631
which is called the Mother of several monasteries in Ireland and in the Isle
of Man.
which is called the Mother of several monasteries in Ireland and in the Isle
of Man.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
°° See Rev.
Jeremy Collier's " Ecclesiasti-
628 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
Subsequent editions appeared, in other forms, and the work was enlarged by differenteditors. Inthetime—ofsuppressionbyHenryVIII. ,therewasnofewer
the
than 75 Cistercian Abbeys 3s of which 36 were reckoned among greater
monasteries. Besides these, there were 26 Cistercian Nunneries,36 one of which was regarded as among the greater monasteries.
In the year 1136, St. David I. , King of Scotland, founded a magnificent abbey at Melrose, the ruins of which yet remain, in a tolerable state of pre- servations It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, in 1146, and it was the first house of the Cistercian Order established in Scotland. 38 The u Chronicle of Melrose,"30 compiled by the monks, and which gives an accurate chronolo- gical relation of Scottish events, from 735 to 1270, has been preserved. '10 In Scotland, other houses of the same order were afterwards erected.
Few years elapsed until the order was established in Ireland. By some, it was thought Christian O'Morgair ruled as first Abbot over Mellifont Abbey. This, however, is a mistake. That office pertained to a contemporary, who
bore a similar name, and who was promoted to the office, by the Archbishop
MalachyO'Morgair. Nay,more: theCistercianOrderhadprobablynofounda-
tioninIreland,duringthelifetimeofhisbrotherChristianorGillachrist. Inthat
Table to the of 1 there is allusion made to postfixed Martyrology Donegal/
anotherChristianus,whowasabbotofMellifont. 42 HewascalledChristian O'Conarchy,butnotO'Morgair. Hehasbeentreatedofalready,atthe18thof
March, the date assigned for his festival. We believe, St. Malachy O'Morgair was the great patron 43 and founder of the Cistercian Order in Ireland, because
menta in Tomum Primum, pp. 30 to 40. Savoy, 1673, fol.
35 Their collective annual revenues were
Bishop Tanner's Notitia Monastica ; or an Account of all the Abbeys, Priories, and Houses of Friars, formerly in England and Wales. " And also of all the Colleges and Hospitals founded before A. D. MDXL. , p. liii.
36 Their collective annual revenues were valued at an amount not exceeding ;£ 1,249 18s. 5%d. See ibid. , pp. liii. , liv.
And the scrolls that teach thee to live and die ;
When distant Tweed is heard to rave And the owlet to hoot e'er the dead
man's grave,
Then go—but go alone the while— Then view St. David's ruin'd pile ; And, home returning, soothly swear
—" Was never scene so sad and fair. " Lay of the Last Minstrel," Canto II.
then estimated at ,£17,441 14s. o^d. See "
38 The monks of this order were sup- plied from the Abbey of Rivaulx in Yorkshire. 39 It has been published by Mr. Gale, in the first volume of his "Rerum Anglicanum Walter Scott of the present appearance of Scriptorum Veterum," tomus i. , pp. 133 to
37 The beautiful description, given by Sir
the ruins, must be familiar to the admirers of 244. 40
'*
View of North- Melrose —has been the frequent resort of umberland," an admirable account of the
English poetry
;
and, since its publication,
In Mr. Hutchinson's
tourists
" If thou would'st view fair Melrose
aright,
Go visit it by the pale moonlight ;
and of its historic incidents is 41 See ibid. , pp. 394, 395.
:
abbey
given.
For the
beams of
" Ireland :
its Character," &c. Scenery,
gay butto
lightsome day
theruins
When the broken arches are black in
night,
And each shafted oriel glimmers
John Bale,
the Protestant of Bishop
Gild,
flout,
gray.
white
When the cold
Archbishop of Armagh :
terciensibus monachis advocatum. "
;
" Illustrium Maioris Scriptorum
shower Streamsontheruin'dcentraltower; When buttress and buttress, alter-
nately,
num. lxxxv. , p. 240.
