, and who, even in Dublin, afforded shelter to the persecuted Pro- 
 testants of England, when obliged to fly the rage of the government. 
 
 Oran, in the half barony of Ballymoe, and five miles west of Ros- 
 common. St. Patrick founded the church of Huarangaradh, now called 
 Killgaradh. Hear this place he assigned situations to some of his Gallic 
 disciples, who wished to live in retirement. 
 
 Cethecus, who is called Patrick’s bishop, is interred here, but it does 
 not seem that he was permanently established at this place, as he was 
 employed by the apostle in visiting distant churches. 
 
 Oi'an appears to have been a parish church and not a monastery. 
 St. Cethecus was a native of this place or of Tirerill in the county of 
 Sligo, which was the country of his mother. 
 
 Randown or Ryndowne, in the barony of Athlone, seven miles north 
 of that town. A priory was founded for knights Hospitallers or- Cross- 
 bearers, in the reign of king John, and, as is said, by his express com- 
 mand. 
 
 A Philip Hangle was a great benefactor to this house in the reign ot 
 king Henry HI. 
 
 A.D. 1226, the English strongly fortified the castle of Rindiun. 
 
 A.D. 1237, Phelim O’Connor plundered and pillaged this town. 
 
 A.D. 133T, John de Fontaynes was constable of this castle with the 
 annual fee of £40 sterling. 
 
 Church of the Holy Trinity. Clarus MacMoylen O’Mulchonry, who 
 founded the priory of Loughkee, established this church. 
 
634 : 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IRELAND. 
 
 Hosscommon, the capital of the county, and gives title to the famny 
 of Dillon, as earls. Sir Robert de Utford rebuilt the castle of Rossconi- 
 mon, A.D. 1268, which was razed to the ground in 1271. 
 
 Abbey of canons of St. Augustine. St. Coenian was bishop of Ross- 
 common. The monastery of Roscommon was founded by the bishop 
 Coman, who died in 743 or 746. II is monastic rule, called the law of 
 Coman and Aodan, was received in three parts of Connaught. Besides 
 the severity of the institute, which the founder himself compiled, this 
 abbey was celebrated for its schools and the number of its learned pro- 
 fessors, who continued to teach at Rosscommon, until the year 1177, 
 when the English army took possession of the monastery in their route 
 from Dublin to the West of Ireland. 
 
 St. Aodan succeeded the founder. 
 
 A.D. 777, died the abbot Aodan. 
 
 A.D. 807, the Danes plundered and sacked the abbey. 
 
 A.D. 811, died Joseph, the learned scribe of Roscommon. 
 
 A.D. 813, died the abbot Sednlins, also bishop of Roscommon. 
 
 A.D. 816, died the bishop Siedat. 
 
 A.D. 872, died the abbot Aodh, the learned and venerable scribe of 
 Roscommon. 
 
 A.D. 964, the abbot Cormac O’Kellane, who was bishop and abbot 
 of Roscommon, Clonmacnoise and Tuaimgreny. He was held in uni- 
 vei*sal esteem for his great learning and unbounded benevolence. 
 
 A.D. 1043, died Aodhan Connactach, anchorite and prelector of this 
 abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1097, the abbot Flanigan Roe O’Dubhtaig, and Aidan, a learned 
 professor of this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1123, a piece of the Holy Cross was presented to this abbey by 
 Turlogh O’Connor. 
 
 A.D. 1135, the professor Gilla Colman O’Conghaly, a scribe and 
 commentator of this abbey, was slain by the people of Conmaicne. 
 
 A.D. 1156, Turlogh the Great, monarch of Ireland, died. He 
 largely augmented the estates of this house, and directed the Host to be 
 carried with great solemi ity, attended by many of the clergy and other 
 religious men, throughout the kingdom, and then to be deposited in a 
 tabernacle prepared for it, of immense value, in this church. 
 
 A.D. 1158, a synod of all the clergy of Connaught was held in this 
 abbey, when many good and exemplary decrees were made. 
 
 A.D. 1170, the abbot Dermod O’Braoin, a man of extraordinary 
 erudition, died at Inisclothran, in the county of Longford, in the ninety- 
 fifth year of his age. In the same year, his successor Giolla Jarlaithe 
 O’Carmacan, placed the remains of the founder, St. Coeman, in a shrine 
 richly ornamented with silver and gold. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL UISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 635 
 
 A.D. 1177, a party of English arrived here on their way from Dub- 
 lin, and remained three niglits. 
 
 A.D. 1204, William Bourke, the conqueror of Connaught, spoiled 
 this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1232, Tiopraid O’Braoin, a man well skilled in the antiquities 
 and laws of the country, died on a pilgrimage at Lmisclothran. 
 
 A.D. 1360, Boscommon was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1472, Theobald Burke, a Dominican friar, was, by special bull 
 of Pope Sixtus IV., made prior of the canons regular of Roscommon. 
 
 A regular succession of abbots continued until, in the twentieth of 
 queen Elizabeth, its possessions, consisting of thirty quarters of land and 
 vai'ious rectories, were granted, at an annual rent, to Sir Nicholas 
 Malbye. A second inquisition was held under James I., when other 
 property, together with the rectories and tithes of eighteen parishes, 
 were seized upon and held from the king in pure and common soccage. 
 
 We find none of the abbots or priors of the monasteries of Connaught 
 sit as barons of parliament. Beyond the Shannon, the people were 
 considered as barbarians, and hence they were debarred the advan- 
 tages which British ^protection and improveinent guaranteed. The 
 natives of that province never relaxed in their resistance to English 
 rule until the reign of James L, when England exercised supreme 
 control. 
 
 Dominican friary. This monastery was founded in the year 1253 or 
 1257, by Phelim O’Conor, king of Connaught, who was interred here, 
 A.D. 1265. 
 
 Tlie church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and was consecrated 
 by Thomas O’Connor, bishop of Elphin. 
 
 A.D. 1261, Murarius Duach O’Conneker was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1293, a general chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1308, this friary was destroyed by lightning. 
 
 A.D. 1445, this house having suffered much from the calamities of 
 war, and other misfortunes. Pope Eugene IV. granted a bull of indulg 
 ence, bearing date the 5th of May, to repair the same. This year died 
 Thomas O’Cornen, esteemed the most wise and prudent man of his 
 time. 
 
 Tlie possessions of this friary, 143 acres of land, with tithes and ap- 
 purtenances, w'ere granted to Sir Nicholas Malbye, knight. In 1615, 
 they were given to Francis, Viscount Valentia, from whose family they 
 passed into the hands of Sir Arthur Cole, baron of Ranelagh. 
 
 Tliis abbey has given martyrs to the church of Ireland, who shall be 
 noticed elsewhere. In 1756 there were sixteen friars attached to this 
 convent : Thomas Mulledy, the prior ; Thomas Brennan, master ; Thomas 
 Egan, sub-prior ; Dominick O’Kelly, James Brenan, Patrick MacDer- 
 
C36 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELA2CD. 
 
 mot, Peter Cor, Ambrose Mac Dermot, John Eutledge, I’atrick Ken- 
 nedy, John Keetly, John Smyth, John Kearney, Michael Cahan, 
 Anthony O’Kelly, and Dominick Ilanly. Some of those were exer- 
 cising pastoral functions. 
 
 Franciscan friary of Roscommon was founded A.D. 1269, and in the 
 following year was totally destroyed by fire. 
 
 Teagheon. See Randown. 
 
 Teagh na nighnean, house of the daughters. Tlie seven daughters ot 
 Fergus were honored in Connaught, on the 2-l:th of May ; the records of 
 which have perished, nor is it known where in the province this house 
 was situated. (Rinmoil, Co. Galway.) 
 
 Teagh-Baithen. St. Baithan, the son of Cuaniich, was bishop ot 
 this place. It was in Airteach, not far from Elphin. Here was also, in 
 fonner times, a celebrated school. 
 
 Toberelly, in the plain of Roscommon. St. Brigid had been settled 
 in this plain before she withdrew to Kildare. 
 
 A cell or chapel, of the third order of St. Francis, was founded here. 
 It was found to be seized of a quarter of land, with the tithes and ap- 
 purtenances thereunto belonging, and adjacent to the cell, valued at 
 13s. 4d. 
 
 Towemonia, in the barony of Roscommon. A monastery for Domi- 
 nicans was founded here, hy O’Connor Don. 
 
 At the suppression, it was found to belong to the Franciscans of the 
 third order, and was then seized of a church, with a small cemetery, a 
 quarter of land of arable and pasture, and the appurtenances and tithes 
 adjacent to the friary, valued at 10s. sterling, annually. 
 
 Thirtieth of Elizabeth it was granted for the term of twenty-one 
 years, to Richard Kindelinshe, at the annual rent of 57s. 25 d. 
 
 Of this monastery not a trace remains. The ruins of a castle which 
 belonged to O’Connor are still to be seen. It is doubtful whether this 
 house, not distant from Tulsk a mile, ever belonged to the Dominicans. 
 
 Tulsk, in the barony of Roscommon, formerly a parliamentary bo- 
 rough, sending two representatives to the Irish parliament. 
 
 This monastery was founded by Mac Dowel for Dominicans, A.D. 
 1448. 
 
 By inquisition, the thirty-third of Queen Elizabeth it was found that 
 a quarter of land, Killnendwane, with the tithes, &c., of the annual 
 value of 4s. Dish money, and the quarter of Came, with its tithes, were 
 in the occupation and possession of the mayor and bailiffs of Galway. 
 
 Tlie abbey and possessions were granted to John Fox, Esq. Some 
 of the church walls and the arches of its interior are still pretty 
 entire. 
 
 Kear Tulsk is the hill on which the kings of Connaught were 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOKY OF LRELANU. 
 
 63T 
 
 inaugurated, its name is Carnfraoch. A description of the duties of the 
 chief officers has been preserved in an Irish manuscript, at Stowe, in 
 England. Being singular in its way, it is presented to the reader. 
 
 Tlie O’Mulchonrys were the hereditary marshals of Connaught. 
 “ It is O’Mulchonry’s right to present the wand to the king, and it is not 
 lawful for any of the nobles of Connaught to be present in company on 
 the earn, excepting O’Mulchonry, who inaugurates, and O’Connaghtan, 
 who guards the entrance of the earn. The king’s horse and clothes be- 
 come the property of the successor of Daconna, and he follows O’Con- 
 nor on that horse ; and an ounce of gold is paid to O’Connaghtan, who 
 is obliged to smoothe the earn at every inauguration.” 
 
 The king of Connaught kept twelve prime officei-s of the chief fami- 
 lies of his country, in his court, attending his person, as his council, and 
 to rule and govern his household, as well as to manage the affairs of his 
 kingdom, in war and peace. These offices were hereditary in those 
 families: O’Flanagan, Mac Geraghty, O’Mulbrenin, O’Finachty, O’Fal- 
 lon, O’Flin, O’Monachan, O’Concanon, Mac Brenan, O’llanley, O’lleyn, 
 O’Seachnusey. 
 
 For the services of those lords the following stipends were given by 
 the king : “ fifty cows, and as many sheep, on May day, to Mac Ge- 
 raghty ; fifty cows and fifty swine every J^ovember day, to him also — 
 his surety in- the district of Umhal. Fifty suckling calves and fifty 
 sheep on the same day to O’Fionachty, and fifty pigs and as many cows 
 every November day, to him and his surety, in Luighney. Fifty calves 
 and fifty sheep to O’Maelbrenan ; fifty cows and fifty pigs, on those 
 days, to him also, and his surety in the district of Fiachra. Fifty calves 
 and fifty sheep to O’Flanagan ; fifty suckling calves and fifty pigs to 
 him also, and his surety in Tirawley and Erris. O’Connor’s high stew- 
 ardship belongs to O’Flanagan, in preference to the three other chiefs, 
 lords of Connaught. The guardianship of his hostages and prisoners, 
 and the command of the securities for the provision of his fleet from 
 Slieve-an-iorran (iron mountain) to Limerick (on the Shannon), belongs 
 to O’llanly ; the body-guards of O’Connor, and the joint stewardship, 
 and the keherns, to be under the control of Mac Brenan ; the straw for 
 the encampment, the furniture and beds for O’Connor’s house, to be 
 provided by the clan Dockrey, and also the making of the encampment, 
 whenever his fort is to be fitted up ; the guarding of the preys of 
 O’Connor, when he pitches his tents, belongs to O’Flanagan, O’Berne, 
 and O’Dockrey ; the guards of O’Connor and their profits from the 
 curragh of Cennenitch, eastward to Cenantus, are subject to the com- 
 mand of Mac Brennan ; his guards from that Curragh, westward to 
 Cruach-patrick, belongs to the command of O’Flin ; the command of 
 the fleet to O’Fiaherty and to O’Mali, whenever he goes on high sea. 
 
638 
 
 ECCLKSIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELA^TD. 
 
 Tlie chief of the household of O’Connor is OTeige, and he is mareschall 
 of the household ; the steward of the horse is O’Flin ; the steward of 
 the jewels is O’Kelly ; the chief marshal of the armies is Mac Dermot ; 
 the carver is O’Bern ; the door-keeper is O’Finachty ; the chief poet is 
 O’Mulchonry.” 
 
 Such was the household of O’Connor, as described by Torna O’Mul- 
 chonry, chief poet of Connaught, who attended at the inauguration of 
 Phelim O’Connor, on the hill of Carnfraoich, A.D. 1315. 
 
 CHAPTER LX. 
 
 COUNTY OF SLIGO. 
 
 Achonry, the seat of a bishop, in the barony of Liney ; see diocese 
 of. A.D. 874, died the abbot of Achonry, Robertach Mac Kaserda, 
 who was made bishop of Kildare. 
 
 Aughross, in the barony of Tireragh, parish of Templeboy. Tin's 
 monastery was founded by St. Molaisse, alias Lasrean, of Devenish, Co. 
 Fermanagh ; it w’as also called Killmantin. It was refounded for 
 canons regular, in the year 1280, by the family of Mac Donnell. Arch- 
 dall quotes the authority of Allemande, who gives his own conjectures 
 too often instead of focts. 
 
 No such familj’-, at least, of importance, existed in Tireragh. 
 
 In the annals of the Four Masters, the following record is found : 
 
 A.D. 1380, Donnell, son of Bryan O’Dowda, lord of Tirawley and 
 Tireragh, who defended his territory despite of the English and Irish, 
 who were opposed to him, died in his own town (Dunneil), on the 3d of 
 May. 
 
 O’Flaherty, on the authority of MacFirbis, the biogi’apher of the 
 O’Dowda family, adds, that Donnell O’Dowda, who reigned thirty-six 
 years, was a builder of churches and monasteries. 
 
 The earn, on which the O’Dowda was inaugurated, lies to the west 
 of Killala ; it is now called Mullaghcanie. On the summit of this 
 elevated spot the earn is still visible. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HI8T0EY OF IRELAND. 
 
 639 
 
 It would then appear that O’Dowda was the founder of Aughross, 
 instead of Mac Donald. 
 
 The memory of St. Molaisse, St. Fechin, and St. Airendanus, a her- 
 mit, is still preserved in Tireragh, by some of the natives, as well as 
 that of St. Adamnan, of Skreene. 
 
 Tlie retreat of Airendan was in the face of a rock, overhanging the 
 stream wdiich divides the parishes of Templeboy and Easkey, now 
 called the Duach. Some ancient lime-trees add much to its picturesque 
 appearance. In the centre of the stream, almost at the verge of the 
 fall of its waters, is a basin, formed in the lime-stone rock, of a form 
 completely circular, and of uniform depth, in which, according to tra- 
 dition, he was wont to administer baptism. 
 
 St. Aileran, or Airendan, surnamed the Wise, presided over the great 
 school of Clonard, as principal professor. A tract, written by him, is 
 still extant, in which the mj^stical meaning of the names of our Saviour’s 
 progenitors, as they are found in the gospel of St. Matthew, is treated 
 of. Though small, it exhibits, besides a great share of ingenuity, very 
 considerable biblical and theological learning. He also wrote a life of 
 St. Patrick, wdiich is lost. Some memoirs on St. Brigid, and also 
 the proceedings of St. Fechin, in the island of Imagh, county Galway. 
 
 On the 29th of December, A.D. 665, St. Airendan died, of the great 
 pestilence that raged over Ireland. 
 
 Tlie eminent SS. Fechin, Adamnan, and Airendan, whose labors 
 have sanctified this district of Ireland, frequently met, it is said, at 
 Aughris, as a central point, to converse on heavenly subjects. 
 
 An inquisition found that the prior was seized of the church, wdth a 
 steeple, built in the form of a castle ; and a quarter of land of every 
 kind, adjacent thereto, of the annual value of os. Irish money ; the 
 vicarage of the church of Dromard, besides the curate’s stipend, of the 
 value of 3s. 4d. ; the vicarage of Kilmacshelgan, of the like value ; the 
 vicarage of Corcagh (now Templeboy), all situate in the barony of Tire- 
 ragh. The vicarage of Aheitnlys, in the barony of Carberry, with a 
 quarter of glebe land belonging thereto, and an island (Inismurry), in 
 the high sea, of the value of £15 sterling, and the grange of Maghera- 
 kilterny, containing one quarter of- land, of the old measure, in the 
 barony of Lurge, and county of Fermanagh. 
 
 Tlie prior of Aughross, abbot of Ballysadare, and chaplain to Manus 
 O’Donnell, was consecrated bishop of Elphin, on the 23d of March, 
 A.D. 1544. 
 
 At the ancient church of Dromard is the hermitage of St. Fechin, 
 with its rude altar of stone, which was used at the time of the persecu- 
 tion by the professors of the ancient faith. Two other religious houses 
 existed in the parish of Templeboy. Grangemoro, with its square castle 
 
G40 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 and cliurcli, the walls of which are nearly in ruins, is now a burial-place, 
 near which many religious were slaughtered by the persecutors, who 
 attacked them by night ; the other called Grangebeg, which, according 
 to tradition, was a nunnery, and was also used formerly as a burial- 
 place. Tlie first of these places belongs to the family of Fury, The 
 second has become the property of the Ilillas family. Aughross belongs 
 to Cooper, of Markrea castle. Not a trace of this ancient monastery 
 remains. 
 
 Ardnary, in the barony of Tireragh, on the banks of the Moy. A 
 monastery for Eremites of St, Augustine was founded here, A.D. 1427, 
 which tradition assigns to the piety and generosity of the O’Dowda family. 
 
 Near this monastery is the hill which gives name to the abbey. On 
 its summit was erected the castle of the O’Dowda, often captured by the 
 Biu'kes and as often recovered by this ancient and martial family. See 
 Ivellach, bishop of Killala. 
 
 A.D. 1580. “The Burkes, of Mayo, collected their forces and were 
 joined by two thousand Scottish auxiliaries, who had landed in Ulster. 
 Their object was to expel the English, who were devastating the pro- 
 vince, under the cruel governor Sir Richard Bingham, whose name 
 became signalized at the attack of Smerwick castle, in Kerry, and who 
 was known by the name of the ‘ Devil’s Reaping-hook.’ The Bourkes 
 having mustered in all three thousand men, and having encamped at 
 Arduaree with their auxiliaries, Bingham, having closely pursued, at- 
 tacked or rather surprised the)n on the banks of tlie Moy. Burke’s men 
 were defeated, and two thousand, principally Scotch, were slain, many 
 of whom jilunged into the depths of the Moy, rather than be put to 
 death by the governor’s men.” 
 
 The walls of the abbey church are nearly perfect. The west door, 
 with two human heads, has been in the pointed style, forming an arch 
 of pretty design, and having in the interior a stoup for holy water. Its 
 pointed arches should have been copied, when the cathedral, wdiich is 
 adjacent, was being erected. 
 
 Ardseinliss, in the barony of Tireragh, near Slieve Bagna. St. Patrick 
 is said to have founded this nunnery for St. Lalloca, who was sister to 
 St. Mel, of Ardagh. Nothing more is recorded of it. If the tradition 
 of the country can be relied on, St. Columbkille travelled through this 
 part of tlie country when going to or returning from Killala, the port 
 of which he blessed. 
 
 Athmoy. Clarus O’Mulchonry, archdeacon of Elphin, built this 
 church, in honor of the holy Trinity, for Premonstre canons, which he 
 brought from Loughkey. The founder died A.D. 1251. 
 
 Athmoy, with its possessions, was granted to Robert Harrison, who 
 assigned them to William Crofton. 
 
ECCLESLASTICiVL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 C41 
 
 Ballindune, m the barony ofTirelill, seven miles north of Boyle, and 
 on Longh Arrow. The ancient sept of MacDonagh founded this mon 
 astery, for Dominicans, about the year 1427. This family has given 
 bishops, priests, martyrs, and heroes to Ireland. They are a branch oi 
 the MacDermot, of Moylurg, who was descended of Ilereinon, the third 
 son of Milesius. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and it could com- 
 pete with many monasteries of the country in extent and beauty. 
 
 In the* twenty-seventh of queen Elizabeth, the possessions consisted 
 of a church and cemetery, with half a quarter of land of every kind, 
 annual value 6s. 8d. English money. They were granted to Francis 
 Crofton, who had assigned them to Edward Crofton. They have even- 
 tually fallen into the hands of the King family. 
 
 In the year 1756, there were four friars attached to Ballindune, 
 Michael Beynolds, the prior ; Dominick OTTart, Andrew Dwyer, and 
 Miles Lipnan. 
 
 Turlogh MacDonogh, the most eminent lawyer of his time, has been 
 buried in this abbey. 
 
 Ballinley, now Rosslee, and anciently Imleach Iseal. On the west 
 side of the river of Easkey is the ancient church of Imleach-iseal. 
 
 Its erection must be attributed to the O’Dowdas, lords of Tyreragh. 
 
 A.D. 1439, the vicar of Imleach-iseal died of the plague. Ills name 
 is preserved in the annals of the four Mastere. Donogh O’Boland, son 
 of Tumaltach. 
 
 The river of Easkey flows from the lake of that name, which is 
 situated at the foot of the Ox mountains. 
 
 The annals of the four Masters record its eruption, A.D. 1490 : “ An 
 earthquake at Slieve Gamh, by which a hundred persons were destroyed, 
 among whom was the son of Manus Crossagh O’Hara. Many horses 
 and cows w'ere also killed by it, and much putrid flsh were thrown up; 
 and a lake, in which flsh is now caught, sprang up in this place.” But 
 the river seems to be of older date than the Lough. In one of the 
 mountains convenient to this lake, is a spring which yields alternately 
 waters salt and fresh. 
 
 Ballymote, in the barony of Corran. The sept of MacDonagh erected 
 this monastery for Franciscans of the third order. 
 
 At the suppression, it was granted to Sir Henry Broncard, who as- 
 signed them to Sir William Taaffe, knight. 
 
 The building still remains at the end of the town. Tlie workman- 
 ship in general was good, and the east window is remarkably curious. 
 
 Tlie castle of Ballymote, which was purchased by O’Donnell, of Tir- 
 connell, from MacDonagh, was a square of 150 feet, 60 high, flanked 
 and quoined by towers six feet broad in the wall, with a strong rampart 
 and parapet all round. The front was very regular, and is on the whole 
 
G4:2 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 a ruin equally handsome and strong. This castle and that of Sligo, 
 being in the bands of the Irish, made a considerable struggle against 
 the reduction of this territory to the arms of the English. Ireton, Crom- 
 well’s son-in-law, having joined with Sir Charles Coote, dismantled 
 them in the year 1652. 
 
 Ballysadare, anciently Easdara. “ Eas ” means a cataract. 
 
 Tlie abbey was beautifully situated on an eminence commanding a 
 view of the river Uncion, with its fall, and which, in the annals of the 
 four Masters, is called “ the beauteous stream of the salmons.” 
 
 St. Eechin, who died of the great pestilence, A.D. 065, was the 
 founder of this monastery, which was endowed with a noble and beauti- 
 ful estate, called Tearnion Eechin, by O’Hara, lord of Lyney, e.xtending 
 from the river to the sea (at Trodhuy O’Eleogh), now Beltra. Near the 
 beach or the banks of the strand are the ruins of an ancient monastic 
 building, which was a nunnery of the same order, to wit, canonesses of 
 St. Augustine, and named Ivilldaloch. In this abbey of Ballysadare, 
 three hundred monks usually resided. The walls of one church are 
 perfectly entire. To the north of this elevated church, a much larger 
 one, with its square tower, is still to be seen, but much dilapidated. 
 
 St. Eechin, the founder of Ballysadare, and other monasteries, be- 
 longed to the third class of Irish saints. The firet was deemed most 
 holy, the second class very holy, and the third holy ; the first blazes as 
 the sun, the second as the moon, and the third like unto the stars. 
 
 This eminent saint was a native of the territory in which St. Athrac- 
 ta was born. Bile, in the barony of Lyney, is stated to have been the 
 place of his birth. His father was Coelcharna, a descendant of Eochad 
 Fion, brother to the famous Con of the hundred battles, and his mother 
 Lassair, who was of the royal blood of Munster. "When grown up so as 
 to be educated, he was placed under the care of St. Natliy, of Achonry, 
 in whose monastery he made considerable progress in piety and learn- 
 ing. Having completed his studies and ordained a priest, he left his 
 own country, with a view of leading a retired life, and arriving at Fob- 
 har, in the county of Westmeath, he founded its monastery, in which 
 he presided over three hundred monks, who subsisted, as well as their 
 abbot, on the labor of their own hands, and were sometimes reduced to 
 great distress. 
 
 • It is related, that Domnald II., king of all Ireland, having marched 
 with a great army into the country of the Southern Nialls, for the pur- 
 pose of fixing the boundaries of their principality, they applied to St. 
 Eechin, who happened to be then at a place called Tiprada, not far dis- 
 tant from the monastery of Foure. With their request Eechin complied, 
 and his influence operated so powerfully on the mind of the king, as to 
 induce him to desist from further proceedings against the Nialls, between. 
 
ECCLESIASnCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 643 
 
 ■whom and the king he procured a perfect reconciliation. Ilis influ- 
 ence was very great with the kings and princes of liis time, an in- 
 stance of which is given in the case of a young man, named Erlomhan, 
 whom Moenach, king of Munster, imiaediately discharged from prison 
 on perceiving that Fechin wished for such a favor. The mother of this 
 young man applied to the saint to assist lier in procuring his freedom, 
 to whom he gave a gold torque, which was presented to him by the 
 king, in order that she might thereby purchase her son’s release. On 
 recognising the present, the king returned it to her, at the same time 
 liberating her son, who afterwards embraced the monastic state, under 
 his holy patron. In like manner he obtained the release of Aidan, a 
 brave military man, from the joint kings of Ireland, Diermit II. and 
 Blaithmac, and who, on being dismissed from prison and given up to 
 Fechin, -went with him to the monastery of Fore, where he assumed 
 the monastic habit. 
 
 Several holy men are mentioned as united in friendship with St. 
 Fechin— Coeman Breac, abbot of Roseach, in Meath; Ultan, of Ardbrac- 
 can ; Fintan Munnu ; Ronan, son of Berack, and particularly Mochua, 
 abbot of Ardslane, in Meath. St. Fechin’s life was an uninterrupted 
 course of austerity, and he was so much attached to solitude and retire- 
 ment, that he ■was wont to ■withdraw from his monasteries to solitary 
 places, passing his time in prayer, fasting, and other mortifications, and 
 without refreshment, except that of a little bread and water. Many 
 miracles are attributed to him (see Imay, county of Galway). 
 
 This great saint died on the 20th of January, A.D. 665. Lanigan is 
 of opinion that he did not found the monastery of Ballysadare, having 
 only erected a church there. With every respect to the name of Doc- 
 tor Lanigan, he seems somewhat too sceptical in treating of some of the 
 ancient ecclesiastical foundations of the country. (See Imay, county 
 of Galway.) 
 
 A.D. 1158, died O’Duilenan, dean of this abbey. He w'as a skilful 
 antiquary, a judge, and chieftain of the country. 
 
 ' A.D. 1179, Easdara was burned by the men of Moylisha and Moy- 
 terany. 
 
 A.D. 1188, it was again consumed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1230, died Giolla Coemdhe O’Duilenan, abbot of Easdara. 
 
 A.D. 1144, Mac Donagh, the abbot of Easdara, died at Rome, 
 having accompanied thither William O’Hetegan, bishop of Elphin. 
 
 A.D. 1450, died the abbot Edmund. 
 
 A.D. 1544, Conatus O’Shiel, the abbot of Easdara, was made bishop 
 of Elphin. 
 
 By an inquisition, taken in the twent 3 ’^-ninth*of Queen Elizabeth, the 
 abbot was found seized of a church, partly thatched, a dormitory, and 
 
644 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 the ruins of two other buildings, three cottages, with their gardens, and 
 a cemetery in a state of ruin, three small quartern of land, of every 
 kind, with their tithes, &c., situated in the land of Easdara ; forty acres 
 of arable and pasture, and sixty of stony mountain, value 20s. ; and 
 the townland of Trinebally, in the barony of Liney, containing thirty 
 acres of arable and pasture land, with the tithes, annual value, 6s. 8d. ; 
 the rectory and vicarage of the parish of Ballysadara (commonly called 
 Templemore), containing three parts of the tithes in the land called 
 Termon-Fechin, annual value, besides the curate’s stipend, 13s. 4d. En- 
 glish money ; the vicarage of Enagh, in the barony of Tirerill ; the 
 vicarage of Drumrath, in the barony of Corren ; the vicarage of Kill- 
 nagarvan, in Mac Jordan’s country, all of which, besides the stipends of 
 the curates, were of no value. 
 
 xiugust the 26th, thirtieth of Queen Elizabeth, a lease of this abbey 
 for the term of twenty-one yeare was granted to Bryan Eitzwilliam, at 
 the annual rent of 53s. 4d. 
 
 These possessions have frequently changed into other hands ; they 
 are now the property of a Catholic, who purchased tliem about thirteen 
 yeai-s since, and on whom they do not seem to confer either comfort or 
 prosperit}L 
 
 Bcnnada, in the barony of Liney, and on the river Moy. Charles, 
 an eremite, through his own industry, founded this monastic establish- 
 ment for the hermits of St. Augustine. It was dedicated to Corpus 
 Christi, about the year 1423. 
 
 An inquisition, taken the eleventh of King James, found the posses- 
 sions of this friary to consist of half the quarter of Knockglasse, with 
 the titbes of the same. 
 
 The fine ruins of this building still remain, with a steeple of hewn 
 mountain stone. 
 
 The reader can perceive the disparity that existed in the endow- 
 ments of the monasteries which were founded by the English and Irish 
 princes ; the former having devastated the country, robbed and spoiled 
 the ancient inhabitants of their possessions, made large grants to the 
 religious houses, which they founded, as if religion could sanction such 
 conduct, and by such grants acknowledged the injustices which were 
 inflicted on the ancient proprietors, as they were made in atonement ot 
 their crimes. On the contrary, the Irish princes, as well as the peojile, 
 were opposed to making large donations to their monasteries, preferring 
 to see their clergy enjoy a respectable source of revenue, as they 
 deemed the possession of too much wealth in the hands of the clergy, 
 inconsistent with evangelical poverty, and the example which their 
 saints had bequeathed fo their successors ; nor does it appear in the 
 ecclesiastical annals of Ireland, that the Irish priesthood wished to be 
 
EC'€LESUSTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAm). 
 
 C15 
 
 gorged with riches. At the synod of Kells, held in 1152, and at which 
 three thousand ecclesiastics assisted, the introduction of tithes was al- 
 most unanimously rejected. To the English settlere is due the merit 
 or the demerit of enriching the church of Ireland, so as to have been in 
 later ages a prolific source of gain to the rapacious plunderers of the 
 sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. 
 
 Bile, in the barony of Liney, the native place of St. Fechin. The 
 church of Bile was erected by this saint, but it is doubtful if he had 
 constituted it into a monastery. In a hymn, composed for the office of 
 St. Fechin, we read — 
 
 “ Dehinc fuifc Monachorum 
 Dux et Pater trecentorum 
 Qhos instruxit lege morum 
 Murus contra vitia.” Amen. 
 
 % 
 
 Caille, in the barony of Carberry. Tlie memory of St. Mnadhnata, 
 one of the sisters of St. Molaisse, of Aughross, and of Daminis, county 
 Fermanagh, w’as revered here. The other two sistere are Saints Osnata 
 and Talulla. A joint festival of those three sisters was held at Enach- 
 ard, which is probably the place now called Annagh, in the county of 
 Leitrim and barony of Dromahare. The St. Talulla was abbess of Kil- 
 dare about the year 590. Osnata presided in Glean-Dallain, either in 
 Carberry or Breifny. 
 
 Caillevinde. The situation of this place is doubtful. In Carberry. 
 
 St. Fintan’s name is mentioned in connexion with this place, by 
 Archdall, and is called a disciple of St. Columba. This Fintan may 
 have been the saint who is revered in the parish of Bally croy, county 
 Mayo. Fintan having been ill at one time, obtained the benediction of 
 Columba, who foretold that he would live to a good old age. 
 
 Cashell-Jorra. See diocese of Elphin, in the barony of Corran, be- 
 tween the rivers Uncion and the Owenmore, and six miles south of 
 Sligo. St. Bron, the disciple of St. Patrick, was bishop of this place. 
 
 Cloghennore, in the barony of Carberry, and bordering on Lough- 
 Gille. Recorded by tradition to have belonged to a nunnery. It has 
 been a cemetery of note. 
 
 Cloonymeaghan, in the barony of Corran, formerly a place of note. 
 Pope Innocent VIII., by a bull, dated the 16th of December, 1488, 
 granted a license, permitting Eugene Mac Donagh to found a monas- 
 tery in this place, for Dominican ff-iars. In the registry of the order 
 which had been preserved in Sligo, it is recorded, that Bernard 
 Mac Donogh, the son of Derraot, called the prior, and a reader of di- 
 vinity there, founded the monastery of Clunimhilian, which afterwards 
 became a cell to that of Sligo. 
 
646 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF LRELAIfD. 
 
 Cliiain-micliau, i. e tlie retreat of Mliican. xVccording to tradition, 
 St. Mliican, the patron of a parish in Dublin, which bears his name, was 
 a bishop and confessor, and perhaps, an abbot. Mliican was a Dane. 
 
 By an inquisition, taken the twenty-seventh of Queen Elizabeth, 
 this monastery was found seized of a quarter of land, of every kind, 
 called Ronyroge, with the tithes thereof, value 13s. 4d. English money. 
 They were granted to Richard Kindelynshe. 
 
 John Fitzmaurice Petty, Yiscount Shelburne, was in possession of 
 the abbey and appurtenances in the year 1756, with the exception of 
 two acres belonging to Dodwell. 
 
 The church of Clunimichan was dedicated to St. Dominick. 
 
 Court, in the barony of Liney. O’Hara built this monastery for 
 Franciscans of the third order. 
 
 Its steeple and some fine ruins of this abbey still remain. 
 
 By an inquisition taken in the twenty-ninth of Queen Elizabeth, 
 this abbey was seized of a church covered with thatch, a cemetery, 
 dormitory, and two other houses covered in like manner, all of which 
 were in a state of ruin, and of no value, with two quarters of land near 
 this monastery. Cavan- Ardawer, and the second called Carron, in 
 Tawny, containing eighty acres of arable, pasture, &c., part of the pos- 
 sessions of this abbey, annual value £1 6s. 8d. sterling. When it was 
 taken, the said lands were in the possession of Roger Ballagh O’Hara, 
 a priest. 
 
 This abbey was granted to Richard Kyndelinshe. 
 
 Craobhgrellain, in Carberry. St. Eiimian, of Clonard, is said to have 
 founded this religious house, and to have been succeeded by St. Grel- 
 lain, the son of Ratfraech. It is now unknown. 
 
 Druimederdaloch, in the barony of Tireril, also attributed to St. 
 Finian ; also unknown, as well as the following, attributed to St. Pa- 
 trick : — 
 
 Druimnea, in Gregaria, a territory adjoining Lough Gara. 
 
 Drumclifte, in the barony of Drumclitfe, formerly a town of some 
 note. 
 
 Lanigan is not inclined to assign to St. Columbkille the merit of 
 erecting the monastery of Drumclifie ; he is only willing to admit, 
 as he does with regard to St. Fechin, at Ballysadare,_ that St. Columba 
 only founded a church in this place. At the time in which not only 
 Columba flourished, but also that in which St. Fechin was cut off by 
 the plague, the erection of a monastery was a work of very little delay, 
 especially when the people or the prince were pleased to sanction and 
 assist in its construction. The Abbe MacGeoghegan writes, that the piety 
 of the early Christians of Ireland was such, that they not only gave food 
 and ether necessaries for the wants of their religious houses, but even dedi- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 647 
 
 cated some of their families to the service of God, as was the custom 
 with the Jewish people. If the history of the foundation of Iinay, Co. 
 Galway, be correct, we are therein assured, that the holy founder was 
 at his monastery in Easdara, when admonished to seek the island of 
 Imay, by an angel, — yet Lanigan will not accord to him the erection of 
 that establishment. A St. Thorian, a disciple of Coliunba, who fol- 
 lowed him afterwards to Ily, is named as having governed Drumcliffe, 
 as the first abbot. It is again argued, that as a blank occurs in the 
 names of the abbots, until the year 921, St. Columba was not the 
 founder. Drumcliffe does not appear to be singular in this respect. 
 Voids of the same sort occur in the succession of the bishops of our 
 sees. Lanigan also urges the silence of Ware with regard to its foun- 
 dation, &c. Ware is also silent of the Dominican convent of Clonmel, 
 one of far later date. Ware omits the ancient monastery of Tirdaglas, 
 founded by Columba, son of Crimthan. 
 
 A.D. 921, died the abbot of Drumcliff'e, St. Thorian or Thorannan. 
 He was also abbot of Banchor, and Avas honored on the 12th of June, 
 Died also tins year the blessed Maolpatrick Mac Moran. 
 
 A.D. 930, died the abbot Moyngall, son of Becan. 
 
 A.D. 950, died the blessed Flan O’Becain, archdeacon of Drumcliff'e, 
 a learned and celebrated scribe. 
 
 A.D. 1029. This year Aengus OTIoengusa, archdeacon of Drum- 
 cliffe, with sixty other persons, perished by an accidental fire in an 
 island called Inislamif (territory of Carberry). 
 
 A.D. 1053, Murchad O’Beollain, archdeacon of Drumcliff'e, died. 
 
 A.D. 1077, died Murrogh O’Beollan, coinorb of Drumcliffe and St. 
 Columb. 
 
 A.D. 1187, the abbey Avas spoiled by Melaghlin, king of Meath. 
 The wrath of Heaven soon overtook him, having been killed in a fort- 
 night after. 
 
 A.D. 1225, died Amlave O’Beollain, archdeacon of Drumcliff'e, a 
 man of extraordinary erudition, and in general esteem for piety, Avis- 
 dom, and unbounded hospitality. 
 
 A.D. 1252, died in this abbey Maelmaidoc O’Baollan, comorb of St. 
 Columb, a venerable and hospitable man, and in universal estimation 
 in England and Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 1416, this abbey was set on fire by a band of plunderers : the 
 abbot Maurice O’Coincoil perished in the flames. 
 
 A.D. 1503, died the abbot O’Beollan. 
 
 Drumcollumb, in the barony of Tirerill and north of Lough Gara. 
 Tliis church oAved its origin to St. Columb. A St. Findhbar is said to 
 have been abbot of it. 
 
 Drumrath, in the barony of Corran. St. Fechin founded this church 
 
648 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 or monastery. The memory of St. Enan, a hermit, one of tlie people of 
 St. Brigid, was connected with Drumrath. 
 
 A.D. 1016, died the provost of ]5runirath, Cellach Ilua Maolmidhe. 
 
 Eachenacli, in the barony of Tir Oilill, near tlie shore of Lough- 
 Arrow. St. Patrick left his disciple St. Mainius as bishop at this place, 
 wliere his memory was and is still venerated on the 5th of bTovember in 
 this church. 
 
 A holy well is also there, which bears the natne of “ Tobar Maine.” 
 
 Emleaclitada, near Ballymote. St. Colunibkille is said to have been 
 the founder, and an abbot, St. Enna or Endeus, a disciple of his, pre- 
 sided over this establishment. This saint is usually called sou of Nua- 
 dan. Ilis memory was revered on the 18th of September. 
 
 Enachaird. See Caille. 
 
 Glendallain. See Caille. 
 
 Inismore, an island in Lough Gill and barony of Carbury. St. 
 Loman, said to have been the nephew of St. Patrick, founded the 
 church of Inismore. 
 
 A.D. 1416, this abbey was destroyed by an accidental fire, in which 
 the valuable manuscripts of O’Curnin, together with the short book of 
 that family and many other rare curiosities, perished. 
 
 This island, commonly called Cliurch-island, is about two miles in 
 length and in some parts half a mile in breadth : the church stands at 
 the east end of the island, and in former times it was the burial-place 
 of the parish of Cali-y. A rock near the door of the church, called 
 “ Our lady’s bed,” and the ruins of the ancient buildings, are covered 
 with ivy, giving them the fancy color of creation. 
 
 Inisinurray, an island in the "Western Ocean, distant about four 
 miles from the main land of the barony of Carberry. It formerly 
 belonged to Aughross, in the parish of Templeboy and diocese of Kil- 
 lala. According to tradition, St. Mnredach, the patron of Killala, has 
 been buried in this island. The monastery of Innismurry was founded 
 by St. Molasse, and was dedicated to the "Virgin Mary. 
 
 A.D. 747, died St. Dicholla, son of Meinida, who governed this mo- 
 nastery. 
 
 The Danes landed in this island' A.D. 807, and with their accustomed 
 barbarity, set fire to the abbey. 
 
 One of the finest ecclesiastical cashells now remaining in Ireland, 
 and ill which strength was obviously intended, is the one of Innismurry. 
 It is of an irregular round form, and nearly 200 feet in its greatest inter- 
 nal diameter. The wall varies in thickness from five to eight feet, and 
 in height from twelve to sixteen. It is built of calp limestone, undressed 
 and without cement, and where not shaken by the Atlantic blasts, exhi- 
 bits a considerable degree of rude art. Its gateway is quadrangular, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 649 
 
 measuring six teet two inches in height, four broad, and seven feet six 
 inches in its jambs. 
 
 There are a few cells under ground, which receive liglit, some of 
 them from the top, others through their sides. A statue of St. Molaisse 
 is still preserved here : there are also two chapels built with mortar, as 
 well as the cell of St. Molaisse, which has a stone roof. One of the 
 chapels, standing by itself, has an extraordinary window, whose arch is 
 one rough ci’ooked stone, in its oi'iginal form. There is an altar in one 
 of those chapels, dedicated to the Holy Trinity. 
 
 The structures on this island, as well as those of Imay, in the county 
 of Galway, give us an idea of the sort of monastic building erected in 
 the early ages of the Irish church. In erecting such structures, there 
 could have been no delay or expense, a circumstance which accounts 
 for the great number of churches and monasteries which are attributed 
 to many of our Irish saints. 
 
 Tliis island is a rock rising from the sea, with very high precipices 
 towards the ocean ; but they gently shelve, like steps, on the side oppo- 
 site the land. It is inhabited by a few families, whose ancestors have 
 held it in possession upwards of 700 years. 
 
 Killchairpre, in the territory of Tirfiachra (Tireragh), which adjoins 
 the river Moy. St. Carpre, called the son of Brecan, either founded or 
 had this church dedicated to his memory. There were many saints of 
 this name. 
 
 Hear or at Skurmore are the ruins of a church or monastery, at pre- 
 sent known only as Killnamanagh.” 
 
 This property belongs at present to a Colonel Wingfield. “ Skur- 
 mdre is a conti-action of Skard-more,” i. e. the great inundation, a name 
 given to record an unusual overflowing of the river Moy, the waters not 
 having sufficient egress through the old channel, which joined the bay 
 of Killala opposite the town. 
 
 Hear the ruins of this ancient church, which is said to have been 
 erected A.D. 500, is an eminence, sufficiently elevated to command a 
 prospect which no pen or tongue can describe. On its summit, the 
 exclamation of the Royal Psalmist would strike the beholder, when he 
 was contemplating the wonders of creation and giving the glory to the 
 Omnipotent — his imagination enraptured with the scenes before liim, 
 he cries out, “ Ecce mare magnum,” Behold the great sea. 
 
 This eminence presents to the historic mind so many memorials of 
 Ireland’s glories — her sorrows and the struggles^ of her sons, that I shall 
 endeavor to convey to the mind of the reader the charms of its situa- 
 tion and the prospects laid before the vision of the spectator. Let the 
 reader imagine himself in the centre of an immense crescent, or an 
 amphitheatre, which nature has formed. Directing his glance north- 
 
650 
 
 EUCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAOT). 
 
 ward, lie views the great Atlantic billows, Avasliing the ocean cliffs of 
 Donegal, and as if wasting their fury on those immense barriei’s of its 
 iron-honnd coast, and again receding, as if indignant at the conduct of 
 thoughtless man, whose folly and whose crimes insult his bounteous 
 Creator. One of the valleys of this northern coast,, by its name, 
 reminds him of the saintly dove of the Irish church, this valley being 
 called Glean Columbkille. Directing the vision towards the east, the 
 magnificent Benbulbin, Knocknarea, and its vicinity, expand before the 
 eye, and the mind traces those spots which have been trodden by the 
 footsteps of a Bron, a Loman, a Molaisse, a Fechin and an Airendan. 
 Again, as the vision rests on the mountains of Tireragh, he is reminded 
 of those days in which the hunted missionary found shelter in their 
 caves and retreats, and which he often consecrated by his blood. The 
 fortresses of the plains bring to his recollection those bloody struggles, 
 by which the martial sons of Ily-Fiachra consigned to tlie dust the car- 
 cases of the Saxoii invaders. Toward the southwest, iSiephiu appears, 
 which will be ever dear to the future of Catholic Ireland as the birth- 
 place of John Machale, the “ Lion of the Fold ” ; and as if behind the 
 curtain, is viewed Croaghpatrick, on which St. Patrick sent forth to the 
 throne of the Eternal his fervent wishes for the people, who were as yet 
 strangere to the light of faith. Still narrowing the view, the shrines of 
 Tirawley, its sanctuaries, monasteries, the round .tower of Killala, with 
 its other reminiscences, lay before the mind the ancient glories of that 
 territory, as well as its sorrows ; for tliey have been transferred into the 
 hands of those who revile the saints, mock the faith which they preached 
 and practised, and who by misrule and oppression mar the designs of 
 creation, and who inflict the people with every. cruelty, because they 
 have remained faithful to that creed which reminds the oppressor of his 
 misdeeds and of his treason to the religion of his fathers. 
 
 And when the waters of the Moy and those of the mighty Atlantic 
 commingle in the vast basin before him — its surface nnrufiied, smooth 
 as the oil, and a summer sun dropping golden tints on those waters, 
 reflecting the charms of the surrounding scenery, — could the spectator 
 exclaim, “ There is no God ! ” 
 
 IGllaracht. The celebrated St. Atrachta presided over this nunnery, 
 which was near Lough Techet, now Lough Gara. She is said to have 
 been of a princely family, in Dalaradia, of Ulster. Her father’s name 
 was Talan, and brother to St. Coman, of Airdne Coemhain. It is not 
 easy to reconcile the place of her birth with this relationship. 
 
 According to some accounts, she was contemporarj^ with St. Patrick. 
 SS. Hathy, of Achonry, and Cormac, brother of St. Evin, are also said 
 to have been living at the same time with Athracta. If so, she flou- 
 rished in the sixth century. Her memory was revered here on the 11th 
 
ECCLESIAS'nCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 C51 
 
 of August, the day •which the Irish calendars assign to her festival. 
 In some foreign martyrologies her name appears at the 9th of 
 February. 
 
 Killanley, in the barony of Tireragh, and parish of Castleconnor. 
 Convenient to the modern burial-place is an ancient ecclesiastical struc- 
 ture called Cashell, such as was at Ross or Inistormor, in Tyrawley. 
 The ancient church of Castleconnor was adjacent to the castle, and was 
 the parochial cemetery ; and as the mourning cries of the survivors for 
 a departed relative sounded harshly on the ears of the Protestant holder 
 of Castleconnor, the present wretched burying-place was given as a sub- 
 stitute. The following record, found in the annals of the four Masters, 
 confirms "what has been said of Killcairpre or Killnamanagh, about 
 which Lanigan is sceptical, and also shews the former importance of 
 this part of Ily-Fiachra. 
 
 A.D. 1438, the abbot of Killnamanagh and Nicholas O’Meeny, vicar 
 of Castleconnor, died of the plague. It would then follow, that Castle- 
 connor was dependent on Killnamanagh, as Dromard and Kilinacshel- 
 gan, and Corkagh or Templeboy were subject to Aughross, as the parent 
 establishment. 
 
 Killcoonagh. See monastery of, county of Galway. 
 
 Killuathren, in the territory of Coran. The memory of the virgin 
 St. Luathriu was honored here. It is now unknown. 
 
 Kilmacoen, in the barony of Carberry, and three miles south of 
 Sligo. It was formerly called Rosredheach. Flandubh, a dynast of the 
 family of the Hy Fiachra, gave to St. Diermit (of the same family) the 
 ■whole tract of land lying between Droihed Martra and Bruaghchean 
 Slieve towards the west, and from Murbhuch of Rosbrin to Aillchoidhin ; 
 and the saint, in return, gave Flaun his benediction, which extended to 
 his latest posterity. 
 
 It is now used as a cemetery. 
 
 Killnamanagh, in the territory of Luigney. St. Fechin is said to 
 have founded this monastery. 
 
 A.D. 842, died Breasall, son of Aingne, the abbot of Killnamanagh. 
 A void of nearly two hundred years occurs in the history of this church 
 or of its superiors — a fact which would incline some writers to deny 
 that St. Fechin was the founder. 
 
 There is no portion of Ireland in which the ecclesiastical traditions 
 of the country are so correct as in the province of Connaught, because 
 the ancient language has been retained; nay, when the natives met, as 
 ■was the custom, at the house of a favorite villager or “ Sheanaghee,” 
 these traditions were narrated and were thus faithfully handed down. 
 
 Killruisse, in the barony of Tirerill, and five miles south-east of 
 Sligo. Claims O’Mulchonry, archdeacon of Elphin, founded the church 
 
652 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 of the Holy Trinity, at Kilruisse, for canons of the order of Prenionstre, 
 which he made a cell to the abbey of Lough Key. The founder died 
 A.D. 1251. 
 
 Knockmore, in the barony of Tirerill, or more correctly Tir Oililla 
 and near to the bounds of Roscommon county. O’Gara erected in the 
 14th century this house for Dominicans, as some say, but De Burgo ad- 
 mits that the tradition of that place assigned it to the Carmelites. 
 
 Ko ruins exist here save tliose of O’Connor’s castle. 
 
 Skrine, in the barony of Tireragh, Tir Fiachra. Tipraid, prince of 
 the Ily-Fiachra, granted Knocknamoile to St. Coluinb. 
 
 It is related, that SS. Patrick, Brigid, Columbkille, Cannecli and 
 Muredach gave their benediction to the port of Killala. The memory 
 of St. Columbkille travelling through that part of Tireragh, in which 
 Lough Easkey is situated, is still preserved in tlie traditions of the 
 country. A pedestrian on his way from Killala to Sligo or Ballysadare 
 would choose this very route as the shortest he could select. 
 
 It was afterwards called the shrine of St. Adamuan, wliose well is 
 precisely on the side of the main road, with a square monument sur- 
 mounting the rock from which the water gushes. The name of Euge- 
 nius MacDonald, vicar of Skreene, is inscribed on the monument. On 
 the rivulet of Ardnaglass is a rude bridge or passage called “ Droihed 
 Eunan,” Adamnan’s bridge. The pronunciation of the name in Irish by 
 the natives there would justify the remark which Lanigan makes, that 
 Adamuan and Eunan are one and the same person. In this primitive 
 age of the Irish church, as has been already observed, the construction 
 of a monasteiy required little labor and as little exjiense, particularly 
 when prince and people joined in the good work. 
 
 Lanigan is not inclined to ascribe its erection to St. Columba, though 
 he does not controvert the fact, which is related in the life of St. 
 Canncch, regarding the benedictions bestowed on the favored port of 
 Killala, because he cannot see why it has obtained the name of “ Scri- 
 nium sancti Adamnani,” St. Adanman’s shrine. It is supposed that St. 
 Adamnan has been buried here, and even the value of his tomb is men- 
 tioned as reaching several thousand pounds sterling. 
 
 Of the seven churches of Skreene, only one has been spared by 
 the devastator. The other, which were situated under the road or 
 present cemetery, have altogether disappeared, as they were unseemly 
 spectacles before the windows of the modern glebe-house. They have 
 been demolished, and their ancient site is at present a lawn or plaj’- 
 ground for the sons and daughters of the reverend rector. On another 
 ])art of the site is erected a stable for the paron’s horses, and a cottage 
 for the parson’s schoolmistress, whom he is bound by law to support in 
 that capacity as his assistant, if possible, in perverting the faith of Ca- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF tRELANP. 
 
 653 
 
 (lioUc cliildreii, if their 2 '>arents be artless enough to iirn)cril it by allow- 
 ing tliem within the precincts of her scliool. 
 
 Ileally those jiarsons do not apjiear to enjoy much of the patronage 
 of Columbkille or Adamnan, as five of those 2 )ar]iainentary priests have, 
 as has been wemt^ made sudden exits within the present generation. 
 
 The ancient church still remaining was an oblong structure. Its 
 doorway is on the west gable. Its eastern window consisted of three 
 members, and of carved or hewn stone. The southern ones also liewn, 
 very narrow on the exterior, but splaying considerably in the internal. 
 
 On the north side, apertures as widely different from the opposite 
 w'indows as the creeds which they respectively acknowledge, have been 
 made by the strange priests who have seized the ancient sanctuaries of 
 Ireland. The altar of this church was demolished by a Protestant rec- 
 tor, named Ilawkes, and his servant, who were immediately struck with 
 the vengeance of heaven for their sacrilegious impiety. Such is the 
 constant assertion of the jieople there, and many who were witnesses of 
 the occurrence have attested the fact of their becoming lunatics at the 
 same moment. The one directed his steps towards Ballina, the other 
 towards Sligo. The rector, having sent for a stone-mason, to whom, I 
 myself administered, in the parish of Templeboy, the last rites of the 
 church, and who refused to do the work of sacrilege, took from the hand 
 of this simple man the instrument with which he levelled the altar, 
 having called to his aid the servant who shared in his punishment as 
 well as in his hatred to the monuments of Catholic faith and piety. 
 
 St. Adamnan, one of the distinguished fathers of the Iiasli church, 
 was a descendant of the Northern Nialls, and was born in the territory 
 of Tirconnell, county of Donegall, about the year 627. Tlie history of 
 his early life remains unknown, but it is supposed that he received his 
 education in the monasteiy of ITy, and having embraced the Columbian 
 institute, he soon after returned to his own country. To Adamnan is 
 attributed the foundation of the great abbey of Raphoe, over which he 
 presided as abbot of the' whole Columbian order, both in Ireland and 
 in the Hebrides, Tlie learning and the qualities of this great saint 
 endeared him to many of the princes, prelates, and the other eminent 
 personages of his time. The pious and enlightened Alfrid, king of 
 Northumberland, was among his principal admirers : this prince, on 
 the death of his father, Oswin, took shelter in Ireland, where, accord- 
 ing to the testimony of Venerable Bede, he sedulously ajiplied himself 
 to study, and j^articularly to that of the sacred scriptures. After the 
 death of his brother Egfrid, he was recalled and placed on the throne 
 of Northumberland. It appears that Egfrid, displeased at the generous 
 and hospitable reception which his brother Alfrid received in Ireland, 
 and to which he himself has alluded in his poem (see Mayo and Cash 
 
654 
 
 ECCLKSIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAKD. 
 
 ell), resolved to pour the phial of his wrath on those whom he thought, 
 on that account, as hostile to him, and whom he should rather have con* 
 sidered as friends. In gratification of his anger, Egfrid caused a band 
 of Saxon pirates to sail for Ireland, who infested the coast of the ancient 
 Bregia, extending from Dublin to Drogheda. 
 
 Several towns were stormed by those marauders. Tliey spread ter- 
 ror and dismay as they proceeded, and having put in execution the bar- 
 barous commands of the royal Egfrid, they returned to their ships laden 
 wdth idundcr, and conveying great numbei's of the innocent and unof- 
 fending inhabitants into captivity. As soon as Alfrid succeeded to the 
 throne, his friend Adamnan, then abbot of Ily, repaired to Northumber- 
 land and waited on the king, with a view of obtaining the restoration of 
 the property which had been so iniquitously plundered, and the release 
 of the captives who had been so unjustly detained in bondage. Tlie 
 object of his mission to the court of Northumbria accomplished, St. 
 Adamnan, having remained for some time, returned to the abbey of 
 Ily, where he applied himself to the important duties which the 
 government of this abbey imposed. 
 
 A second visit of Adamnan to Northumbria took place about the 
 year 702, having been entrusted with an important commission from 
 his countrymen. It was while thus absent that he met with the abbot 
 Ceolfrid, with whom, as well as with other ecclesiastics, he conversed on 
 the subject of the paschal question. Having resolved to adopt it, he 
 promised to use his influence in establishing an uniform observance of 
 the celebration of Easter among his disciples. In this undertaking he 
 succeeded throughout Ulster, while the membei-s of tlie Columbian 
 order in Ily and the Hebrides adhered to the old computation for 
 some years after his death. Adamnan, having been in Ii-eland during 
 the Easter of the year 704, celebrated that feast in accordance with the 
 Eoman computation : he soon after returned to Hy, and died on the 23d 
 of the following September, in the 77th year of his age. It would then 
 appear, that the earlier part of his life has been spent at Skreene, and 
 that he might have received a portion of his education at the school of 
 St. Molaisse, in the monastery of Aughross, which is distant about two 
 miles from Skreene, and on the way to which is his rudely constructed 
 bridge on the rivulet of Ardnaglass. 
 
 A.D. 1395, O’Flannelly, vicar of Skreene, of St. Adamnan, died. 
 Tliere is no account of its abbots preserved. The lands which belonged 
 to the seven churches of Skreene cannot be surpassed in fertility and in 
 the richness of their pastures. While Protestant proprietors enjoy the 
 fertile fields which the piety of Irish princes and Irish nobles assigned 
 to those sacred edifices, the historians and apologists of Protestant 
 ascendancy, and of course Protestant plunder, decry the pious inmates 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 655 
 
 of those monasteries as drones, who were revelling on the industry of 
 others, quite unmindful that the verdant lands of tliose monks repel the 
 foul assertion. 
 
 The memory of St. Adamnan has been preserved in high esteem, 
 and is particularly venerated in Tirconnel and in the western isles. 
 Among his writings are the following works : the life of St. Columba, 
 in three books ; a treatise on the holy laud ; a life of St. Patrick ; a 
 collection of epistles and poems ; a monastic rule ; a book of canons, 
 and a treatise on the proper celebration of the feast of Easter. 
 
 It is probable that his relics were conveyed to Skreene at his own 
 request, or they were brought hither that they might escape the fury of 
 the Danes, as were those of St. Columba translated to Deland by the 
 abbot Diermit of Hy. 
 
 Sligo, the capital of the county ; a seaport, market-town and a par- 
 liamentary borough. 
 
 Maurice Fitzgerald, who was Lord Justice of Ireland in the year 
 1229, and who retained that office from 1232 to 1215, founded this 
 noble monastery on the bank of the river Gitly and adjacent to the 
 castle of Sligo, which Maurice erected A.D. 1245. The church was 
 dedicated under the invocation of the Holy Cross, of which a com- 
 memoration was made daily in the divine office. It was supplied with 
 friars of the order of St. Dominick. 
 
 O’Connor Sligo was a liberal benefactor to this monastery. So was 
 Pierce O’Timony, whose statue was erected in the cloister. 
 
 A.D. 1360, Mac "William Bourke spoiled and burned the town. 
 
 A.D. 1414, the sacred edifice was destroyed by an accidental fire : 
 at this time twenty friars w’ere resident in the abbey. 
 
 Pope John XXIII. granted an indulgence to all who would contri- 
 bute towards the expenses of refounding it. 
 
 A.D. 1416, the monastery was rebuilt by friar Bryan Mac Dermot 
 Mac Donagh. 
 
 A.D. 1454, Bryan Mac Donagh, dynast of Tirerill, was interred 
 here. 
 
 • At the general suppression, it was granted to Sir William Taaffe. 
 It is at present in the possession of Lord Palmerston, who can be styled 
 the “ Cecil ” of England in this enlightened century. The ruins of this 
 spacious and beautiful monastery indicate its former magnificence. Tlie 
 northern and southern sides of the arcade, with the east one, still remain 
 covered with an arched roof, which will soon yield to the wTeck of time. 
 The arches and pillars are of extraordinary workmanship, a few of which 
 are adorned with sculpture. The east window is beautiful, and the 
 high altar, which still remains, is decorated with relievo sculpture in 
 the Gothic style. On the south side of the altar is a monument of 
 
656 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTORT OF IRELAND. 
 
 O’Connor, with his own figure and tliat of his lady. Archdall observes 
 that Cromwell has done some injury to this monastery, but “ that merit” 
 rather belongs to Ireton and Sir Charles Coote, who could perceive no 
 fault in the “ frolics ” of his soldicra when transfixing Irish innocent 
 babes with tlieir bayonets, and then elevating them on their points, in 
 order that the writhings of those “ innocents ” would afford diversion to 
 the puritan soldiery of England. Cromwell was never in Connaught. 
 
 Snamhlathir, in the barony of Carberry. Columbanus, son of Eochad, 
 and probably the disciple of St. Columba, founded the monastery of this 
 place, but it is not known whether before or after the death of the dove 
 of the Irish church : that he was at least familiar with that saint is 
 expressly mentioned by Adamnan, who says that he accompanied Co- 
 lumba, who had proceeded to Ireland for some ecclesiastical purposes. 
 Hence Archdall calls him the charioteer of St. Columba. 
 
 Temple-House, in the barony of Luigney, and on the river Owen- 
 more. This house was erected for knights templai’s, in the reign of 
 Henry HI. ; but on the suppression of that order, it was given to the 
 knights hospitallere. 
 
 Colonel Percival, sergeant-at-arms to the House of Lords, is the pre- 
 sent representative of this house and its possessions. 
 
 CHAPTER LXI. 
 
 COUNTY OF TIPPERARY. 
 
 Ardfinlan, in the barony of Offa and Iffa, and on the river Suire. 
 A monastery, founded by St. Finnian the Leper, existed here in the 
 beginning of the 10th century, as Cormac Mac Cullenan, bishop and 
 king of Cashell, bequeathed an ounce of gold, another of silver, with 
 his horse and arms, to the abbey of Ardfinnan. Tiiis noble erection was 
 boldly and picturesquely situated on a rock which overlooks the river. 
 Tlie castle, which was built by John, earl of Morton, in 1184, as well 
 as the abbey, are now in ruins. 
 
 A.D. 1085, on the 7th of April, died Giolla, the superior of this 
 abbey. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL lUSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 657 
 
 A.D. 1178, tlie English forces plundered and burned this abbey, as 
 well as the town. 
 
 Franciscan Friary was founded here: no historic record relative 
 to it. 
 
 Athassel, in the barony of Clanwilliam, and on the west side of the 
 river Suire. 
 
 William Fitz Adelm de Burgo founded this abbey under the invo- 
 cation of St. Edmund, king and confessor, for canons regular of St. 
 Augustine. 
 
 A.D. 1204-, the founder was interred here. 
 
 A.D. 1309, the prior was sued by Leopold de Mareys and Com- 
 pany, merchants of Lucca, for the sum of five hundred marcs, £2,500 
 sterling. 
 
 A.D. 1319, the town of Athassel was maliciously burned by the Lord 
 John Fitz Thomas. 
 
 A.D. 1326, Kichard, the Tied Earl of Ulster, was interred here. 
 
 A.D. 1329, Bryan O’Brien burned Athassel to the ground. 
 
 A.D. 1482, David was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1524, Edmund Butler was prior, and the last wdio presided 
 over this venerable establishment. Its property in land consisted of 
 768 acres, besides twenty messuages, and the income of rectories 
 amounting to £111 16s. 8d., or twenty-two marcs, which would in 
 American money exceed $550. 
 
 All this property was granted forever to Tliomas, earl of Ormond, 
 at the yearly rent of £49 Ss. 9d. Queen Elizabeth confirmed this 
 grant and remitted the reserved rent. 
 
 Athassel is one of the most extensive ruins in the kingdom, and 
 scarcely yielded to any in extent and splendor. The whole work was 
 uniform, regular, and finished in a fine limestone. 
 
 Tlie prior of Athassel sat as a baron of Parliament. 
 
 Cahir, in the barony of Offa and Iffa, on the river Suire, and seven 
 miles west of Clonmel. 
 
 In the reign of King John, Geoffrey de Cam vil founded a priory in 
 honor of the blessed Virgin for canons regular of St. Augustine. Tlie 
 castle of Cahir was erected before the year 1142 by Connor, monarch of 
 Ireland and king of Tliomond. 
 
 A.D. 1334, Adam was prior 
 
 A.D. 1540, Edward Lonergan, v'ho surrendered this priory, was 
 made vicar of the parish church of the Virgin Mary, of Cahir, on the 
 26th of April. 
 
 All the lands of this abbey were of the great measure, 240 acres — 
 (the great acre of that time included seven of the present,) and valued 
 
 at 12d. per acre, Irish money, were granted by Queen Elizabeth to 
 42 
 
658 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Peter Sherlock, for the term of forty years at the annual rent of 
 £24 11s. 6d. 
 
 Garrick, in the barony of Offa and Itfa, and eight miles to the east 
 of Clonmel. AVilliam de Cantell, and Dionysia, his wife, founded the 
 priory of Cahir, on the hanks of the Suire, in honor of St. John the 
 Evangelist, for canons regular of St. Augustine. 
 
 On the death of her husband, Dionysia granted to the priory two 
 carucates of land, situate in Gortnacominley, which donation was wit- 
 nessed by the bishop of Lismore, the dean and archdeacon of the 
 diocese. 
 
 A.D. 1557, December the 15th, this priory was granted to Thomas, 
 earl of Ormond ; in 1562, the grant was confirmed by the good Queen 
 Elizabeth, at the same time remitting the reserved rent. 
 
 Tliomas the Black, earl of Ormond, erected a castle on the site ot 
 this priory. 
 
 A nunnery was founded in Cahir for poor Clares, hut no account of 
 it remains. 
 
 Cashell of the Kings, the archiepiscopal seat of the province of 
 Munster, is four miles north-east of Athassel and seven west of Fethard. 
 In 1216, Donatus, the archbishop, erected the town into a borough, 
 and in 1320, it was encompassed by a stone wall. 
 
 In the poem of Alfrid, king of Northumberland, allusion is made to 
 the happy state of Munster and Leinster : 
 
 “ I found in Munster, without prohibition, 
 
 Kings, queens, and royal bards — 
 
 In every species of poetry well skilled. 
 
 Happiness, comfort, pleasure.” 
 
 “I found in the fair- surfaced Leinster, 
 
 From Dublin to Sleivmargy, 
 
 Long-living men, health, prosperity, 
 
 Bravery, hardihood, and traffic.” 
 
 Tlie Irish of this poem is to be found in Ilardiman’s minstrelsy, 
 (page 372, vol. II.) 
 
 Hospital. Sir David le Latimer, seneschal to Marian, archbishop of 
 Cashel, founded this hospital in honor of St. Nicholas, in which provi- 
 sion was made for three chaplains, and in which fourteen beds were pre- 
 pared for sick and infirm poor. The said archbishop granted this hos- 
 pital two flagons of ale out of every brewing made for sale, within the 
 limits of thirty messuages, in this town, and David, a succeeding pre- 
 late, did, by force and violence, unite this hospital to the Cistercian 
 abbey, about the year 1272. 
 
 Dominican monastery. David Mackelly, archbishop of Cashel, who 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 059 
 
 ■was a Dominican, founded tins abbey for friars of las own order, A.D. 
 1243, and supplied it from the monastery of Cork. General chapters of 
 the order were held here, in 1289 and 1307. 
 
 Tlie monastery having been destroyed by an accidental fire, was 
 rebuilt by the archbishop, John Cantwell, who was constituted both 
 patron and founder, by an instrument, dated at Limerick, about the 
 year 1480, and by which he was also made a participant in the fruits or 
 spiritual advantages arising from the masses, prayers, vigils, and other 
 good works of the Dominican fraternity over Ireland. 
 
 A.D. 1490, William de Burgo was prior. 
 
 Edward Brown was the last prior, and on the 8th of April, the 
 thirty-first of King Henry YIIL, surrendered this friary, containing a 
 church and belfry, a dormitory, a chamber with two cellars, a cemetery, 
 two orchards, and two parks of two acres, all within the precincts, and 
 of no value, besides the reprises ; and eight messuages, ten gardens, 
 and two acres of land, with their appurtenances, of the annual value, 
 besides reprises, of 51s. 4d. Irish money. 
 
 In the thirty -fifth of the same king, this friary (the tithes excepted), 
 with its appurtenances, and four gardens in Cashel, was granted for 
 ever to Walter Fleming, at the annual rent of 2s. 6d. Irish money. 
 
 Philip Dwyer was prior in 1756. Thomas Cleary, John Ryan, 
 Vincent Breen, and John Parrel, were the fathers of this establishment 
 when de Burgo visited it. Tins monastery was the noblest and most 
 beautiful building belonging to the Dominican order in Ireland. 
 
 Hore abbey, called St. Mary’s of the rock of Cashel, was situated 
 near the cathedral, and originally founded for Benedictines. ' 
 
 David Mac Carwill, the archbishop, dispossessed them of their house 
 and lands, and gave them to Cistercian monks, whom he brought, A.D 
 1272, from the abbey of Mellifont, and at the same time assumed the 
 habit of that order. 
 
 A.D. 1290, William, the son of Thomas of Fethard, made a con- 
 siderable grant to this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1300, Richard was abbot. He and his successors held three 
 carucates of land, thirteen acres of meadow, forty of moor, a messuage, 
 and two mills in Cashel, the same being a grant of the archbishop 
 David. 
 
 A.D. 1313, Thomas was abbot. 
 
 Patrick Stackboll was the last prior or abbot. He surrendered to 
 the royal inquisitors, on the 6th April, 1541, the possessions of his 
 abbey, which consisted in lands, rectories, and other appurtenances, — ■ 
 acres, 467 ; gardens, 26 ; messuages, 17. Value of its rectories, £15 18s. 
 In 1561, these possessions were demised to Sir Henry Radcliflfe by 
 Elizabeth, who, it seems, did not long continue a favorite with that 
 
660 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 virtuous queen, as they were, without rent or term, granted, A.D. 
 1576, to James Butler; and again, in the forty-second year of her reign, 
 they were given to Thomas Sinclair, at the annual rent of 2s. Irish 
 money. 
 
 Silence has been too long observed with regard to the monster evil 
 of Ireland. Toleration, forsooth ! is to be exhibited towards an estab- 
 lishment that is supported by the strong arm of ascendancy, and yet, if 
 the truth be spoken or written on Protestantism, which is not in reality 
 a religious system, but a compound of every vice and error, of false- 
 hood and of plunder, the most enormous and the most impious, as the 
 bishop of Meaux has shewn in his history of the variations of the Pro- 
 testant church, those who unjustly possess the property of others, and 
 who squander that property in criminal indulgence in the saloons of 
 London and of continental towns, proclaim the Catholics of Ireland 
 Idolaters ; the assailants of this huge and monstrous system, which has 
 deluged Europe with crimes of every shade and turpitude, as well as 
 purpled her fields with blood, as disturbers of the public peace — as 
 abettore of sacrilege, if a national adjustment be demanded ; the poor 
 of Ireland, who were sharere in this property, as drones, as filthy and 
 as idle — as public nuisances, should they appear at the gate or the man- 
 sion of that individual who both unjustly and sacrilegiously retains the 
 wealth that was piously allocated to the wants of religion and the poor 
 of Christ. 
 
 Yerily and indeed, every calamity of our dear isle, during the long 
 night of oppression which has been for three hundred years the portion 
 of Ireland, is traceable tp this fertile source of every evil, both social, 
 and national, for it has impoverished the country, and through fear of 
 forfeiting its ascendancy, as the Catholics increased in strength and 
 numbei’s, it has betrayed the cause of the country by bartei-ing or sur- 
 rendering its legislative independence to the jealousy of the British 
 government. 
 
 The noble ruins of Hore abbey, seemingly, in its mute eloquence, 
 uttering woe on the profaner, still remain, and are for the most part 
 entire. The steeple is large, forming a square in the interior, about 
 twenty feet, supported by a variety of ogives from each angle, some 
 meeting in an octagon in the centre, others at the key-stones of the 
 vault, and the structure is supported by two fine arches, about thirty 
 feet high. Tlie choir, which adjoins the east side of the steeple, is about 
 twenty-nine feet long by twenty-four in breadth ; the east windoAv is 
 small and plain ; in the side-walls are some remains of stalls. The 
 nave is sixty feet in length, twenty-three in breadth, having on each 
 side an arcade of three gothic arches, with lateral aisles about thirteen 
 feet broad. On the south side of the steeple is a small door, leading 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 GGl 
 
 into an open part, about thirty feet long and twenty-four broad, the side 
 walls of which are much broken. In the gable end is a long window ; 
 in this portion of the building there is a small, low, arched apartment, 
 which was used for the safety of the sacred utensils of the altars. 
 
 Ilacket abbey. In the 'reign of King John, 'William Ilacket 
 founded this monastery for conventual Franciscans. 
 
 A.D. 13G3, Maurice Ilamond was guardian, who was sued, with 
 others of his brethren, for cutting timber which belonged to Sir K'obert 
 Preston, knight, and removing the same by force. Not appearing, the 
 sheriff w'as ordered to attach them. 
 
 A.D. 1538, the reform of the strict observance was received in this 
 convent. 
 
 Diermit, who w^as the last guardian, on the 4th of May, 153G, de- 
 mised to Walter Fleming, of Cashel, a messuage and farm in the said 
 townland, for the term of forty years, at the annual rent of 5s. Irish 
 money. In the Jhirty-first of King Henry VIII., he surrendered this 
 friary, containing a church and steeple, a dormitory, hall, four cham- 
 bers, a kitchen, and two gardens ; eighteen messuages, eighteen gar- 
 dens, six acres of arable land and ten of moor, in Cashel, of the annual 
 value of £3 10s. 2d. 
 
 The same good king granted this monastery, wdth its appurtenances, 
 for ever, to Edmund Butler, archbishop of Cashel, to hold the same, in 
 capite, at the annual rent of 2s. lOd. Irish 
 
 A.D. 1757, the lofty and beautiful steeple of this church fell to the 
 ground. 
 
 The church measured, east to west, one hundred and fifty-feet in 
 length by twenty-five broad. On the south side, opposite the centre, is 
 a small chapel, wdth niches, and a handsome window, as at Ilore 
 abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1781, the great eastern window and many other parts of the 
 abbey wmre pulled down by modern Vandals, wdio employed the mate- 
 rials in private buildings. 
 
 A.D. 1172, was held the synod of Cashel, convened at the request 
 of Henry IL, wdio assumed the boasted character of reformer of the 
 abuses in the church of Ireland, but the wary reformer took care 
 neither to produce his authority or allude to those flagrant vices wdiich 
 he was to extirpate, though he gave orders that notice in due form 
 should be sent to each of the metropolitans and the bishops of the king- 
 dom. Be it borne in mind, that neither Gelasius the primate, or any 
 of the Ulster bishops attended. 
 
 The proceedings of this synod are related in the history of O’Hulli- 
 can, then archbishop of Cashel. 
 
 A.D. 1167, Adrian IV., supreme pontiff of the universal church, by 
 
662 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF BBELAND. 
 
 birth an Englishman, by name hfichohis Brccspeare, by education tho. 
 disciple of Marianus, an Irishman, who taught the liberal arts at Paris 
 and who was afterwards a monk at Ratisbon, issued a brief to Henry 
 II., by Avhich the soA’ereignty of Ireland was conferred on that monarch. 
 It then lay in the cabinet of the English sovereign sixteen years without 
 an attempt being made to give it effect or accomplisli what the pontiff’ 
 had intended, or what this royal reformer should have done for the good 
 of religion and morals, if such had been the motive or the design which 
 he had so much at heart. 
 
 Bull of the Pontiff Adnan I V. 
 
 “ Adrian, the bishop, the servant of the servants of God, to bis most 
 dear son in Christ, the noble king of England, seudeth greeting and 
 apostolical benediction : Your Magnificence hath been very careful and 
 studious how vou mio-ht enlarge the church of God here on earth and 
 encrease the number of his saints and elect in heaven ; in that, as a good 
 Catholic king, you have and do by all means, labor and travail to en- 
 large and encrease God’s church, by teaching the ignorant people the 
 true and Christian religion, and in abolishing and rooting up the weeds 
 of sin and wickedness. And wherein you have and do crave, for your 
 better furtherance, the help of the apostolic see, wherein more speedily 
 and discreetly you proceed, the better success we hope God will send, 
 for all they which of a fervent zeal and love in religion do begin and 
 entcrprize any such thing, shall no doubt in the end have a good and 
 prosperous success. And as for Ireland and all other islands where 
 Clirist is known and the Christian religion received, it is out of all 
 doubt, and your excellency well knoweth, they do all appertain and 
 belong to the right of St. Peter and of the church of Rome, and we are 
 so much the more ready, desirous and willing to sow the acceptable seed 
 of God’s Word, because we knoAv the same in the latter day will be 
 most severely required at our hands. You have (our well-beloved son 
 in Christ) advertised and signified unto us, that you will enter into the 
 land and realm of Ireland, to the end to bring them into obedience unto 
 law and under your subjection, and to root out from among them their 
 foul sins and wickedness ; as also to yield and pay yearly out of every 
 house, a yearly pension of one penny to St. Peter, and besides, will also 
 keep and defend the rights of these churches whole and inviolate. W e, 
 therefore, well allowing and fiivoring this your godly disposition and 
 commendable affection, do accept, ratify and assent unto this your 
 petition ; and do grant that you (for the dilating of God’s church, the 
 punishment of sin, the reforming of manners, planting of virtue, and the 
 encreasing of Christian religion) do enter to possess that land, and there 
 to execute, according to your wisdom, whatsoever shall be for the honor 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF rRELAUD. 
 
 6G3 
 
 of God and the safety of the realm. And further also we do strictly 
 charge and require, that all the people of that land do with all humble- 
 ness, dutifulness and honor receive and accept you as their liege lord 
 and sovereign, reserving and excepting the right of holy church to be 
 inviolably preserved ; as also the yearly pension of Peter-pence out of 
 every house, which we require to be truly answered to St. Peter and the 
 church of Rome. If therefore you do mind to bring your godly pur- 
 pose to effect, endeavor to travail to reform the people to some better 
 order and trade of life, and that also by yourself and by such others as 
 you shall think meet, true and honest in their life, manners, and con- 
 versation, to the end the church of God may be beautified, the true 
 Christian religion sowed and planted, and all other things done, that by 
 any means shall or may be to God’s honor and salvation of men’s souls, 
 whereby you may in the end receive of God’s hands the reward of ever- 
 lasting life ; and also in the mean time and in this life, carry a glorious 
 fame and an honorable report among all nations.” 
 
 The following is the confirmatory brief of Alexander III. : “ Alexan- 
 der, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his dearly beloved son, 
 the noble king of England, greeting, grace and apostolic benediction. 
 For as much as things given and granted upon good reason by our pre- 
 decessors are to be well allowed of, ratified and confirmed ; we well 
 considering and pondei'ing the giant and privilege for and concerning 
 the dominion of the land of Ireland to us appertaining and lately given 
 by Adrian our predecessor, and following his steps, do, in like manner, 
 confirm, ratify and allow the same ; reserving and saving to St. Peter 
 and to the church of Rome, the yearly pension of one penny out of 
 eveiy house as well in England as in Ireland. Provided also, that the 
 barbarous people of Ireland, by your means, be reformed and recovered 
 from their filthy life and abominable conversation ; that as in name, so 
 in life and manners, they may be Christians, and that, as that rude and 
 disordered church, by being by you reformed, the whole nation may 
 also with the possession of the name, be in acts and deeds the same.” 
 
 A.D. 1179, citations were issued by the pontiff Alexander, conven- 
 ing the third general council of Lateran. On this occasion the follow- 
 ing Irish bishops set out for Rome : the saintly Laurence O’Toole, of 
 Dublin ; Catholicus, of Tuam ; Constantine O’Brian, of Killaloe ; Felix, 
 of Lismore ; Augustin, of Waterford ; and Brictius, of Limerick. Having 
 arrived at Rome, they were received with marked attention, particularly 
 the sainted Laurence, whose jurisdiction over the suffragan sees of Lein- 
 ster was at this time confirmed by A lexander III. 
 