44 In the List of Irish Cistercian Abbeys,
light's
uncertain
Brytanniae, quam nunc Angliam et Scotiam vocant, Catalogus,"&c. CentuariaDecimaquarta,
42 For a and description
of Mellifont Abbey, see Mr. and Mis. Hall's
43
Ossory, writes, regarding St. Malachias,
"
Promittit tamen post suam mot tern, futurum se esse pro Ci—s-
Seem framed of ebon and in D'Alton's " of Ireland, ivory ; John History
When silver edges the imagery,
from the earliest period to the year 1245,
engravings
June 12. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
629
hehadarrangedwithSt. Bernardallthepreliminarydetails; but,theselec- tion of St. Christian O'Conarchy, afterwards Bishop ofLismore, to become the first Abbot, over the earliest established house of the institute, should cause him to be regarded as the beatified Father, who ruled over a fer- vent community, and whose example gave rise to the numerous Cistercian branches, which in the course of that age and of succeeding centuries had been erected over Ireland.
A brief account of the order, from its rise in our country to its suppression in the sixteenth century, and its subsequent restoration in the present age, mayhavesomeinterestforourreaders. 1. In1142,44DonatO'Carroll,chief of Uriel or Ergallia, bestowed lands whereon to erect the buildings *s within his own territory, and at the request of his Metropolitan, the illustrious Arch-
6
the Abbey of Mellifont was happily chosen ; it is entirely surrounded by ver-
dant hills, and thus placed in a pleasant valley, as sequestration should always characterize the monastic buildings, especially of that institute. In Wright's
•'
the close of the last century, about a. d. 1798, the ruins of Mellifont Abbey
hadbeendescribed,byJosephCooperWalker,*? astheythenappeared/8 He
supposes the octagon building to have been designed for some other purpose than that of a baptistery/9 The entrance was under a wide round arch, and
rendered impassable by a millrace, that ran through it, being uncovered ; the tower that capped the arch was in ruins, before the close of the last century. The watercourse led to the mill, which is quite modernized by frequent re- pairs, while the millrace empties into the Mattock, a tributary of the River Boyne. The Mattock is a beautiful little river, passing near the ruins, and under it,s° water was conveyed from a river, more elevated than the Mattock, about three miles distant from the abbey, to a cistern on the top of the octa- gonal building ; from which the water was again conveyed by conduits to every room and every cell in the abbey. Northward of the cells or cellars, at a little distance, the sacristy stood apart, and almost buried in a heap of rubbish. As
you advance a (ew paces towards the entrance from what Mr. Walker called the sacristy, there appeared, in pretty good preservation, a beautiful little
bishop of Armagh/
In accordance with the Cistercian custom, the site of
Louthiana," there is a delineation and description of this building. Towards
""
History of the Irish Bards," Memoirs of
45 See Roger Dodsworth's and William remained perfect , when visited by Mr.
when the Annals of Boyle, which are
adopted, as the running Text authority, ter-
minate,"vol. i. , pp. 179, 180, the Taxations
of those various houses are given. The Irish Builder, vol. xxviii. , April 15th, 1886. Taxation of Mellefont is set down at 20s. 49 Five arches of the octagonal building
" Monasticon
Dugdale's 1029, 1030. 46 See Sir
Walker the rest fell, a few months before, ;
on a mason removing a stone he wished to
Anglicanum," pp.
Duobus expressse Commentariolis. Quibus adjicitur Historia Ccenobiorum Cistercien- sium Hibernise," pp. 61 to 63. Following the authority of a Catalogue of Cistercian Abbeys in a Manuscript, classed E. 3, 8,
Trinity College. Dublin, Sir James Ware has the first foundation at II 39, viz. : St. Mary's, Dublin. For this early date, we have only
of its Annals. See " Chartula- ries of St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin," &c, edi- ted by John F. Gilbert, in two vols. London, 1884, 8vo. See vol. ii , sect, ix . , pp. 217,
to 237, 258.
*' He was an M. R. I. A. , and author of the
Ware's "
rum Cassiliensium et Tuamensium Vitse.
in a modern edifice. Near to and on a line with the octagonal building remained two cells rudely finished, partly raised above and partly sunk below the surface. They appeared to have been cellars, and they were then occupied by the swine of a miller, who worked the adjoining mill.
5° Walker's According to Joseph Cooper
description.
*• To the foregoing description Mr.