 The father of the faithful, having had an opportunity of conversing 
 with some of the heads of the Irish church, became at length convinced 
 that in the confirmatory brief which he had drawn up for Henry, he 
 
G64: 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 bad been grossly deceived,, and that the terras wbicli were employed in 
 that official document were as severe as they had been unmerited and 
 uncalled for. As a mark, therefore, of his feelings on the subject, he 
 not only put into the hands of Laurence a brief coiffirming his metropo 
 litan rights, but moreover constituted him his apostolic legate through- 
 out Ireland. In the discharge of his legatine functions, the holy bishop 
 of Dublin had to encounter anxiety and trouble. The English eccle- 
 siastics, whom the royal reformer Henry had sent over as well to recon- 
 struct the “ rude and disordered church of Ireland as well as to convert 
 its barbarous people from their hlthy life and abominable conversation,” 
 were, it appears, a lot of grossly incontinent profligates, with few excep- 
 tions. (See life of Albinus O’Mulloy, bishop of Femes.) 
 
 To the pious and sensitive mind of St. Laurence it was a severe trial 
 to have such unworthy men in the Irish church, spreading the contagion 
 of pernicious example. Anxious, then, to remove this ciying scandal 
 with which the church of Ireland had been unacquainted under a native 
 hierarchy, and to aflbrd the father of the universal church an opportu- 
 nity of judging the hopeful manner in which the church of Ireland was 
 to be reformed by English missionaries, St. Laurence sent one hundred 
 and forty of them, who were convicted of incontinence, to Home for ab- 
 solution, though he was himself at the time vested with authority to 
 release them Irom their censures. 
 
 Such were the reformers of Henry IL, and, it appears, that the 
 claims of this monarch to the merit of a zealous upholder of discipline, 
 morals and religion were comparatively more dangerous to the interests 
 of the church of God than the moral pestilence which his profligate 
 ecclesiastics were dift\ising as the Upas-tree. 
 
 The pontift’ Alexander exhorted the martyred Tliomas-a-Becket to 
 perseverance in his firm and disinterested opposition to the aggressions 
 of Ilenry H. on the rights and immunities of that national church of 
 which Thomas was primate ; assured him, that many of these customs 
 had been condemned, to which the king wished to establish a prescrip- 
 tive right, and ordered him not to desert his post, as by so doing, ho 
 would betray the cause of God and the church 
 
 This declaration of the pontifi’, while it confirmed the constancy of the 
 primate, excited the indignation of Henry to the extreme of phrensy ; his 
 rage became swollen as the agitated billow ; and the pontiff, as well as 
 the primate, was made sensible of his fury. He forbade any of his sub- 
 jects to hold communication with either. This well-beloved son of 
 Adrian, who was to increase and dilate religion and righteousness, 
 ordered the proscription of all the goods and chattels of such persons as 
 favored their cause. This ardent reformer made overt proposals to the 
 anti-pope, Guy ; he required an oath of all above twelve years of age 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IRELAND, 
 
 665 
 
 to renounce their obedience to the lawful pontiff Alexander III. ; and to 
 exliibit his insatiate resentment against the primate, he caused his eldest 
 sou to be crowned at Westminster on the loth of June, 1170, by Eoger, 
 archbishop of York, who had been the bitterest enemy of the saint. A' ay, 
 even in the blindness of his anger and vengeance, he prohibited prayers 
 being ofiered up in behalf of the persecuted Tiiomas ; he confiscated the 
 property which belonged to the friends and dependents of the primate ; 
 banished them promiscuously from the kingdom ; he spared not their 
 age, sex or condition. The sister of Thomas, with her little family, all 
 his relatives to the number of four hundred, were compelled, under the 
 obligation of an oath, to go and present themselves before the afflicted 
 metropolitan, who was at length slain in his cathedral, Henry 11. having 
 been, as an accessory to the fact, excommunicated, though his name was 
 not mentioned in that sentence. 
 
 Clonaul was originally founded for knights Templars. When the 
 order was suppressed, it was conferred on the Hospitallers. 
 
 A.D. 1327, William de Hereford was preceptor. 
 
 A.D. 1335, friar Giles de Rous was preceptor. 
 
 A.D. 1337, Giles de Rous continued in office. 
 
 A.D. 1339, he was still preceptor. 
 
 Clonmell. A considei'able town in the barony of Offa and Iffa. 
 
 A.D. 1650, the siege of Clonmell is one of the most memorable m 
 the annals of Ireland. Hugh O’Reall, a spirited young man, with 
 twelve hundred provincial troops, maintained the town in so gallant a 
 manner, that Cromwell’s temper, arts, and military skill were severely 
 put to the trial. Boetius Mac Egan, bishop of Ross, was particularly 
 active in collecting, animating, 'leading on the remains of the troops 
 that Cromwell had dispersed in various engagements. This prelate, 
 who had been so active in the cause of his oppiessed country, at length 
 fell into the hands of Lord Broghill, the most able of the paiiiamentaiy 
 commanders. His lordship, knowing the value of his captive, and pru- 
 dently resolving to put to the best advantage the influence vrliich his 
 prisoner could exercise over the conduct of thb loj'alist forces, offered 
 the prelate security and protection if he would only exercise his author- 
 ity with the garrison of a fort called Carrickdroghid, near the field of 
 battle. Having been conducted to the fort, the bishop conjured the 
 garrison, in the name of heaven, their religion, love of country, and the 
 spirits of those who had fallen in the support of all that was dear to 
 them in life, to maintain their post, and to bury themselves in its ruins 
 rather than yield it to an implacable enemy. As soon as he had done, 
 he turned round, looked his captor in the face and desired to be con- 
 ducted to the scaffold ; he was accordingly executed on the branch of a 
 
666 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 tree within sight of the garrison, suspended therefrom by the reins of 
 his own horse. 
 
 Dominican monastery. The founder of this abbey is not knowm. It 
 was erected A.D. 1269, and dedicated to St. Dominick. 
 
 It has given two martyrs to the church of Ireland. 
 
 Franciscan friary. Otho de Grandison, in 1269, erected this monas- 
 tery, the church of which was truly magnificent, and esteemed one 
 of the finest in Ireland. In it was preserved a miraculous image of St. 
 Francis. 
 
 A.D. 1536, the friai’S of the strict observance reformed this house. 
 
 A.D. 1540, Dobert Travers was guardian. A moiety of its posses- 
 •sions was granted to the sovereign and commonalty of Clonmel at the 
 annual rent of 12d. Irish, and another given to James, earl of Ormond, 
 at the same rent, the said possessions to be held by the grantees for 
 ever. 
 
 The chuich of this friary is now the meeting-house of a dissenting 
 congregation. 
 
 Cluainconbruin, near the Suire, in the western part of the Golden 
 A^ale, and in the barony of Middlethird. St. Abbhan said to have been 
 the founder. Tlie place is now unknown, as well as the following. 
 
 Coning, in the territory of the Decies, and in the southern part of 
 the Golden Vale or Magh-femyn. St. Declan built this monastery. 
 See Ardmore, county of Waterford. 
 
 Corbally, in the barony of Ikerin, about two miles south of Roscrea. 
 Corbally was a chapel dependent on Monaincha, in this county. 
 
 Domnaglunore, in the barony of Offa and Ifia. St. Farannan is said 
 to have been abbot of Domnaghmore, in Maghfemin, which was visited 
 by St. Ere, of Slane, and St. Brigid, patroness of Ireland. 
 
 Emly, in the barony of Clanwilliam, sixteen- miles west of Cashell. 
 St. Ailbe was tlie founder. See diocese of, 
 
 A.D. 847, the Danes plundered the town. King Olchobair, who 
 was bishop and abbot of Emly with Lorcan, son of Kellach, king of 
 Leinster, slew twelve hundred of the Danes in battle, and before the 
 expiration of the year, seventeen hundred more fell in two other en- 
 gagements, in the second of which Olchobair, the king, abbot and 
 bishop was slain. 
 
 A.D. 908, Cormac MacCullenan, king of Munster, and bishop of 
 Cashell, bequeathed to this abbey three ounces of gold and an embroi- 
 dered vestment. 
 
 A.D. 1088, the town was plundered by Donell MacLoghlin, king of 
 Tirconnell, and Eotheric O’ Conor, king of Connaught. 
 
 A.D. 1116, Emly was again destroyed by fire. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANT). 
 
 GGT 
 
 A.D. 1123, the mitre of Saint Ailbe was burned by sacrilegious 
 robbers. 
 
 A.D. 1192, the church and town were again consumed by fire. 
 
 Fethard, in the barony of Middlethird, and about six miles east of 
 Cashell. A house of Eremites of St. Augustine, to whose inmates king 
 Edward I. granted a full and fiee pardon, A.D. 1306, for having ac- 
 quired lands, contrary to the statute of mortmain. 
 
 William Burdon, the last prior, surrendered his priory on the 8th of 
 April, thirty -first of king Henry VIII., then containing, within the site, 
 a church and steeple, dormitory, hall, two chambers, a kitchen, two 
 stables, cemetery, orchard, and two gardens ; also twenty-eight messuages, 
 nine acres of land, one of meadow, with a mill and bakehouse in Fethard ; 
 annual value, besides reprises, 13s. 4d. ; eight acres of land, with four 
 of pasture, in Crosseard, annual value, besides reprises, Gs. 8d. 
 
 January iGth, thirty-fifth of Henry VIIL, this monastery, with all 
 its other appurtenances, besides those already enumerated, were granted 
 for ever to Sir Edmund Butler, knight, at the annual rent of 5s. Irish 
 money. 
 
 Holycross, in the barony of Eliogarty, two miles southwest of 
 Thurles, and on the river Suire. Donagh Carbragh O’Brien, king of 
 Limerick, founded this celebrated abbey in honor of the Holy Cross, St. 
 Mary and St. Benedict, for monks of the Cistercian order. 
 
 A.D. 1182, Gregory was abbot, in which year the founder made 
 several grants of land to this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1207, died in this abbey the eminent and illustrious Mathew 
 "O’Heney, archbishop of Cashell and apostolic legate of Ireland, having 
 received absolution and extreme unction. 
 
 A.D. 1219, in a general chapter of the order, the abbot of Clairvaux, 
 in France, subjected this abbey to that of Furness, in Lancashire. 
 
 A.D, 1313, Thomas was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1538, Phillip Purcell was abbot. William O’Dwyer w'as the 
 last abbot of Holycross. It was a daughter of Maglo, in the county of 
 Limerick. The abbot was styled earl of Holycross, and sat as a baron 
 of parliament, and was usually vicar of the Cistercian order in Heland. 
 
 A.D. 1559, the great rebel O’Heal, as Protestants call him, made a 
 pilgrimage to the relic of the Holy Cross, which had been preserved in 
 this abbey. 
 
 In the fifth of Elizabeth, the abbey, with two hundred and twenty 
 acres of land in Holycross, twenty acres in Thurles, one hundred and 
 eighty acres in other places, parcel of its jjossessions, were granted to 
 Gerald, earl of Ormond. 
 
 The architecture of this abbey was unusually splendid ; its very ruins, 
 which to this day occupy a considerable space, evince the former great- 
 
C68 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 ness of this celebrated establishment. Its steeple, supported by an im- 
 mense gothic arch, with ogives siiringing diagonally from the angles, 
 has been greatly esteemed. The choir is forty-nine feet broad, and hfty- 
 eight long, with lateral aisles. On the south side of the choir are two 
 chapels intersected by a double row of gothic arches, and on the north 
 side are two other chapels finished in the same style as the Ibrmer. 
 The river Suire flows near the base of those extensive and magnificent 
 ruins. 
 
 luchnameov. See Monaincha, in this county. 
 
 luislaunacht, alias Surium, in the barony of Ofi'a and Ifta, on the 
 banks of the Suire. St. Mochoemoe or Fulcherius is said to have 
 founded this abbey, which he dedicated to the Virgin Mary. See Leath- 
 more. King’s county. 
 
 A.D. 1184, this monastery was refounded by Donal O’Brien, king of 
 Limerick, and ei^dowed with the assistance of Malachy O’Foelau, prince 
 of the Decies. 
 
 This house must have been in existence some time before it was re- 
 built or refounded, as we find Congan abbot of it in the year 1140. 
 Tliis eminent man became in the twelfth century the reviver of monas- 
 tic discipline in the South of Ireland, and for his learning and exalted 
 virtues obtained a very high rank among his contempoi’aries. The 
 opinion which St. Bernard had entertained of Congan’s talents and ac- 
 quirements, was very great, and with his assistance in collecting mate- 
 rials, the holy abbot of Clairvaux had been enabled to compile his com- 
 prehensive and esteemed life of St. Malachy. Among other matters, 
 St. Bernard, in the preface to that work, observes, “ In compliance with 
 your commands, my reverend brother and sweet friend, abbot Congan, 
 and in obedience to the wishes of the whole church of Ireland, request- 
 ing, as appeal’s from your letter, a plain history, without the embellish- 
 ments of eloquence, I will undertake it, and endeavor to be clear and 
 instructive, yet not tedious. I am satisfied as to the truth of the narra- 
 tive, having received my information from you, whom I cannot suspect 
 to relate anything of which you had not certain knowledge.” Hence it 
 appears that the materials for this work had been supplied by Congan, 
 and consequently the scandalous abuses to whicli St. Bernard alludes 
 must have been those which occurred in particular districts of Ulster, 
 the congregations in the South, and especially in Congan’s locality, 
 having been at that time both orderly aud edifying. Congan has also 
 published the Acts of St. Bernard, and several epistles addressed 
 to that saint. This virtuous and eminent abbot died about the year 
 1162. 
 
 A.D. 1238, Marian O’Bryde, archbishop of Cashell, died aud was in- 
 terred in this abbey. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 669 
 
 A.D. 1239, a new colony of monks, from Fumes, in Lancashire, 
 arrived here. 
 
 A.D. 1311, Richard was abbot. 
 
 In the nineteenth of Elizabeth, the possessions of this singularly 
 beautiful building, which consisted of one thousand nine hundred acres 
 of land in the counties of Waterford and Tipperary, ten messuages, 
 eleven cottages, with other appurtenances, were granted to Cormac 
 Mac Carthy, at the annual rent of £24 Irish. They were afterwards 
 granted to Edward Geogh, Mary his wife, and their heirs, at the same 
 rent. 
 
 Kilcomin, in the barony of Kilnelongurty, nine miles west of Holy 
 Cross. Pliilip de Worcester, who was chief governor of Ireland, A.D. 
 1181, founded the priory of Kilcomin, which he supplied with Benedic- 
 tines from the abbey of Glastonbury, in Somersetshire. It was dedicated 
 to St. Philip, St. James, and to St. Comin. 
 
 James, one of the brethren, was appointed the first prior. It became 
 a ruin in the reign of Henry VHI. 
 
 Killcooly, in tlie barony of Slievarda and Compsey. Donagh Car- 
 bragh O’Brien founded this abbey for Cistercians in the year 1200, and 
 dedicated it to the Virgin Mary. This house, which according to other 
 accounts was built in 1209, was subject to the abbey of Jerpoint. 
 
 A.D. 1341, Thomas O’Rourke was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1539, an annual pension of £5 sterling was assigned to Thomas 
 jfiiortall, tlie last abbot. 
 
 Tlie possessions of this abbey consisted in lands of 698 acres, twenty- 
 two messuages, twenty gardens, two rectories, annual value £11 13s. Id., 
 with other appurtenances ; all of which were granted to Thomas, earl 
 of Ormond. 
 
 Killcooly is now the seat of Sir William Barker, bart. 
 
 Killmore-aradthtire, in the barony of Upper Ormond, and four miles 
 south of Kenagh. An ancient abbey, founded A.D. 510. It is now a 
 parish conventicle. 
 
 Killinenallagh, in the barony of Lower Ormond, and seven miles 
 northeast of Nenagh5 In the reign of king Henry VI. a monastery wai 
 founded in this place for Gray Friars, which afterwards belonged to the 
 third order of Franciscans. 
 
 November 27th, thirty-fifth of Henry VHI., this friary of Killalye, 
 with three messuages, five acres of arable, one of marsh, and the site of 
 a water-mill, was granted for ever to Dermot Ryan, at the annual rent 
 of Id. Irish money. 
 
 Latteragh-Odran, in the barony of Upper Ormond. See Desert- 
 Odran, Queen’s county. 
 
 Lorrah, in the barony of Lower Ormond, and three miles from the 
 
670 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOEY OF IKELAND. 
 
 river Shannon. The eminent St. Ruadan was the founder of this mo- 
 nastery. He is said to have been of noble extraction. Ilis birth is 
 assigned to the eaidy part of the sixth century, as he studied under the 
 great St. Finnian, of Clonard, and was reckoned among his chief disci- 
 ples. He was abbot of Lothra before the death of Ivieran of Saigher, 
 and had probably founded it about the year 550. St. Ruadan died in 
 584, and his festival was held on the 15th of April. Some writings 
 have been attributed to this saiut. 
 
 A.D. 652, died the abbot Cailknie. 
 
 A.D. 708, died the abbot Colman Mac Sheaghnasey. 
 
 A.D. 783; died Colomb INIac Faelgresa, called the Rishop. 
 
 A.D. 845, Turgesius, the Danish tyrant, burned and destroyed the 
 town and the churches. 
 
 A.D. 864, died the abbot and bishop Dinearlagh. 
 
 A.D. 888, died the abbot Maolgorgais. 
 
 A.D. 946, died the abbot Core, son of Coinligan. 
 
 A.D. 1106, died the abbot Moelmuire O’Seoly. 
 
 A.D. 1154, an accidental fire destroyed this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1157, a similar calamity befell it. 
 
 A.D. 1179, another fire destroyed the town. 
 
 A.D. 1467, died the abbot James O’Ferral, a charitable and generous 
 nobleman. 
 
 The hand of St. Ruadhan was preserved in a silver case in this abbey 
 until the time of its suppression. 
 
 Dominican friary. Walter de Burgh, earl of Ulster, founded this 
 monastery, A.D. 1269, in honor of St. Peter the Martyr, a Dominican, 
 who was placed on the calendar A.D. 1253, eleven months after his death. 
 
 A.D. 1301, a general chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1688, James the Second on the throne, a general chapter was 
 held at Lorrah, at which 150 members of the order attended. 
 
 When the “ Hibernia Dominicana ” was compiled, James Ruddock, 
 esquire, who lived convenient to the abbey, was in possession of its pro- 
 perty. 
 
 In 1756 there were only two of the fathers remaining, Bernard 
 OHoghlin, the prior, and Hyacinth O’Kennedy, who in 1758 became 
 a missionary of the American island of the Holy Cross, then belonging 
 to France (St. Croix). 
 
 Monaincha alias Inchnameobh, in the barony of Ikerin. The situa- 
 tion of this monastery was very singular. The island on which it was 
 built, consists of about two acres of dry ground, all the surrounding 
 parts being a soft morass scarcel}’' accessible ; and yet on this insular 
 spot a beautiful monastic edifice was erected ; not large, but constructed 
 in so fine a style and with such materials as excites wonder ho iv they 
 
EOOLESIASTICAL HlVfORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 671 
 
 could have been brought hither. Surely then, the monks, who took 
 care to have such a structure built, and who dedicated themselves to a 
 life of prayer, solitude and contemplation, could not have been these 
 idle and indolent drones as Protestant writers represent them. The 
 length of this church is forty-four feet, by eighteen broad. The arches 
 of the choir and the western portal are semicircular, and adorned with 
 a variety of curious moldings. 
 
 Of this abbey Geraldus Cambrensis speaks, placing before his read- 
 ers extraordinary legends, not worth the trouble of noticing. As the 
 vapors arising from the marshes rendered the air insalubrious, the 
 monks removed to Corbally, a place not far from it, without the lake, 
 where they became canons regular of St. Augustine, under the name of 
 St, Hilary or St. Mary. 
 
 A.D. 113, died in this island Maolpatrick O’Dugan. 
 
 It seems that women were not permitted, as in other monasteries, to 
 enter the precincts of this island abbey. Its property in land profitable 
 and moor or waste, consisted of 303 acres, besides rectories and other 
 appurtenances ; all of which good Queen Elizabeth granted to Sir Lu- 
 cas Dillon. 
 
 Moylagh, in the barony of Offa and Iffa. A monastery was founded 
 here, under the invocation of St. Brigid, for black nuns of the order of 
 St. Augustine. 
 
 At the general suppression, it was granted to Sir Henry Radcliffe. 
 
 Henagh, in the barony of Lower Ormond. About the beginning o^ 
 the year 1200, the hospital called St. John’s was founded for Augustine 
 canons, who were constantly to admit the sick and infirm. 
 
 It appears that Theobald Walter, the first butler of Ireland, was the 
 founder of this house, to wdiich he granted six carucates and forty acres 
 of land in Keremath : one carucate and a half near tliis place, four 
 carucates and forty acres in the townlands of Cloncurry, Lesrony, Bal- 
 nath, and Beelderg, under certain conditions. 
 
 These canons were allowed to choose their own prior, to erect fish 
 * ponds, pools and mills on the said lands, for themselves and tenants. 
 
 Tliady O’Mara was the last prior. In the reign of Edward YL, 
 the possessions of this hospital consisted of 610 acres of land, with their 
 appurtenances, be!^ides rectories, inclusively worth £27 5s. 4d. The 
 good Queen Elizabeth, in the fifth year of her reign, made a grant for 
 ever of all this property, to Oliver Grace, at the yearly rent of £39, 
 
 Franciscan friary was founded in the reign of King Henry HI., by 
 one of the Butlers, or, as othei-s say, by O’Kennedy. 
 
 A.D. 1344, a provincial chapter was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1352, Lord Thomas de Cantwell, a great and munificent bene- 
 factor to tliis house, was interred here. 
 
672 
 
 ECCLESLA.STICAL mSTORY OF rRELAFTD. 
 
 A.D. 1550, O’Carwill burned the friary and the town, but the castlo 
 was preserved by the garrison. 
 
 At the suppression. Queen Elizabeth granted a lease of this abbey 
 to Robert Collum, for the term of fifty years, including other grants, at 
 the yearly rent of £22 17s. 8d. Irish money. 
 
 This house was considered one of the richest foundations in the 
 kingdom, belonging to the order. 
 
 Roscrea, in the barony of Ikerrin. St. Cronanj of Roscrea, was a 
 native of Elj^-O’ Carroll, in Munster; his father, Oran, was of the sept 
 of this territory, and his mother, Coemri, of that of Corcobaschin, a 
 district in the west of the present county of Clare. Having attained a 
 proper age for embracing the monastic state, Cronan, taking with him 
 his maternal cousin, Mobai, went to visit some holy men in Connaught, 
 and stopped at a place called Puayd (now unknown), where he was 
 soon joined by several pious persons, with whom he led a monastic life. 
 After some time he left that place, and went, together with Mobai, to 
 Clonmacnois, where he did not long sojourn. Soon after, he com- 
 menced the erection of several religious houses, in one of which, at 
 Lusmag, (Garrycastle, King’s county,) he spent a considerable time. 
 Having surrendered this establishment to some monks, St. Cronan re- 
 turned to his own country, and erected a cell near the lake or marsh called 
 Loughcree, which cell obtained the name of Seanruis. Here St. Molua, 
 of Clonfert-molua, visited Cronan, and demanded of him the holy 
 eucharist, which he might take with him, as was the practice of ancient 
 times, with holy persons, to send or give it in token of communion and 
 brotherly love. 
 
 The period of St. Cronan’s sojourn at Seanruis is not recorded, but 
 the cause of his leaving is said to have been the distress which some 
 strangei-s who came to pay him a visit, endured, not being able to 
 find out the cell, and who were, in consequence, obliged to remain wan- 
 dering about a whole night, without food or shelter. Cronan was so 
 displeased, that he resolved on abandoning that lonesome and solitary 
 spot, and on removing to the high road, where he erected a large mo- * 
 nastery, which, in course of time, grew up into the town of Roscrea. 
 In this new foundation he spent the remainder of his life, employed in 
 good works, and most highly esteemed. On one occasion he protected, 
 by his prayers, the people of Ely against the fury of the men of Ossory. 
 On another, he assuaged Fingen, king of Munster, who was intent on 
 punishing severely, the people of Meath, on account of some horses 
 that had been stolen, and who had already marched with an army for 
 that purpose from Cashel, as far as Ely. This king had a great venera- 
 tion for the saint, who, when very old and blind, visited the prince at 
 Cashel. When returning to Roscrea, Cronan was accompanied bv the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL niSTORT OF IRELAND. 
 
 073 
 
 king in person, and by the chief nobility of the country. I7ot long 
 after, having blessed his people of Ely, and received the holy eucha- 
 rist, he died on a 2Sth of April, in either 619 or 626. 
 
 A.D. 800, died the abbot Fiangiis. 
 
 A.D. 816, died the abbot Dioma Mac Fiangusa. 
 
 Colgan, in his acts of the Irish saints, gives the following quotation, 
 from an old writer, of the life of St. Cronan : — 
 
 “ The 'blessed father, Cronan, requested a certain scribe to make him 
 a copy of tlie four evangelists. Now this writer was called Dimma, 
 and was unwilling to write for more than one day. Then, says the 
 saint, write until the sun goes down. This the writer promised to do, 
 and the saint placed for him a seat to write in ; but by divine grace 
 and power, St. Cronan caused the rays of the sun to shine forty days 
 and forty nights in that place, and neither was the writer fatigued wuth 
 continual labor, nor did he feel the want of food, or drink, or sleep, and 
 he thought the forty days and nights were only one day, and in that 
 period the four evangelists were indeed not so well as correctly written. 
 Dimma having finished the book, felt day and night as before, and also 
 that eating and drinking and sleeping were necessary and agreeable, as 
 hitherto. And he was then informed by the religious men who were 
 with St. Cronan, that he had written for the space of forty days and 
 nights, without darkness, whereupon they returned thanks to the power 
 of Christ.” 
 
 This Dimma was a relative of St. Cronan, whose grandfather was 
 Nathi. At the end of the book, Dimma calls himself the son of Nathi. 
 The copy of the Evangelists written by Dimma has come down to those 
 our days, in very tolerable preservation. It has been kept in a brass 
 box, richly plated with silver, which Thady O’Carroll, chief of Ely 
 O’Carroll, who lived about the middle of the twelfth century, caused to 
 be gilt, and Donald, bishop of Killaloe, repaired about the year 1220. 
 Sir William Betham gives an account of this manuscript in his Irish an- 
 tiquarian researches. 
 
 A.D. 827, died Ciaran, a philosopher of this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 909, Cormac Mac Cullenan, bishop of Cashel and king of 
 Munster, ordered by will, that his royal robes, embroidered with gold 
 and enriched with precious stones, should be deposited in this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1047, died O’Baillen, professor of Boscrea. 
 
 A.D. 1133, Boscrea was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1161, died Isaac O’Cuanan, styled bishop of Boscrea. 
 
 A.D. 1174, died Conaig O’Haengusy, superior of the canons ot 
 Boscrea. 
 
 Near the ancient church of St. Cronan is a fine round tower, fifteen 
 
 feet in diameter, with two steps round it at the bottom. About fifteen 
 43 
 
674 
 
 ECCLESIASTiaiL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 feet from its base is a window, with a regular arch, and at an equal 
 height is another window, with a pointed arch. 
 
 When digging the foundations of a new church, some yeare ago, the 
 workmen found a slab with “ Cronan ” inscribed upon it. 
 
 Franciscan friary was founded about the year 1490, by Mulruany 
 O’Carroll, who married Bibiana, the daughter of O’Dempsey. Others 
 say that Bibiana was the foundress after she became a widow. 
 
 By an inquisition, taken the 27th of December, A.D. 1568, it was 
 found, that the precincts of this monastery contained two acres, on 
 which the house of the friars was built, with a dojinitory, hall, the 
 prior’s chamber, a chapel, cemetery, garden, two orchards ; and in the 
 lands of Roscrea thirty acres of arable and pasture : the church was 
 parochial ; and a third part of the rectory of Roscrea, and the alterages 
 thereof, with the tithes of the above thirty acres, did belong to it. The 
 vicar who served the church received the said tithes and alterages. 
 
 The whole was granted to Thomas, earl of Ormond, who assigned 
 them to William Crow. 
 
 Thurles, in the barony of Eliogarty, and is situated on the river 
 Suire. A.D. 1300, the family of Butler founded a monastery for Car- 
 melites. 
 
 When the religious houses were suppressed, Donagh O’llowlcghan, 
 the last prior, was found seized of his monastery, with a church, chap- 
 ter-house, three chambere, a stable, two gardens, of one acre ; also ten 
 acres of arable land, with four of pasture (the great measure), in Thmdes ; 
 annual value, 13s. 4d., besides reprises. 
 
 This monastery, with its appurtenances, was granted to Thomas, earl 
 of Ormond. 
 
 Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. According to tradition, the 
 castle erected here belonged to those knights. 
 
 Tipperary, in the barony of Clan-William, gives name to the county. 
 The Eremites of St. Augustine were here established in the reign of 
 king Ilenry III. 
 
 A.D. 1329, O’Brien burned this town. 
 
 Donagh O’Cuyrke, the last prior, surrendered to the inquisitors of 
 Ilenry YIIL, being then seized of the same, his church, chapter-house, 
 dormitory, hall, two chambers, an inner chamber, kitchen, stable, ceme- 
 tery, garden, with twenty-three messuages, thirteen gardens, forty-four 
 acres of arable land, a mill and dam in Tipperary ; and eight acres of 
 arable, ten of pasture, with their appmdenances, in Clonfad ; annual 
 value, besides reprises, 203. Irish money. 
 
 Ilenry YIIL granted this priory and its possessions to Dermot Ryan, 
 for ever, at the annual rent of 8d. Irish money. 
 
 Tirdaglas, in the barony of Lower Ormond, and on the banks of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 C75 
 
 Lough Dierg. Saint Columba, son of Crimthan, was the disciple of the 
 great Finnian, of Clonard, and was the person who administered to him 
 tlie last rites of tlie chnrch. Columba was of a noble or princely family 
 of Leinster. Having completed his studies, he undertook the direction 
 of three disciples, Coemhan, Fintan, and Mocumin, who followed him 
 whithersoever he went. It is related, that, having spent some time to- 
 gether in other places, they remained a year at Cloiienagh. Columba 
 did not form any establishment there, but after he had left to go else- 
 where, and on looking back on it from the adjacent mountain, he 
 thought it an eligible site for the erection of a monastery, and advised 
 his disciple Fintan to settle there, which he accordingly did. Soon 
 after relinquishing that place, Columba founded the celebrated monas- 
 tery of Tirdaglass, probably about the year 548. lie did not long 
 survive to superintend its affairs, as he died A.D. 552. The 13th of 
 December is assigned as the day of his death. He was buried at 
 Tirdaglass. 
 
 A.D. 584, died the abbot St. Mocumin. He was the brother of St. 
 Coemghen, of Glendaloch. The first of May is assigned for his death. 
 He is also buried in the monastery of Tirdaglass. 
 
 A.D. 625, died the abbot St. Colman Stellain. 
 
 A.D. 801, Clemens was abbot. 
 
 A.D 838, died the anchorite of Tirdaglass, St. Moyle Dichru. He 
 was usually styled the Sage, and is said to have uttered many remark- 
 able prophecies. 
 
 A.D. 842, the Danes slew Hugh MacDufie Dachrich, abbot of Tir- 
 daglass. His festival is held on the 8th of July. 
 
 A.D. 890, the abbot and bishop Maelpeadar MacCuan. 
 
 A.D. 927, the abbot Feargill died at Rome, on his pilgrimage. 
 
 A.D. 1099, died the abbot O’Lunnergan. 
 
 A.D. 1112, this abbey was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1140, Tirdaglass was burned by the people of O’Many, who, 
 with their accustomed barbarity, destroyed the shrine of the saint. 
 
 A.D. 1162, again consumed. 
 
 Toome, in the barony of Killnemanna. A priory of canons regular 
 existed here, which was dedicated to St. Domnan, or according to other 
 accounts, to the Virgin Mary. 
 
 St. Kieran, going to found the monastery of Clonmacnoise, left Dom- 
 nan in care of his establishment Aingin or Angina, an island of Lough- 
 ree. St. Domnan was honored at Toome, as patron. This monastery of 
 Toome was dependent on Monaincha. 
 
 A.D. 1325, the guardian of this house was sued by the prior of 
 Conall for the advowson of the church of Athenemedele, in this 
 county. 
 
676 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 King Henry Vlll. secularized, qneen Elizabetli dissolved, and lior 
 apostate Miler MacGrath, archbishop of Cashell, held it, with its appur- 
 tenances, for the term of twenty-one years. 
 
 CHAPTEE LXII. 
 
 COUNTY OF TYRONE. 
 
 Airecal Dachiaroc, whose situation is now unknown, was an an- 
 cient abbey. 
 
 A.D. 805, died the abbot Moelfogartach, the son of Aedgal. 
 
 A.D. 837, died the abbot Ceallach Mac Coigry. 
 
 Ardboe, in the barony of Dungannon, and two miles west of Lough 
 Keagh. St. Colman, the son of Aid, founded a noble and celebrated 
 monastery here. His relics were long preserved in this abbey. His 
 festival was observed on the 21st of February. A great many saints of 
 this name have adorned the Dish church. A Colman, disciple of St. 
 Patrick, wearied with thii-st and fatigue in getting in the harvest, 
 through fear of infringing on the fast, would not even drink a drop of 
 water to refresh himself, so that it caused his death. Tliis Colman was 
 buried near the cross fronting the new church, and was the first whose 
 remains were deposited in the burial-ground of Armagh. 
 
 A.D. 1103, Murchad O’Flaithecan, dean of this abbey, and a doctor 
 high in esteem for wisdom and learning, died in pilgrimage at Armagh. 
 
 A.D. 1166, Kory O’Morna did so destroy this abbey by fire, that it 
 immediately fell to decay. 
 
 Tliere are still the walls of an old church, with a cross, in good pre- 
 servation, about fifteen feet in height, on which are several inscriptions. 
 
 Ardstraw, in the barony of Strabane, on the north of the river Deirg. 
 See diocese of Derry. 
 
 St. Eugene was bishop of this ancient see. The festival of Eugene 
 was observed on the 23d of August. Ilis death is placed at 570. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRl«XAm). 
 
 677 
 
 A.D. 706, died the bishop Cobdenach, whose festival was kept on the 
 26tli of November. In the month of December of this year two earth- 
 quakes occurred in one week in the province of Ulster. 
 
 A.D. 850, died the abbot Maongal. 
 
 A.D. 921, died the blessed Maelpatrick, abbot of Drumcliffe and 
 Ardstraw. 
 
 A.D. 1069, Ardstraw was consumed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1099, the Damhliag or stone house of Ardstraw was burned. 
 
 A.D. 1198, the church was plundered and destroyed by Sir John de 
 Courcey. 
 
 Ballinasaghart, in the barony of Dungannon. 
 
 A.D. 1489, Con O’Neal founded this monastery for Franciscans of 
 the third order. 
 
 Cloglier, an episcopal seat. See diocese of. 
 
 A.D. 761:, died the abbot Aragal. 
 
 A D. 841, The abbot Moran Maclurachty was slain by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 1395, Clogher was burned and all its valuable efiects destroyed. 
 
 A.D. 1507, died tlie abbot Pierce O’Maoluidher. 
 
 Corrock, in the barony of Strabane and parish of Upper Badoney. 
 A monastery for Franciscans of the third order was erected here in the 
 fifteenth century. 
 
 An inquisition taken A.D. 1603 finds that the monastery of Carrock 
 was possessed of three parts and more, of a quarter of land adjoining 
 the same, annual value Is. 8d. 
 
 At the suppression, it was granted to Sir Ilenry Piers, who assigned 
 it to Sir Arthur Chichester. 
 
 Its ruins display a singular neatness and an elegant style of archi- 
 tecture. 
 
 Domnacmore, in Imchlair, near Dungannon. St. Patrick having 
 preached here, converted the people, over whom he placed a priest, 
 called Columb, whose memory was revei’ed in this church. It does not 
 appear to have been a monastery in those early times. 
 
 A.D. 1064, Eoch was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1195, the abbey was plundered by Bory, the son of Donlevy, 
 who was assisted by the English. 
 
 A.D. 1205, O’Dermod, arclidean of this abbey, died. 
 
 Druimdubhain. This nunnery was near Clogher. The holy virgin 
 St. Cetamaria, who is said to liave been the first Irish virgin who took 
 the veil, was placed here by St. Patrick. 
 
 The apostle, having converted Cinnia, the daughter of Echodius, the 
 dynast of that territory, placed her under the care of St. Cetamaria in 
 tliis nunnery. Her father, though unwilling to become a convert, as- 
 sented to his daughter’s taking the veil. St. Cinnia was living about 
 
678 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 the year 480. Many other virgins and seven holy bishops have been 
 interred here. 
 
 Dungannon gives name to the barony. In the reign of Henry VII., 
 O’JS'eal built a small monastery on the south side of the town for Fran- 
 ciscans of the third order. 
 
 At the suppression, it was granted to the earl of 'W estmeath, who 
 assigned it to Sir Arthur Chichester. 
 
 Gervagh Kerin. In the fifteenth century, a monastery for Francis- 
 cans of tlie third order was erected here. 
 
 A.D. 1G03, it was found by inquisition to have been seized of half a 
 quarter of land adjacent thereto, annual value Is. 
 
 It was granted to Sir Henry Piers. 
 
 Killiny, in the barony of Strabane. The festival of a bishop St. 
 Altin is observed here, 
 
 Omagh gives name to the barony, and is the capital of the county. 
 An ancient abbey existed here in the eighth century, and in the fif- 
 teenth a monastery for Franciscans of the third order was erected in 
 this to^^n. 
 
 By a", inquisition taken in 1G03, it was found that this friary was 
 seized of a quarter of land and a half adjacent thereto, of the annual 
 value of 3s. Irish money. It was granted to Sir Henry Piers. 
 
 Pubbal, a monastery for Franciscans of the third order was erected 
 here in the fifteenth century. 
 
 In the twenty-eighth of Elizabeth, this house was seized of three 
 quarters of land adjacent thereto, annual value Is. 6d. Irish money. It 
 was also gi’anted to Sir Henry Piers. 
 
 Strabane, on the river Foyle, gives name to the barony. A Fran- 
 ciscan monastery existed here, of which there is no account. 
 
 Trclick, in the barony of Omagli. Conry informs us that there was 
 an abbey at Trelickmore in the year 613. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 67D 
 
 CHAPTER LXH. 
 
 COUNTY OF WATERFORD, 
 
 Achaddagain. St. Dagan, the brother of St. Libba, of Glendaloch, 
 and of St. Menoc, usually called Dagan of Inverdaoile, in Wexford, 
 where he governed that monastery, is said to have been the discijile of 
 St. Pulcherius, of Leathinore, who took his pupil under his care, Avhen 
 but a small boy. He remained for many years at Liathmore, until be- 
 coming duly qualified, and approved by his holy preceptor, he formed 
 the establishment of Inverdaoile. Dagan is said to have made excur- 
 sions to other countries, and to have visited Rome. He was promoted 
 to the episcopacy befoi-e the deatli of St. Molua, probably about the 
 year 600. His see was called Achad-Dagan, which seems to have been 
 another name for Inverdaoile, or a part of it. 
 
 St. Dagan was an ardent supporter of the Irish practices relative to 
 the paschal question. His zeal on this point was so great, that on the 
 occasion of a visit to Britain, and meeting with Lawrence, archbishop 
 of Canterbury, and other Roman missionaries, he refused not only to 
 eat in their company, but even under the same roof with them. Hot- 
 withstanding his warmth of temper in this respect, he is represented as 
 a man of a very mild disposition, and was greatly esteemed for his 
 sanctity, as appears from his having been consulted by St. Molua on the 
 choice of a successor, and from, it is said, his having performed many 
 miracles. St. Dagan died on the 13th of September, A.D, 640, and 
 was buried at Inverdaoile, 
 
 Ardmore. See diocese of. 
 
 Tlie holy bishop, St. Declan, the founder, died A.D. 527 
 
 St. Ultan, son of Ere, succeeded, it seems, only as abbot. He was 
 the disciple of Declan, and had been, before he was called to Ardmore, 
 at the monastery of Coning, a place near Clonmel. Concerning his 
 transactions, little or nothing else is known. 
 
 A.D. 1174, the abbot Eugene w’as a subscribing witness to the 
 charter granted to the monastery of Fiiibhar, in Cork. 
 
680 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOEY OF LEELAIO). 
 
 A.D. 1203, died Moel-ettrim O’Duiblie-rathra, who, having erected 
 and finished tlie church, became bishop of Ardmore. 
 
 The remains of two ancient churches are still to be seen here — one 
 on a cliff near the sea, in ruins, the other about a mile north-west of the 
 former, and is very ancient. A handsome gothic arch, seiiarating the 
 body of the church from the chancel, yet remains, and the pillars sup- 
 porting it, denote the antiquity of the building. On the west end of 
 this church are figures in alto relievo, done in free-stone, venerable 
 through their antiquity, viz. : Adam and Eve, with the tree and ser- 
 pent ; the Judgment of Solomon. There is also a fine round tower, up- 
 wards of one hundred feet in height and forty-five in circumference. 
 In the churchyard is a small low building called the dormitory of St. 
 Declan. 
 
 Ballivony, in the barony of Decies without Drum, and in the parish 
 of Stradbally. It is supposed that the knights Hospitallers possessed 
 this building, which measures one hundred and fifty feet in length by 
 ninety broad. There are the remains of several large out-ofhees, the 
 ground plan of which resembles that of a religious edifice. 
 
 BeM’ley, in the barony of Decies without Drum, and in the parish of 
 Killmolash, and two miles south-east of Eismore. The ruins of a mo- 
 nastic building are here, which, it is said, belonged to the knights of 
 St. John, of Jerusalem. 
 
 Baillendesert, in the barony of Upperthird and parish of Desart. 
 St. Maidoc, of Ferns, built an abbey here, of which there is no account. 
 See diocese of Ferns. 
 
 Cappagh, in the barony of Decies without Drum, parish of White- 
 church, and about three miles west of Dungarvan. Here are the re- 
 mains of an ancient building, said to have belonged to the knights 
 Hospitallers. 
 
 Carrickbeg, in the barony of Upperthird, and parish of Desart. A 
 monastery was founded here for conventual Franciscans, in the year 
 1336, by James, earl of Ormond, and the first friar was admitted on 
 Saturday, the festival of SS. Peter and Paul. Stephen de Barry was 
 appointed minister, AFilliam Haisse keeper, and friar John Clynne, 
 who was the annalist of Kilkenny, its first warden. 
 
 A.D. 1347, a charter was granted to the founder, permitting him to 
 alienate a messuage and ten acres of land, with their appurtenances, to 
 these friars, for the purpose of erecting thereon a monastic house ; and 
 by the assistance of various charities they built a church, dormitory, 
 and cloisters, all of which were small, having left the other offices un- 
 finished. 
 
 A.D. 1385, the king seized into his hands two carucates of land, 
 
ECCI.ESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 681 
 
 •which James, late earl of Ormond, had granted to this monastery, with- 
 out obtaining the royal license. 
 
 William Cormack, the last prior, surrendered, in the thirty-first of 
 King Henry VIII., being then seized of a church and steeple, a chapter- 
 house, dormitory, hall, three chambers, a kitchen, stable, two gardens, 
 and sundry closes, containing four acres ; also twelve messuages, ten 
 gardens, one hundred and twenty acres of arable land, twenty of pasture 
 and six of meadow, with their appurtenances ; annual value, 53s. 4d., 
 besides reprises. 
 
 This friary, with appurtenances, and twenty acres of land in the 
 • town of Garrick, was granted to Thomas, earl of Ormond. 
 
 This monastery was dedicated to St. Michael. The steeple still re- 
 mains, and is a cui-ious structure, about sixty feet in height, rising from 
 a single stone, like an inverted cone, the point beginning several feet 
 from the ground towards the middle of the side wall of the church. 
 
 Cathuir Mac Conchaigh, a town in the Munster Decies. St. Mochel- 
 loc was honored here. See Killinallock, county Limerick. 
 
 Clashmore, in the barony of Decies within Drum. See Clonrane, 
 county Westmeath. 
 
 St. Pulcherius, of Leathmore, ordered Cuanchear, whom he had 
 raised from the dead, to erect this monastery. 
 
 Tliis celebrated abbey existed to the time of the general suppres- 
 sion, when its property was granted to Sir W alter Raleigh. 
 
 Crooke, in the barony of Gualtiere, and four miles east of Water- 
 ford. Here is a ruined castle which belonged to the knights of St. 
 John of Jerusalem, and which was founded in the thirteenth century 
 by the Baron of Curraghmore. See Kilbarry, in this county. 
 
 A.D. 13-18, Friar William de Fynchain was commendator. 
 
 In the twenty-seventh of Elizabeth, a lease of this commandery was 
 granted to Anthony Power, for the term of sixty years, at the annual 
 rent of £12 11s. lOd. Irish money. 
 
 Domnachmore. Tliis place is now unknown. A St. Ere, a disciple 
 of St. Senan’s, of Iniscathy, presided here as bishop. 
 
 Dungarvan, in the barony of Decies without Drum, is pleasantly 
 situated ; the sea flows as far as its walls ; is a sea-port, market-town, 
 and parliamentary borough. 
 
 Abbey of regular canons. Archdall so calls them ; but they did 
 not exist in Ireland until they were introduced by Imar and St. Mala- 
 chy of Armagh. They were known by the name of canons of St. Au- 
 gustine previously to this time. This place was anciently known as 
 Achad-Garbhan. 
 
 Tliis St. Garbhan, it is supposed, gave his name to this city ; he is 
 called the disciple of St. Finbhar, of Cork, but it does not sufficiently 
 
682 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 appear that he was the founder of a religious establishment in this 
 place. Dun, means a fortress, and Achad, signities a field, so that it 
 may have gotten its name from a chieftain. 
 
 There were many saints of this name, one of whom, a hermit, 
 dissuaded St. Coemgen, of Glendaloch, from entering on a long 
 journey. 
 
 The Augustinian friary was founded by Thomas, Lord Oftalay, who 
 was justiciary of Ireland in 1295. The family of Magrath endowed it 
 with a castle and some lands contiguous, and the O’Briens of Cumine- 
 ragh, who held the rectorial tithes of the pai’isli, were great benefactors 
 to it. 
 
 A.D. 1312, Ttoger was prior. 
 
 In the thirty -seventh of the good Queen Elizabeth, a lease of this 
 friary, with sixty-two acres in the vicinity of Dungarvan, and various 
 other property, was granted to Roger Dalton. 
 
 The cells of this abbey occupied considerable space. The remain- 
 ing walls of the church and steeple shew it to have been a neat edifice. 
 The steeple is about sixty feet high, supported by a curious vault, with 
 ogives passing diagonally from one angle to another, and forming a 
 cross, with four other arches, which constitute the sides of the square 
 of the building. 
 
 An hospital for lepers was built here, and endowed under the invo- 
 cation of St. Bri^id. No other account is extant of this building. 
 
 Inisdamhle, an island in the Suir, and in the country of the Desii 
 and Ily Kinsellagh. St. Findbhar, who is distinct from the saint of 
 Cork, and who was the fellow-student of St. Pulcherius, probably 
 founded or governed the monastery of this island. The memory of this 
 St. Findbhar was celebrated on the Ith of July. 
 
 A.D. 821, the Scandinavians or Danes plundered Inisdamhle. 
 
 A.D. 821, they again ravaged its monastery. 
 
 A.D. 952, the Danes again plundered Inisdamhle. 
 
 Ivillbarry, in the barony of Middlethird, and within the liberties of 
 the city of Waterford. The knights Templars were established here in 
 the twelfth century. Their possessions, when the order was suppressed, 
 were given to the Hospitallers. 
 
 A.D. 1327, ’30 and ’37, Friar William de Fynchin was commendator. 
 
 A.D. 1318, the grand prior of Killmainham granted to the said Friar 
 William, the co.mmanderies of Ivillbarry, Killure and Crooke, with 
 every emolument thereunto belonging, for the space and term of seven 
 years, the said William annually paying thereout twenty-four marcs of 
 silver, and all dues, visitations and other burdens ; also keeping those 
 houses in thorougli repair, and properly supporting the brethren. 
 
 A.D. 1368, Richard Walsh, the master, together with the mayor of 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANI). 
 
 6S3 
 
 "Waterford, and many others, were slain in battle, with the Poers and 
 the O’Driscols. 
 
 Killnnkart, in the barony of Decies within Drum. The ruins of a 
 building, whicli is said to have belonged to the knights of St. John of 
 Jerusalem, are still to be seen here. 
 
 Killure, in the barony of Gualtiere, and twoi miles east of Water- 
 ford. In the twelfth century the Templai’s had this preceptory. 
 
 A.D. 1327 to 1337, William de Finchin was preceptor or commen- 
 dator. 
 
 A.D. 1339, William le Prun was commendator. 
 
 A.D. 1318, William de Fynchin was again in office. 
 
 The thirty-second of Elizabeth, this commandery was seized of the 
 rectory of Kilbride with all its tithes, valued annually at 15s. Irish 
 money, and containing the two townlands of Quillen and the town- 
 lands of Kilbride and Monewee, the glebe land of the rectory ; also the 
 townland of Kill St. Lawrence, containing 'sixty acres and a water-mill ; 
 annual value, besides reprises, 15s. Lush money ; parcels of the posses- 
 sions of this commandery, &c. 
 
 In the thirty-fifth of the good queen, a lease of this commandery 
 was granted to Nicholas Aylmer for the term of fifty years, at the an- 
 nual rent of £13 6s. 8d. Irish money. 
 
 • Killmboynan. In the nineteenth of Elizabeth, an inquisition found 
 that a stone house, adjacent to the Guild-hall and bounded on the west 
 by Milk-street, on the east and south by St. Peter’s-street, on the north 
 by the ground of Patrick Morgan, was, of old, parcel of the possessions 
 of this priory, Avhich James Keating, the prior, with the consent of his 
 brethren, gave and granted to the mayor and commonalty of the city 
 of Waterford, when incorporated, A.D. 1413, and was of the annual 
 value of 6s. 8d., besides reprises. 
 
 There is no fui'ther account of this priory. 
 
 Lismore, in tlie barony of Coshmore and Coshbride. “ A traveller 
 (says Smyth) would scarcely suppose this town to have been an univer- 
 sity, an Episcopal seat, and much less a city with its cathedral and 
 twenty other churches.” This city of Lismore was graced with a castle 
 on the verge of a hill upwards of sixty feet perpendicular from the river, 
 which king John built in 1185. 
 
 In the office of St. Cataldus, the Irish bishop of Tarentum, who once 
 enriched the halls of Lismore with the treasures of his erudition, the 
 following words are repeated : “ Adolescens (Cataldus) liberalibus disci- 
 plinis eruditus ad earn brevi doctrinse excellentiam pervenit, ut ad 
 ipsum audiendum Galli, Angli, Scoti, Theutones, aliique finitimarum 
 aliarum regionum quamplurimi, Lismoriam convenirent.” 
 
684 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI. HISTORT OF IRELAND. 
 
 Bonaventure Moroni has described this conflux of students in the 
 following verses : 
 
 “ Undique conveniunt proceres, quos duce trahebat 
 disccndi stadium, major num cognita virtus 
 an laudata foret. Celerea vastissima Rheni 
 jam vada Teutbnici, jam deseruere Sicambri : 
 
 Mittit ab extremo gelidos Aquilone Boemos 
 albis ct Arverni coeunt, Batavique frequentes 
 et quicunque colunt alta sub rupe Gehennas. 
 
 Non omnes prospectat Arar, Rhodani que fluenta 
 Helvetios : multos desiderat ultima Thule. 
 
 Certatim hi properant diverso tramite ad urbem 
 Lesmoriam, juvenis primos ubi transigit aunos.” 
 
 Alas I the glory of Lismore has faded under the sway of British 
 misrule. Its twenty churches have disappeared, known only to the 
 historian by their fame. Its castle is sometimes tenanted by the absen- 
 tee duke of Devonshire, who occasionally visits those estates that have 
 been plundered from the ancient inheritors. 
 
 St. Carthag was the founder of Lismore. See diocese of. Having 
 been driven from Rathenin, St. Carthag established himself at Lismore. 
 In the “ Acta Sanctorum,” by the Bollandists, the following passage is 
 found relative to his proceedings at Lismore : 
 
 “ Cunctis ergo Deum in sanctis laudantibus, ad locum eis conces- 
 sum, scilicet Lismorum nomine, perveuerunt ac ceUulas contemplationi 
 aptas sibi construxerunt.” 
 
 A description of similar cells has been given, when treating of High 
 island, county Galway, and of lunismnrry, county Sligo. Sucli, it ap- 
 pears, were the cells of St. Columba at Hy, and of St. Gall at Brigents, 
 which afterwards became so celebrated for its Avealth and splendor, as 
 appears from the life of this sainted Irishman by Wallifrid Strabo, 
 which has been published by Messinghani 
 
 “ Tempore subsequenti csepit virtutum cultor eximius (Gallus) Ora- 
 torium construere, mansiuuculis pergyrum dispositis ad commanendum 
 fratribus, quorum jam duodecim Monastici sanctitate propositi roboratos, 
 doctrina et exemplis ad seternorum desideria concitavit.” 
 
 Doctor Lanigan seems to have forgotten, when unwilling to attri- 
 bute to some Irish saints the number of monasteries Avhich they founded, 
 that the simple construction of those cells enabled the holy founders to 
 build them without delay or expense : hence it is that so few of those 
 ancient structures remain, and are only to be found in the westeim isles 
 of Ireland. 
 
 Such too has been the “ Laura ” of the Egyptian monks, which was 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 685 
 
 composed of many cells divided from each other, every monk providing 
 for himself ; thus difiering from the Cienohium, in which the inmates 
 lived in society and possessed all things in common. 
 
 St. Cornelli, a virgin, whose cell was situated in this place, foretold 
 to St. Carthag the future importance of his establishment at Lismore. 
 
 A.D. 702, the school of Lismore was in the zenith of its reputation. 
 
 A.D. 703, died the abbot Ronain. 
 
 A.D. 755, died the abbot Condath. In 778 died the anchorite Suar- 
 leeh. 
 
 A.D. 812, the town was plundered. 
 
 A.D. 831, the Danes plundered and sacked I^ismore. 
 
 A.D. 833, they renewed their ravages. 
 
 A.D. 903, Cormack Mac Cullenan, king of Munster, bequeathed to 
 this abbey a gold and silver chalice and a vestment of silk. 
 
 A.D. 913, the Danes plundered the abbey. 
 
 A.D. 936, died the abbot Ciaran. 
 
 A.D. 1040, died Corcran Cleireach, the celebrated anchorite : he was 
 a famous divine, and so greatly excelled all western Europe in religion 
 and learning, that every contest throughout the kingdom was referred 
 to his decision. 
 
 A.D. 1095, died the anchorite Scanlan O’Cnaimsighe. A cell for 
 an anchorite belonged to the church of Lismore, and was endowed 
 ■with the lands of Ballyhausy, a burgage in Lismore, six stangs of land, 
 a field and two small gardens ; the whole of the value of £10. 
 
 A.D. 1135, Domnhal O’Brien, king of Dublin, died a professed monk 
 in this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1154, Teige Gille died in this abbey. "Was a man held in gen- 
 eral esteem for purity of manners. 
 
 A.D. 1173. This year Raymond and Earl Richard (Strongbow) 
 wasted and plundered the Decies. Lismore suffered considerably, and 
 the spoilers, admirable reformers indeed ! extorted a large sum from 
 the bishop to prevent the church from being burned. Strongbow sent 
 the spoils by sea to Waterford, under the convoy of Adam de Hereford, 
 whom Gilbert, son of Turgesius, the Danish king of Cork, with a fleet 
 of thirty-five sail, pursued. Tlie Danes were defeated and Gilbert him- 
 self slain. 
 
 A.D. 1174, the son of Strongbow plundered Lismore. 
 
 A.D. 1178, the English forces plundered and burned Lismore. 
 
 A.D. 1207, Lismore with its churches was wholly consumed by an 
 accidental fire. 
 
 Hospital. Tlie lands of this hospital were unknown at the time of 
 the suppression. It was founded for lepers, under the invocation cf St. 
 Brigid. 
 
686 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 1467, the master of this hospital, usually styled prior, was in 
 his 120th year. 
 
 Molana, a small island in the river Blackwater, anciently called 
 Darinis. St. Molanfide founded this monastery in the Gth century. 
 St. Finnian of Cloaard, when thirty years old, visited tlie venerable St. 
 Caiman, of Darinis. Here also the founder of Ross lived for some time. 
 See Fachtnan, diocese of Ross. 
 
 Breccan is said to have been abbot of Darinis in the seventh cen- 
 tury. 
 
 St. Gobbhan was abbot of Darinis, either here or in Darinis in the 
 county Wexford. 
 
 Raymond le Gros, who, with Strongbow, plundered Lismore, is said 
 to have been interred in this island. 
 
 A.D. 1287, Peter, the abbot, having died, Philip O’Fartyr was 
 elected. 
 
 A.D. 1309, John was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1350, Dionysius was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1397, the abbot sued Tliomas do Mandeville for three carucates 
 of land. 
 
 On the suppression, queen Elizabeth granted this abbey and its pos- 
 sessions to Sir Walter Raleigh, who assigned them to the earl of Cork. 
 
 The nave and choir of this abbey still remain. Adjacent thereto are 
 several walls in a ruinous state, and the structure itself, built in the 
 pointed style, appeal's to be very ancient. 
 
 Mothell, in the barony of Upper Tliird. St. Brogan founded the 
 abbey of Mothell. See Rostuirc, Queen’s county. Some assert that 
 this house was subsequently possessed by Cistercians, but it is more pro- 
 bable that it belonged to the canons regular of St. Augustin. 
 
 A.D. 1296, Adam was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1343, died the abbot Tliomas. 
 
 A.D. 1350, on the death of abbot David, of happy memory, Patrick 
 succeeded. 
 
 A.D. 1359, Patrick having resigned, Maurice O’Calith succeeded. 
 
 A.D. 1491, Rory O’Rhoman was abbot. 
 
 Edward Power, the last abbot, surrendered in the thirty-first of 
 Henry VIII. The possessions of this abbey were 889 acres, thirty-two 
 messuages, three rectories, value £11 6s. 8d., with other appurtenances, 
 all of which were granted to Butler and Peter Power at the annual rent 
 of £6 4s. Irish money. A parcel of these possessions form a part of the 
 estate of Simon Digby, Esq, 
 
 Rhincrew, in the barony of Coshmore and Coshbride, and in the 
 parish of Temple-Michael. A castle here is said to have belonged to 
 the knights of St. John of Jerusalem. 
 
ECCLSSIASnCAL HISTORY OF mELAND. 
 
 6S7 
 
 At the suppression, it was granted to Sir Walter Raleigh. Walter 
 was a favorite for some time, but having incurred the displeasure of 
 the queen, he was sent to the tower of London, where he lay seventeen 
 yeai's. llis ajiartment there is shewn by one of the attendants or 
 wardens. 
 
 Waterford, the seat of a bishop, the capital of the county, a parlia- 
 mentary liorough, is indebted for its origin to the Danes, who walled 
 and fortified the town with towers and a castle. 
 
 Priory of St. Catharine was founded by the Danes, when their con- 
 version took place, for Augustine canons of the congregation of St. 
 Victor. 
 
 A.D. 1111, Waterford was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1210, Pope Innocent III. confirmed the possessions of this 
 house. 
 
 A.D. 1378, David was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1456, Thomas, the prior, was appointed bishop of Down and 
 Connor. 
 
 A.D. 1491, Thomas Cor was made prior. 
 
 Edward Povrer was the last prior. Its property consisted of 670 
 acres, besides other lands not enumerated, twelve messuages, rectories, 
 annual value £33 8s., all of which, with tithes, &c., were granted to 
 Elizabeth Butler, alias Sherlock, for the term of twenty-one years, at 
 the annual rent of £117 5s. 8d. 
 
 Tliese possessions subsequently became part of the estate of Simon 
 Digby, Esq. 
 
 Hospital of St. Stephen. This house was founded for lepers, which 
 the family of Power endowed. John, earl of Morton, confirmed this 
 edifice to the poor of the city. 
 
 Priory of St. John the Evangelist. John, earl of Morton, arrived at 
 Waterford in the year 1185, when he founded this priory for Benedic- 
 tines; confirmed to them certain lands; in the charter which he gave, 
 it is called his alms-house, and it was made a cell to the abbey of SS. 
 Peter and Paul, in the city of Bath, Somersetshire. 
 
 Peter de Fonte was a munificent benefactor to this house. 
 
 A.D. 1202, King John granted letters of protection to the monks ot 
 this house. 
 
 A.D. 1260, Thomas was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1 315, King Edward II. granted a charter to this priory. 
 
 Sir Nicholas Bath was the last prior. 
 
 The possessions of this house were extensive, consisting of sixteen 
 carucates of land, value one marc ($25) each ; 212 other acres, seventy- 
 two messuages, with a revereion of forty other ones ; parcels of which 
 were granted to the heirs and assigns of William Lincoln and James 
 
688 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Rice. The others were given by Elizabeth to William Wyse, knight, 
 Henry and James Wyse. 
 
 Monastery of St. Saviour. The D<)minicans were introduced into 
 Waterford A.D. 1226. Their house was built on the site of an ancient 
 tower, then waste. The steeple was a very strong building. Their 
 monastery was called Black Friars. The present county court-house 
 has been erected on its site. 
 
 A.D. 1277, a general chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1309, another chapter was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1331, a liberate issued, bearing date January 13th, for the pay- 
 ment of thirty-five marcs as one year’s pension to the Dominican friam 
 of Waterford, Dublin, Drogheda, Cork and Limerick. 
 
 A.D. 1335-59, liberates also were issued. 
 
 A.D. 1100, Henry IV. granted an annual pension for ever of thirty 
 marcs to these houses. 
 
 William Martin was the last prior. Tlie possessions of his priory 
 were granted for ever to James VTiite, at the annual rent of Is. Irish 
 money. 
 
 A.D. 1756, the fathers of this house were James Sexton, prior; 
 Patrick Bray, and James Shesty. 
 
 Dominican nunnery. In compliance with the wishes of the citizens 
 of Waterford, this nunnery was founded and was dedicated to St. Ca- 
 tharine of Sienna, A.D. 1712. Benedict XIV., of illustrious memory, 
 issued a brief, approving or remedial, by which the original proceeding 
 was rendered legitimate ; the erection of the convent and the profes- 
 sion of Catharine as well as the novitiate of Maria Pilkinton being 
 thereby ratified and liberty given to the prioress to admit novices to the 
 habit of the order and have them professed. 
 
 A.D. 1756, the sisters were Marla Anastasia Wyse, prioress; Char- 
 lotte AVise, Maria Mean, Katharine Ayeres, Margaret O’Dunne, and 
 Jane O’Flaherty. In 1758, through the reduction of their revenues, 
 they were obliged to disperse. The following year, Maria Anastasia 
 AV yse departed this life at Dublin in a house of her own order. 
 
 Franciscan friary. Lord Hugh Purcel, in 1210, founded this monas- 
 tery, and having died the same year, was interred on the right of the 
 high altar. 
 
 A.D. 1211, October 15th, king Henry HI. granted the sum of £20 
 annually payable on the feast of all saints, to buy tunics for the friars 
 minor of AVaterford, Dublin, Cork, Athlone and Limerick (Franciscans). 
 
 A.D. 1293, Edward I. granted a further sum of thirty-five marcs to 
 be paid annually to the said friars. 
 
 A.D. 1317, a provincial chapter of the order was held here. 
 
 A.D. 1169, another chapter held here. 
 
ECCLKSIASTICAL IlISTOUY OF lEELAND. 
 
 GS9 
 
 John Lynclie was the last prior. In the thirty ■•fii*st of Ilcnry V'lII., 
 he surrendered tlie friary, containing a church and steeple, cemetery, 
 hall, six chambei's, a kitchen, two stables, a bakehouse, four cellars, and 
 sundry other buildings, within the precincts, and of the annual value, 
 besides reprises, of £5 6s. lOd. In the thirty-third of Henry, it was, 
 with an acre of meadow, and a yearly rent of £10, payable out of the 
 city of Wateidbrd, and 20s. yearly Issuing out of the said lauds, granted 
 for ever to Patrick Walsh, the master of the hospital of the Holy Ghost, 
 at the annual rent of 8s., and a fine of £151 13s. 4d. Irish money. 
 
 CHAPTER LXIV. 
 
 COUNTY OF WESTMEATH. 
 
 Abdnaceanna. a friary of Carmelites existed here, but its history 
 has been lost. 
 
 Athlone. English-town, on the Westmeath side, in the barony of 
 Kilkenny West. Cathal Crovdearg O’Connor founded this friary for 
 conventual Franciscans. Hot living to finish the building, it was com- 
 pleted by Sir Henry Dillon. 
 
 A.D. 1241, the great church w'as consecrated by Albert, archbishop 
 of Armagh. 
 
 A.D. 1244, Sir Henry Dillon was interred here. 
 
 Athnecarne. Robert Dillon, of Drumrany, founded the Dominican 
 abbey of Athnecarne in the fourteenth century. 
 
 In the thirty-seventh of Henry VHI., this monasteiy with its appur- 
 nances in the counties of Meath and Westmeath, w'as granted for ever 
 to Robert Dillon at the fine of £13 13s. 4d., and an annual rent of 16d. 
 
 De Burgo, bishop of Ossory, does not record the existence of this 
 house. , 
 
 Ballimore, in the barony of Rathconrath, and ten miles west of Mul- 
 lingar. 
 
 A.D. 1218, the family of De Lacie erected a monastery here, in 
 
 honor of the Virgin Mary, for Gilbertines, an order consisting of canons 
 44 
 
GOO 
 
 ECCLKSIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF lUKLAND. 
 
 of the order of Prenioiistre and mins fullo\vin<x tlie rule of St. Eenedict. 
 They lived in the same house, but in separate apartments. 
 
 A.D. 1324, G erald, or Thomas, son of Nicholas, lord of Kerry, ivas 
 prior of this house. He died in Italy. 
 
 A.D. 1341, William Harold sued the prioress for the advowson of 
 the church of St. Nicholas of Moj'aghryth. She proved, in her defence, 
 that the said William had granted to her the said church in pure and 
 perpetual alms. This nunnery paid three marcs annually to the bishop 
 of Meath. 
 
 Thomas Tnite was the last prior, to whom an annual pension of £4 
 Irish money was granted. The property of Ballimore was ample, con- 
 sisting of 1150 acres of land, twenty messuages and rectories, to the an- 
 nual value of £35 3s. 4d. 
 
 Cloonfad, in the barony of Farbil, and about six miles south-east of 
 Mullingar. St. Etchen, who ordained St. Columbkille priest, was the 
 bishop of this place, then called Cluainbile. The feast of this saint was 
 observed on the 11th of February, and his death is said to have occurred 
 A.D. 577. 
 
 St. Scnach was abbot. His festival is held on the 21st of August. 
 
 St. Libern was abbot. 
 
 A.D. G91, Aengus MacTiopraite was abbot. He wrote a celebrated 
 hymn. 
 
 The English or Saxon chronicle records, at the year GS5, that a 
 shower of blood fell that year in Britain, and that the milk and butter 
 were turned into blood. The Irish annals record a similar phenomenon 
 in Leinster at the year 690. 
 
 Clonrane, in the barony of Moy-cashell, on the river Brusna, and 
 about seven miles south-west of Mullingar. 
 
 St. Cronan, alias Mochua, of whom little is known, was the son of 
 Mellan, and had been the disciple of St. Carthag, at Rathenin, before 
 his removal to Lismore. The place of this saint’s birth is unknown. 
 His birth probably was about the year 570. 
 
 Having spent many years in a most exemplary manner at Rathene, 
 he was placed by Carthag over this small establishment, which was 
 convenient to Rathene, at the same time telling him that this place 
 would not be that of his resurrection or spiritual birth. 
 
 The Mochua or Cronan, of Cluaindachrain, it appears, was the 
 founder of Clashmore, in the county of Waterford. According to some 
 accounts, Cuanchear, the disciple of Pulcherius, erected his monastery 
 at a place called “ Gassmore,” now unknown. The name of St. Ernan 
 is connected with Cluaindachrain, alias Clonrane. His festival is ob- 
 served on the llth of January. 
 
 A priest Ernan is mentioned in the third class of Irish saints, known 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 691 
 
 as the son of Crescen, and who was famous through all the churches of 
 Ireland. Ernan was a servant-boy in the monastery of Clonmacnois, 
 when St. Columhkllle visited it about the year 590 ; tlie boy was 
 endeavoring to touch the hem of his garment, when Columba perceiv- 
 ing it, took hold of him, and placed him before his face. On the by- 
 standers observing that he ought not to notice such a troublesome boy, 
 he desired them to have patience, and giving him his blessing, said : 
 “ This boy, whom you now despise, will henceforth be very agreeable 
 to you. and will improve from day to day in good conduct and virtue, 
 and will be gifted by God with w’isdom, learning, and eloquence.” 
 Little else is known concerning this eminent saint. He was probably 
 a native of the district in which Clonmacnois is situated. In some 
 Irish calendars he is called Ernene, of Rathmui (Rathnew, in the county 
 of Wicklow,) where, perhaps, he presided over some establishment. Ilis 
 memory was revered there on the 18th of August. His death is affixed 
 to the year 635. 
 
 A.D. 977, died Flann, son of Moil, bishop and archdeacon of Clu- 
 aindachrain, and preceptor of Clonmacnois. Other accounts place 
 Cluaindachrain in the county of Longford. The martyrology of Tam- 
 lacht or of Aengus mentions this St. Ernan. 
 
 Clainmhaosscna. St. Foilan was abbot of this place : it is now the 
 barony of Fertullagh. A priest of this name belongs to the third class 
 of Irish saints. He was the son of Aidus, a Munster prince or dynast, 
 and who is said to have been baptized and educated by St. Coemghen or 
 Kevin. Another Foilan was brother to St. Fursey. Another Foilan 
 accompanied St. Livinus to Brabant. 
 
 This place, as well as the following, is now unknown : 
 
 Drumreilgeach, which more probably ought to be placed in Meath, 
 was ruled over by St. Ernan, as abbot. 
 
 A.D. 868, died Collatus, or Conlata, a priest of this place. 
 
 Comraire, in the barony of Rathconrath, and near the famous hill of 
 TJsneach, now also unknown. 
 
 St. Colman, the brother of St. Fursey, is said to have been the abbot. 
 
 Coniry. See Killconiry. 
 
 Druimfeartain. See Inisvachtuir. 
 
 Druimcree, in the. barony of Delvin, eight miles north of Mullin- 
 gar. Collatus, or Conlata, eremite of Druim-charadh, died, &c. See 
 Drumreilgeach. 
 
 Drumrany, or Drumrath, in the barony of Kilkenny West, and 
 about six miles north-east of Athlone. Others place it in the adjoining 
 barony of Brawney. A monastery was erected here in honor of St. 
 Henan, a hermit, whose festival was observed at Drumrath on the 19th 
 of August. 
 
692 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELA.JfD. 
 
 St. Aldus, tlie bishop of Klllaire, visited this holy hermit, whose furo 
 for his visitor consisted of herbs and water. 
 
 A.D. 948, this monastery, witli one hundred and fifty persons, was 
 burned by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 995, Brian Mac Kinnede, aided by tlie men of Munster, set 
 fire to the hospital of Drumrath, wherein were tliree hundred men ; at 
 which time Maelseachllain and the men of Meath were subdued. 
 
 A.D. 1016, died Ceallach O’Maolmidh, oveiseer of Drumrath. 
 
 Dysart, in the barony of Mullingar, and four miles south-west of 
 that town. St. Colman, in the sixth century, founded the monastery 
 of Disert Mocholmoc, in the county of East Meath, to which, it seems, 
 it more properly belongs. Of this St. Colman there is no more 
 account. 
 
 Here a monastery for conventual Franciscans was afterwards 
 founded, and in the year 1331, the prior of Kells, in Kilkenny, sued 
 the prior of this house for a messuage, a mill, two carucates of land, 
 twenty acres of wood, and forty of pasture, in Disert Mocholmoc, t’ e 
 same being demised by lleginald, formerly prior of Kells to Ivobert do 
 Kerdyf, without obtaining the consent of his chapter. 
 
 Farrenenamanagh. In the third of King James I., an inquisition, 
 taken on the 28th of August, found that this priory, in the barony of 
 Clonlouan, near Ballyloughloe, and then in ruins, was seized of a car- 
 tron of arable land, with the tithes, and other appurtenances thereunto 
 belonging, of the annual value, besides reprises, of 12d. 
 
 Barren Macheigkese, a nunnery of which there is no account, ex- 
 cept what an inquisition taken in the third of King James furnishes, to 
 wit : That said nunnery, then in ruins, was endowed with a cartron of 
 arable land, and all the tithes thereof, with those adjacent to the same, 
 and to Ballyloughloe, in the barony of Clonlonan. 
 
 Fore. St. Fechin, of Ballysedare, founded this celebrated abbey. 
 Fore gives name to the half barony. 
 
 St. Fechin, according to the tradition in the barony of Tyreragh, 
 must have completed his studies at the monastery of Aughris, or re- 
 ceived instructions there before his departure to Fore. 
 
 St. Fechin, having been ordained in the year 605, his preceptor, 
 Nathy, of Achonry, still living, was sixty years officiating as a 
 priest. 
 
 The festival of St. Fechin is observed at Fore, with singular de- 
 votion, on the 20th of January. Three thousand monks are said to 
 have been located at this celebrated abbey, which was founded about 
 the year 630. 
 
 Fore was known to the Irish people as the “ town of the Books.” 
 
 The doorway of St. Fechin’s church at Fore, perfectly Cyclopean in 
 
ECCLKSIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANT). 
 
 693 
 
 its character, is composed of six stones, including the lintel, which is 
 about six feet in lengtli and two in height', the stones being all of 
 the same thickness as the M'all, which is three feet. Ov'er this door 
 is a plain arcliitrave, which is not, however, continued along its sides, 
 and above this is a projecting tablet, in the centre of which is sculptured 
 in relief, a plain cross within a circle. In the ancient life of St. Fechin 
 allusion is made to this cross: “ Dum sanctus Fechinus rediret Foua- 
 riam, ibique consisteret, venit ad eum ante fores Ecclesiae ‘ Ubi Crux 
 posita est,’ quidara a talo usque ad verticem lepra percussns.” 
 
 The mill of St. Fechin, at Fore, was erected by St. Mochua, the emi- 
 nent architect and founder of Balia, county of Mayo. 
 
 Moengal is named as an abbot of Fore, and also Lieghnan, whose 
 festival is observed on the 5th of February. 
 
 Forcheellach, whose festival is observed on the 10th of June. 
 
 St. Brendan, whose feast is on the 27th of July. 
 
 St. Moeldubh, surnamed the Little, are reckoned amongst its abbots. 
 
 A.D. 705, the abbot St. Conadar died, N'ovember the 3d. 
 
 A.D. 709, died the abbot Keanfaely. 
 
 A.D. 745, St. Suarleeh, abbot and bishop of Fore, died. 
 
 A.D. 76 !, St. Aedgen, abbot and bishop of Fore, died. 
 
 A.D. 866, died the abbot Ceallach. Though young’he was a sage, a 
 celebrated wit, a noble and learned doctor. 
 
 A.D. 869, died the abbot Ailile, and also bishop of Fore. 
 
 A.D. 1010, died Dalach, abbot of Fore and of Desert-Tola, in Meath. 
 
 A.D. 1025, the Termon lands of Fore were plundered by the tribe 
 of Criochan, on the eve of the Nativity. 
 
 A.D. 1164, died here, at a very advanced age, Moel Coemghin 
 O’Gorman, who had been professor of Louth, and who was esteemed 
 the most learned of the Irish, and who had many years governed this 
 abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1209, Walter de Lacie re-founded this abbey under the joint 
 invocation of St. Taurin and St. Fechin, for Benedictines, whom he 
 brought for that purpose from the abbey of St. Taurin, in Evreux, ISTor- 
 mandy, and to which he made this house a cell. 
 
 A.D. 1219, Henry was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1369, this house, on account of the war with France, was 
 seized into the king’s hands, as an alien priory. 
 
 A.D. 1448, William Crosse, the king’s farmer on the lands belong- 
 ing to this priory, having behaved laudably in the said office, and above 
 all, in erecting, at his own charge and expense, many strong castles, to 
 the great relief and comfort of his majesty’s liege subjects (and of course 
 to the great annoyance of his majesty’s Irish ones), it was thereupon en- 
 acted by parliament, that the said William Crosse, farmer, should ba 
 
694 
 
 ECCLESIAS'nCAX HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 prior of Foree, and should enjoy thenceforward, during life, the several 
 lands, churches, &c., belonging to the same, he paying to the king the 
 annual rent of 13s. 4d. ; and that the monks of tliis house should, on 
 his decease, enjoy the right and power of electing their prior during the 
 term of one hundred years, provided the king so pleased ; aye, and in 
 less than one hundred years, a parliament, in its wisdom and omnipo- 
 tence, declared a monster king, the slave of his brutal and adulterous 
 passions, supreme head of the church of England, enabling him to 
 rob the church, and impoverish as well as dismantle the shrines and 
 sanctuaries which the piety and faith of their founders had erected, as 
 well as endowed ; not only were they allocated to farmei-s, but to those 
 whose hands were imbrued in the blood of the pious inmates, who were 
 taught by the Catholic church, to which they adhered, to offer a prayer 
 for even their executioner, as did the Saviour for the deicide Jews. 
 
 A.D. 1491, Christopher Fitz Siinond was prior in this year. 
 
 A.D. 1505, died the prior Edmund Dorcha. 
 
 William Nugent was the last prior, who surrendered in the thirty- 
 first of Henry VIII. Its property consisted, besides reprises and other 
 appurtenances, of 1150 acres of land and rectories, then of the annual 
 value of ^109 6s. Sd. 
 
 September 30th, 1588, parliament, in its wisdom and omnipotence, 
 and in its hatred to the Catholic faith, enabled the Queen Bess, the 
 glory of Protestant England, but the disgrace of her sex, as that same 
 parliament legalized the natural issue of her body, to grant by lease, 
 for the term of thirty years, all those possessions to Christopher, baron 
 of Delvin. 
 
 A.D. 1614, Thomas Petyt became a sharer in the plunder of St. 
 Fechin’s Termon lands. 
 
 Hare Island, in Loughree, bordering on Kilkenny West. The 
 family of Dillon built an abbey here, the history of which has been 
 lost. 
 
 Innisvachtuir, an island in Lough Sillin, or Shellin, bordering on the 
 half barony of Fore. St. Carthag built the abbey of this island. There 
 are still considerable ruins of an ancient structure, and it is a burial 
 place of note. St. Carthag governed the monastery of this island, of 
 course before his removal to Lismore. 
 
 Kenard, in the barony of Moygoish, north of the river Inny. A 
 nunnery, whose founder is unknown, as well as the order to which it 
 belonged. 
 
 Killare, in the barony of Rathconrath, and about two miles west of 
 LTsneach. Three churches were erected here ; the one parochial, and 
 dedicated to St. Aidus ; the next was called Temple Brigid ; and the 
 third, called the Court of St. Brigid. Here also were three holy wells, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 695 
 
 probably dedicated to St. Brigid, St. Aldus and St. Cuman, who was 
 abbot of Killarc. 
 
 A.D. 588, died St. Aldus, son of Brec and bishop of Killare. lie 
 is usually named son of Brec, who was a descendant of Niall IS’eigil- 
 lach, by his son Fiach. ilis mother was a Munster lady of the country 
 now Lower Ormond, in the county of Tij^perary. The time of his birth 
 is not recorded ; but it is probable that it was between 520 and 530. 
 Although St. Aldus seems to have been born in Meath, which was his 
 father’s country, yet he was after his baptism and from his infancy 
 brought up among his mother’s relatives in Munster, and educated 
 there in the duties of a Christian layman. Not having been intended 
 for the ecclesiastical state, he did not apply in his early days to the pre 
 paratory studies or learning which is necessary for that holy life. On 
 his father’s death, Aldus, being an adult, went to Meath for the purpose 
 of recovering a part of the inheritance, the whole of which his brothers 
 had divided among themselves. Not succeeding in his wishes, he set 
 out for Munster, and on his way thither, passing near Bathlithben, the 
 monastery of tlie holy bishop Blandus was taken notice of by him. 
 The bishop then sent word that he would be glad to see him, and on 
 his coming up, asked him wliy he was so uneasy about an earthly in- 
 heritance, desiring him to look after a vastly better one, that of heaven. 
 Aldus replied, that he was ready to submit to whatever the holy bishop 
 would direct him to do, and then became an inmate of the monastery, 
 where, with the duties of religious obedience, he united the study of 
 the holy Scriptures and of literature. Notwithstanding his higli birth, 
 Aldus worked at the plough when ordered to do so, and displayed in 
 every respect such a truly monastic spirit, that after a certain lapse of 
 time Illandus thought it advisable that he should return to his mother’s 
 country and there form a monastery. Accordingly, he repaired thither 
 with some companions who were assigned to him, and founded one at 
 Enachmacbrivin. Some time after, he went to Meath, and being there 
 consecrated bishop, fixed his see at Killare. After his promotion to the 
 episcopacy, he occasionally visited Munster, and is said to have erected 
 some churches or religious houses both in that province and in 
 Meath. He is also said to have visited the nunnery of Druimard, 
 which was probably the Dromard of Ikerin, in the county of Tippe- 
 rary. lie was on another occasion entertained by St. Rioch, abbot 
 of Inisbofin, in Loughree, and also by the hermit St. Henan, of 
 Drumrath. 
 
 Several miracles are attributed to this saint. Ills death is marked 
 at the 10th of November. He is reckoned among the second class of 
 Irish saints. 
 
 Killbeggan, in the barony of Moycashell, on the river Brosna. The 
 
696 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTORY OF lEELAXD. 
 
 abbey was subsequently called “ de flumine Dei,” by allusion probably 
 to that river. Tlie ancient establishment of Killbeggan is attributed to 
 St. Becan, brother of St. Corniac, of the royal blood of Munster, and of 
 St. Evin of Boss, in the county of Wexford. In the life of St. Connac 
 mention is made of Becan : “ Sanctus BecanuS, in Mumonia remanens, 
 monasterium de Killbeacain, alias Chian-ard-Mobecoc erexit et sanc- 
 tissime rexit.” The highest encomiums are paid to liis extraordinary 
 sanctity, the austerity of his life, and the miracles which he wrought. 
 We are told that he used to sing the whole Psalter every day, whether 
 dry or wet, cold or warm, by the side of a stone cross in the open air 
 outside the monastery. 
 
 St. Becan lived in the sixth century, llis memory was revered on 
 tlie 26th of May. 
 
 A.D. 1200, the family of Dalton founded a Cistercian abbey here 
 under the invocation of the Virgin Mary, and probably on the site of 
 t]?e ancient edifice. It was supplied with brethren from the abbey of 
 Mellifont. 
 
 A.D. 1213, Melaghlin Mac Goughian, prince of Delvin, died here in 
 pilgrimage. 
 
 A.D. 1218, his sons died here. 
 
 A.D. 1236, Hugh O’Malone, bishop of Clonmacnois, died here. 
 
 A.D. 1298, the abbot William O’Einan was made bishop of Clon- 
 luacnois. 
 
 Maurice O’Shangane was the last abbot. In the thirty -first of Henry 
 YIII. an inquisition was held and its property confiscated. Its posses- 
 sions consisted of one thousand and twenty acres of wood, arable and 
 pasture, three water-mills, nineteen messuages, eleven cottages, and 
 twenty-six rectories. 
 
 In the eleventh of Elizabeth, eight carucates of this land were 
 granted to Bobert Dillon, at the annual rent of £6 15s. The remain- 
 der had been parcelled out in 1618 by James I. to different favorites, to 
 be held of the king as of the castle of Dublin, in free and common 
 soccage. 
 
 Killbixy, in the barony of Moygoish, an ancient town adorned with 
 a castle, which Hugh de Lacie erected in 1192. He also built an hos- 
 pital for lepers, which was called St. Brigid’s. 
 
 A.D. 1413, May 24th, divers indulgences were granted to this hospi- 
 tal for its better support, as appears from the registry of Milo Sweetman, 
 archbishop of Armagh. 
 
 Killconiry and Conry, in the barony of Moycashell ; chapels an- 
 ciently erected in the parish of Ardnorcher. 
 
 A.D. 758, died Fearfio, son of a smith, abbot of Conry. 
 
 Killkenny West gives name to the barony, about five miles north- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IREL.VND. 
 
 697 
 
 east of Atlilone. An ancient abbey existed here, of which St. Scannal, 
 who died A.D. 773, was abbot. 
 
 Thomas, a priest and grandson to Sir Thomas Dillon, who caino into 
 Ireland A.D. 1185, was the founder of the monastery of Killkenny west, 
 for cross-bearers, under the invocation of St. John the Baptist. The 
 founder has been buried here. 
 
 In the eleventh of Queen Elizabeth this monastery and appurte- 
 nances, with twelve messuages, two carucates of land in Killkenny, one 
 in Britlass, and all their tithes, were granted to Robert Dillon at an 
 annual rent of £23. 
 
 The prior of this house paid one mare (£5 sterling) annually, proxies 
 to the bishop of Meath ; and in 1335 the grand priory of Kilmainham, 
 near Dublin, had an exempt hospital in this town. 
 
 Here also was a well dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 
 
 Killuken, in the barony of Farbill, and about six miles east of 
 Mullingar. St. Luican built this abbey, whei’e his festival is observed 
 on the 27th of July. 
 
 Killmacahill, or Killmichael, in the barony of Moygoish, and four 
 miles north of the river Inny. The family of Petyt founded here a 
 monastery for Franciscan friars of the third order. The period of its 
 erection is not known. 
 
 At the suppression of monasteries, its possessions were granted to 
 Robert Kangle. 
 
 Part of the walls of this church still remain. 
 
 Killtome : now unknown. St. Kennidh was abbot or bishop of this 
 church. Ilis festival is held on the 13th of November. 
 
 A.D. 746, died St. Eochad, of Killtoma. 
 
 A.D. 763, died the abbot Coibdenach. 
 
 A.D. 808, the abbot Ceallach Mac Eachty died. 
 
 A.D. 849, died the abbot Colga Mac Ceally. 
 
 Leckin, in the barony of Ikerin, and on the Inny. In the time of St. 
 Fechin, St. Crumain was bishop, and who died A.D. 664, in his 180th 
 year. The festival of this saint is held on the 28th of June. 
 
 A.D. 746, died the abbot Furseus. 
 
 A.D. 943, died, at an advanced age, Ainmire O’Cahallane, abbot of 
 Clonmacnois and of Leckin. 
 
 Lynn or Linleire, in the barony of Delvin. 
 
 A.D. 741, died Comyng O’Mooney, abbot of Linleire. 
 
 A.D. 778, died the holy Moyneagh O’Mooney, abbot of Lynn. 
 
 A.D. 860, died Muredhach, bishop of Linleire. 
 
 A.D. 927, died the abbot Swyne. 
 
 A.D. 968, this abbey was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 1002, it met the same fate. 
 
698 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 1050 and 1118 : burned in each of those years. 
 
 Mullingar, the capital of the county, priory of St. Mary. Tliis house, 
 known by the name of the house of God, of Mullingar, was founded in 
 1227, for canons regular of St. Augustine, by Ralph le Petit, bishop of 
 Meath. 
 
 A.D. 1305, Donat O’Flaherty, bishop of Killala, was interred here. 
 
 A.D. 1397, Hugh was prior, to whom Adam Petyt granted forty 
 acres of land in Killbrena. 
 
 A.D. 1161, the town was burned and destroyed by the people of 
 Managh. 
 
 A.D. 1167, the prior, Petyt, died of the plague. 
 
 A.D. 1531, John Petyt was the last prior. 
 
 An inquisition was held in the thirty-fii-st of Henry YHI., and a 
 second in the thirteenth of Elizabeth, when three hundred and si.xty 
 acres of arable and pasture, with thirty-three messuages, were granted 
 to Richard Tuite and his heirs male by knight’s service, at the yearly 
 rent of £16 5s. lOd. Irish money. 
 
 The priory of St. Mary’s paid annually four marcs to the bishop of 
 Meath. 
 
 Dominican Friary. 
 
 A.D. 1237, the family of ]S"ugent founded this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1278 to 1311, genei-al chaptere of the order were held here. 
 
 In the eighth of Elizabeth, this convent, with one hundred and 
 twenty acres of land, were granted to "Walter Hope, at the annual rent 
 of £10. They were afterwards given to Richard Tuite, and eventually 
 became the property of Lord Granard, in whose possession they have 
 remained. 
 
 In 1756 the fathei’s of the order in Mullingar were, Laurence Geral- 
 dine the prior, Thomas Hope, Ambrose Higgins, James Barnewall, 
 Tliomas Dalton, and Patrick Mac Donagh, a lay brother. 
 
 Franciscan friary. A.D. 1622, the trial's of Mullifernam began to 
 erect a house for their order in Mullingar, but it has remained un- 
 finished. 
 
 Multifernam, in the barony of Corkery, and on the river Gaine. 
 William Delamar founded the Franciscan monastery of Multifernam in 
 the year 1236. 
 
 A.D. 1160, it was reformed by the strict observants. 
 
 A.D. 1529, a provincial chapter had been held here. 
 
 In the eighth of Henry VIH., the convent of Multifernam and. its 
 appurtenances, a water-mill and thirty acres of arable land, were granted 
 to Edmund Field, Patrick Clynch, and Philip Pentenoy, at a fine of 
 £80 and an annual rent of Is. 
 
 When the fury of the storm which Henry and his daughter Eliza 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 699 
 
 beth had evoked, somewhat abated, tliis convent was again placed in 
 the possession of the Franciscans, and continued in their hands during 
 the reign of Charles L, until it was consigned to the flames by the 
 llochforts, a powerful family in the country. Tlie walls of the cloister 
 are still complete, while the surrounding ruins, with the steeple rising 
 from a small arch to a height nearly of one hundred feet, and situated 
 on the borders of a delightful lake, contribute to render its scenery both 
 picturesque and magniflcent. 
 
 By the united exertions of a spirited public, this abbey has been 
 lately rebuilt, and is now finished in a style worthy of its former great- 
 ness. The convent of Multifernam stands and its abbey flourishes, 
 while the spoiler and the plunderer have disappeared and have been 
 laid low in the dust. 
 
 Near Mullingar, in Lough Oole, are the ruins of an island church, 
 of which the monasticons give no account. 
 
 Eathugh, in the barony of Moycashell, and about three miles east 
 of Kilbeggan. St. Aidus, bishop of Killare, founded this monastery. 
 See Killare, in this county. 
 
 A.D. 783, died the abbot and bishop, Dubhdatuatb. 
 
 Eathenen, in the barony of Fertullagh, and about six miles south-east 
 of Mullingar. St. Carthag erected the monastery of Eathenin, where 
 he presided, during the space of forty years, over eight hundred and 
 sixty seven monks, who supported themselves and the neighboring poor 
 by labor. There was also a celebrated school under the direction of 
 this saint. In the holy days of Easter, A.D. 630, he and his monks were 
 expelled by king Blathmac, who was incensed against them, as Keating 
 observes, by the monks of a neighboring abbey. 
 
 St. Carthag found a retreat at Lismore, in the county of "Waterford, 
 where he died, A.D. 637. 
 
 A.D. 758, or rather 763, died the abbot Fiadairle O’Swaney, on the 
 1st of October, who appears to have been the refounder of Eathenen. 
 
 A.D. 783, died the abbot and bishop Dubhdatuath of Eathenin and 
 Eathugh. 
 
 Teaghbaothen, supposed to have been the.see of Baithen, the bishop, 
 son of Cuanach. 
 
 A.D. 1225, died Giolla Anchoimde, son of Giolla Carraighe, priest 
 and pastor of this church. 
 
 A.D. 1229. died Diermot, son of Giolla Carraighe, dean and priest 
 of this church. 
 
 Teaghtelle, which ought to be placed in the King’s county. This 
 house was occupied as a nunnery by St. Chera, in the early part of her 
 life. St. Telle, the son of Segen, has given his name to this monastery, 
 having occupied it after the holy virgin Chera. He was contemporary 
 
700 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 with St. Fintan Munnu, and accordingly flourished in the early part of 
 the seventh century. His memory was revered on the 25th of June. 
 
 A.D. 881, died the abbot Maolruain. 
 
 Tippert, in the half barony of Fore. Tippert appears to have been 
 a cell to the monastery of Fore. St. Fechin erected Tippert. The saint 
 was here when the men of Meath applied for his assistance in procuring 
 an arrangement with Domnald IL, king of Ii'claud. See Ballysadare, 
 county of Sligo. 
 
 Tober, two miles east of Ballymore. Pope Innocent YIIL, on the 
 16th of December, A.D.14S8, granted a license to Edmund de Lantu- 
 Laici to found a monastery here for Dominicans. 
 
 An inquisition, taken in the thirty-fii*st of queen Elizabeth, found 
 that the site of the same and a water-mill, were then in the possession of 
 Sir Thomas Lestrange ; and that sixty acres in the said towuland, be- 
 longing to this monasteiy, were in the possession of F raucis Shane, Gent. 
 The whole was granted to Henry Mathews. 
 
 This well was called “ Tober ” Cormac. 
 
 Tristernagh, in the barony of Moygoish, and on the banks of Lough 
 Iron. Tliis priory of canons regular was dedicated to the Virgin Mary 
 (sometimes called the priory of Killbixy), and was indebted for its foun- 
 dation to Geotirey de Constantine, in or soon after the days of Henry H. 
 Henry was the fli’st prior, and about the year 1200, the founder granted 
 to the canons divere liberties and privileges, together with four caru- 
 cates of laud adjoining; the islands in the Lough, and sundry other 
 lauds, with a water-mill, in Killbixy ; two carucates in Cunemucks, 
 with a mill and two fisheries, &c. Witness whereof, Simon, bishop of 
 Meath. 
 
 Tlie bishops of Ardagh were great benefactors to this priory. 
 
 A.D. 1280, Adam was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1364, Eichard was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1412, William was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1468, Geoffrey Delamar was prior. Geoffrey was attainted by 
 parliament of treason for being accompanied with Irish enemies and 
 English rebels, who traitorousl}’^ robbed, spoiled and burned Taghmon, in 
 the barony of Delvin, and destroyed many of the king’s loyal subjects. 
 
 A.D. 1485, Eichard Tuite was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1530, Edmond Kugeut, the prior, was made bishop of Kil- 
 more. Having held the priory until the suppression, he was granted a 
 pension of £26 13s. 4d. during life, from the revenues of this priory, then- 
 dissolved. 
 
 The priory of Tristernagh paid four marcs annually to the bishoj> of 
 Meath. 
 
 In 1590, a lease of this priory was made to Captain William Piers; 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOET OF IRELAND. 
 
 701 
 
 while seven hunclred acres of arable, moor and pasture, with forty mes- 
 suages, were granted to llobert Harrison. 
 
 This magnificent and beautiful edifice, in the form of a cross, and of 
 considerable extent, was built of a blackish stone, the steeple of which 
 was remarkable, being an octagon on the top of a s(|uare tower, which, 
 in 1780, though mutilated, was seventy-four feet high. The columns 
 were also octagons, with plain capitals. 
 
 This abbey was totally destroyed in 1783. 
 
 CHAPTEK LXV. 
 
 COUNTY OP WEXFORD. 
 
 Abbey Killbratey, near Dunmain, now unknown, except as the 
 seat of a Mr. Cliff. 
 
 Achadabhla, anciently Crosailech, in the territory of Ily-Kinsellagh, 
 and now unknown. The great St. Finnian, of Clonard, founded this 
 establishment. 
 
 A.D. 1017, died the abbot Cormac Ilua Xitedean. 
 
 Airdne-Coeman, near Wexford. St. Coeman, the brother of St. 
 Kevin, is said to have been abbot of Ardne-coeinhan. As brother of 
 Kevin, he is to be placed with the second class of Irish saints. 
 
 Tliis Coeman is the one who was revered in the isles of Arran. 
 
 A.D. 1055, died the archdeacon O’Ruarcan. 
 
 Arbensis. St. Cuan, of Arbensis, in the territory of Ily-Kinsellagh, 
 lived in the eighth century. His festival is held on the 10th of July. 
 
 Ardlathrann, a town in the southern part of Wexford, is a place 
 which St. Maidoc, of Ferns, frequented, and where he is supposed to 
 have founded a religious establishment, the prince of the territory, 
 Dimma, having given him a site. 
 
 Ballyhack, in the barony of Shelburne, three miles south of Dun- 
 brody. Ballyhack was a commandery, which belonged to the grand 
 priory of Killmainham, and was subordinate to that of Killcloghan. 
 
702 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAl, inSTORT OF IRELAJW). 
 
 A.D. 1292, 'William de Bristol was commendator. 
 
 A.D. 1326, Friar Mai^rice FitzThomas was commetidator. 
 
 A.D. 1335, Friar John FitzDavid was commendator. 
 
 A.D. 1375, Friar John FitzGerald, the commendator, was appointed 
 one of the keepers of the peace in this county. 
 
 Beg-Erin, little Ireland, an island north of Wexford harbor. St. 
 Ibarr founded the see of Beg-Erin, as well as its school. See Appendix. 
 
 St. Aengus, the culdee and hagiologist, in his litany, invokes one 
 hundred and fifty saints, who were the disciples of St. Ibarr. 
 
 Camross, in the territory of Fothart, somewhere about Wexford. 
 St. Mosacra for some time governed the momxstery of Fionmagh, in 
 Fothart. See Teghsacra, county of Dublin. 
 
 Camross and Fionmagh signify “ Whitefield.” 
 
 St. Abbhan is recorded as the founder of Fionmagh. 
 
 Carnsore, in the barony of Forth, and near the harbor of AFexford. 
 St. Domangart, of Ossory, whose festival is held on the Jth of March, 
 built a monastery at the foot of a very high mountain, which overhangs 
 the sea. It was formerly called Salenga, afterwards Slieve Domangairt, 
 and in the time of Ptolemy, the geographer, it got the name of “ the 
 sacred promontory.” 
 
 Clonemore, in the barony of Bantrj', near the river Slaney, and two 
 miles southwest of Enniscorthy. St. Maidoc, of Femes, was the founder, 
 who appointed St. Dichulla the first abbot. 
 
 St. Ternoc is also mentioned as abbot of Clonmore. 
 
 A.D. 740, this abbey was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 832, it was pillaged by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 833, on Christmas night the Danes forcibly entered this abbey, 
 and inhumanly massacred many of the monks. 
 
 A.D. 835, they again attacked Clonemore, slew some of the monks, 
 and many more were made captives. 
 
 A.D. 918, died the learned Scanlan Mac Gorman, who was also 
 abbot of Roscrea. 
 
 A.D. 1041, the abbey was plundered by Dermot Mac Moilnarabo, 
 lord of Kenselach. 
 
 Clonmines, in the barony of Shelburne. Tlie family of O’Cavanagh 
 founded here a monastery for eremites of St. Augustine. In 1385, it 
 was enlarged and beautified by FTicholas, the clerk, the sou of Nicholas. 
 Tlie Dominicans afterwards obtained possession of it, but de Burgo sets 
 it down as a dubious establlslnnent of their order. 
 
 Nicholas AVoding was the last prior. When he surrendered, he was 
 then seized of the same, a church and belfry, dormitory, hall, three 
 chambers, kitchen, cemetery, and one close within the site thereof ; 
 annual value, besides reprises, 3s. 4d. also of one small tower, four 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 703 
 
 messuages, ten gardens, an acre of arable land near St. Kieran’s 
 Pyll, and the tithes of the said gardens ; also 2s. chief rent, arising 
 from Colyn’s lands in Glolinyn aforesaid ; annual value, besides reprises, 
 32s. 8d. 
 
 Henry VIII. granted this abbey, with its possessions, to John 
 Parker, for ever, at an annual rent of 2s. 4d. Irish. 
 
 The ruins of this extensive building are still to be seen. 
 
 Darinis, an island near the town of "VVexford. St. Neman, who was 
 abbot of this monastery, flourished in the seventh century, and wa.s 
 probably the founder. His festival is observed on the 8th of March. 
 
 St. Camin, avIio founded the monastery of Iniskeltra, an island in 
 the Shannon (Loughderg), is said to have been abbot of Darinis. 
 
 St. Gobbhan is said to have been abbot of Dailnis. See Molana, 
 county of Waterford. 
 
 Desert-cheandubhain, in Hy Kinsellagh. Now unknown. Was a 
 cell built b}" St. Abbhan, near Magheranuidher. 
 
 Down, in the barony of Scarawalsh ; six miles north of Enniscorthy, 
 and on the river Derrihy. An abbey was founded here for canons 
 regular of St. Augustine, before the arrival of the English in Ireland. 
 It existed at the time of the general suppression. 
 
 It was then found to be seized of one hundred and twenty acres of 
 arable land, twenty of pasture and five of wood, in Downe, and of all 
 the lands and tenements of Ollarde Villarde. 
 
 A.D. 1637, March 24th, a grant of the same and its possessions was 
 made to the Lord Baltimore. 
 
 Drum-chaoin-chellaigh, in the territory of Hy-Kinselagh. Saint 
 Abbhan built this abbey. 
 
 Dunbrody, in the barony of Shelburne, on the river Barrow, and 
 four miles south of Ross. Harvey de Monte Maurisco, who was senes- 
 chal of the whole estate belonging to Richard, earl of Pembroke, made 
 a considerable grant of divers lands to St. Mary and St. Benedict, 
 for the purpose of erecting an abbey for the monks of the Cistercian 
 order. 
 
 Felix, who was consecrated bishop of Ossory, in 1178, was witness 
 to this charter. 
 
 A.D. 1179, Harvey, the founder of this house, entered into the 
 monastery of the Holy Trinity, in Canterbury. Richard, earl of 
 Pembroke, and his grandson, Walter, were principal benefactors to 
 this house. 
 
 A.D. 1182, the abbot and monks of Bildewas, in Shropshire, who 
 were included in the charter of Harvey, made a cession to the Ci^er- 
 cian abbey of the blessed Virgin Mary, at Dublin, of the whole right and 
 claim, which they possessed in ri^ht of de Marisco’s grant, over the 
 
704 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 new foundation of Dunbrody. John, lord of Ireland, in the lifetime 
 of his fatlier, confirmed the grant of Harvey. 
 
 A.D. 1216, Ilerlewin, bishop of Leiglilin, was interred in the abbey 
 churcli, a great part of which he had caused to be erected. 
 
 A.D. 1206, Walter, earl of Pembroke, confirmed the grants of 
 Harvey and of Strongbow. 
 
 A.D. 1308, Damin Avas abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1340, Philip de Chicull was abbot. Having refused to submit 
 to the visitation of the abbot of St. Mary’s, near Dublin, he was de- 
 posed from his office. The prior, William de Posse, was chosen in his 
 place. ; 
 
 A.D. 1368, David de Cornwalshe was abbot. Tlie monks of Tracton, 
 in the county of Cork, having openly resisted the authority of their 
 abbot, David was commissioned to restore them to order. David, for his 
 trouble in so doing, was presented by the abbot, David Graynell, with 
 a horse, worth twenty marcs, and £10 sterling in ready money; after 
 which David took from the monks another sum of £20, and being thus 
 bribed by both parties, he deprived the abbot Richard of his office. In 
 two years afterwards he was convicted of the same offence, and fined in 
 the sum of one marc, but received the king’s pardon. 
 
 A.D. 1380, it was enacted by parliament that no mere Irishman 
 should make his profession in this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 1390, David Esmonde, a burgess of the town of Wexford, 
 being appointed by letters patent to enquire, by the oaths of good and 
 lawful men of this county, into the extortions and offences committed 
 in this nhhey^ from which mere Irishmen were excluded^ having arrived 
 to put in force his commission, David Cornwalshe, the abbot thereof, 
 with divers associates, assaulted said Esmond, with force and violence 
 seized and destroyed the king’s letters, and secured Esmond in the 
 abbot’s prison for the space of sixteen days, until they compelled him 
 to swear that he would never prosecute any of the aforesaid persons, 
 nor John Develyn, who was a party to the transactions. 
 
 A.D. 1394, the said Develyn was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1402, King Henry lY. granted to the abbot and convent a 
 confirmation of all their rights and possessions. 
 
 A.D. 1418, John Calf was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1522, Alexander Devereux was abbot. Tlie abbot of this 
 house sat as a baron of parliament. 
 
 Alexander Devereux, the last abbot, surrendered this noble estab- 
 lishment in 1539, after having first provided for his relatives by the 
 sacpilegious plunder of its possessions. 
 
 By an inquisition, taken in the ^thirty-seventh of Henry YIH., this 
 abbey was found to possess sixty acres of pasture, and an extensive 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOUY OF IRELAND. 
 
 705 
 
 i?range in DiinLrocly ; one hundred and twenty acres in Battlestown ; 
 eighty acres in Duncannon ; sixty acres in Clonard, and one thousand 
 one hundred and thirty acres in various parts of the county of Wexford, 
 besides immense possessions in Connaught, and in tlie counties of Lime- 
 rick and Waterford. In 1540, these possessions were granted to 
 ♦ Osborne Itchingham, at the annual rent of £3 10s. Od. While in the 
 twentieth year of Queen Elizabeth, the lands and rectories belonging 
 to this abbey, in tlie county of Limerick, were conceded to Robert 
 Callan. 
 
 The ruins of Dunbrody abbey, rising in awful grandeur at the con- 
 flux of the rivers Suire and Barrow, present a truly picturesque and 
 magnificent appearance. These ruins, including the cloister and church, 
 are, perhaps, the most complete, and at the same time the most exten- 
 sive of any in the kingdom. At the west end stood the porch, adorned 
 with filigree open-work, cut in stone, while the immense gothic window 
 which rises above the porch, displays an amazing specimen of curious 
 and splendid architecture. The chancel and the walls of the church are 
 entire. Within are three chapels, vaulted and groined, while the aisles 
 are separated from the nave by a double row of arches, with a mould- 
 ing, which reclines on beautiful consoles. Tlie tower also is complete, 
 and the arch on which it rests is, for its curious and expansive curvature, 
 much esteemed. 
 
 Enniscorthy, in the barony of Scarawalshe, on the river Slaney, and 
 nine miles north-west of Wexford. This abbey of canons regular was 
 granted by the patron, Gerald de Prendergast, as a cell to the abbey of 
 St. Tliomas, in Dublin, and who ordered that it should be governed 
 agreeably to the rules of St. Augustine, and the customs of the said 
 abbey. And for the health of his own soul, that of his wife, those of 
 his father and mother, whose bodies rest here, he granted, for the better 
 support of the canons, and to contribute to the relief of the poor, the 
 churches of St. Senan, Enniscorthy, St. Brigid, near Ardles, and St. 
 John, with all his land lying and situate near this house, the tithes of 
 his mills at Enniscorthy, timber from his woods, with liberty of feeding 
 their ^cattle in the same, and all other necessary pastui-e. Witness, 
 John, bishop of Ferns, who appointed that this convent should consist 
 of four brethren and a prior, to whom Prendergast granted two caru- 
 cates of land, called Oernath, adjoining their house, in exchange for two 
 carucates which Philip de Barry had granted them in the village of 
 Sendan, near the bridge of Cork, reserving, however, to the canons, the 
 chapel of St. Katharine, in the said town, 'VYith the tithes thereunto 
 belonging, and one burgage. 
 
 Witness, John, bishop of Ferns, who presided from 1223 to the year 
 1243. 
 
 45 
 
706 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELA.ND. 
 
 December 6tli, 1581, a lease of tliis abbey was granted to Edward 
 Spenser, at the annual rent of £13 5s, 
 
 Franciscan friary, was founded for friars minoi’s, of the strict observ- 
 ance, A.D. 1460, by Donald Cavenagh, surnamcd the Brown, head of 
 his sept. 
 
 In an ancient missal belonging to this monastery, we find that its' 
 dedication was on the 18th of October, in the same year. 
 
 A.D. 1476, the missal informs us that the founder died in this year. 
 This missal was written in this friary. 
 
 Thirty-first .of Henry YIII., the prior of this house was found to 
 have been seized of a church and belfry, a chapter-house, dormitory, 
 hall, four chambers, a kitchen, two orchards, and three gardens ; annual 
 value, besides reprises, 13s, 4d. 
 
 Thirty-seventh of Elizabeth, this friary, with its appurtenances, a 
 water-mill, an orchard, and si.x acres of land in this county, together 
 with the manor of Enniscorthy, was granted for ever to Sir Henry 
 Wallop, knight, to hold, by knight’s service at the annual rent of 
 £10 16s. 4d. 
 
 Ferns, an episcopal seat on the river Banne, about five miles north 
 of Enniscorthy. St. Maidoc, or Aidanus, was the founder. See dio- 
 cese of. 
 
 A.D. 601, King Brandubh was interred here. 
 
 A.D. 834, the Danes destroyed Ferns with fire. 
 
 A.D. 836, they repeated their barbarous conduct. 
 
 A.D. 838, another attack on Ferns by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 86S, died the Abbot Dermot. 
 
 A.D. 917, the Danes ravaged and plundered the abbey. 
 
 A.D. 944, died the Abbot Flathgus. 
 
 A.D. 975, the Abbot Conding died. 
 
 A.D. 1166, Diarmid Mac Murchad, king of Leinster, set fire to, and 
 destroyed the town. 
 
 In atonement for this breach of humanity, this prince founded an 
 abbey here, under the invocation of the Virgin Mary, for canons regu- 
 lar of St. Augustine, and endowed it with so much of tlie lands of.Bal- 
 lisisin and Ballilacussa, as would form the site of a village ; Borin, 
 Roshena and Kilbridy for two villages ; and the lands of Ballisislan, in 
 Fothert, near Wexford, and those of Munemoth, in Ferneghenal ; also 
 a cell at Thamoling, being the chapel of St. Mary ; the lands of Bali- 
 gery with its fisheries, and his own chapelry ; together with all the 
 tithes and first fruits of the demesne of Perhukenselich, and a flagon 
 of ale out of every brewing in Ferns ; the cell of Finnachia, in Ferns 
 aforesaid, and the lands of Balliculum and Ballinafussin, with three 
 acres adjoining the said cell. Witnesses: Christian, of Lismore, legate; 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 707 
 
 Donat, bishop of Leighlin ; Josepli, bishop of Ferns ; Domnald, bishop 
 of Ossorj ; Malachy, bishop of Kildare ; Celestine, bishop, and Laurence, 
 abbot of Glendaloch. 
 
 A.D. 1171, on the 1st of May, died iuipenitent, without sacraments 
 or extreme unction, Dermot, the founder, and was interred here. 
 
 A.D. 1172, died the abbot Brighdean O’Cathan. 
 
 Dowyll was the last abbot. lie surrendered in the thirty-first of 
 Henry VIII. The possessions of this abbey in lands consisted of 590 
 acres, w'ith the tithes and appurtenances thereof, all situate and lying 
 in this county. 
 
 November 20th, twenty-sixth of Queen Elizabeth, a lease of this 
 abbey for the term of sixty years was granted to Thomas Masterson, at 
 the annual rent of £16. 
 
 Fionmagh, in the territory of Fothart. See Camross, in this 
 county. 
 
 Glasscarrig, in the barony of Ballaghkeen, on the sea-side, and six 
 miles southeast of Gorey. Griffin Condon and Cecilia Barry, his wife, 
 and Roboric Bourk, her fatlier, together with David Roche, Richard 
 Carrin and John Fytte, of Areolon, granted all their lands in Cousin- 
 quilos and Trahore, witli the long marsh, fishery and salvage of wrecks, 
 for the purpose of founding this priory for Benedictine monks, in honor 
 of the monastery of the blessed Virgin Mary, of St. Dogrnael, in Pem- 
 brokeshire, Wales, of which their predecessors were founders : this 
 house to be subject to that of St. Dogrnael, whose abbot was always 
 to present one of his monks to succeed on the death of the prior of 
 Glasscarrig. 
 
 Tlie charter of this abbey was confirmed by Thomas Den, bishop of 
 Ferns, who died A.D. 1400. 
 
 Charles Mac Mortha was prior. When obliged to surrender his 
 abbey, its possessions in land consisted of 360 acres, rectories, annual 
 value £3 10s. 8d., with tithes &c., all situate in this county. 
 
 On the feast of St. Katharine, the fifth of Edward VI., it was found 
 that Dermit, the last prior, was seized of the following rectories in this 
 county, appropriated to him and his successors: Lorome, which extend- 
 eth into the town of' Lorome ; Kilmalapoke, Kilreny, Kilerat, and Cor- 
 more ; Templebodegane, Kiltenen, Clonygosse, Balledonagh, Killenerlde, 
 Bollyncollen and Killemonde, and the rectories of Ballane and Temple- 
 mallyne. 
 
 Hoartown, in the barony of Shelmaliere, and about three miles west 
 of Taghmon. 
 
 In the fourteenth century, a monastery for Carmelites was founded 
 at Little Horton by Furlong, who endowed and dedicated it to the 
 Virgin Mary. 
 
708 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IHSTORY OF rKELAND. 
 
 On the suppression of religious houses, this friaiy was granted to Sir 
 John Davis, who assigned it to Francis Talbot. 
 
 Inverdhaoile. St. Dagan was the founder. See Achad Dagan, Co. 
 Waterford. 
 
 There is mention of St. David, of Inverdhaoile, on the 13th of Sep- 
 tember, G39. 
 
 Inisbeg, in the territory of Ily-Kinsellagh. St. Patrick is said to 
 have placed his disciples St. Erditus and St. Augustine in the monastery 
 of this island. 
 
 Inisfael, in the same territory of Ily-Ivenscllagh. St. Patrick also 
 founded the establishment of Inisfael, which he presented to the saints 
 Mochonoc and Mochadoc. See Gallen, King’s county. That St. Patrick 
 has been the founder, there is reason to doubt. 
 
 When the Danes seized the church of Slepte, or Sletty, those of 
 Inisbeg and Inisfail, together with that of Inverdhaoile, were wholly 
 foi'saken ; they are since lost in oblivion. 
 
 Killcloghan, in the barony of Shelburne. O’More founded this pre- 
 ceptory for knights Templar, which was, at the time of their suppres- 
 sion, given to the Hospitallers. 
 
 A.D. 1326, John Fitz David was commendator ; he also governed 
 Balliscoak, aliiis Ballyhack. 
 
 William Keating was commendator of both these houses. At the 
 general suppression, an annual pension was granted to him on the 18th 
 of Jul}’, loll. 
 
 The possessions of this commandery consisted of 493 acres of land, 
 and rectories ; annual value, £48 Is. 9d. 
 
 Kovember 11th, thirtieth of Queen Elizabeth, a lease of this com- 
 mandery was granted to Sir Henry Harrington, knight, to hold the 
 same for ever, by the fourth part of a knight’s fee, and the annual rent 
 of £35 16s. 8d. 
 
 Maghinemhna, or Maghera-Kuidhe, alias Maudlinton, near the river 
 Barrow, in Ily-Kinsellagh. St. Abbhan was the founder. His memory 
 was particularly revered here. 
 
 Ross-Mic-Trian, called Rossglassna Muimneach, a beautiful sea-port 
 on the river Barrow, in the barony of Bantry ; carries on an extensive 
 trade, and is also a parliamentary borough. This town was formerly 
 strongly fortified ; in high repute, and adorned with many religious 
 houses. 
 
 It obtained the name of “ Rossglass na muimneach,” from the great 
 number of Munstermen who followed St. Evin thither, when he founded 
 the monastery of Rossmictreoin. It is not to be confounded with 
 another Rossglass, in a northern part of Leinster, now called Monas- 
 tereven. 
 
KCCLESIASTICAL IITSTOKY OF mELAND. 
 
 709 
 
 St. Evin is said to have been the brother of St. Cormac, who was of 
 the royal blood of Munster, of the Eugenian line. Having left his own 
 country, he arrived in tlie neighborhood of the Barrow, and founded 
 his monastery of Bossinictreoin. Evin was contemporary with St. 
 Molua, of Clonfert-Molua, who visited him in this monastery, when its 
 abbot, and there performed miracles. The name of St. Evin appears in 
 several Irish calendars. Ilis death is assigned to a 22d of December, 
 prior to the year 602, as he died in the reign of Brandubh, king of 
 Leinster. 
 
 Crouched friary was built on the summit of a hill, in the town. 
 One of the friars having killed a principal inhabitant, the whole body 
 of the people arose, put the friars to death, and totally destroyed the 
 abbey. 
 
 On its site was erected, by Sir John Devereux, the monastery of St. 
 Saviour, for conventual Franciscans. 
 
 A.D. 1300, the founder granted to these friars a certain duty on all 
 ships coming into the port of Ross. 
 
 A.D. 1283, Henry was prior. 
 
 A.D. 1310, about this time the town was walled, the friary included. 
 
 A.D. 1318, a provincial chapter of the order was held here on the 
 feast of St. Bartholomew. 
 
 A.D. 1333, on March 6th, died Adam de Callen, guardian of Ross, 
 who had filled that ofiice for twenty-four years. 
 
 A.D. 1345, in a chapter held at Clane, in Kildare, this friary was 
 assigned to the wardenship of Dublin. 
 
 A.D. 1406, the friars complaining to Henry lY. that the provost 
 and burgesses levied taxes on the ships, merchants, &c., within the 
 friar’s bounds, contrary to the grant of the founder, the king confirmed 
 the aforesaid grant on the 8th of December, James, earl of Ormond, 
 being then lord lieutenant. 
 
 At the suppression, this house was granted to the earl of Ormond. 
 
 Inquisition taken on the 30th of June, thirty-first of Queen Eliza- 
 beth, finds that seven acres of land ‘in Glean St. Saviour, annual value, 
 besides reprises, 3s., were parcel of the possessions of this friary. 
 
 The east end of tlie building is now the parish church, of course the 
 Protestant. 
 
 Augustinian friary, was founded, in the reign of Edward HI., for 
 eremites of St. Augustine. The name of the founder is lost in oblivion. 
 
 Robert Everard was prior. 
 
 John Gregory was the last prior. On the 20th of March, and in the 
 thirty-first of king Henry VIIL, he was seized of a church and belfry, 
 hall, dormitory, and some other buildings, within the precincts, and a 
 cemetery, the whole containing one acre, annual value, besides reprises 
 
710 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 3s. 4d. ; also of one tenement, one messuage, and five gardens in Hoss, 
 annual value, besides reprises, 13s. 2d. ; and twenty acres of arable 
 land, thirty of pasture, and two of wood, in Polcapbuil, annual value, 
 besides reprises, 10s. 2d. 
 
 In the thirty-fifth of Henry, this abbey, with its property, was 
 granted for ever to Richard Butler at the annual rent of 17d. Irish. 
 
 Seanbotlia, in the territory of Ily-Kinscllagh. St. Colman Ilua 
 Fiachra, a descendant of the prince Fiachra, the brother of Neill Nia- 
 gilliach, and who was particularly distinguished through his sanctity, 
 seeujs to have been abbot, and perhaps the founder of this monastery, 
 which was situated at the foot of Mount Leinster (in Irish Suighe Lagen), 
 at the borders of the present counties of Carlow and Wexford. Of the 
 further transactions of this saint or of his death, we have no account. 
 His memory was revered at Seanbotlia on the 2Tth of October, the an- 
 niversary of his death. 
 
 Teaghmunnu. St. Fintan Munnu, probably so called from the 
 Maine branch of his mother’s fiimily, was the strenuous supporter of the 
 Irish Paschal system, and the distinguished opponent of St. Laserian, 
 of Old Leighlin. Fintan was of the Niall family, the son of Tulcan and 
 Feidelmia probably, of the northern Nialls, as Adamnan makes mention 
 of a priest, a friend of his, named Columcrag, who lived not far from 
 Derry. 
 
 He is said to have been placed firet at the school of Bangor, under 
 St. Comgall, and to have afterwards studied in the school of Kilmore 
 Deathrib, which St. Columbkille is supposed to have governed for some 
 time before his departure from Ireland. Fintan’s chief master and 
 instructor seems to have been Sinell, son of Maynacur, with whom 
 he remained eighteen yeai’S at Cluaininis, until about the time that he 
 resolved on going to Hy for the purpose of being admitted a member 
 of that monastery. While preparing to set out for the island, he was 
 informed that St. Columba died a few days before, and was succeeded 
 by Baithen. Fintan still persevered in his resolve, hoping that he 
 would be received into his community. When arrived in Hy, he was 
 treated as a mere stranger, for even his name was not known there, and 
 the abbot had never seen him until that time. 
 
 On being introduced to Baithen, he was interrogated as to his name, 
 family, studies, conduct, and his object in coming to Hy. Fintan 
 having replied to all his questions, humbly sought for admission as a 
 monk, to which Baithen answered : “ I thank my God that you are 
 come to this place ; but this you must know, that you cannot be a monk 
 of ours.” Much afflicted at these words, Fintan said : “ Is it that I am 
 unworthy of being one?” “No,” replied Baithen; “but although I 
 should be very glad to keep you wnth me, I must obey the ordera of my 
 
ECCLESIAS'nCAL mSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 711 
 
 predecessoi, Columba, who some time ago said to me, in the spirit of 
 Ijrophecy — ‘Baithen, remember these words of mine: Immediately 
 after my departure from this life, a brother, who is now regulating his 
 youthful age by good conduct, and well versed in sacred studies, named 
 Fintan, of the race of Mocu-moic, or Maine (his mother’s family), and 
 son of Tulcan, will come to you from Ireland, and will suj^plicate to be 
 reckoned among the monks ; but it is predetermined by God that he 
 is to be an abbot, presiding over monks, and a guide of souls. Do not, 
 therefore, let him remain in these islands of ours, but direct him to 
 return in peace to Ireland, that he may there establish a monastery in a 
 part of Leinster not far from the sea, and labor for the good of souls.’ ” 
 
 The holy young man, shedding tears, returned thanks to Christ, and 
 said that he would follow these directions. Soon after, having received 
 the benediction of Baithen, he returned to Beland ; it appears he began, 
 without delay, to comply with the wishes of Heaven, and founded the 
 monastery of Teagh-Munna (now Taghmon), and there presided over 
 one hundred and tifty-two holy monks. Even at the time of his oppo- 
 sition to St. Laserian, on the question of the Roman cycle, he was most 
 highly revered for his sanctity and power of working miracles. It 
 appears, however, that this eminent saint soon after withdrew his oj^po- 
 sition, and agreed with his brethren of the south. He did not long 
 survive this happy event, as he disd in 635 on the 21st of October. 
 
 A.D. 777, died Kiaran, of Teaghmon. 
 
 A.D. 859, died the abbot Fiachra. 
 
 A.D. 917, the Danes plundered this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 953, died Dunlung, abbot of Taghmon and Cape Clear. 
 
 A.D. 1007, the abbot Toole O’Connor died. 
 
 Tintern, in the barony of Shelburne. William, earl of Pembroke, 
 being in great danger at sea, made a vow to found an abbey in that 
 place where he would first arrive in safety — a vow which was performed 
 by founding the abbey of Tintern, and which he dedicated to the Virgin 
 Mary, and jjlaced there monks of the Cistercian order, whom he 
 brought from the abbey of that name in Monmouthshire ; granted them 
 thirty carucates, lying in Carulliner, near the river Banne, with other 
 possessions, and equal liberties with those granted to the abbey of 
 Dunbrody. 
 
 A.D. 1200, John Torrell was the first abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1219, the founder died, whose will was confirmed by King 
 John, giving this abbey thirty carucates of land, and enjoining Isabella, 
 his countess, and his seneschal, Geoffry Fitz Robert, to provide the 
 same. 
 
 A.D. 1346, the abbot, William Codd, was deposed, and David 
 Furlong was placed in his stead. 
 
712 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAKD. 
 
 A.D. 1356, David Walsli was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 13S0, it was enacted by parliament that no mere Ii-isliman 
 should make his profession in this abbey. 
 
 The abbots of Tintern sat as barons of parliament, the last of whom 
 was John Power. 
 
 By an inquisition taken in the thirty-fii’st of Henry YIII., the pos- 
 sessions were found to consist of ninety acres, being the demesne land 
 situated in Tintern, and two thousand two hundred acres of moor, 
 arable, and pasture, together with the rectories of Banne, Killmore, 
 Clomines, and various others. "Within the same year, the Saltees, with 
 the rectory of Kilmore, were granted to William St. Loo. "While in the 
 eighteenth of Elizabeth, the abbey, and sixteen townlands, with their 
 tithes, and the reversion of the premises, were granted for ever to 
 Anthony Colclough, at the annual rent of £26 Js. Irish money. 
 
 The church was a large building, with a great tower in the centre ; 
 the chancel part was converted into a dwelling-house, with three floors, 
 Ac., and is nov/ the seat of Yescy Colclougli, Esq. 
 
 Y’’exford, the capital of the county, and a sea-port, market-town, 
 and parliamentary borough, in the barony of Slielmaliere. 
 
 Priory of canons regular, under the invocation of SS. Peter and Paul, 
 was founded, according to the most approved opinion, by the Danes, in 
 the early paid of the twelfth century, to which the Roches, a noble and 
 an influential family, were munificent benefactore. 
 
 A.D. 1240, John, bisliop of Ferns, held a synod here on the morrow 
 of the nativity of the blessed Yirgin. 
 
 A.D. 14:18, Sir John Talbot, Lord Talbot of Furneval and Y^exford, 
 granted to this priory the chapel of St. Kicholas of Garrick, 
 
 The prior of this abbey sat in parliament as a baron. 
 
 The first inquisition, taken in the thirty-first of Henry YIII., found 
 in the possession of the last prior, John Heygarne, four orchards, two 
 parks, fifteen messuages, with their gardens, and the rectories of St. 
 Patrick, SS. Peter and Paul, and St. Tullogh, in the town of Wexford; 
 two hundred and sixty acres of land and eighteen capons, together with 
 the rectories of Killmacree, St. Margaret, Ballynane, Slaney, Killuske, 
 and various others in the county of Wexford. In the first year of 
 Edward YL, this priory and the greater part of its possessions -were 
 "ranted to John Parker, at the annual rent of 15s. 
 
 The church of SS. Peter and Paul, or Selskir Abbey, yet remains, 
 with a very large tower in the centre. 
 
 Knights Hospitallers. This prioiy, founded by William Mareschal, 
 Earl of Pembroke, and dedicated to St. John and St. Brigid, was. 
 antecedent to the period in whicli the order of Templars was abolished, 
 the grand commandery. But Kilmainham being granted to the Hos- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL UISTCEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Y13 
 
 pitallers, it immediately became the grand establishment of that 
 order. 
 
 A.D. 1376. The prior recovered against Adam, the son of John 
 de Bocher, sixty acres of land with the appurtenances thereunto 
 belonging, and situate in Bajlycollock, in this county. There still 
 remains part of the old church of kj*. John, without the walls. 
 
 Gray Friars. The conventual Franciscans procured a settlement for 
 themselves in this town, in the reign of King Henry III., and were 
 reformed A.D. 1486. 
 
 Thirty-first of Henry VHL, the prior of this house was seized of a 
 church and belfry, chapter-house, dormitory, hall, kitchen and some 
 other buildings, with eight burgages in the town of Wexford, annual 
 value, besides reprises, 17s. 
 
 February ^Oth, thirty-fifth of Henry, this monastery, with the afore- 
 said burgages in Wexford, were granted for ever to Paul Turner and 
 James Devereux, at the annual rent of lOd. Irish money. 
 
 Leper Hospital. Henry IV., on the 26th of January, and tenth year 
 of his reign, granted to the son of William Rochford, during life, the 
 custody of the hospital for lepers, under the invocation of the brethren 
 and sisters of St. Mary Magdalen, near Wexford, with the lands, rents, 
 possessions, churches, titlies thereunto belonging; the said John to 
 support the houses, buildings, &c., and to defray all other expenses at 
 his own proper cost and charge. 
 
 A.D. 1649. Wexford was besieged by Oliver Cromjvell. As soon 
 as the regicide had ordered his batteries to play on a distant part of the 
 town, on his summons being rejected, “the commander of the garrison, 
 Stafford,” admitted his men into the castle, whence issuing suddenly 
 and attacking the wall and gate adjoining, (they were admitted, either 
 through the treachery of the townsmen or the cowardice of the soldiers, 
 or perhaps both,) the slaughter was almost as great as at Drogheda. 
 By Cromwell himself, the number of the slain is reduced to two ; by 
 some writers it has been swelled to five thousand. “ Ko distinction 
 was made between the defenceless inhabitant and the armed soldiei, 
 nor could the shrieks and prayers of 300 females, who had gathered 
 round the great cross, preserve them from the swords of those ruthless 
 barbarians.” 
 
714 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IKELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER LXVI. 
 
 COUNTY OF WICKLOW. 
 
 Aekeow is situated eleven miles south of "Wicklow, It was for- 
 merly the residence of the kings of Dublin ; but being possessed by 
 the Ostmen, or Danes, both barony and town acquired the name of 
 Arklow, The town was adorned with a monastery and a castle, now in 
 ruins. 
 
 Theobald FitzwalteT, fourth Butler of Ireland, founded a Dominican 
 monastery here under the invocation of the Holy Ghost. He died the 
 26th of September, A.D. 1285, in his castle of Arklow, and was interred 
 in this friary, where a tomb, with his statue, was erected. 
 
 Pope John XXHI. granted an indulgence to all those visiting 
 this friary on certain festivals, and also to those who gave alms to the 
 friars. 
 
 In the thirty -first of Henry VHI. the prior of Arklow was seized of 
 the church and belfry, chapter-house, dormitory, hall, three chambers, 
 a store, kitchen, cemetery and garden, containing two acres, with two 
 parks, and three acres of land, of the great measure (twenty-one), in 
 Arklow, and four messuages in the said town ; annual value, besides 
 reprises, 29s. lOd. 
 
 Eebruary 4th, thirty-fifth Henry YIIL, this friary, with a garden, 
 containing two acres and four messuages, six cottages, a chamber, two 
 parks, containing three acres of the great measure, and three flagons 
 and a half out of every brewing of ale, for sale, in the town of Arklow, 
 was granted for ever to John Travers, at the annual rent of 2s. 2d. 
 Irish money. These possessions were afterwards assigned to Patrick 
 Barnewall. 
 
 There were two brethren assigned to this convent in 1756 : James 
 Morilly, prior, and Ambrose O'Connor, pastor, in the diocese of Dublin. 
 
 Ballykine, in the barony of Arklow, and about six miles and a half 
 north-west of that town. An abbey was founded here by a brother of 
 St. Kevin, probably St. Dagan ; it is now the seat of "Whaley, who has 
 erected a mansion on the ancient site, called Whalley Abbey. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOKY OF lEELAND. 
 
 715 
 
 Baltinglass, a market-town in the barony of Talbotstown, on the 
 river Slaney. Dearmit Mac Murrogh O’Cavanagh, king of Leinster, 
 founded the abbey of Baltinglass for Cistercians, in which he was 
 interred about the year 1151. 
 
 A.D. 1185, Albinus O’Mulloy was abbot of Baltinglass ; attended 
 the synod held in Christ church, by John Comyn, archbishop of Dublin ; 
 inveighed, in his discourse, against the incontinence of the English 
 clergy, for having, by their ill example, vitiated the hitherto untainted 
 probity and innocence of the clergy of Ireland. 
 
 Albinus Avas made bishop of Ferns. See diocese of. 
 
 A.D. 1311-, Griffin was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1310, the better to enable the king, EdAvard III., to resist his 
 Irish enemies, the clergy of Meath granted to him, in this year, £10 ; 
 the county of Louth, £20 ; the prebendaries of the church of St. Patrick, 
 Dublin, 10 marcs; the prior of St. John of Jerusalem, 10 marcs ; the 
 clergy of Ossoiy, £20 ; the clergy of Ferns, £10 ; and the abbot of Baltin- 
 glass, 10 marcs, for the aforesaid purpose. 
 
 A.D. 1377, Philip, the abbot, received a full and free pardon for all 
 seditions, felonies, breaches of the peace, conspiracies, confederacies, 
 false allegations, and all other transgressions Avhatsoever, by him com- 
 mitted, and for Avhich he had been indicted. 
 
 A.D. 1380, it Avas enacted by the parliament of the "pale, that no 
 mere Irishman should be permitted to make his profession in the abbey 
 of Baltinglass, which an Irish prince had founded. 
 
 x\.D. 1188, the abbot received a pardon for his participation in the 
 affair of Lambert Simnell. 
 
 9 
 
 John Galbally was the last abbot. At the suppression of the abbey, 
 A.D. 1537, an annual pension was granted to him. 
 
 Die abbot of Baltinglass (De valle salutis,) sat as a baron of parlia- 
 ment. 
 
 By an inquisition taken in the thirty-third of Henry VIIL, the pos- 
 sessions were — forty acres of pasture, one hundred of Avood, a mill and 
 Avatercourse in Baltinglass, together Avith thirty messuages, seven 
 hundred and tAventy^ acres of arable and pasture land, in various parts 
 of the counties of Wicklow and Kildare. 
 
 Diis abbey and its possessions were granted to Diomas Eustace, 
 Viscount Baltinglass ; and by the thirtieth of Elizabeth a second grant 
 Avas made to Sir Henry Harrington, to hold for ever, at the annual rent 
 of £11 19s. Irish money. 
 
 Donard-Domnachard, in the barony of TalbotstoAvn, and six miles 
 north-east of Baltinglass. This was one of the churches which Palla- 
 dius, the Roman deacon, founded, who was chosen and sent a missionary 
 to Belaud before the arrival of St. Patrick. 
 
716 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI, HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 i 
 
 Ilis disciples SS. Silvester and Salonius were there honored, as it 
 was the place of their burial. 
 
 Glendaloch, in the barony of Ballynacor, twenty-two miles south of 
 Dublin, and eleven north-west of Wicklow. An ancient episcopal seat. 
 See diocese of Glendaloch. 
 
 Abbey of Glendaloch, under the invocation of SS. Peter and Paul. 
 Tlie abbey of Glendaloch gave origin to the city, which sprang up, and 
 in which a seminary existed, whence went forth many saints and exem- 
 plary men, whose sanctity and learning difi’used around the western 
 world that univereal light of letters and religion, which shone resplen- 
 dently throughout the remote and tranquil isle in which the valley of 
 Glendaloch is situated. The eminent virtues, exemplary sanctity of tlie 
 highly revered St. Kevin, the founder, and the miracles which he is 
 said to have wrought, drew multitudes from the towns and cities — from 
 ease, affluence, and comfort — from the obligations and cares of civil 
 life — from the comforts and the amusements of society, to be spectators 
 of his piety, and to be partakers in his merits, and to be with him, as 
 their model, sharers in the voluntary privations to ■wliich he subjected 
 his senses, as w'ell as in the sufferings, which the cold of a cheerless and 
 gloomy valley, on which the beams of the sun descend not, offered in 
 return for the comforts wdiich his pious and fervent disciples deserted, 
 choosing the one thing necessary.” 
 
 A.D. 770, Glendaloch was destroyed by fire. 
 
 A.D. 830, the Danes plundered and sacked this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 833, they repeated their ravages. 
 
 A.D. 835, the Danes again burned the abbey. 
 
 A.D. 86*6, died the abbot Daniel. 
 
 A.D. 886, the abbey was plundered by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 908, Cormac Mac Cullinan, who was slain in battle, bequeathed 
 an ounce of gold and another of silver to this abbey. 
 
 A.D. 927, died Dowlish Mac Sealvoy, abbot of Timoling, and 
 lecturer of Glendaloch. 
 
 A.D. 953, died Moel Jonmain, philosopher and anchorite of Glen- 
 daloch. 
 
 A.D. 955, died the anchorite Dermod. 
 
 A.D. 957, died the anchorite Martin. 
 
 A.D. 965, died O’Manchan, anchorite and director of Glendaloch. 
 
 A.D. 972, died the abbot Coirpre O’Corra. 
 
 A.D. 977, the Danes of Dublin plundered the town and abbey. 
 
 A.D. 983, the three sons of Kearval Mac Lorcan plundered the 
 termon-lands of St. Kevin, but through the immediate intercession ot 
 that saint, they met their merited fate, and were all slain on the day 
 they committed the sacrilege. 
 
ECCLKSIASTICAT. HISTORY OF IRELANn, 
 
 717 
 
 A.D. 1170, the English adventurers plundered Glendaloch. 
 
 A.D. 1177, a flood ran through the city, by which the bridge and 
 mills were swept away, and Ashes remained in the midst of the town. 
 
 A.D. 1197, Thomas was abbot. 
 
 A.D. 1398, the English forces destroyed the city of Glendaloch. It 
 is now a city of ruin and desolation, and its fame is now only known 
 through its history, and will be celebrated, when even the vestiges still 
 remaining, of its seven churches, and of its former greatness, will 
 totally disappear. 
 
 Tlie first of these ranks as the cathedral, and owes its origin to St. 
 Kevin, by whom it was dedicated to the patron saints of the abbey. It 
 measures forty-eight feet in length and thirty wide. On the south were 
 three small windows, and at the east end was an arch seventeen feet 
 six inches wide, behind which was another building, thirty-seven feet 
 six inches in lengtk by twenty-three in width, with a beautiful window 
 at the east end. On the north are two small oafes and one on the south, 
 a door three feet eight inches wide, communicating to a small building 
 of sixteen feet by ten. Tlie church door is seven feet four inches high, 
 three feet six inches wide at top, and three feet ten at bottom. The 
 jambs are composed of four courses and a lintel at top, over which is a 
 discharging arch. The stones are the entire depth of the w'alls, with a 
 reveal cut at the inside for the door, which appears to haVe turned on 
 pivots ; holes are cut for bars across, and iron cramps and bolts appear 
 in some places. Several courses of this building are of hewn stone, as 
 well as a kind of pilasters, which project from the ends of the wall to 
 the front and rear, and measure two feet six inches in width ; the wall 
 of the building to the east, within these, is detached, having the appear- 
 ance of a more modern style. 
 
 Under a small window, at the south side of the choir, is a tomb of 
 freestone, ornamented, and in the cemetery stands a round tower one 
 hundred and ten feet high, uncommonly well built, and in fine preser- 
 vation, the roof alone having suffered by the eflects of time. At its 
 base it measures fifty-two feet in circumference, the walls being four 
 feet thick. 
 
 The remains of several crosses may still be seen amongst these ruins, 
 and the one situated in the cemetery particularly merits notice, being 
 one entire stone, eleven feet in height. 
 
 The second church (vulgarly called St. Kevin’s kitchen) is now 
 almost entire, having suffered alone in the ruin of a window, the only 
 one in the church, which was placed about eight feet from the south- 
 east angle, and was ornamented with an architrave elegantly wrought. 
 The area of this church measures twenty-two feet nine inches by fifteen. 
 The walls are three feet six inches in thickness. At the east end is an 
 
T18 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IRELANTJ 
 
 i 
 
 arch five feet three inches in widlh, which communicates with another 
 building, ten feet six inches in length, by nine feet three inches in width, 
 on the north side of which is a door two feet two inches wide, which 
 communicates with another chapel of the same length and seven feet 
 nine inches in width ; each of these buildings has a small window in the 
 centre to the east ; the walls arc three feet thick, and both measure 
 twelve feet in height. Tlie foundation, with two or three coui’ses of the 
 building, is laid of cut mountain grit-stone. The door is six feet eight 
 inches high, two feet four inches wide at top, and two feet eight inches 
 at bottom ; most of the stones run through the entire thickness of the 
 ■wall ; the lintel is five feet eight inches in length by eleven and a half 
 in depth, and a rude cornice, projecting about live inches, and measur- 
 ing four feet ten inches long by six in depth, is worked out of the 
 same stone. 
 
 A round belfry rises from the west end of the church, the entrance 
 to it being a square aperture in the cove of tlie church, over wliich, 
 between the cove and the roof, as at St. Columba’s cell at Kells, is a 
 large space open to the belfry, that received its light from a small 
 ■window. The height of this tower is about forty-five feet ; the roof of 
 both church and tower is composed of thin stones very neatly laid, and 
 with a very high pitch ; the ridge of the roof is about thirty feet from 
 the ground, and the double building at the rear is only twenty feet. In 
 this building a difference in the workmanship is perceptible, shewing 
 an inferiority of skill and execution as well as difference of time in the 
 erection. 
 
 The third. Our Lady’s Church, the most westward of the seven, and 
 nearly opposite to the cathedral, is now almost in ruins ; but, from the 
 doorway, and the few remains of the- walls, it appears to have been 
 built with more knowledge of the art than the other structures, or in 
 other words, much later. The church door consists of only three 
 coui*ses ; the lintel is five feet six inches in length and fourteen and a 
 half inches in depth ; it is six feet four in height, two feet six at top 
 and two feet ten at bottom. A kind of architrave is worked round the 
 door six inches broad, and in the bottom of the lintel an ornament is 
 wrought in a cross. The walls are carried up with hewn stone, in gen- 
 eral of a large size, to about the height of the door, and the remainder 
 are of the rude mountain rag-stone, but laid incomparably well. At 
 the east end was an arch of hewn stone exactly similar to that of the 
 cathedral. 
 
 The fourth church (the sepulchre of the kings, and called Reefeart) 
 is famous for having seven princes interred within its limits. Li this 
 church is the tomb of O’Toole, the ancient chieftain of the country, with 
 an inscription in the Irish character. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 719 
 
 Tlie fifth, the priory of St. Saviour, commonly called the Eastern 
 Church. Of this building little can be said, as the foundation only re- 
 mains. A quantity of stone, remarkably well wrought, was discovered, 
 and on removing the rubbish, two clusters of columns were found with 
 curious emblematic decorations, which had supported a great fretted 
 arch composed of these stones. 
 
 The sixth church is somewhat situated to the westward, and has 
 large breaches in its walls, long since mantled with ivy ; entirely un- 
 roofed, there is nothing worthy of remark to be found in this building. 
 
 The seventh, Tempull na Skellig, situated in the recess of the south 
 mountain, was the ancient Priory of the Rock, and was also call^ the 
 Temjjle of the Desert, both names being expressive of the “ Irish appel- 
 lation.” 
 
 The celebrated bed of St. Kevin, on the south side of the louglq is a 
 cave hewn in the solid rock on the side of the mountain, exceedingly 
 difficult of ascent, and alarming in its prospect, as it hangs perpendicu- 
 larly over the lake, at a great height above the surface of the water. 
 At a small distance from this bed, on the same side of the mountain, 
 are to be seen the ruins of a small stone building, called St. Kevin’s 
 cell. 
 
 Inisboyne, in the barony of Arklow, on the sea-coast, and about four 
 miles south-east of Wicklow. St. Baithen, the son of Finnaigh, was 
 abbot of Inisbaoithin, near Kilmantan, in the western part of Leinster. 
 
 Killgorman. St. Mogorman is said to have been bishop of this 
 church in the eastern part of Leinster and deanery of Arklow. 
 
 A St. Gorman is also said to have been abbot of this place. It is 
 now parochial. 
 
 Killaird, alias Druimard, which ought to be placed in the county of 
 Tipperary, and barony of Ikerin. A nunnery, in which St. Tamtliina, 
 the virgin, was abbess, and where her festival was long observed. St. 
 Aldus, the bishop of Killare, visited the nunnery of Druimard. 
 
 Killnaniugean, now unknown, near Arklow, in tlie territory of 
 Criochchualan. St. Brigid, said to have been the sister of St. Colman, 
 of Cloyne, wuis abbess of a nunnery here, where she was honored on the 
 6th of March. 
 
 Shruthair more properly should be placed in King’s county, near 
 the church of Sletty. A St. Mogoroc was revered on the 23d of Decem- 
 ber in the church of Dergne, in Hy-bruin chualan, a part of the present 
 county of Wicklow. 
 
 Archdall thinks that Shruthair may be the same as Dergne, though 
 he places Shruthair, near Sletty, which is in the Queen’s county, having 
 a monastery there in the tenth century. 
 
 A.D. 901, died the abbot Moelpolius or Pauliuus. 
 
720 
 
 ECCLKSIASTICAL HISTOET OF LRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 952, died the abbot Coincomrach, who also governed the 
 church of Killeaspuic Sanctan (in the barony of Rathdown, and county 
 of Dublin), and now called Cill-da-leis. 
 
 A.D. 1335, died the abbot MacCathail. 
 
 Teachnaromhan, in the territory of Ilygarchon. St. Palladius 
 founded this church, now unknown. 
 
 Whalley Abbey. See Ballykine, in this county. 
 
 Wicklow, the capital of Wicklow county, a seaport and market- 
 town, in the barony of Arklow, and on the river Leitrim. 
 
 In 1301, Wicklow was burned by the Irish, and in 1375, William 
 FitzWilliam, who had erected the castle of Wicklow, was appointed 
 governor of all that part of the country. 
 
 In the reign of king Henry III., a monastery for conventual Fran- 
 ciscans was founded in the town of Wicklow, by the O’Brynes and 
 O’Tooles. 
 
 Dermod O’Moore was the last warden ; and the inquisition, taken 
 10th of May, and in the fifth of Edward YL, finds, that at the time of 
 his surrender, he was seized of nine acres of arable land, and one acre 
 of meadow, annual value, besides reprises, 26s. lOd. 
 
 28th July and seventeenth of queen Elizabeth, a lease of said friary 
 was granted to Henry Harrington, for the term of twenty-one years, at 
 the annual rent of £3 12s. 9d. Irish money. 
 
 The walls of this friary still remain, and are enclosed within the 
 walls of a garden, whose proprietor seems to study their preservation. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 721 
 
 CHAPTER LXVIL 
 
 THE EARLY MARTYRS OP IRELAND— MASSACRES OF THE DANES— SCHISMA- 
 TICAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE EIGHTH HENRY— REIGNS OF EDWARD VL, 
 MARY, ELIZ \ BETH— EXCOMMUNICATION OF, BY THE PONTIFF ST. PIUS 
 V.— TREACHERY OP ELIZABETH BEFORE HER DEATH TOWARDS SOME 
 RELIGIOUS OP IRELAND, &c.— THE MARTYRED PRELATES AND ECCLESI- 
 ASTICS OP IRELAND— DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OP TOR- 
 TURE USED UNDER THE PAGAN PERSECUTORS— SHORT ACC6UNTS OP 
 NERO, JULIAN THE APOSTATE, DIOCLETIAN, MAXIMINUS, VALENS THE 
 ARIAN, ANASTASIUS, ARIUS, NESTORIUS, MONTANUS AND CERINTHUS, 
 MANES, LUTHER, AND CALVIN. 
 
 A.D. 452, Odran, the faithful servant of St. Patrick, was transfixed 
 with a lance by a wicked Irish prince, named Failge, generously laying 
 down his own life to preserve to Ireland that of her national apostle. 
 
 0 Iran is the only martyr on record whose blood has been shed by 
 the l ands of an Irishman within the precincts of the island. 
 
 A.D. 600, about this year, St. Dympna, an Irish virgin, suffered 
 martyrdom. She was the daugliter of an Irish prince, Damen, or of a 
 son of his, king of Orgiel, and who was also the grandfather of St. Enda, 
 of Arran, who having lost his wife, conceived an unnatural affection for 
 his daughter, and wished to marry her on account of her extraordinary 
 beauty, and the great likeness she bore to her mother. Dympna was 
 secretly a Christian (as English ladies are now-a-days privately Catho- 
 lic), and had been baptized and instructed by a worthy priest, named 
 Gerebern, by whom her mother, as well as others, were attended. 
 
 To avoid being forced to submit to her father’s hori ible proposal, she 
 contrived to escape from Ireland, accompanied by her pious instructor 
 and some other persons, and safely arrived at Antwerp, whence she 
 went to Gheel, then a small place, now a populous town of Brabant. 
 Here she found a church dedicated to St. Martin, near which she pro- 
 cured a habitation for herself and her companions, where they led a 
 most religious life, the priest Gerebern celebrating the divine mysteries 
 for them in the church. Tlie king, being apprized of her flight, sailed 
 in quest of his daughter, attended by many followers, and having also 
 
722 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 arrived at Antwerp, sent persons tlirou^h the country to make enquiries 
 concerning Dympna. Some of them stopped for a night at W esterloo, 
 and on the next morning, when paying their host for the accommodation 
 they had received, in Irish money, were told by him, that he had some 
 coins like theirs, the value of which he did not precisely know. On 
 being asked how he had gotten them, he said that a young and very 
 beautiful lady, who had come over from Ireland, and who lived in a 
 retired place, not far distant, together with a venerable old pi-iest, was 
 in the habit of sending some of these coins to him for such articles as 
 she needed. Having procured directions to the retreat of the virgin, 
 they saw her at a distance, and on recognizing her, immediately returned 
 to Antwerp, and informed the king of the discovery they had made. 
 Her father went with his attendants to the place, where she was, and, 
 Laving found her and Gerebern, endeavored to pei'suade her to accede 
 to his infamous design. Gerebern, beginning to remonstrate against his 
 conduct, Avas instantly put to death, and again the father strove to 
 obtain her assent. Dympna was inflexible, and reproaching him with 
 the wickedness of his proceeding, declared that she detested his gods 
 and goddesses, and that nothing should induce her to offend Jesus 
 Christ, the true spouse of her soul. Hereupon the king became out- 
 rageous, and gave ordere that she should be beheaded. As all his 
 attendants declined to obey the savage command, he became the execu- 
 tioner himself, and murdered his own daughter. 
 
 Her remains, and those of Gerebern, were left exposed, but after 
 some time were deposited in a cavern by some of the neighboring 
 inhabitants. They were, in process of time, removed elsewhere ; those 
 of Gerebern to a place named Southbeck, in the Ducliy of Cleves, and 
 those of Dympna to Gheel, where they are preserved in a precious urn, 
 and with great care, in a collegiate church, called after her name. 
 
 The day of her martyrdom is said to have been a 30th of May ; the 
 15th of that month, on which her festival is kept, being the anniversary 
 of a translation of her relics. 
 
 Li the Pagan era of Ireland, the worst, even of Persian practices, 
 such as the marriage of a son with his mother, occurred tliere, as well 
 as in other countries then far removed from the savage state. Proud 
 England, Protestant as she is, and glorying in her spirit of evangelical 
 liberty, in the enlightened nineteenth century, is steeped in incestuous 
 turpitude, as her courts of justice fully attest. 
 
 A.D. 616, the blessed Maelpatrick, and Munganus the anchorite, 
 were put to death at Old Leighlin, county Carlow, by robbers or pirates, 
 either Danes or Saxons. 
 
 A.D. 656, St. Livinus was decapitated on the 12th of November ; as 
 he is styled bishop of Dublin. See diocese of. 
 
E3CCLESIASTICAL HTSTOKY OF IKELAND. 
 
 723 
 
 T.iviniis seems to have been a bishop before his departure from 
 Ireland, but there is no authority for ranking Dublin as the seat of a 
 bishop, until, after their conversion to Christianity, the Danes procured 
 its erection into a bishopric, a fact which the registry of Christ’s church, 
 Dublin, places beyond doubt. 
 
 A.D. 680, July the 8th, St. Kylian, the illustrious apostle of Fran- 
 conia, with his holy companions, Colman and Totnan, while singing the 
 divine office, was put to death. Their remains were interred in the 
 church of Wurtzburgh, where St. Kilian is revered as apostle and 
 patron. See page 338. 
 
 A.D. 775, June the 24th, St. Rumold, also called bishop of Dublin, 
 was put to death. See diocese of Dublin. 
 
 In the wars of 1580, Sir John ISTorris, in command of the English 
 troops, rifled the cathedral of Meclin, destroyed the shrine, and scat- 
 tered the relics of St. Rumold. 
 
 O'Sullivan Beare relates some extraordinary circumstances relative 
 to the death of I7orris. However this may be, ISTorris received a 
 wound, which he concealed, through pride, and having become suddenly 
 mortified, reduced his body to a mass of putrefaction. 
 
 A.D. 812, the monks of the monastery of Skellig, county Kerry, 
 were kept in close confinement by the Danes, until they perished 
 through hunger. 
 
 A.D. 818, the Danes broke open the shrine of St. Comgall, ot 
 Bangor, county Down, and put the abbot and his monks, nine hundred 
 in number, to' death. 
 
 A.D. 824, January the 19th, St. Blathmac was martyred by the 
 Danes in the abbey of Ily, while Diarmit was abbot of that monastery. 
 Blathmac was a native of Ireland, and heir to a principality ; but in 
 opposition to his father and others, among whom are mentioned a 
 bishop and some abbots, he retired from the world and became a monk, 
 and afterwards an abbot. Having had an ardent desire to visit some 
 foreign parts, from which he was prevented by his friends and com- 
 panions, he at length passed over to the island of Ily, where he was not 
 long sojourning, when a party of Danes approached the island. As he 
 was anxious to receive the crown of martyrdom, he resolved on remain- 
 ing there, whatever might happen, and by his example induced some 
 others to stay along with him, advising those who did not wish to 
 encounter the impending danger, to make their escape. 
 
 While celebrating mass, attended by his faithful and intrepid com- 
 panions, the Danes rushed into the church, and having slaughtered the 
 bystanders, came up to him, and asked for the precious metals within 
 which were contained the holy remains of St. Columba. These, having 
 been brought back from Korth Britain, had been concealed under 
 
721 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAJfD. 
 
 ground ; Blaitlimac not knowing in what particular spot. Accordingly, 
 he answered that he did not know where they were ; adding, that if he 
 did, he w’ould not point them out. lie was then put to death. The 
 name of this martyr is marked in some Iilsh calendai-s at July the 21th, 
 probably as the day of a translation of his remains. 
 
 A.D. 833, on Christmas night, the Danes forcibly entered the abbey 
 of Clonemore, and inhumanly massacred many of the monks. 
 
 A.D. 835, they also massacred many more of the monks of this 
 monastery. 
 
 A.D. 838, the Danes massacred the clergy of Clonard, county 
 Meath. 
 
 A.D. 839, the Danes killed and captured many bishops and other 
 reverend men of the abbey of Louth. 
 
 A.D. 811, Moran Mac Inrachty, abbot of Clogher, county Tyrone, 
 was slain by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 812, Hugh Mac Duffe, abbot of Tirdaglas, county Tipperary, 
 was put to death by the Danes. Ills festival is observed on the 8th of 
 July. 
 
 A.D. 813, Aldus, abbot of Clonenagh, Queen’s county, was crowned 
 with martyrdom by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 813, Kethernac, prior of Kildare, with many others of note, 
 who were there at the time, was barbarously put to the sword by the 
 Danes. Kuad, of Killachad (Killeigh, King’s county), was slain by the 
 Danes. 
 
 A.D. 851, Sodamna, bishop of Slane, martyred by the Danes. # 
 
 A.D. 872, Donogh Mac Moylduin, abbot of Killeigh, martyred by 
 the Danes. In 885, O’Mannan, prior of Cluain-muin, county of 
 Donegal, was martyred by the Danes. 
 
 In the same year, Dunchad Mac Maeldun, abbot of Killdelge, 
 Queen’s county, and many others, not enumerated, were martyred by 
 the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 917, the abbot of Trevet, county Meath, Indrech Inreachta, 
 was barbarously murdered by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 938, the abbot Suibiie, or Sweeny, of Slane, county Meath, 
 was slain by the Scandinavians. 
 
 A.D. 913, Colman, archdeacon of Slane, was martyred by the 
 Korthmen. 
 
 A.D. 916, Colman, dean of Slane, was put to death by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 918, Probus, with many others, was consumed by fire in the 
 tower of Slane church, to which the Danes were accessory. 
 
 A.D 918, one hundred and fifty monks, in the abbey of Drumrath, 
 county of Westmeath, were burned by the Ostmen. 
 
 A.D. 965, Mured, abbot of Kildare, was slain by the Danes. 
 
ECKJLESIASTICAL HTSTOKY OF lEELAND. 
 
 725 
 
 A.D. 980, the Danes of Dublin crowned with martyrdom the abbot 
 of Durrow, King’s county, Moyle Kieran O’Mayney. 
 
 A.D. 973, St. Feradach, abbot of Kathlin Island, county Antrim, 
 was martyred by the Danes. 
 
 A.D. 1022, St. Colinan honored as a martyr in Austria. 
 
 A.D. 1031, two hundred perished in the flames of the monastery of 
 Ardbraccan, county Meath, to which the Danes of Dublin set fire. 
 
 A.D. 1065, John, the apostle of Sclavonia and bishop of Mecklen- 
 burgh, was beheaded about this year, at Rethre, by the order of a Pagan 
 governor. 
 
 In making these savage attacks on the monasteries of Ireland, many 
 of which were restored almost as quickly as they were consumed by the 
 flames, the Danish barbarians were, it appears, actuated by a desire of 
 enriching themselves with the treasures of the sacred shrines, in which 
 were deposited the relics of the holy founders. Hence it is, that the 
 abbots of the monasteries were so frequently the objects of their parti- 
 cular fury, as they were supposed to know the secret places in which 
 these shrines were concealed. Ireland must, in those times, have 
 abounded in wealth, otherwise it is not easy to account for the many 
 ravages committed on a single monastery, as at Slane, in the course of a 
 few years. 
 
 The Danish invaders were not then Clitistians, and wdien converted 
 to the true faith, they w’ere as patriotic as the native Irish in resisting 
 the conquest of our dear isle by the really more savage Anglo-Kormau 
 hordes, Avho violated everything, sacred and profane. 
 
 Tliough the Danish predatory incursions, many of which w^ere fatal 
 to themselves, weakened and harassed the country, as well as enfeebled 
 the government of the native princes, yet the Danes were never able to 
 seize on the throne of Ireland, as they did that of proud Albion, having 
 given to the latter three monarchs, and having effectually crushed the 
 spirit of the Britons. Had the same national spirit that exhibited so 
 much patriotism and bravery on the battle-field of Clontarf, pervaded 
 the Irish princes Avhen the foul footsteps of the Saxons polluted the 
 soil of Ireland, the soul of music w'ould not have fled, nor would the 
 harp of Erin be slumbering in those halls wherein were sung the feats 
 of heroes, saints*, and sages. But according to the councils of heaven, 
 the number of Irish martyrs is not yet complete, and to England has 
 been reserved the performance of those tragic scenes which shall ever 
 rest as a stain upon the character of that countiy until time be no more, 
 as well as exhibit the futility of persecution as a means of propagating 
 the errors of superstition or of hei-etical tenets. In spreading her false 
 system of religion, England has employed the rack, the gibbet, the 
 torch, and the fagot ; and when these instruments fail her, lying and 
 
726 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF IRELAND. 
 
 falsehood, calumny and misrepresentation, which she must inherit from 
 the “ father of lies,” and with which her people, from the peer to the 
 peasant, from the highest eleve of her ecclesiastical regime to the most 
 stupid of her parsons, are more than amply endowed, are industriously 
 circulated. When the Catholic church is to he maligned and insulfcd 
 lest public attention be directed towards the huge robberies which 
 England has committed in the name of religion — robberies which 
 demonstrate her as that “scarlet lady” brimbil of crime against God 
 and his saints — intoxicated with the blood of her martyi-ed children ; 
 and again, when these vile agencies jirove defective, as well as unsuc- 
 cessful, thereby demonstrating that such are not the means which 
 Heaven can or could approve, England extends the a?gis of her protec- 
 tion to every European liberal who chooses to associate his name with 
 that of a political regenerator of his country, and whose breast is over- 
 full of hatred to the Catholic church. With such firebrands she excites 
 in foreign states seditions and commotions, which her Cecils and 
 Palmerstons sanction by their diplomatic smiles, in order that England, 
 the land of Bihles and of bastards, free from internal struggle, enjoying 
 the blessings of peaceful arts and evangelical liberty, be held up as the 
 “ glory of surrounding nations, and the admiration of the world and 
 lest these nations which her intrigues and infiimous policy shake to 
 their very centre, should confederate in mutual defence against her 
 aggressions and injuries. 
 
 Gifted as she is with the spirit of falsehood and calumny, England 
 strives to accumulate all the odium of her own persecuting spirit on the 
 Catholic subjects of the empire, unmindful that the Catholics of Ireland 
 never administered fuel to the fires of Smithfield. If then a Catholic 
 government is charged with acts of blood, when the Catholic religion 
 was established in England under Philip and ]\Iary, the pages of its 
 history belong to the government of England, and cannot with the least 
 justice be imputed to the tenets of the Catholic church, or to the people 
 of Ireland, who have ever repudiated 'persecution, and who have not, 
 when in their power, returned blood for blood. 
 
 Let proud Albion now quaff the bitter draught which her own mis- 
 rule and her fanaticism profier to her lips. Let her cheek be at length 
 purpled with the “ scarlet narrative ” of her murders and her massacres 
 in the name of religion, in the name of that sacred Gosiiel which dis- 
 claims the sword in its cause, and which recognises no other aggression 
 than that of argument and persuasion, which the sanctity of her doctrine, 
 the power of truth and the evidence of miracles recommend as well as 
 enforce. 
 
 The history of England cannot be read without tears, when we 
 behold that nation, once the most zealous in the cause of Catholicity, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAI- mSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 T2r 
 
 now become its most infuriated enemy, "VVlio will not be touched with 
 sorrow to see a kingdom once attached to the centre of unity and of 
 faith, submerged in every error and heresy to which man in the pride 
 of his rebellious spirit has given origin? Fifteen English kings and 
 eleven queens have renounced the world and assumed the habits of reli- 
 gion in different convents ; twelve kings were martyrs, and ten have 
 been placed on the catalogue of saints. It is said, that previous to the 
 schism, there was not a village in England which had not a patron- 
 saint born on the spot. IIow dreadful, then, to behold this land the 
 abode of schism and heresy ! 
 