Walkeradds "Myciceroneinformedme, :
that the great chapel stretched up a hill that lies behind the little chapel I have been de-
scribing; 'and this, sir,' says he, pointing to a small church, 'is a part of it which the Protestants of this parish have converted to
the
testimony
James
Archiepiscopo- place
Tassoni," &c.
48 See his Unpublished Fragment, in the
630 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
chapel, the smallness of which induced him to think it must have been a chapel- of-ease. Thischapelwasenteredthroughapointedarch,ontheinsidefinished most exquisitely in the Gothic style. Opposite to the entrance was a noble window, and besides three windows on each side were all finished in the same manner. *1 2. Thenexterection,intheopinionofSirJamesWare,appearsto have been the Abbey of Newry,52 about the year 1144. However, the pre- cise year of its date cannot be ascertained with certainty, but there is sufficient evidence, that it must have been about 1160. 53 it was founded by Maurice M'Loughlin, King of all Ireland. 54 3. The first erection at Boyle 55 seems to have been about 1148, although changes of location took place, beforethemonksoccupiedthatsituation. s6 Atlength,MauriceO'Duffyfixed his fraternity at Boyle, and founded its splendid Abbey in 1161. It was de- dicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 4. About the year n50,57 in Athlone, and on the Roscommon side of the River Shannon, a monastery was founded, and it was dedicated to St. Peter and to St. Benedict. Sir James Ware thinks
it was identical with a foundation alluded to as Monasterium de Benedic-
tione Dei. 58 5. In 1151,59 Dermitius, the son of Murchard, King of Leinster, founded a monastery for Cistercian monks at Baltinglas, on the River Slaney. It was otherwise called, De Valle Salutis. 60 6. It is stated, that Murchard O'Melachlin, King of Meath, founded and endowed Bective Abbey,61 in the county of Meath, and near the River Boyne, on the 14th day of January, 11 64. It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and styled
the
Abbey
deBeatitudine. 63 Inthe 63 wasfoundedthemonas-
6*
tery Nenay, anciently
in the Magio, county
of Limerick. 8. In
of
7. called De
year 1151
1 154, Odomey or the Abbey of Kyrieleyson, in the county of Kerry was
founded. 65 Here was buried Christianus O'Conarchy, the first Cistercian
Abbot of Mellifont, and afterwards the illustrious Bishop of Lismore, a. d.
1 186. The celebrated and beautiful of 66 beside the 9. Abbey Holycross,
River Suir in the county of Tipperary, was founded about 1169, and it was
magnificently endowed, by Donald O'Brien, King of Limerick. 67 10. At Fermoy, in the county of Cork, a Cistercian house 68 was built, a. d. 1170,
their own use. ' On this hill, the friars had
their garden which is still marked by a few
pear trees. Near the mill are some walls
that convey no idea of the kind s8 Its Taxation was 6s. 8d.
of buildings to which they belonged. *******
On the west side of the river stood a large wood belonging to the abbey, which tradi-
59 The Cistercian List has the date 1 148, and the Taxation 13s. 4d.
^
tion says covered 300 acres ; not a single
tree of it remains. Part of the wall that en-
compassed the abbey is visible here and illustrations, in that charming book, William
there. " R. Wilde's" Beauties of the Boyne, and its 2
5 Its title in the List of Cistercian Abbeys Tributary, the Blackwater," chap, v. , pp.
is De Veridi Ligno ; its dale of erection 1 1 53 ; and its Taxation is 6s. 8d.
53 See John O'Donovan's interesting paper on the Charter of Newry, in the "Dublin
No.
104. 54 See Roger Dodsworth's and William Dug-
108 to ill.
te
Its Taxation was 13s. 4d.
63 The Cistercian List has the date
PcnnyJournal. "vol. i. ,
13, pp.
102 to
1148.
6< Also called
tion was 10s.
Monasternenagh
:
its Taxa-
its Taxa-
" 65 dale's Monasticon Anglicanum," p. 1031.
Its Taxation was 3s. 4d.
55 Called De Buellio : its Taxation was
13s. 4d.
56 See a very interesting account of this
"
place, in John D'Alton's
land, from the earliest Period to the year 1245, when the Annals of Boyle which are adopted, as the running Text authority, ter-
Also called De Sancta Cruce : tion was 6s. 8d.
History of Ire-
*7 See Roger Dodsworth's and William
Dugdale's "Monasticon Anglicanum,'' pp.