 England, it is said, received the faith in the time of Tiberius CiEsar. 
 Joseph of Aramathea, says Saunders, with twelve disciples, introduced 
 Christianity into the island, which in the time of Pope Eleutherius had 
 spread so much, that, at the request of King Lucius, the pontiff sent 
 them Fugacius and Damian, who baptized the king and many of his 
 subjects, and having cast down the idols, consecrated many churches, 
 and established several bishoprics. England remained firm in the faith 
 during the persecution of Diocletian, and many of her primitive Chris- 
 tians sealed their faith with their blood. During the reign of Constan- 
 tine, the first Christian emperor, the faith increased very much, and 
 though many had fallen into the errors of Arius and Pelagius, they 
 were reconverted by the preaching of SS. Germaine and Lupus, two 
 holy bishops, who came from France, having been sent for that purpose 
 by the then presiding pontiff of Rome. About the year 59G, the Saxon 
 conquest almost extinguished the embers of the faith ; but St. Gregory 
 the Great, then the representative of Jesus Christ, and the successor of 
 St. Peter, sent over St. Austin, with forty Benedictine monks, who con- 
 verted the whole Saxon population, and for nearly a thousand years 
 after, they were remarkable for their zeal in the cause of the faith and 
 their veneration and respect towards the holy Roman and Apostolic 
 See. During this long period there were no sovereigns of Europe more 
 obedient to tlie See of Rome than those of England. 
 
 In the year 1212, King John and the barons of the kingdom made 
 England feudatory to the Holy See, holding the realms of England and 
 Ireland as fiefs from the Pope, and paying a thousand marcs every year 
 on the feast of St. Michael, and Peter’s pence according to the number 
 of hearths in those kingdoms, which was first promised by king Ina, A.D. 
 740, augmented by King Etholf, and paid up to the twenty-fifth year of 
 Henry’s reign, when that unhappy monarch separated himself from the 
 obedience and direction of the Holy See. Many provincial councils 
 were held in England during these centuries, for the establishment of 
 ecclesiastical discipline, which was always observed till Henry’s reign, 
 when, to satisfy a debasing passion for a wicked woman, he plunged 
 
Y28 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL III3T0KT OF IKELAIfD. 
 
 himself into a v’ortex of crimes and involved the nation in his ruin, thus 
 making England, once the glory of the church, a sink of wickedness, 
 impiety, turpitude, and error. In the year 1501, Henry YII. married 
 his eldest son, Arthur, to Catharine, of Arragon, the daughter of his 
 Catholic Majesty Ferdinand; but that prince having died before the 
 consummation of his marriage, she was then wedded to his second 
 son, Henry YHL, Pope Julius H. granting a dispensation with a view 
 of preserving the peace with Spain. At this time Henry was so 
 attached to the Catholic religion, that, when Luther attacked it, he 
 persecuted the followers of the German heresiarch to death, and caused 
 all his books to be burned in his presence by the public e.xecutioner. 
 He then published a book defending the doctrine of faith in the seven 
 sacraments in opposition to Martin Luther (though some attribute it to 
 Fisher, bishop of Rochester), and dedicated it to Pope Leo X., who on 
 this occasion honored Henry with the title of “ Defender of the Faith,” 
 a title which his heretical successors still retain with as little consistency 
 as right. But becoming enamored of Anna Boleyn, and blind to every 
 thing except the indulgence of his brutal passion, he began to entertain 
 towards Katharine the greatest avereion, though they had spent twenty- 
 tive years in connubial bliss and happiness. 
 
 Anna Boleyn, the rejputed daughter of Ilenj'y himself was consid- 
 ered the most beautiful woman in England, and perceiving the impres- 
 sion which her charms had raised in the king’s breast, she was artful 
 enough to refuse him admission to her presence unless tlie tie of mar- 
 riage, licit or otherwise, would sanction her assent. Such was the 
 ardent temper of Henry, that the more resisted in any wish, he became 
 the more resolute in achieving his design, though having once obtained 
 his object, he despised his accomplice. Aware, then, that his negotia- 
 tion with Anna Boleyn would be fruitless, he resolved on the rash step 
 of marrying her, utterly regardless of its consequences to religion and 
 to public virtue. 
 
 Unfortunate England was at this period almost governed by 
 Tliomas AVolsey, a man of low birth, but whose intriguing disposition 
 gained so much on the good will of the sovereign, that he was elevated 
 not only to the archbishopric cf York, but also to the high office of 
 Urd chancellor of England, and a cardinal of the holy Roman Catholic 
 church. Seeing his king disgusted with his lawful wife, the cardinal 
 keeper of the king’s conscience advised him to seek a divorce, at the 
 same time assuring him that his marriage with Catharine was not legal, 
 as she had been his brother’s wife. Wolsey’s objection could not be 
 maintained, as the Pope had issued a dispensation in the case, and as 
 the impediment that existed was a canonical one, and not imposed by 
 the Divine Laiv. From Genesis, chapter 38, it is proved that the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELANP. 
 
 729 
 
 patriarch Jiula made liis second son, Onan, marry Tliamar, the wife of 
 liis elder brother, who died without children ; and in the Mosaic law 
 there was a precept obliging the younger brother to take his elder 
 brother’s widow to wife, if he had died without leaving children. 
 “ When brethren dwell together and one of them die without children, 
 the wife of the deceased shall not marry to another, but his brother shall 
 take her and raise up seed for his brother,” Dent. c. 25, v. 5. What, 
 therefore, was not only permitted, but ordered by the old law, could 
 never have been contrary to the law of nature. Neither is the prohibi- 
 tion of Leviticus, chap. 18, v. 10, to be taken into account, as it applies 
 only to the instance of the father deceased having left children, and not 
 to the former case, where he died childless, for then the surviving 
 brother is commanded to marry the widow, that his dead brother’s 
 name should not be lost in Israel. The dispensation, then, of the pontiff, 
 and the marriage of Henry with Katharine, of Arragon, were valid 
 transactions, which the evil counsellor AVolsey should have represented 
 to his sovereign as such, instead of raising unfounded scruples in the 
 mind of the king. 
 
 The king consulted the canonists and doctors of the Sorbonne, at 
 Paris, forty-five of whom gave, as their opinion, that his marriage was 
 valid, while fifty-three maintained a contrary opinion, but Molineaux 
 affirms that all these votes were purchased on the occasion. Henry 
 even wrote to the Lutheran divines of Germany, on whose part Melanc- 
 thon, having consulted others, replied, that the law prohibiting a man 
 to marry his brother’s wife coiild be dispensed with, and that his mar- 
 riage with Catherine was therefore valid. Relying on the more agree- 
 able opinion of his flatterer, Wolsey, Henry resolved to make Anna 
 Roleyn his bride. It is said that Sir Thomas Boleyn, having been made 
 acquainted with the king’s intention, posted from Paris, and assured 
 Henry that his wife confessed to him that Anna was Henry’s own 
 daugliter ; but the monarch gave him a rude answer, told him to return 
 to his official duties, and finally assured him that he would marry his 
 favorite Anna. It is also related tl'.at from the age of fifteen Anna 
 was of bad character, and that during her residence in Paris her con- 
 duct was so depraved that she was usually called an improper name 
 (the English mare). 
 
 Henry, fully determined to wed this unfortunate woman, sent to 
 Rome to demand of the Pope to appoint Cardinal Campeggio and Car- 
 dinal Wolsey to try the case of the divorce. The Pope consented, but 
 the queen firmly appealed against these prelates as the judges of her 
 cause, one of them, as she alleged, being the king’s subject, and the 
 other under obligations to him. Notwithstanding the justice of her 
 appeal, the case was tried in England. Henry, certain of a favorable 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAAT). 
 
 'rso 
 
 issue, wlslied for an immediate decision, as one of the judges was the 
 prime mover of the intrigue; but Wulsej, now viewing more calmlj 
 the tempest which he had excited, portending ruin to religion, and 
 underetanding the scandal which his obsequiousness to the will of the 
 sovereign would cause, evaded coming to an issue on the subject. 
 
 The pope, having admitted the justice of the queen’s appeal, pro- 
 hibited the cardinal legates from proceeding with the cause, which he 
 transferred to his own tribunal. Henry thereon sent Crannier to Rome 
 to watch his affairs. The representative of Henry at Rome was a priest 
 of immoral life, who had privately embraced the Lutheran doctrines, 
 and who was indebted to Anna Eoleyn for the king's favor. The 
 jiatron and the advocate seemed worthy of each other. In the mean- 
 time Henry strove to draw over to his cause Reginald Pole and Thomas 
 More, both of whom regarded the interests of religion too well to 
 become his venal supporters. In order to frighten the pontiff into com- 
 pliance with his wishes, Henry prohibited, under the gravest penalties, 
 any of his subjects from recurring to Rome for any favor or grace, 
 without his consent. "With AVolsey the king became furious, because 
 he did not expedite the sentence in his favor, and banished him to his 
 see of York. Soon after, an order was given for his arrest, and on his 
 way to London, whither the king commanded that he should be brought, 
 but suffering much on his journey, and distressed in mind as well as in 
 body, the cardinal breathed his last in the abbey of Leicester, in the 
 month of December, 1530. “ Had I served God,” said he, as faith- 
 
 fully as I served the king, he would not have given me over in my grey 
 hairs.” Yes, death pointed out to him the instability of earthly friend- 
 ship and dignity, reminding him, at the same time, tliat our heavenly 
 father is the only true and sincere friend, whose' chastisement is pater- 
 nal, and whose anger with his children, when they offend, is remedial, 
 and conducive towards that immortal destiny which he has intended 
 for us. 
 
 The advocate of Henry wrote from Rome, that he found it im[)OS- 
 sible to obtain the Pope’s consent to the divorce. He was then recalled 
 by the king, and having gone to Germany, he there married the sister 
 or niece of Osiander, whom he afterwards imported into England in a 
 cask, lest his liege lord, Henry, Avould send his head to the block for a 
 violation of that continence which he enforced in the clergy. But on 
 the death of Warrham, the archbishop of Canterbury, Cranmer Avas 
 appointed his successor, AAuth the express condition of pronouncing a 
 sentence of divorce betAveen the king and his Avife Catharine. Henry, 
 finding that the clergy of the kingdom espoused the cause of the injured 
 queen, resolved on punishing them b}^ a “ praemunire,” for preferring 
 the legatine to the royal authority. The clergy, alarmed at the pro- 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IHSTOEY OF LRELAND. 
 
 731 
 
 ceedlng, and lei't without tlie protection of the lioly See, offered the 
 king the siini of 400,000 crowns to coinproinise the matter, and 
 admitted his sovereign power in the realm, both over the clergy and 
 laity. Thomas More, seeing the ruin of England at hand, resigned the 
 chancellorship, and the Pope, Clement VII., anxious to prevent the 
 imminent danger to religion, as well as to the realm, from the admira- 
 tion of Henry for Anna, as his mistress, endeavored to deter the king 
 by sentence of excommunication, should he attempt to marry xlnna 
 while the question of the divorce was undecided. The prohibition infu- 
 riated Henry the more, and despising the admonitions and censures of 
 the Pope, he was privately wedded to Anna Boleyn, befoi’e the break 
 of day, in the month of December, 1532, having, beforehand, created 
 her countess of Pembroke. Roland Lee was the officiating priest ; and 
 it is believ'ed by some that Henry deceived him, telling him that he 
 had procured the Pope’s permission to marry again. 
 
 Under favor of the new queen, Thomas Cromwell was now advanced 
 to the highest honors. Thomas was a man of the greatest cunning and 
 of the most unbounded ambition, and, moreover, a follower of the 
 Lutheran doctrine. He was appointed knight of the garter, grand 
 chamberlain of the kingdom, keeper of the privy seal, as well as vicar- 
 general in ecclesiastical affairs, which he entirely managed as he pleased, 
 in conjunction with archbishop Cranmer and the new chancellor, 
 Audley. Thomas obliged ecclesiastics to take an oath of obedience in 
 spirituals, to the king, as they did previously to the Pope. Every 
 means were tried to induce the venerable Fisher, bishop of Rochester, 
 to take this oath, which he at first refused to do, but at length consented, 
 adding, as a condition, “ inasmuch as it was not ojiposed to the divine 
 Word.” This pillar of the church shaken, it was not difficult to induce 
 the rest of the clergy to give in their adhesion to the new order of 
 things. Cranmer could now throw off the mask, and perform his com- 
 pact with Henry. lie accordingly pronounced the marriage of Henry 
 with Catharine opposed to the divine law, declaring the king at liberty 
 to contract marriage with another woman, whereupon Henry solemnly 
 wedded his favorite Anna on the 13th of April, 1533. 
 
 Clement VH. now seeing that mild measures were ineffectual, deter- 
 mined to act with extreme severity. The marriage with Anna was 
 declared invalid ; the issue thereof, either present or future, illegitimate ; 
 and Catharine was declared as restored to her conjugal and royal rights. 
 Henry was excommunicated for his contumacy to the holy See, a month 
 having been allowed him for reflection and repentance. But the obsti- 
 nate temper of Henry was not to be subdued by mild or harsh m6a 
 sures w'hile in pursuit of an infamous desire. On his part, he prohibited 
 any one from giving the title of queen to Catharine, or styling her 
 
732 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAX HISTOEY OF IKELANB. 
 
 daughter, Mary, heiress of the kingdom, though she was proclaimed as 
 such by the estates of the realm. Henry declared her illegitimate, 
 and sent her to live with her mother, Catharine. In the meantime, 
 Anna Boleyn had a daughter, Elizabeth, born on the 7th of September, 
 five months after her solemn marriage with Henry, who continued his 
 persecution of the Catholics by sending to prison bishop Fisher, Sir 
 Thomas More, and two hundred observantine friare of the order of St. 
 Francis. And in the parliament assembled on the 3d of November, 
 1534:, a bill was passed in both houses, declaring Mary, the daughter of 
 Catharine, excluded from the succession, and recognizing Elizabeth, 
 Anna’s daughter, as heiress to the throne. 
 
 The power of the Pope in England and Ireland was rejected at the 
 same time, and whoever professed to believe in the supremacy of the 
 holy See was declared a rebel. 
 
 Henry assumed an authority over the bishops of the kingdom 
 which the pontifi" never possessed ; for he granted them their powers 
 as if they were secular officere, and revocable at his will, at the same 
 time restricting them in the right of ordaining priests or publishing 
 censures without his consent. Finally, it was decreed that the king wag 
 siipreme head of the church of England ; that to him alone it belonged 
 to extirpate heresies, correct abuses ; and that to him, by right, belonged 
 all tithes and first fruits. The name of the Pope was expunged from 
 the liturgy, and among the petitions of Henry’s new-fangled litany, the 
 following one was impiously inserted : — “ From the tyranny and detes- 
 table enormities of the bishop of Rome, deliver us, O Lord !” 
 
 Henry, well knowing that his assumption of spiritual power was 
 without precedent, and that it was condemned by Catholics as well as 
 by the new “ apostles^ LutJier and Calvin," gave orders that it should 
 be defended by theologians in their writings, some of whom volun- 
 tarily, others by force, undertook to maintain such an untenable doc- 
 trine. How different was the conduct of the first Christian emperor, 
 Constantine, when he entered the assembly of the fiithers, who met at 
 Nice, to pronounce anathema against the blasphemies of the arch-heretic 
 Arius : — “God,” says the pious emperor, “has made you priests, and 
 has given you power even to judge ourselves, and we are properly 
 judged by you, for you are given to us by God, as gods on this earth, 
 and it is not meet that man should judge gods.” He said, in continu- 
 ation, “ that it afforded him the greatest consolation to see so many 
 fixthers thus united in the same sentiments. He recommended peace to 
 them, and gave every one liberty to speak his mind. He praised the 
 defenders of the faith, and reproved the temerity of the Arians.” 
 Constantine the Great refused to sit down on the low seat he had 
 prepared for himself in the council, until the bishops desired him. He 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 733 
 
 then sat down ; all the bishops, with his permission, also taking their 
 seats. Henry was desirous tliat his relative, Reginald Pole, should 
 prostitute his pen in favor of his parliamentary assumption as supremo 
 head in spirituals, but that noble-minded man wrote a book on Eccle- 
 siastical Unity,” in direct opposition to the pretended right of Henry, 
 by which the tyrant was so provoked, tliat he declared him guilty of 
 high treason, and a traitor to his country ; tried to get him into his 
 power tliat he might put him to deatli ; and unable to gratify his thirst 
 for the blood of Pole, he wreaked his vengeance on his mother, the 
 countess of Salisbury, his brother, and uncle, who were executed, so 
 that this noble family was almost destroyed and brought to ruin. He, 
 for the same reason, began a most dreadful persecution of the friars, 
 especially the Franciscans, Carthusians, and Brigittines, many of whom 
 he put to death, besides bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas More. While 
 Fisher was in prison. Pope Paul HI. created him cardinal, which so 
 much ofiended the royal tyrant, that he at once condemned him to 
 death. It is related of this holy man, that when he was about to be led 
 to the place of execution, he dressed himself in the best clothes he 
 could procure, as that was, he said, the day of his marriage ; and as on 
 account of his age, and his sufferings in prison, he was so weak that he 
 w'as obliged to lean on a staff ; when he came in sight of the gibbet he 
 cast it away, and cried out : “ ISTow, my feet, do your duty, you have 
 but a little way to carry me.” When he ascended the gibbet he entoned 
 the Te Deum^ and thanked the Almighty for permitting him to die for 
 the faith ; he then laid his head on the block. When Sir Thomas More 
 heard that the bishop of Rochester was condemned to death, he 
 exclaimed : “ O Lord, I am unworthy of such glory, but I hope thou 
 wilt render me worthy.” His wife came to the prison to induce him to 
 yield to the king’s wishes, but he refused. After fourteen months’ 
 confinement he was brought to trial, and was condemned to lose his 
 head. When about to mount the scaffold, he called to a man near him, 
 to assist in climbing the steps. “ When I am come down, my friend,” 
 said he, “ I will want no one to assist me.” On the scaffold he pro- 
 tested before the people that he died for the Catholic faith. He then 
 most devoutly recited the psalm Miserere^ and resignedly laid his head 
 upon the block. Thus ended the lives of these eminent men, whose 
 execution spread a general gloom all over England. 
 
 When Pope Paul HI. was informed of the disastrous turn of aflPairs, 
 he summoned Henry and all his accomplices to his tribunal ; and in 
 case of contumacy, fulminated the sentence of excommunication against 
 him, but without making it public, as there was still some hope left 
 that Henry would change his conduct — which unfortunately every day 
 more and more involved him in crime. As head of the church, ho 
 
734 
 
 E(X!LE8IASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 issued a commission to Lis vicar-general, Tliomas Cromwell, a mere 
 laic, to visit the convents, both of males and females, in his dominions ; 
 to dismiss all religious wlio were not twenty -four years of age, and to 
 leave the others at liberty to depart or remain, as they wished — a pro- 
 ceeding by which thousands of religious were hung back into the 
 world, whose vanities they had abandoned. About tliis time Queen 
 Catharine died, having borne her afltliction with patience, and before 
 her death having ivritten to the king a letter that would soften the 
 hardest heart. The vengeance of the Almighty was fast impending 
 over Anna Boleyn, who had been the cause of so much misery and 
 woe, to religion as well as to the realm. Henry’s affection was now 
 reaching its cooling point, as he laid his lustful eyes on Jane Seymour, 
 one of her maids of honor. Anna had still some hopes of regaining his 
 lost affection, by presenting him with a male heir. In this expectation 
 she w'as however disappointed, as the fruit of her adulterous, or perhaps 
 worse marriage, was still-born. How her misfortune became apparent. 
 She was accused of incest with her brother, George Boleyn, and of 
 crime with four others of the court. Her royal admirer at first refused 
 to give credence to the charges, but his jealousy was raised, and his 
 love for Jane Seymour likewise contributed to lier ruin. Anna, who 
 could not sympathise with the injured Catharine, was at once com- 
 mitted to the Tower of London. Cranmer, who entered on an iniquitous 
 compact with Henry, was now called upon to invalidate the marriage 
 with Anna, and declare Elizabeth, her daughter, illegitimate, as Anna 
 was married during the lifetime of Lord Percy, earl of Northumber- 
 land, between whom and Anna Boleyn, it was asserted, there was a 
 contract of marriage. The charge, however, was not founded in fact, 
 Percy having been only anxious to many her. Anna was tried for 
 adultery, and found guilty. She was to be burned or belieaded, at the 
 king’s plejisure. The unfortunate woman requested permission to speak 
 with the king, but was refused. All the favor she could obtain was 
 that she should be beheaded ; her brother and the four jiaramours to 
 undergo the same fate. On the day of her execution, the lieutenant of 
 the Tower remarked to her, as if to console her, that her execution 
 would be brief, as the axe-man was very expert in performing his busi- 
 ness. Slie smilingly answered, “ My neck is very slender.” 
 
 Henry the next day married Jane Seymour, wife the third, and in 
 the fullness of his indimiation at the treason and unfaithfulness of his 
 
 O 
 
 dear Anna Boleyn, convoked the parliament on the 7th of June, 1536, 
 and had the law passed in favor of Elizabeth repealed, by which Mary, 
 the daughter of Catharine, was excluded from the throne. And this 
 parliament, in its collected wisdom, enacted six articles for the regula- 
 tion of religious affairs in the kingdom. 1st. That the transubstantia- 
 
ECCLESIASnCAX HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 735 
 
 tion of the bread into the body of Clirist in the Eucharist, was an article 
 of faith. 2d. That communion should be given under one kind. 3rd. 
 That the celibacy of the clergy should be observed. 4th. That the vow 
 of chastity was binding. 5th. That the celebration of the mass was in 
 conformity with the divine law, and that private masses were not only 
 useful but necessary. 6th. That auricular confession should be strictly 
 practised. 
 
 These articles were confirmed by the king and by his parliament, 
 and penalties imposed on all who should either believe or teach doc- 
 trines contrary to them. The king’s primacy was left intact, so that 
 Henry, in right of his spiritual headship, appointed Ids vicar, Thomas 
 Cromwell, though a layman, to preside at all the synods of the bishops. 
 "When Pope Paul III. was informed of all these sacrilegious attempts on 
 the integrity of faith, and especially of the insult ofl’ered to the memory 
 of St. Thomas-a-Becket, who was tried and condemned, as a traitor to his 
 country, and his sacred body disinterred, burned, and the ashes thrown 
 into the Tliames, he published a brief on the 1st of January, 1538, 
 ordering that the sentence before passed against the tyrant should be 
 published. It was, however, delayed on account of the melancholy 
 death of Queen Jane, who died in child-birth, leaving an heir, Edward 
 VI., under whom the ruin of the country was completed, as heresy 
 struck her roots deep in the soil of England. 
 
 On the death of Jane Seymour, Henry began to look out for wife 
 the fourth ; and the Pope, hoping to bring him to a sense of his duty, 
 wrote to him a letter, in which he assured him of the sentence of excom- 
 munication hanging over him, which, however, he did not promulgate, 
 still trusting that he would be reconciled with the church. At the 
 same time the pontiff’ created Eeginald Pole a cardinal, and sent him 
 to France as his legate, that he might endeavor to arrange a matrimo- 
 nial alliance between Henry and Margaret, the daughter of Fi-ancis I. 
 of France. Cardinal Pole accordingly set out for France, and settled 
 the matter with the French monarch, but Henry was unwilling, and 
 wrote to Francis, telling him that the cardinal was a rebel, and re(,|uir- 
 ing of him to deliver him up. This Francis refused to do, and on being 
 apprized of his danger, the cardinal quitted France. 
 
 Thomas Cromwell, his vicar-general, now deemed it a good oppor- 
 tunity to induce the king to choose a wife on his recommendation, and 
 gain him over as a proselyte to his religion, which was Lutheran. He 
 then proposed, as his future spouse, Anne, daughter of the Duke of 
 Cleves, head of one of the noblest families in Germany, and sister to 
 the electress of Saxony. Anne was gifted with many good qualities, 
 but she was a Lutheran, and her relatives were the chiefs of the league 
 of Smalcald. Henry wished to have been admitted a member of this 
 
736 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 league ; and as tlie Lutherans had no confidence in him, lie imagined 
 that h}^ marrying a Lutheran princess he would thereby remove the 
 difiiculty which had existed to his admission. To this marriage ho 
 assented, and which was accordingly solemnized on the 3d of January, 
 1540, Avith great joy, Thomas Cromwell having been appointed high 
 chancellor and earl of Essex on the occasion. Henry, after the lapse of 
 seven months, publicly declared that he was discontented with his 
 queen, especially as she was a heretic. 
 
 Becoming enamored of Catharine Howard, the niece of the Duke of 
 Norfolk, and maid of honor to Anne of Cleves, and seeing no hopes of 
 being admitted to favor unless by marriage, he called upon his vicar- 
 general Cromwell to assist in divorcing him from his queen. Crom- 
 well’s fortunes were placed in the same bark with those of Anne. He 
 dreaded that her separation from Henry would entail ruin on his 
 own prospects, and Cromwell, in consequence, most determinedly 
 refused to participate therein. Henry, disgusted with his obstinacy, 
 eagerly sought an occasion to effect his ruin, and soon found him within 
 his grasp. The chiefs of the Protestant league dispatched their agents 
 to London to conclude with Henry his promised alliance with them. 
 Being now intent on repudiating Anne, he declined treating with them. 
 However, Cromwell, confident of his approval, took on himself the 
 liberty of signing the treaty. The emperor having complained of this 
 a.Aance, Henry swore that he had no cognizance of the matter. Crom- 
 well was sent for, and in the presence of many of the nobility, was pub- 
 licly charged with signing a treaty without having a guarantee for so 
 doing, and was immediately conducted to the Tower. Cromwell now 
 urgently sought for a public trial, that he might have an opportunity of 
 justifying his conduct ; but as independently of this new charge, he was 
 convicted of other crimes, such as heresy, peculation, and illegal impo- 
 sitions, Cromwell was himself condemned, decapitated, quartered, and 
 his property confiscated. Such was the fate of this fiimous vicar-gene- 
 ral, who condemned so many Catholics without a hearing, and whose 
 melancholy exit to another tribunal is a warning to others, who in the 
 sunshine of regal favoi-s and dignities forget that “ there is a God in 
 Israel.” 
 
 The unhappy queen was now informed, that unless she assented to 
 a divorce, the laws against heretics would be put in force against her, 
 as she was a Lutheran. Dreading the fate that awaited her in case of 
 refusal, and unwilling to undergo the shame of a public repudiation, 
 she admitted, it is said, that previous to her marriage with Henry, she 
 was promised to another. So Cranmer pronounced another liberate in 
 faA'or of Henry, authorising him to proceed to a fifth marriage. The 
 decision of Cranmer was based in inj ustice, as the contract of marriage 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 between Anne and the Duke of Lorraine, on which it was founded, 
 took place while they were both children and was never ratified. 
 
 'Within the space of a week, Henry was married to the fifth lady 
 of his affections, Catharine Howard, who soon met the same fate as the 
 unfortunate Anna Boleyn. She was charged before Parliament with 
 dissolute conduct before her marriage and of subsequent adultery, for 
 which she was condemned to be beheaded. Henry then procured the 
 enactment of a law, making it treason in any lady to marry his royal 
 majesty if previously she had offended against the virtue of chastity, 
 lie then married wife the sixth, Katharine Parr, sister to the earl of 
 Essex, who survived her royal consort ; but having married tlie brother 
 of the regent Somerset, Tliomas Sejunour, lord high admiral of England, 
 who was put to death by his brother, she died of a broken heart. 
 
 Death at last was about to terminate the crimes of this royal mon- 
 ster ; he was now fifty-seven years of age, and had grown to such an 
 enormous size that he could not pass through the doorways of his palace. 
 A deep-rooted sadness and remorse now seized him ; all liis crimes, 
 sacrileges, and scandals were now marshalled before his gloomy imagin- 
 ation. In establishing his supremacy over the English church, he had 
 put to death two cardinals, three archbishops, eighteen bishops and arch- 
 deacons, five hundred priests, sixty superiors of religious houses, fifty 
 canons, twenty-nine peers, three hundred and sixty-six knights, and an 
 immense number both of the gentry and people. Ulcers in one of his 
 legs, together with fever, assured him that his end was nigh. It is 
 asserted by some that he even hinted at a reconciliation with the 
 church, but none of those present had the courage to tell the course he 
 ought to have adopted. All dreaded his crueltjq and none were willing 
 to risk their lives by announcing that his only chance of salvation was 
 to repent of his acts ; to repair, as far as possible, the liuge scandals he 
 had given, and to return humbly to that church which he had outraged 
 and deserted. One only had the fortitude to suggest tliat he ought to 
 have convoked parliament, in order that things would be once more set 
 right. The secretaries of state were ordered, it is said, to convene it^ 
 they, however, dreading that they would be obliged to disgorge the 
 plunder of the church, put off its convocation, thus leaving the church 
 in the greatest confusion, until irreparable ruin overtook it, while 
 Somerset was protector. 
 
 Previous to his death, Henry opened a church belonging to the 
 Franciscans, and had mass celebrated in it, as if such an act was suffi- 
 cient reparation for the innumerable evils he had done to religion. He 
 then arranged his will, leaving his only son, Edward, heir to the throne, 
 who was only nine years of age, appointing sixteen guardians, who were 
 
 to be, of course, the conservators of the supremacy ; ordering that he 
 
 47 
 
738 
 
 ECCLKSIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 slioiild be brought up in tlie Catholic faith, hut insisting that he should 
 never resign the primacy of the English church. In case that ihk 
 infant primate died without issue, the crown was Mary’s daughter to 
 Catharine of Arragon, and should she also depart issucless, it was 
 bequeathed to Elizabeth, the illegitimate daughter of Anna Boleyn. 
 He caused mass to he celebrated several times in his chamber, and 
 wished that the holy eucharist should he administered to him in one 
 kind alone. When the viatic was brought, he received it kneeling, and 
 when assured that such a posture was unnecessary in his infirm situa- 
 tion, he replied, “If I could bury myself under the earth, I could not 
 shew sufficient respect to the God I am about to receive;” hut to that 
 God he rendered not the homage of a contrite and broken heart for the 
 heinous offences which he had committed against that church on which 
 he trampeled, dying out of her communion. He called for some reli- 
 gious to attend him in his last moments, after having banished them out 
 of the kingdom. "Wishing to have some drink, and having tasted, he 
 said to his assistants in a loud tone, “ So this is the end of it, and all is 
 lost for me,” and immediately expired. He died on the first of Febru- 
 ary, 154:7, and in the thirty-eighth year of his reign. 
 
 Eeign of Edward A"I. — Edward Seymour, earl of Hertford, was one 
 of the guardians apjiointed by Henry to assist in administering the 
 affairs of the kingdom, while the young primate continued in his mino- 
 rity. He was maternal uncle to the prince, being the brother of Jane 
 Seymour, who died in child-birth. Although he outwardly professed 
 the Catholic faith, he was a disguised Zuinglian, and as the majority of 
 the prince’s guardians were Catholics, Somerset intrigued with some of 
 the prineijial nobility of the kingdom, pointing out the dangei’s to their 
 interests should the young king be trained under their guidance ; 
 that they should, sooner or later, have to surrender the property of the 
 church, which Henry had conferred upen them ; that the su2)pressed 
 and impoverished churches should be repaired and rebuilt, to the great 
 detriment of the royal treasury, and that the only way to prevent such 
 a consummation was to have himself appointed governor of the king- 
 dom. He craftily suppressed Henry’s will, and produced a forged one 
 in which Edward was declared head of the English church and Somer- 
 set himself as regent. Pie then procured himself the title of duke of 
 Somerset, and assumed that of the protector of the kingdom. 
 
 Having now seized supreme control in governing the realm as pro- 
 tector, his real character w'as unveiled. At once his Protestantism is 
 avowed, and teachers are appointed to disseminate heresy. The bishops 
 are prohibited from preaching or ordaining without the infantpi'imati^s 
 permission, ■which was sure to be refused to any one, unless to the 
 abettors of Zuinglian tenets. Amongst the rest, the impious Cranmer, 
 
ECCLKSIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 730 
 
 the psnnclo-archltisliop of Canterbnr}", witli Somerset as protector, pub- 
 licly preached against the Catholic church — published a catechism, 
 replete with the most wicked doctrines against the faith — now publicly 
 married a wife, who lived with him privately, as a concubine, through 
 fear of Henry’s rage — the protector approving such an act of impiety. 
 Hugh Latimer, bishop of Winchester, who was deposed from his see for 
 preaching in London against the doctrine of the real presence, was now 
 appointed by Somerset as principal teacher of the Zuinglian heresies, 
 lie invited, at the same time, from Strasbourg, three fiimous apostates, 
 who were religious, and well known throughout all Europe : Martin 
 Bucer, now seventy years of age, and who was three times married , 
 Peter Martyr, and Bernard Ocliin, and appointed them professors in the 
 universities of Oxford and Cambridge, in order to infect the minds of 
 their pupils with the poisonous leaven of heresy, while he banished 
 every Catholic professor from those colleges. To complete the work of 
 iniquity which he had so well at heart, Somerset appointed, as tutore to 
 the young primate, Bichard Crock, a priest who violated his vows by 
 taking a wife, and John Check, a layman, of debauched life, to instruct 
 the prince in the arts of vice and heresy. He also tried to seduce the 
 princess Mary from the Catholic faith, by sending Bucer, Peter Martyr 
 and Ochin to tamper with her ; but her determined resistance gave 
 them no hopes of success in making a second effort. His next step was 
 to abolish the six articles of Henry VHL, and on the auspicious 5th of 
 November, 15-1-7, this ardent reformer obtained the sanction of parlia- 
 mentary wisdom and omnipotence for overthrowing the Catholic religion, 
 the mass, the veneration of sacred images, and for the confiscation of 
 the sacred vessels and ornaments of the altars. 
 
 Somerset next ordained that communion should be given in both 
 kinds; that the Scriptures should ’be generally read in the vulgar 
 tongue, and that all bishops or other ecclesiastics refusing compliance 
 with this oi’der, should be sent to prison and deprived of their benefices, 
 and reformers installed in their places. In this good work Somerset was 
 counselled by Gcdmn^ who wrote to the protector a long letter^ in which 
 lie exhorted him to abolish the Catholic religion hj persecution y the 
 advice from Geneva was deemed a valuable one, as the prisons of 
 London were accordingly filled with suspected Catholics. About this 
 period the efforts of Somerset were so far successful, that three-fourths 
 of the clergy had shaken off’ the salutary discipline of continence. The 
 crimes of Somerset were, however, approacliing a fatal crisis, as the 
 vengeance of Heaven struck him unexpectedly. He had raised his 
 brother, Thomas Seymour, to the office of lord high admiral of the 
 kingdom, and Thomas Seymour having gained the affections of Katha- 
 rine Parr, Henry’s last wife, obtained his brother’s assent to the mar- 
 
740 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 riage. However, the project was displeasing to the duchess of Somerset, 
 as in case of this marriage being solemnized, she should resign to tho 
 queen dowager the precedence which she enjoyed as the wife of the 
 protector ; and though she would yield to Katharine Parr as the relict 
 of Henry VHL, her pride would not permit her to rank heneath the 
 wife of her brother-in-law ; in this foolish quarrel the husbands were 
 soon engaged. To both parties, John Dudley, earl of Warwick, was an 
 enemy. Eagerly intent on their destruction, and to accomplish it with 
 the greater certainty, he otfered his services as a mediator, while he 
 artfully encouraged the strife, and succeeded so well that the protector 
 engaged Sharington to accuse his brother of high treason. Somei’set, 
 wdien tlie accusation was first made, seemed to be highly displeased ; 
 but well versed in tactics of this sort, he soon alleged that the king’s 
 life and lionor were more dear to him than his brother’s life, and then 
 gave orders to proceed with his trial. The admiral was condemned, 
 and exec;ited on the 20th of March, 1549. 
 
 On the death of the admiral the earl of W^arwick became the entire 
 master of Somerset’s mind, and having sufficient interest to appoint his 
 friends to important places, he soon was able to contrive the ruin of the 
 duke. He recruited his party by the adhesion of the Catholic lords, 
 who were still numerous, and on whom he impressed that there was no 
 hope of reestablishing the Catholic religion wdiile Somerset held the 
 reins of power. About the same time the English lost Boulogne, in the 
 ancient province of Picardy, for which the regent was severely cen- 
 sured, not having sent timely reinforcements to preserve it from the 
 French. Several of the barons and nobility had enclosed commonages 
 in different parts of the kingdom, to the great grievance of the peo^ile, 
 who expected redress from the regent, and not obtaining it, broke into 
 rebellion. Warwick obtained the tonvoking of a parliament, in which 
 he had a strong party. The regent was attainted, sent to the Tower, and 
 on the 22d of January, 1552, he was executed, to the great joy of Pro- 
 testants as w'ell as Catholics. 
 
 "W^arwick having now disposed of all his rivals, took the administra- 
 tion of affairs into his own hands, and advanced himself in the peerage, 
 havina: been created duke of Northumberland. Yet his ambition 
 prompted him still farther, as he prevailed on the prince to leave his 
 crown, by will, to his daughter-in-law. Lady Jane Grey, daughter of the 
 duke of Norfolk, to the exclusion of Mary, the daughter of Catharine 
 of Arragon, declared illegitimate in the reign of her father, Henry, as 
 well as that of Elizabeth, the adulterous offspring of Anna Boleyn. 
 Edward VI. soon after died, in the sixteenth year of his age, on the 
 7th of July, 1553, and Northumberland immediately gave orders to 
 have Mary’s person secured. The secretary of the duke, who was a 
 
 i 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 741 
 
 Catholic, not approving of the intentions of his master, escaped, and 
 arrived in Mary’s presence two hours sooner than the person who was 
 employed by the traitorous duke to seize her. Mary immediately fled 
 to Norfolk, where the people shewed their attachment to her cause by 
 taking up arms in her defence. She collected an army of fifteen thou- 
 sand men, whom Northumberland intended to oppose, but, deserted by 
 most of his adherents, he returned towards London, whose citizens, as 
 well as the fleet, declared for Mary. When the cpieen’s government 
 was established, the duke of Northumberland was arraigned on a charge 
 of high treason. Ilis guilt being apparent, he w'as condemned and 
 executed. Ilis sons, and his daughter-in-law, who reluctantly wore the 
 crown of England ten days, paid the penalty of their treason on the 
 scaffold. Northumberland had embraced the errors of Protestantism 
 from merely ijolitical motives, but when the awful moment of death, 
 judgment and eternity had arrived, he returned to his ancient faith, 
 confessed his sins to a priest, and declared on the scaffold, that in dis- 
 sembling his faith he was impelled by the ambition of obtaining the 
 crown for his family, and that he looked upon his present doom as a 
 favor from Heaven to procure his salvation. His sons and the others 
 implicated in his treason made a similar declaration. Thus, in the loss 
 of the ancient faith, England became a field of slaughter to her own 
 children. 
 
 Mary’s reign. — Tliis queen (whom Protestants usually style “ the 
 bloody,”), on her accession to the throne, refused to assume the impious 
 title of head of the church, and immediately sent ambassadors to Rome 
 to pay obedience to the Pope. She repealed the iniquitous decrees of 
 her father and brother, and re-established the public exercise of the 
 Catholic religion. She imprisoned Elizabeth, who twice conspired 
 against her, and who, it is said, owed her life to the intercession of king 
 Philip. She opened the prisons and gave liberty to the bishops and to 
 the Catholics who were unjustly detained. 
 
 On the 5th of October, 1553, the parliament rescinded the sentence 
 of the vile Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, which declared the mar- 
 riage of Catherine with Henry null and void, and who was now to 
 expiate his long career of crime by being burned as a heretic. When 
 the wretched dissembler of his faith found that he was condemned to 
 death, he twice retracted his errors, and having learned that retractation 
 would not save his life, he cancelled his professions of the ancient faith 
 and died a Calvinist, and this is the hero whom the Scotch Burnet, the 
 apologist of the reformation, compares with a St. Athanasius and a St. 
 Cyril, and who is considered a martyr by Protestants, though a com- 
 pound of vice, hypocrisy, the private and public violator of his sacred 
 obligations as a priest of the Most High, of error and heresy, and of 
 
742 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAm). 
 
 treason, of vileness, and baseness, when about to atone his infamy by a 
 well-merited death. 
 
 By the queen’s orders, the remains of Bucer and Fagius, who died 
 lieretics, were exhumed and burned according to the laws against 
 heresy, which her father threatened to have enforced against Anne of 
 Cleves, who was a Lutheran, if she resisted his project of a divorce. 
 On this occasion, thirty thousand heretics were banished the kingdom, 
 comprising Lutherans, Calvinists, Zuinglians, Anabaptists, Sociuians, 
 Seekers, &c. 
 
 Mary likewise proclaimed the innocence of Cardinal Polo, and 
 requested Julius III. to send him to England as his legate. He arrived 
 soon after, and, at the request of the queen, reconciled the kingdom to 
 the church, absolving it from the guilt of schism, on the vigil of St. 
 Andrew, 1554. The cardinal restored ecclesiastical discipline, reformed 
 the universities, and refounded the practices of religion. lie absolved 
 all the laymen from the censures which they incurred by seizing on 
 the property of the church during the time of the se])aration from the 
 communion of Koine ; remitted the tithes and first fruits due to the 
 clergy ; confirmed in their sees the Catholic bishops, though installed 
 during this disastrous period, and recognised the new sees which Henry 
 had created. Pope Paul IV. subsequently confirmed these important 
 proceedings. 
 
 Mary was married to Philip II., king of Spain. She died on the 
 15th of November, 1558, in the forty-fourth year of her age and the 
 fifth of her reign, the faithful all over the world mourning her untimely 
 death. A dropsy, which she at first mistook for the pregnant state, was 
 the disease which terminated her existence. 
 
 Keign of Elizabeth. — Mary, the queen of England, having been 
 removed trom the cares of this troubled life, Elizabeth, the bastard 
 daughter of Anna Boleyn, was proclaimed her successor, according to 
 the iniquitous will of Henry YHI. Iniquitous her succession assuredly 
 had been, as the crown of right pertained to Mary Stuart, queen of the 
 Scots, because the birth of Elizabeth was spurious and could not be 
 recognized, as the pontifis Clement YHI. and Paul HI. had declared 
 the marriage of Henry with Elizabeth's mother null and of no efiect. 
 At the time of her accession to the throne, Elizabeth was then twenty- 
 five yearn of age ; was highly accomplished and learned in science and 
 languages ; she spoke French', Italian, and Latin ; she was, moreover, 
 endowed with all the natural qualities which constitute a great sov- 
 ereign, but she was in private a dissembler of religion, having been a 
 Lutheran while Mary occupied the throne. Apparently a Catholic, she 
 might have continued in its profession if the pontiff recognised her as 
 legitimate queen, for in the beginning she did not restrict freedom of 
 
ECCLESLVSTICAL UISTOliY OF IRELAND. 
 
 743 
 
 conscience, allowing it to all, and even took the coronation oath in its 
 ancient form, at the hands of the bishop of Carlisle, swearing to main- 
 tain and di'fend the Catholic faith, and preserve the liberties of the 
 church. She coihmanded Sir Edward Cairne, the ambassador of her 
 sister at Koine, to notify her accession and coronation to Pope Paul IV. 
 and present her duty and ask his benediction. Tlie Pope, however, 
 answered that it was not lawful ftir her to have assumed the government 
 of the kingdom, which was a fief to the Holy See, without the consent 
 of Koine ; that it would be necessary to examine the right which Mary 
 of Scotland had also to the throne, and that she should therefore place 
 herself in his hands, confiding in his paternal kindness. Elizabeth per- 
 ceived that it would be difficult for her to secure the throne unless she 
 separated herself from the Catholic church. The ambassador Cairne 
 was recalled ; the queen threw off all disguise, and ojienly professed the 
 Lutheran heresy, which she had hitherto observed in private ; yet the 
 parliament, the willing instrument of her wicked father, should sanction 
 the change of religion, and as they were equally obsequious towards his 
 adulterous offspring, her wishes were soon attained, and as the com- 
 moners were too loyal to offer resistance to her will, the difficulty was 
 in managing the peers. The upper house of parliament was almost 
 entirely led by the duke of Korfolk, lord Dudley and the earl of 
 Arundel, on each of whom, Elizabeth, well skilled in intrigue, as 
 each of those noblemen was unmarried, exercised her influence, and 
 through them gained over a majority of the peers, who outnumbered 
 the bishops, and thus obtained a declaration in favor of her spiritual 
 supremacy, ridiculous as it was to constitute a lady head of a church, 
 a fact without SGTi])tu'ral authority, whicli Protestants so much admire, 
 and without precedent in history. Sq that the collected wisdom of the 
 British parliament has exposed itself to the contempt of the universe, 
 and by still upholding that absurd system of church government merits 
 the ridicule of the nations by vesting it in a female. All the regula- 
 tions of religious afi'airs during the reign of the minor primate Edward 
 were restored and those of Mary discarded. Three-fourths of the clergy, 
 as they tooh wives in a former reign, immediately joined the reformers, 
 an incident which explains their want of fortitude or religion to resist 
 the innovations of the government. How fortified with parliamentary 
 authority, Elizabeth most rigorously prohibited any of her subjects from 
 obeying the Pope, and commanded all to acknowledge her as head of 
 the chm-ch both in spirituals and temporals. It was also ordained that 
 to the crown alone belonged the appointment of bishops, tlie convoca- 
 tion of synods, the power of taking cognizance of heresy and abuses, as 
 well as the punishment of spiritual delinquency. 
 
 Though the Ang’-o^n church (if it deserve the name) was Calvinistic 
 
744 
 
 ECCLESIAS’nCAL HISTOKY OF IKELAXD. 
 
 ill its tenets, which rejects bishops as unnecessary, together witli all the 
 sacred ceremonies of the Homan, the mistress of all the Catholic 
 churches tliroughout the universe, as well as altars and images, still 
 this lady head of the iVnglican system wished that bishops should be 
 continued, but in a manner altogether dependent on herself or the 
 minister of the day, as at present is the case. She also desired that the 
 priesthood, altars and sacred ceremonies should be in somewise retained, 
 as tlie people whom she meant to evangelize required such things. A 
 new hierarchy and new ceremonies were accordingly instituted, and a 
 new martyrology, with Wicklife, IIuss and Cranmer, the hypocrite and 
 traitor, as its martyrs ; Luther, Peter Martyr, Henry Till., Edward 
 VI. and Erasmus on its catalogue of saints. 
 
 The benefices and the property of the monasteries were now seized, 
 a portion being ajiplied to the purposes of government and another 
 granted to the nobility to secure their adhesion to the new-fangled doc- 
 trines of Elizabeth. Vicars-general in spirituals were appointed, as the 
 lady directrix was incompetent to receive orders and confer j urisdiction, 
 unless by patent. All sacred images were removed from the churches, 
 yet the female iconoclast head of the Anglican system retained a cruci- 
 fix in her own chamber, placed on an altar with two candles, which she 
 never lighted (a late prime minister of England would ridicule the 
 piety of good queen Elizabeth as the mummery of superstition). The 
 mass Avas prohibited, together Avith all the ancient ceremonies used 
 in preaching and administering the sacraments ; new ones were insti- 
 tuted, and a form of prayers commanded to be read in English. She 
 then procured the sanction of the collected wisdom of the nation to her 
 projects, and it Avas ordered that all bishops and ecclesiastics should 
 take the oath of supremacy under pain of depriAuition and imprisonment 
 for the first refusal, and of death for the second offence. The following 
 is the form of oath Avhich Elizabeth framed in defence of her parlia- 
 mentary headship of the national church : 
 
 “I, A. B., declare in my conscience that, the queen is the sole and 
 supreme ruler in this kingdom of England, both in spirituals and tem- 
 porals, and that no foreign prelate or prince has any authority ecclesi- 
 astical in this kingdom, and I tlierefore, in the plain sense of the Avords 
 reject all foreign authority.” 
 
 Elizabeth hoped that an order enforced under such severe penalties 
 would be at ouce obeyed ; but all the bishops, with the exception of 
 Anthony Kitchen, of Llandaff, usually knoAvn as the calamity of his see, 
 refused, all of Avhom Avere degraded, banished or imprisoned ; many of 
 the better clergy, Avho had not smoothed the Avay to heayen by taking 
 Avives, the religious in numbers, many doctors, and several of the 
 nobility, Avhose constancy in adhering to the ancient faith was punished 
 
ECCLESLA.STIOAL HISTORY OF IRET-ANP. 
 
 745 
 
 witli exile and imprisonment, followed the glorious example of the pre* 
 lates. Elizabeth soon discovered that the means which she adopted in 
 maldng Protestants were too mild ; she, therefore, tried the virtue of 
 capital punishments on recusant priests, friars and preachers, whom she 
 crowned with martyrdom. 
 
 When the pontiff, St. Pius Y., learned the cruelties which Elizabeth 
 practised on the Catholics, he published a bull against her on the 24th 
 of February, 1569, which only added fuel to the fire, as it tended to 
 make the persecution more furious. • 
 
 “ Pius, bishop and servant of the servants of God ; be it remembered 
 by posterity, that he who is omnipotent in heaven and on earth hath 
 confided his church, which is one, holy, Catliolic and Apostolical, and 
 out of which there is no salvation, to one man upon earth, namely, to 
 Peter, prince of the apostles, and to the bishops of Rome, his successors, 
 with full power to rule over it. This pontiff alone hath been constituted 
 head over all nations and kingdoms, and invested with power to destroy, 
 to separate, to scatter and subvert, to plant, build up and link together 
 by mutual charity, in order to preserve the faithful in the spirit of 
 unit}', and surrender them, whole and entire, to their Saviour. In order 
 to fulfill the duties imposed upon us by the divine goodness, we labor 
 incessantly to maintain the unity of the Roman Catholic religion, which 
 God hath visited with heavy conflicts, to the end that his own may be 
 tried and for our correction ; but the numbers and power of the wicked 
 have so far prevailed, that no portion of the earth has escaped their 
 attempts to propagate their infectious and detested dogmas, being sup- 
 ported among others by that slave to every species of crime, Elizabeth, 
 the supposed queen of England, under whom the worst enemies of the 
 church have found security. This same Elizabeth, having seized upon 
 the throne and usurped the authority and jurisdiction of supreme head 
 of the church of England, has again plunged that country into a state 
 of misery, from which it was beginning to emerge and to return to the 
 Catholic faith. Having, by the violence of her measures, prevented the 
 exercise of true religion, which that apostate prince, Henry YHI., 
 destroyed, and which Mary, his legitimate daughter, of illustrious memo- 
 ry, had restored in concert with the Holy See, she has embraced all 
 the errors of heresy and excluded the English nobility from the royal 
 council, which she has filled with obscure heretics. The Catholics have 
 been oppressed and the preachers of iniquity established ; the sacrifice 
 of the mass has been abolished ; prayers, fasting, abstinence, celibacy 
 and all the rites of Catholicity have been likewise suppressed. She has 
 filled the kingdom with books containing the most flagrant heresies, and 
 not content herself with adopting and conforming to the false and im- 
 pious doctrines of Calvin, she has forced her subjects to embrace them. 
 
746 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IKELAIID. 
 
 The whole of the Catholic hierarchy and priesthood throughout England 
 have been driven from their livings, which have been bestowed on the 
 heretics. Her decisions in ecclesiastical causes have been set up, and 
 the bishops, the clergy and the people forbidden to acknowledge the 
 authority of the Roman church or to obey its ordinances and canonical 
 decisions. Thus has Elizabeth compelled most of the peoj)le of England, 
 by oath, to subscribe to her nefarious laws and renounce all authority 
 of the Roman pontiff ; to acknowledge her to be head of both church 
 and state ; condemniifg those who have refused to heavy lines and pun- 
 ishments, whereby those who have persevered in the faith are over- 
 whelmed with sufferings and afhictions. The Catholic bishops and 
 clergy have been loaded with chains, and many of them have ended 
 their days in misery and imprisonment. This persecution is known to 
 all nations, and so clearly proved, that all palliation, argument or pre- 
 text on her part is unavailing. AVe find, moreover, that impiety and 
 crimes have increased, that persecution against the religion of Rome 
 has been redoubled by orders of Elizabeth, and that her heart has 
 become so perverted and obdurate, that she has refused to hearken to 
 the charitable counsels of Catholic princes, and has denied admittance 
 to the legates of our Apostolic See into England, who have been 
 dej)uted thither for the same object. AVith deep sorrow we are now 
 constrained to have recourse to the arms of justice, and obliged to 
 punish a princess whose ancestors have rendered important services to 
 the church. 
 
 “ In virtue, therefore, of the divine authority by which we have 
 been placed on this supreme throne of justice, an office so superior to 
 our capability, we do, in the plenitude of apostolical power, declare 
 that said Elizabeth, who is herself a heretic, and the encourager of 
 heresy, together with all her adherents, have incurred the sentence of 
 excommunication, and that they are hereby cut off from the ujiity of 
 the body of Jesus Christ. Moreover, we proclaim her to have forfeited 
 all right to the said throne, and also all dominion, dignity and privileges 
 appertaining to it. AA^e likewise declare, that all subjects of every 
 rank in the said kingdom, and every individual who has taken any oath 
 of loyalty to her, in any way whatever, shall be for ever absolved from 
 said oath, as also from all duty, fidelity, or obedience, as we hereby 
 exonerate them from all such engagements ; and we do deprive the said 
 Elizabeth of her pretended claim to the throne of England. The 
 nobility and others above named, we prohibit to obey her, her ordi- 
 nances and laws, under pain of becoming subject to the same anathema. 
 As the circulation of this bull, by sending it to all places, would 
 become a matter of difficulty, it is commanded that copies of it be 
 taken and signed by a notary, subscribed by a bishop, and sealed with 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF tRELAND. 747 
 
 the seal of our court ; they will then have the same power and efficacy 
 as these j^reseuts have. 
 
 “Given at St. Peter’s, on the 5th of the calends of January, in tlie 
 year of our Lord 1569, and fifth of our pontificate.” 
 
 Elizabeth, as if to crown her wickedness, caused Mary, queen of 
 Scots, the rightful heiress to the throne of England, to be beheaded, 
 under false pretences. She was, moreover, desirous to subvert Catho- 
 licity in all Christian kingdoms ; and entered into a league with the 
 reformers of tlie ^Netherlands and the Calvinists of France, to whom she 
 sent powerful assistance to carry on the wars which those rebels waged 
 against their sovereigns. 
 
 Tlie end of her reign and life were now near at hand. After the 
 death of the eaid of Essex, to wliom the virgin queen was very much 
 attached, and wlio was beheaded for the crime of insurrection, she never 
 more enjoyed a moment’s repose. As old age came upon her, she was 
 tormented by fear and jealousy, and doubted the afi'ections as well as 
 the fidelity of ber subjects. She w'ent to Richmond, but its pleasing 
 scenery l)ad no efi’ect in calming her mind. She imagined that all her 
 friends deserted her, and complained that she had no attached or sincere 
 friend. The sickness of death at last came on. She refused medical 
 aid ; and such was the impatience of the queen, that she could not 
 even endure the sight of a pliysician. When she understood that her 
 dissolution was inevitable, she declared James, of Scotland, her suc- 
 cessor ; and on the twenty-fourth of March, 1603, two hours before 
 midnight, she breathed her last, in the seventieth year of lier age, and 
 forty-fourth of her reign. Thus she closed her days in sorrow and 
 anguish, not so much through bodily pain as of mind. She sunk into 
 the grave without any sign of repentance — without sacraments, without 
 the assistance of a priest. She was attended by some Protestant eccle- 
 siastics, who only exhorted her to persevere in the heresy she embraced. 
 Such was the happy death of Elizabeth. It is said that she was wont 
 to observe : “ If God gives me forty years to reign, I will give up even 
 heaven itself.” Unhapjiy Elizabeth ! not alone forty, but nearly forty- 
 five years did she possess the throne. She became head of the church ; 
 she separated the church of England from the communion of the Roman 
 see ; she prohibited the exercise of the Catholic religion ; she doomed 
 many, many innocent persons to the horrors of exile, of imprisonment, 
 of cruel deaths. Unhappy woman ! She is now in eternity, and per- 
 haps fruitlessly repentant of her long reign, and of the crimes and 
 cruelties she had committed. 
 
 A.D. 1602, some time before her death, the virgin queen, the glory 
 of English and Irish Protestants, issued a proclamation, ordering all the 
 religious of Ireland into exile, and adjudgiug their effects to the public 
 I 
 
748 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 treasury. Some Benedictine monks, Bernardines and others, peiitioned 
 Elizabeth to give them a passage to a foreign country. She willingly 
 assented ; ordering them all to meet in Inisscattery, an island of the 
 Shannon. Among them — forty-two in number — two Dominicans of 
 grave and decorous aspect, who were going as agents, to inform the 
 Catholic princes of the Continent of the desolate condition to which 
 Catholic Ireland was reduced, also arrived in Scattery Island ; seven 
 other fathers of the convents of Limerick and Kihuallock (Dominicans), 
 trusting to the good faith of the queen, also came to the place of 
 meeting. A line-of-battle ship having arrived in the Shannon, the 
 unsuspecting monks embarked ; the vessel set sail, and when in the deep 
 waters of the ocean all of them were flung into the sea, in accordance 
 with the private instructions of Queen Elizabeth, who, in this instance, 
 imitated the cruelty of the Arian emperor, Valens. To proclaim her 
 innocence in this affair, the good queen incarcerated the captain, crew, 
 and marines belonging to this ship, on their reaching port. Those pre- 
 tended sufterers of her justice, in vindication of Tier innocence^ privately 
 admonished to observe silence, she rewarded with the monastic i)roperty 
 of the religious, Avho were sacrilegiously cast into the waters of the 
 Atlantic. Some of the posterity- of the infamous wretches who were 
 immediately concerned in the horrid and sacrilegious treachery of Eliza- 
 beth, survived in Ireland when de Burgo compiled his celebrated 
 work. 
 
 Yet Protestants with confidence assert, though the atrocity of this 
 act stare them in the face, that the doctrine or the practice of Catho- 
 lics is to keep no faith with themselves. Similar has been the perfidy 
 of Elizabeth towards Mary, the unhappy queen of Scots, whom she put 
 to death, and whose execution she pretended to lament. 
 
 A.D. 1578, Patrick O’llealey, bishop of Mayo, together with his 
 companion, Cornelius O’Pourke, triumphed over the terrore of persecu- 
 tion. O’llealey was a native of the province of Connaught, and at an 
 early age retired to the convent of Complute, in Spain, where he prose- 
 cuted his studies with great applause, and enibi’aced the institute of St. 
 Francis. In obedience to the command of the minister-general of the 
 order, Christopher a Capite Fontis, he repaired to Rome, in 1577, and in 
 the following year was consecrated bishop of the diocese of Mayo (now 
 included in Tuam), by Pope Gregory XIII. Anxious to afford the con- 
 solations of religion to his afflicted countrymen, the bishop soon after 
 returned to Ireland, accompanied by Cornelius O’Rourke, a holy and 
 zealous pilest, and the partner of his subsequent trials and sufferings. 
 
 After having encountered many difficulties, particulai’ly on the coast 
 of Armoric Gaul, they at length landed in safety at Dingle, a sea-port 
 in the county of Kerry. The spies, whom Drury the deputy had at this 
 
ECCLESTASTTCAI. mSTORT OF mELAND. 
 
 '749 
 
 time employed in all tlie liarbors along the southern coasts of Ireland, 
 soon recognized the venerable strangers. Tliey were taken into custody, 
 and brought under a strong guard to the residence of the earl of Des- 
 mond. Tills nobleman, unwilling to take an active part in those tragic 
 scenes, and in tlie meantime anxious to avoid the resentment of Eliza- 
 beth, had cautiously given directions to have them conveyed to Lime- 
 rick, and presented before Goulden, the military officer in that district. 
 The prelate and his com^ianion were, by the directions of this officer, 
 loaded with irons, and cast into the public prison. There they remained, 
 until Sir William Drury, the deputy, had arrived at Killmallock, in the 
 beginning of August, 1578 ; they were ordered then to be brought from 
 Limerick and presented to the deputy. Threats, promises, and various 
 other means having been tried in vain, they were sentenced to be at 
 first put to the torture, and afterwards strangled in the presence of the 
 garrison ; the orders of the deputy were executed in an unusual degree 
 of barbarity. The holy prelate and his companion were stretched upon 
 a rack ; their hands and feet were then broken with hammers ; large 
 needles were applied, and thrust with great violence under their nails, 
 and having been kept a considerable time under this description of 
 torture, they were taken fi’om the rack, and strangled from the branches 
 of a neighboring tree. Their bodies were afterwards hung in chains, 
 and remained suspended fourteen days, during which they were used 
 as targets by the savage soldiery in their shooting exercises. The 
 body of a supposed robber, who was executed along with them, was 
 devoured by dogs and birds of prey, while those of the bishop and 
 priest were left intact. 
 
 The prelate, while on the rack, had warned Drury that before many 
 days he himself must appear at the bar of an all-seeing Judge. The 
 iniquitous goveimor died in less than eight days, at Waterford, in great 
 agony, having been seized with a distemper which baffied all medical 
 skill, and by his miserable end fulfilling the prophetic declaration of 
 the martyred prelate. The bodies of the martyrs were soon after con- 
 veyed to Killmalloc by Gerald, earl of Desmond, and buried with great 
 solemnity in the convent of the Franciscans at Clonmel. 
 
 A.D. 1583, Dermot O’llurley, archbishop of Cashell, was strangled 
 in Stephen’s Green, Dublin. See his acts in the diocese of Emly. 
 
 A.D. 1585, on the 14th of October, Eichard Creagh, archbishop of 
 Armagh and primate of all Ireland, was poisoned in the tower of Lon- 
 don. See diocese of Armagh. 
 
 Eichard Creagh was arrested in 1565 and sent to London, where he 
 was put in chains and confined in the Tower. lie remained there five 
 weeks ; but through the mediation of some friends he was unexpectedly 
 set at liberty. When the fury of the persecution was renewed in 1580, 
 
750 
 
 ECCLESIASTICA.L HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 he was again arrested, and having encountered a prolonged series ot 
 sutFerings in Ireland, he was a second time conveyed to London and 
 remanded to the Tower. During his imprisonment in the dungeons of 
 this fortress, promises of high preferment were held out if lie spurned 
 and abjured the Catholic faith. To Richard Creagh the terrors of the 
 gloomy prison, nay, death itself, were as ineffectual as the promises 
 which were repeatedly made. However, the primate continued infle.x- 
 ible, contemning the proffered rewards of defection from the true faith. 
 Mortified at their ill-success, the enemies of the Catholic church and ot^ 
 its doctrines contrived an accusation which would wound the sacrea 
 character of the prelate if those emissaries of hell could only establish 
 their false charge. They procured, as did the Arians against St. 
 Athanasius, a female, the daughter of his gaoler, to accuse him of 
 having offered violence to her person. This woman was bribed to 
 inflict a wound more painful than death itself. Tlie day of trial had 
 arrived, and that the feelings of his friends, as well as the character of 
 the prelate would suffer, a number of the Catholic nobility had been 
 summoned to attend the inquest. Ilis accuser made her appearance, 
 and the moment she cast her eyes on the iujured and innocent bishop, 
 struck with remoi-se, declai-ed that the charges alleged against him 
 were false and malicious, and that the archbishop was a lioly and inno- 
 cent man. Now discomfited, his enemies, still thirsting for his blood, 
 arraigned him under the penal statutes of the day. The primate, heroi- 
 cally persisting in the faith, was recommitted to the Tower, under 
 sentence of imprisonment for life. The malice of his persecutors con- 
 tinued without change. "While in the Tower, loaded with irons, he 
 was forced to undergo prolonged suffering, until poison terminated his 
 existence. 
 
 A.D. 1598, Edmund Magauran, the successor of Richard Creagh, 
 was mortally wounded, near Armagh, while engaged in hearing the 
 confession of a dying man. See diocese of Armagh. 
 
 A.D. 1C04-, Redmond O’Gallagher, who was then the presiding 
 bishop of Derry, was put to death. While traversing along the moun- 
 tainous districts of his diocese and attending the sick, he was overtaken 
 b}’^ a band of soldiere, and after being literally mangled, this venerable 
 jireiate died in the 70th year, of his age. 
 
 A.D. 1611, Cornelius O’Duane and Patrick Loghran, a learned and 
 holy priest, suffered martyrdom. See diocese of Down and Conner, 
 where the acts of their deaths are recorded. 
 
 Other prelates escajied the sword, but were grievously persecuted or 
 driven into exile. Among such sufferers are named Edmund Tanner, 
 bishop of Cork and Cloyne ; Thomas O’llurley, bishop of Ross; Tliad- 
 deus O’Ferral, bishoji of Clonfert; and Hugh Lacy, bishop of Limerick 
 
ECCLESIASTICAi inSTOP.Y OF IREEAJ^TD. 
 
 751 
 
 Tliese prelates escaped tlie assassins of English heresy by sheltering 
 themselves in the caverns of the mountains. 
 
 Maurice EitzGibbon, the predecessor of the martyr Dermot O’lfur- 
 ley, in the sees of Emly and Cashell, became an exile and died in Spain, 
 about the year 1580. Nicholas Skerrett, archbishop of Tuam, after 
 having been flogged and incarcei'ated, withdrew to the kingdom of Por- 
 tugal and died at Lisbon in 1583. Peter Power, bishop- of Ferns, 
 became suffragan to the archbishop of Compostella, in Spain, and died 
 an exile, in 1587. Thomas Strong, bishop of Ossory, suffragan to the 
 same archbishop, died an exile, in IGOl. Moriarth O’Brien, bishop of 
 Emly, died in prison, at Dublin, in 1586. Richard Brady, a Franciscan, 
 and bishop of Killmore, after having been a long time imjjrisoned, 
 maimed and tortured, died at a very advanced age, near Multifernam, 
 in tlie county of Westmeath. 
 
 A.D. 1579, while Drury was deputy, Fergal Ward, a Franciscan, 
 and a native of Tirconnel, county of Donegal, was put to death at 
 Armagh. This holy religious was exceedingly venerated for the sim- 
 plicity of his life, and tlie labors which he endured in exhorting and 
 animating the people to perseverance in the ancient faith and fortitude 
 under the severe trials which the Almighty permitted to be inflicted on 
 the church of Ireland. 
 
 He travelled over the whole province of Ulster, visiting in particu- 
 lar those lonely districts in which the congregations were scattered 
 without the comforts of the holy sacrifice or the graces of the sacra- 
 ments. While on his journey to Armagh, he fell into the hands of the 
 persecutors, and after having been flogged with great barbarity, was at 
 length suspended from the branches of a tree with the cincture which 
 they separated from his habit. 
 
 A.D. 1579, John O’Dowda, a Franciscan, was discovered by his 
 pursuers, while in the act of hearing the confessions of the faithful who 
 inhabited the lonely mountainous regions of the county of Mayo. He 
 was ofiered his liberty, with an assurance of ample rewards, if he would 
 only disclose the confessions of the people. The refusal, which he at 
 once gave, served only the more to inflame tlie vengeance of those 
 implacable persecutors. Tliey seized the cord with which his habit 
 was bound, and after placing it around his head near the temples, forced 
 and screwed it with such violence, by means of an instrument used for 
 the purpose, that his eyes buret out of their sockets, and in this frightful 
 state of torture, John O’Dowda expired on the 9th of June, 1579, at the 
 abbey of Moyne, in the county of Mayo. 
 
 In thus martyring O’Dowda, of Moyne abbey, in defence of the 
 inviolability of that sacred tribunal, the heretics of England have con- 
 tributed to the glory of the Ldsh church another John Nepomucene, 
 
752 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTORY OF IREL^ANT). 
 
 who preferred the block sooner than disclose the secrets imparted to 
 him in the confessional. It is high time that Protestants, instead of 
 deriding the weakness of the pious Catholic, who frecpients this holy 
 practice, should begin to reflect that there must be something more 
 than human in an institution for which martyi-s have generously shed 
 their blood rather than abuse the obligations of inviolable secrecy which 
 it imposes. See Moyne, county of Mayo. 
 
 A.D. 1580, the 28th of March, Daniel O'Xielan, a zealous and 
 active priest, of the diocese of Cloyne, suffered martyrdom. This priest, 
 who was remarkable for his hospitality and attention to the poor, was 
 put to death in a manner the most revolting by two satellites, named 
 Norris and ]\[organ, who had the command of the northern disfrict o*’ 
 the county of Cork, under the administration of Adam Loftus. Filled 
 with solicitude for the people, this apostolic man was in the habit of 
 making occasional journeys to the neighboring villages for the purpose 
 of giving consolation to the dying and the aftlictcd. He was at length 
 overtaken by the bloodhounds of persecution, and conducted under a 
 strong military guard to the town of Youghal. Norris and Morgan, 
 panting for his blood, refused him even the opportunitj^ of making a 
 defence. lie was conducted to a high toAver, called Trinity, and having 
 fastened a rope around his waist and arms, his executioners precipitated 
 him from the battlements. The rope not sufticiently strong to resist the 
 shock, the sufl:ering martyr was left a mangled corpse on the ground. 
 Nor was as yet the fury of his murderere satiated ; observing signs of life 
 still remaining, they caused him to be carried to a mill not far distant, 
 and having secured him with chains to its wheel, they allowed it to 
 revolve with increased velocity, until the body, totally disfigured and. 
 lacerated, no longer had the appearance of a human being. 
 
 A.D. 1580, Daniel O’llanrichan, Philip O’Shea and Maurice Scan- 
 lan, three aged priests, and natives of the county of Kerry, suffen^d 
 death for the faith during this year. 
 
 The labore of these missionaries were not confined to the district of 
 Kerry. During the lapse of thirty-three years, they had been employed 
 in preaching the divine word and administering the sacraments in 
 almost every county throughout Ireland. At length, Avorn doAvn with 
 age and infirmity, they returned to their native county, and during the 
 peraecution of 1580 were prevailed upon to take shelter in the town of 
 Lislaghton. On the 6th of April in that year, Avhile the agents of 
 Elizabeth were scouring the country, these venerable priests, tAvo of 
 whom were blind with age, took shelter in the sanctuary, and Avhile in 
 the act of offering themselves to their God and praying for their 
 enemies, were beheaded, their bodies having been aAvfully mangled by 
 the soldiery. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Jolm O’Locliran, Edmond Simmons and Donatus O’Rourke, Fran- 
 ciscan friars, were cruelly tortured and imt to death in the convent of 
 Down by a licentious soldiery under the command of a military officer, 
 named Britton. This unfeeling leader, after tilling the country with dis- 
 may, resolved to take up his winter-quarters in this ancient town. On his 
 approach the inhabitants fled and took shelter in the adjacent country, 
 while the clergy were besouglit to consult for their safety in expectation 
 of better days. Britton lost no time in repairing to the convent, anxious 
 to enjoy the spoils which he had anticipated. lie met these venerable 
 fathere, but booty there was not to be obtained. They were then given 
 up to the military as a holocaust to the genius of persecution, and 
 having undergone a variety of torture, were at length brought out into 
 the garden and strangled from the branches of a large oak, which over- 
 hung the sanctuary. 
 
 Maurice Kinrehan, parish priest of Mullinahone, in the county of 
 Tipperary, had, in company with great numbers of his congregation, 
 been obliged to flee into the caverns of the desolate and extensive 
 mountain of Slievenamon, while Wallop, at the time treasurer of Ire- 
 land, offered rewards ' to an enormous amount for his apprehension. 
 Spies and agents were employed ; the whole country w'as scoured by 
 military parties, yet the object of their pursuit found means to escape 
 their vigilance. At length, on the eve of all saints, while engaged in 
 administering the last rites of the church to the dying, he was arrested, 
 and was being conducted towards Clonmel. The officer of the guard, 
 named Furrows, dreading a reaction on the part of the people, proposed 
 to have his victim instantly dispatched. lie was accordingly tortured 
 in a manner the most inhuman. At length his head having been 
 severed from his body, the trunk was cut up into fragments, which were 
 scattered on the high road, while his head was carried in triumph by 
 his executioners to Clonmel. 
 
 Thadeus Donald and John Ilanly, both Franciscans, and members 
 of the convent of Bantry, became victims to the fury of the persecutors 
 about this period. These fathers were exceedingly esteemed for their 
 zeal in preaching to the people, and had, during a great period of those 
 awful times, accompanied the faithful along the wild and almost inac- 
 cessible shores of the southern coast of Ireland. Having had business 
 to their convent, and on their return to Bantry they fell into the hands 
 of their enemies. The constancy of these holy men was assailed with- 
 out success. They were accordingly brought to the summit of a steep 
 rock, which hung with frightful height over the ocean, and having been 
 tied back to back with their own cinctures, they were cast into the 
 waters beneath. Tliese venerable fathers suffered on the 10th of 
 August, 1580. 
 
 48 
 
754 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 15S4, November 21st, Gelasy O’Cullenan, abbot of Boyle, and 
 Hugh O’Mulkeran, were hanged at Dublin. Tlie abbot was proffered, 
 as well as other sees in Connauglit, the bishopric of Mayo, then vacant 
 by the martju’dom of Patrick O’Nely, on the condition of renouncing 
 the Catholic faith. 
 
 A.D. 1594, Eugene Mac Egan, a priest, doctor of theology and 
 bishop elect of Ross, was cut to pieces. 
 
 Derraod Mac Creagh, a priest, was hanged and quartered. 
 
 Dominick O’Calan, a lay brother of the Jesuit order, was hanged 
 and quartered. 
 
 Bernard Mac Moriarty, a priest, dean of Ardagh, archdeacon of 
 Clonmacnois, a graduate of the canon law, having been wounded by his 
 heretical captoi-s on the way to Dublin, died in a prison of the city. 
 
 Donatus Mac Cready, having been fii-st tied to a hoi'se’s tail, was 
 hanged and quartered. 
 
 John Mac Connan, a priest, was hanged. 
 
 Bernard O’Carolan, whose ears were cut off, was afterwards 
 strangled. 
 
 Daniel O’llargan, a priest, died in prison. 
 
 Patrick O’Dira, a priest, was hanged, and cut to pieces. 
 
 Thomas Geraldine, a distinguished member of the Franciscan insti- 
 tute, died in a prison of Dublin city, where his obsequies were for four 
 days celebrated with due pomp, and interred in St. James’s cemetery, 
 near the remains of the martyred Cornelius O’Devany, bishop of Down. 
 — (O'Sullivan Bearre.) 
 
 A.D. 15S8, John O’Mulloy, Cornelius Doghert}', and Calfrid Farrell, 
 three Franciscans, had distinguished themselves, and at length became 
 the victims of the persecution. They had spent upwards of eight years 
 in traversing the mountainous parts of the province of Leinster, abiding 
 particularly in the unfrequented districts of Carlow, AYexford and 
 AYicklow, to which the people had been driven in great numbere for 
 shelter ; they proceeded from mountain to mountain, celebrating the 
 divine mysteries, consoling the dying, and administering the holy sacra- 
 ments. Their journies were generally performed at night, and as the 
 acts of their order state, their led was the rock of the mountain, while 
 their usual earthly comfort consisted in serving God and religion, in the 
 midst of cold, hunger, and nakedness. Despite the dangers with which 
 they wore encompassed, these holy men clung with the affection of 
 parents to their afflicted countrymen — sharing in their sufferings, par- 
 taking in their sorrows, and adhering to them, until they had at length 
 fallen a sacrifice to the infuriated malice of their persecutors. 
 
 Pursuing their journey through a remote district of the Queen’s 
 county, they were overtaken by some cavalry, bound hand and foot, 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAOT). 
 
 755 
 
 and conveyed, amidst the insults of a savage and brutal soldiery, to the 
 garrison of Abbeyleix. When arrived there, they were put on the 
 rack, and having endured its tortures for a considerable time, they were 
 ultimately strangled, bowelled and quartered. Thus did they, with the 
 spirit and fortitude of the ancient martyi's, generously sacrifice their 
 lives in support of the ancient religion of their fathers. Many more of 
 the Franciscans shed their blood in defence of their faith ; among them 
 were the following: — 
 
 A.D. 1565, Roger Mac Comguil, of the convent of Armagh, was 
 flogged to death. 
 
 A.D. 1569, Daniel Doolan, of the convent of Youghal, county of 
 Cork, was beheaded. 
 
 A.D. 1579, Thadeus O’Daly, of the convent of Askeaton, county of 
 Limerick, was hanged, bowelled, and quartered at Limerick. 
 
 A.D. 1582, John Conolly, of the convent of Askeaton, was be- 
 headed. 
 
 In the same year, William, of the same convent, was hanged and 
 quartered. 
 
 A.D. 1582, Tliadeus O’Moran, of the convent of Enniscorthy, was 
 flogged and strangled. 
 
 In the same year, Felix O’Hara and Henry Delahoyde, of the county 
 of Sligo, were hanged, and cut in quarters. 
 
 Roger Donnellan, Charles Goran, Peter Chilian, Patrick O’Kenna, 
 Roger O’llenlan and John Pillan, of various convents, in the province 
 of Leinster, were incarcerated during this year, in Dublin, where they 
 (lied. 
 
 A.D. 1588, Dermod O’Mulroney, of the convent of Galbally, county 
 of Limerick, was beheaded. 
 
 In the same year, Thadeus O’Boyle, of the convent of Donegal, was 
 beheaded and mangled. 
 
 In the same year, Patrick Brady, of the convent of Monaghan, was 
 put to the torture, and beheaded. 
 
 A.D. 1589, Donatus O’Muirhily, of the convent of Irrelagh, county 
 Kerry, like unto St. Stephen, proto-martyr, was stoned to death. 
 
 A.D. 1590, Mathew O’Leyn, of the convent of Kilkenny, was tor- 
 tured and beheaded. 
 
 A.D. 1591, Terence Magennis, Manus O’Fedling, and Oge Mac 
 Laughlin, of the convent of Multifernam (Westmeath), were confined 
 in the prison of Ballybay, and afterwards in Dublin, where they died. 
 
 A.D. 1608, September 27th, Felim MacDevit sulfered death for his 
 faith, at Liflford. Having rejected the proffered advantages of defec- 
 tion from the Catholic church, he was hanged and quartered, his heai-t 
 was taken and thrown into the fire, as were also his entrails and 
 
756 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF EBELAXD. 
 
 abdomen. He expired, imploring the prayers of the Catholics who 
 W’ere present, and urging the executioner to use dispatch in putting an 
 end to his life. While his torture was proceeding, an earthquake struck 
 terror into the persecutors. 
 
 At the same time, John O’Cahan, having refused to affirm on oath 
 the royal supremacy, was condemned to endure a similar death. Ilis 
 chaplain, who was offered his liberty and ecclesiastical preferments on 
 the usual terms, was hanged and quartered. 
 
 A.D. 1615, Bernard and Arthur O’Neil, Boderick and Geoffry 
 O’Cahan, Alexander Mac Suarley, and Lewis O’Laverty, a priest, M’ere 
 put upon their trial for high treason, and convicted on the testimony of 
 an infamous gambler, whom tlie viceroy, Arthur Chichester, thirsting not 
 so much for their blood as for their estates, suborned to do the work of 
 carnage and plunder. The jury was composed of English and Scotch 
 heretics, whose properties were also situated in Ulster, and to whom the 
 vicinity of those Catholic nobles was a subject of alarm and inquietude. 
 The jury, without delay, found them guilty. 
 
 James I., king of England, to whom the fact of their conviction was 
 made known by the viceroy, replied, that tlieir lives would be reprieved 
 if they consented to abjure the Catholic faith, and embrace the religion 
 of the state. These victims of Chichester’s iniquity, having rejected 
 the base terms of the king, prepared for death, their fellow-sufferer, the 
 priest, giving them sacramental absolution. They were, according to 
 their sentence, hanged, quartered, and their entrails cast into the fire. 
 
 At the same time, Patrick O’Moore and Conatus O’Keenan, a priest, 
 charged with a similar offence of high treason, underwent the same 
 fate. — O’Sullivan Beaere. 
 
 A.D. 1633, Arthur Mac Geoghegan, a Dominican of the convent of 
 Mullingar, was crowned with martyrdom. Having finished his studies 
 in Spain, and on his return to his native country having, been arrested 
 and imprisoned at London, he endured many injuries, and accused 
 of high treason, as was tJie custom^ (as if a false charge preferred by the 
 fell enemies of the Catholic church would deprive him of the glory of 
 laying down his life for the faith,) tried and convicted — was at length 
 led to the scaffold, making thereon a profession of his belief and of the 
 religious order to which he belonged — hanged, and cut in pieces while 
 half dead, and his entrails burned. It is related, that while the execu- 
 tioner was holding forth his heart to the people, and was about to 
 exclaim “ Behold the heart of a traitor !” that he turned his eyes 
 towards this functionary, and spat upon him. A youth who was 
 standing by while the executicmer was casting his bowels into a fire, 
 perceiving the liver of the martyr, threw it in with a staff which he 
 held, and retired, execrating the religion of the martyr ; his sacrilegious 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF HtELAND. 
 
 757 
 
 hand immediately trembled, and a violent pain or cone having seized 
 the youth, he involuntarily cast himself into a neighboring pit. Some 
 Avomen, of whom one was a heretic, having approached the place of 
 execution, perceived a. delightful fragrance, and a German, who was a 
 manufacturer of those articles which females use in decorating their 
 features, perceived also this delicious odor. Falkland, who was deputy 
 of Ireland, and one of his judges, acknowledged that he was punished 
 on account of this holy martyr. — De Bukgo, bishop of Ossory. 
 