1035.
minate," vol. i. , pp. 178,179.
57 The year 1 152 is set down in the Cister-
cian List.
66
See Roger Dodsworth's and William "
Dugdale's Monasticon Anglicanum," pp. 1033, 1034.
" See a beautiful description with pictorial
**
tion was 3s. 4d.
It was styled De Castro Dei : its Taxa-
June 12. ] LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS.
631
which is called the Mother of several monasteries in Ireland and in the Isle
of Man. 11. In the same county of Cork was a Cistercian monastery called 6
Mawre, 9 erected in the year 1172. 12. Dunbrody Abbey,? in the county of Wexford, was founded by Hervey de Montmorency, about the year 1175.
Other writers have it in the
2
1182 or
1184. 7
1 It is also called Dun-
year
Monaster-Evin, formerly Rosglas,?
At
River Barrow, and county of Kildare, a house for Cistercians was founded,? * as some state in 1178, while another authority has it 1189. 7s 14. Ashroe or Esarua in the county of Donegal is supposed to have been the site chosen for a Cistercian Abbey, so early as 1 178. It is called Abbatia de Samaria,76 in the Annals of Ireland, edited by William Camden. The Annals of Boyle place its foundation in the year 1183 ;77 while other accounts have it n84. 15. The Abbey of Chrore, having the Barrys as patrons, was erected a. d. 1 1 80. It was situated at Middleton, in the county of Cork, and it was known
as De Choro Benedicti. 78 16. in the of is said Jerpoint79 county Kilkenny
to have been erected in 1180, by Donat O'Donoghoe, and to have been en-
8 ' in the
endowed at Inislawnacht, by Donald O'Brien, King of Limerick, and by Malachy O'Felan, King of the Decies, in the county of Tipperary. It is some-
brothy. 7
13.
3 onthebanksofthe
dowed him. 8° by
17. Abbey Leix,
or Abbatia de
Lege Dei,
County, is said to have been erected by Cochegerius O'Moore, in the year 1183. 18. Abouttheyear1187,therewasaCistercianmonasteryfoundedand
times called the of the Monastery
Suir,
82 as it
lay
near that river. On 19.
an Island,83 formerly in Lough Strangford, called Inniscumhscraigh, there 8
was a monastery built before the Anglo-Norman Invasion. * Here, too, the
Abbey of Inis or Inis-Curcy, as now corruptly called, was founded by John De Courcy, in the county of Down, on the 3rd of June, a. d. 1180, or on the Kalends of July, a. d. 1187, according to other accounts. 20. About a. d.
1 189 or 1 190, Crovderg O'Conor, Prince of Connaught, is said to have founded Knockmoy,8* in the county of Galway, and here having taken the Cistercian habit, hedied and was buried a. d. 1224. 21. The beautiful Abbey of Leigh, otherwise known as Grey Abbey,86 was founded by Africa, wife of John de Courcy, in the county Down, a,d. 1193. In it, she was afterwards buried. 22. The Abbey of Corcumroe, in the county of Clare, was founded
The Cistercian List has 1200. It was called De Petra fertili. 87 23. TheAbbeyofComer,orCumber,88inthecountyofDown,was
in the year ) 197.
69 Alias De Fonte Vivo : its Taxation was 6s. 8d.
7° Alias De Portu Sanctse Marise : its
13s. 4d.
71 See an interesting description and his-
tory of this foundation, in J. N. Brewer's
7* Its Taxation was 3s. 46! .
79 Also called De Jerepont : its Taxation
was 13s. 4d.
Taxation was
*° See Dodsworth's and William Roger
"Beauties of Ireland," vol. i. , to pp. 372
1028, 1029.
*' Its Taxation was 8s. 8d.
8* Its Taxation was ios.
83 Now a peninsula. The Abbey was
called De Inis : its Taxation was 13s. 4d.
e* In the "Dublin Penny Journal," there are two woodcut illustrations of the original Abbey-church of Inch, and the later Abbey- church, with a description and historic data, by George Petrie, Esq. , vol. i. , No. 50, pp.
396, 397-
8s It was called De Colle Victoria; : its
Taxation was 13s. 4d.
86 It was also called De Jugo Dei : its
Taxation is not given in the Cistercian List.
375. 7* See Roger Dodsworth's and William
Dugdale's " Monasticon Anglicanum," pp. 1027, 1028.
its
73 See
ibid. , pp. 1031, 1032.
7* It was called De Rosea Valle :
Taxation was 6s.
's See " Chartularies of St. Mary's Abbey,
Dublin," &c, edited by John T. Gilbert, vol. ii. , p. 218.
76 Its Taxation was 3s. 4d.
77 See John D'Alton's "History of Ire- land, from the earliest Period to the year 1245," and Annals of Boyle, vol. ii. , pp. 308, 309, and n. (a).
"
Dugdale's Monasticon Anglicanum," pp.
Queen's
632 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [June 12.
8
founded in the year ii98, 9 or 1199. 9° 24. In the year 1200, William Mares-
chal,EarlofPembroke,foundedTinternAbbey,9* inthecountyofWexford, as an act of thanksgiving for having escaped from a great storm at sea. 25.
In the 1200 was founded the year
of the River of 2
God,' thought
monastery
by Sir James Ware to have been known as Shrowle or Shrowe, and supposed
by him to have been in the county of Longford. However, it should rather
be Kilbeggan, in the county of Westmeath. 26. In the year of our Lord
1202, the Convent of Stanley came to Ireland, and the monks dwelt at first
in Loghmeran, near Kilkenny, then at Athnamolt, and afterwards at the castle,
the place being called of the Holy Saviour, otherwise Duisque or Dusk, in
the county of Kilkenny. It is also called Downyskir. 93 Here, William
Mareschal when he came to Ireland, a. d. 1207, established a Cistercian
Abbey, and it was called De S. Salvatore. 94 27. A Cistercian house was
founded at Wetheny °s or Wodeny, also called Woney,06 in the county of
Limerick, a. d. 1205, by Theobald Walter,^ son of Hervey Walter, and brother
to Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury. The place is known as Abing-
don. 98 28. In 121 1, at Larha, sometimes called Abbey Lara or Larah, for-
merly known as Granard, in the county of Longford, a Cistercian house 99 was
established by Richard Tuite. 29. In 12 18, a Cistercian house was founded
at Dere, on the sixth of the March Kalends. It is likely this is the house
called De Claro Fonte,100 in the Cistercian List, which has its foundation at
1205. Sir James Ware supposes this possibly to have been identical with
Moycosquin, which was undoubtedly situated in the diocese of Derry. 30.
At 101 in the of Cork, a Cistercian foundation is referred to Tracton, county
a. d. 1224. Its possessions were confirmed by Edward III. , King of
In the time of David Mac
103
the Benedictine monks are said to have been removed from Hore Abbey,'°3 in the county of Tipperary, and a colony of Cistercians from Mellifont replaced
England.
31.
Carwill, Archbishop
of
Cashel,
them, in the year 1260. In the Cistercian List, however, the foundation is I0
placed at i272. 4
The foregoing does not exhaust the list of Cistercian Abbeys in Ireland.
TherewasoneatKilcooly,calledDeAlboCampo,,05 andfoundedin1200,
sessions of the various Cistercian houses in Ireland were exempt from the
I0 payment of tithes, in virtue of those privileges enjoyed by that order. 9
to the Cistercian List. At
in 1205 a Cistercian house was founded. io7 A monastery of the Cistercian order was built, likewise, at Killconnell. 108 The ancient and continued pos-
according
Loughsuidy,
8? Its Taxation was 6s. 8d.
88 In Latin De Commer : was 6s. 8d.
rives its
9s The Taxation of this house was 13s. 46! .
*
9°
91 Called De Voto : its Taxation was
13s. 4d. See Roger Dodsworth's and William
IO° ,01 ,02 "3 I0* ,05 ,o6 ,07 ,o8
Its Taxation is set down at 6s. 8d.
According According
to the Cistercian List.
to Sir Ware. James
De Albo Tractu. Its Taxation was 13s. 4d.
It is called De Rupe Cassel.
The Taxation is set down at 6s. 8d. Its Taxation was 6s. 8d.
Its Taxation was $>. 4d.
According to the Cistercian List.
See Roger Dodsworth's and William
Monasticon
s2 Or De Flumine Dei : its Taxation was
6s. 8d.