 A.D. 16o7, the venerable John O'Mannin, of the convent of St. 
 Dominic, at Derry, a faithful observer of discipline, was in the habit of 
 fearlessly wearing the costume of his order before the heretics ; at 
 length arraigned, he was proffered ample rewards if he abjured the 
 Catholic religion ; both rewards and torments were despised, while he 
 openly professed his faith. The virtue of the rack was tried upon him, 
 twice or thrice a week, with a view of subduing his constancy, but 
 without success. Being at length raised on a gibbet, and allowed to 
 fivll suddenly, his back was broken, on which a bunch remained until 
 his death. 
 
 A.D. 1641, the illustrious and most reverend Roche Mac Geoghegan, 
 of the convent of Mullingar, a master of theology, prior provincial of 
 Ireland, and bishop of Kildare, worn out with age and sorrow, having 
 endured- much trials and persecution from the heretics, at length yielded 
 his spirit to his Creator. 
 
 A.D. 1641, March 23, Peter O’lliggin, of the Dominican convent, 
 of Dublin, arrested and thrown into prison, where he suffered privation, 
 was at length hanged at Dublin, though his innocence was defended by 
 the adversaries of our faith. While in prison, he was enabled to have 
 the benefit of sacramental absolution from the prior of the order, who 
 used to obtain admission in disguise. His constancy under torture, and 
 the joy beaming in his countenance, moved many of the Protestants to 
 tears and sighs ; while others who were still more maddened, vented 
 their spleen on his dead body, exposing it to ridicule, and denying it 
 burial within the city. While it was being conducted outside the gates, 
 the head was broken by the blow of a musket, and other insults were 
 offered to his remains. 
 
 In the same year, Peter O’lliggin, prior of Naas, in Kildare, obtained 
 the reward of his constancy in the faith. Peter was an admirable 
 preacher, and was accused of dogmatizing against the established 
 heresy. Having been for some time kept in prison, and there being no 
 proof by which he could be convicted of a capital offence against the 
 laws, he was promised liberty and preferment if he only spurned the 
 Catholic faith and embraced the doctrines of Protestant England. On 
 the morning of the day which was to be his last in this life, a messenger 
 
758 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL niSTOKT OF IBELiVND. 
 
 was despatched by the deputy to his prison, offering acceptable terms, 
 hut the holy sufferer was intrepid, and wary as the serpent in replying 
 to the person who conveyed the message. “ Let the deputy,” said he, 
 “ deign to send me an autograph of his promise, leaving me the option 
 of choosing life or its surrender, that at least the present fear of death 
 may exculpate me.” The deputy imagining that the constancy of the 
 suftei’er was shaken, sent the autograph as desired, and when ascending 
 the scaffold it was stretched to the father, who, with a smile in his 
 countenance, received it — the heretics are in ecstacies of delight, while 
 the Catholics are blushing already for the scandal that would ensue, 
 were the terms of the government accepted. Holding the paper in his 
 hand, he openly assailed the injustice of the enemies of the Caiholic 
 faith, reproached the judge with pronouncing an iniquitous sentence, 
 and addressed the Catholics in the following words : “ Dearest friends 
 and children of the holy Homan church, since I have fallen into the 
 hands of our enemies, privation, contumely, and the horrors of a fetid 
 prison have been my lot, and the absence of a crime rendered my mar- 
 tyrdom matter of doubt. The cause, not the pain, makes the martyr. 
 A provident God and the all-powerful protector of innocence, disposing 
 all things sweetly, has so managed, that although I have been accused 
 with legal infractions, this day condemned as I am to death, behold the 
 authentic instrument of my innocence ; tlie guaranty of freedom and 
 vice-royal preferment should I swerve from the Catholic religion. I 
 call God and men to witness that I despise those offei’s, and that I do 
 Avillingly and joyfully embrace this struggle for my faith.” Having so 
 said, and having returned the autograph, he ordered the executioner 
 to do his duty. Uttering a deep sigh, and giving “ thanks ” to God who 
 gave him constancy to persevere, he departed, having baffled the cun- 
 ning of the viceroy and confounded the expectations of the heretics. 
 This holy martyr of our church is different from the former sufferer in 
 the cause of faith, as De Burgo shews. 
 
 A.D. 1642, Father Stephen Petit, while he was animating the 
 Catholics, and in the midst of danger and warfare consulting for their 
 eternal salvation, discharging with great credit the functions of con- 
 fessor and preacher, was shot by the heretics. 
 
 Stephen Petit belonged to the Dominican convent of Mullingar. 
 He was observed by the Puritan rebels, while in the act of confessing a 
 soldier. Having received the sacraments, he died next day of his 
 wound. 
 
 A.D. 1642, about the same time, Raymund Keoghe, of the order of 
 St. Dominick, was put to death in hatred of his faith. 
 
 A.D. 1642, Cormac Egan, a lay brother of the order, was hanged. 
 
 A.D. 1647, September 15th, Richard Barry, a Dominican, prior 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 759 
 
 of the province of Munster, and a preacher-general, has adorned his 
 faith and the Irish church, to which he belonged, by a cruel martyrdom. 
 
 A number of persons, with many ecclesiastics, having taken shelter 
 in the great church on the rock of St. Patrick (Casliell, as it was then, 
 called,) where they resolved to defend the sacred ornaments of the 
 altars and some moveable etfects, it was besieged by Morgan O’Brien, 
 baron of Inchequin, a matricide, and a man whose hands were stained 
 with the blood of many illustrious ecclesiastics ; having at length suc- 
 ceeded, not, however without loss on both sides, as about eight hundred 
 were slain, and all the ecclesiastics put to the sword. Pichard Barry 
 W’as reserved for a more arduous conflict. 
 
 A captain, the flrst to enter the church, beholding Pickard Barry, 
 addressed him as follows : “ I promise you protection if you cast off 
 that garment (for he wore his habit), so odious to us, and which excites 
 our indignation as well as vengeance.” The father replied, “ This habit 
 rejiresents the life and passion of my Saviour, and is also the banner of 
 that spiritual warfare in which I have engaged from my youth, and 
 which I am now unwilling to abdicate.” The promises as well as 
 threats of the captain being rejected and scorned, Barry was handed 
 over to the soldiery, who at flrst buffeted him, spitting upon the vene- 
 rable martyr, and off’ering other insults and contumely. Again, having 
 tied him to a chair, a slow Are was applied to his legs and thighs, in 
 which torture he continued about two hours, the blood bursting through 
 the pores, and his eyes beaming rays of light towards heaven ; his 
 death was at length accelerated, a sword having been driven through 
 him from side to side. 
 
 A pious nun, and a tertiary of the Dominican order, sought his 
 bod}^ and having found it, announced the fact to the vicar-general. On 
 the fourth day, the soldiers having retired, the vicar-general, accom- 
 panied by the clergy who survived, and the people, together with Henry 
 O’Cullenan, notary apostolic, visited the body of the martyr. All 
 recognise the vestiges of his passion ; his feet and legs roasted with the 
 fire, and the wounds of his sides still gushing fountains of fi’esh and 
 pure blood. Having formed in procession, the body was conveyed to 
 the convent of his order, where it was deposited, while they entoned 
 over it the “Te Deum.” 
 
 A.D. 1610, John de Burgo, a nobleman, was condemned to death 
 for having harbored a priest who celebrated the divine mysteries in his 
 mansion ; his property was entirely confiscated. De Burgo lived a holy 
 life, and died in a manner corresponding with it. Having been offered 
 a restoration of his property, and also his life, should he only conform 
 to heresy, the intrepid soldier of Christ replied, “ that he preferred a 
 heavenly to an earthly estate.” 
 
7G0 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOKT OF XEELASTD. 
 
 A.D. 1648, the convent of Ivillmallock, county of Limerick, having 
 been stormed by the heretics, Gerald Geraldine, a clerk, and David 
 Fox, a lay brother, while on their knees, and their rosaries suspended 
 from their necks, in expectation of death, pierced with swords, and left 
 weltering in their blood, were at length shot by the soldiery. 
 
 Tlie other inmates escaped, thus disappointing the rabid soldiere, 
 who attacked the convent at night, in order to surprise the fathers, and 
 gloat over their sufierings. 
 
 A.D. 1648, about the same time, Peter Costello, a Dominican of die 
 Urlare monastery, county Mayo, was pierced with a sword, thus 
 yielding his soul to his Pedeemer. 
 
 About the same year, Gerald Dillon, of the same convent, finished 
 his life in prison through hunger and privation. 
 
 A.D. 1648, Donald O’lSraghten, a lay brother of the Dominican 
 convent of Roscommon, having been flogged, was put to death by the 
 sword. 
 
 A.D. 1649, James O’Reilly, an eminent theologian, an eloquent 
 orator, and a poet, on his way from the convent of Waterford to Clon- 
 mel, fell in with the Cromwellian soldiers, having his rosary in his 
 hand. Being interrogated by the fanatics, he replied, “ I am a priest, 
 a religious, though an unworthy one, of the order of St. Dominick. I 
 have strayed and met with you ; I am a Christian, a Roman Catholic ; as 
 I lived, I shall die, if it be the will of God.” Immediately attacked ; 
 his execution, which he bore with fortitude and patience, continued an 
 hour. Repeating the sacred names of Jesus and Mary, and invoking 
 the intercession of St. Dominic and other saints, the sword at length 
 put an end to his sufferings. 
 
 A.D. 1649, Dominick Dillon, distinguished alike by birth and 
 virtue, prior of the convent of Urlare, county of Mayo, having been 
 appointed preacher to the Irish Catholic forces by the nuncio Riuuccini, 
 was cruelly put to death at Drogheda, when that city was captured by 
 Cromwell. At the same time Richard Oveton, sub-prior of the convent 
 of Atliy, having also taken refuge in that citjq suffered death. They 
 were both beheaded in presence of the Cromwellian troops in detesta- 
 tion of their faith and their religious calling. 
 
 A.D. 1650, Miler Magrath, alias Michael a Rosario, of the convent 
 of Clonmel, having been arrested while administering sacraments to a 
 dving person, was immediately sentenced to the gallows. lie placidly 
 underwent his fate, giving thanks to God. When captured, the sacred 
 pix was found in his hand. 
 
 A.D. 1651, Ambrose O’Cahill, of the Dominican convent of Cork, 
 an admirable preacher, having met a troop of cavalry, and immediately 
 recognized as a religious was cut into pieces. His members were 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF ntELAUP. 
 
 761 
 
 scattered in different places, as if intended to become tlie prey of 
 ravens. 
 
 A.D. 1651, the illustrious Terence Albert O’Brien, bishop of Emly, 
 was put to death. See diocese of Emly. 
 
 A.D. 1651, James AYolfe, a Dominican, a preacher-general, vene- 
 rable in years, and a native of Limerick, was arrested by the Cromwel- 
 lian soldiery, and without delay was sentenced to be hanged. When 
 about to be launched into eternity, he joyfully exclaimed, “We are 
 made a spectacle to God, to his angels and to men — to God,” said he, 
 “ that Ave may give him glory ; to angels, that we may afford them 
 joy ; and to men, that we may give them sport.” Having so said, he 
 consummated his sacrifice. 
 
 James Wolfe was a grave and prudent man, many years prior and 
 preachej’-general of the convent of Limerick, from Avhich he was absent 
 during the siege. When it was taken and the ecclesiastics put to the 
 sword, Wolfe, solicitous of the salvation of souls and of consoling the 
 Catholics, privately reached the city, and after eight days was betrayed 
 and delivered over to the heretics. 
 
 The heroic conduct of his companion and fellow-martyr, John 
 Collins, of the same convent, is entitled to notice. 
 
 While the fortress of Bunraty was besieged by the Catholic troops, 
 in the presence of the nuncio, many bishops and of the whole army, 
 this father preceded the troops, carrying the crucifix and also in the 
 habit of his order. He irritated the Cromwell ians, while encouraging 
 the Catholic soldiers to contend for their altars and their homes ; though 
 many bullets were discharged at his person, which is represented as 
 diminutive and contemptible, he escaped intact, still preceding the 
 assailants, until the Cromwellians were forced to surrender. He as- 
 sumed the province of exploring the positions of the heretical forces, so 
 that he could be of service to the Catholic cause by his observations 
 • and counsel. But in so doing, he exasperated the Cromwellians so 
 much that he was proscribed and placed beyond the hope of favor or 
 mercy. Being at last arrested and recognised by the persecutors, who 
 provided a portrait of his figure, he was put to a glorious death after a 
 long disputation with his captors. 
 
 A.D. 1651, Laurence O’Ferrall, a professed member of the Domini- 
 can convent of Longford, and Bernard O’Ferrall, a preacher-general, 
 Bufit'ered death for the faith. They were, while in prayer, both arrested 
 at Longford, in the churcb of their convent, early in the morning. The 
 satellites of the government, entering the church, inflicted on Bernard 
 more than twenty-four mortal wounds, and yet before he expired, he 
 received the last rites of religion, as he had predicted. 
 
 Laurence was hurried before the governor, who recognised him, and 
 
763 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 who at the same time sentenced him to be gibbetted, because, for the 
 sake of his faith and the authority of the apostolic nuncio, lie adhered 
 to the confederate army. The day after being led to the place of 
 execution, the tyrant, in deference to some pereuasion, granted him 
 three days — a favor which was no by means agreeable to the servant of 
 Christ, as he chided the mediators, and as he sought the Almighty not 
 to sufier the crown of martyrdom to be snatched from him or delayed. 
 At length the hour for his immolation arrived, he addressed the Catho- 
 lics in consoling terms, and inveighed with such eloquence, force and 
 argument against the established heresy, that the governor, overcome 
 with confusion, ordered silence to be imposed by the execution of the 
 sentence. Then the martyr, bidding farewell to the people, and adjust- 
 ing his rosary about his neck, and holding a crucifix, quietly fixed his 
 hands under a scapular which he wore, and then presented himself to 
 the hangman, by whom he was suspended, and while left in that state, 
 raising both hands from the scapular, he held up the cross as a trophy 
 of his victory. The governor, as well as the people, struck -with the 
 prodigy, ordered that the body should be honorably taken down, and at 
 the same time gave permission to the clergy and people to celebrate his 
 obsequies in a public and solemn manner. 
 
 x\.D. 1651, father William O’Conner, of the Dominican convent of 
 Clonmel, a man acceptable to God and his neighbor, was arrested by 
 the heretics, and having endured many insults, as well as stripped of his 
 garment, life was ended with the swords of his captors. 
 
 A.D. 1651, Tliomas O’lliggin, of the convent of Clonmel, was 
 arrested, thrown into prison, and at length sentenced to the gibbet, 
 obtained the palm of victory. 
 
 A.D. 1651, Vincent Gerald Dillon, of the convent of xithenry, was 
 imprisoned at York for the faith. After much suffering through hun- 
 ger, squalor and other privation, he obtained the crown of martyrdom. 
 
 Stephen Petit, of the same convent, while hearing the confession of 
 a Catholic soldier, was shot by the heretics ; thus reaching the goal. 
 
 James Moran, of the same convent, a lay brother, Dominick Black 
 and Richard Ilovedon, also members of Atheury, were offered as happy 
 victims to their Redeemer. 
 
 A.D. 1652, John O’Cullen, of the convent of Athenry, the model ot 
 discipline and religion, much devoted to prayer and fasting, although 
 of infirm health, and who learned almost all the sciences without the 
 assistance of a preceptor, refuted the heresies of the day, consoled the 
 Catholics, and shunned no danger in asserting the authority of the 
 apostolic see. Being at last captured by the heretics, he cheerfully sur- 
 rendered his life for Christ. His head was severed from the body and 
 fixed on a spike, as a trophy to the persecutors. 
 
ECCI.ESIASTICAL HISTOET OF lEELAND. 
 
 7G3 
 
 A.D. 1G52, Edmund O’Beirne, of the Dominican convent ol Eos- 
 common, twice sub-prior of that house, encountering perils for his faith, 
 his country, and for the honor of the apostolic see, and, therefore, 
 particularly marked out by the sectaries, at length was captured. 
 Having been stabbed with swords and halberds, and besides shot, pur- 
 pled the sincerity of his zeal with his blood, 
 
 A.D. 1G53, Raymond Keoghy, of the same convent, having been 
 captured, was put to death in detestation of the faith. 
 
 In the same year, sister Honoria de Burgo sealed her virginity with 
 the purple of martyrdom. She was descended of Richard, lord of 
 Lower Connaught, (Mayo). When fourteen years of age, she piit on 
 the habit of the third order of St. Dominick, having received it from 
 Thadeus O’Duane, provincial of Ireland. Having erected a nunnery 
 near the convent of Burrishool, in Mayo, she there lived a very holy 
 life, without, as is said, the commission of a mortal sin during her life. 
 
 Her life in danger from hunger, as well as that of her sister nun, 
 Honoria Magaen, who could not be separated from her in life or in 
 death, and having implored, as their only succor, that of the spouse of 
 their immortal souls, a young stranger (supposed to have been an angel) 
 came to the gate with an abundance of provision. 
 
 The religious of Ireland having been dispersed in the last persecution 
 of Cromwell, this pious virgin, with her companion Honoria, attended 
 by a servant-maid, withdrew to the island of All Saints, in Lough-ree, 
 was at length captured by the sectaries and stripped of all their goods, 
 nay, their clothes, in the month of February. Honoria was rudely 
 thrown into a boat, by which three of her ribs were broken, and by 
 which her existence was ended. The faithful maid conveyed her to 
 the convent of Burishool, in compliance with her request. Having gone 
 out in search of Honoria Magaen, who was left behind in a wood, on 
 her return she found Honoria de Burgo in an attitude of prayer, though 
 sleeping in the Loi’d. 
 
 Honoria Magaen was also stripped of her garments by barbarian 
 soldiers, and having received many wounds, being, moreover, younger 
 than her companion, and dreading the loss of her chastity more than 
 life, she strove to escape into a neighboring wood and there concealed 
 herself in the hollow trunk of a tree, where she was found perished with 
 cold. She was also conveyed to Burrishool, and interred w'ith Honoria 
 de Burgo. 
 
 A.D. 1653, Thadeus Moriarty, prior of the convent of Tralee, ob- 
 tained the crown of martyrdom. He spared no labor in defending the 
 orthodox religion and in maintaining the supremacy of the holy see. 
 While the persecution was raging, he was offered liberty to depai’t the 
 kingdom, but he deemed his presence necessary through compassion for 
 
764 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 the Catholics. Having been arrested and conveyed to Killarney, he 
 was sentenced to be hanged. Having ascended the platform, he ad- 
 dressed the Catholics in terms of consolation to them and destruction 
 to the heretics. He yielded his soul to God, the sectaries themselves 
 awarding him the crown of martyrdom. 
 
 He suflered on the 15th of October, in this year. It is singular 
 that the heretics themselves placed, day and night, a watch over his 
 tomb, lest his remains would be removed. 
 
 A.D. 1653, Brother Bernard O’Kelly, of the convent of Roscommon, 
 having endured imprisonment and irons, and compelled to sell, through 
 privation, the garment with which he was clad, sentenced to death at 
 Galway, bravely surrendered his life in the cause of religion. 
 
 A.D. 1654, Hugh MacGoill, of the Dominican convent of Rathbran, 
 in the county of Mayo, a man of literature, modesty and innocence of 
 life, and master of novices, prompted by zeal, spontaneously arrived at 
 Waterford to console the Catholics surrounded with danger to their 
 eternal welfare, freely professed himself a priest and a religious. He 
 was seized by the heretics and condemned to be hanged. Standing on 
 the platform of the gallows, he addressed to the bystanders words which 
 sunk into the very flesh of the sectaries. The Catholics gave him an 
 honorable interment. 
 
 A.D. 1656, John Flaverly, of the convent of Coleraine, prior of that 
 house, was cast into a river and stoned by the barbarous soldiery of 
 Cromwell. 
 
 In the same year, James O’Reilly, of the same convent, was flogged 
 to death by the soldiers of Puritan England. 
 
 A.D. 1657, John O’Laighlin, prior of Derry, having suffered all the 
 privations of imprisonment and want, was off'ered preferment if he 
 would abandon the Catholic religion. He was strangled and Lis head 
 severed from his body, having thus earned the crown of the martyr. 
 
 A.D. 1660. Father Gregory French, of the Dominican convent of 
 Galway, was driven into exile when that city was captured by the 
 Cromwellians. He set out for Italy, the country in which he pursued 
 his studies, and died there an exile. 
 
 A.D. 1664, Christopher O’Ferrall, of the convent of Dublin, Domi- 
 nican, died. He studied at Louvain, and having returned to Dublin he 
 became prior, and had been a pious, diligent and prudent confessor. 
 He and the provincial, John Ohart, were thrown into prison because 
 they maintained the supremacy of the holy See. Christopher was 
 detained in the dungeon three years, without the use of a bed ; he 
 reposed his frame on the cold earth. The rats frequently gnawed his 
 feet. Christopher O’Ferrall bore a singular veneration towards Mary, 
 the holy and immaculate mother of God. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORT OF TRELAITO. 
 
 7G5 
 
 About the same time, Artliur Panti, of the same convent, was incar- 
 cerated at Dublin, for no other crime than maintaining the pontifical 
 authority of the successor of St. Peter. He died in exile, at Seville, in 
 Spain. 
 
 A.D. 1665, Paymond O’Moore, of the same convent, a descendant 
 of tbe illustrious family of the O’Morradh, died in prison. He studied 
 with great applause in Spain, and having returned to Dublin, was 
 thrust into prison, where he spent three years under the same afflictions 
 as his brethren aforesaid, for the same offence of maintaining the unity 
 of the church in its visible, supreme, and infallible head. At the end 
 of the third year he was called to enjoy a kingdom in which there is no 
 persecution. 
 
 A.D. 1665, died William de Burgo, of the house of Iserkelly, county 
 Galway, and of the convent of Athenry ; was driven into exile in the 
 year 1650, Avhen Cromwell and his Puritans overran and ravaged the 
 kingdom. He sojourned in a French monastery called Yanne, where 
 he died. 
 
 A.D. 1665, died John O’Fahy, of the convent of Athenry, a man of 
 mortification and a model of piety, master of students and lector of the- 
 ology, and much revered by the Catholics. Whenever he travelled, he 
 went on foot. The kingdom having been ravaged, and religion left pros- 
 trate, he was forced into exile about the year 1652. He set out for Italy, 
 and lived at Viterbo, where he died. 
 
 A.D. 1680, Mai'k Barnewal, of the Dominican convent of Dublin, 
 having studied in Portugal with great merit, returned to Dublin, where 
 he preached and instructed, to the great advantage of the people. The 
 persecution again renewed, drove him into Portugal, where he died as 
 he had lived. 
 
 A.D. 1686, Dominick Lynch, of the convent of Galway, studied in 
 Spain, and having returned to Ireland, resided in his native place, 
 although the son of a Protestant minister. The rose grows amidst the 
 thorns. Though he was detested by the heretics, they still coveted his 
 society. His life demonstrated that the works of faith and grace are 
 not given us by birth or nature, but by a good and glorious God, 
 through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 
 He suffered much in the persecution of 1680, having been in 
 prison an entire year, and the heretics themselves admiring his con- 
 stancy and placidity of mind. Having been set at liberty, he calmly 
 resigned his soul into the hands of his Redeemer, whom he faith- 
 fully served. 
 
 A.D. 1691, Gerald Fitz Gibbon, of the Dominican convent of Kill- 
 mallock, studied in Spain, and on his return to his native country, was 
 constituted sub-prior. He alone was able to provide in abundance all 
 
766 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL BISTORT OF IRELAND. 
 
 things necessary for the maintenance of fifteen religious. This eminent 
 man, tailing into the hands of the soldiers of 'William, the “ Absalom” 
 of England, Avas put to death in this year at Listowel. 
 
 A.D. 1691, Kichard O’Madden, of the convent of Portumna, was a 
 man of singular piety and prudence, and eminently A’ersed in the 
 science of the saints. The victory of Dutch William at Aughrim, 
 gained over the Catholic army, to Avhich the “ hauteur ” and the pride 
 of a foreign commander was mainly accessory, enabling them to devas- 
 tate the country, this good father was obliged to conceal himself in an 
 almost inaccessible marsh, where he continued fifteen days. At length, 
 there being no one to bring him food, consoled with the sacraments 
 and the bread of life which a secular priest administered, he calmly 
 resigned his soul in the month of August, and in the seventieth year of 
 his age. 
 
 A.D. 1693, Eegiiiald Mac Donnell, prior of the convent of Goula, 
 was a sincere and simple man, as well as prudent. AVhen the Catholic 
 troops Avere defeated in the cause of their rightful sovereign, he Avas 
 obliged to go into exile, and died piously at Louvain. 
 
 A.D. 1698, Thomas de Burgo, prior of the convent at Athenry, Avas 
 a man of good and exemplary life, and an excellent moralist. As the 
 heretics could not drive him into exile, because of his infirmity, they 
 ejected him from the convent. Having been strengthened Avith the 
 sacraments, he departed this miserable life in the ninetieth year of 
 his age. 
 
 A.D. 1701, Walter Fleming, of the convent of Rathbran, county of 
 Mayo, died. Being driA^en into exile, he sailed for France in the same 
 ship Avith de Burgo, aftei Avards bishop of Ossory, and having after the 
 lapse of a year returned, was arrested on board ship at Cork, Avhere he 
 remained in irons beyond tAvelve months. Having been again put on 
 board for France, and seized with illness during the voyage, he lay a 
 long time in an hospital at JSTantz. Having received the last rites of 
 religion, he died at an advanced period of life. 
 
 A.D. 1702, John O’Murrogh, a good man, and prior of the Domi- 
 nican convent of Cork, died in prison, having endured an incarceration 
 of four yearn, as he Avas disabled by gout. 
 
 A.D. 1701, Clement O’Colgan, of the Dominican order, studied 
 with advantage in Spain. Having, after the devastation of Ireland by 
 the Dutch soldiers of William, repaired to France, and thence to Rome, 
 he there taught philosophy in the convent of St. Sixtus. Desirous of 
 serving his native isle, he returned, and having been arrested by the 
 heretics, at Derry, he was imprisoned there two years, and at length 
 died in defence of his faith. 
 
 A.E. 1701, Lazarus Lynch, of the Dominican convent of Galway, a 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 767 
 
 sagacious and prudent confessor, was driven into exile, and died at 
 Nantz, as full of piety as of yeai-s. 
 
 A.D. 1707, Daniel Mac Donnell, of the convent of Urlare, county 
 Mayo, having returned from the continent, was discovered on board the 
 ship, whicli lay at anchor, as a religious, and immediately flung into 
 prison, where he was detained fourteen months in irons ; at length he 
 W'as obliged to reembark for France. Again venturing to Galway, he 
 was arrested a second time, thrust into prison, and kept there over six 
 years. lie at length, broken down by sufiering, resigned his soul to his 
 Creator. 
 
 A.D. 1707, Felix Mac Dowel, of the convent of Tulsk, returning 
 from Rome to Ireland, and having disembarked at Dublin, w^as arrested 
 and kept in the closest conflnemeiit, until a glorious death put an end to 
 the sufferings of this truly pious and religious man, on the 3d of February. 
 
 A.D. 1708, Lawrence O’Ferrall, a member of the Dominican con- 
 vent of Longford, performed the functions of missionary apostolic in 
 England, was imprisoned at London, where he endured many priva- 
 tions while in confinement ; at length set at liberty, he repaired to 
 Belgium, and thence again to England, where he was a second time 
 sent to prison, and again released as a German. Lie at length died in 
 Spain. 
 
 A.D. 1710, James Barrett, a nobleman, released from the cares of 
 life by the death of his wife, assumed the Dominican habit at Cork, 
 where he lived in the practice of great humility and mortification, 
 lie put on the dress of a shepherd, and attended the cattle of an English- 
 man, until his death took place. 
 
 A.D. 1713, Dominick Mac Egan, of the Dominican convent of 
 Tralee, having completed his studies in Spain, returned to Ireland, and 
 arrested at Dublin, was cast into prison in the year 1700. By his 
 exhortations he reclaimed the vicious, administered to them sacraments, 
 and especially to those convicted of capital offences, and brought back 
 many from the poison of heresy to a knowledge of the true faith, while 
 he was a captive. lie at length surrendered his soul into the hands of 
 llim who gave it. 
 
 A.D. 1669, died the primate Edmund O’Reilly. See diocese of 
 Armagh. 
 
 A.D. 1681, Oliver Plunket, primate of all Ireland, was executed at 
 Tyburn (London). See diocese of. 
 
 About I 64 O, Ileber Mac Mahon, who was bishop of Clogher, and 
 who assumed the sword in defence of his creed and country, was igno- 
 miniously put to death by the positive instructions of Sir Charles Coote, 
 at Enniskillen. 
 
 To Lleber Mac Mahon allusion is made in the Roman Vision, a 
 
768 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF LRELAND. 
 
 poem, which the venerable Hardiraan, of Galway, has inserted in the 
 collection of Irish minstrelsy : — 
 
 “ And when he fell (Owen Roe O’Neil), 0 meet to fill such place ! 
 
 Uad'st thy own priest to countervail his loss, 
 
 And o’er his prostrate banner rear the cross. 
 
 And well he did thine errand ; — but the Rrave, 
 
 When hath it ceased for human hopes to crave 1 
 The grave hath closed on Heber; 0 great heart! 
 
 Proud germ of nature, so matured by art, 
 
 Had genius, culture, all, thou costly prey. 
 
 But decked thee for the tomb T Thou envious clay. 
 
 Oh ! what a mind thy leaden sleep hath bound. 
 
 Pure as pervading — lucid as profound ! 
 
 Spirit of Eogan, chafe not, if mine eye. 
 
 The while I speak of Heber, be not dry ; 
 
 Nor deem thyself forgot — had he remained 
 To rend the withering yoke his valor strained 
 Almost to breaking ; had his happier hand 
 Swept the pale, palsied Saxon from the land; 
 
 Blasting the iron sceptre which it bent. 
 
 Given us hopes, happiness, enfranchisement, 
 
 No — not success, had taught another’s fame 
 To supersede my memory's vital claim.” 
 
 A.D. 1652, the heroic sufferings of Emer Mathews, bishop of 
 Clogher, are also recorded in the annals of those disastrous times. Tliis 
 venerable prelate, while discharging his pastoral duties, fell into the 
 hands of Coote, one of Cromwell’s most strenuous supporters. Having 
 been for many days exposed to the indignities of a licentious soldiery, 
 the prelate was at length conducted to Enniskillen, loaded with heavy 
 irons, and cast into a dungeon. Here he evinced the fortitude of a 
 martyr, Avhile his enemies were incessantly demanding his blood. He 
 was eventually sentenced to death — hanged and bowelled ; his head 
 struck off, set on a spike, and placed in the public market. 
 
 A.D. 1680, Peter Talbot, archbishop of Dublin, died in prison. See 
 diocese of. 
 
 A.D. 1645, Malachy O’Queely, archbishop of Tuara, was slain in 
 his attempt to recover Sligo. The archbishop, Teige Conell, Augustine 
 Higgin, with other clergymen, were killed, and pitifully mangled, and 
 so left in the way. 
 
 A.D. 1704, Dominick Burke, bishop of Elphin, died.' See diocese 
 of Elphin. 
 
 A.D. 1650, Boetius Egan, bishop of Ross, w'as hanged from the 
 branches of a tree, by the reins of his own home. See Clonmell, 
 county Tipperary. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOET OF ERELAND. 
 
 760 
 
 About this time, Doctor O’llegarty, a priest of the diocese of 
 Derry, was dragged from a mountain cavern and slain on a rock on 
 the banks of Loughs willy, by a Captain Yauglian, son of a Cromwellian 
 officer. 
 
 Tliomas Walsh, archbishop of Cashell, died an exile, in Gallicia 
 (Spain). 
 
 Robert Barry, bishop of Cork and Cloyne, and Patrick Comerford, 
 bishop of Lismore and Waterford, became exiles, and were received at 
 Nantz with great kindness by both clergy and people. 
 
 Edmund O’Dwyer, bishop of Limerick, and John Culenan, bishop of 
 Baphoe, took refuge in Brussels. 
 
 Walter Lynch, bishop of Clonfert, withdrew to Hungary. 
 
 Edmund O’Dempsey, bishop of Leighlin, repaired to Gallicia, in 
 Spain. 
 
 Francis Kirwan, bishop of Killala, repaired to Renres, in Britanny. 
 
 Hugh Burke, bishop of Killmacduach, was sheltered in England by 
 his friends. 
 
 Andrew Lynch, bishop of Killfenora, was sheltered in Hormandy by 
 the illustrious primate Francis de Harlai. 
 
 Arthur Magennis, bishop of Down, died at sea. 
 
 Nicholas French, bishop of Ferns, died at Ghent, in Flanders. 
 
 The illustrious Florence O’Mulchonry, archbishop of Tuam, died at 
 Madrid, full of services to the church and of sanctity. 
 
 This holy prelate, from the founding of a college to the composition 
 of a catechism, shrunk from no labor that could in his opinion benefit 
 the people of his native land. 
 
 When Wexford had been stormed through the treachery of Stafford, 
 Cromwell gave orders, that an indiscriminate massacre should take 
 place ; accordingly, both clergy and people were put to the sword. Six 
 members of the Franciscan order were selected, upon whom the regicides 
 of England exhausted all that ingenuity which malice and hatred to the 
 Catholic faith could invent. 
 
 Richard Synnot was guardian of the province. Paul Synnot was 
 for many years employed in Bai’bary, as the Pope’s legate. Francis 
 Stafford was guardian of the convent of Wexford. John Esmond, lately 
 guardian of the same convent. Peter Stafford, a man of distinguished 
 eloquence, peculiar meekness of manners and wonderful austerity of 
 life. Hamond Stafford, having many years presided over the convent 
 of Wexford, withdrew from the society of men, and led tlie penitential 
 life of an anchorite, in Beg-Erin, a lonely and desolate island, in the 
 bay of Wexford. These religious, having several days endured a 
 variety of indignities in the common prison, were all led out together 
 
 and executed, in their sufferings demonstrating the truths of the 
 
 49 
 
770 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF HiELAND. 
 
 Catholic faith and evincing the firmness and patient endurance of 
 martyrs. 
 
 While these horrors were perpetrated in Wexford, othei's of a simi- 
 lar description were committed in Cork, Clonmel, Limerick, Drogheda, 
 and other parts of the kingdom. During the siege of Clonmell, Nicho- 
 las Mulcahy, parish priest ef Ardtiunan, in the county of Tipperary, 
 who was a man of extraordinary zeal, was seized by a reconnoitering 
 party of Crmnwell’s troops. lie had been frequently advised to flee 
 the storm. Affectionate solicitude, which the true faith alone inspires, 
 rose superior to every personal consideration of safety. lie was bound 
 in irons, led to the camp of the regicides, and ofiered his i)ardon, pro- 
 vided he would use his infiuence in prevailing on the inhabitants of 
 Clonmell to surrender the town. Scorning the terms of the Cromwel- 
 lians, he was brought under the walls and beheaded, while offering 
 prayei’S for his flock and forgivi);g his enemies. 
 
 James Lynch, parish priest of Kells, in the county of Meath, and 
 Kichard Nugent, parish priest of Ratoath, in the same county, were 
 both put to the torture, and died on the same day in defence of the 
 holy Roman Catholic and apostolic faith. The first, a venerable old 
 man, nearly eighty years of age, was massacred in his bed, to which he 
 had, through weakness, for a long time been confined. The other was 
 sent under escort to Drogheda, and a gibbet having been erected within 
 sight of the walls, he ended his life with that Christian firmness which 
 confounded the enemies of his faith and drew forth the tears and bene- 
 dictions of his disconsolate friends. 
 
 A.D. 1644:, Francis Mathews, a distinguished Franciscan divine and 
 an eminent canonist, was born in the city of Cork, and was, in 1636, 
 elected guardian of St. Anthony’s college, at Louvain, and finally became 
 provincial of his order in Ireland. He obtained the crown of martyrdom 
 at Cork, in this year. 
 
 These illustrious sufferers for the faith have been selected from a 
 catalogue almost countless, which the annalists of those awful times 
 have left on record, and having given their names, be it borne in mind, 
 that the holy see has not pronounced a decision on their sufferings and 
 merits. To that unerring tribunal alone it belongs to adjudicate and 
 declare them worthy of veneration, while it only is ours to cherish their 
 memory and imitate their firmness and fortitude in resisting the enemies 
 of our holy faith, and at the same time, by our faith untainted, as that of 
 our holy Redeemer, and by our virtue, pure and unspotted, by example 
 edifying and instructive, silence the tongue of the scoffer and put to 
 shame and confusion the unblushing cheek of the libertine. 
 
 Many of the clergy, secular and regular, were confined in the 
 prisons of Cork, Galway, and Bophin island, in which Cromwell 
 
EOCLESIASTICAX HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 771 
 
 erected a fortress. Others were sent beyond seas. Subjoined are the 
 names of those members of the clerical c-der who were confined in the 
 island of Bophin. 
 
 Rev. James Fallen, vicar-general ; Roger Cummin, a secular priest; 
 Rev. Gerald Davock, Dominican ; Brien Corny, Franciscan ; Thomas 
 Bourke, Franciscan; Philip Walshe, secular priest; Thomas Grady, 
 seculai- priest ; Patrick Trevor, secular priest ; John Kelly, secular 
 priest ; MacLeighlin Conry, secular priest ; Anthony Geoghegan, ab- 
 bot ; Timothy Mannen, secular priest ; Miles Tully, secular priest ; John 
 Dillon, Dominican ; Thomas Mackernan, Franciscan ; Edward Delamar, 
 secular priest ; Turlogh Gavan, secular priest ; John Russel, vicar-gen- 
 eral ; William ITennesy, secular priest; William Farrel, secular priest; 
 Redmond Roche, secular priest ; Connor Keilly, secular priest ; Dennis 
 Florgan, secular priest ; Henry Burgatt, Dominican ; Timothy Dono- 
 van, Franciscan ; Connor Hurley, Franciscan; James Slevin, Francis- 
 can; Thomas Roony, Franciscan; Connor Scanlan, Franciscan; Ber- 
 nard Comins, Dominican ; Bonaventure Dant, secular priest ; Thomas 
 Burke, secular priest; Francis Horan, secular priest; Thomas MacKer- 
 van secular priest ; Terence Gavan, secular priest ; Hugh MacKeon, 
 secular priest. 
 
 To the islands of Arran more of the clergy were shipped, until they 
 could be transported to the West Indies, and allowed only two-pence 
 a day for their support, they were nearly famished, while the infamous 
 priest-catcher was allowed five pounds sterling for each priest who fell 
 into his fangs. Hence the clergy were hunted as if they were wild 
 beasts of the field. The churches and abbeys were converted into 
 stables for the horses of Cromwell’s regicides ; the chalices and sacred 
 vessels of the altars were used as drinking-cups, and the old and 
 valuable libraries of the clergy sold to shopkeepers or assigned to the 
 flames. 
 
 Thus was the Emerald Isle, once a religious, enlightened and far- 
 famed nation, torn, trampled upon and outraged by an heretical rabble, 
 her priesthood scattered and put to the sword or hunted as the wolf ; 
 her nobles dispersed ; her people massacred and starved, or sent (in the 
 phraseology of the day) to hell or Connaught as if into a national 
 prison; liberty extinguished by those who boasted of their freedom 
 from Papal tyranny ; learning proscribed, lest learning should raise its 
 voice against impiety and innovation ; religion insulted, lest religion 
 would enforce* the rights of property ; the religious foundations defiled 
 and dismantled, lest the inmates thereof would remind the spoiler of 
 his plunder; and their green and verdant fields, to which nature has 
 been so bountifully lavish, watered with tears and enriched with blood. 
 
 Such was the deplorable condition of the Irish Catholics, until in the 
 

 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 year 1G58, the summoning of the usurper Cromwell to the bar of an 
 upright and impartial Judge, gave the Catholics of the empire unspeak- 
 able delight. 
 
 It yet remains to record the death of the Rev. Nicholas Sheehy, 
 parish priest of Clogheen, county of Tipperary, and who may be consid- 
 ered the last martyr of Ireland whose blood has been shed to appease 
 the thirst of Protestant ascendancy. Ilis arriiignment under a charge 
 of high trea -on was procured by a band of “ discoverei-s of Popish plots 
 and designs,” or rather of conspirators against his lile as well as the 
 lives of othere, who were doomed to the melancholy fate of convicted 
 criminals, on the testimony of the wretches who were employed to do 
 the work of blood. Sir Thomas Maude, AVilliam Bagwell, John Bag- 
 well, Daniel Toler, and a parson named Ilewetson, were the individuals 
 who constituted themselves into a joint-stock company for the special 
 maintenance of law, order and loyalty. To this crew lather Slieehy 
 became extremely obnoxious, because he fearlessl}" denounced the vices 
 and licentiousness of the gentry as well as exposed the galling exactions 
 of the Protestant clergy. A.D. 1TG3, he was arrested on the plea of 
 drilling and organising Whiteboys, but the conspirators unable to sub- 
 stantiate the charge, father Sheehy was acquitted. 
 
 About the close of that year, one of the witnesses, who was em- 
 ployed on his first trial, suddenly disappeared, upon which a charge of 
 murder was immediately prepared, and fatlier Sheehy was arrested 
 and consigned to the county prison, where he was detained in heavy 
 irons. 
 
 A woman named Dunlea and a prostitute (such have been always 
 useful to the persecutor of the church), a convicted horse-stealer called 
 Tuohey, and a vagrant by name Lonergan, were the persons on whose 
 testimony father Sheehy was condemned to undergo the extreme sen- 
 tence of the law. The object of the vile conspirators against his life at- 
 tained, he was beheaded at Clonmel on the third day after sentence was 
 pronounced. Such was the melancholy end of the popular, eloquent, 
 zealous and energetic pastor of Clogheen. His life was sacrificed in the 
 thirty-eighth year of his age, and his remains have been deposited in 
 the ruined churchyard of Shandragan. But the persecutors of father 
 Sheehy did not long escape the vengeance of that God who, even in 
 this life, vindicates the cause of the just and the innocent. With the 
 exception of one, all the conspirators, as well as the jury, met with 
 violent and awful deaths. 
 
 Sir Thomas Maude died a lunatic. 
 
 Bagwell ended his days an idiot. One of the jury, worried with 
 remorse, committed suicide ; another was found dead in a privy ; a 
 third was killed by his own horse ; a fourth was drowned ; a fifth was 
 
ECCLESIASTICAX HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 773 
 
 shot, and so on to the end of tlie list. The w^’etched prostitute Dunlea 
 fell into a cellar, thus ending her miserable existence. Tuohey, con- 
 victed of a felonious olfence, was hanged, and Lonergan, having assumed 
 the profession of a soldier, contracted a loathsome disease, of which he 
 died, in the capital of Ireland. 
 
 The various kinds of torture employed by the Pagan emperors of 
 Rome during the ten persecutions with which they strove to impede the 
 propagation of the Catholic faith, have been described by different 
 authors. 
 
 Some were put to death in an erect posture, as was our Lord and 
 Saviour Jesus Christ. St. Peter, with his head towards the earth ; 
 others in the manner in which the martyrdom of St. Andrew is repre- 
 sented. Many were made to pass their arms under the transverse beam 
 of the cross, having their hands nailed to the upper part. Some were 
 suspended from trees by the hands, their arms having been first tied 
 behind their backs and heavy weights attached to their feet. Females 
 were hung up by the hair, a torture sufficient to cause death ; more 
 hung up by one or both feet, the head downwards, and in many in- 
 stances a large stone tied round the neck ; others had their hands nailed 
 to a beam, with enormous weights at their feet. 
 
 Fire was another instrument to which the persecutors had recourse. 
 Some of the martyrs were placed, as was St. Lawrence, upon gridirons ; 
 others plunged into caldrons of boiling oil or pitch. Many were suffo- 
 cated with smoke, or dressed in a garment smeared with some inflam- 
 mable matter, and burned at a stake. Some were cast into fiery furnaces ; 
 others crowded into a ship which was ignited when at sea ; others 
 inclosed in a brazen bull and roasted alive ; more were tortured by red 
 hot plates of iron applied to their sides ; others wei’e thrown upon the 
 earth and molten lead poured over them, or were impaled upon a spit 
 and roasted before a slow fire. 
 
 Scourges were also used as instruments of torture, some of which 
 were of leather, of cane, of the tendons of oxen, of iron links, and 
 sometimes of iron rods shaped with thorns, and which were called 
 “ scorpions.” The martyrs were generally tied to posts ; some, how- 
 ever, were placed in a kind of stocks, and so scourged to death. 
 
 Iron instruments w’ere used in pulling out the teeth and eyes, and 
 hooks or combs for tearing off the flesh. There were also knives for 
 flaying and axes for cutting the martym into pieces. More were put 
 to the wheel and the rack, embowelled, beheaded, strangled, and 
 thrown to wild beasts. Thus the blood of the martyrs watered the 
 vineyard of the Lord during three hundred years, and for ever praised 
 the name of the Lord, who has vouchsafed to hand over the country of 
 
Y74 
 
 ICCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 our birtli to be tried as gold in the furnace, and to have her tested in 
 the bitterest ordeal to which a nation ever has been subjected. 
 
 The direst foes of the Catholic faith have perished, while that faith 
 remains and is verdant as the bloom of the spring, 
 
 Kero was the first persecutor of the Christians. This wretched 
 prince, having committed many acts of injustice and unparalleled 
 cruelty against his subjects while occupying the imperial thruue of 
 Home, was at length suddenly and unexpectedly abandoned by his 
 guards. Seeing that Ids ruin was imminent, he retired from his palace 
 and knocked at the doors of several of his friends ; but Kero was refused 
 admittance by all ; whereupon he left the city in search of a hiding- 
 place, accompanied with four of his freed-meu. The companions of his 
 flight were obliged to conceal themselves and the monster Kero in a 
 sandpit. In the meantime, the Homan senate proclaimed Galba empe- 
 ror, Kei'O as an enemy to the state, and condemned him to be dragged 
 to the place of execution and there scourged to death. Informed of 
 this decree, despair seized Kero, and in the moment of his rage, he 
 stabbed himself with a poniard in the throat. Immediately after a cen- 
 turion arrived, who, wishing to preserve his life till he should be pub- 
 licly executed, ofiered him assistance, which, however, he rejected, 
 exclaiming, “ It is now too late,” and he immediately and miserably 
 expired. 
 
 Such was Kero, who caused the holy apostles SS. Peter and Paul 
 to be martyred, because their prayers brought down the vengeance of 
 Heaven on the impious impostor Simon Magus, who endeavored, by his 
 magical skill, to frustrate the preaching of those ai^ostles. Such was 
 the man who looked on the flames which were devouring the imperial 
 city of Home, from the tower of a fortress, and to which he was acces- 
 sory, or at least, of which he was strongly suspected by the inhabitants. 
 Having thereby incurred the odium of the Homans, and having failed 
 to gain their esteem, he resolved to fling on the Christians the infamy 
 of burning the capital of the empire, well knowing that harsh measures 
 against the followers of the Hedeemer would be agreeable both to Jew 
 and Gentile. 
 
 In the primitive ages of the church, the Jews, not knowing the 
 nature of the euchaiistic sacrifice, which was then, througli prudential 
 motives, subjected to the discipline of the “ secret,” charged the early 
 Christians with infanticide — a crime of M-hich the Jews themselves have 
 been convicted, crucifying them, in derision to the Saviour of man- 
 kind. 
 
 The monster Kero accuses the Christians with burning the Homan 
 capital, and thus wrongly inculpated, their blood is shed, in order to 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL niSTOEY OF IRELAND. VT5 
 
 gratify their Pagan enemies, and to conciliate towards Xero the good 
 opinion of his subjects. 
 
 The Catholic who is one in name as well as in reality, has cause of 
 joy and consolation when he knows that such a monster as Kero was 
 the first wliose imperial edict shed the blood of the early martyrs — that 
 blood which has given life and energy and victory to the faith which 
 M'as proscribed. 
 
 Tiie conduct of the modern adversaries of the church reminds one 
 of the first calumnies uttered against the professors of the true faith. 
 Catholics are not now charged with the crime of infanticide^ as of old; 
 another name is more applicable, according to our modern foes. Catho- 
 lics are now-a-days “ damnable idolaters and those of the British 
 empire, as were those of the Roman capital, have been cliarged with 
 the burning of London, as well as with the plot of blowing up the 
 senate-house — a plot of which British ministers are erpially suspected, 
 nay, to which they have given maturity, consistent with their plans of 
 aggression on the rights and liberties of Catholic subjects. 
 
 And to perpetuate the memory of this plot, and to fling the odium 
 of this nefarious design on the Catholic body, the artful mini.sters gave 
 it the appellation of a “popish plot,” appointed a national festival 
 to celebrate their happy escape from the machinations of popish ene- 
 mies, and also erected a “lying monument” in the capital of proud 
 England, which now, in its mute language, administers reproof to the 
 vile calumnies which the Protestant governors, as well as the Protes- 
 tant people of that country, have basely uttered against the Catholics of 
 the realm. 
 
 Another fell enemy to the Christian faith was Julian, the apostate, 
 wdio undertook to destroy utterly the church of Christ, who declared 
 himself the enemy of the Redeemer, and the worshiper of the gods. 
 
 Ilis animosity to the Christian religion suggested to him the impious 
 project of rebuilding the temple and city of Jerusalem, in order, as he 
 conceived, to falsify the prediction of our Saviour relative to its 
 destruction. Julian, by letter, invited the Jews to assemble from every 
 quarter of the globe, and assist in his foolish design. He ordered mate- 
 rials to be procured at his own expense, appointing Alypius to superin- 
 tend as well as hasten the work. The old foundations of the temple 
 were dug up in a very short time, thus verifying the prophecy, “that 
 not one stone should be left upon another.” The trenches were at 
 length open— the stones of the foundations were ready to be set next 
 morning — the Jews were in transports of delight, when a sudden earth- 
 quake refilled the trenches, scattered the materials, overturned the con- 
 tiguous buildings, and buried many of the workmen in the bowels of 
 the earth. Struck with awe and astonishment, yet not deterred from 
 
776 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF HtELAND. 
 
 prosecuting the design wliich the apostate Julian suggested, they 
 renewed their attempts. Then, indeed, from the earth burst forth a 
 flaming torrent of Are, which, continuing its eruption, rendered it 
 impossible to approach the trenches without being consumed. It 
 ceased at intervals, but began to flow when an effort was made to 
 approach. 
 
 The total ruin of the Christian name and the reestablishment of 
 idolatry were the objects which the wicked ambition of this apostate 
 wretch had contemplated. Yet he published no sanguinary edicts, nor 
 did he draw the sword against the Christians ; but by pecuniary mulcts, 
 by troublesome and ve.xatious suits and insults, he cruelly pereecuted 
 them. The clergy he strijiped of their privileges ; the pensions which 
 Constantine the Great had granted for the support of ecclesiastics, virgins 
 and widows, he suppressed, in oi’der, as he sarcastically observed, to 
 teach them evangelical poverty. lie forbade them to sue or plead in 
 courts of justice, alleging that suits at law were at variance with the 
 principles of their religion. lie shut up the schools of the Christians, 
 ill order to deprive tliem of knowledge. He exacted large contribu- 
 tions wherewith to repair his heathen temples. lie levelled many of 
 the Christian churches, converting the sacred utensils of the altars to 
 pagan purposes. 
 
 Having reigned nearly two years, he had an engagement with the 
 Persians, A.D. 363, and seeing, in the heat of the battle, some Persians 
 betaking themselves to flight, he raised his arms and his voice, animat- 
 ing his soldiei's in the pursuit, when a Persian knight shot a well-aimed 
 arrow, which pierced his side and entered liis liver. Having striven to 
 extract the fatal arrow, he lacerated Ids hands, and his strength failing, 
 he fell from his hoi*se. Eemoved to a neighboring hut, where he pro- 
 cured surgical assistance, which apparently restored him, and having 
 again mounted his steed, in order to lead on and animate his troops, his 
 strength forsook him, and Julian, the enemy of religion and its holy 
 founder, expired that night. It is related, that when he received the 
 fatal wound, he filled his hand with the blood which flowed from his 
 side, and dashing it into the air, exclaimed : “ Galilean, (the name he 
 gave the Saviour in derision,) thou hast conquered me.” 
 
 Dioclesian, who has had the infamous celebrity of sacrificing more 
 of the Christians than any other tyrant, having held the empire twenty 
 years, was obliged to abdicate by his son-in-law, Galerius, who had the 
 support of the army, and who at once assured Dioclesian that his 
 renunciation of the sovereignty would be either spontaneous or compul- 
 sory. The wretched emperor, left no alternative, abandoned in his old 
 age, and an object of contempt to all, he became so weary of life, that 
 throwing himself on the ground, he was wont to writhe in the most 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 7TT 
 
 frightful contortions. At length, overpowered with melancholy, he 
 resolved on hastening his own death. In prosecution of this design, he 
 deprived himself of food and sleep, thus terminating his wicked and 
 miserahle existence. Maximinian was the associate of this monster in 
 the atrocities which were practised on the Christians, as well as in tlie 
 government of the empire. In the miserable death which his crimes 
 deserved, another instance of an avenging Providence has been mani- 
 fested : even while at his banquets, such was his ferocious disposition, 
 he caused men to be devoured by a savage bear. As his abdication of 
 the empire was in some degree forced, he was constantly plotting for its 
 recovery. lie gave his daughter to Constantine the Great, in marriage; 
 and as he was jealous of his son-in-law being vested with the purple, he 
 resolved on his assassination. Relying on his daughter, he desired to 
 obtain admission to Constantine’s bed-chamber, with the intention of 
 despatching him while buried in sleep ; but the daughter, who loved 
 her husband more than her father, shewed him into another apartment, 
 where a person was sleeping, whom he murdered. Leaving the victim 
 of his treacherous project weltering in his blood, he, on retiring, met 
 Constantine, who was aware of his resolve and of the bloody deed he 
 had just committed, and who resolutely ordered the tyrant to choose the 
 manner in which he would prefer to die. Having selected that of 
 strangulation, his infamous life was thus miserably terminated. 
 
 Maximinius, in the cruelties which he directed against the Christians, 
 was little inferior to his predecessors. Overthrown by Licinius, he 
 escaped to Tarsus, where he was closely besieged, without hope of saving 
 himself by flight. Having prepared a final banquet, as he called it, he 
 gorged himself with food and wine to such a degree, that the poison 
 which he subsequently took produced no immediate effect, but it 
 reduced him to such a miserable state, that he lay four days in the most, 
 dreadful agony — unable to take food, yet swallowing handsful of earth 
 in his frenzy. Stung with unutterable agony, and as if having a fore- 
 taste of the torments of hell, he dashed his head again.st a wall with 
 such violence that his eyes burst from their sockets. The violence of 
 the poison consumed his flesh to such a degree, that he could be scarcely 
 recognized. In the midst of his agony, inviting death to disengage him 
 from his torture, his soul left its miserable tabernacle, according to the 
 woe pronounced by the prophet Zachary : “ And this shall be the 
 plague wherewith the Lord will strike all the people that have fought 
 against Jerusalem : their flesh shall consume away while they stand 
 upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and 
 their tongues shall consume away in their mouth.” 
 
 The emperor Valens, who was an Arian heretic, became the sworn 
 persecutor of the Catholic church. Having sufiered much from the 
 
778 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORT OF IRELAND. 
 
 Arians, the Catholics sent a deputation of eighty ecclesiastics to wait 
 upon the emperor, and lay before him their grievances. Instead ot 
 giving redress, the impious tyrant treated the embassy with the greatest 
 disrespect, giving, at the same time, secret orders to have them put to 
 death. The prefect caused them to embark in a vessel, whose sailors 
 were instructed to abandon and set it on tire. In this horrible manner 
 those ecclesiastics rendered up their lives. 
 
 Tliere W’ere very few cities that did not groan under the effects of 
 his cruelties. Having arrived at Antioch, he put many Catholics to the 
 torture ; others he caused to be drowned, while the number sent into 
 exile for the faith was almost incalculable. 
 
 Yalens published an edict, commanding all the monks to be forcibly 
 enlisted, and at the same time confiding its execution to Lucius, the 
 false bishop of Alexandria. Lucius, at the head of three thousand 
 soldiers, proceeded to the deserts of Nitria, where he slew many of the 
 holy Eremites, having banished many more to the swamps of Egypt. 
 
 But in the year 378, the justice of heaven overtook Yalens, for while 
 the Goths were jireparing an assault upon Constantinople, a holy monk, 
 named Isaac, thus addressed him, “ Whither dost thou hasten, O empe- 
 ror? Thou art doing battle against the Lord; but he shall discomfit 
 thee. Thou shalt fail in the struggle and never more return.” Yalens, 
 in a rage, replied, “ I shall return and make thee pay Avith thy life the 
 penalty of thy rashness.” 
 
 The monk Avas sent to prison, but Yalens returned not. OverthroAAm 
 and flying from the. field, he Avas struck with an arroAv. Having taken 
 refuge in a neighboring cottage, and a troop of the enemy’s cavalry 
 having arrived, Avho finding the door shnt, not knoAving Avho Avas then 
 its occupant, set fire to the hut. Thus the unhappy emperor perislied, 
 in the midst of the flames, in the fiftieth year of his age. 
 
 Anastasius, Avho held the empire twenty-seven years, Avas a violent 
 persecutor of the Catholics. He Avas raised to the throne from a private 
 life against the Avill of Euphemius, the zealous patriarch of Constanti- 
 nople, Avho, aAvare of his hostility to the Catholic faith, opposed his 
 election till he had sworn to observe the ordinances of the council of 
 Chalcedon. Disregarding his oath, he the more persecuted the Catho- 
 lics, as if his enmity Avas the more enkindled by being obliged to SAvear 
 to the observance of the constitutions of this council. 
 
 He Avas soon, hoAvever, struck Avith the divine vengeance, of which he 
 was fcn'ewamed, and of Avhich St. Elias, patriarch of Jerusalem, had a 
 Avonderful revelation. In the year 518, this holy bishop, then ninety years 
 of age, Avas in company Avith St. Sabba, a monk, in the vicinity of Jeru- 
 salem ; Avhen the hour of refection came, the patriarch refused to par- 
 take of food, telling his companion, that at the very instant the tyi-ant 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IKELAUD. 
 
 779 
 
 had expired. On that evening, a tliunderstorm arose, and the emperor, 
 affrighted at the bolts of heaven, still more alarmed with remorse for 
 his persecutions, fled from room to room in his palace, and at length 
 concealed himself in a small apartment. His courtiers, on entering, 
 found him dead. 
 
 Great as have been the injuries inflicted on the church of God by 
 Pagan as well as heretic princes, such as Valens and Anastasius, yet 
 heresiarchs have done her more serious evils, for false teacliings and 
 specious sophistry are more pernicious, as they are the more insidious, 
 to the cause of truth than the stake or tlie gibbet. 
 
 Arius, the author of that foul heresy which bears his name, was 
 born in Africa. Having arrived in Alexandria, he attached himself to 
 the schism of Meletius, which he afterwards abandoned ; was ordained 
 a priest and intrusted with the care of a parish. Upon the death of the 
 patriarch Achilla, Arius entertained the hope of filling the patriarchal 
 chair ; but seeing that St. Alexander was preferred to that dignity, he 
 began to censure the conduct as w'ell as the faith of the prelate. Arius 
 accused him of falsely teaching that the divine Word was the Son of 
 God, begotten from eternity and coequal and consubstantial with the 
 Father. 
 
 Arius, on the contrary, taught blasphemously, that God created the 
 Word after the manner of his other creations ; and that in consequence 
 of his superior holiness, he was honored with the title of the W ord and 
 Son of God. In vain did St. Alexander admonish this blasphemous 
 wretch. In a synod which the saint convoked, this impious doctrine 
 was condemned ; its author obliged to fly the city and retire to Pales- 
 tine, wdiere, through intrigue and deceit, he succeeded in gaining the 
 favor of some bishops. . 
 
 Endeavoring to propagate his errors, Arius caused a great commo- 
 tion through the East ; and the emperor Constantine, in the hope of at 
 once extinguishing the heresy, conceived the idea of having a council 
 assembled at Nice, wdiere three hundred and eighteen bishops formally 
 condemned the doctrines of the heresiarch, and exhibiting the scars and 
 wounds they received in defence of the true Catholic and apostolic faith, 
 declared that Jesus Christ was the true and eternal Son of God and 
 consubstantial with the Father. Arius, having refused obedience to 
 the decree of the council, was banished by Constantine to Illyricum. 
 His followers, nevertheless, succeeded in persuading the emperor that 
 he conformed to the doctrines which the council taught, and that he, 
 moreover, sw'ore never to depart therefrom. 
 
 It was therefore agreed that Arius should be admitted to the com- 
 munion of the faithful, and being for this purpose conducted to the 
 church at Constantinople in processional triumph, and having arrived 
 
7S0 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKlf OF IKELAND. 
 
 at the great square of the city, the holy patriarch, in the meantime, 
 imploring the God of the true faith and of all consolation not to permit 
 such a profanation, he was struck with divine vengeance. Having 
 been seized suddenly with violent writhiugs in his bowels, Arius asked 
 whither he could retire ; he was accompanied by a domestic, who waited 
 at the door of the apartment which he entered, llis bowels burst asun- 
 der internally and came forth, an immense flow of hlood accompanying 
 them. Thus, as another J udas, perislied the arch-heretic Arius. After 
 considerable delay, some of his friends entered the place and found him 
 dead. 
 
 ^N’estorius imitated Arius in the pei-secution of the church by the 
 teaching of another impious doctrine. 
 
 In the year 427 or 428, he was elevated to the patriarchate of Con- 
 stantinople, and at first evinced much zeal against the heretics, particu- 
 larly the disciples of Arius. He brought with him from Antioch a 
 priest named Anastasias, whom he one day instructed to state in his 
 sermon, that the blessed Virgin should not be called Mother of God, 
 but only tlie Mother of Christ. The people, greatly scandalized at this 
 new doctrine, called on the patriarch to punish the rashness of the 
 preacher. Instead of correcting this insolence, Nestorius on the follow- 
 ing day ascended the pulpit, defended the false proposition of Anasta- 
 sias, openly declaring that Christ was not God, and that therefore his 
 mother could not be called Mother of God. In another sermon he said, 
 “ If any one shall dare to call the Virgin, Mother of God, let liim be 
 anathema.” lie denied the hypostatic union of the “ divine word ” 
 with the “ human nature ” in Christ, and affirmed that the Word was 
 united to Christ merely by grace, as it is united to the saints, but in a 
 manner more excellent. He declared that the Word dwelt in the 
 humanity of Christ, as in a temple ; and thence concluded that this 
 humanity of our Redeemer should be honored as we honor the purple 
 of a king, or the throne on which he sits, always denying that the Son 
 of God was made man and died for our salvation. Some abbots (called 
 in the Greek church Archimandrites) who refused to adopt his errors, 
 were imprisoned by the patriarch and most cruelly scourged. At 
 length a council, composed of one hundred and eighty-eight bishops, at 
 Chalcedon, condemned the doctrines ofHestorius, deposed him from the 
 patriarchate, and pronounced against him the sentence )f excommuni- 
 cation. 
 
 The people, who waited all day with great anxiety to learn the 
 decision of the council, returned thanks to God with every manifestation 
 of joy, when it was announced. They attended the bishops to their 
 dwellings with lighted torches ; ladies preceded the procession, carrying 
 thuribles of incense through the streets, which were brilliantly illumin- 
 
ECCLESIASTIC A.L inSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 781 
 
 ated. The lievesiarch was banished by the emperor Tlicodosius, and 
 miserably died in exile. Some relate that, in a moment of despair, he 
 dashed out his brains. Othem say that he died of a cancer in the mouth, 
 the worms proceeding from which devoured his tongue, wliich had pro- 
 nounced so many blaspliemies against the divine Son and his virgin 
 motluu*. 
 
 Montanus and Cerinthus resembled these heresiarchs in their hostility 
 to the church, as well as in the dreadful deaths which put an end to 
 their impieties. The firet, after having grievously afflicted the church 
 of God with his abominable tenets, and perverted many with the assist- 
 ance of two women who laid claim to the gift of prophecy, at length 
 suspended himself from a beam, thus ending liis wicked career. 
 
 Of Cerinthus, St. Ireneus relates that he went to Ephesus to dispute 
 with St. John or to disturb the faithful who had obtained the grace of 
 conversion. God speedily punished him ; for, entering the public baths 
 where the holy evangelist was, the saint exclaimed, “Let us go hence, 
 my brethren, lest tlie house fall.” Scarcely had they departed, when 
 the baths fell with a dreadful crash, burying Cerinthus alive in the ruins. 
 
 Manes, chief of the Manicheans, also met with a miserable end. 
 The son of Sapor, king of Persia, was sick almost to death, and being 
 despaired of by his pliysicians, his father became inconsolable. In the 
 height of rashness, Manes undertook to restore him to health, provided 
 he would embrace his doctrines. The prince was accordingly intrusted 
 to his care ; however, he died the same day ; whereupon the king was 
 so enraged, that Manes was condemned to death. The impostor was 
 sent to prison, but he eluded his fate by bribing the guards, and having 
 made a long stay at Mesopotamia, whither he fled, and fancying that the 
 anger of the king was assuaged, he returned to Persia. Sapor, aware 
 of his return, ordered him to be seized and flayed alive with shai’p- 
 pointed reeds. His skin was inflated and exposed to public view. St. 
 Epiphanius, who records the fact, saw the inflated skin, one hundred 
 years after. 
 
 Tlie great reformer himself, Luther, closed his career by a death 
 which corresponded to his immoral and intemperate life. He had been 
 a professed religious of the order of St. Augustine ; but throwing otf the 
 cowl, he married the abbess of a certain nunnery, and at length, in the 
 year 1564, having feasted sumptuously, as was his custom, he was 
 attacked suddenly in the night by mortal pains, and died, as he had 
 lived since he became a rebel to the church of God, amid feasting and 
 iniquity. 
 
 His remains were brought to Wittemberg, on a kind of triumphal 
 car, followed by the abbess, who was his concubine, and their three 
 illegitimate children. 
 
782 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IHSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Ecolampadius, a monk of the order of St. Brigit, and who was after- 
 wards tlie companion and disciple of Zuinglius, died in the forty-niijth 
 year of his age, and one after the decease of his master. It is recorded 
 that he made frequent attempts on his own life, and tinally succeeded 
 in putting an end to his existence by poison. It is also asserted that 
 this wretched apostate, when about to expii-e, exclaimed, “ Alas I I shall 
 soon be in hell.” 
 
 Calvin strenuously labored in extending the kingdom of Lucifer, and 
 •became the occasion of ruin to myriads of souls. He died at Geneva, 
 in the year 1564, as well as Martin Luther, and in the lifty-fourth year 
 of his age. Theodore Beza, who preferred the society of a fair damsel 
 to the salvation of his immortal soul, and who admitted to St. Francis 
 de Sales, that her charms, at the mine time calling her into the presence 
 of the holy hishop^ outweighed the arguments which the saint advanced 
 with a view of eft’ecting his conversion, affirms that Calvin died most 
 placidly ; others, who have written his life, quoted by Katalis Alexan- 
 der and by Cardinal Gotti, state that he expired invoking the devils, 
 cursing his life, his studies, and his writings, his ulcei'S sending forth an 
 intolerable stench. “ Demones invocantem, dejerantem, execrantem, 
 vitffi suse diras imprecantem suis studiis ac scriptis maledicentem ; deni- 
 que ex suis celeribus intolerabilem fsetorem emittentem, in locum suum 
 descendisse.” Thus Calvin departed, to render an account to the Lord 
 of life and death for the myriads of souls perverted and lost through his 
 means. 
 
KCCi*KeiASTlCAL HISTOEY OK XUI.LA^D. 
 
 783 
 
 CHAPTER Lxvm. 
 
 CLAUSES OF THE PENTAL EXACTMEJiTTS OF ELIZABETH, JAMES, &c. AGAINST 
 THE CATHOLICS— RESTRICTIONS OP THE CALIPH OMAR ON THE CHRIS- 
 TIANS OF JERUSALEM STRIKINGLY SIMILAR TO THOSE OF ENGLAND— 
 SYMPATHY WITH IRELAND ON THE CONTINENT— COLLEGES FOUNDED 
 FOR IRISH ECCLESIASTICS— CROMWELL’S RULE IN IRELAND, &c.— PRO- 
 CLAMATION OF HIS COMMISSIONERS— NOBLES AND PEOPLE DRIVEN INTO 
 CONNAUGHT— STATUTE OP WILLIAM III.— REGISTRATION ACT OF QUEEN 
 ANNE— PARLIAMENTARY RETURNS OF THE STATE OF CATHOLICITY BY 
 PROTESTANT BISHOPS. 
 
 In perusing this brief outline of the hostile career of the great Pagan 
 and heretical persecutors of the Catholic church, an affinity is easily 
 perceptible between the mechanism which they set in motion in order 
 to extinguish the Christian religion and that which the heretical govern- 
 ments of England, adopting the early calumnies of the bitterest enemies 
 of the faith, and tlie insidious policy of Julian the Ajiostate, and of 
 Valens, the Arian emperor, as their models, have enacted against that 
 creed which they abandoned and which was professed by large numbers 
 of the English people at that very time and by tJie whole of the inhab- 
 itants of Ireland — a policy which the Russells and other plundered of 
 the church would still adopt, as well as renew, if the limbs of Ireland, 
 long bound in the irons of oppression and pei’secution, had not over- 
 grown her manacles and burst them asunder in her efforts to be free. 
 That the contrast be familiar, a numerical list of the penal statutes is 
 subjoined, which were enacted in the reigns of Elizabeth, James, and 
 Charles, as well as during the usurpation of Cromwell, including the 
 registration act, which surpassed them in its deadly aim at the extinc- 
 tion of the Catholic priesthood of Ireland. 
 
 1. A second refusal of the oath of supremacy, even in spirituals, 
 to be punished as high treason. — (5th Eliz., cap. 1.) 
 
 2. To defend or extol the authority of the Roman See, punishable 
 as high treason, if the offence was committed a second time. 
 
 3. To obtain a bull or use the same — luMh treason. 
 
 O 
 
784 
 
 ECCLESIASTIC.Ui HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 4. To persu.acle or reconcile any one to the Catholic religion — high 
 treason.— (25th Eliz. and 3cl of James.) 
 
 5. Priests, religious, and others initiated in the Roman rite or 
 orders, coming or remaining in the kingdom, subjected to high treason. 
 
 6. Any of the aforesaid priests, Ac., remaining si.x months in a 
 seminary after the promulgation of the statute, punishable at their 
 return with high treason. — (27th Eliz.) 
 
 7. To conceal a bull or instrument from the See of Rome, or even 
 a reconciliation either proposed or oliered, punished as treason. 
 
 8. To harbor or conceal those who make proselytes to the Roman 
 religion, to be punished with high treason. — (2Ttli Eliz.) 
 
 9. To receive, harbor or assist an ecclesiastic, knowing him to be 
 such — high treason. 
 
 10. To refuse leaving the country (or return without licence) when 
 ordered — high treason. — (35th Eliz.) 
 
 11. To engage in the service of a foreign prince without firet swear- 
 ing allegiance and the royal supremacy, and at the same time vowing 
 and guaranteeing in some formal manner a resolve of non-conforming 
 with the Catholic faith — high treason. — (3d James.) 
 
 12. The firet refusal of the oath of the royal supremacy, Ac., pun- 
 ished with a “ praemunire,” a punishment involving confiscation of 
 moveable and immoveable property — perpetual incarceration and depri- 
 vation of legal rights. 
 
 13. To propose or defend any spiritual authority in the see of Rome 
 — punishable with the statute of praemunire. 
 
 14. To bring or carry or receive crosses, images, and other badges of 
 popery, such as relics — punishable with praemunire. 
 
 15. To assist any one in the execution of a diploma granted by the 
 Holy See — a case of praemunire. — (27th Eliz., 2 chap.) 
 
 16. To harbor or assist any one living in colleges or foreign semi- 
 naries — a case of praemunire. 
 
 17. A second refusal of the oath of allegiance — praemunire. — (3rd 
 James.) 
 
 18. Hot to disclose the name, if known, of an ecclesiastic ordained 
 in foreign parts — imprisonment. — (27th Eliz.) 
 
 19. Recusants already judged or suspected — imprisonment. 
 
 20. Refusing to attend Protestant conventicles or Protestant ser- 
 vice — ^imprisonment without recognizance to be had. — (35th Eliz.) 
 
 21. A married woman refusing the oath of allegiance — imprison- 
 ment. — (3d James.) 
 
 22. A married woman convicted of recusancy, to be imprisoned, 
 and the husband to be mulcted with £10 sterling per month, or in the 
 third part of his landed property. — (7th James.) 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELANP. 
 
 ^85 
 
 23. Catholics unable to pay the fines into the royal treasury, to 
 be imprisoned until the whole wpiild be paid. — (23d Eliz.) 
 
 24. Tlie residence of the recusant liable to be forcibly entered, when 
 to be arrested. — (7th James.) 
 
 25. An absentee from the Protestant church for a year, shall find 
 security for good behavior. — (23d Eliz.) 
 
 26. All recusants prevented, under pain of death, from going 
 beyond five miles, in any direction, from tlieir houses. — (23d Eliz.) 
 
 27. Eecusants not allowed to approach within ten miles of London. 
 — (3d James.) 
 
 28. Eecusants forbidden to enter the palace of the sovereign or the . 
 heir apparent. — (3d James.) 
 
 29. Absence from the Protestant church each Sunday, punished 
 with a fine of twelve pence. — (1st Eliz. 2.) 
 
 30. Absence on festivals or holidays — fine of tw'elve pence. 
 
 31. Absence for a month from Protestant service, punished with a 
 mulct of twenty pounds. — (Eliz. and James.) 
 
 32. Inability to pay the twenty pounds, punished with confiscation 
 of effects, lands and tenements. — (Eliz. and James.) 
 
 33. Optional with the king to receive or refuse the twenty pounds 
 fine, or levy it on the property. — (Sd James.) 
 
 34. All lands and tenements held by recusants under a royal title, 
 cede to the king for the offence. — (25th Eliz.) 
 
 35. All penalties and fines for recusancy due by the predecessor, 
 are entailed on the heir, if recusant. — (1st James.) 
 
 36. Eefusal of sacraments according to the Anglican form, punished 
 the first year with a fine of twenty pounds, the second year forty, the 
 third refusal sixty pounds, and to be so mulcted in each successive year. 
 — (3d James.) 
 
 37. The informer entitled to two pounds sterling, of the recusant’s. 
 
 38. The recusant servant to be fined ten pounds each month, should 
 he persevere, &c. — (3d James.) 
 
 39. If a married woman was recusant, two-thirds of her jointure or 
 dowry to be confiscated to the crown. — (3d James.) 
 
 40. Catholics for each suit in a court of justice, to pay a fine of one 
 hundred pounds. — (James, &c.) 
 
 41. Parents not having their children baptized within a month after 
 their birth, according to the Anglican fashion — fined one hundred 
 pounds. — ( J ames.) 
 
 42. To contract marriage elsewhere than before a Protestant parson 
 • — fine of one hundred pounds. — (3d James.) 
 
 43. Burial in any other than a Protestant cemetery or church — fine 
 
 of one hundred pounds. — (3d James, chap. 5.) 
 
 50 
 
786 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOBY OF IRELAND. 
 
 44. To send youths abroad ■without licence — fine of ten pounds. 
 
 45. To employ a lector or schoolmaster, not a Protestant, and not 
 having liberty to teach — a monthly fine of ten pounds. — (23d Eliz.) 
 
 46. A recusant teacher or Catholic retaining him— a- daily fine of 
 two pounds British. — (1st James.) 
 
 47. All the goods, moveable and fi.\ed, of a Catholic going to pro- 
 hibited regions, confiscated, during his lifetime, to th* crown. — (23d 
 Eliz. and 3d James. 
 
 48. The education of a son beyond seas in the Catholic religion — 
 confiscation of the ofiender’s property, moveable and immoveable. — (3d 
 Charles.) 
 
 49. A Catholic residing within ten British miles of London — fined 
 one hundred pounds British. — (3d James.) 
 
 50. A Catholic exercising any function contrary to the statute, 
 the 3d of James, punished with a fine of one hundred pounds. 
 
 51. Catholics deban-ed from holding offices ; could not be advocates, 
 administrators, or officials in the courts ; could not practice medicine or 
 pharmacj^ ; nor serve in the army or in the fleet ; nor command in 
 camp or fort. — (3d James.) 
 
 52. Catholics disqualified to enter appeals, &c. — (3d James.) 
 
 53. The husband of a recusant wife incapacitated to hold office. — 
 (3d James.) 
 
 54. Marriage contracted in any other rite than the Anglican, 
 deprived the wife of a right to a jointure from the goods of her hus- 
 band, &c. — (3d James.) 
 
 55. Catholics disqualified from instituting actions at law, presenting 
 to benefices, and also from becoming executors or guardians. — (3d 
 James.) 
 
 56. Young men educated in foreign parts without licence, excluded 
 from inheriting any of their paternal property. — (1st & 3d James.) 
 
 57. Catholics declared subject to the ecclesiastical censures of 
 Protestant ministers, and to their consequences. — (23d Eliz. and 3d 
 James.) 
 
 Such were the penal enactments passed to repress the growth of 
 popery under the auspices of the bastard Elizabeth, whose unjust occu- 
 pation of the throne brought those evils on the country -which she 
 governed, and on the fiiith which could not recognize her as the lawful 
 sovereign, to the exclusion of the rightful heiress, whom she put to 
 death. Hitherto the name of that queen has been revered. But Eng- 
 land, fast emerging from the foul heresies in which Elizabeth involved 
 the realm, Avill soon blush at the weakness of her people, consigning, as 
 far as possible, to oblivion and infamy, the name of a queen who could 
 so far forget the natural modesty inherent in her sex, as to have “ the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 787 
 
 natural issue of her body ” declared legitimate, though she wished to 
 be reputed a “ virgin queen.” As well pronounce her a virgin as call 
 her father a man of one only w’ife. Her crimes against religion and 
 virtue have been veiled with that charity which the faith she persecuted 
 inculcates. Her infamous career of hatred to the Catholic church has 
 of necessity become hereditary in successive governments, entailing on 
 the country all the confiscations and robberies of her successor, J ames ; 
 the decapitation of his son, Charles ; the usurpation of Cromwell, who, 
 it is said, with his own hand, struck oft’ the head of his sovereign ; the 
 expulsion of James II. by rebels; the slaughter of Irish Catholics who 
 maintained his right to the crown, in antagonism to his son-in-law, 
 William, and all the evils, social and religious, to which Ireland is and 
 has been subjected. 
 
 Comments on sucli laws are unnecessary ; they themselves bespeak 
 the deep-rooted animosity of the plunderers by whom they were 
 enacted. In the year 637, when Jerusalem was captured by the Maho- 
 medan caliph, Omar, restrictions strikingly similar to those of England 
 were imposed on the Christians of that city. Perhaps the legislators of 
 our country modelled their penal enactments on those of the caliph. 
 
 1st article of Omar against the Christians : — That the Christians 
 shall build no new churches, and that Moslems shall be admitted into 
 them at all times. 
 
 English reformers have seized the churches of Irish Catholics, leav- 
 ing them to worship God and celebrate the tremendous mysteries in the 
 caverns and lonely vallics of Ireland, while a watchman was placed on 
 an eminence to give notice when the priest-hunter was approaching. 
 
 2d article : — They shall not prevent their children or friends from 
 professing Islamism, or read the Koran. 
 
 The Irish schoolmaster was proscribed ; education was proscribed, 
 and of course iloe reading of the Bible was judiciomly set aside^ though 
 now the only standard and teacher of true Protestant religion. Yet 
 having placed education beyond the reach of Catholic Ireland, Protes- 
 tants have the unblushing efifrontery to charge us with ignorance. 
 
 3d article : — ^They shall erect no crosses on their churches, and only 
 toll, not ring their bells. 
 
 The crosses of Irish churches have been repeatedly prostrated. 
 Ashamed of their unholy warfare against the emblem of redemption, 
 Protestants now erect crosses on their own churches. In Ireland the use 
 of bells was altogether prohibited until of late years. 
 
 4th article : — They shall not wear the Arab dress, ride upon sad- 
 dles, &c. 
 
 In Ireland, Protestant misrule has left many of the poor Irish no 
 clothes to wear ; as to saddles, it was unnecessary to extend any prohi- 
 
788 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAI- HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 bition ; the ingenuity of the Irish peasant provided him with ready 
 trappings. 
 
 5th article : — They shall pay the highest deference to the Mussel- 
 mans, and entertain all travellers for three days, gratis. 
 
 In Ireland the Catholic should pay deferenice to his “ honor ” the 
 Orange oppressor of his rights. The drisli Catholic was obliged to enter- 
 tain the military, the remuneration being merely nominal. 
 
 6th. They shall not sell wine or any intoxicating liquor. 
 
 The loyalists alone enjoyed this privilege in Ireland. 
 
 7th. They, shall pay a capitation tax of two dinars each, submit to 
 an annual tribute and become subjects of the caliph. 
 
 Yet the Mahomedan captor of Jerusalem was more generous to the 
 Christians there than English reformers have been to the unhappy 
 Catholics of Ireland. Those of Jerusalem were protected and secured 
 both in their laws and fortunes, and their churches were neither pulled 
 down nor made use of by any but themselves. 
 
 Des])ite the unparalleled persecution of England, in the annals of 
 the church, the frightful object of her malice and fatuity has been frus- 
 trated. The blood of the martyr is, as has been justly remarked, the 
 seed of Catholic faith. She drew her exterminating sword, and the 
 blood of Irish bishops, Irish priests, and Irish monks flowed in torrents, 
 which demands vengeance from heaven ; the hand of the executioner 
 was well nigh weary with his work, and when stayed as if in need of 
 repose, the Irish sanctuary saw itself supplied wdth a new generation of 
 ecclesiastics as ardent, as intrepid, as peacefully aggressive on the errors 
 of heresy, as those who preceded. To prevent this succession in the 
 ministry, to extirpate the Catholic priesthood, to brutalise the people 
 by proscribing the national fountains of education, were those heinous 
 laws enacted, which brought into actiorf the sympathies of Catholic 
 Europe. An universal spirit of indignation was awakened against the 
 bloodthii-sty misrule of England, and the name of English Protestantism 
 became branded with infamy and disgrace. 
 
 The ancient fame of generous Catholic Ireland was still fondly 
 cherished in Spain, in France, in the Netherlands and in other nations 
 of the Continent. Its ancient reminiscences were preserved ; its col- 
 leges, in which the foreign votary of literature found a refuge; its 
 teachers, whose fame reached distant shores ; its hospitality, free and 
 generous, and cultivated as a virtue, were gratefully recorded with 
 general eulogy, and hearts panting with sympathetic emotion for the 
 sufi'erings of the Irish priesthood were prepared to receive them with 
 cordial aftection and provide them with shelter from the vengeance of 
 English persecutors. 
 
 In various parts of the continent, colleges for the reception of Lish 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 789 
 
 students were in a short time established. Under the protection of 
 Philip II., king of Spain, and other benefactors, who munificently 
 endowed them, they soon multiplied, and while the Irish church could 
 thus calculate on a regular succession in the ministry, the malice of 
 England was confounded and her name became a by-word of contempt 
 and scorn throughout Europe. In 159.0, the Irish seminary at Lisbon 
 was founded by cardinal Zimines, who had ever taken a lively interest 
 in its welfare, and who was, according to his own directions, honorably 
 interred in its church. Another establishment was founded about the 
 same time at Evora, by Cardinal Ilenriques. In 1596, the Irish college 
 at Douay, in Flanders, had been founded. Christopher Cusack, a 
 learned priest, of the diocese of Meath, had through his influence con- 
 tributed much in advancing this literary retreat. He also by his exer- 
 tions founded the colleges at Lisle, Antwerp, Tournay and St. Omer. 
 Seminaries were established in Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Hantz for 
 Irish students, under the patronage of Anne, queen of Austria. Tlie 
 Irish college on the hill of St. Genevieve, in Paris, was a gift from the 
 French government, and to which the baron de St. Just had been a 
 great benefactor. In 1582, the college of Salamanca was founded for 
 Irish students by the states of Castile and Leon, Philip III. being its 
 principal patron ; and about the same time two extensive seminaries 
 were erected, one of them a royal establishment, at Seville, for the 
 education of Irish missionaries, to which Sarapater, a learned canon of 
 that city, was a principal benefactor. In the last year of this centuiy, the 
 baron George Silveria founded the Irish college at Alcala de Henares ; 
 he afterwards richly endowed it, and it became, in the seventeenth, a 
 source of incalculable benefit to the Irish church. 
 
 At Madrid there was an agent appointed, who handed to the 
 Dominican missionaries who completed their studies in Spain, the 
 viatics of eighteen golden coins called doubloons, given by the king oi 
 Spain to enable them to return to Ireland. 
 
 Those establishments, which arose in rapid succession thi-oughout the 
 Continent, had in a few years defeated the object wLicli the ruthless 
 enactments of Elizabeth had presumed to contemplate. The spirit of 
 persecution, already sufiiciently violent, now became desperate .and 
 infuriated. Proclamations without number were issued ; all who had 
 children or wards in foreign countries, were ordered to notify their 
 names to the local magistrate within ten days, to have them recalled 
 wdthin four months, and on their return to present themselves before the 
 constituted authorities. 
 
 Thus raged the storm without a calm over the ancient church of 
 Ireland. Terror became general ; the country in its desolate beauty, 
 and its religion with all its loveliness and benedictions, was involved in 
 
790 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF IRELAN D. 
 
 universal ruin. Yet the bark of Peter, like unto l^oah’s, ascended the 
 waters of this new deluge, with which English heresy strove to* sub- 
 merge her ; secure in the promises of her Saviour, and moored to the rock 
 of apostolic unity, as firm and immovable as the heights of the eternal 
 hills, the national church of Ireland, though her beauty has been sullied, 
 is spreading her roots deeply in the very strongholds of error and cor- 
 ruption, and through her people demolishing that huge Colossus of crime 
 and turpitude wherewith English heresy would infect the universal fold 
 of Christ. 
 
 The regicides of England having seized the helm of government. 
 Cromwell should appease their a])petite for plunder, as well as satiate 
 that indescribable phrenzy and malice which this unhappy land has 
 exhibited during ages against that faith which has given England every 
 thing that ennobles her history and renders her constitution the most 
 perfect that human wisdom ever devised. As the country was parcelled 
 out to those sanguinary wretches whose descendants still mar the boun- 
 ties of creation by their savage treatment of the tenantry of Ireland, 
 penal fences were necessary to protect them in their wholesale robberies 
 of the Irish proprietors, who were doomed to destruction, and of the 
 L’ish tenants, whose rights were respected and sacred under the native 
 proprietary, as well as to punish them for that allegiance w Inch prompted 
 a recourse to arms in defence of their king, their country and their creed. 
 The articles promulgated under the hypocrite Cromwell and the mur- 
 derer of his sovereign, and to whom a grateful country would assign a 
 statue in the new senate-house of England, did not the sarcasm of 
 Daniel O’Connell, Ireland’s faithful son and liberator, prevent the 
 design, are in perfect unison Avith his masked piety. 
 
 Ko. 1 provides that no scholar of the Irish nation be permitted to 
 teach the art of writing, speaking or aritlimetic. 
 
 Ko. 2. No one could send his children beyond seas to any seminary 
 for the purpose of pursuing his studies in the arts and sciences, under 
 pain of conliscating his eflects and of legal disability. 
 
 No. 3. That no one whose parents, were Irish should be admitted 
 as an apprentice in a town or in mercantile business. 
 
 No. 4. That no Irishman be admitted, either publicly or privately, to 
 any office or function. (Hibernia Dominicana.) 
 
 No. 5 provides that no offices be conferred on Irishmen while an 
 Englishman could be found capable of holding it ; that the Irish should 
 be merely hewers of wood and drawers of water y that only wages s^ufi- 
 cient to support nature should be given, so that they could not attain 
 wealth, but remain in the condition of serfs and vassals without hope of 
 ever attaining any station. 
 
 No. 6. That L'ish nobles should be confined in some fortified district 
 
KCCLES .ASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 791 
 
 and within certain limits, so that if they crossed its borders, Cromwell’s 
 soldiers were at liberty to deprive them of life and property as rebels 
 and outlaws. 
 
 No. 7. Tliat Irish stewards be only retained three years by Crom- 
 well’s rabble soldier-farmers, giving them or imposing; on them a 
 tribute, which would leave means only for food and raiment. 
 
 No. 8. Tliat all Irish youtlis, having reached the fourteenth year, 
 should be enlisted in the land service or in the marine of England, that 
 tliey might expiate the blood of Britons shed in Ireland. 
 
 No. 9. Whoever harbored any one adhering to the see of Rome was 
 declared guilty of high treason. 
 
 No. 10 provides that Irish women, now too numerous.^ and therefore 
 liable to prostitution.^ be sold to merchants, transported to Yirginia, New 
 England, Jamaica and to other countries, there to obtain a livelihood 
 by their labor. (Hibernia Dominicana.) 
 
 No. 11. That Irish soldiers be disarmed; all commanders strictly 
 inhibited from enlisting them even as foot-soldiers. 
 
 No. 12. That Irish nobles, wliose parents were not of English descent, 
 should wear in their hats yellow wreaths or ribbons, under pain of 
 capital punishment ; inferiors were to be branded on the right cheek ; 
 non-compliance with this article involved its forcible insertion ; a second 
 offence against this famous criterion of Irish degradation exposed the 
 pereon to the treatment which is inflicted on spies. 
 
 No. 13 provided that castles or fortresses should be erected in the 
 ports of Ireland, in wliich no Hibernian was permitted to locate himself, 
 lest danger should arise to the comnronwealth. 
 
 No. 14. Tlrat Irish farmers should send provistons to the government 
 stores at the lowest price. (Hibernia Dominicana.) 
 
 No. 16 provided that Irish farmers should be removed as far as pos- 
 sible from the fortresses ; tliat the best farms should be reserved for the 
 drummers and bandsmen of his Puritan army ; the worst assigned to the 
 L’ish, and at the highest price. 
 
 No. 16. That Irish farmers, holding ten acres, should sow one with 
 hemp or flax to provide canvas for the fleet. 
 
 No. 17. That, wherever a scarcity of wood existed, the farmers 
 should preserve every year six apple-trees, as many pear and ashen 
 ones. 
 
 No. 18. That after three years no one, of what condition soever, 
 should be permitted to reside in Ireland, unless he abjured his faith, 
 renounced all dependence on Rome and Roman doctrines ; that all boys 
 should be educated in the Protestant religion, and be compelled to fre- 
 quent the Lord's Supper so that through this pious practice, God would 
 prosper the arms of the republic and render its throne invincible. 
 
792 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOEY OF IKFXAND. 
 
 Xo. 19. That law processes should not be tried by juries of twelve 
 men, but by the judges; that all criminal causes should be subjected to 
 and decided by committees of four, selected from a panel of twenty-four 
 competent and honest individuals, who were to perform the usual cir- 
 cuits in each. province. (Hibernia Dominicana.) 
 
 Ko. 20. That the names of the Irish families in each county should 
 be annually registered — the head of each family made responsible for 
 his servants and lodgers. 
 
 ISo. 21. That cattle, oxen or other efiects taken away from the Eng- 
 lish should be replaced by lines or the effects of Irishmen living in the 
 barony or district. 
 
 ISlo. 22. In case of murder or death inflicted on an Englishman, and 
 that the homicide escaped, all the Irish inhabitants of the county were 
 held as accessories according to the judgement of the supreme tribunal 
 or its commissaries. 
 
 The articles of Cromwell were not permitted to remain inoperative. 
 A persecution under the usurper arose, the most bitter and unrelenting 
 on record. The Israelites under the bondage of Pharaoh were far more 
 mercifully dealt with. They were overpowered M’ith work ; their first- 
 born males were alone consigned to the jaws of death. Not so in Ire- 
 land — the young as well as old, male as well as female, were indiscrimi- 
 nately slaughtered and' starved, while the Jewish slaves had abundance 
 of bread and oil. So that Catholic Ireland could bewail her desolation 
 in the language of the prophet Jeremiah in his Lamentations, chap. 2, 
 v. 21 : “ The child and the old man lie without on the ground : iny 
 virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword : thou hast slain in 
 the day of thy wrath : thou hast killed them and shewn no pity.” 
 
 It was not sufficient to slaughter, torture, stone, and put to death all 
 those who fell into their hands, but even those w'ho escaped the sangui- 
 nary regicides were to be expatriated as quickly as possible. Intent on 
 the extirpation of the Irish, and on the ruin of every one who could 
 offer a temporary resistance to the government of the usurper or to the 
 foul heresies of England, the commissaries-general of Cromwell issued 
 the following proclamation, A.D. 1652 : — 
 
 “ Whereas it is well known, through the experience of many years, 
 that Jesuits and seminary priests, as well as persons initiated or ordained 
 in Ireland, hold it as a duty to seduce the affections of the people from 
 tlie obedience due to the authority and government of the English com- 
 monwealth, and under the pretence of instructing the people in the 
 Catholic religion, excite them to rebellion, wdth the view of introducing 
 a foreign 'power and jurisdiction over the nation, which conduct has 
 been accessory to the barbarous and cruel homicides of 1611, and the 
 war that sprung therefrom. And since many of those persons, having 
 
ECCXESLA.STICAL HISTORY OF IRELAKD. 
 
 793 
 
 obtained due authority to remove to foreign, parts, delay their departure, 
 and under color of protection strive to draw over and seduce the people 
 into their pernicious practices. Wherefore, that said persons may not 
 have o})j)ortunities of any longer corruptii.g the people and prosecuting 
 their rebellious intentions, from which neither admonition nor clemency 
 can reclaim them, though by their practices they expose their lives to 
 danger, as well as their unhappy and languid nation to complete 
 misery. The said commissaries order and enact that .all Jesuits and 
 seminary priests and others, constituted through any authority or juris- 
 diction derived from the Holy See, within twenty days from the publi- 
 cation of this edict, within their respective districts in Ireland, depart 
 the kingdom (wind and weather and opportunity permitting), or at 
 longest twenty-eight days, &c., and that no Jesuits, seminary priests, 
 or others aforesaid, come to or remain in any part of this nation after 
 the term of said days, without special licence from the parliament or 
 the Protector, and if they return, remain, &c., then each and every one 
 of them will be liable to the penalties and confiscations enacted against 
 Jesuits and seminary priests in England, in the twenty-seventh year of 
 Queen Elizabeth, by which it is commanded that they all depart and 
 do not return. (A priest known to have returned, and when arrested, 
 was by the fact guilty of high treason, sentenced to the gallows, to be 
 taken down when half dead, beheaded, quartered, bowelled, and 
 burned, his head affixed to a stake and exposed in a public place, his 
 goods and effects confiscated.) 
 
 “ And it is further enacted and commanded, that all persons who, 
 after the aforesaid days, will willingly receive, console and harbor any 
 Jesuit, seminary priest, deacon, &c., having pretended authority from 
 the See of Rome, knowing him to be such, said persons harboring them 
 will be subject to the penalties in this case expressed and specified. 
 
 “ And further, it is declared that the aforesaid statute of Elizabeth 
 Avill be put in force in this kingdom ; and all judges, commissaries and 
 others entrusted with the administration of justice, are hereby autho- 
 rized and commanded to give the aforesaid act full and due execution ; 
 and all such persons, &c., having civil or military authority, will use 
 due diligence in seeking such Jesuits, &c., so that if any found in this 
 realm, contrary to this proclamation, they may be seized and impri- 
 soned, until tried accoi’ding to law. 
 
 “ And the chief officers of the parliament, within their respective 
 districts, are hereby required to give due publicatiou to this edict, and 
 signify to the said commissaries of parliament the time and place of the 
 publishing of this edict. Given at Dublin, the 6th of January, 1652. 
 
 “ Charles Fleetwood, Edmund Lullow, Miler Corblet, John Jones, 
 commissaries.” 
 
794 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOET OF rRELAND. 
 
 Tills horrid persecution lasted two years ; none but a horde of rob- 
 bers could have given it execution. In the year 1654^ the inventive 
 genius of the regicides gave birth to a new project, that of cutting oif 
 those whose blood their swords did not taste, through hunger, famine, 
 and the other corporal privations deemed more effectual than death 
 itself. This was the indiscriminate confiscation of the properties of the 
 Catholics, and their banishment into the province of Connaught, which 
 was so devastated and overrun with weeds and shrubs, that there was 
 scarcely left a vestige of a human residence except a few huts, wdiich 
 belonged to the Cromwellians themselves, and far separated from each 
 other. The Catholics were confined in this desert province, as in a 
 prison, having neither food nor raiment, houses or tents to shelter them, 
 many of whom perished of hunger ; others, driven by hunger, perished 
 in the rivers, cliffs and promontories with which that province is over- 
 spread. 
 
 The Cromwellians, though intoxicated with Catholic blood, still 
 thii-sting for the utter extinction of this devoted body, enacted a law 
 which assigned any one of those 'doomed to Connaught, if found beyond 
 the limits of this province, to the penalties of high treason, nay, 
 rendering it lawful for any to slaughter or hang him at pleasure, 
 without enquiry or process. A cruelty unheard of! a persecution, cruel 
 beyond description, reduced the wretched Irish Catholic nobles to the 
 greatest misery. Thus cruelly, as if besieged, and without refuge, 
 hunger directed them to the sea, the sea to the cliffs and rugged rocks, 
 and those rocks as if repelled them back to the bloody swords of Crom- 
 well’s satellites. And in order that no sort of cruelty would be defec- 
 tive in the sanguinary statutes of Cromwell, who wished to appear as 
 if desirous to expel everything bordering on humanity, mercy or 
 indulgence from his code, it was further enacted — that a meeting of four 
 persons constituted a capital offence ; carrying or possessing any kind 
 of arms, a capital offence ; to censure or find fault with the government 
 of the arch-rebel was declared high treason. 
 
 The nobles and gentry being thus blocked up in the province of 
 Connaught, permission was given to some merchants and to a few of the 
 nobles, who did not possess estates, and to all plebeians or peasants, to 
 fix themselves in the other provinces, not, however, in the towns and 
 cities or castles which their predecessors had constructed, but in the 
 country parts, where they were kept in slavery worse than Egjqjtian, 
 and with hellish penalties hanging over their devoted heads, if 
 enfringed. 
 
 No. 1 provided, that none of them, under pain of death, would 
 dare to proceed beyond a mile from the parish in which he dwelt, with- 
 out special licence in writing. (Hibernia Dominican.) 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 705 
 
 No. 2 provided, that if robbers and marauders either forcibly or 
 clandestinely seized the property of the Croinwellians, it should be 
 exacted threefold from the impoverished Catholics. 
 
 The infernal spirit of Cromwell’s statutes is still perceptible in the 
 tyranny of the Orange landlords towards the tenantry, over whom they 
 exercise almost the power of life and death. The rack-rent oppresses 
 and impoverishes. The fear of eviction continually haunting the poor 
 man, breaks down his energies of body and mind ; at length, prostrate 
 and without hope, he betakes himself to the emigrant ship, cursing the 
 laws that oppressed him, and invoking the vengeance of Heaven on the 
 village tyrant who drove him into exile. 
 
 The picture of Irish misery is not overdrawn, as appears from Pro- 
 testant writers themselves. “ The miseries,” says Leland, “ which the 
 wretched Irish have endured, were affecting, even to their very enemies. 
 Thousands perished by famine, and the hideous resources sought for 
 allaying the rage of hunger were more terrible than even such a 
 calamity.” “ The famine of Jerusalem,” observes Cox, “ did not exceed 
 that among the Irish.” “ Whosoever,” writes Ilolinshed, “ should travel 
 from one end to the other of all Munster, even from Waterford to the head 
 of Smerwicke, which is about six score miles, he would not meet anie 
 mail, woman or child, saving in towns and cities, nor yet see anie beast 
 ■ — but the very wolves, the foxes, and other like ravening beasts — many 
 of these laie dead, being famished, and the residue gone elsewhere.” 
 Spenser attests the same desolate condition of the country. Spenser, 
 immediately after the famine and plague of 15G3, recommended Eliza- 
 beth to execute the abominable plan of destroying the fruits of the 
 earth throughout the country, in order, as he observed, “ that the Irish 
 might be driven to the necessity of devouring one another.” “ The end 
 will, I assure you, be very short, for although there should none of 
 them fall by the sword, nor be slain by the soldier, yet their being kept 
 from manurance, and their cattle from running abroad, by this hard 
 restraint they would quicTcly consume themselves and devour one another. 
 The proof whereof, I saw sufficiently in the late w’ars of Munster.” 
 
 Oh, England ! what crimes have you not committed under the pre- 
 text of religion ? What have you not done in the name of that sacred 
 Gospel which teaches charity ? 
 
 Statute 6. — William III., sess. 1, chap. 26. It was enacted, “ that all 
 popish archbishops, bishops, vicars-general, deans, Jesuits, monks, friars, 
 and all other popish regular clergy, and all papists exercising any eccle- 
 siastical jurisdiction, shall depart this kingdom before the first day ot 
 May, 1698 ; and if any of them shall be at any time after the said day 
 within this kingdom, they shall be imprisoned, and remain there until 
 they be transjiorted across the seas, out of the king’s dominions, when- 
 
796 
 
 ECOLESIASTICAI, HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 ever tlie king, his heirs or successors or chief governors sliall think fit ; 
 and if any so transported shall return again into this kingdom, then to 
 be guilty of high treason, and suffer accordingly. 
 
 “And all such popish archbishops, bishops, &c., in this kingdom, 
 shall, before the 1st day of May, repair to the cities of Dublin, Cork, 
 Kinsale, Yonghal, Wexford, Galway, or Carrickfergus, and there 
 remain, until there shall be conveniency of shipping them for their 
 transportation, as aforesaid, every of them on their fii’st coming into 
 any of the said cities or towns giving in their names to the ma^'or or 
 chief magistrate, who shall register the same, and return an account 
 thereof to the clerk of the council within ten days. And the said 
 mayor, &c., and also the collector and surveyor of the port, shall give 
 their best assistance in transporting them. 
 
 “ And from and after the 29th day of December, 1697, no popish 
 archbishop, &c., shall come into this kingdom from* any parts beyond 
 the seas, on pain of twelve months’ imprisonment, and then to be trans- 
 ported in manner aforesaid ; and if after any such transportation, any of 
 them return again into this kingdom, they shall be guilty of high trea- 
 son, and suffer accordingly. . 
 
 “ And any person that shall, from and after the said first day of 
 May, knowingly conceal or entertain any such popish archbishops, 
 bishops, &c., hereby required to depart out of this kingdom, or that 
 after the said day shall come into this kingdom, shall, for the first 
 offence, forfeit £20, for the second, double the sum, and if he offend a 
 third time, shall forfeit all his lands and freehold estate during his life, 
 and also all his goods and chattels, one moiety to the king, his heirs 
 and successors, and the other moiety to the informer (so as it exceed not 
 £1,000), and the surplusage of what shall remain, to the king, his heirs 
 and successors. The said forfeitures for such third offence, to bo 
 recovered by bill, plaint, &c., in any of tbe king’s courts of record at 
 Dublin, or at any of the assizes in the respective counties. 
 
 “ And that upon information upon oath to any justice of the peace 
 in his respective county against any that shall knowingly entertain any 
 such popish archbishop, bishop, &c., the said justice of the peace shall 
 immediately issue a summons in writing, under his hand, requiring the 
 persons so informed against, (at a certain day and place within the said 
 county where the offence shall be committed,) to a})pear before him 
 and before some other justice of the same county, to answer the charge, 
 at which time and place they shall, in presence of the persons accused, 
 or in case of default of appearance (being duly summoned), proceed to 
 the examination of the said matter ; and if it shall ai)pear to them on 
 evidence upon oath that the persons complained of are guilty, then the 
 said justices shall, by warrant under their hands and seals, levy the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOEY OF lEELAND. 
 
 797 
 
 said forfeitures of twenty pounds for the first offence, and forty for the 
 second, of tlie goods and chattels of the offenders, by distress, sale, or 
 otherwise, and dispose of one moiety thereof to the informer, and the 
 other moiety to the treasurer of the county, and for default thereof, to 
 commit the person offending to the county gaol, there to remain, with- 
 out bail, until payment of the said forfeitures. 
 
 “ And none shall, from and after the 22d day of December, bury 
 any dead in any suppressed monastery, abbey or convent, that is not 
 made use of for celebrating divine service according to the liturgy of 
 the church of Ireland by law established, or within the precincts thereof,- 
 upon pain of £100, to be recovered from any that shall be present at 
 such burial, which forfeitures all and every justice of the peace within 
 Lis or their respective counties shall hear and determine in manner as 
 herein before declared. One moiety of which last forfeitures shall be 
 given by the said justice to the informer and the other moiety to the 
 minister or churchwardens of the pailsh where any such oftence shall 
 be committed, to be disposed of for the use of the parish.” 
 
 Eegistration act passed in the second year of queen Anne, A.D. 1704, 
 and published in the following : 
 
 “ Whereas, two acts lately made for banishing all regulars of the 
 Popish clergy out of this kingdom, an'd to prevent Popish priests from 
 coming into the same, may be wholly eluded unless the government be 
 truly informed of the number of such dangerous persons as still remain 
 among us ; for remedy whereof be it enacted by the queen’s most excel- 
 lent majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual 
 and temporal, and commons in the present parliament assembled, and by 
 the authority of tlie same, that all and every Popish priest or priests 
 who are now in this kingdom shall at the next general quarter sessions 
 of the peace to be held in all the several counties and counties of cities 
 next after the feast of St. John the Baptist, which shall be in the year 
 of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and four, return his or their 
 names and places of abode to the respective clerks of the peace in the 
 several counties or counties of cities or towns in this kingdom, where 
 the said Popish priests shall dwell or reside, together with his or their 
 age, the parish of which they pretend to be Popish priests, the time and 
 place of his or their first receiving Popish orders, and from whom he or 
 they first received the same ; and shall then and there enter into suffi- 
 cient sureties, each in the penal sum of fifty pounds sterling, that every 
 such Popish priest shall be of peaceable heha/oior and not remove out of 
 such county where his or their abode lies, into any other part of the 
 kingdom ; and all and every Popish priest or priests who shall not 
 make such return and enter into such recognizance with sufiicient sure- 
 ties as aforesaid, and being thereof convicted at the assizes or general 
 
798 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELA2JD. 
 
 ' quarter sessions of such county or counties of cities or towns, wherein he 
 or they shall dwell or be apprehended, shall severally be conimitted to 
 the common gaol of the respective counties, cities or towns where he or 
 they shall be convicted, there to remain without bail or mainprise till 
 be or they be transported. 
 
 “ And that all and every Popish priest or priests so convicted, as 
 aforesaid, shall be transported out of this kingdom in like manner as 
 Popish regulars, and incur like penalties upon their return into the same 
 as are inflicted on Popish regulare by an act entitled, ‘ An act for ban- 
 ishing all Papists exercising any ecclesiastical jurisdiction and all regu- 
 lars of the Popish clergy out of this kingdom.’ And all and every the 
 clerks of the peace are hereby required to transmit within twenty days 
 after every such quarter sessions all and every such return to the clerk 
 of the council in this kingdom, upon the penalty to forfeit to her majesty, 
 her heirs and successore, the sum of ten pounds sterling for every 
 such neglect to do the same ; the said penalty to be recovered b}’ bill, 
 plaint or information in any of her majesty’s courts of record ; which 
 transmitting of the said return shall be incumbent on them, the said 
 clerks of the crown and peace, to prove by receipt in writing under the 
 hand of the said clerk of the council, who is hereby required without 
 fee or reward to give such receipt on the penalty of sterling ; which 
 said penalty is to be recovered by bill, plaint or information in any of 
 her majesty’s courts of record; which return, so transmitted, shall be 
 kept by the said clerk of the council to be viewed by any person 
 requiring to see the same, without fee or reward. 
 
 “ And to the end that such Popish priests as lately have been or 
 may be convicted of the errors of the Romish church, may not suficr 
 through want of maintenance or other mischievous eft’ects of resentment 
 of bigoted Papists, be it enacted, that every such Popist priests being 
 approved of as converts and received into the church by the archbishop 
 or bishop of the diocese wherein he or they lived or resided, and con- 
 forming himself to the church of Ireland as by law established, and 
 having taken the oaths and made and subscribed the declarations in 
 such a manner as the conformable clergy of the church of Ireland are 
 obliged to do at any quarter sessions in any county or city aforesaid, 
 such converted priest or priests shall have and receive the sum of 
 twenty pounds sterling yearly and every year during their residence 
 in such county, for their maintenance, and until they are otherwise 
 provided for; subject, nevertheless, to suspension or deprivation of the 
 archbishop or bishop of the diocese wherein he or they shall dwell or 
 reside in like manner as the rest of the inferior clergy of this kingdom ; 
 the said sum of twenty pounds to be levied of the inhabitants of such 
 county or counties of cities or towns, where such converted priest or 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Y99 
 
 priests did last officiate or reside, in like manner as money . is levied that 
 is charged by g’-and juries upon the said counties or counties ot‘ cities 
 or towns, and to be paid him or them by equal moieties, viz., one at the 
 feast of the blessed Virgin Mary and the other moiety at the feast of St. 
 Michael the Archangel, in every year ; and every such convert or con- 
 verts shall })ublicly read the common prayer or liturgy of the clinrch 
 of Ireland in the English or Irish tongue, in such place and in such 
 times as the said archbishojDS or bishops shall direct or appoint. 
 
 “ And it is further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that no Po 2 >ish 
 parish priest shall keep or have any Popish curate^ assistant or coadjxu' 
 tor ! and that all and every Popish priest that shall neglect to register 
 himself, pursuant to this act, shall depart out of this kingdom before the 
 20th day of July, which shall be in the year of our Lord one thousand 
 seven hundred and four, on pain of being prosecuted as a Popish regu- 
 lar clergyman ; and that all such Popish priest or priests that shall 
 neglect to register him or themselves, as aforesaid, and remain in this 
 kingdom after the said 20th of July, shall be esteemed a Popish regular 
 clergyman and pi’osecuted as such. 
 
 “ Provided always, that this act shall be given in charge at every 
 general assizes ; and the list of such priests that are registered shall be 
 publicly read after the charge given. This act to continue in force for 
 live years, and until the end of the next succeeding parliament, and no 
 longer.” 
 
 In the years 1730 and 1731, returns were made to parliament by the 
 Protestant or parliamentary bishop of Armagh, the Protestant bishops 
 of Meath, Clogher, Raphoe, Derry, Dromore, Down, Connor, Ardagh, 
 Ac., which consisted of documents or papers taken or stolen from con- 
 vents, friaries, and houses where Catholic clergymen resided. In 1731, 
 a report was made with the following title : “ A rejiort made by his grace 
 the lord primate (I believe Bolter) from the lords committee appointed 
 to enquire into the present state of Popery in the kingdom of Ii-eland, 
 and to propose such heads of a bill as they shall tliink most proper for 
 explaining and amending the acts to prevent the growth of Popery, and 
 to secure the kingdom from any danger from the great number of 
 Papists in the realm.” To which is added an appendix containing 
 original pajiers. (Dublin, printed in 1731, and reprinted in London, in 
 1717, by J. Oliver.) In the preface of this production it is said, “As 
 leading perseverance in increasing and promoting Protestant seminaries 
 (charter-schools, just invented) and due execution of the laws against the 
 Popish clergy will, it is hoped, in the next age root out that pestilent, 
 restless and idolatrous religion ! !” 
 
 In this book it is stated that the Protestant episcopal spies discovered 
 parcels of papers at the friaries of Boulay, near Portumna ; of Killcou- 
 
800 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAIH5. 
 
 nell, near Aughrim ; and of Kannalfish, near Loughrea (no such convent 
 as Kannalfish) ; in convents near Atheniy, Meelick, Clare-Galway and 
 Dunmore ; and the last in the house of Thady Glynn, a Popish priest in 
 Duninore, who kept a seminary there. Among these papers were copies 
 of the acts of the chaptei's of friars minor, held in Dublin from 1717 to 
 1729. From these acts it appears that this single order alone, in 1717, 
 had 61 convents ; that in 1721, they had 62 ; in 1729, 65. The abstract 
 of the returns, which this book contained, is as follows : Dioceses, 26 ; 
 mass-houses, 6(iv, of which 229 had been built since the commencement 
 of the reign of George I. ; priests officiating, 1145 ; friaries, 51 ; nun- 
 neries, 9 ; Popish chapels, 51 j Popish schools, 519. 
 
 Little did those episcopal informers imagine, that in less than one 
 hundred years after this date of their parliamentary espionage, Protest- 
 ant statesmen would strike off ten Protestant pretenders to the name of 
 bishops ; yes, one effectual blow of the axe has been given to the root 
 of the evil ; another, vigorously applied, will, it is to be hoped, soon 
 shiver that establishment which has been so long an incubus on the 
 energies of the nation ; a libel on the name of religion ; the cause of 
 deadly strife, which its avarice fomented ; which left the widow’s only 
 son prostrate in his blood ; which has arrayed man against his fellow- 
 man, party against party; which has produced anarchy and confusion; 
 which caused and still continues to effect distrust in the Catholic body, 
 on that account expressed ly the government^ because that establishment 
 is considered by them the monster evil of Ireland, and which brings 
 upon it the odium of the Catholic people, being as it is tlie source and 
 fountain of every evil by which the welfare of the country is impeded 
 and retarded. 
 
KCCLESIASnCAL HISTOKT OF EKKLAND 
 
 801 
 
 
 CHAPTER LXIX. 
 
 TWO UNDOUBTED APOSTATES OF THE IRISH CHURCH, MILER lIcGRATH, 
 ELIZABETH'S BISHOP OF CASHELL— HIS RETURN TO THE CATHOLIC 
 CHURCH— HDGH CUR WEN, BISHOP OF DUBLIN, SCHISMATICS AND DIS- 
 GUISED HERETICS— BROWNE OF DUBLIN, PROCEEDINGS OF— DEFECTION 
 OF IRISH PRELATES— FEWNESS OF THE SECOND ORDER OF THE CLERGY 
 WHO JOINED THE GOVERNMENT— REMOVAL OF INTRUDERS BY THE 
 PRIMATE GEORGE DOWDAL AND WILLIAM WALSH, AFTERWARDS 
 BISHOP OF MEATH— CHARACTER OF THE NEW APOSTLES AND REFORM- 
 ERS OF THE IRISH CHURCH BY PROTESTANT WRITERS— CALUMN 2" ON 
 THE EARLY IRISH CHURCH REFUTED. 
 
 With all the advantages which were open to the ecclesiastic or lay- 
 man who embraced the reforming tenets, the law church of Ireland has 
 signally failed as a religious establishment, for the vast majority of the 
 people have continued faithful to Rome, the centre of Catholic unity. 
 With regard to the proselytes from the body of the Irish hierarchy and 
 clergy, the number is small indeed when we consider the efforts made 
 to subvert the faith and extirpate its ministry or its priesthood, A few, 
 however, have fallen into the snares of heresy. As children and inherit- 
 ors of the true faith, we should rather pray for the return of those sheep 
 which occasionally stray from the fold rather than by scorn and reproach 
 harden them in their perverse ways, always keeping in mind the admo- 
 nition of St. Paul, “ He that stands, let him take care lest he fall.” 
 There will be in the fold at all times mercenaries who would rather 
 prefer their own selfish views than the glory of Jesus Christ and the 
 triumph of his church. If, then, we find the oaks or the cedars of the 
 church bend, there is wanting the sap of humility, which so much 
 assimilates the life of the disciple with that of the true model and spouse 
 of our immortal souls. 
 
 Among the whole episcopal body of the Irish hierarchy, the names 
 of a few only occur whose apostasy stands on record and is undeni- 
 able. These are Miler Magrath, bishop of Down and afterwards of 
 Cashel, and Hugh Curwin, archbishop of Dublin, with some others. 
 
 Magrath was a native of the county of Fermanagh, and had,, at an 
 51 
 
802 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAJTD. 
 
 early age, joined the order of St. Francis. A vile spirit of avaiice, 
 which drew npon him the well-merited censures of even Protestant 
 writers, and which seemed inseparably engrafted in his nature, was tlie 
 rock on which the faith of this prelate was shattered. Such a propen- 
 sity as avarice, which the Holy Ghost assures ns is the root of all evil, 
 was not a qualification towards entering on that state, requiring, as it 
 does, that poverty which is rigorous, sublime, and evangelical. If it be 
 fair to draw inferences from certain events in his life, it would appear 
 that Miler Magrath chose the sanctuary as a station in which wealth 
 and dignity could be combined, and under the peculiar circumstances 
 of the age, rendered instrumental in attaining the idol of his passion. 
 In Spain and in the Netherlands his attention and obsequiousness to 
 certain high personages soon brought him into notice. He was recom- 
 mended in a manner the most flattering, to the pontiff Paul V., by 
 whose provision he Avas ultimately promoted to the see of DoAvn. It is 
 related, that when he reached London, on his Avay to Ireland, he car- 
 ried a pyx or burse pendant on his breast, in Avhich Avere the apostolic 
 lettere, that he might the more readily attract attention. Others say, 
 that having been denied access to the temporalities of his see, he bore 
 their loss Avith a considerable share of resignation. Howevei', bereft of 
 hopes to obtain the object on Avhich his heart Avas set, and infatuated by 
 the darling speculation of his life, he lost sight of the Avarnings of con- 
 science, and submitting to Elizabeth, renounced his religion. In order 
 that the base example of this fallen pillar of the church might stimu- 
 late others to pliancy Avith the Avishes of the government and the sacri- 
 fice of truth to error, Miler Avas translated to the see of Clogher, thence 
 to the united bishoprics of Cashel and Emly, in February, 1.571. The 
 passion Avhich he cherished not yet satiate, he made more applications, 
 obtaining fVom his patroness, Elizabeth, a commendatory grant, Avhich 
 enabled him to grasp the sees of Lismore and W aterford, and retain 
 them twenty-five years. 
 
 To complete his fall, and to have a partner in his infamy, this 
 false archbishop married a female named Anne O’Meara, in Avhum the 
 whisperjngs of conscience Avere not altogether stifled. She died soon 
 after, Avasted with grief. Tlie Avretched archbishop married a second 
 one, to share Avith him the plunder of the Catholic church. IIoAvever, 
 he sheAved no zeal in persecuting the followers of the ancient faith, nor 
 in making proselytes to the religion of Queen Elizabeth. These latter 
 sees he resigned in 1607, having first received, in the shape of an equi 
 valent, the bishoprics of Killala and Achonry, both of which he 
 retained until his death. To these were annexed the vicarage of Kil- 
 macullan in the diocese of Elphin, with the rectory of Infra duos 
 Pontes, in the same ; the rectories of Castleconnor and Skrine in the 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL IIISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 803 
 
 see of Ivillala and the prebend of Dongherne, with the rectory of Kil- 
 lorhin, in Achonry. We can then form an estimate of the temporal 
 advantages which this unhappy man derived from his desertion of the 
 ancient faith, and of those which the wicked Elizabeth would lavish on 
 others equally pliant in sacriticing conscience and public duty. Miler 
 Magrath became infirm, and was bed i-idden during the last two years 
 of his life. lie died in December, 1022, at the advaneed age of one 
 hundred years. 
 
 A friar of the Franciscan order, Eugene O’Duffey, composd some 
 pointed verses against Miler, hoping that they might cause him to 
 reflect on the unhappy state of his soul, and return to that church in 
 which alone he could find peace. Nor were others of Miler’s stamp 
 forgotten by the friar ; yet he was much esteemed on account of his 
 sanctity, though the Protestants detested him, because levelling at them 
 cutting sarcasms, still he escaped without injury. Nor was the patroness 
 of Miler, Elizabeth, left unscathed in some of the bardic compositions 
 of Ireland. In the Roman Vision, translated from the L'ish occur the 
 following lines : — 
 
 Why need I mention 1 thou, dread power ! hast seen 
 The apostate Henry spurn his spotless queen, 
 
 For Anna’s fresher beauties — thou hast cursed 
 That traitor to thy faith, the boldest, worst — 
 
 Need I name her, whose heritiige of shame 
 Grew darker, murkier, in the wanton flame. 
 
 That all c mld kindle, and that none could claim 7 
 Can wo forget Elizabeth T oh, never ! 
 
 In Heber’s heart she ’ll rankling live for ever. 
 
 The land grew waste beneath her — 'sex or age 
 • Yielded no shelter from her bigot rage. 
 
 Till, bloodiest consummation ! Mary fell 
 To close her long account, but not the spell 
 That claimed her ruthless ministry — her sway 
 Devolved on James — and Phelim’s land can say 
 How well the tyrant's sceptre graced his hand. 
 
 Tliat Miler Magrath, moved at the recollection of his past career, 
 had at length retracted, and died in the bosom of the Catholic church, 
 is a fact, which, despite the contrary asserted by Protestant writers, 
 cannot for a moment be called into question. Some time previously to 
 his illness, he had formed the determination of retracing his false posi- 
 tion, and to this effect properly communicated, his resolve to tlie Rev. 
 Maurice Ultan, then provincial of the Franciscan order in Ireland. 
 This excellent superior undertook with readiness the execution of this 
 charitable oflice, which Miler entrusted to him. He repaired to Cashel, 
 and at the earnest request of the archbishop, had, without delay, official 
 
804 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELIXD. 
 
 lettei’s addressed to the nuncio, residing at Brussels, and wlio was at 
 that time in cliarge of the affairs pertaining to the Irish clmrch. In 
 reply to his communication, the father-provincial soon after received a 
 most satisfactory letter from the nuncio, of which a copy is subjoined, 
 in the original language in which it was written, and which has been 
 preserved in the Franciscan convent at Wexford : — 
 
 “ Dilecto nobis in Christo admodum Beverendo: 
 
 “ Accurate legi, quie mihi signiticas circa pei'sonam Domini Mileri 
 Magrath. Laudo summopere quam pros se fert ad ecclesias gremium 
 redeundi cogitationem. Foteris ilium hortari serio, ut susceptam inen- 
 tem non dcponat, sed potius illam ad exitum perducere omnibus nervis 
 adnitatur, in eumque tinem quanto maturius lliberniam deserat. Ego 
 salutem ipsius toto jam animo inhians, teneriori ilium amplexu hie cxci- 
 piam, daboque meis officiis operani, ut sanctissimus Dominus noster 
 clementer cum illo agat ; plane mihi persuadens fore, ut sua sanctitiis 
 paterna, qua in omnes utitur, benignitate huuc resipiscentein aspiciat, 
 illiusque errata condonet. 
 
 “ Deus Batcrnitatem tuam custodiat. 
 
 “ Bruxellis, 29 Januarii, 1612. 
 
 “ Paternitatis tuie Amantissimus. 
 
 “ Delecto nobis in Christo, admodum Beverendo patri fratri Mau- 
 ritio Ultano min. obser. regni Iliberniae provinciali.” 
 
 “ To our beloved Very Beverend Father in Christ : 
 
 “ I have read with great attention all those particulars which you 
 have siiinified to me, reirardina: the individual the Lord Miler Magrath. 
 I commend exceedingly that thought which he has manifested, of 
 returning to the bosom of the church. It will be with you to exhort 
 him seriously not to abandon the resolution which he has formed, but 
 rather employ all his strength and energy in bringing it to an issue, for 
 which purpose he ought to depart from Ireland as quickly as possible. 
 Extremely solicitous as I am for his salvation, I shall, on my part, 
 receive him here with most tender affection, and I shall, by every 
 means, use my influence and best endeavors to effect, that our most 
 Holy Father may act with clemency tov.’ards him ; being fully per- 
 suaded his holiness will look on him, returning once more to the way of 
 salvation, with the same paternal regard and affection which he is 
 accustomed to shew unto all, and will pardon his errors. 
 
 “ May God protect your paternity. 
 
 “Brussels, 29th January, 1612. 
 
 “To our beloved the Yery Bev. Father in Christ, Maurice Ultan, 
 provincial of the friars minor in Ireland.” 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IKELANX*. 
 
 805 
 
 It is, then, undeniable that the prelate Miler Magrath had formed 
 the resolution of returning to the Catholic church, as this letter evinces 
 his intention, several years before his bed of sickness reminded him of 
 his approaching dissolution. Tlie good work of reconciliation with the 
 church, and of peace with his own mind, as he did not act on the 
 advice of the nuncio to withdraw from Ireland, seems to have been 
 deferred until the mercy of Heaven interposed, and reduced him to 
 that state in which the hollowness of temporal advantages is calmly 
 and dispassionately viewed, in which the mind of man, no longer fluctu- 
 ating, gives realization to resolves perhaps frequently made and as often 
 abandoned. Two years confined to his bed, it is generally allowed that 
 this was the period in which his return to the Catholic church had been 
 effected. In the first year of his illness he composed his own epitaph ; 
 and fully convinced of the weakness of man when without the support 
 of God’s grace, he quoted the words of the inspired writer, anxious to 
 hold himself up as an example of that weakness as well as a warning to 
 his fellow-countrymen: “It is the Lord who judges me; let him who 
 stands take heed lest he fall.” — Cor. 1 : 4. Here, then, we have an 
 humble and a frank avowal of the fall, melancholy, indeed, of an 
 exalted ecclesiastic. However, the letter of the nuncio and the humi- 
 lity of the avoM'al which the epitaph conveys, leave no doubt on an 
 unbiassed mind that Miler Magratli retracted the errors into which his 
 avarice led him, and that he died a contrite and obedient child of the 
 Catholic church. 
 
 The epitaph has been inscribed on his monument in the cathedral of 
 Cashel, and is as follows 
 
 “ Venerat in Dunum prime sanctiseimus olim 
 Patricius, nostri gloria raagna soli 
 Huic ego secundens, utinam tarn sanctus, ut ille, 
 
 Sic Duni prime tempore praesul eram, 
 
 Anglia lustra decern sed post tua sceptra eolebam, 
 
 Principlbus plaeui, Marte tonante, tuis. 
 
 Hie ubi sum positus, non sum, sum non, ubi non sum 
 Sum nec in ambobus, sum sed in utroque loco. 1621, 
 
 Dominus est qui me judicat (1 Cor. 1.) 
 
 Qui stat caveiit, ne cadat. 
 
 Tile following translation gives the meaning of these words : 
 
 “ Patrick, the glory of our isle and gown, 
 
 First sat a bishop in the see of Down. 
 
 I wish that 1, succeeding him in place 
 As bishop, had an equal share of grace. 
 
 I served thee, England, fifty years in jars, 
 
 A nd pleased thy princes in the midst of wars ; 
 
806 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF LKELAXD. 
 
 Here where I am placed, I am not, and thus the case is, 
 
 I’m not in both, yet am in both the places. 1021. 
 
 He that judgeth me is the Lord; 
 
 Let him who stands, take care lest he fall.” 
 
 Hugh Curwin, or more properl}' Cuhven, a native of 'Westraoreland- 
 shire, and archdeacon of Oxford, was raised to the archiepiscopal see of 
 Dublin, vacant by the expulsion of Geoi-ge Browne. Dissimulation, 
 perfidy and base ingratitude are attributed to Curwin. lie had been 
 raised to the chair of Dublin by queen Mary, and while she occupied 
 the throne he professed himself a sincere supporter of Catholicity. Had 
 that queen allowed her feelings to have been swayed by the recollec- 
 tion of past events, Curwin could have had no expectation of favor or 
 dignity at her hands. He had been one of the most strenuous advocates 
 for the marriage between Henry VlII. and Anna Boleyn, and even 
 delivered a public discourse to that eti’ect before the hyig in the royal 
 chapel at Greenwich, wliich soon after was triumphantly refuted by the 
 learned and virtuous Peto. On her accession to the tlirone, Mary dis- 
 played an almost unexampled degree of high-mindedness ; she forgave 
 Curwin, and promoted him to the dignity of one of her own chaplains. 
 'Within the short space of five days after his consecration he had been, 
 through her favor, appointed lord chancellor of Ireland, and in less than 
 two years was constituted lord justice, together with Sir Henry Sidney. 
 Dignities, both civil and ecclesiastical, having been lavished upon him, 
 beset his mind with reflections at variance with his sacred vocation. 
 
 When Mary, of illustrious memory, was no more, and when the 
 daughter of Anna Boleyn, Elizabeth, ascended the throne, the propen- 
 sities which Curwin had fondly cherished began to manifest themselves 
 in a new and more extensive sphere. His ambition and inordinate love 
 of pleasure became the fatal source of his ruin. He forgot his high 
 estate, and at once yielded to the storm. To aggravate his guilt and 
 enlarge his final account at the tribunal of an all-seeing God, the unfor- 
 tunate Curwin held ordinations after his defection from the faith. The 
 bishops Loftus of Armagh, Craig of Kildare, John Devereux of Ferns, 
 and Cavenagh of Leighlin, received consecration at his hands. Besides 
 other favors which had been heaped upon him under the auspices of 
 Elizabeth, he was constituted by commission, keeper of the great seal of 
 Ireland, and in 1563, became a second time lord chancellor. Ireland 
 was a theatre of too limited a range to gratify the inordinate ambition 
 of Curwin. Anxious to figure in some of the wealthy and influential 
 sees of England, he at length found means of having himself translated 
 to the more heretical soil of the English diocese of Oxford, where, how- 
 ever, his career was short, having died about a year from his translation 
 at Suinbroch, near Burford, in the month of Hovember, 1568. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKY OF ERELANP. 
 
 80 T 
 
 Tlie see of Dublin having been vacant about A.D. 1535, the first 
 object of Thomas Cromwell, who had been a menial in the kitchen of 
 cardinal Wolsey, and who was constituted by the royal schismatic, 
 Henry VIII., vicar-general in spirituals and temporals, was to select a 
 fitting instrument wherewith to establish the Englisli schism as well as 
 the tenets of Lutheranism, with which the heart of the vicar-general 
 was imbued. 
 
 George Browne, an Augustinian, and then provincial of that order 
 in England, was the person, in Cromwell’s opinion, best adapted to work 
 the cause of both heresy and schism to advantage. Browne had been, 
 ere this, a rank Lutheran, and under the mask of a grave and religious 
 demeanor concealed a heart and a mind capable of any enterprise how- 
 ever desperate. The infamous Cranmer consecrated Browne in London, 
 and accompanied by certain commissioners, who were to be his auxilia- 
 ries in preaching tlie royal supremacy to the people of Ireland, Browne 
 immediately set sail for the green isle. Before their departure from the 
 English capital, they received instructions from the vicar of the lay 
 pontiff, which were deemed as important in working innovation. The 
 nobility were to be overawed by threats ; to the ecclesiastical body 
 cheering prospects and splendid promises were to be held out ; nor 
 was bribery to be omitted, if occasion would require ; while the royal 
 displeasure was a drug that would operate advantageously on the more 
 violent. Thus taught, Browne with his heroes embarked for Dublin, 
 confident that their task was an easy one, and that the clergy, nobility, 
 gentry and people of Ireland would at once submit to their measures. 
 On their arrival in the metropolis of Ireland, they discovered that the 
 execution of their design would be a work of formidable difficulty. 
 Some of the prelates and many of the nobility having been summoned 
 to the castle, the new archbishop undertook to open his commission, and 
 gravely urged them to subscribe to the strange usurpation of the spiritual 
 supremacy of Henry. All heard the proposition with astonishment, 
 while the primate, George Cromer, instantly rose from his seat, and 
 openly protested against the measure as an innovation. On the same 
 day he issued circulars to all his suffragans, to the clergy of the jiro- 
 vinces, summoning them before him. The daring attempt of raising a 
 schism in Ireland, and the profane conduct of the archbishop of Dublin, 
 were explained by the primate ; he called on them to support the reli- 
 gion of their fathers. In the meantime messengers were dispatched to 
 Borne, in order to acquaint the father of the faithful with the nature of 
 the schismatical project, which, for the first time, threatened the churcli 
 of Ireland. 
 
 The excitement among all ranks, native as well as Anglo-Borman,* 
 became alarming; the descendants of the native ancie/.t Irish viewed 
 
808 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF lEELAND. 
 
 death as preferable to a desertion from the creed of their ancestors, 
 •while the English inhabitants of the Pale manfully resisted the attempt 
 at schism and faithfully adhered to the apostolic chair of Home. 
 Browne, so far Irustrated, would have fled from Ireland, did he not 
 dread the resentment of the royal schismatic ; he trembled at the pros- 
 pect of the scatfold, though a Lutheran (jlftod with the light of the 
 Sjyii'it, which assuredly would have been prepared for him if he ven- 
 tured to Enailand. In the meantime he wrote to the vicar-general 
 Cromwell, acquainting him with the hopeless prospect of his afl’airs, 
 assuring him that the king’s commission had been treated with con- 
 tempt; that his own authority as became the subject of public 
 scorn ; and that the steadfastness of the Irish people in clinging to their 
 faith was equal, if not superior, to the heroism of the primitive martyrs; 
 in short, that nothing less than the authoi'ity of parliament and the laws 
 rigorously enforced could elicit even a partial recognition of the royal 
 pretence to supremacy. 
 
 Agreeably to the suggestions of Browne, the lord deputy Grey 
 received orders to convoke a parliament, which was accordingly done, 
 and which met on the first of May, 1536. In this venal assembly, 
 Henry YIII. was declared the sole and supreme head on earth, of the 
 church of Ireland ; all appeals to the court of Rome in spiritual causes 
 were forbidden, while any subject who would in future attempt to 
 maintain the supremacy of the apostolic see, was to be arrested and ren- 
 dered subject to a preemunire. 
 
 However, the enactments of such a servile assembly would have 
 been of little avail in advancing the object of Browne’s commission, did 
 not other considerations, more powerful with the sordid and the avari- 
 cious, aid in forwarding his design. The civil authority, with which 
 ecclesiastical dignitaries were not unfrequently invested, 'and above all, 
 the large and princely revenues which were attached to some of the 
 sees, were of themselves a source of temptation against which human 
 nature, urged on by the promptings of avarice and ambition, could with 
 difliculty contend. To such causes as these are we to trace the defection 
 of Eugene Magennis, bishop of Down ; and Connor, wdiose example influ- 
 enced Roland Burke, bishop of Clonfert ; Florence Gerawan, bishop of 
 Clonmacnois ; Mathew Saunders, bishop of Leighlin ; and Hugh O’Cer- 
 vallan, bishop of Clogher, to engage under the standard of the royal 
 schismatic. Though invested with the administration of their respec- 
 tive sees, they were not yet placed in the enjoyment of the temporali- 
 ties ; but having sworn fealty to Henry, he conferred upon them the 
 wages of their iniquity. 
 
 Among the second order of the clergy similar motives influenced a 
 few who compromised their religious principles by severing themselves 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF ERELAND. 
 
 809 
 
 from the unity of tlie Catholic chui-ch. Dominick Tirrcy, rector of the 
 cliurch of Shandon, in the county of Cork, was advanced to that see by 
 Henry VIIL and held possession of its temporalities until his death, 
 though the pontift’ Paul III. promoted thereto Lewis Macnamara. 
 William Miagh had been in like manner placed over the see of Kildare, 
 and became a member of the privy council. Alexander Devereux, 
 abbot of Dunbrody, having surrendered that magnificent establishment, 
 and having subscribed to the lay-pontificate of Henry, was immediately 
 placed over the see of Ferns. Before those acts of servility and sin, 
 Devereux had taken care to provide in an ample manner for the com- 
 forts of his own friends. Having apjiropriated a considerable portion of 
 the abbey possessions, he bestowed on Stephen Devereux the estate of 
 Battlestown, with all tlie lands extending from the moor of Clonard to 
 Bishop’ lands and to the mearings of Ballymathy. He continued in the 
 see until 156G, the year in which he died at Fethard, a village in the 
 county of exford, where he was interred in the chancel of the parish 
 church. 
 
 That schism would at length be clad in the armor of heresy was 
 indeed expected. Tlie prelates and clergy-saw that at no distant day 
 the surrender of their faith would be demanded. They were, however, 
 prepared to endure any sacrifice, however painful, rather than renounce 
 the creed of their fathers and predecessors. Among the firmest in 
 resisting innovation was George Dowdal, primate of Armagh, while 
 the Lutheran Browne, of Dublin, espoused the cause of the new 
 teachers, and who, ion the following Easter Sunday, A.D, 1551, 
 caused the new liturgy to be read for the first time in the cathedral 
 of Christ Church in his own presence, that of the deputy and a few 
 of the magistrates. 
 
 Kot finding the prelates so submissive as they expected, writs were 
 formally directed by Sir Anthony St. Legcr, the deputy, to all the arch- 
 bishops and bishops of the kingdom, summoning them to appear in 
 Dublin. The meeting took- place in the council-chamber, but no sooner 
 had the deputy concluded the reading of the proclamation than the 
 primate, George Dowdall, arose and openly protested against the whole 
 scheme as a daring innovation. The primate forthwith retired from the 
 room, the entire body who were present departing with him, except the 
 Lutheran Browne, Staples, bishop of Meath, and John Bale, an itinerant 
 Carmelite, who was soon after intruded on the see of Ossory as the price 
 of his apostasy. 
 
 Staples was a native of Lincolnshire, and held for some time a 
 situation in the hospital of St. Bartholomew, in London. While Henry 
 was establishing schism in England, thereby facilitating the inroads of 
 heresy, the orthodoxy of Staples became the subject of just suspicion, 
 
810 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 while he is said to have forfeited almost every mark of respect from 
 his flock through his immoral conduct. 
 
 John Bale was born in the county of Suffolk, and was blessed with a 
 conscience prepared to essay in any mart. Taking advantage of the 
 general confusion which novelties in religion introduced, Bale fled from 
 his convent at Norwich, set up on his own account as preacher of sedi- 
 tion, at first in York and afterwards in the more extensive market of 
 London, where, however, the prison became his only recompense. John 
 Bale should have been content to remain in confinement, had he not 
 abandoned' his faith, and through this new claim on the protection of 
 the vicar Ci’omwell obtained his liberty. 
 
 Not meeting with that encouragement which he thought was due to 
 his talents, he resolved on hazarding an essay in Germany, which, how- 
 ever, being already too well supplied with laborers of his description, he 
 took leave of the reformers there, and sailed for Ireland. Now constituted 
 by Browne, the bishop of Ossory, J ohn Bale tried his religious sickle in 
 the city of St. Canice. The infamous conduct of this intruder, during 
 the few months that he spent in Kilkenny, was such that the Catholics 
 of that city could not tolerate. While in the act of reviling the 
 Catholic religion and jesting their faith, the wretch was assailed by the 
 populace, five of his domestics were slain, and the apostate himself nar- 
 rowly escaped a similar fate. Bale enjoyed the dignity into which he 
 was intruded by another apostate but six months, when Mary ascended 
 the throne. Fearing that vengeance would at last reach him, he sud 
 denly disappeared, and took refuge in Switzerland. Ossory was never 
 more insulted by his presence. During the reign of Elizabeth he 
 returned to England, where he consumed his days in comparative obscu- 
 rity, and died about the year 1563. 
 
 When, at the meeting convened in the council chamber, the pri- 
 mate, George Dowdall, had, with the prelates, quitted that assembly, 
 Browne, having taken the proclamation in his hands, stood up and 
 addressed the few remaining in the room : “ Tliis order, good bretliren, 
 is from our gracious king, and from the rest of our brethren in England, 
 uiito whom I submit, as did Christ to Ciesar, in all things just and 
 lawful, making no question why or wherefore, as we own him true and 
 lawful king.” 
 
 The excellence of Browne’s reasoning must be duly appreciated by 
 the admirers of the private spirit, and by those who prefer the fleshpols 
 of Egypt to the more important concern of eternity. 
 
 Taken as samples of reformers, Browne, Staples, and their kindred 
 spirit, John Bale, were not the persons destined to overthrow the ancient 
 faith of Ireland, which extolled its name over Europe. Soon after, a 
 public disputation took place, at the special desire of the viceroy, in St. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF HtELAND. 
 
 811 
 
 Mary’s abbey, before the clergy and a vast number of the people, wliich 
 had nearly contributed to give a fatal wound to the cause of the 
 reformei’s in Ireland. On this occasion the Catholic faith was power- 
 fully defended by the primate. Staples, of Meath, appeared as the 
 advocate of innovation. The Catholics in triumph claimed the honor of 
 victory. After this signal defeat an attempt on the primate’s life was 
 feared. He was soon after obliged to withdraw to the Continent. 
 
 / Bribes, threats, and promises were held out in abundance ; stations 
 of trust and honor were presented to the laity ; wealth, promotion, and 
 pleasure were set before the eyes of the clergy ; yet, to the honor of the 
 priesthood, and their attachment to the centre of Catholic unity, those 
 snares were spurned and treated with contempt. Out of the whole 
 episcopal body, as it stood in the reign of Edward VI., not one could be 
 induced to abandon the ancient religion, except Staples, bishop of Kil- 
 dare, whose orthodoxy was questioned before his promotion to that see, 
 Itlagenis of Down, and Burke of Clonfert, both of whom, under the 
 influence of vile cuvarice, had long before subscribed to the schismatical 
 usurpation of spiritual authority by the king. Besides Bale, of whom 
 notice has been already taken, a few priests were weak and depraved 
 enough to adopt his conduct as a model, and who, after their dereliction 
 of the faith which St. Patrick planted in our island, were recompensed 
 with mitres, wealth, and pleasure, in exchange. Small, indeed, has 
 been their number, as the authentic annals of that era mention only 
 Eobert Travers, Thomas Lancaster, and AVilliam Casey. The first of 
 these was consecrated bishop of Leighlin in the year 1550, and became 
 the first Protestant bishop of that ancient see. Sir James AVare repre- 
 sents him as a cruel and covetous man, and an oppressor of the cleigy, 
 and refers to the authority of Thadeus Dowling, chancellor of Leighlin. 
 
 Lancaster was consecrated, in the same year, by George Browne, 
 and placed in the see of Kildare. The revenues of his diocese not 
 sufiiciently ample to meet his outlay, the deanery of Kilkenuy was 
 annexed to it as a supplement. 
 
 AVilliam Casey was also consecrated by Browne, in the j^ear 1551, 
 and was immediately after promoted to the see of Limerick. AVhen 
 intruders were removed under Mary, AVilliam Casey, of Limerick, 
 judged it prudent to retreat from the conflict. He repaired to some 
 part of the Continent, along with his wife, or rather his concubine. 
 
 On the accession of Mary the clergy were again placed over their 
 flocks, while the friends of order and morality began to congratulate 
 each other on the anticipated fall of novelty, and on the restoration of 
 ecclesiastical discipline and ancient truth. The return of George Dow- 
 dall, the primate, to the see of Armagh, in 1553, realized those expec- 
 tations. Ko sooner replaced in his see, than this excellent prelate com- 
 
812 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOEY OF LEELA^TD. 
 
 menced tlie I’eal and sincere work of religious reform ; and to do it with 
 energy and effect, he convened a national synod in St. Peter’s 
 church, at Drogheda, almost all the Catholic bishops of the kingdom 
 attending. 
 
 “In it,” says Sir James Ware, “several decrees were made for 
 reviving the rites that had been formerly practiced in the church, and 
 some decrees were also passed against ecclesiastical debauchees.” 
 
 In the following April, 1551, the primate, together with Williasi 
 Walsh, doctor of divinity, and afterwards bishop of Meath, received a 
 royal commission, investing them with authority to proceed against 
 immoral ecclesiastics, and to depose those jirelates whose recreancy 
 had done such mischief to the fold of the great Shepherd of our souls. 
 
 Accordingly, Browne, of Dublin, was removed from that see, 
 which he obtained in the disguise of a Lutheran heretic. Staples, ot 
 Meath, was cashiered, having too long enjoyed the fruits of his trea- 
 sons against religion, and immediately after, Lancaster, of Kildare, and 
 Travel’s, of Leighlin, were deposed. Casey, of Limerick, and John 
 Bale, sought safety in an early retreat. 
 
 Such have been the sanctimonious characters who came to Ireland in 
 the sixteenth century, intent on tlie overthrow of the ancient faith. 
 They have been faithfully delineated by Spenser : “ Whatever dis- 
 orders,” says this writer, “you see in the established church through 
 England, you may find here, and many more, namely, gross simony, 
 greedy covetoicsness, fleshly incontinence, careless sloth, and generally all 
 disorda'cd life in the common clergyman.” “ So deformed and over- 
 thrown a church,” observes Sidney, another Protestant writer, “ there 
 is not, I am sure, in anj' region, where the name of Christ is professed.” 
 And, says Leland, “ There were few churches to resort to, few teachera 
 to exhort, fewer still who could be undei-stood, and almost all, at least 
 for the greater part of this reign, of scandalous insufficiency.” (See 
 Appendix the 9th.) 
 
 These are the individuals branded by their own writers, and the 
 apologists of English reform in religion and of British misrule in Ire- 
 land, with the heinous vices which Spenser enumerates, who had the 
 unblushing impiety to pull down the altars which the sainted fathers 
 of the Irish church erected and revered, to trample on the cross of 
 Christ, to profane the image of his virgin mother, and expose the sacred 
 vessels of the sanctuary for sale in the public market. 
 
 Unable to subvert the ancient faith of Ireland, unable to overcome 
 the resolve of the Irish people in maintaining the integrity of that faith 
 through its union with the see of Borne, unable to extinguish it by the 
 sword, the torch and the gibbet, the faith of the L-ish Catholic is to 
 be assailed by calumny and misrepresentation, and then Protestant 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL niSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 813 
 
 writers, Usher among tliem, would feign make ns aflmit, that the 
 ancient belief of. Ireland has undergone a change, and that it was per- 
 fectly similar to those tenets wliich Protestants of the present day pro- 
 fess. In the human mind there is a constant inclination to impugn 
 tniths incontestibly established, and in many instances self-evident. 
 Can it be believed that Usher, who was a man celebrated as well for 
 accuracy as for antiquarian research, could have had the temerity to 
 advance such a paradox ? That St. Patrick, or any of his immediate 
 successors of the Irish church, had not recognized such doctrines as the 
 supremacy of the Homan pontiff, the sacrifice of the mass, purgatory, 
 the invocation of saints, and other tenets, now and at all times so stead- 
 fastly believed by Catholics. Hence, according to Usher’s theory, it 
 follows, that the Christian religion must have been corrupted in Ireland 
 at some period antecedent to the sixteenth century. Put we are not 
 to wonder at the folly of man. In modern times a Berkeley denied the 
 existence of matter and the testimony of his own senses ; in ancient 
 times Pyrrhus maintained the doctrine of general doubt, questioning 
 everything, even his own existence. Ledwich has called in question 
 the existence of St. Patrick, which Usher admits ; but Ledwich, who 
 was an illiterate higot, instead of deserving notice, is only worthy of the 
 lowliest contempt. On the contrary. Usher, who had been deeply versed 
 in the antiquities of Ireland, through the bigotry which has sullied his 
 character and which aggravates his malice, has acquired an additional 
 shade of perversity in that determined recklessness with which his 
 onslaught on the ancient faith of Ireland is accompanied. The intole- 
 rance of Usher, during the reign of James I., is well known to every one 
 acquainted with the history of that period— of the man “ who would 
 not have the sword borne in vain,” and who would in all things short 
 “ of the effusion of blood,” have the penal statutes enforced. When, 
 however. Catholicity could not be extirpated by the ruthless use of that 
 sword, the miserable expedient of calumny is recurred to, perhaps from 
 a desire to wound the feelings of the people by maligning the ancient 
 faith of Ireland. Hence, wretched parsons now-a-days wander over the 
 country with no argument save that which a shilling or a bag of rice 
 may raise in the mind of a starving peasant, and with the calumny of 
 Usher improved by this itinerant fanatic, who ventures to assert that 
 St. Patrick was a Protestant. Good heavens ! what a stock of patience 
 the Irish Catholic requires when thus taunted ! What useful auxiliaries 
 the apostles SS. Peter and Paul would have acquired in such heroes as 
 some of our Irish parsons, when they were entering Rome to preach 
 the Gospel to its inhabitants and its senators ? Bags of rice and Pro- 
 testant coins would be admirable missionaries in that rich capital. The 
 apostle of Ireland a Protestant, and the doctrines of the ancient Irish 
 
8M 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOEY OF IRELAND. 
 
 cliurcli similar to the lieretical tenets of the Protestant chilrch ! That 
 St. Patrick derived his jurisdiction from the bishop of Rome is not 
 denied by Usher. In the fourth life of St. Patrick, contained in Col- 
 gan’s “ Ti'ias Thaumaturga,” it is read: “ 'Wherefore, St. Germanus sent 
 the blessed Patrick to Rome, that with the permission of the bishop of 
 the apostolic see, he might go forth to preach, for order so required. 
 But St. Patrick, having ari-ived at Rome, was most honorably received 
 by the holy Pope Celestine, and the relics of saints having been deliv- 
 ered to him, he was sent into Ireland by Pope Celestine.” Again, in 
 his life of St. Germanus, Eric writes : “ Germain directed Patrick to the 
 holy Celestine, Pope of the city of Rome, by means of Segetius, a 
 priest, who was to give testimony of ecclesiastical probity for this most 
 excellent man before the Holy See ; and having been in its judgment 
 approved of, being supported by its authority and strengthened by its 
 benediction, he repaired to the regions of Ireland.” Kennius also 
 states: “He (Patrick) is sent by Celestine, Pope of Rome, to convert 
 the Scots (Irish) to the faith of Christ.” 
 
 It is then evident that the source whence St. Patrick derived his 
 ecclesiastical jurisdiction was the apostolic see, over which the holy 
 pontift’, Celestine, then presided. Hence, then, it is clear and evident, 
 that the discipline and tenets of Catholic faith taught and professed by 
 the pontift’ of Rome were and must have been identically the same as 
 those which St. Patrick had been sent to announce to the Irish nation ; 
 a trust which the apostle of Ireland lost no time in executing, and 
 which he performed with such extraordinaiy success. Heaven itself 
 smiling on and approving incontestibly the truth of his doctrines. Can 
 any unbiassed person, and whose mind is free of bigotry, venture to 
 aftirm that the great and saintly apostle of Ii-eland, having been spe- 
 cially authorized and sent by the holy Pope Celestine to preach and 
 instruct the Irish in certain dogmas professed by the father of the 
 faithful himself, had, on his landing in the country, suddenly and 
 recklessly renounced all his professions, and entered on the teaching 
 of a creed altogether difi’erent from that which he had received from 
 the See of Rome, the apostolical fountain of all jurisdiction ? Such an 
 act would argue nothing short of insanity ; such a departure from an 
 original commission as St. Patrick’s is not on the page of history ; 
 such an instance has never occurred. Even the base Browne, of Dub- 
 lin, did not belie the commission which he received from Cromwell, a 
 mere layman, to preach Lutheran doctnnes. 
 
 Either Pope Celestine believed in the tenets of the Catholic ftiith as 
 they are taught at this day, or he did not ; he either believed in the sacri- 
 fice of the mass, in sacramental confession, in purgatory, in the invoca- 
 tion of saints, or he rejected those doctrines. If such were the doctrines 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL inSTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 815 
 
 of Pope Celestine, it follows that St. Patrick must have in like manner 
 believed them and have taught these doctrines to our Irish ancestors. 
 We have, then, an idea of what the religion of Ireland had been in the 
 fifth century. Should, then, any one assert that the holy pontiff Celes- 
 tine knew nothing of those doctrines, practised none of them, taught 
 none of them, the man who could attempt to make so absurd an asser- 
 tion becomes at once an object of public scorn ; having all the monu- 
 ments of antiquity opposed to his audacious position, he might as well 
 reject the authority of all historical evidence. Such an assertion has, 
 however, never been advanced, and we may again conclude that the 
 tenets of the Catholic faith, as at this day held in Ireland, were the 
 identical doctrines taught to our forefathers by the great and illustrious 
 apostle of the nation, when he came, in the year 432, and converted 
 them to the Christian faith. 
 
 Never was there a people in any portion of the Christian world who 
 evinced a more profound and reverential attachment to the ancient doc- 
 trines handed down by their apostle than the ancient Irish. Of this 
 assertion tlie paschal controversy is a sufficient proof. It was not a 
 controversy involving anything dogmatical, having been a mere matter 
 of discipline. Still, before a point of the sort could be settled, before a 
 departure from the ancient usage of the Irish church could take place, 
 and before the Alexandrine cycle could be introduced, synods were held, 
 deputations were sent to Rome, letters despatched from the Pope elect 
 and the Roman clergy to the primate of Ireland, Thomian, and to other 
 prelates and ecclesiastics, demonstrate the extraordinary tenacity of 
 this Irish nation to their ancient traditions. Yet in maintaining all this 
 uproar, they used as an argument that they had received their paschal 
 cycle from St. Patrick ; that any other computation differing wdth it 
 was a mere novelty, which could not be admitted as a substitute. If, 
 then, instead of a point of discipline, a question of dogma arose ; if an 
 attempt were made to corrupt the faith of the country ; if a dogmatizer 
 (such as Browne of Dublin) had set up a new tenet, the opposition 
 given on the paschal question supplies a response. If they had made 
 such a reclamation in a matter of discipline, what would they not have 
 done if faith had been imperilled ? 
 
 Usher, who has been accurate when the subject which he treated 
 did not clash with his temporal interests, endeavors to maintain that the 
 creed of the ancient Irish was totally distinct from that of their Catholic 
 successoi-s of the present day. In order to establish this singular proposi- 
 tion, the Protestant archbishop made a favorite selection from the several 
 articles of Catholic faith, taking also notice of Irish Catholic discipline. 
 If credence be given to Usher, the ancient Irish were unacquainted 
 with the supremacy of the bishop of Rome, equally with himself, whose 
 
816 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL inSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 jurisdiction was parliamentary or by letters-patent, or of the sacrifice ot 
 the mass, or of the real presence in the eucliarist, or of prayers for the 
 dead, or of the invocation of saints, of images, or relics ; moreover, the 
 use of chrism was never practised among them ; everyone was allowed 
 to read the Scriptures, and the clergy (argues the intolerant bishop) were 
 allowed to marry. Keally with the doctoi*s of his class marriage seems 
 to be and to have been the perfection of their evangelical system ; to 
 them marriage seems as necessary an appendage as the Bible itself. 
 How does Usher endeavor to sustain his position? He attempts to 
 maintain it by giving garbled extracts from the mystical works of some 
 ancient Irish writers, placing on them a construction suitable to his 
 view, despite common sense and truth, while he industriously passes 
 over in silence tliose clear and conclusive authorities which would at 
 once lead the reader to the knowledge of what the ancient faith as well 
 as the practice of the Irish church really had been. 
 
 “ I shall qupte,” says Usher, “ ‘ ancient writere ’ in order that we 
 may judge who have departed from the religion of our ancestor.” 
 Let us, then, examine those quotations by whicii he endeavom to main- 
 tain a proposition so singular. 
 
 In treating on the subject of the s^ipremacy of the Pope^ Usher refers 
 to two authorities, whom he assumes as Irish, namely to Sedulius and 
 Claudius. Tlie first was an Irish ecclesiastic of the ninth century. 
 With regard to Claudius, there is not sufficient authority for supposing 
 that he was a native of Ireland. On the contrary, the text that would 
 justify the assumption is not admitted by antiquarians. Mabillon omits 
 the word (Scoti), and another author maintains the Claudius referred 
 to was of Turin, who according to all authorities had been a Spaniard. 
 Sedulius, in his commentary on this passage of Isaiah, “ Behold I lay a 
 stone in Sion for a foundation,” observes, “ It is certain that by the stone 
 Christ is signified.” Claudius thus expounds the passage : “ ‘ On this 
 rock I will build my church.’ that is, upon Christ our Saviour, who 
 granted unto Peter, his faithful lover and confessor, the participation of 
 his own name, that from Petra (the rock) he should be called Peter.” 
 
 From these passages Usher concludes that both Sedulius and Clau- 
 dius had taught the foundation-stone laid in Sion and the rock on which 
 the church is built is Christ. But is there a Catholic who denies it ? 
 Tliat Christ is the rock, the great corner-stone on which the spiritual 
 edifice rests, is a truth which the Catholic church inculcates ; but does it 
 follow that Christ, the invisible head or the invisible corner-stone of the 
 Christian superstructure, has not or could not have appointed a visible 
 substitute, a visible head, to govern his church on earth, and without 
 which the whole fabric of religion would crumble into chaos and con- 
 fusion, as Protestantism has become, under the blind guidance of the 
 
ECCIJJSIASTICAI, mSTORY OF IRELAKD. 
 
 817 
 
 sovereign or the minister, an indiscriminate mass of spiritual ruin ; one 
 day rejecting as non-essential, another day adopting as essential or fun- 
 damental, articles which the church of God, founded on the visible rock, 
 has always taught. Without the attractive unity of a centre or the 
 authority of a head to decide and pronounce detinitively, Protestantism 
 has dwindled into as many different sects, as numerous almost as there 
 are inhabitants in the country, and as widely asunder as the poles, for 
 two of them cannot agree in their interpretation of the Scripture, the 
 only guide they admit. 
 
 The necessity of this visible headship and the actual constitution of 
 this authority were truths of which Claudius had been convinced, and. 
 hence it is he observes, “ That Christ our SaAuour granted (not unto 
 John, or Thomas or James) but unto Peter, bis faithful lover and con- 
 fessor, the participation of his own name ; ” or as it is elsewhere 
 expressed, “ the participation of his own power,” in the following 
 words : “ And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven ; 
 whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever 
 you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Had Claudius said that 
 Christ never granted unto Peter a participation in his name or of his 
 authority, then indeed there might have been room for an objection. 
 Claudius, however, asserts the contrary. The belief of Sedulius and 
 Claudius, it is clear, relative to the supremacy of St. Peter and his 
 successors, has been identical with the doctrine handed down from the 
 days of the apostles, and which in all ages and nations was believed 
 with such reverence and fidelity by the Catholic church. 
 
 To support his view. Usher takes a solitary quotation from a hymn 
 written by St. Secundinus, in honor of St. Patrick, wherewith he endea- 
 vors to prove that the ancient Irish church was not acquainted with 
 the supremacy of St. Peter. In a part of the hymn are these words : 
 “ He (Patrick) is constant in the fear of God and immoveable in the 
 faith, upon whom the church is built as upon Peter, whose apostleship 
 also he hath obtained from God, and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
 against him.” In this quotation there are three subjects of panegyrism ; 
 the first, the nature of the apostleship which St. Patrick received ; the 
 second, the stability of the apostleship ; the third, the consequences of 
 that stability. But whence the soitrce of this apostleship communicated 
 to St. Patrick? Was not St. 1‘atrick, as we have already seen, in com- 
 munion with the see of Rome, where St. Peter fixed his apostolic chair, 
 and in which he received the plenitude of apostolic jurisdiction from 
 St. Celestine, the successor of St. Peter? St. Patrick built up, clad 
 with apostolic authority, the particular church of Ireland, and as that 
 church has been inseparably attached to the chair of Peter, it is entitled 
 52 
 
J518 
 
 ECCLESIASTIC^VL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 to share in the glorious privilege of fighting under the apostolic banner 
 and combating and overtlirowing its common enemy. 
 
 Immoveable in his faith, St. Patrick never separated from the rock 
 of the church, with which he continued in constant communion, and 
 hence the holy author of the hymn, in his peculiar poetic language, 
 pronounces his eulogy. 
 
 If St. Patrick had obtained elsewhere than at Rome the essentials of 
 ordination and jurisdiction — let us suppose from some Arian bishop cut 
 off from the church by the Nicene fathers — could the Irish antiquarian 
 Usher pronounce the apostleship of St. Patrick derived from St. Peter 
 in that case ? Assuredly not. What, then, becomes of the jurisdiction of 
 archbishop Usher himself^ lie has gotten none from Rome or the 
 apostolic chair; his autliority is parliamentarian, with no right save that 
 which plunder and robbery confers, and which places its votaries, either 
 episcoiial or laic, as branches cut off from the parent-stock without the 
 sap of apostolic growth, without the watei-s of grace, without authority. 
 
 AVhile Usher adopts the expedient of keeping before the mind of the 
 reader extracts alone, which seem as if iavorable to liis cause, and 
 which, he feigns, warrant separation from the chui'ch of God, and in 
 which he culpably strives to confirm the adherents of Protestantism in 
 the abyss of error and heresy, he studiously secludes the avowed and 
 unequivocal testimonies of some of the most illustrious saints of the 
 Irish church. He passes over in silence its public acts, which bear on 
 the very question of the pontifical supremacy of the Roman see, and 
 treats with indilference the most interesting cauous of our ancient 
 church. 
 
 St. Columbanus, who fiourished in the sixth century, and whose 
 learning and sanctity confer glory and honor on the Irish church, and 
 whose zeal contributed to light the fire of faith in distant countries, may 
 be admitted as a witness in the controversy which the arrogance of an 
 intolerant bigot and persecutor has called into existence. In his fourth 
 epistle to Pope Boniface, Columbanus, a father of the Irish church, thus 
 addresses the sovereign pontiff : “ To the most lovely of all Europe, to 
 the head of all the churches, to the beloved father, to the exalted pre- 
 late, to the pastor of pastors,” &c. Proceeding with his letter, he says, 
 “ For we Irish are disciples of St. Peter and St. Paul, and of all the 
 divinely inspired canonical writers, adhering constantly to the evangelical 
 and apostolical doctrine. Among us neither Jew, heretic or schismatic 
 can be found, but the Catholic faith unaltered, unshaken, precisely as 
 we have received it from you, who are the successors of the apostles. 
 For, as I have already said, we are attached to the chair of Peter, and 
 although Rome is great and renowned, yet with us it is great and illu4- 
 
ECCLE8rA.STICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 819 
 
 trious mly on account of that apostolic chair. Through the two apostles 
 of Christ you are almost celestial, and Rome u the head of the churches of 
 tivc woiidP So far St. Colunibanus gives his testimony, conclusive and 
 straightforward, unneedful of any attempt to illustrate it. With Usher 
 and the modern abettors of his doctrines. Home is not a celestial city ; 
 she is the scarlet lady ; her pontitf is an Antichrist, and the Homan 
 Catholics are idolaters, that Usher and others may enjoy the plunder of 
 the church. But to proceed to the further illustration of the subject: 
 when, in the seventh century, the paschal question had reached its 
 limits of excitement, and when the fathers of the Irish church could not 
 be prevailed iq^on to come to a fixed resolution, what had been the 
 plan of action, to which the leading prelates and ecclesiastics instantly 
 acceded ? An appeal to the holy see — a proceeding founded not only 
 on the doctrine of the supremacy which they had received, but also on 
 an express canon ratified and handed down by St. Patrick himself — a 
 canon enacted when there was no Usher, no schismatic or heretic pre- 
 tender to seize the fleece, utterly careless of the flock. This canon, con- 
 cise as it is decisive on the subject, is contained in the following words: 
 “Si quae quaestiones in hac insula oriantur, ad sedem apostolicam referan- 
 tur.” “ If any questions arise in this island, let them be referred to the 
 apostolic see.” Or as more fully expressed in a canon copied by Usher 
 himself from an ancient book of the church of Armagh and passed in 
 the synod of Patrick, Auxilius, Secundinus and Benignus, substantially 
 to the following eftect : “If any difficult cause arise, which cannot be 
 easily decided by the Irish prelates and the see of Armagh, we have 
 decreed that it shall be referred to the apostolic see, that is, to the chair 
 of the apostle St. Peter, which hath the authority of the city of Home.” 
 The doctrine of the spiritual authority of the apostolic see comprehended 
 in this canon was steadfastly practised by the pastors of the Irish church 
 at all subsequent periods as it was confirmed by the apostle himself, 
 and as it is still observed in the Catholic church of Ireland at the pre- 
 sent moment, nay, even acknowledged by the Protestant government of 
 England itself, which occasionally attempts through its agents to sway 
 the councils of the pontiff. If the supremacy of the Roman see had not 
 been an universally received doctrine, why had the apostle of Ireland 
 recurred to Rome before he assumed the onerous duty of its conversion? 
 St. Patrick could, if this step had not been deemed necessary, have re- 
 ceived his ordination and the jurisdiction for his missionary labors from 
 St. Germaine of Auxerre, or from St. Martin of Tours. They were pre- 
 lates of acknowledged eminence ; their sees had obtained a high rank in 
 the Christian church ; yet they were the very bishops who referred St. 
 Patrick to Pope Celestine, in order that from him, as the source of apos- 
 tolic authority, our apostle might receive licit power to enter on his 
 
820 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF rRELAND, 
 
 glorious conquest, on that sublime enterprise, which heaven especially 
 assigned to St. Patrick. 
 
 This doctrine has been handed down, preserved as the most sacred 
 inheritance — an inheritance which the robbei’s of the sixteenth and seven- 
 teenth centuries could not filch from the Catholics of Ireland, thouirh 
 “ they tried the sword in vain,” and which will, if that sword were 
 again tried in order to render pe7'7na7mit the plunder of the ch urch, with 
 the blessing of heaven continue to be handed down, until the seven- 
 hilled city of Rome be dissolved by the precui-sor flames of judgment, 
 and without which the national church of Ireland would become as a stag- 
 nant pool unrefreshed by the waters of the pure and apostolic fountain. 
 
 On the subject of the sacrifice of the mass, as well as on the 7 'cal 
 p^'esence of the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the eueharistic sacra- 
 ment and sacrifice, the bigoted bishop and usurper of another’s title 
 appears to have been completely bewildered. 
 
 Coerced by the unvarying as well as unequivocal testimony of our 
 writers, our liturgies, our canons. Usher was obliged to admit that the 
 ancient Irish had been in the constant practice of offering up the eucha- 
 ristic sacrifice, and that masses, termed requiem masses, used to be cele- 
 brated daily. So interwoven is the doctrine of the eucharistic sacrifice 
 with the records of the nation, that the antiquarian himself should 
 reject the antiquities of Ireland if he had ventured on the denial of this 
 practice. In his life of St. Brigid, and in his beautiful description of 
 the church of Kildare, Cogitosus says : “ There were two doors leading 
 into the church ; that by one door, the bishop, together witli his clergy, 
 entered, for the purpose of immolating the sacred Loi'd's sacrifice, and 
 that by the other, the abbess and her nuns entered, that they might enjoy 
 the banquet of the body and blood of Jesus ChristP In the acts of St. 
 Columbkill, written by Adamnan, it is stated, that when St. Cronan 
 had been on a visit at the monastery of Ily, he was directed by St. 
 Columba to offer the sacrifice, or, as the saintlj' author himself expresses 
 it, “ To make, accordbig to custom, the body of the LordT In the 
 ancient life of St. Kieran, of Saigir, we read, that on every Christmas 
 night, that saint was accustomed to repair to the nunnery of St. Coc- 
 chea, “ that there he might offer up the body of ChristT In fine, when 
 ever any of the ancient Irish writers treat on this august and sublime 
 subject, the terms they invariably employ are “ the sacrifice of salvu/- 
 tion — the sacrificial mystery — the mysteries of the sacrifice.” Admit- 
 ting the practice of the ancient Irish church. Usher strives to escape 
 from the difficulty, as well as attempts to deceive his readers, by pre- 
 tending that it had been only a sacrifice of thanksgiving, offered as 
 such for those souls who were in possession of eternal happiness, and 
 that it had not been believed or practiced in the ancient Irish church ns> 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL III8TOUY OF IRELAm). 
 
 821 
 
 ^propitiatory sacrifice. To establish tliis sweeping conclusion, garbled 
 quotations are made available Irom Adamnan’s life of St. Columba. In 
 one of these the writer says : “ That Coluinbkill caused all things to bo 
 prepared for the eucharistic sacrifice when he had seen the soul of St. 
 Brendan received by the angels.” On another occasion, when the death 
 of Coluinbanus, bishop of Leinster, had occurred, Columba is repre- 
 sented as having acted under similar religious feelings, for, said the 
 saint, “ I must this day celebrate the holy mysteries of the eucharist, 
 for the reverence of that soul, which this night, being carried beyond the 
 starry firmament, between the choirs of angels, ascended into paradise.” 
 From those passages the archbishop labors to make his readers believe 
 that with the ancient Irish the oblation of the eucharistic sacrifice was 
 always one of thanksgiving, and that it never had been one of propi- 
 tiation. Every Catholic holds that the sacrifice of the mass is a sacri- 
 fice both of thanksgiving and of propitiation. In the cases in which 
 St. Columba offered the holy mysteries, they were intended as acts of 
 thanksgiving to the Almighty, “ who is wonderful in his saints,” the 
 propitiatory value of the sacrifice benefiting the celebrant, the living, 
 and the dead. How, then, draw such a comprehensive inference ? Does 
 it then follow that the Irish church did not believe in its efficacy as an 
 oblation propitiatory for the living and the dead? Unhappily for the 
 cause of the archbishop, the canons of the ancient Irish church decide 
 against him, with unsparing vengeance. The acts of a national church 
 give us the surest and most indisputable data by which the faith as well 
 as the discipline of that church can be ascertained. The ancient canons 
 of the Irish church as clearly point out as the firmament demonstrates 
 the glory of God, the doctrine of our church regarding the eucharistic 
 sacrifice, as one of thanksgiving and also one of propitiation. In an 
 ancient canon contained in D’Achery’s collection, (lib. 2, cap. 20,) the 
 synod says : “ The church offers for the souls of the deceased in four 
 ways — for the very good, the oblations are sitnply thanksgivings ; for the 
 very bad, they become consolations to the living ; for such as were not 
 very good, the oblations are made in order to full remission ‘ 
 
 and for those who were not very bad, that their punishment may he ren- 
 dered more tolerahle.'’’ Here, then, is enunciated, in plain terms, the 
 doctrine of the eucharistic oblation being a propitiatory sacrifice. 
 When offered for the first class of happy souls, it is an offering of 
 thanksgiving. When offered for those whose lives were bad in the 
 sight of Heaven, its oblation is a comfort to the faithful. When offered 
 for those who were not very good or verj^ bad, the object of its oblation 
 was to render their state more tolerable, and that full pardon would be 
 at length accorded. The framers of this canon give us also the doctrine 
 of a middle state, as a tenet also then believed by the church of Ireland. 
 
822 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OF lEELAND. 
 
 Usher and his fcllow-Protestants prefer a sudden jump to more distant 
 regions, without a pause at midway. But with the existence of this- 
 canon Usher had been well acquainted. Why, then, has he concealed it 
 from his readers ? Why not have produced it ? lie knew that, had this 
 public document, this solemn attestation of the national church of Ire- 
 land been produced, the sandy foundation of a hopeless cause would 
 have sunk beneath his feet ; the weakness of his church as a religious 
 establishment would be apparent, and the ])ublic could not be imposed 
 upon by his sophistry. His established church ought to be flung to the 
 winds, if in its defence the religious character of a nation is to be 
 libelled, if flagrant and the wilful suppression of truth be the only 
 armor with which it strives to repel the attack of truth and antiquity. 
 What, then, becomes of the character of Usher, the great boast of Pro- 
 testantism ? The question before us is not at present purely speculative, 
 it is altogether a question of history. In his capacity of antiquarian and 
 historian, in which, without regard to party purposes, he should have 
 stated what justice and truth demanded, and to which they are entitled, 
 Usher undertakes to portray the character of the ancient Irish ; he 
 represents them as holding the eucharistic oblation as nothing more 
 than an act of thanksgiving, Avhile this ancient canon stared him, as an 
 historian, in the face ; he represents them as widely differing from the 
 Catholics of the present day, while justice and impartiality i-equired of 
 him to give a more faithful picture. Usher, then, it must be admitted, 
 wrote in defence of a system which was engendered in -the brutal lust of 
 a tyrant — maintained by the sword of the persecutor — embraced by the 
 advocates of plunder, to whom the pen of the maligner offere a balm, 
 while his conscience, stung with remorse, yet disobedient to its own 
 voice, refuses to disgorge that wealth which Usher and other congenial 
 spirits would represent as justly due to themselves, who claim to be the 
 real possessors of the ancient faith of Catholic Ireland. 
 
 xVnother canon, still more ancient, and which is reckoned among 
 those of St. Patrick, and is entitled, “ Of the oblation for the dead,” 
 shows how futile is the proposition of Usher. This canon is couched in 
 the following words : — “ There is a sin unto death, I do not say that for 
 it any do pray.” And the Lord says, “ Do not give the holy to dogs.” 
 For he who will not deserve to receive the sacrifice during his life, how 
 can it heljphiia after his death? Hence it follows, that the sacrifice 
 used to be offered up for the purpose of helping, and that, of course, it 
 was considered propitiatory. The sin unto death is that of final impe- 
 nitence. For those who died impenitent the sacrifice was not offered, 
 because for them it had no propitiation, as it could not help them. 
 Hence, it is clear that he who did deserve to receive it during life, 
 could, according to the belief of the fathei*s of this synod, receive help 
 
ECCLESIASnCAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 
 from it after death ; hence its proiiitiatory character. Usher lias dealt 
 ^with this canon as the former. He has, so far as he conld, cushioned 
 them ; thus treating the character of our apostle, the fathere of the 
 Irish church, and the nation at large, in a manner unbecoming a man 
 of principle, a scholar, and an historian. 
 
 The intolerant bigot, in the blindness of his fanatical zeal, could not 
 chronicle those facts of Irish history which stamp the seal of falsehood 
 on tliat religious system over wliich he presided as an archbishop. In 
 his cpiality of antiquarian, the ancient liturgy of the Irish church could 
 not, be it observed, escape the scrutiny of the malice with which he 
 strives to pervert ancient history. The ancient Irish missal (the cursus 
 scotoriun — see appendix 8th,) contains an oration for the dead : “ Grant, 
 O Lord, to him, thy servant, deceased, the pardon of all his sins, in 
 that seci-et abode where there is no longer room for penance. Do you, 
 O Christ, receive the soul of thy servant, wliich thou hast given, and 
 forgive him his trespasses more abundantly than he has forgiven those 
 who have trespassed against him.” An oration also is given for the 
 living and the dead : “ Propitiously grant that this sacred oblation may 
 be profitable to the dead, in obtaining pardon, and to the living, in 
 obtaining salvation ; grant to them (living and dead,) tlie full remission 
 of all their sins, and that indulgence they have always deserved.” 
 
 In his endeavors to malign the ancient faith of Ireland, the conduct 
 of Usher is similar with that of the base coiner who gives a currency to 
 the vilest metal ; nay, worse, for while the forger only inflicts a tem- 
 poral loss, the perverter of truth and the falsifier of history does an 
 injury which centuries cannot repair, in order that he may give a 
 momentary coloring of truth to the fictions of his own mind, gaining 
 thereby the momentary applause of those whose sentiments are diseased 
 as his own. 
 
 On the great and awfully important subject of the real Presence, 
 Usher found himself beset with insuperable difficulties. Having entered 
 on the doctrine of the real presence of the body and blood of Christ in 
 the sacrament, and having, with his usual temerity, ventured to show 
 that it had never been classed among the religious tenets of the ancient 
 Irish, he was compelled to abandon an enterprise so hopeless. Luther, 
 too, experienced a similar difilculty in attaching a dogma so firmly 
 established, until a certain hlacTc monitor enlightened him with his par- 
 ticular views. If clear and expressive language be admitted as inter- 
 pretativ'e or attest! ve of the belief of the Irish church, in this particular 
 doctrine, it is as incontrovertibly established among them as the very 
 existence of Christianity itself. AVere other records deficient on this 
 subject, the testimonials already laid before the reader would be amply 
 sufiicient to assure him that the real presence of Christ in the eucharist 
 
824 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF LEELAITO. 
 
 had been a dogma alwaj's believed and taught from the very birth of 
 our national cliurch. , 
 
 Could the belief of St. Columba have been otherwise, when ho 
 desired his visitor, St. Cronan, “ to make, according to custom, the body 
 of Christ ” ? What could the words of Cogitosus mean, when he assures 
 us that St. Brigid and her nuns entered by one door, “ that they might 
 partake of the banquet of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.” 
 
 At least on this subject of controvemy the reader may exjiect from 
 Usher some historical evidence through which he may assail the ancient 
 doctrine of the Irish church. Ifowcver, tiiiding that the eucharist is 
 distinctly called the body of the Lord, the body and blood of Christ, the 
 sacrament of the most sacred body and blood of the Lord — expressions 
 which perfectly express the doctrine which the Catholics of the present 
 day hold, maintain and believe ; linding these passages scattered over 
 the writings of the ancients of our national church ; unable to resist the 
 plain and obvious language they use, Usher is compelled to wander 
 from the subject and place himself under the protection of an extract, 
 which he selected from the writings of the commentafor Sedulius, of 
 whom notice has been already made. In his commentary on St. Paul’s 
 first epistle to the Corinthians, chap. xi. ver. 24, and on the words, “ In 
 remembrance of me,” Sedulius observes, “that Christ has left a memory 
 of himself unto us, just as if one that was going on a distant journey 
 should leave some token with him whom he loved ; that as often as ho 
 beheld it, he mi<>:ht call to his remembrance his benefits and friend- 
 ship.” 
 
 It would be hard to discover in this passage aught wherewith to 
 impugn the ancient doctrine of the Irish church on the eucharist. To 
 the bigoted mind of a Protestant archbishop, whose hatred to tiie 
 Catholic church was unmitigated, it belonged to discover a meaning 
 which excludes the real presence of Christ in the sacrament. Sedulius 
 was speaking the language of Catholics, when telling us that Christ has 
 left a memory of himself. Every Catholic acknowledges that this mys- 
 terious sacrament is commemorative of the sufferings of Christ, although 
 Christ himself be verily and substantially contained therein, yet in a 
 manner not subjected to our senses. Ilis real presence under the sacra- 
 mental species by no means prevents it from being a memorial, nay, 
 it makes the memorial more impressive and the more endearing. In 
 the language of our countryman Sedulius there is no expression which 
 indicates a denial of the real presence. On the contrary, the very same 
 expressions have been uttered and re-echoed by many of the most emi- 
 nent doctors and Catholic writei-s of every age. 
 
 St. Thomas of Aquin, in a lesson which he had written for the feast 
 of “Corpus Christi,’ says, “That in the sacrament is kept up thq 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF rRELANI). 
 
 823 
 
 memory of that most excellent charity which Christ manifested in his 
 . passion, and that in the Last Supper, when having celebrated the pasch 
 Avith his disciples, he was about to pass from this world to his Father, he 
 instituted this sacrament as a perpetual memmual of his passion, and 
 thus has left a singular consolation to the persons grieved for his 
 absence.” St. Thomas was a believer in the real presence, and yet 
 there is no ditference between his language and that selected from the 
 commentaries of Sedulius. Usher seems to have had a peculiar predilec- 
 tion for the commentator Sedulius ; to have set a peculiar value on his 
 testimony ; to have had a peculiar veneration for his name ; Avhile at 
 the same time he acts most unfairly and dishonorably with the Avritings 
 and character of this illustrious author. In a passage immediately pre- 
 ceding the one already noticed, and in which Usher seemed to find 
 something favorable to his sti'ange proposition while commenting on the 
 Avords of Christ, as recorded by St. Paul, “Take and eat, this is my 
 body,” Sedulius has these words; “As if St. Paul had said, ‘ PeAvare 
 not to eat that body unworthily, Avhereas it is the body of Christ.’” Lest 
 this passage should militate against his extravagant proportion. Usher 
 has altogether omitted it, and again, while it contains an explicit avowal 
 that the eucharist is the body of Christ, it serves to illustrate the com- 
 mentator’s meaning of the sentence Avhich immediately follows. What, 
 then, becomes of the candor of Usher and of that cause which he 
 espouses ? 
 
 The Avhole chain of circumstances connected with the history of the 
 Irish church, the testimony of ancient records clearly demonstrate the 
 weakness as Avell as the folly of the cause Avhich Usher has gratuitously 
 undertaken to establish. It cannot be forgotten, that the apostle of 
 Ireland had converted Ethnea and Fellilimia, the daughters of Leogaire, 
 the monarch. In the tripartite life of St. Patrick, Avritten by St. Evin, a 
 remarkable account of this auspicious event is given. “ But Avhen they 
 had been more and more desirous to behold their spouse, the holy man 
 (St. Patrick) says to them, ‘ Clothed in mortal flesh, ye cannot see the 
 Son of God ; but to behold him in tlie brightness of his majesty, it is 
 necessary to lay aside the corruptible covering of flesh, and first to 
 receive his hody and Hood lying concealed after an invisible manner 
 under the form and species of bread and winel On hearing these Avords, 
 the virgins, inflamed Avith more ardent love, instantly begged to receive 
 the communion of the sacrament of t}ie body and blood of ChristP 
 Could a Catholic of the present day more clearly or more expres- 
 siA-^ely Avrite or speak of tlie real presence ? In the fourth life of St. 
 Bi’igid it is related that St. Nennidh, “ the clean-handed,” on hearing 
 that the blessed Brigid was sick, went to see her, and at the hour of her 
 departure she received the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christy tJi4 
 
826 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTOKT OP IEEL4.ND. 
 
 So7i of the living God, from the most pure hand of the saint, as she 
 herself had foretold. 
 
 In like manner it is read that “ St. Fechin having been strengthened 
 by the sacrament of the most holy body and blood of the lot'd, resigned 
 his soul to his Creator.” St. Columbanus, after having enjoined in his 
 Penitential the necessity of confession before mass, has these words : 
 “ For the altar is the tribunal of Christ, and his body, whmh is there with 
 his blood, marks out those wlio approach in an unworthy state.” Can 
 language be plainer than this ? I low could the body and blood be 
 there vjpon the altar, if they were absent ? if there was nothing but the 
 figure? Yet with these' historical facts before him, pointing out clearly 
 and unmistakeably the doctrine of the ancient Irish church, a man 
 employed in illustrating its antiquities strives to mislead his readers on 
 the most important dogma of Catholic faith, in order to give a tempo- 
 rary circulation to sentiments utterly at variance with those antiquities 
 which he explored. As even the saci’ed Scriptures have been corrupted 
 by those who preceded Usher in the work of calumny and of plunder, 
 we are not to be surprised that an attempt has been made to misrepre- 
 sent the ancient belief of the Irish church, which her ancient records so 
 strongly attest. 
 
 Even the circumstances connected with the history of her mission- 
 aries plead against the assumption of the intolerant Usher. In the early 
 ages of the Irish church her missionaries or her apostles were scattered 
 over the surface of Europe. Columbanus was at Bobbio, in Italy ; 
 Callus, at Constance; Rumold, in Mechlin; Yirgilius, in Saltzburg; 
 Donatus, in Tuscany ; and her monks were located in Continental 
 monasteries, all of whom were in constant connection with the head of 
 the church, and were held in the highest esteem both by the apostolic 
 see and by all the prelates of all the national churches throughout the 
 western world. Could this esteem, this veneration be paid to them ; 
 could Ireland be denominated “ the island of saints,” had her mission- 
 aries and her people denied the real presence of Christ in the sacrament, 
 rejected the sacrifice of the mass, or renounced the supremacy of the 
 holy see — doctrines which at that time had been professed all over the 
 Christian church ? The rejection of these doctrines would have placed 
 Ireland beyond the pale of the Christian world, and yet when she did 
 not believe them, according to Usher, solitaries, pilgrims, recluses, 
 students, princes, &c., were flocking to her hospitable shores to acquire 
 learning and virtue and perfection in the halls of her colleges and 
 monasteries. If her doctrines were such as Usher would feign, how have 
 they escaped the censures of contemporary writers ? Or if her doctrines 
 have been materially altered, how have the era of the change and the 
 name of the innovator escaped the researches of the learned antiquarian ? 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL mSTOKT OF rRELAND. 
 
 827 
 
 If such were the case, the archbishop would not have been dri /en to 
 the miserable expedient of quoting isolated passages on which to raise 
 his supei-struclure of calumny and misrepresentation. Ko such record 
 can be found ; no such uimalist can be discovered; no change attempted 
 in the constitution of the Irish church until Henry VIII., in admiration 
 of Arna Coleyn’s “fresher beauties,” and in his brutal lust, overwhelmed 
 England with schism and crime, and led her into heresy, whereby the 
 land has been inundated with turpitude of every sort, including calumny 
 and misrepresentation, w’hich are necessary to conceal and keep from 
 public view the enormities and the heinous abuses and oppressions prac- 
 tised in the sacred name of religion. 
 
 Purgatory is another subject against which the researches of Usher 
 have been directed. Though the clear and convincing testimony of 
 ancient canons and the countless instances of prayere for the dead, 
 which are to be found in almost all the ecclesiastical records of the 
 country, Uslier hazards his vagaries, and asserts that the practice of 
 praying for departed souls had been an aflair altogether unknown to 
 the ancient Irish Catholics. 
 
 In a tract said to have been written by St. Patrick, entitled, “ De 
 tribus Ilabitacidis,” we read “ That there are three habitations under 
 the power of the Almighty ; the iirst, the lowest, and the middle ; the 
 highest of which is called the kingdom of God, or heaven ; the lowest 
 is termed hell ; and the middle is named the present world, or tlie circuit 
 of the earth. The extremes of tliese habitations are altogether contrary 
 to each other, but the middle hath some resemblance to the extremes. 
 For in this world there is a mixture of good and bad, whereas in the 
 kingdom of God there are none bad, but all good, but in hell there are 
 none good, but all bad ; and both these places are supplied out of the 
 middle. For of the men of tins world, some are exalted to heaven, 
 others are thrust down into hell. For like are joined unto like, that is 
 to say, good to good, and bad to bad ; just men to angels, transgressors 
 to disobedient angels. The blessed are called to the kingdom prepared 
 for them from the beginning of the world, and the wicked are driven 
 into eternal fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels.” This 
 quotation is the groundwork of Usher’s attack on the belief of the 
 Irish church, relative to a middle state, or a place of purgation after 
 death. In the first place it is to be observed that a great diversity of 
 opinion exists with regard to the authoi'ship of the tract from which he 
 quotes. Some ascribe it to St, Patrick, others to St. Augustine, and 
 many to St. Bernard. In the second place, admitting it to be the work 
 of St. Patrick, Usher is supplied with a mere negative argument; nor 
 does it follow from the silence of the author that he did not believe in 
 the existence of purgatory. In the third place, an account of this state 
 
828 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAX, inSTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 of temporary pnnisliment was foreign to the object which the author 
 contemplated in this work, wduch was to give a general description of 
 the three principal states of man, that of trial, and those of misery and 
 happiness. The damned souls in hell can have no happiness, for they 
 cannot hope — for tliey can never expect to enjoy the beatific vision. 
 Not so with the sutlering souls in purgatory, for they have hope, and 
 where hope is there is happiness. In the prison of pm-gatory, souls suf- 
 fering for venial faults, as the justice of Heaven demands the last 
 farthing, are certain of at length beholding tlieir God, and of becoming 
 2)artakers of his glory. They are then to be numbered among the 
 haj)py, and hence it is that the author was not called upon to enter 
 jjrofessedly into any jiarticular description of the state of those souls 
 whose end is hapjiiness. And finally, this quotation does not sustain 
 the view of Usher, as it does not say that these souls are exalted to 
 heaven immediately after their death. The writer treats of two classes 
 of men or of souls — the just and the unjust. Had he stated that all go 
 to hapjjiness immediately and without delay, there might have been an 
 argument on which Usher could lay hold, even if it were admitted the 
 authorship belonged to St. Patrick, but no such thing is asserted. An 
 inference, then, founded on this quotation but fed>ly proves that the 
 Catholic doctrine of purgatory had been unknown to the ancient church 
 of Ireland. 
 
 To this quotation Usher adds a canon ascribed to an ancient Irish 
 synod, which is as follows : “ That the soul being sejiarated from the 
 body, is jd resented before the tribunal of Christ, who rendereth its own 
 unto it, according to its actions ; and that neither the archangel can 
 lead it unto life until the Lord judge it, nor can the devil cany it unto 
 pain unless the Lord do damn it.” Really, it is difficult to discover how 
 it is that this canon militates against the doctrine of i)urgatory, in the 
 ancient church of Ireland. Tlie archangel cannot lead the soul unto life 
 until it is first judged ; who denies it? and even then the canon does 
 not state, that when judged, the soul is forthwith introduced into heaven. 
 Besides, a transitory state of purgation is life, for the soul detained 
 therein is just in the sight of God, and consequently has life, and will 
 become, according to the divine merey, a partaker of the kingdom of 
 heaven. In conclusion. Usher makes some unmeaning references to St. 
 Patrick’s purgatory in Lough-Dearg, not, however, worth notice, as if 
 Lough-Dearg and its penitential station had anything to do with the 
 belief of the ancient Irish church. 
 
 The canons and liturgies which have been already j^laced before the 
 reader, when treating of the sacrifice of the mass, are of themselves 
 sufficient to repel his fruitless attack. In addition to these, the follow- 
 ing canon is found in D’Achery’s collection of the canons of the aucient 
 
ECCLKSIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 829 
 
 Irisli clinrch (lib. 11, cap. 9.): “Synodusait. I^’unc ecclesia multis 
 iiiodis oft'ert Domino. Primo, pro sei])sa. Secundo, pro cominemora- 
 tione Jesu Cliristi, qui dixit, ‘Hoc facite in nieam coinmemorationem.’ 
 Tertio, pro aniinabns defunctornm.” “Tlie church now ofiers the sacri- 
 fice to God in many ways ; first, foPitself; secondly, for tlie commemo- 
 ration of Jesus Christ, who said, ‘ Do this in commemoration of me and 
 thirdly, ybr the souls of the departedP Here, then, is an express canon 
 declaring the belief of the Irish church, on whicli the vision of Uslier could 
 not dwell. Can such a man have been sincere in concealing the truth 
 of historical research from the Protestants of Ireland ? In the life of 
 St. Pulcherius, it is stated that he was accustomed to pray for the 
 repose of the soul of Eonan, a chieftain of Ely, and that he had fre- 
 quently recommended the soul of the same chieftain to the ^prayers of 
 the, faithful. In a life of St. Brendan, which Usher himself quotes, it 
 is read that “ the prayer of the living doth profit much the dead.” 
 In the ancient life of St. Ita, it is recorded that “ she had constantly 
 prayed for the soul of her uncle, and that ‘ alms were given by his 
 sons ’ for the same purpose.” Yet Usher has closed his eyes to the 
 refutation of his extravagance, which these historical facts contain. 
 And yet despite the authority which tliey stamp on the doctrines of the 
 church of Ireland, Usher maliciously strives to impress his readers with 
 the idea that the fictions of his own mind have been the tenets of that 
 church. 
 
 Images, prayers to the saints, are also deemed worthy of the notice 
 of this Protestant archbishop. He gives an extract from his favoi'ite 
 commentator, Sedulius, to the following effect : “ That it is impious to 
 adore any other besides the Father, the Son, and the IIolj'^ Ghost; and 
 that all the soul owetli unto God, if it bestoweth it upon any besides 
 God, it committeth adultery.” To this he subjoins a passage from 
 Claudius ; “ That God doth not dwell in things made with hands, nor in 
 metal or in stone.” Who affirms that he does? What has this in con- 
 nexion with the respect which the ancient as well as the modern Irish 
 Catholics paid and do pay unto the cross, and to the images of Christ 
 and his saints ? Surely no Catholic adores the cross, nor does he 
 believe that any divinity resides in tlie metal, stone, or any other 
 material of which the image may be constructed. As has been 
 already observed, Claudius was not an Irishman : on the contrary, 
 he was the iconoclast bishop of Turin (and as such, the model of 
 Usher), against whom Dungal, a learned Irishman, had w’ritten his 
 celebrated work, “ Eesponsa contra perversas Claudii Turonensis Epis- 
 copi sententias.” “ Kesponses to the perverse opinions of Claudius, 
 bishop of Turin a work that could not have been unknown to Usher, 
 as an antiquarian, and which alone would have been sufficient to con- 
 
830 
 
 ECCLKSIASTIC^VL niSTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 vince lihii lliat tlie practice of paying a relative veneration to the 
 cross, to relics and images, and of invoking the intercession of saints, 
 had been nniversall}’’ observed in the ancient church of Ireland. 
 Against the heretic Claudius, Dungal has published the work already 
 mentioned, and in that work entei’s'on the doctrine of the invocation of 
 saints, observing : “ If the apostles and martyrs, while in this world, 
 could pray for others, how much more so can they do it after their 
 crowns, victories, and triumphs?” We meet with the })racticc of this 
 devotion in the recorded acts of all the Irish saints. The metrical life 
 of St. Ilrigid, written by St. Brogan in the seventh century, concludes 
 with these words: “There are in heaven two holy virgins who may 
 become my protectors, Mary and Brigid, on whose patronage let each 
 of ns depend.” In like manner St. Livinns, an Irishman and a martyr, 
 in the epitaph which he had composed to perpetuate the memory of St. 
 Bavo, at Client, thus implores the prayei’s of that saint : “ This church 
 which thou hast founded, niayest thou, O holy Bavo, protect by thy 
 merits.” There have been in the ancient liturg}' of the church of Ire- 
 land (the cni-sus scotorum), masses ajipointed lor the festivals of the 
 blessed Virgin, for those of the apostles and other saints ; while the 
 collects of all these masses contained the prayers of both priest and 
 people, im|.doring the intercession of these saints, through the infinite 
 merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Clirist. It is, then, ’a fact undeni- 
 ably true, that these Catholic doctrines had been believed and jiracticed 
 in the ancient church of Ireland, exactly as they had been from the 
 introduction of the Gospel in all the other national churches of the 
 Christian world. 
 
 The chrism is another subject to which the criticism of Usher has 
 been directed, and in his view of this matter he recui’s to a letter which 
 Lanfranc addressed to Gothric, in the eleventh century, that prelate 
 complaining, that among the Irish, chrism had not been used in the 
 administration of baptism. Chrism is not an essential of the sacred rite 
 of haptism^ otherwise, what should be done when necessary baptism is 
 conferred by laics, who can have no access to the oil of chrism? It was 
 nothinsr more than a mere ceremonv. and therefore its use or its omission 
 was neither opposed to Catholic faith or contrary to the ajwstolical 
 institutions ; this, Usher perfectly well understood. In various churches 
 different ceremonies have been used when the sacrament of baptism was 
 conferred, which, with time, fell into desuetude ; in tine, ceremonies have 
 nothing to do with faith ; and hence, the church of Ireland not deeming 
 the use of chrism necessary, did not enjoin its observance. As the 
 attention of the archbishop Lanfranc was directed to such a trifling 
 omission in the rite of baptism, our antiquarian Protestant bishop of 
 Armagh ought to have informed us why it is that the Irish ecclesiastics 
 
ECCLESUSTICAI. HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 831 
 
 were not accused of maintaining the supremacy of the Pope, the real 
 presence, the sacrifice of the mass, &c. Why pass over these essentials ? 
 If the dogmas professed and believed in Ireland were different from 
 those of the Gallican church, whence this Norman bishop came, why 
 has he not censured them ? Why has he passed over these great dog- 
 mas in profound silence? Because, since the first ray of Christianity 
 beamed on the Irish people, their belifef was the same, continued the 
 same, and her people triumphantly continue, despite the sword of the 
 persecutor, to practice and declare their faith handed down from the era 
 of her glory to the moment that the iron rule of England has tried 
 their souls in the fellest ordeal to which a nation has ever been sub- 
 jected. The letter of Lanfranc is therefore detrimental to the cause of 
 the learned antiquarian. 
 
 According to Usher, the use of the Scriptures had been general 
 among the ancient Irish people ; they were then biblicals, according to 
 Usher’s own heart; and in order to establish his thesis, the advocate for 
 the reading of the Scriptures without note, or comment, or authority, to 
 instruct, or correct, or restrain the vagaries of the mind in its interpre- 
 tation, if false or incorrect, quotes an extract from Sedulius, which is 
 given in the following words : “ Search the law, in which the will of the 
 Lord is contained.” And Bede is also brought to the rescue, when 
 treating of the successors of St. Columba. “ They observed,” says the 
 Venerable Bede, “ all those works of piety and chastity which they 
 could learn in the prophetical, evangelical, and apostolical writings ; 
 and all who went in company with Aidan, whether they were shorn or 
 laymen, were obliged to exercise themselves either in the reading of the 
 Scriptures or in the learning of the Psalms.” Thanks to the researches 
 of Usher. What an important discovery ! But where is the inference 
 in favor of his views ? Assuredly the Catholic church does not pro- 
 hibit the reading of the Scriptures, provided the sacred records be 
 l^erused with proper dispositions, not with the view of extracting there- 
 from opinions which the private spirit of every one who is blessed 
 with a little learning assures him to be the right mode of interpreta- 
 tion. It appears, then, that the associates of St. Aidan, the bishop of 
 Lindisfarne, were in the habit of exercising themselves in the reading 
 of the Scriptures. Surely, in Aidan they had a safe guide and an admi- 
 rable expositor, who did not wish to lead men’s minds capti/e with the 
 vagaries of private interpretation. Sedulius, indeed, observes, “ Search 
 the law,” but he does not give licence to every one to adopt a meaning 
 of his own, or interpret the law, setting thereby at naught the authority 
 of the church, which is the jiillar and the ground of ti uth. Though 
 the fathers of the Irish church labored in procuring copies of the sacred 
 text, which they transcribed, there was still only one church subject 
 
832 
 
 ECCLESIAS'nCAL HISTORY OF IREEANH. 
 
 to tlie one liead, the visible representative of Christ and the snccessor 
 of Peter, while Usher and his readers of the Bible can boast of their 
 extraordinary success in establishing various religious structures, all 
 admirably united in hatred to the Catholic church, but all of them 
 elegantly disagreeing among themselves, and each of them sturdily 
 maintaining the orthodoxy of his owm private si)irit, by quoting extracts 
 from the sacred writings. The ancient fathers of the Irish church were 
 too artless to permit dabbling of this sort ; they had no i)lunder to 
 retain from the rightful owners ; they had no temporal interests to sub- 
 serve, as those strange and modern pastors of Protestantism ; they 
 allowed no man to })roach the Gospel until he had been qualilied by a 
 necessary course of training, of education, and by the reception of holy 
 orders; they allowed no lady, however exalted, to assume the supre- 
 macy over the Irish clmrch, much less lady yyreachers and lady con- 
 fessors / they had no madmen, with their followers, nor the dupes of a 
 Southcot, nor the more modern interpreters of the Scriptures — the 
 !RIormons. 
 
 Is it not a melancholy reflection, that the splendid talents of such a 
 man as Usher have been idly wasted in endeavoring to nj)hold a con- 
 troveivy so extravagant and groundless, and one in which he could not 
 succeed? AVhat a pity, that rare endowments, such as nature lavished 
 ui)on him, were not otherwise emjiloycd than in striving to fasten on 
 the ancient church of Ireland the Actions and the fancies of his own 
 mind as the religious tenets of that church, and corresponding, as ho 
 meant to shew, with the multitudinous errors of the Protestant system. 
 Such a procedure would bo inexplicable had we not known the posi- 
 tion of Usher, not as an antiquarian, but as a Protestant archbishop, 
 imbued with the current fanaticism of the day. He was a bigot and a 
 persecutor, an imjdacablo one, also, of his Catholic countrymen. To the 
 abominable spirit of religious bigotry and intolerance he became a vic- 
 tim, and laboring under its influence, he has composed a book which, 
 if otherwise worthless, has left to posterity an awful exemplification of 
 the baneful eflects which they produce on society. 
 
 Though the celibacy of the Catholic clergy be a matter only of dis- 
 cipline, being merely an ecclesiastical law, and having no immediate 
 connexion whatever with the principles of the Catholic faith, yet it has 
 been subject to the prying research of the great Protestant censor. 
 According to his view, the salutary discipline of celibacy had no exist- 
 ence in the ancient church of Ireland, and hence he maintains that the 
 Catholic clergy of that church were allowed to marry, or have wive< 
 and children, as the Protestant clergy of his days, in the fullness of th.e 
 new evangeHcal liberty^ thought fit to do. As the ancient discipline of 
 celibacy gives the clergy of the Catholic church a decided siqieriority 
 
ECCLKSIASTICAL IIISTOKY OF IRFI.AND. 
 
 833 
 
 over their pretended rivals, lienee it is, that Protestants in general 
 strive to depreciate its observance and its* utility. In support of his 
 favorite scheme. Usher refers to the sixth canon of the synod, called of 
 Patrick, Auxilius and Isserninus, which runs thus : “ If any clerk, from 
 the door-keeper up to the priest, shall be seen without being hal)ited in 
 his tunic, and if his head be not shorn according to the Roman manner, 
 and if his wife will walk out without her head veiled, he shall be con- 
 temned by the laity, and separated from the church.” 
 
 In the first place, it is manifest that this canon cannot be reckoned 
 among the number of those ascribed to St. Patrick, because it enjoins 
 the observance of the Roman tonsure, which had not been introduced 
 into Ireland until about the middle of the seventh century ; this canon 
 must have been framed at that or a subsequent period. Besides, from 
 this canon it cannot be inferred with any degree of certainty that 
 priests had been permitted to engage in the married state. The canon 
 says, “ If any clerk from the ostiarius (the door-keeper,) ujp to the priest 
 (usque ad sacerdotem) shall be seen,” etc. Is it, then, certain that the 
 priest was included within the prohibition which this canon enacts ? It 
 can signify the clerks or ecclesiastics verging towards the ofiice of the 
 priesthood, but not the priest. Nay, even admitting that this canon 
 embraced the order of priest, it would certainly be at variance with 
 many of the most ancient constitutions of the Irish church. In tlie 
 penitential of Cummian we find a canon which condemns not only the 
 marriage of a monk, but also of a clerk. “If,” says the canon, “a 
 clerk or a monk, after he has devoted himself to God, shall return to 
 his secular habit, or marry a wife^ he shall do penance for ten years ; 
 three of which he shall spend on bread and water, and shall ever after 
 abstain from the use of matrimony.” According to Columbanus, in his 
 Penitential: “Ecclesiastics who were married before they had taken 
 orders, and whose wives Avere still living, were bound to abstain from 
 them under pain of being considered as adulterers.” The twentieth 
 canon of this penitential is contained in these words : “ If any clerk or 
 deacon, or ecclesiastic of any degree, who Avas a layman in the world, 
 with sons and daughters, shall, after his conversion (to religion), know 
 his wife, and beget a child, he must knoAV that he has committed 
 adultery, wherefor he must do penance for seven years on bread 
 and water.” In like manner the tAvelfth canon of the Penitential 
 attaclied to the “ Cursus Scotorum ” ordains: “ If any clerk of superior 
 degree who had a wife^ and after his dignity {ordination) shall again 
 know her, he must be considered as liaving committed adultery ; if a 
 clerk, he must do penance on bread and Avater for four years ; if a dea- 
 con, for six ; if a priest, for seven ; and if a bishop, for twelve years. 
 
 From these canons it is evident that tin ecclesiastical laAV of celibacy 
 53 
 
834 
 
 iXXLESIASnCAI. HISTOEY OF lEELAND. 
 
 had been observed in the ancient churcli of Ireland, and consequently 
 the explanation given to the one on which Usher rests his stati‘, must be 
 admitted as the most consistent; it was drawn up in the seventh or 
 eighth century. Had the marriage of priests been then tolerated, it can 
 be presumed that the same indulgence had been extended to the ages 
 which immediately ensued. A practice of this description would ]iot 
 have fallen into disuse without a struggle, and it would have prevailed 
 in the tenth and eleventh centuries. Had such a toleration existed in 
 the Irish church, it would not have escaped the vigilance of Lanfranc ; 
 nor did it exist in the twelfth, that fatal period in which the bad morals 
 of English ecclesiastics brought upon them the strictures of Albinus 
 O’Mulloy, abbot of Baltinglass. As Giraldus Cambrensis, the man of 
 many and furious invectives against the Irish clergy, would not have 
 observed silence with regai'd to such a departure from ecclesiastical usage 
 in other churches. In all our ancient records there is no instance to be 
 found of a married priest ; such a character Avould be an anomaly. It 
 is most certain that the law of clerical celibacy had been enforced and 
 observed in Ireland exactly as it had been in the Roman, Gallican, and 
 other national churches. If, then, in the annals of the Four Masters 
 mention be made of the son of a priest, or that of a bishop, the circum- 
 stance is explained by the canons already laid before the reader. 
 
 Tlie craters of Yesuvius nor the watere of Niagara could not parch 
 up or extinguish the hatred of English Protestantism towards this holy 
 and salutary discipline, which is to be found only in the Catholic church, 
 i.s a distinctive badge, peculiar to it alone. Lutherans and Calvinists 
 alike, strangers to the graces of the sacraments, consider chastity as a 
 thing impossible, and on that account suspect and accuse its professors in 
 the Catholic church, with its outward observance only. They have risen 
 in judgment against it, as unjust witnesses, belying themselves in their 
 own iniquity. They pretend to lament the injury to society which they 
 say the discipline of celibacy inflicts, and with the Roman emperors, 
 who persecuted the church of God in its infancy, they would, in detes- 
 tation of this holy practice, utterly abolish it, as if anxious and under 
 the plea of consulting for the preservation of the human race. Hence 
 a flilse jealousy with Heaven itself, because some faithful Christians of 
 both sexes voluntarily embrace a state of life specially commended by 
 the sacred writings. Hence it is lamented, that persons, male and 
 female, who adorn the sanctuary and the cloister, are not the ornaments 
 of society and connubial bliss, while to God and to the service of reli- 
 gion such mourners for the welfare of the commonwealth w’ould only 
 assign the least envied of the human family. But before they war 
 against religion in thus decrying its salutary institutions, those pious 
 conservators of society should cast an eye of pity towards home, and 
 
ECCLESIA8TICAI. inSTOKY OF lEELAKD. 
 
 835 
 
 extend tlieir syinpatliy towards those unhappy victims of vice and crime 
 who become lost to society, and to that end for which they liave been 
 created. Tliere are more unfortunate females suffocated, when their 
 miserable condition baffles medical skill, in England, perhaps in a single 
 hospital, say of London, within a single year, than there are virgins in all 
 the convents of Ireland, nay, in all the empire. Six thousand annually, 
 are said to be consigned to eternity in this awful manner, without the least 
 regard to their immortal destiny. Eeally the tree of Protestantism is 
 known by its fruit. If, says St. Augustine, an ass, overburdened, reclines 
 on the highway, there is some one ready to assist it : but when the soul 
 of man, purchased by the blood of the Eedeemer, falls and perishes, 
 there is none to help it in its calamity — there is no one to sympathise 
 with it, nor to pour on its wounds the sanative oil of charity. 
 
 Constantine the Great did not entertain the same opinion witb the 
 sectaries of the present day, as Eusebius, of Caesarea, testifies ; he also 
 enacted laws in favor of holy virgins ; his mother Helena thought with 
 her son ; she invited the sacred virgins to her board, and ministered her- 
 self, while they partook of her hospitality. Says Socrates : “ Helena 
 virgines, quae ecclesiasticae vivendi regulae se consecraverant, ad epulas 
 invitabat, ipsa illis ministrabat, obsonia mensae apponebat.” St. Athana- 
 sius writes, that even the Gentiles deemed the life of celibacy as divine, 
 and held it in the highest veneration. Even the Jew, Philo, could not 
 but commend the virgins who dedicated themselves to religion. Hay, 
 even the sworn enemies of Christianity, the Pagans and Turks, admired 
 and revered the virtue of continence — so much so, that the convents of 
 virgins have been as secure among them as with the Christians. Leo 
 xVllatius, in his “ Concord” of the Oriental and Western Churches, write? 
 that a certain Turk, who, when drunk, had behaved violently at tne 
 gate of a convent, was tried and condemned ; and he adds, that even 
 their military men highly revered these sacred virgins, while selling 
 their textures or needlework to the Turks. In pagan Pome the vestal 
 virgin was so much esteemed, even when condemned to death, that the ' 
 executioner was not at liberty to perform the sentence until she had 
 been corrupted. Hence, during the persecutions of the primitive Chris- 
 tians, when a virgin was to be slain, infamous attempts on her person 
 were ordered, as we find in the martyrdom of the virgins St. Agnes, St. 
 Serapia, and St. Lucia ; but angels having protected their sacred per- 
 sons from insiilt, the tyrants were obliged to depart from the observance 
 of this custom. Even the continence of the vestal virgins of pagan 
 Pome, which was not perpetual, as with the Catholic church, w^as held 
 in such veneration, that the person who violated one of those virgins 
 was punished with burial while alive ; and the place in which this 
 singular sort of execution was performed, got the name of “ Camj^os 
 
836 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELA^^). 
 
 Sceleratus,’’ the field of crime or lewdness. St. Ambro.se affirms, that 
 the virgins of pagan Rome were, after a stated coui-se of continence, 
 permitted to marry. To Christian virgins alone is due the merit of per- 
 petual chastity, which is a grace of the new law, and which has been 
 originated by the most holy and immaculate Mary, mother of God, who 
 assured the angel, when announcing the will of Heaven in her regard, 
 that she knew not man : “ Qnoniam virum non coirnosco.” 
 
 The great virtue of perpetual chastity is only to be found in the 
 Catholic church, according to St. Athanasius, with whom St. John 
 Crysostom in various passages of his homilies agrees. “ Among the 
 Greeks, some few, guided by philosophy, were contemners of riches, 
 and were able to subdue the emotions of anger ; but the flower of vir- 
 ginity did not bloom among them : in this respect, they yield to us the 
 palm, candidly acknowledging that it is above the efforts of nature, and 
 superhuman.” In another homily, treating of temperance and tasting, 
 he says : “ Such is virginity, such is its difficulty, that when Christ 
 descended from heaven to transform men into angels, to plant on earth 
 a heavenly city, he did not deem it proper to prescribe or command its 
 observance. Though he did not shun death — though he bore his cross, 
 and though lie ordered us to forgive our enemies and return good for 
 evil, — yet he did not attach to the observance of virginity the sanction 
 of a law ; but he has left it to each one’s discretion to choose. Truly 
 great is the dignity of this matter : it is the occult held of virtue, 
 which is made manifest in those who have performed in the old law 
 many things otherwise illustrious.” Still expounding his subject, he 
 continues : “ The great Moses, the chief of the prophets, the familiar 
 friend of God, did not look towards the goal of virginity, but had 
 recourse to the safeguard of marriage ; nor has he dared to commit 
 himself to the sea of virginity, fearing its waves. And the patriarch 
 Abraham could overcome the paternal affection towards his son, whom 
 he could immolate on the pile ; but to the contest of Yii’ginity he did 
 not dare to gird himself.” St. John, in the Apocalypse, assures us that 
 holy virgins sing before the divine Majesty a ne-w canticle, which no 
 other has known. St. Epiphanius, in his exposition of Catholic faith 
 and discipline, says : “ Virginitatem solitaria vita proximo sequitur 
 quam in plerisque sexus utriusque Hklonachis videnius ” — “ a solitary 
 life appropriately follows that virginity which we behold in the monks 
 of both sexes.” To these he adds the continent, widows, chaste spouses. 
 In the Gospel and in the writing’s of the fathers of the church, we have 
 many encomiums on the virtue of chastity, which every sincere Catholic 
 must revere, while the Protestants of England, now famous for bastards 
 as well as Bibles, deride and depreciate this salutary discipline, to which 
 the Jew and the Gentile paid the homage of his veneration and respect. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 837 
 
 And Tcrtulliixn, in eulogizing the vii-tue of chastity, says : “ It is the 
 flower of morals, the honor of our bodies, the glory of the sexes, the 
 integrity of our blood, the safeguard of our race, the foundation of 
 sanctity, the prejudguicnt of every good and virtuous mind.” 
 
• 'U,*/ 
 
 
 
 ; 
 
 . . { 
 
 
 '■ . 1 
 
 #.fi k\h 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 I. 
 
 Sees founded in the fifth century, and which have merged into the larger ones 
 in the course of ages, are as follow : 
 
 The see of Sletty, Queen’s county. — St. Fiech its founder and first bishop, 
 already noticed in the liistory of the archdiocese of Dublin. 
 
 See of Beg-Erin, or little Ireland. — St. Ibar, bishop, abbot and founder of 
 Beg-Erin, on the coast of Wexford. 
 
 This saint was a native of Ulster, and was converted to the Christian faith 
 while the national apostle was preaching the glad tidings of redemption to the 
 people of that province. His family was an illustrious one, whose opulence and 
 honors were accessible to Ibar ; but his resolution of preferring those heavenly 
 treasures which neither moth nor rust consumes, remaining unshaken, he became 
 the constant companion of St. Patrick in all his subsequent labors through the 
 territories of Leinster and Munster, and ranked justly in the number of his 
 most favorite disciples. The apostle of Ireland entertained such an opinion of 
 his zeal and of his virtues, that he invested Ibar with authority to preach 
 through Ireland. His mission was attended with abundant fruit, as numbers 
 were converted to the faith through his instrumentality. 
 
 On his return from the mission with which St. Patrick entrusted him, Ibar 
 settled at Beg-Erin and there founded his great monastery and school, in which 
 human knowledge and the science of heavenly wisdom were taught and incul- 
 cated. His establishment was open to all ; the stranger as well as the native 
 student gratuitously received his education, and in a short period the fame of 
 St. Ibar’s retreat became more and more celebrated. 
 
 The precise period of his promotion to the dignity of bishop is not known, 
 but in all probability it must have taken place about the year 460. His festi 
 val is marked on the 23d of April, and the annals of Ulster and Innisfailen 
 record his death in the year 500. The fact of this saint’s death, A.D. 500, 
 points out the futility of the opinions of those who maintain that an Episco- 
 pacy was established previously to the arrival of St. Patrick, and that St. Ibar 
 officiated as a bishop before that time. 
 
 West Cashell, in Sligo. — See Elphin. 
 
 See of Duleek, county of Meath. — St. Kienan or Cenan was the founder of 
 
840 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 tliis sec about the year 412. Tlie monastery was erected two years before, and 
 in pursuance of the example which other bishops hud set, it was raised to the 
 dignity of a see. 
 
 St. Kienau was a native of IMcath and descended of a noble family, and was 
 baptized when an infant by St. Patrick. The saint wrote a life of the apostle, 
 which was greatly esteemed. Kienan’s death took place on the 24th of Novem- 
 ber, A.l). 489. The school which was attached to the monastery, such had 
 been the rei)ntation of its founder, attained the rank of a rival establishment 
 with that of Armagh. 
 
 See of Oran, in Roscommon. — St. Patrick is said to have erected a church 
 here, called Killgaramh (the ancient name of it being llnarangaramh). St. 
 Cethegns, whom some call bishop of Oran, was a disciple of St. Patrick. lie 
 was born in Tirelill, his mother having been a native of this district, llis father 
 was a native of IMcath and of the district of Domnach-sarige, near Duleek. 
 
 St. Cethegns is well known in the Irish calendars, and is culled St. Patrick’s 
 bishop, or his snlfragah. He is said to have been employed as bishop in various 
 places far distant from each other ; for instance, sometimes at Domnach-Sarige 
 and other times in Tirerill. Cethegns was buried at Kilgaramh. There is no 
 certainty that he was the bishop of this see. llis death probably took place 
 before the year 491. 
 
 See of Slane, county of !Meath. — Ycnerable through its antiquity and the 
 character of its bishop, St. Ere, who was the j)articular friend of St. Bridget. 
 She accompanied St. Ere to Munster, whither he had gone on a visit to his 
 friends, as he was of that province, and on business connected with the general 
 interest of the Irish church. They attended the synod held in the plain of 
 !Magh-Femyn, and in which Ere spoke highly in honor of St. Bridget and of the 
 miraculous powers with which God had gifted her. 
 
 Ere was the son of I)ego, who disregarded the injunction of the monarch 
 liCOgaire, by which any of his attendants were forbidden to show any mark of 
 respect or civility to the apostle of Ireland, and who, on receiving St. Patrick’s 
 benediction, became a believer in the truths of the Gospel. As St. Ere died 
 in his ninctietli year and in the year of grace 514, it is not iinprobal.le that 
 he was consecrated before the decease of St. Patrick, or about 465. 
 
 See of Ardmore, county of Waterford. — St. Declan was bishop and founder 
 of this sec. Declan was descended of Ercus, prince of the Desii, and by his 
 exalted virtues obtained universal respect and veneration. Declan flouri.shcd 
 in the fifth century, and became eminently distinguished during a considerable 
 portion of the sixth. The precise period in whicli he founded the see of Ard- 
 more is not exactly known ; but it must have been some years after the death 
 of St. Patrick. This saint is mentioned as one of the four prelates who were 
 officiating in Ireland prior to the arrival of St. Patrick : the year of his death, 
 A.D. 521, which took place shortly after that of St. Ailbe, of Emly, is quite 
 sufficient to refute such an assertion. Of his missionary labors in the territory 
 over which he presided, and of his exalted virtues and sanctity, there is abun 
 dant evidence in the martyrologics of Duugall aud Aengus. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 841 
 
 The ruins of the once celebrated cathedral of Ardmore, with its round 
 tower, hanging on an eminence over the ocean, still exist as a monument of the 
 piety and religion of former times, and still remind the traveller of those days 
 of her splendor and independence in which Ireland adorned her domestic altars 
 and erected others in the lands of the stranger. 
 
 See of Louth, and county of, &c., — St. Moctheus its founder, — was the seat 
 of literature, and moreover the asylum of the poor. This saint was a Briton, 
 and having been many years the companion of St. Patrick in his missionary 
 labors, was at length consecrated bishop and established his residence at Louth. 
 The schools of Louth became celebrated, and it is on record that one hundred 
 bishops and three hundred priests, eminent in sanctity and learning, received 
 their education within the sacred walls of the monastery of Louth. Gratuitous 
 education was one of the plans which Moctheus formed for the general conver- 
 sion and happiness of the Irish nation. 
 
 It seems that the Almighty blessed this saint with a long life for the benefit 
 and advantage of religion and literature. He lived to the age of 100 years, 
 and his death occurred A.D. 535. 
 
 See of Rathcolpa, near Down. — St. Tassach, the prelate from whom St. 
 Patrick received the last sacraments, was the founder of this see His death 
 is suj)posed to have taken place before the year 49t. 
 
 Bath-Muighe, county of Antrim. — St. Olcan, or Bolcan, bishop and abbot 
 of Rathrauighe, is considered the most learned of all those who conducted edu- 
 cation in the fifth century. Having been baptized by St. Patrick, he repaired 
 to Gaul for the purpose of prosecuting his studies, and on his return home was 
 promoted to the episcopal rank and was settled in Dalrieda. 
 
 St. Olcan founded the monastery of Rathmuighe and its schools, which 
 became pre-eminent for scriptural and theological instruction. Among his 
 scholars is reckoned St. Mac Rise, who afterwards became the first bishop of 
 Connor. He is said to have written several valuable works, which have become 
 a prey to the wreck of time or the fury of persecution. His natalis, or the day 
 of his death, is marked on the 20th of February. 
 
 See of Doinnagh-Patrick, county of Galway. — St. Falertus, whom St. Pat- 
 rick placed there, was the founder. It is not known whether his consecration 
 took place before or after the death of St. Patrick. 
 
 See of Antrim. — St. Mochay presided here : was a disciple of St. Patrick. 
 Mochay died A.D. 497. His consecration may be admitted as reaching back 
 to the year 465. 
 
 See of Hy-Falgia, King’s county. — St. Macaleus, from whom St. Bridget 
 received the veil, presided in this see. The saint died in the year 490. 
 
 See of Ratheunga, county of Donegal. — SL Bitheus was the founder : was 
 contemporary with Bron, of Cashel-Iorra, and Asicus of Elphin, who was his 
 uncle. It is likely that he was also bishop of West-Cashel. He has been 
 buried at Ratheunga, where the remains of his uncle, St. Asicus, were depo- 
 sited. 
 
842 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 11 . 
 
 Sixth Century — Minor Sees. 
 
 See of Clonard, county of Meath. — See diocese of Meath for the successors 
 of St. Finian. 
 
 St. Finiiian, the founder of the monastery and its celebrated school. His 
 successor, St. Sennach, became its first bishop, and presided thirty-six years. 
 Sennach died on the 21st of August, A.D. 588. 
 
 Clonard had united to it, before the synod of Kells, in 1152, Slane, Dun- 
 shaughliu. Trim, Skrine, Ardbraccan and Fore. 
 
 In the thirteenth century Duleek and Kells were united to Clonard. In 
 1206 the see was translated from Clonard to Newtown, near Trim, under the 
 ineumbency of Simon Rochefort, and a cathedral church erected, and since that 
 time its prelates have uniformly assumed the title of bishops of ^Meath. 
 
 The founder of the see of Kells is unknown. Duushaghlin had for its 
 founder St. Sechnal, alias Secundinus. 
 
 See of Ardstraw, county of Tyrone, — was founded by St. Eugene : was 
 afterwards translated to Maghera, and finally united to the see of Derry. 
 
 See of Clones, already noticed in Clogher, had St. Tigernach for its founder. 
 
 See of Coleraine, now county of Derry, had in the year 540 St. Corpreus 
 for its first bishop. Now annexed to Derry. 
 
 See of Killare, county of Westmeath, had St. Aidus for its founder. 
 
 See of Iniscaoin-Deghadh, county of Louth, had St. Dagaeus for its bishop. 
 St. Etchen, who ordained St. Columba, resided in the county of Meath ; and 
 besides these are enumerated Saints Sedna, Dalian, Lugidus, Mochu, Loige, 
 Cronan and many others, who were settled through the provinces as circum- 
 stances or the good of the missions required. 
 
 In the seventh century we find the see of Trim established by St. Loman, 
 whose memory is revered there on the 17 th of February. 
 
 See of Ardbraccan, County of Meath, was founded by St. Eltan, who died 
 on the 4th of September, A.D. 657. 
 
 See of Lnsk, county of Dublin, had St. Petranus for its bishop. 
 
 See of Inspict, county of Cork, had St. Gobban presiding as its bishop. 
 
 Achad Dagan, county of Waterford, had St. Dagan as its bishop. 
 
 In this brief analysis of the minor sees of Ireland, the reader will perceive 
 the care and the vigilance of those holy men to whom the national church of 
 Ireland was entrusted in its infancy, and who enforced the doctrine which they 
 preached, as well as the discipline which they observed, by the efficacy of exam- 
 ple and the splendor of their own virtues. 
 
 III. 
 
 In the pontificate of Pope Victor I., who was raised to the chair of Peter 
 in the year 193 of the Christian era, the celebrated controversy regarding the 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 843 
 
 observance of Easter was first agitated. The Christians of Asia Minor were 
 in the habit of celebrating the feast of the resurrection of our Lord on the 
 14th of the Jewish month of Nisan, on whatever day of the week it occurred ; 
 those of other countries observing the feast of Easter on the Sunday which 
 followed the 14th of the mouth Nisan, after the vernal equinox. There was, 
 then, a serious difference, which required correction. 
 
 But whereas it was represented to the Homan Pontiff that this custom was 
 observed, not for the sake of the Mosaic rite, but rather through respect and 
 reverence to the ancient tradition, which they alleged to have received from 
 the apostle St. John, there was nothing arranged so as to obtain uniformity 
 in the observance of the paschal feast. 
 
 The Montanist heretics and Blastus, a priest of the Roman church, assert- 
 ing that the Christians were bound by the divine law to celebrate the Jewish 
 rite, Victor, who was still supreme Pontiff, fearing lest the Asiatics would 
 embrace the same doctrine, and that he himself, as pastor of the entire fold, 
 should be deemed as conniving at their error, resolved to put an end to this 
 abuse. He therefore convened a council at Rome, and moreover authorised the 
 principal bishops of the church to convoke their suffragans and discuss the mat- 
 ter with a view of terminating the controversy. Many of the prelates obeyed 
 the instructions of Victor, and informed him that the councils held in the differ- 
 ent provinces of the church had come to the conclusion that the feast of Easter 
 should be observed on the Sunday ; but on receiving letters from the bishops of 
 Palestine, in which they spoke of their brethren in Asia Minor as if they were 
 in this affair the abettors of an error opposed to faith, the Pontiff became con- 
 firmed in his opinion. He then, in the plenitude of his pastoral care and vigi- 
 lance, addressed letters to Polycrates, the bishop of Ephesus, ordering him to 
 convene a synod of all the Asiatic bishops, and moreover threatening the sen- 
 tence of excommunication, should they continue to celebrate the feast of the 
 resurrection according to the Mosaic rite. 
 
 The bishop of Ephesus, in his reply to the Pontiff, assured him that they 
 observe inviolate the feast of the Pasch on the 14th day of the month, accord- 
 ing to the Gospel, preserving in all things the rule of faith, and resting the pro- 
 priety of their observance on the authority of John the evangelist, who reclined 
 on the bosom of the Redeemer, Philip, one of the twelve, and Polycarp. 
 “ Hence,” said Polycrates, “ I will not be disturbed by those things which are 
 done with a view of drawing us from the ancient practice of our church.” 
 
 Councils were simultaneously held at Jerusalem, Rome, Poutus, in which 
 Palma, by right of seniority, presided ; in Gaul, which Ireneus conducted, and 
 in many other places ; all affirming that the mystery of the Lord’s resurrection 
 should and ought to be celebrated on Sunday. Those important proceedings 
 still more confirm the Pontiff in his opinion of that which was already written 
 by the bishops of Palestine with respect to their co-prelates in Asia Minor. 
 Victor again addressed the bishops of that country and renewed the threat of 
 excommunication ; but it does not appear that he y)roceeded to fulminate the 
 sentence against them. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 844 
 
 To establish an uniform discipline in the observance of this great feast, the 
 Council of Nice decreed that it should be kept on the Sunday immediately fol- 
 lowing the 14th day of the first lunar month, and that it should not be observed 
 before the vernal ecpiinox, lest the church might seem to agree with the Jews, 
 wdiose passover in some years occurred before that period. The universal 
 church at once admitted the decree ; some few adhering to the former system, 
 who by their resistance to the authority of the church were cut off from the 
 body of the faithful, and obtained the name of “ Quartodecimans.” 
 
 Another difficulty arose, and was the one in which the church of Ireland 
 was concerned, as to the mode of calculating when the first day of the lunar 
 mouth commenced. The Jewish cycle of eighty-four years was the one which 
 the primitive Christians adopted, or rather to which they accommodated their 
 practice. It wms observed by the Homan, and in fine by the whole Western 
 church, at the time that St. Patrick arrived in Ireland to evangelize the 
 nation. 
 
 In a few years after the celebration of the Council of Nice, the church of 
 Alexandria substituted, instead of the old cycle, a new one of nineteen years, 
 which Anatolius, bishop of Laodicea invented, and which was afterwmrds 
 reformed by Eusebius of Caesarea. The churches of the West still adhered to 
 the old Jewdsh cycle of eighty -four years, a cycle that was subject to many 
 inaccuracies, as it supposed each lunation to be shorter than it really is by two 
 minutes and some seconds : hence in the year 387 the festival of Easter was 
 observed at Rome on the 18th of April, and at Alexandria on the 25th of the 
 same month ; and again, in the year 417 the same feast occurred at Rome on 
 the 25th of March, and at Alexandria on the 22d of April. To obviate such a 
 difference, it was judged advisable to form a new cycle, and about the year 457 
 that of Yictorius of Aquitain wms published, which, though seemingly approach- 
 ing the computation of Alexandria, differed from it very materially. At length, 
 about the middle of the sixth century, Dionysius Exiguus framed a new cycle, 
 which in every respect corresponded with the one of Alexandria, and which was 
 adopted by the wdiole western world. 
 
 The church of Ireland received the old cycle of eighty-four years from St. 
 Patrick, and wms the one which he saw practised in Rome while he w'as in that 
 city, as well as in Gaul. Be it observed, that any practice handed down to the 
 Irish people by their beloved apostle was adhered to wdth the greatest venera- 
 tion; and hence we find the old calculation which he introduced was maintained 
 until the year 610, when St. Dagan, having been in Britain and meeting with 
 Laurentius, Mellitus, and other Roman prelates, a controversy arose on this 
 question of the paschal feast. These prelates shortly after addressed a letter 
 to the Irish clergy on the subject, some of whom were, as it was a matter of 
 discipline, or rather a question of astronomical calculation connected with the 
 leading festivals of the year, of opinion that the Roman method should be 
 adopted for the sake of uniformity. Others of the clergy were for correcting 
 the Irish system by allowing the earliest paschal Sunday on the 16th of the 
 moon, according to the old Roman custom, instead of the 14th; while the great 
 
APPENDIX, 
 
 845 
 
 body of the clergy were determined not to yield the calculation which they had 
 received from their predecessors. 
 
 Thus stood the affair until the year 630, when a letter of admonition was 
 received from Pope Honorius I., in which he exhorted the Irish clergy to reflect 
 “ how few they were in number compared to the rest of the world, and that 
 they, who were placed in the extreme bounds of the earth, should not consider 
 themselves as wiser than all the ancient and modern churches of Christ ; and 
 that they should not presume to celebrate a different Easter from the rest of 
 the churches, contrary to the paschal calculation and synodal decrees of the 
 whole world.” 
 
 To tajke this letter into consideration, a synod was convoked and held at 
 Old Lcighlin, the bishop of Eiuly, according to Cummian, presiding. The 
 representatives of the leading religious establishments attended at this synod. 
 Laserian, of Old Leighlin, was the advocate and principal supporter of the Ro- 
 man system, and, arguing on the ground of unanimity, maintained that the old 
 cycle of eighty-four years should be abandoned and the one which the western 
 churches had chosen should be substituted. The great opponent of St. Lase- 
 rian was Fintan Munnu, who could not be induced to adopt the opinion of Lase- 
 rian and others who concurred with him, so profound was the reverence in which 
 this great man held everything that was delivered by St. Patrick. He therefore 
 contended that the Jewish cycle, which the apostle of Ireland introduced, and 
 which the fathers of the fifth and sixth centuries had bequeathed, should be 
 upheld ; that church discipline did not in itself require uniformity of time or 
 place ; that it must often vary according to circumstances, and tliat if other 
 nations thought proper to change the former cycle, the Irish church should not 
 relinquish the system, which had been consecrated by age and by the example 
 of their saintly predecessors, who were distinguished by their zeal and labors 
 in foreign countries as well as at home, and who were justly ranked among the 
 brightest ornaments of the Christian world. 
 
 The majority of the prelates and the superiors of the old establi-shments 
 were for adopting the computation which the universal church had sanctioned 
 and practised, declaring that they had been directed by their predecessors to 
 be guided in matters of faith and discipline, which the successors of the apos- 
 tles invariably taught and held. 
 
 Wherefore, in accordance with a canon which St. Patrick established, direct- 
 ing “ any controversy that might arise in the church of Ireland to be referred 
 to the apostolick see,” it was resolved that deputies should proceed to Rome 
 and refer the cause in question to the definitive sentence of the Roman Pontiff. 
 Having arrived there, the deputies saw that Easter w\as celebrated at one and 
 the same time by people of various nations, and having returned home, they 
 assured their constituents that the Roman computation wms the one which the 
 churches of Gaul, Italy, and of the whole world, embraced. 
 
 The province of Munster, all over, adopted the Roman cycle : it was like- 
 wise received in the greatest part of Leinsier, and over a considerable portion 
 of Connaught after the year 633. Though great numbers of the clergy in the 
 
846 
 
 ArPEXDrx. 
 
 nortliern province of Ireland were content to receive the Roman computation, 
 yet the great majority were for retaining the ancient cycle. The influence of 
 the order of St. Columba in this district, was the principal cause to which tliis 
 discrepancy of opinion should be attributed. The name of St. Columba was of 
 itself a sanction, and hence the sy.stem which he had observed obtained an 
 overwhelming preponderance in the north. The primate of Ireland, Thomian, 
 observing the conflict of opinion which the discussion of this discipline had cre- 
 ated, and being moreover solicitous to have the question finally adjusted, caused 
 letters to be sent to Rome, in which the arguments of both parties were fairly 
 stated. Though the letter of the primate had not reached its destination until 
 after the death of Pope Severinus, the Pontiff elect, John, and the other lead- 
 ing members of the Roman see, addressed an epistle to the bishops and clergy, 
 and was directed as follows ; “ To the most beloved and holy Thomian ; Co- 
 lumbian, bishop of Clonard ; Cronau, bishop of Antrim ; Dima, bishop of Con- 
 nor, and Baithan, bishop of Eljihin ; Cronan, abbot of Moville ; Ernian, abbot 
 of Torre-Island ; Laistran, abbot of Ardmacuasca, near Down ; Scellan, abbot 
 of Armagh, and Segenus, abbot of Bangor ; together with Saran, master and 
 teacher of theology, and the other Scot doctors and abbots.” 
 
 Notwithstanding the admonition which the letter conveyed, the Irish paschal 
 computation was still observed in the province of Ulster until about the year 
 ’(03, at which time the celebrated Adamnan, of Ily, and biographer of St 
 Columba, acknowledged the Roman cycle, and through his influence with the 
 Columbau order, had it received all over the northern districts of Ireland 
 
 IV. 
 
 Derlaration of Loyalty signed hy the National Assemlly of the Roman Catholic 
 Clergy of Ireland, in the year 16G6. 
 
 “To the king’s most excellent majesty : — We, your majesty’s subjects, the 
 Roman Catholic clergy of the kingdom of Ireland, together assembled, do 
 hereby declare, and solemnly protest before God and his holy angels, that we 
 own and acknowledge your majesty to be our true and lawful king, supreme 
 lord and undoubted sovereign, as well of this realm of Ireland as of all other 
 your majesty’s dominions ; consequently, we confess ourselves bound in consci- 
 ence to be obedient to your majesty in all civil and temporal afi'airs, as any sub- 
 jects ought to be to their prince, and as the laws of God and nature require at 
 our hands. Therefore we promise that we will inviolably bear true allegiance to 
 your majesty, your lawful heirs and successors, and that no power on earth shall 
 be able to withdraw us from our duty herein ; and that we will, even to the 
 loss of our blood, if occasion requires, assert your majesty’s rights against any 
 that shall invade the same, or attempt to deprive yourself, your lawful heirs and 
 successors of any part thereof. And to the end this our sincere protestation 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 84T 
 
 may more clearly appear, we further declare, that it is not our doctrine that 
 subjects may be discharged, absolved, or freed from the obligation of perform- 
 ing their duty of true obedience and allegiance to their prince, much less may 
 we allow of, or pass as tolerable, any doctrine that perniciously and against the 
 Word of God maintains ‘ that any private subject may lawfully kill or murder 
 the anointed of God, his prince.’ 
 
 “ Wherefore, pursuant to the deep apprehension we have of the abomination 
 and sad consequences of its practice, we do engage ourselves to discover unto 
 your majesty, or some of your ministers, any attempt of that kind, rebellion, or 
 conspiracy against your majesty’s person, crown, or royal authority, that comes 
 to our knowledge, whereby such horrid evils may be prevented. 
 
 “ Finally, as we hold the premises to be agreeable to good conscience, so we 
 religiously swear the due observance thereof, to our utmost, and we will teach 
 and preach the same to our respective flocks. In witness whereof, we do here- 
 unto subscribe, this 15th day of June, 16GG.” 
 
 Declarations of the Sorbonne, at Paris. 
 
 1. “ We, the undersigned, do hereby declare, that it is not our doctrine that 
 the Pope hath any authority in temporal affairs over our sovereign lord. King 
 Charles II. ; yea, we promise that we will still oppose those who shall assume 
 any power, either direct or indirect, over him in civil or temporal affairs. 
 
 2. “ That it is our doctrine that our gracious king, Charles II. is so inde- 
 pendent, that he doth not acknowledge, nor hath he in civil and temporal 
 affairs, any power above him under God : and this to be our constant doctrine 
 from which we shall never recede. 
 
 3. “ That it is our doctrine, that we, subjects, owe so natural and just obe- 
 dience unto our king, that no power, under any pretext whatever can either 
 dispense with, or free us from the same. 
 
 V. 
 
 Rescript of Monseignore J. B. Quarantotti, addressed to the Right Rev. WilliafA 
 
 Poynter. 
 
 “ Most illustrious and Right Rev. Lord : — We have learned with heartfelt 
 delight, that the law proposed last year for the relief of the Catholics of the 
 British Empire, and rejected by a small majority of votes, is likely to be 
 brought forward in the sessions of the present year. Would to Heaven that 
 this so desirable a law might be at length passed : and that the Catholics, who 
 have always given the noblest proofs of their loyalty and fidelity, may finally be 
 relieved from the heavy yoke which has so long oppressed them, so that under a 
 just equality of honors and privileges, they may apply themselves with alacrity 
 to the discharge of those duties, which the goed of their country and of their 
 
848 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 religion equally demands ; a result, the pleasing hope of which may be indulged, 
 from the goodness of a most beneficent monarch and the wisdom of a renowned 
 empire, which, by its equity, prudence, and other virtues, has, as well in times 
 past, as more especially in the present, acquired so much glory in the eyes of 
 surrounding nations. 
 
 “And as it has been submitted to us that certain questions and differences 
 of opinion have arisen among the bisho])s, touching the condition on which the 
 Catholics were to be put on a footing with other subjects ; we, who during the 
 absence of the chief Pontiff, are charged with the care of the sacred missions, 
 and have been furnished with all pontifical powers for that purpose, have 
 thought it a duty attached to our functions, to clear up all ambiguities and 
 remove every difficulty that might impede an agreement so desirable, and on 
 those points to which the episcopal power might not extend, to supply its defi- 
 ciencies by the authority and consent of the Holy See. 
 
 “ Having, therefore, convened a council of the most learned dignitaries and 
 divines, the letter of your lordship and that of the archbishop of Dublin being 
 first read, and the matter being then maturely deliberated upon in a particular 
 meeting, it has been decreed, ‘ that the Catholics may, with willingness and gra- 
 titude, receive and accept of the law which was purposed for their einancii)ation 
 last year,’ according to the form which has been submitted by your lordship.” 
 
 “ One point there is which requires some explanation, namely, the second 
 part of the oath, by which the clergy are bound to hold no communion with the 
 Pope or his court, which may directly or indirectly tend to subvert, or in any 
 manner disturb the established religion of the state. It is universally known, 
 that by diviue obligation the principal duty of the ministers of the church is to 
 propagate the Catholic faith, as the only guide to eternal happiness, and to com- 
 bat all errors contradictory to it. This is proved equally by the precepts of the 
 Gospel and by the examples of the apostles and their successors. Kow if a 
 Catholic should recall to the orthodox faith a Protestant individual, he may be 
 supposed to have incurred the guilt of perjury, inasmuch as by withdrawing 
 that individual from the Protestant church, he may be considered as having 
 weakened it in a certain degree. If the matter be thus understood, the oath 
 cannot be lawfully taken, being inconsistent with Catholic principle ; but if the 
 meaning of the legislators is, that the ministers of the Catholic church are not 
 forbidden to make use of preaching, persuasion, and advice, and are only pro- 
 hibited from employing force or fraud, for the disturbance of the Protestant 
 church and establishment ; that is sound doctrine, and agrees perfectly with 
 our principles. It will be your part, therefore, with all zeal and humility, to 
 implore government for the purpose of tranquillizing and keeping unhurt the 
 consciences of the clergy, to put forth some modification or explanation of any 
 oath of that kind that may be proposed to be taken, which, removing all ambi- 
 guity, may allow full permission for peaceful preaching and persuasion. And 
 should the proposed law be passed in the same words, or should the government 
 decline to make any change therein, let the clergy acquiesce and it shall be 
 enough, that they openly declare that they swear in such sense only, as that 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 849 
 
 the orthodox faith shall remain inviolate by their oath, and not otherwise. 
 And that their said declaration may become known to all, and even serve as an 
 example to posterity, it shall be preserved in the proper archives. It would be 
 desirable also, if it could be effected, that a declaration should be obtained 
 from some members of the British parliament, that the government imposes the 
 oath on the C.itholic clergy, in this exact sense, and no otlier. As to the other 
 points, which, according to your letter, are contained in the proposed law, they 
 are matter of charitable indulgence, and as such, acceded to by the Holy See. 
 
 “ As to the desire of the government to be informed of tlie loyalty of those 
 who are promoted to the dignity of bishop or dean, and to be assured that they 
 possess those qualifications which belong to a faithful subject ; as to the inten- 
 tion also of forming a board for the ascertainment of those points, by enquiring 
 into the characters of those who shall be presented, and reporting thereon to 
 the king, according to the tenor of your lordship’s letter ; and finally, as to 
 t’ e determination of government to have none admitted to those dignities who 
 are not either natural born subjects, or who have not been residents in the 
 kingdom for four years preceding ; as these provisions regard matters that aim 
 merely political, they are entitled to all indulgence. It is better, indeed, that 
 the prelates of our church should be acceptable to the king, in order that they 
 may exercise their ministry with his concurrence, and also that there may be no 
 doubts of tlieir integrity, even with those who are not in the bosom of the 
 church. For it behoveth a bishop (as the apostle teaches, 1 Tim. 3:1,) even to 
 have a good witness from those who are not of the church. Upon these prin- 
 ciples, we, in virtue of the authority entrusted to us, grant permission that 
 those who are elected to, and proposed for bishoprics and deaneries by the 
 ;lergy, may be admitted or rejected by the king, according to the law proposed. 
 When, therefore, the clergy shall have, according to the usual custom, elected 
 ihose whom they shall judge most worthy in the Lord to possess these dignities, 
 the metropolitan of the province in Ireland, or the senior vicar apostolic in 
 England and Scotland, shall give notice of the election, that the king’s appro- 
 bation or dissent may be had thereupon. If the candidates be rejected, others 
 shall be proposed, who may be acceptable to the king ; but if approved of, the 
 metropolitan or the vicar apostolic, as above, shall send the documents to the 
 sacred congregation here ; the members whereof having duly weighed the 
 merits of each, shall take measures for the obtaiument of canonical institution 
 from his holiness. 
 
 “ I perceive also that another duty is assigned to the board above-mentioned, 
 namely, that they are charged to inspect all letters written by the ecclesiastical 
 power to any of the British clergy, and examine carefully whether they contain 
 anything which may be injurious to the government, or anywise disturb the public 
 tranquillity. Inasmuch as a communication on ecclesiastical or spiritual affairs 
 with the head of the church is not forbidden, and as the inspection of the 
 board relates to political subjects only, this also must be submitted to. It is 
 right that the government should not have cause to entertain any suspicion with 
 regard to the communication between us. What we write will bear the eyes of 
 54 
 
850 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 the world, for we intermeddle not with the matters of a political nature, but 
 are occupied about those things which the divine and ecclesiastical law and the 
 good order of the church appear to require. These matters only are to be kept 
 under the seal of silence, which pertain to the jurisdiction of conscience within us ; 
 and of this, it appears to me, sufficient care has been taken in the clauses of the 
 law alluded to. We are perfectly convinced that so wise a government as that 
 of Great Britain, while it studies to provide for the public security, does not on 
 that account wish to compel the Catholics to desert their religion, but would 
 rather be pleased that they should be careful observers of it. For our holy 
 and truly divine religion is most favorable to public authority, is the best sup- 
 port of thrones, and the most powerful teacher of loyalty and patriotism. 
 
 “ There is nothing, therefore, in the nature of things, more wished for or 
 more grateful to the Holy See than that the completest concord and most per- 
 fect mutual confidence may be maintained between the British government aud 
 its Catholic subjects, that the government of the state may have no possible 
 cause to doubt of the loyalty, fidelity, and attachment of the Catholics ; and 
 that the Catholics may, on their part, discharge the duties they owe their 
 country, with all possible alacrity, sincerity and zeal. 
 
 “ Wherefore, we exhort all in the Lord, but especially the bishops, that lay- 
 ing aside all contention for the edification of others, all may, with one heart, 
 entertain this only wish and sentiment, “ that no room shall be given to schism, 
 nor any injury done to the Catholic cause.” But if a law shall be passed, by 
 which the Catholics may be relieved from the penalties to which they are liable, 
 then we desire that all shall not only embrace it with alacrity, in manner as we 
 have already said, but also express their utmost gratitude to his majesty and 
 his illustrious parliament for so great a favor, and prove themselves worthy of 
 it. Finally, we entreat your lordship to take measures that this letter shall be 
 communicated to all bishops and vicars apostolic of the empire, and in the hope 
 that they will promptly and unreservedly conform to the things which, in virtue 
 of the power assigned to us, have been decreed. We pray Almighty God that 
 he may long preserve your lordship, and in the meantime I declare myself 
 attached to you with all respect. 
 
 “ Your most obedient servant, 
 
 “ J. B. Quara.vtotti, Yice Prefect. 
 
 “ M. A. Galeassi, Substitute. 
 
 “ To the most illustrious and Right Rev. 
 
 Wii.LiAM PoYNTER, bishop of Halia, 
 
 Yicar apostolic of the Loudon district. 
 
 “ From the College of the Propaganda, at Rome, 16/A February, 1814 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 851 
 
 VI. 
 
 Gtnotsz Litter to the Bight Rev. William Poyvter. 
 
 “ Most illastrious and Right Rev. Lord : — Yonr lordship lately informed 
 me of your intended speedy return to England, earnestly requesting me at the 
 same time, at length to make known to you the sentiments of his Holiness with 
 regard to the conditions to be ‘ acceded ’ to, and ‘ permitted,’ in order that the 
 Catholics may obtain the desired act of emancipation, from government. His 
 Holiness, therefore, to whose decision, as was my official duty, I had referred the 
 whole subject, being forced by the present unexpected change of the times, 
 again to abide far from the city, before the examination thereof, which had 
 long since commenced, could be fully completed, has, in his exceeding prudence 
 declined to pronounce in a solemn form his judgment on a matter of so great 
 moment. He has, however, deigned to declare to me his sentiments with regard 
 to the conditions w’hich ‘alone’ (totally rejecting all others whatsoever 
 hitherto proposed,) his beloved children, the Catholics of Great Britain can, 
 with a safe conscience accede to, in case the long-hoped-for act of their emanci- 
 pation be passed. For his Holiness trusts that tiie august king of Great Bri- 
 tain, and the most serene prince, his son, in their own singular clemency, wis- 
 dom, and generosity, will most certainly crown with new favors and benefits 
 those already conferred on the Catholics, especially as they have found them 
 always most faithful and prepared, wdth tiie Divine assistance, to endure the 
 worst dangers rather than fail in anywise in their duty to their sovereign. 
 
 “ The points, however, that may now come under consideration, and which 
 the aforesaid government, to secure its own and the state’s tranquillity and 
 safety, seems to require on the part of its Catholic subjects, are the oaths of 
 allegiance to be taken by them, the mode of appointing bishops to the vacant 
 sees, and the revison of all rescripts, briefs, and constitutions, whatsoever, of 
 the sovereign Pontiff, before the same be put in execution. 
 
 “ As to the first, his Holiness flatters himself that the government of Great 
 Britain would by no means exact from the Catholics any other oath, but such 
 as, whilst it gives to the government itself a still surer pledge of the fidelity of 
 the Catholics, may at the same time, neither clash in the least with the princi- 
 ples of the Catholic religion, nor cast any affront upon the same most holy reli- 
 gion of Christ. In case the aforesaid act of emancipation be enacted, so as in 
 every respect to be favorable to the Catholics, his Holiness will permit tliem to 
 take that one of tlie following forms of oath which the government shall think 
 most advisable ; for each of them seems perfectly calculated to answer both 
 the above-mentioned ends, and therefore cannot but satisfy the government. 
 
 “ The first is as follows : ‘ I swear and promise upon the holy evangelists, 
 obedience and fidelity to his royal majesty George the Third. I also promise, 
 that I will not hold any communication, be privy to any plot, or keep up any 
 suspicious connexion, either at home or abroad, to injure the public peace ; and 
 if it shall come to my knowledge that anything is projecting either in my dio- 
 
852 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 cese or elsewhere, to the prejudiee of the state, I will reveal the same to the 
 government. 
 
 “ The second is : ‘ I swear and promise that I will continue fixithful and 
 entirely subject to his royal majesty, George the Third, and that I will not in 
 any wise disturb the peace and tranquillity of this realm, nor give any aid or 
 assistance to any person who either directly or indirectly may be an enemy to 
 his majesty and the present government of England.’ 
 
 “ The third : ‘ I swear and promise obedience and true fidelity to our most 
 beloved Lord, George the Third, whom I will with all my might defend against 
 all conspiracies, assaults or attempts whatsoever, against his person, crown and 
 dignity ; and if it shall come to my knowledge that any such are forming against 
 him, I will reveal the same to his aforesaid royal majesty. Moreover I also 
 faithfully swear and promise, that I will with all my might preserve, support and 
 defend the succession of the crown in the family of his majesty against any per- 
 son or persons whatsoever, within or without the realm, who may boast or pre- 
 tend a right to the crown thereof.’ 
 
 “ With regard to the election of bishops : ‘ His Holiness first most earnestly 
 exhorts and absolutely commands those whose custom it is to name to vacant 
 sees the persons to be presented and recommended to the Holy See, to use the 
 utmost care and diligence, that such only be admitted into the number of candi- 
 dates, who to their other pastoral virtues join the most conspicuous prudence, 
 love of peace and fidelity to his royal majesty. Moreover, although any one of 
 the proposed forms of oath to be taken by the newly-elected bishops, may be 
 more than sufficient to content the government, nevertheless, for the greater 
 satisfaction of the aforesaid government, his Holiness will not hesitate to per- 
 mit ‘ that those to whom it appertains may exhibit a list of the candidates to 
 the king’s ministers, in order that government, if perchance any of them be dis- 
 liked or suspected, may immediately point out the same, to have him e.xpunged;’ 
 but so as that a sufficient number may remain for his Holiness, out of which to 
 elect, whom he may judge in the Lord most worthy to govern the vacant sees. 
 
 “As soon therefore as the legislature of Great Britain shall promulgate in 
 due and authentic form, its aforesaid act of emancipation, conformable to the 
 sentiments of his Holiness, as above expressed, with which I presume the Bri- 
 tish government is already acquainted, his Holiness will on his part likewise 
 send a timely brief to all the Catholic bishops and faithful of Great Britain, in 
 which he will publish to the universe his sense of gratitude towards the clemency 
 and generosity of Great Britain ; will exhort the Catholics, especially after this 
 newly-received favor, to adhere with still more fervent loyalty to their august 
 king ; and finally, in a solemn form, will permit them to observe what I have 
 hitherto stated with regard to the oath and the election of bishops. 
 
 “ As to the revision of rescripts, of which mention is made by me in the head 
 of this letter, or, as it is termed, ‘ the royal exequatur,’ it cannot become the 
 subject of even a discussion ; for the same, as your Lordship well knows, being 
 essentially injnrious to the liberty of the church and that superintendence which 
 is of divine appointment, it would be truly criminal to allow or concede it to the 
 
ArPKNDIX. 
 
 853 
 
 lay power ; and in fact it has never been permitted to any country: for if some 
 even Catholic governments arrogate such powers to themselves, that is to be 
 attributed not to the right exercise of due authority, but to an abuse which, to 
 prevent greater evils, the Holy See is forced, it is true, to endure and tolerate, 
 but can by no means sanction. However, that no injury or danger whatsoever 
 is to be dreaded in England to the public peace or his royal majesty, from this 
 indispensably-necessary independence of the Supreme Head of the church, in 
 feeding and instructing the flock of the Lord, besides other most evident proofs, 
 which it would be tedious to specify and which are most notorious, namely, that 
 the object in question is fully provided for by the very method prescribed to the 
 bishops and vicars apostolic, which is to be found in Article 1st of the ‘ Ques- 
 tionarium,’ published by the sacred congregation for the propagation of the 
 faith, where they are severely prohibited from inserting in the reports which 
 they are bound to send to the Holy See touching their respective churches, any- 
 thing that may regard the political state of the country. 
 
 “ Hence it is to be confidently hoped, that the government will by no means 
 persevere in its determination on this head, since the church cannot yield her 
 right and the exercise of such a right as constant experience shows is in no 
 wise injurious to the government. 
 
 “ To conclude, I have been induced to give you the above statement from a 
 view that the same may serve as a rule of conduct to your Lordship, whom, in 
 the mean time, I heartily pray the most bountiful and Almighty God to bless 
 with a prosperous journey and abundance of every happiness. 
 
 “ Lawrence Cardinal Litta, 
 
 “ Prefect of the Congregation for 
 the Propagation of the Faith. 
 
 “ Right Rev. William Potnter, 
 
 “ Bishop of Halia, and Vicar Apostolic of the London District. 
 
 “At Genoa, ItSth of April, 1815.” 
 
 VII. 
 
 Penitential Canons of the Ancient Church of Ireland. 
 
 Among the ancient Irish, the penitential canons, so characteristic of primi- 
 tive times, had been most rigorously enforced even down to the eighth century, 
 and would in all probability have been continued, did not the confusion, which 
 the Danish ravages had caused throughout the nation, interfere. In order to 
 give the reader an idea of the nature of those penitential canons, as observed 
 in the church of Ireland, some are enumerated from the ancient penitentials, 
 and particularly that of Cummian, as the whole of them would occupy too much 
 space. In the 6th chapter, the canon ordains, with regard to the crime of mur- 
 der : “ Should a layman maliciously murder another, he must withdraw from 
 the church for forty days and do penance for seven years on bread and water ; 
 
854 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 but he is not to be allowed to the holy communion until placed on his death-bed. 
 Should he kill another by accident, he must perforin a similar penance for five 
 years. If a person should intend to commit murder, but had not the power of 
 perpetrating it, he was to do penance for three years. Should any person in a 
 quarrel maim or injure another, so as to render him deformed, he was bound to 
 defray the expenses attending the illness of the injured man, and to do penance 
 for six months on bread and water ; bnt should he be unable to meet these 
 expenses, he must perform the penance for a year. The sin of drunkenness was 
 punished by fasting on bread and water for a week : if attended with vomiting, 
 the fast was to be continued for fifteen days. The crime of adultery was punished 
 by a penance of three years, during one year of which nothing was allowed but 
 bread and water. The sin of concupiscence, even in thought, was punished by 
 a penance of one year. Immodest conversation was subjected to a penance of 
 forty days. For fornication, a penance of two years was to be enjoined. For 
 the crime of perjury, a penance of tliree years was to be enjoined : if the per- 
 jury was committed in a church, this penance was to be continued for eleven 
 years. Should a layman, through a motive of avarice, be guilty of perjury, he 
 was bound to sell all he had and give it to the poor, after which, retiring into 
 a monastery, he should there serve the Lord during the remainder of his life. 
 A simple lie, unattended with injury, was punished by a repetition of thirty 
 Psalms, or the constant silence of three days. Should a man be guilty of theft, 
 he was to make immediate restitution and fast one hundred and twenty days on 
 bread and water : had he frequently committed the crime and was unable to 
 make restitution, he should do penance on bread and water for two years, and 
 of another year one hundred and twenty days, after which he was to be recon- 
 ciled to the church at Easter. He who indulges a hatred for his brother, so 
 long as he neglects to overcome that feeling, must do penance on bread and 
 water. The person who, through envy, is guilty of detraction, or who willingly 
 listens to the detractor, must alike do penance for three days on bread and 
 water. Should a man be guilty of usury on any account, he must do penance 
 for four years, one of these years on bread and water. In fine, whoever refused 
 to receive guests under his roof or neglected to exercise hospitality, so long as 
 he thus persevered or did not give alms, he must for an equal period do penance 
 on bread and water ; but should he remain obstinate in his avarice, he is to be 
 separated from the faithful.” 
 
 Another celebrated penitential observed in those times, was that of Colum- 
 bauus, or, as it is called, “ De 'pxnitentiamm rmnsura taxanda'' and which is 
 altogether distinct from the monastic rule ; this latter one being intended for 
 the monastic institute : the other w'as an universal ecclesiastical canon. (Flem- 
 ing’s Collections.) 
 
 “ Si Laicus alium Occident odii meditatione, septem annis pceniteat (in pane 
 et aqua) et quadraginta dies abstinent se ab ecclesia : circa antem exitum vitse, 
 communione dignus habeatur. Qui non voluntarie, sed casu, homicidium perpe- 
 travit, quinque annis pceniteat. 
 
 “ Si voluerit et non potuerit, tribus annis pceniteat 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 855 
 
 " Qiii per rixam, debilem vel deformem hominem fccerit, reddat impensas 
 medicis : cegritudiiiem restituat et medium annum pceuiteat in pane et aqua : 
 si non habuerit, unde reddat, uno poeniteat. 
 
 “Si Laicns fidelis inebriatur, poeniteat unam hebdomedam in pane et aqua: 
 si per ebrietatem vomitum facit, quindecim dies poeniteat. 
 
 “ Si quis adultcrium fecerit, id est, cum uxore aliena, aut sponsam Tel virgi- 
 nem corruperit aut Sanctimoniatem, tribus annis poeniteat, primo ex bis, in pane 
 et aqua. ' 
 
 “ Si quis fornicaverit de Laicis, duobus annis poeniteat. 
 
 “ Qui concupiscit mente fornicari, sed non potuit, anno poeniteat, maxime in 
 Quadragesima. 
 
 “ Qui turpiloquio vel aspectu coinquinatus est, quadraginta dies poeniteat. 
 
 “ Si quis pcrjurium fecerit, Laici tribus annis poeniteant. Clerici quinque, 
 Bubdiaconi sex, Diaconi septem, Presbyteri decern, Episcopi duodecim. 
 
 “ Qui perjurium facit in Ecclesia, uiidecim annis poeniteat. 
 
 “ Si quis Laicus per cupiditatem perjurat, totas res suas vendat et donet Deo 
 in pauperibus, et conversus, in Monasterio usque ad mortem, serviat Deo. 
 
 “ Mendax et non nocuit, damnetur tribus annis tacendi vel triginta Psalmos 
 cantet. 
 
 “ Si Laicus semel furtum fecerit, reddat quod furavit et in tribus Quadra- 
 gesimis cum pane et aqua poeniteat. Si soepius fecerit et non habet, unde reddat, 
 annis duobus in pane et aqua poeniteat: et alio anno, tribus quadragesimis (120 
 days) et sic postea in Pascha reconcilietur. 
 
 “ Qui odit fratrem suum, quamdiu non repellit odium, tamdiu cum pane et 
 aqua sit. Qui causa invidiae detrabit vel libeuter detrabentem audit, tribus 
 diebus, in pane et aqua, separetur. 
 
 “ Si quis usuras undecumque exegerit, quatuor annis paeniteat, uno ex his, in 
 pane et aqua. Quicunque hospites non recepit in domo sua, sicut Dominus prae- 
 cepit, quanto tempore hospites non recepit neque eleemosynam fecit, tanto tem- 
 pore paeniteat in pane et aqua, permaneus autem in avaritia, alienetur.” 
 
 VIIL 
 
 Cursus Scotorum, or Missal of the. ancient Irish. 
 
 The liturgy usually called Cursus Scotorum, was that which had been first 
 brought to Ireland by St. Patrick, and was the only one that had been used, 
 until about the close of the sixth century, i. e. during the times of the first class 
 and second of Irish saints. About this period the Gallican liturgy (Cursus 
 Gallorum,) was, it is probable, introduced into Ireland. The Cursus Scotorum 
 is supposed to have been the liturgy originally drawn up and used by St. Mark, 
 the evangelist ; it was afterwards followed by St. Gregory Nazianzen, Basil, and 
 other Greek fathers ; then by Cassian, Honoratus, of Lerins, St. Caesarius, of 
 Arles, St. Lupus, of Troyes, and St. Germaine, of Auxerre, from whom St 
 
856 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Patrick received it, when setting out on his mission to Ireland. A copy of tlie 
 “ Cursus Scotorum ” has been found by Mabillon, in the ancient monastery of 
 Bobbio, of which St. Columbanus was the founder, and which missal that learned 
 writer believes to have been written at least one thousand years before his time. 
 The canon in this liturgy is almost the same as that of the Roman missal ; but 
 in the “ coramunicantes,” after the names of SS. Cosmas and Damian, it has 
 Hilary, Martin, Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory, Jerome, Benedict. It contains 
 two masses for the dead ; one a general mass, and the other “ Missa Sacerdo- 
 tis defuncti,” (the mass for a deceased priest.) 
 
 Among the feasts are the assumption of the blessed Virgin, the chair of St. 
 Peter, the invention of the holy cross, the nativity of St. John the Baptist, the 
 fea.sts of SS. Peter and Paul, of SS. James and John, of St. Michaid the arch- 
 angel, of St. Stephen, St. Sigismund, and St. Martin, of Tours. It has a peni- 
 tential annexed to it, and a “ credo,” the same in substance as that called the 
 apostles’ creed, but not as forming a part of the mass. 
 
 The Cursus Gallorum had been introduced into Ireland during the times of 
 the third class of Irish saints. This litnrgy is ascribed to St. John the evan- 
 gelist, and was followed by St. Polycarp, St. Ignatius, St. Irenaeus, and others. 
 In process of time it contained a great number of masses for Irish saints, and 
 particularly the edition which had been used by the moaks of the Columban 
 order. 
 
 This Cursus continued until the twelfth century, when the Roman liturgy 
 and offices were introduced into Ireland by the legate Gillibert, bishop of 
 Limerick, and were universally received about the time of St. Malachy 
 
 IX. 
 
 While he (Usher) and eleven other Irish bishops declared it in form of pro- 
 testation, “ a grievous sin to allow Catholics to exercise their religion freely,” 
 &c. In the diocese of Meath, the most extensive, the most wealthy, and most 
 English diocese in Ireland, it appears from Usher’s own report, that, A.D. 
 1622 , in two hundred and forty-three livings there were about ninety churches 
 in ruins ; sixty ruinous ; fifteen chancels without churches ; eighteen churches 
 without chancels ; about half a dozen in good repair, and fifty in indifiFereut 
 repair, and all this after a profound peace of twenty years. 
 
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 
 
 LANDS OF IRISH SEES IN STATUTE ACRES. 
 
 Armagh 100,000 563 
 
 Afeath and Clonmacnois 29,000 269 
 
 Clogher 22,000 591 
 
 Down and Connor 12,000 411 
 
 Killmore 28,000 531 
 
 Ardagh 22,000 216 
 
 Raphoe 1,000 892 
 
 Derry 77,000 102 
 
 Dublin and Glendalough 34,000 040 
 
 Kildare and Leiglilin. 13,000 835 
 
 Ferns. 13,000 370 
 
 Cashel and Emly 20,000 046^ 
 
 Corlc 3,000 306 
 
 Killaloe 6,000 795 
 
 Kerry and Limerick 6,000 720 
 
 Lismore and Waterford 8,000 
 
 Cloyne and Ross 20,000 661 
 
 Tuam 64,000 600 
 
 Killala and Achonry 45,000 452^ 
 
 Elphin. 42,000 843 
 
 Clonfert 7,000 794 
 
 Kilmacduagh 3,000 950^ 
 
 Kilfenora 9,000 237 ^ 
 
 Total of acres according to Protestant returns 492,000 369 
 
 The Protestant holders of those lands which have been appropriated 
 by the Catholic nobles and princes of Ireland to purposes strictly re- 
 ligious, and which in Catholic times were apportioned to the pastors, the 
 churches and the poor of the different congregations, have, some of them, 
 within a period of a few years, say from 1829 to July, 1842, bequeathed 
 
858 
 
 ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 
 
 enormous sums to their relations. {Prolate of Episcopal Wills in Ire- 
 
 land, etc.) 
 
 Fowler, of Dublin £150,000 
 
 Beresford, of Tuam 250,000 
 
 Agar, of Cashel 400,000 
 
 Stopford, of Cork 25,000 
 
 Percy, of Dromore 40,000 
 
 Cleaver, of Ferns 50,000 
 
 Bernanl, of Limerick 60,000 
 
 Knox, of Killaloe 100,000 
 
 Verschoyle, of Killala. 60,000 
 
 Porter, of Clogher 250,000 
 
 Hawkins, of Baphoe 250,000 
 
 Total amount £1,635,000 
 
 Number of benefices in the Irish Protestant Establishment, 1,556. 
 worth per annum ; 
 
 1 County Down. 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 23 
 
 48 
 
 74 
 
 148 
 
 4S1 
 
 386 
 
 465 
 
 £2,800 
 
 2,000 
 
 to 
 
 £2,600 
 
 1,500 
 
 to 
 
 2,000 
 
 1,200 
 
 to 
 
 1,500 
 
 1,000 
 
 to 
 
 1,200 
 
 800 
 
 to 
 
 1,000 
 
 600 
 
 to 
 
 800 
 
 400 
 
 to 
 
 600 
 
 300 
 
 to 
 
 400 
 
 30 
 
 to 
 
 200 
 
 The Catholics of Ireland are then plundered of the enormous amount 
 of £2,000,000 annually, for the support of this alien Establishment, 
 which entails the burden of another million of money for the support of 
 military and police to coerce the voice of the Catholic people. Yet with 
 all this plunder, the Protestant Church of Ireland needs, occasionally. 
 Parliamentary assistance. We find grants of money made at different 
 periods for Protestant purposes : 
 
 Building churches £525,371 
 
 Glebe houses 336,889 
 
 Kildare Place Society 170,502 
 
 Charity schools 1,105,867 
 
 Society to suppress vice 1,991,000 
 
 Number of parishes in Ireland without a member of the Church of 
 England, 151 ; with less than 77 Protestants, 860. 
 
 Number of acres subject to tithes, 13,603,473. 
 
 The great Church of Armagh measured, in length, 140 feet; the great 
 hall, 30 feet ; the kitchen, 17 feet ; safe for sacred ornaments, 7 feet 
 
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 
 
 859 
 
 The other cathedrals which the Apostle erected through tlie Island? 
 measured sixty by twenty-six feet — a size to which the Irish people ad- 
 hered in subsequent ages with the greatest tenacity. The entrance door- 
 way was always in the west gable; a window in the east one gave light 
 to the Altar and to the body of the church. Seldom are lateral openings 
 found in the ancient churches of Ireland. 
 
 The kitchen was a sort of ecclesiastical edifice, and the one which 
 SL Patrick erected at Armagh, was in existence A. D. 995. 
 
 Armagh, which is called in the Irish annals the city of St. Patrick? 
 was profaned by English troops, A. D. 1596. Even Irish Catholics 
 were base enough to join in the profanation. Romley, an English officer, 
 was visibly punished, while Baker, another in command, sincerely re- 
 pented and became a convert to the Catholic faith. 
 
 Derry was profaned by an Englishman named Randolph, who, on 
 having landed at Derry, stabled the horses of his troops in the Church of 
 St. Columbkille, A. D. 1564. O’Neil laid siege to Derry, which was re- 
 taken, and the sacrilegious profaner of the Sanctuary was defeated and 
 slain. 
 
 Easmacneire, County Roscommon, now called Assalyn, is one mile 
 west of Boyle — erroneously supposed to have been identical with Ath- 
 dalarg. In this latter place the memory of St. Maccan, a holy bishop, 
 was revered on the first of December. The former, when founded by 
 St. Columba, was governed by St. Dachonna, whose successor was enti’ 
 tied to the clothes and the horse of O'Connoi', King of Connaught, and 
 whose privilege it was to follow the sovereign on that horse. Easmac- 
 neire is also called, in the Annals of the Four Masters, Easdachonna. 
 
 A. D. 748, died Fursey, of Easmacneire. 
 
 Kilcommon, County of Mayo. Cummian, a priest, is supposed to be 
 the author of the epistle to Segineus, Abbot of Hy, on the Paschal contro- 
 versy. So is Cummian, the white, who succeeded Segineus in the abbacy. 
 Had he been the author, it is not easy to believe that the monks, who 
 were much attached to the mode of celebrating Easter according to the 
 practice of St. Columba, would have chosen the author of an epistle im- 
 pugning their observance of the Paschal Feast, as Abbot of the Order. 
 
 Cummian, the white, is considered the founder of this Monastery in 
 Mayo, where he is interred, according to tradition, which affirms that his 
 remains were brought from Hy, where he died and was interred. This 
 Cummian was the relative of St. Columba. ^ 
 
 An entry in the Annals of the Four Masters, shows that Cummian, the 
 long, Bishop of Clonfert, was not here interred ; it also confirms the 
 tradition of the country. 
 
 A. D. 1162, the relics of Sts. Maenen and Cummian Foda, i. e., the 
 long, were removed from the earth by the clergy of Clonfert Brendan, 
 and they wei’e enclosed in a protecting shrina 
 
860 
 
 ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 
 
 Kilfian, in Mayo, is attributed to St Finan, of Bophin Island, and 
 who is not to be confounded with St Finan, of Kinity, 
 
 Moyne, County Mayo. The following entry in the Four Masters, 
 gives us the period in which a general massacre of the clergy of Tirawley 
 took place. 
 
 A. D. 1582, Captain Brabazon (who was appointed Governor of Con- 
 naught in the absence of Sir Nicholas Malby in England) went to Ti- 
 rawley in the spring of this year, and plundered and devastated the 
 whole territory from one extremity to the other, for he continually moved 
 from one camp to another among them. Neither the sanctuary of the 
 saint nor the poet, the wood nor the forest valley, the tower nor the 
 bawn, was a shelter from this captain and his people, until the whole 
 territory was destroyed by him. 
 
 At the period of this massacre, th"* See of Killala was not provided 
 for according to the Canons. When the Bishop, MacDonagh, w;is slain 
 by the Ormsbys and Coopers, Killala was also vacant. This bishop was 
 consecrated in the Pontificate of Benedict XIII., who ascended the Chair 
 of St. Peter, May 24th, 1724, and who died in February 1730. Twenty 
 years of his Episcopal life were devoted to his arduous dutie . In order 
 to escape from his pursuers, he was in the habit of putting to sea in a 
 boat. 
 
 Monaghan, Monastery of, etc. The English, throughout every part 
 of Ireland where they extended their power, were persecuting and ban- 
 ishing the Orders, and particularly they destroyed the Monasteiy of Mon- 
 aghan, and beheaded the Guardian and some of the friars. {Annal F. M.) 
 
 Skrine, County of Sligo, whither a portion of the relics of St Adam- 
 nan was conveyed when his body was brought from Hy to Ireland. Por- 
 tions were assigned to Raphoe and Drumhome, in TirconneL 
 
 Rathene, Monastery of, was situated in the barony of Ballycowan, 
 King’s County, instead of WestmeatL 
 
 After the e.xpulsion of St Carthag, this Monastery, it appears, was 
 not refounded until the time in which St Fidhairle ua Suanaigh flour- 
 ished, and who died, according to the Four Masters, on the first of Octo- 
 ber, A D. 758. His Festival is observed on this day, and he is also 
 venerated as the patron of Rathene — an honor not conferred on any but 
 the founders of churches. 
 
 A. D. 1113, died Diarmaid ua Ceallaigh, successor of Ua Suanaigh. 
 
 A D. 1136, died Saerbretach ua Cellaigh, successor of Ua Suanaigh. 
 
 A stone cross erected here, was called the cross of Ua Suanaigh. 
 
 At Rathene was also venerated, on the 11th of March, the memory of 
 St Constantine, one of its abbots, and who is called by Marian Gorman 
 a Briton. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Ecdesiaslical Province of Armagh and its 
 
 Suffragan Sees. Pag«, 
 
 Armagh, Primatial See of Ireland,. . . 28 
 
 Meath, 59 
 
 Clonmacnois, 68 
 
 Clogher, 71 
 
 Down and Connor, 77 
 
 Killmore, 83 
 
 Ardagh, 85 
 
 Raphoe, 92 
 
 Derry, 95 
 
 EcJenastical Province of Leinster, with its 
 
 S-iffragan Sees. 
 
 Archdiocese of Dublin, 98 
 
 Kildare and 144 
 
 Leighlin, 149 
 
 Ossory, 157 
 
 Ferns, 171 
 
 Ecclesiastical Province rf Munster — SaffrOf 
 gan Sees. 
 
 Archiepiscopal See of Cashell, &c., . . 188 
 
 Emly, united to do ih. 
 
 Cork, 214 
 
 Killaloe, 222 
 
 Kerry, or Ardfer., 226 
 
 I-imerick, 229 
 
 Waterford and 235 
 
 Lismore, 239 
 
 Cloyne and 246 
 
 Ross, 249 
 
 Ecclesiastical Piovince of Connaught — Arch- 
 diocese of Tuam, and Suffftagan Sees. 
 
 Tuain, 253 
 
 Killala, 272 
 
 Elphin, 299 
 
 Aehonry, 305 
 
 Clonfert 308 
 
 Kilmacduagh and 312 
 
 Killfenora, 313 
 
 Wardenship of Galway. Page. 
 
 Wardens of, &c., 316 
 
 See of Galway. 
 
 Bishops of, 320 
 
 Missionaries and eminent men of Ire- ) 321 
 land on the continent of Europe, ) 351 
 
 Monasteries of Ireland. 
 
 County Autfim, 354 
 
 Achadubhtiugh, ib. 
 
 Achadcin, ib. 
 
 Antrim, ib. 
 
 Ardmasnasca, 355 
 
 Ballycastle, ib. 
 
 Boithbolcain, ib. 
 
 Bonamargy ib. 
 
 Carrickfergus, ib. 
 
 Connor, ib. 
 
 Domnach-Braoin, &c., 356 
 
 Glenarni, ib. 
 
 Good, or Wood- born, ib. 
 
 Kells, or Diseart-Kellach, ib. 
 
 Killeaspuicbolcain, 357 
 
 Lambeg, ib. 
 
 Linella, ib. 
 
 Massarene, ib. 
 
 Muckamore, ib. 
 
 Rachlin, 358 
 
 Rathaige, ib. 
 
 Ratheaspuic-innic ib. 
 
 Rathmoane, ib. 
 
 Rathmuighe, 359 
 
 Rathmurbuilg, ib. 
 
 Rathsithe, ib. 
 
 Tulach, ib. 
 
 C unty Armagh, 360 
 
 Armagh, ib. 
 
 Culdees 363 
 
 Temple Brigid, 364 
 
62 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Temple-Fcarta, 364 
 
 Dominican, ib. 
 
 Franciscan, ib. 
 
 Clonfcackle, ib. 
 
 Killmore, ib. 
 
 Killslere, ib. 
 
 Killslieve-Cuilin, 365 
 
 Stradhailloyse, ib. 
 
 Couvty Carlow, 306 
 
 Achad-Finglass, ib. 
 
 Athaddy, ib. 
 
 Ballymoone, ib. 
 
 Killarge, ib. 
 
 Killfurtkcrn, 368 
 
 Old Leighlin, ib. 
 
 Saint Stephen’s Priory, ib. 
 
 Leighlin Bridge, ib. 
 
 St. Mullin's, ib. 
 
 TuUach, 309 
 
 CouvXy Cavan, 370 
 
 Rallylinch, ib. 
 
 Cavan, ib. 
 
 Domnaghinore, ib. 
 
 Dromlommon, ib. 
 
 Drumliihan, ib. 
 
 Killuchad, 371 
 
 Lougliouter, ib. 
 
 Mouutercunnught, ib. 
 
 County Clarr, 372 
 
 Beagh, ib. 
 
 Ceanindis ib. 
 
 Clare ib. 
 
 Corcuniroe, ib. 
 
 Ennis, 373 
 
 Enniskerry, ib. 
 
 Innistidhe ib. 
 
 Inchycronane, ib. 
 
 Inchmore, ib. 
 
 Inisanlaoi, 374 
 
 Iniskeltra, ib. 
 
 Inisluinghe, 375 
 
 Inisnagananach, ib. 
 
 Iniscatha ib. 
 
 Inistymon, 378 
 
 Killciirragh, 379 
 
 Killfubrick, ib. 
 
 Killfenora, ib. 
 
 Killaloe, ■ ib. 
 
 Killnacalleagh 380 
 
 Killoen, ib. 
 
 Killshanny, ib. 
 
 Quin ib. 
 
 Rossbenchuir, 381 
 
 Shradufij 3S2 
 
 Pape. 
 
 Tomgrany, 382 
 
 County Cork, 383 
 
 Abbey Mahon, ib. 
 
 Bally beg, ib. 
 
 Bally macadane, ib. 
 
 Ballyvorney, ib. 
 
 Bantry, 384 
 
 Bridgetown, ib. 
 
 Brigoone, ib. 
 
 Buttevant, ib. 
 
 Cape Clear, ib. 
 
 Carigiliky, 385 
 
 Castlelyons, ib. 
 
 Carmelites, ib. 
 
 Cloggagli, ib. 
 
 Clonmene, ib. 
 
 Cloyne, ib. 
 
 Cluain, 386 
 
 Cluain Fiuglass, ib. 
 
 Cork, ib. 
 
 Gray Friars, ib. 
 
 Dominicans, 388 
 
 Augustinians, 389 
 
 Carmelites, 390 
 
 Nunnery of .'t. John Baptist, ib. 
 
 Preceptoryof Knights TemjJar, ib. 
 
 Priory of .''t. Stephen, ib. 
 
 Donaghmore, ib. 
 
 Fernioy, ib. 
 
 Glandy, 391 
 
 Glanore, ib. 
 
 Grange or Graney, ib. 
 
 Inchrie, ib. 
 
 Tnniscarra, ib. 
 
 Innishercan, 392 
 
 Inispict, ib. 
 
 Killbeacan, ib. 
 
 Killchuilin, ib. 
 
 Kilcrea, ib, 
 
 Franciscans, ib. 
 
 Killcrimther, 393 
 
 Killnamarhbhan, ib. 
 
 Kinsale, ib. 
 
 Regular Canons, ib. 
 
 White Friars, ib. 
 
 Legan, ib. 
 
 l.ueim, ib. 
 
 Maur, ib. 
 
 Middleton, ib. 
 
 Mourne, 394 
 
 Omolaggie, ib. 
 
 Ros.s, ib. 
 
 Timoleague, 395 
 
 Tracton ib. 
 
 Tuaim-Muisgraidhe, ib. 
 
 Tulach-mhin 396 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 863 
 
 Pnge. 
 
 I'ullelash, 3*J6 
 
 Weenie, ib, 
 
 Youghall, ih. 
 
 Duminicans of, 397 
 
 County Derry, 398 
 
 Arragell, &c., 398 
 
 Cunuis, ib. 
 
 Coleraine, ib. 
 
 Dominicans of, 399 
 
 Derry, ib. 
 
 Diiminicnns of, 401 
 
 Dizcrtoghill, ib. 
 
 Domnach-Tola, ib. 
 
 Dunboe. ib. 
 
 Dungiven, ib. 
 
 A'lagilligan, ib. 
 
 iVloycosquin, ib. 
 
 County Donegal, 402 
 
 Arstrath, 402 
 
 Baillenagraairtacb, ib. 
 
 Baillemacsweeny, 404 
 
 Botliconais, ib. 
 
 Clonleigh, ib. 
 
 Conwall 405 
 
 Cnodain, ib. 
 
 Donegal, ib. 
 
 Dromtbuoma, 406 
 
 Fatben-Mura, ib. 
 
 Carton, ib. 
 
 Hillfotliuir, ib. 
 
 Tnvcrnaile. ib. 
 
 Iniscacl, 407 
 
 Inisainer, ib. 
 
 Kilbarron, ib. 
 
 Killybegs, ib. 
 
 Killodonnell, ib. 
 
 Doughdearg, ib. 
 
 Moville, or Maghbile, ib. 
 
 Magberibeg, ib. 
 
 Raphoe, 408 
 
 Ratheunga, ib. 
 
 Rathniullen, ib. 
 
 Sathreginden, ib. 
 
 Torre-island, ib. 
 
 Tulach-dubglaisse, ib. 
 
 County D'wn, 409 
 
 Achadcaoil, ib. 
 
 Ardicnise, ib. 
 
 iiangor, ib. 
 
 Black Abbey, 411 
 
 Castle- Buy, ib. 
 
 Cluaindamh, ib. 
 
 Cumber, ib. 
 
 Down- Patrick 412 
 
 Paj-c. 
 
 Priory of Canons regular, 413 
 
 Crriss-Bcarers ib. 
 
 Cistercians, 414 
 
 Franciscans, ib. 
 
 Dromore, ib. 
 
 Drumboe, ib. 
 
 Dundrum, ib. 
 
 Erynacb-Carrig, 415 
 
 Cray Abbey, ib. 
 
 Hollywood ib. 
 
 Iniscouroey, 416 
 
 Kilcholpa, ib. 
 
 Kilmbian, ib. 
 
 r,in-Huachill, ib. 
 
 Maghbile, ib. 
 
 Neddrum, 417 
 
 Newry, ib. 
 
 Newtown, 418 
 
 Saul, ib. 
 
 ^lieve Donard, 419 
 
 Toberglory, ib. 
 
 County of Dublin, 420 
 
 Castlenock, 420 
 
 Clondalkin, ib. 
 
 Clontarf, ib. 
 
 Dublin, 421 
 
 Abbey of V. Mary, ib. 
 
 Priory of H. Trinity, 422 
 
 Nunnery, &c, ib. 
 
 St. Sepulchre, ib. 
 
 Nunnery, &c., ib. 
 
 St. Olaves, ib. 
 
 VViteschan, 424 
 
 Priory of All Hallows, ib. 
 
 Abbey of St. Thomas, ib. 
 
 Priory of St. John, 425 
 
 Friary of St. Saviour, 426 
 
 Do. of St. Francis, 427 
 
 Augustinians of H. Trinity, ib. 
 
 Carmelites, 428 
 
 Hospital of St. Stephen, ib. 
 
 Steyne Hospital, ib. 
 
 Allen's do 429 
 
 Fin glass, ib. 
 
 Classmore, 430 
 
 Crace Dieu, ib. 
 
 Holmpatrick, 431 
 
 Innispatrick, ib. 
 
 Kilmainham, ib. 
 
 Kilnais, 434 
 
 Killshagblin, ib. 
 
 r.usk, ib 
 
 Nunnery of, 435 
 
 Moortown, ib. 
 
 Mountown ib. 
 
 Palmerstown ib. 
 
8G4 CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Sagf^nrd, 435 
 
 St. Catharine's, 436 
 
 St. Dulough's, 436 
 
 Swords 437 
 
 Nunnery of, ib. 
 
 Tallaght, ib. 
 
 County Fermanagh 441 
 
 Cluain-Innis, ib. 
 
 Devenish, ib. 
 
 Domnachmore, 442 
 
 Gola ib. 
 
 Iniseo, I ib. 
 
 Inisrocha, 443 
 
 Lisgool, ib. 
 
 Ross-orry, ib. 
 
 County Gnlway, 444 
 
 Abbey Gormogan, ib. 
 
 Abbey Knocknioy, ib. 
 
 Augbrim, 445 
 
 Ahascrath, ib. 
 
 Arran islands, ib. 
 
 Franciscans of, 450 
 
 Athenry ib. 
 
 Franciscans of, 451 
 
 Ballinahincb, ib. 
 
 Carmelites of, ib. 
 
 Beagb, ib. 
 
 Boile an Clearr, ib. 
 
 Clare-Galway, ib. 
 
 Clochin-Cantualaig, ib. 
 
 Clonfert, ib. 
 
 Clonkeen, 454 
 
 Clontuskert, ; ib. 
 
 Cloonyvornoge, ib. 
 
 Cluanfois, ib. 
 
 Crcvfbawn, ib. 
 
 Dundrynan, ib. 
 
 Duninore, ib. 
 
 Enagbdune, ib. 
 
 Nunnery of, 455 
 
 St. Mary's, &c., ib. 
 
 Franciscans of, ib. 
 
 College of St. Brendan, ib. 
 
 Fallig, ib. 
 
 Fidbardi ; ib. 
 
 Galway, ib. 
 
 Franciscans of ib. 
 
 Dominicans of, 456 
 
 Augustinians of, 457 
 
 Carmelites of, ib. 
 
 Capuchins of, 458 
 
 Knights Templar of, ib. 
 
 Nuns of St. Clare, ib. 
 
 Nuns of St. Dominic, 459 
 
 Pn(f« 
 
 Nuns of St. Augustine, 460 
 
 Nunnery, ib. 
 
 [may, 461 
 
 Inis an Ghoill, ib. 
 
 Inisquin, 462 
 
 Kilbuught, 463 
 
 Kilbrenan, ib. 
 
 Kilcorban, ib. 
 
 Killcolgan, ib. 
 
 Killconnell, 464 
 
 Killcoonagh, ib. 
 
 Killcreunata, ib. 
 
 Killfaile, 465 
 
 Kiliine Bondina, ib. 
 
 Killoebhain, ib. 
 
 Killmacduach, ib. 
 
 Killmacdara, ib. 
 
 Killtulla, 466 
 
 Killmurry, ib. 
 
 Kinalekin, ib. 
 
 Loughreagh, ib. 
 
 Maghele, ib. 
 
 Meelick, ib. 
 
 Muckenis, 467 
 
 Ballice, ib. 
 
 I’ortumna, ib. 
 
 Rathmat, 468 
 
 Ross, ib. 
 
 Rosserelly, 469 
 
 Sleushancogh, ib. 
 
 Teaghsaxon, ib. 
 
 Templemoyle, ib. 
 
 Tombeola, ib. 
 
 Tuam, ib. 
 
 Coup ty of Kei ry, 472 
 
 Aghadoe, 472 
 
 Aghamore, ib. 
 
 Ardfert, ib. 
 
 Ballinaskeligs, 473 
 
 Innisfallen, ib. 
 
 Irrelagb, 474 
 
 Killachad Conchen, ib. 
 
 Killagh, ib. 
 
 Lislaghtin, ib. 
 
 Monasterni Oriel, ib. 
 
 Melchedor's Church, 475 
 
 Odorney, ib. 
 
 Rattoo, 476 
 
 'kellig, ib. 
 
 Tralee, ib. 
 
 County of Kildare, 478 
 
 Athy, 478 
 
 Castledermot, ib 
 
 Cltine, 479 
 
 Cloonagh 48C 
 
 O' 0 
 
CONTENTS. 805 
 
 Pas*. 
 
 Cloneiirry, 480 
 
 Piseart Fulertach, 481 
 
 Glassnoidhen ib. 
 
 Grange Nolven ib. 
 
 Graney, ib. 
 
 Great Conall, 482 
 
 Killybegs, ib. 
 
 Kilcock, ib. 
 
 Kilcullen ib. 
 
 Kildare, 483 
 
 Kilhill, 488 
 
 Killossy, ib. 
 
 Killrushe, ib. 
 
 Leixlip, ib. 
 
 Maynooth, ib. 
 
 Monasterevin, ib. 
 
 Moone, 489 
 
 Naas. ib. 
 
 Saint Woolstans, 490 
 
 TimoILn, ib 
 
 Tally, 491 
 
 County of Kiilcmny, 492 
 
 Callan, ib. 
 
 Pearmagb, ib. 
 
 Fertagh, ib. 
 
 Fiddown, ib. 
 
 Freshford, ib. 
 
 Grange Man.ach, 493 
 
 Terpoint, ib. 
 
 (nistioge, 494 
 
 Kells, ib. 
 
 Killaghy, 495 
 
 Killamery, ib. 
 
 Killcleheen, ib. 
 
 Killphian, ib. 
 
 Kilkenny, ib. 
 
 Killmanagh, 499 
 
 Knocktopher, 500 
 
 Rossbercan, ib. 
 
 Tibrach Fachna, 501 
 
 King's County, 502 
 
 Birr, ib. 
 
 Clonfert-Mulloe, 503 
 
 Clonmacnois, ib. 
 
 Drumcuillin, 508 
 
 Burrow, ib 
 
 Frankford, 510 
 
 Gallen, ..... ib. 
 
 Killcolgan, 511 
 
 Killcomin, ib. 
 
 Killagally, 5l2 
 
 Killhuacllech, ib. 
 
 Killeigh, ib. 
 
 Killiedain, ib. 
 
 Pace- 
 
 Kinity, 512 
 
 Lenianchan, 513 
 
 Leatlimore, ib. 
 
 Lynally, 515 
 
 Monisteroris, ib. 
 
 Mugna, ib. 
 
 Rathbeg, ib. 
 
 Ratblibthen, ib. 
 
 Reynach, 516 
 
 Seerkicran ib. 
 
 County Leitrim, 517 
 
 AnnadufT, ib. 
 
 Balliguarcy, ib. 
 
 Clooncholling, ib. 
 
 Crevelea, ib. 
 
 Doireniella, 518 
 
 Drumlias, ib. 
 
 Drutnahare, ib. 
 
 Feenah, ib. 
 
 Jamestown, 519 
 
 Killdareis, ib. 
 
 Killuaille, ib. 
 
 Mobill, ib. 
 
 Thacineling, 520 
 
 County of Limerick, 521 
 
 Abbingdon, ib. 
 
 Abbey Feal, ib. 
 
 Adaire, ib. 
 
 Any, .'... 523 
 
 Ardpatrick, ib. 
 
 Askeaton, ib. 
 
 Ballynabrahir, ib. 
 
 liallyncgall, 524 
 
 Ballinwillin, ib. 
 
 Carigogonill, ib. 
 
 Castletown Maceneiry, ib. 
 
 Cluain-credhuil ib. 
 
 Cluain-claidech, 528 
 
 Galbally, ib. 
 
 Kildimma, ib. 
 
 Killfiachna, ib. 
 
 Killmallock, ib. 
 
 Killratha, ib. 
 
 Killshane, 530 
 
 Killteel, ib. 
 
 Killteidhil, ib. 
 
 Kynnethin, ib. 
 
 Limerick, ib. 
 
 Milltown, 531 
 
 Monasternenagh, ib. 
 
 Monasternagalliagh 532 
 
 Mungret, ib. 
 
 Rath-Keale, 533 
 
866 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Pape. 
 
 County of Longford, 534 
 
 Abbey Shruel, ib. 
 
 Ardagh, ib. 
 
 Ballynasaggard, 535 
 
 Cloone, ib. 
 
 Clonebrone, ib. 
 
 Deirg Abbey, ib. 
 
 Drumcheo, ib. 
 
 Fairgney, ib. 
 
 Inchinore, 536 
 
 Innisbofin, ib. 
 
 iDiiiscluthran, ib. 
 
 Island of All Saints 537 
 
 Killglais, ib. 
 
 Killinmore, 538 
 
 Lerrha, ib. 
 
 Longford, ib. 
 
 Moydoe, ib. 
 
 St. John’s Town, 539 
 
 County of Louth, 539 
 
 Ardee, ib. 
 
 Ardpatrick, 542 
 
 Carlingford, T . . ib. 
 
 Cluanbraoin, ib. 
 
 Drogheda, ib. 
 
 Dromcarr, 5^15 
 
 Dromfioin, ib. 
 
 Dronishallon, ib. 
 
 Dundalk, 546 
 
 Ernatietisis, ib. 
 
 Faugher, ib. 
 
 Innismochda, 547 
 
 Innisken-Degliadh, ib. 
 
 Killclogher, 548 
 
 Killsaran, ib. 
 
 Killunche, ib. 
 
 Knock, ib. 
 
 Louth, 549 
 
 Mellifont, 550 
 
 Monastcrboice, 552 
 
 Termonfechin, 553 
 
 County of Mayo, 555 
 
 Aghagower, ib. 
 
 Aghaniore, ib. 
 
 Annagh, ib. 
 
 Bnlla, ib. 
 
 Ballentully, 556 
 
 Ballyhaunes, 557 
 
 Ballina-glasse ib. 
 
 Ballynsmall, 558 
 
 Ballinrobe, ib. 
 
 Ballintobber, 559 
 
 Boghinoyen 560 
 
 Eophen Island, ib. 
 
 Borriscarra, 
 
 Bowfinun, 
 
 Burri.shoul, 
 
 Clare Island, 
 
 Con 
 
 Page. 
 
 Cross, 
 
 
 Crossmolina, 
 
 
 Domnachinor 
 
 
 Erew, 
 
 
 Inisgluaire, 
 
 
 Tnchmean, 
 
 
 Inistorinor, 
 
 
 Killcoman 
 
 
 Do 
 
 
 Kilicrau, 
 
 
 Killedan, 
 
 
 Killnatrinode, 
 
 
 Killfinan, 
 
 
 Killmoremoyle, 
 
 
 Killala, 
 
 
 Killnagarvan, 
 
 
 Killpatrick, 
 
 
 Killbride 
 
 
 Killiney, 
 
 
 Killiian, 
 
 
 Killin, 
 
 
 Leacnamanagh, 
 
 
 Loughcon, 
 
 
 KLllroe, 
 
 
 Mayo, 
 
 
 Monspietatis, 
 
 
 Morrisk, 
 
 
 Moyne, 
 
 
 Odacheera, 
 
 
 Rathbran, 
 
 
 Templemury, 
 
 
 Rathcolp 
 
 
 Rosserick, 
 
 
 Strade, 
 
 
 Tarmoncafra, 
 
 
 Tearmonderbhile, 
 
 
 Urlare, 
 
 
 County of Meath, 
 
 587 
 
 Ardbreccan, 
 
 
 Ardoath, 
 
 
 Ardmulchan, 
 
 
 Ardsailech, 
 
 
 Ardslane, 
 
 
 Athboy, 
 
 
 Ballybogan, 
 
 
 Reamore, 
 
 
 Beaubec, 
 
 
 BectifiT, 
 
 
 Caillefolachda, 
 
 
 Calleaghtown, 
 
 
 Clonard, 
 
 
CONTENTS. 86 7 
 
 ■ Par®. 
 
 Clonmainati, 594 
 
 Cloonmorfernarda, ib. 
 
 Colpe, ib. 
 
 Desertola, • ib. 
 
 Doiremacaidmecan, 595 
 
 Domnachearige, ib. 
 
 Domnachtnorc, ib. 
 
 Donnygarney, 596 
 
 Donagbpatrick, ib. 
 
 Donaghtortain, 597 
 
 Drogheda ib. 
 
 Dromcorcothri, ib. 
 
 Dromfinchoil, ib. 
 
 Drommacubla, ib. 
 
 Duleek 598 
 
 Dunshaughlin, 599 
 
 Feartacherbain, 600 
 
 Indennen, ib. 
 
 Kells, ib. 
 
 Killabbhan, 602 
 
 Killailbe, ib. 
 
 Killeen, ib. 
 
 Killdumagloin, ib. 
 
 Killmainhambeg, ib. 
 
 Killmainharawood, ib. 
 
 Killschire, ib. 
 
 Lismullen, 603 
 
 Loughskillen, ib. 
 
 Navan, 604 
 
 Newtown, ib. 
 
 Nuadchonbhail, 605 
 
 Odder ib. 
 
 Pierstown, ib. 
 
 Rathossan, ib. 
 
 Ratoath, 606 
 
 Roseach, ih. 
 
 Skrine, ib' 
 
 Slane 607 
 
 Teaghernan, 608 
 
 Teaghsinehe, ib. 
 
 Telltown, 609 
 
 Trevet, ib. 
 
 Trim, Greek Church of, 612 
 
 Tullen, ib. 
 
 County of Monaghan, 613 
 
 Clones, • • . ib. 
 
 Monaghan, ib. 
 
 Tehallen, 614 
 
 Queen's County, 615 
 
 Abbeyleix, ib. 
 
 Aghaboe, 616 
 
 Aghmacart, ib. 
 
 Annatrim, 617 
 
 Clonenagh, ib. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Cluaincbaoin, 618 
 
 Cluainmurchair, ib. 
 
 Disertchuilin, 619 
 
 Desertenos, ib. 
 
 Desert-Odran, ib. 
 
 Gleanussen, ib. 
 
 Killdelge, ib. 
 
 Killebbane, ib. 
 
 Killermogh, ib. 
 
 Killfuelan, ib. 
 
 Leamchuil, ib. 
 
 Mundrehid, 620 
 
 Rosstuirc, ib. 
 
 Sletty, ib. 
 
 Stradbally, ib. 
 
 Teachscutin, 621 
 
 Tempulnacaillagh, ib. 
 
 Timahoe, ib. 
 
 County of,Rosscommon, 622 
 
 Ailechmor, ib. 
 
 Ardcarne, ib. 
 
 Athdalearg, 623 
 
 Athleague, ib. 
 
 Athlone, ib. 
 
 Basleacmor, 624 
 
 Bealaneney, ib. 
 
 Bnyle, ib. 
 
 Briola, 627 
 
 I aldrywoUagb, ib. 
 
 Clonrahaa, ib. 
 
 Cloonsbanvil, ib. 
 
 Clontuskert, ib, 
 
 Clooncraft, ib. 
 
 Cluainborean, 628 
 
 Cluainmuin, ib. 
 
 Cluainnamanagh, ib. 
 
 Derane, ib. 
 
 Domnaghmore Magh§cola, ib. 
 
 Easmac-neirc, ib. 
 
 Elphin, 629 
 
 Fidhard, ib. 
 
 Inchmacnerin, ib. 
 
 Inchmean 630 
 
 Inchmore, ib. 
 
 Killchule, ib. 
 
 Killaraght, 631 
 
 Killuken, ib. 
 
 Killmore, ib. 
 
 Killomy, ib. 
 
 Killtullagh, ib. 
 
 Knockvicar, ib. 
 
 Loughkey, 632 
 
 Lisduff, ib. 
 
 Maghseola, ib. 
 
 Monasterevan, 633 
 
868 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PaRe. 
 
 Oran, ()33 
 
 Eandown, ib. 
 
 Boscommon, ib. 
 
 Teagheon, (see Raudown,) 636 
 
 Teaghnanighean, ib. 
 
 Tcagh-Baithen, ib. 
 
 Toberelly, ib. 
 
 Towemonia, ib. 
 
 Tulsk, ib. 
 
 County of Sligo, 638 
 
 Achonrj, ib. 
 
 Augbruss, ib. 
 
 A id nary, 640 
 
 Ardsenliss ib. 
 
 Athmoy, ib. 
 
 Ballindune, 641 
 
 Balliiiley, ib. 
 
 Bally mote, ib. 
 
 Ballysadare, 642 
 
 Bennada, 644 
 
 Bile, 645 
 
 Caille, ib. 
 
 Caillevinde, ib. 
 
 Cashell Jorra, ib. 
 
 Clogbermore, ib. 
 
 Cloneyoneaghan, ib. 
 
 Court, 646 
 
 Craobhgrellain, ib. 
 
 Druiniederdaloch, ib. 
 
 Druimnea, ib. 
 
 Drumclifie, ib. 
 
 Eachenach, 648 
 
 Emleachfada, ib. 
 
 Enachard, (see Caille,) ib. 
 
 Glendallain, (see Caille,) ib. 
 
 luismore, ib. 
 
 Inismurray, ib, 
 
 Killcairpre, 649 
 
 Killaraght, 650 
 
 Killanlej', 651 
 
 Killcoonagh, ib 
 
 Killuathren, ib. 
 
 Killmacoen, ib. 
 
 Killnamaaagh, • • ib. 
 
 Killruisse, ib. 
 
 Knockmore, 652 
 
 Skrine, ib. 
 
 Sligo, 655 
 
 Snamlathir 656 
 
 Temple-house, ib. 
 
 County of Tipperary 656 
 
 Ardfinnan, ib. 
 
 Athassel, 657 
 
 Cabir, ib- 
 
 Page 
 
 Carrick, 658 
 
 Cashell, ib. 
 
 Clonaiil, 665 
 
 Clonmel, ib. 
 
 Cluainconbruin, 666 
 
 Coning, ib. 
 
 Cor bally, ib. 
 
 Domnaehmore, ib. 
 
 Emly, ib., 
 
 Holycross, 667 
 
 Inchnameo, 668 
 
 Inislaunaeht, ib. 
 
 Kilcomin, 669 
 
 Kijlcooly ib. 
 
 Killmorcaradthire, ib. 
 
 Killinenallagh ib. 
 
 Latterach-Odran, ib. 
 
 Lorrah, ib. 
 
 Monaincha, 670 
 
 Moylagh, 671 
 
 Nenagh, - ib. 
 
 Roscrea, 672 
 
 Thurles, 674 
 
 Tipperary, ib. 
 
 Tirdaglass, ib. 
 
 County of Tyrone 676 
 
 Airecal Dachiaroc ib. 
 
 Arooe, ib. 
 
 Ardstraw, ib. 
 
 Ballynasaggart, 677 
 
 Clogher, ib. 
 
 Corrock, ib. 
 
 Dromnachmore, ib. 
 
 Drumdubhain, ib. 
 
 Dungannon, 678 
 
 Gcrvagh Kerin, ib. 
 
 Killiny, ib. 
 
 Omagh, ib. 
 
 Pubhal, ib. 
 
 Strabane ib. 
 
 Trelick, ib. 
 
 County Wateiford 679 
 
 Achaddagain ib. 
 
 Ardmore, ib. 
 
 Ballivony, 680 
 
 Bewley, ib. 
 
 Baillendesert, ib. 
 
 Cappagh, ib. 
 
 Carrickbeg, ib. 
 
 Cathuir Mac Conchaigh, 681 
 
 Clasbmore, ib. 
 
 Crooke, ib. 
 
 Domnaehmore, ib. 
 
 Dungarfan, . . . . '. ib. 
 
Innisdamhle, 
 
 Killunkart, 
 
 Killiire, 
 
 Killinboynan, 
 
 Lismore, 
 
 Molana, 
 
 Mothell, 
 
 Rhincrew, 
 
 VV aterford, 
 
 County of Westmeath, 
 
 Ardnacranna, 
 
 Athlone, 
 
 Athnecarne, 
 
 Ballimore, 
 
 Cloonfad, 
 
 Clonrane, 
 
 Cluainmnhaoscna, . . 
 
 Drumreilgeach, 
 
 Comraire, 
 
 Coniry, 
 
 Drumfeartain, 
 
 Drumcree, 
 
 Drumrany, 
 
 Dysart, 
 
 Farrenenamannagh, . 
 Farren-Macheigkese, 
 
 Fore, 
 
 Hare island, 
 
 Inniavachtuir, 
 
 Kenard, 
 
 Killare, 
 
 Killbeggan, 
 
 Killbixy 
 
 Killconiry, 
 
 Killkenny West, . . • . , 
 
 Killuken, 
 
 Killmichael, 
 
 Killtoome, 
 
 Lcckin, 
 
 Lyn, or Linleire, .... 
 
 Mullingar, 
 
 Rathugh, 
 
 Rathcnen, 
 
 Teaghbaithen, 
 
 Teaghtelle, 
 
 Tippert, 
 
 Tober, 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 869 
 
 pppc 
 
 682 
 
 683 
 
 ib. 
 
 ib. 
 
 ib. 
 
 686 
 
 ib. 
 
 ib. 
 
 687 
 
 689 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 ib- 
 ib. 
 
 690 
 ib. 
 
 691 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 ib 
 
 692 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 ib 
 
 694 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 
 695 
 
 696 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 
 697 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 
 698 
 
 699 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 ib. 
 
 700 
 ib. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Tristernagh, 700 
 
 County of Wexford, 701 
 
 Abbey Killbrayey, ib 
 
 Acbadabla, ib. 
 
 Ardue-Coeman, ib. 
 
 Ardlathran, ib. 
 
 Bally hack, ib. 
 
 Beg Erin, 702 
 
 Camross, ib. 
 
 Carnsore, ib. 
 
 Cloneraore, ib. 
 
 Clonmines, ib. 
 
 Darinis, 703 
 
 Desert-cheandubhain, ib. 
 
 Down, ib. 
 
 Dromchaoinchellaigh, ib. 
 
 Dunbrody, ib. 
 
 Enniscorthy, ib. 
 
 Femes, 706 
 
 Fionmagb, 707 
 
 Glasscarrig, ... ib. 
 
 Hoartown, ib. 
 
 Inverdhaole, 708 
 
 Inisbeg, ib. 
 
 Inisfael, ib. 
 
 Killclogban, ib. 
 
 Maghinemhna, or Maudlinton, ib. 
 
 Rosmic-Trian, ib. 
 
 Seanbotha, 710 
 
 Teaghmunnu, ib. 
 
 Tintern, 711 
 
 Wexford, '. 712 
 
 County of Wicklow, 714 
 
 Arklow, ib. 
 
 Ballykine, ib. 
 
 Baltinglass, 715 
 
 Donard, ib. 
 
 Glendaloch, 710 
 
 Inisboyne, 719 
 
 Killgorman, ib. 
 
 Killaird, ; ib. 
 
 Killnaningean ib. 
 
 Shrutbair, ib. 
 
 Teachnaromban, 720 
 
 Whalley Abbey, (see Ballykine.) .... ib. 
 Wicklow, R). 
 
 KKRATUM. 
 
 Page 722. — Read, A. D. 916, the blessed Maelpatrick and Mungauus, anchorite, with many 
 ethers, were martyred by the Danes at Old Leigldin. 
 
SAINTS OF IRELAND 
 
 Abblian, 386, 466, 488, 666, 708. 
 Abhland, 400. 
 
 Adamnan, 92. 408, 639, 652, 653. 
 Adamnan, 359. 
 
 Aedgin, 693. 
 
 Aedan, 72. 
 
 Aedh, 609. 
 
 Aengus, 438, 619. 
 
 Aengus, Mac Nissa, 77, 355. 
 
 Africa, 486. 
 
 Aidan of Mayo, 259, 573, 578. 
 
 Aidan of Northumberland, 25, 322. 
 Aidan, alias Maidoc, 171, 706. 
 
 Aidan, 68. 112. 
 
 Aidus, (Black) 145. 
 
 Aidus of Killare, 536, 692, 694, 699. 
 Aidus, (King,) 545. 
 
 Aidus, (Abbott,) 366, 620, 692, 694. 
 Aidus, Mac Corbre, 358. 
 
 Aidus-Glasse 577. 
 
 Aidus, Mac Brec, 515. 
 
 Aidus of Sletty, 620. . 
 
 Ailbe. 3, 189, 194, 479, 501. 
 
 Airendanus, 639. 
 
 Ailild, (Alias Ailila,) 628. 
 
 Albert 86. 
 
 Albinus, 347. 
 
 Algnied. 589. 
 
 Alither. 503. 
 
 Altin, 678. 
 
 Alto, 344. 
 
 Aninichad. 374. 
 
 Amptadan, 112. 
 
 Amphodan. 112. 
 
 Anatolius, 348. 
 
 Aodan. 634. 
 
 Argobast, 429. 
 
 Armetus, 72. 
 
 Aromeus or Aaron, 618. 
 
 /Psicus, 299. 629. 
 
 Athracta, 631, 650. 
 
 Audeon, 430, 
 
 Augustine. 708. 
 
 Ausilius, 27, 28, 462, 488. 
 
 Baitellach, 609. 
 
 Baithen, 408, 636. 719. 
 
 Barr, 214, 386, 472. 
 
 Barr, 515, 682. 
 
 Barrindeua or Barrinthus, 407, 452, 508. 
 
 Beatus, 401. 
 
 Becan, 62, 392, 570, 573, 696. 
 
 Benedict, 5, 446. 
 
 Benignus. 29, 447, 518. 
 
 Beoadh, 622. 
 
 Berach, 627. 
 
 Berchan, 443, 447. 
 
 Bitheus, 299, 841. 
 
 Blaithmac. 563. 723. 
 
 Boedhan, 454, 536. 
 
 Boetius, 552 
 Bolcan, 355, 841. 
 
 Brecari, 447, 449, 587. 589, 618. 
 
 Brendan of Clonfert. 226, 308, 451, 455, 
 462, 472. 569, 693. 
 
 Brendan of Birr, 447, 502, 503. 
 
 Brigid. Patroness of Ireland, 144, 412, 483, 
 576, 588, 605, 636. 
 
 Brigid, 342, 373. 
 
 Brigid, 719. 
 
 Brogan. 620, 686. 
 
 Bron, 144, 299, 045. 
 
 Brugacius, 325, 359. 
 
 Caidoc 346. 
 
 Caillan, 77. 
 
 Cailin, 518. 
 
 Caiinin, 374. 686, 703. 
 
 Cannera, 376. 
 
 Cannice, (See Kenice.) 
 
 Canoe or Conoc, 511. 
 
 Caradoc, 447. 
 
 Carecha. 602, 628. 
 
 Carnech, 404. 
 
 Carpre, 649. 
 
 Carthag, 239, 684, 694, 699. 
 
 Cassanus, 595. 
 
 Cassidus, 377. 
 
 Cataldus, 340, 683. 
 
 Cathubh, 354. 
 
 Cayman, 686. 
 
 Ceananach, 447. 
 
 Celechrist, 404. 
 
 Celsus 35. 
 
 Cera. 391, 585, 699. 
 
 Cerban, 600. 
 
 Cetamaria, (Ist Irish Nun,) 677. 
 
 Cethecus, 255, 595, 633, 840. 
 
 Cethenus, 255. 
 
 Ciaran, 600. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 871 
 
 Cinnia, 13. 677- 
 Cobdenacli. 677. 
 
 Coca or ( liochea, 381, 482. 
 
 Coelan, 374. 
 
 Coeman, 447, 529, 631, 634, 606, 650, 669, 
 7U1. 
 
 Cocmojhen. (See Kevin.) 
 
 Cobhtach O’Muredach, 146. 
 
 Colga, 464, 511. 
 
 Colgan, 463, 464. 
 
 Colman of Annatrim. 617. 
 
 Colman of Ardboe. 676. 
 
 Colman of Dromore. 89, 414. 
 
 Colman of Cloyne, 246. 
 
 Colman-elo, 357. 
 
 Colman of 51ayo, 324, 560, 577. 
 
 Colman of Camus, 398. 
 
 Colman of Cluainmuin, 628. 
 
 Colman of Austria 351. 725 
 Colman of Clonenagh. 617. 
 
 Colman of Clonfert, 308. 
 
 Colman of Doirenior, 511. 
 
 Colman of Kilmacduach, 312, 405. 
 
 Colman, son of Aid 676. 
 
 Colman, Stellan, 675. 
 
 Colman of Dysart, 602. 
 
 Colman. 675, 692, 723. 
 
 Colman, Hua Fiachra, 710. 
 
 Colman, 338. 
 
 Coluinba, son of Crimthan, 617, 675, 677. 
 Columbanus, 25, 332, 656. 
 
 Columkille. 324, 412, 488, 502, 556, 600, 
 601, 606, 646, 691. 
 
 Columb, (a Priest,) 677, 
 
 Comgall, 404. 409, 723. 
 
 Comgan, 527, 619. 
 
 Cona. 255. 
 
 Conadar, 693. 
 
 Conall, 398, 407, 447, 464, 603. 
 
 Conan, 255. 
 
 Conchenna, 365 474. 
 
 Conedus, 627. 
 
 Conlaeth, 144, 486. 
 
 Constans, 442. 
 
 Corban, 463. 
 
 Cormac, 272, 508, 557, 570, 609, 696. 
 Cornelli. 685. 
 
 Corpreus. 398, 842. 
 
 Cronan, 240, 382, 354, 446, 417, 672, 690, 
 Crumain, 697. 
 
 Cuanna, 445, 464. 
 
 Cuan 701. 
 
 Cuanan, 619. 
 
 Cuangus, Mac Dali, 515. 
 
 Culineus, 434. 
 
 Cumania, 434. 
 
 Cumian, Fada, 308, 571,572 
 Cumian, Fin. 571. 
 
 Cumin of Ardnecoemin, 701. 
 
 Cumin of Killare, 695. 
 
 Cumineus, 354 695. 
 
 Cumineus, Hua Kieran, 358. 
 
 Dabeoc, 407. 
 
 Dabonna. 462, 628. 
 
 Daehua, 172. 
 
 Dagau, 679, 708, -714, 842. 
 
 Dageus, 5 17, 842. 
 
 Darerca, 365, 462. 
 
 Darioc, 462. 
 
 David, 708. 
 
 Declan, 3, 189, 345, 666, 679, 840. 
 Derbbilia, 331, 585. 
 
 Derlugdaclia, 486. 
 
 Dermot, 83, 478, 536, 597, 619, 651. 
 Dichulla, 702. 
 
 Dicholla, 648. 
 
 Dicbull, 440, 473, 542, 613, 648. 
 
 Dimma, (Black.) 355. 
 
 Dimma, 528, 673. 
 
 Docbonna, alinn Mochonna, or Maccan, 628, 
 Doinangart, 359, 419, 501, 702. 
 
 Domangen, 392, 395. 
 
 Domnal, 622. 
 
 Douinan, 537, 675. 
 
 Domnoc. 501. 
 
 Douatus, 341. 
 
 Doulagh, 436. 
 
 Duach, 1st and 2nd, 30, 360. 
 
 Duchonna the Pious, 78. 
 
 Duncad O’Braoin, 69, 504. 
 
 Dympna, 721. 
 
 Dysibud, 102. 
 
 Ecbea. 539. 
 
 F.lias, 347. 350. 
 
 F.meria, 535. 
 
 Enan, 648, 690. 
 
 Enna, 648. 
 
 Enda, 72, 445. 507. 
 
 Eochad. 360, 697. 
 
 Erard, 86. 
 
 Erclacus, 359, 539. 
 
 Ere. 67, 144, 484, 607 608, 681, 840. 
 Erditus, 708. 
 
 Ernan, 408, 608, 690. 
 
 Esserninus, 27, 482. 
 
 Etchen, 326, 690. 
 
 Ethnea. 434. 
 
 Etto, 338. 
 
 Eugene, 95, 676, 842. 
 
 Evin, 708, 709. 
 
 Fachna da Ria, 313, 605. 
 
 Fachnan, 246, 394. 
 
 Faila or Foila, 463, 465. 
 
 Falertus, (See Felartus or Fulartus.) 
 Fanchea, 443, 602. 
 
 Faranan, 145, 666. 
 
 Fechin, 448, 461, 506, 553, 564, 575, 639 
 642, 645, 647, 651, 692, 700. 
 Feidlimid, 72, 83, 478,613. 
 
 Felartus or Fulartus, 255, 454, 628, 841. 
 Feradach, 358, 725. 
 
 Feargille, (See Virgilius.) 
 
 Fearfugillus, 420. 
 
 Fergumith, 443. 
 
 Fergus, 77. 
 
 Fethlin, 360. 
 
 Fiachna, 529. 
 
 Fiacra, 405. 495. 
 
 Fiacre, 62, 339. 
 
 Fiech, 100, 144. 620. 
 
 Finbhar, (See Barr.) 
 
b72 
 
 IKDEX. 
 
 Finan, 323, 437, 473, 474, 476, 480, 512, 
 528, 573, 013, 656. 
 
 Finchea, 002. 
 
 Finchu, 384, 393 
 Fiudkar, 647. 682. 
 
 Finian, 02, 325, 416, 506, 512, 545, 593, 
 646. 
 
 Fionan, 613. 
 
 Fintan, 306, 017, 045. 
 
 Fintan, Corach, 308, 453, 619, 620. 
 
 Fintan, (Anchorite,) 618. 
 
 Fintan. Maeldubh, 492, 018. 
 
 Fintan, Munuu, 700, 710. 
 
 Flannan, 222. 
 
 Florentius, 429. 
 
 Foilan, 338, 358, 019, 091. 
 
 Forchellach, 693. 
 
 Fortkeni. 308, 582. 
 
 Fothad, 361. 
 
 Fraech, 393, 517. 
 
 Fricur, 340. 
 
 Fridolinus, 321, 
 
 Frigidian, 339. 
 
 Fulartus. (See Felartus.) 
 
 Fulartach, (Hermit.) 03. 
 
 Fursey, 337, 447, 468. 
 
 Gail us, 330. 
 
 Garbhan, 214, 081. 
 
 Gerald, 259, 578. 
 
 Gerebern. 721, 722. 
 
 Goar, 354. 
 
 Gobbhan, 149, 368, 393, 495,515,574,086, 
 703, 842. 
 
 Gobnata, 383, 447. 
 
 Gorman, 719. 
 
 Gormgall, 448. 
 
 Grellan or Grillin, 046. 
 
 Guasact, 538. 
 
 Henan, alias Enan, 691. 
 
 Ibar, 144, 189, 702, 839. 
 
 Idas, alias Aldus, 538. 
 llland. 515. 
 
 Isscrninus, 27. 28, 482. 
 
 Ita, 379, 452, 524. 
 
 Jarlath, 259, 454, 469. 
 
 John, 351, 725. 
 
 Justin, 597. 
 
 J ustus, 455, 029. 
 
 Kellach, 406. 
 
 Kenice, 429, 495, 616. 
 
 Kevin, 111, 714, 716, 717, 719. 
 
 Kienan, 07. 598. 840. 
 
 Kieran, 3. 08, 157, 189, 359, 378, 384,503, 
 537. 
 
 Killen, Mac Luibney, 158. 
 
 Killeen, 409. 
 
 Kilian, 338. 723. 
 
 Kilian. (Abbot,) 503, 614. 
 
 Lachtean, 492, 503. 
 
 Laidgen. 503. 
 
 I^alloca, 640. 
 
 Laserian, 72, 149, 441, 711. 
 
 Lasrean, 355, 378, 620. 
 
 Lasra, 516, 595. 
 
 Laurence O'Toole, 106, 176, 664. 
 
 Leogar, 568. 
 
 Libblia, 112, 679. 
 
 Libhana 576. 
 
 Libern, 690 
 Liedania, 157, 512. 
 
 Lieghnan, 093. 
 
 Liemania, 462, 548. 
 
 Livinus, 100, 722. 
 
 Loam, 255, 555. 
 
 Loman, 68, 609, 648, 842. 
 
 Lonan, 512. 
 
 Lua, altos Molua. 
 
 Luathren, 651. 
 
 Luchern, 515. 
 
 Luctigcrna, 378, 527. 
 
 Lugbach, 475. 
 
 Lugad 364, 597. 
 
 Lugeus, al^as Molua, 379. 
 
 Lugnat, 402. 
 
 Luican, 697. 
 
 Lunechaiiia, 031. 
 
 Lupiia, 13. 364, 535. 
 
 Luroch, 95. 
 
 !Maccailleus, 144, 484. 
 
 Machonna, alias Maccan, 620, 629. 
 Macarten, 71. 
 
 Mac Cecht, 405. . 
 
 Mac Dara, alias Senach, 465, 406. 
 
 Mac Duffe, Dachrich. 675. 
 
 Mac Duffe, Hugh, 724. 
 
 Mac Erca, 257, 577. 
 
 Mac Lasre Terennan, 360. 
 
 Mac Longuis. 447. 
 
 MacNissa Aengus, 77, 355. 
 
 Mac 'I'alius. 482. 
 
 IMaelbrigid MacDornan, 34, 92, 362, 400. 
 Maelruan 346. 437. 
 
 Maimbodus. 349. 
 
 Mailduf. 346. 
 
 Mainend or Magneud 355. 431. 
 
 Malachy, 36, 78, 98, 215, 410, 421, 550, 
 Manchan, 368 382. 
 
 Manchen, 513, 519, 620. 
 
 Manius, 257, 648. 
 
 Marcellus, 347. 
 
 Mavateus, 324. 
 
 Maugina, 628. 
 
 Mad, 85, 484, 534. 
 
 Mella. 518, 534. 
 
 Melchedor, 475. 
 
 Melchuo or Milcbuo, 85, 534. 
 
 Meldan, 463. 
 
 Menoc, alias Mogenoc, 602, 679. 
 
 Michan, 428, 646. 
 
 IMobhy, 443, 481. 
 
 Mochadoc, 708. 
 
 Mochelloc, 529, 681. 
 
 Mocboemoe, 411. 
 
 Mochoemoc, alias Pulcherius. 
 
 Mochonna, alias Macan, 399, 620, 628. 
 Mochonoc, 708. 
 
 Mochumin, 675. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 873 
 
 Mochteus, 73, 549, 550, 841 
 Mochua of Balia, 555, 590, 693. 
 
 Mochua of Antrim, 354, 420, 021, 841 
 RIochumma, 414. 
 
 Mudan, 538. 
 
 Modwenna, alias Monenna, 365, 546. 
 Rlocldod 014. 
 
 Moeldubh, 693. 
 
 Moelmochta, 593. 
 
 Rloena, 308, 453. 
 
 Moelpatrick, 722. 
 
 Moeugal, alias Marcellus. 
 
 Alogornian, 719' 
 
 RIogornan, 462. 
 
 Rlogoroc, 719. 
 
 Rlolagga, 396. 
 
 Rlolantidhe, 686. 
 
 Rlolaisse, 3 j 0, 441, 500, 638, 639,648, 649 
 Rloling, 172, 308. 
 
 Rlohia, 222, 379, 380, 503. 
 
 Rlonenna, alias Modwenna, 365, 546. 
 Mosacra, 435. 702. 
 
 Rlojle Dichru, 675. 
 
 Rluadnata, 045. 
 
 Rluekua, al as Rluckin, 256, 567. 
 
 Munchen, 229,513. 
 
 Rluiiganus, 722. 
 
 Rlunissa, 532. 
 
 Rluni.s, 535. 
 
 Rlura, 406. 
 
 Rluredach, 578 
 Rluredach, 259, 272, 648. 
 
 Rlurgenius, 619. 
 
 Natalis, 406, 499. 
 
 Natfraoich, 486. 
 
 Nathy, 305. 
 
 Nechtan, 462, 548. 
 
 Nehemias, 359. 
 
 Neman, 703. 
 
 Nemius, 4l6. 
 
 Nennidhe, 442, 588, 697. 
 
 Nessan, 189, 215, 386. 
 
 Nessan, 532. 
 
 Neslug, 532. 
 
 Odran, (Abbott,) 378, 608, 619. 
 
 Odran, (Rlartyr,) 510, 619, 721. 
 
 Oena, 09. 
 
 Olcan, 359, 573, 630, 841. 
 
 Osnata, 645. 
 
 Ossan, 609. 
 
 Oasin, 594, 605. 
 
 Palladius, 5, 538. 
 
 Patrick, (Apostle,) 6, 27, 29, 59, 98, 99, 
 188, 253, 412, 510, 632. 
 
 Patrick, (Abbot,) 348. 
 
 Petranus, 434, 842. 
 
 Phian, 495. 
 
 Pulcherius, 511, 513, 608, 681. 
 
 Quilian, alias Kylian, 346. 
 
 Eantic, 346. 
 
 Regnacia, 516. 
 
 Eegulus, 467. 
 
 Rioch, 536. 
 
 Roc, 536. 
 
 Ronan, 545. 
 
 Ruadan, 070, 
 
 Rumold, 102, 723. 
 
 Sacellus, 255, 624. 
 
 Salonius or Solonius, 5, 23, 716. 
 
 Samthana, 535. 
 
 Sanctan, 720. 
 
 Scanall, 697. 
 
 Schiria, 603. 
 
 Scota, 377. 
 
 Scutin, 621. 
 
 Sebdana, 486. 
 
 Secundinus, alias Seachnal, 61 190, 462, 
 600, 842. 
 
 Sedna, 158, 386, 393, 597. 
 
 Sedulius, 103, 324. 
 
 Segretia, 579. 
 
 Sedan, 112. 
 
 Senach, 62, 255, 360, 465, 466, 555, 690, 
 842. 
 
 Senell, 417. 
 
 Senan, 373, 375. 
 
 Seven Sons of Liemania, 462. 
 
 Sidunius or Sedna, 602. 
 
 Sillan, 417, 441, 019. 
 
 Silvester, 5, 23, 716. 
 
 Sincha, 608 
 Sinchell. 512. 
 
 Sinell, 72, 441, 479, 495, 519. 
 
 Sodamna, 607. 
 
 Sodelbia, 434. 
 
 Solonius or Salonius. 
 
 Sorar. 465. 
 
 Stellan, 374. 
 
 Suarla, 67. 
 
 Suarlech, 693. 
 
 Talulla, 645. 
 
 Tamthina, 719. 
 
 Tassach, 416, 583, 841. 
 
 Tedgallius, 515. 
 
 Tellan, 614. 
 
 Telle, 391, 699, 
 
 Terennan, MacLasre, 31, 360. 
 
 Ternoc, 702. 
 
 Tiernan, 568. 
 
 Tighernach, 71, 371, 503, 518, 589, 613 
 Tigridia, 13. 
 
 Thorian, alias Thorannan, 647. 
 
 Tola, MacDunchad, 63. 
 
 Tola, 589, 594 
 Totnan, 338, 723. 
 
 Tressan, 347. 
 
 Trian, 510, 512. 
 
 Tullogh, 712. 
 
 Victor, 687. 
 
 Vinoc, alias Finian, 358. 
 
 Virgilius, 343, 616. 
 
 Vulganius, 346. 
 
 Ultan, 67, 72, 338, 588, 842. 
 
 Ultan son of Ere, 679. 
 
 Wiro, 101. 
 
 Witta. 347. 
 

 


 
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