93 See Roger Dodsworth's and William
Dugdale's "Monasticon Anglicanum," pp.
1032,1033.
9* Its Taxation was 13s. 4d.
95 Latinized De Wethnia.
96 See Roger Dodsworth's and William
Dugdale's "Monasticon Anglicanum," pp.
1034, 1035.
9? From him the noble family of Butler de-
Dugdale's
Anglicanum, p. 1033.
its Taxation
origin.
"Its Taxation was 6s. 8d.
Alias,
also Latinized 106 Balliornan,
Dugdale's "Monasticon Anglicanum," p. 1029.
IO' See D'Alton's " of Ire- John History
land, from the earliest Period to the year 1245, when the Annals of Boyle, which are adopted, as the running Text authority terminate," vol. i. , pp. 179, 180.
June i2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 633
CHAPTER II.
SUPPOSEDPRIVILEGESOBTAINEDFROMPOPEINNOCENTII. , FORTHESEEOFCLOGHER— DEATH OF ST. CHRISTIAN O'MORGAIR—BURIED AT ARMAGH—COMMEMORATIONS— FOUNDATION OF MOUNT MELLERY IN IRELAND—AFFILIATE BRANCHES—CONCLU- SION.
Few additional particulars can be gleaned, in reference to St. Criostan or
Gillachrist O'Morgair. although he was such a distinguished prelate in the Irish
Church. It is remarked, as we are 1 in the of that informed, Registry Clogher,
the brother of the renowed St. Malachy obtained from Pope Innocent II. ,
that the fourth part of the Tithes, or the Episcopal part through all Ergall,
2 shouldbeallottedtotheBishopsofClogher. Ifsuchwerethecase,itmust
be observed, that his brother Christian had died before St. Malachy set out on his first visit to Rome, which was in the year n39 or 1 140. 3 Christian
O'Morgair's death took place in the year 1138.
628 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
Subsequent editions appeared, in other forms, and the work was enlarged by differenteditors. Inthetime—ofsuppressionbyHenryVIII. ,therewasnofewer
the
than 75 Cistercian Abbeys 3s of which 36 were reckoned among greater
monasteries. Besides these, there were 26 Cistercian Nunneries,36 one of which was regarded as among the greater monasteries.
In the year 1136, St. David I. , King of Scotland, founded a magnificent abbey at Melrose, the ruins of which yet remain, in a tolerable state of pre- servations It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, in 1146, and it was the first house of the Cistercian Order established in Scotland. 38 The u Chronicle of Melrose,"30 compiled by the monks, and which gives an accurate chronolo- gical relation of Scottish events, from 735 to 1270, has been preserved. '10 In Scotland, other houses of the same order were afterwards erected.
Few years elapsed until the order was established in Ireland. By some, it was thought Christian O'Morgair ruled as first Abbot over Mellifont Abbey. This, however, is a mistake. That office pertained to a contemporary, who
bore a similar name, and who was promoted to the office, by the Archbishop
MalachyO'Morgair. Nay,more: theCistercianOrderhadprobablynofounda-
tioninIreland,duringthelifetimeofhisbrotherChristianorGillachrist. Inthat
Table to the of 1 there is allusion made to postfixed Martyrology Donegal/
anotherChristianus,whowasabbotofMellifont. 42 HewascalledChristian O'Conarchy,butnotO'Morgair. Hehasbeentreatedofalready,atthe18thof
March, the date assigned for his festival. We believe, St. Malachy O'Morgair was the great patron 43 and founder of the Cistercian Order in Ireland, because
menta in Tomum Primum, pp. 30 to 40. Savoy, 1673, fol.
35 Their collective annual revenues were
Bishop Tanner's Notitia Monastica ; or an Account of all the Abbeys, Priories, and Houses of Friars, formerly in England and Wales. " And also of all the Colleges and Hospitals founded before A. D. MDXL. , p. liii.
36 Their collective annual revenues were valued at an amount not exceeding ;£ 1,249 18s. 5%d. See ibid. , pp. liii. , liv.
And the scrolls that teach thee to live and die ;
When distant Tweed is heard to rave And the owlet to hoot e'er the dead
man's grave,
Then go—but go alone the while— Then view St. David's ruin'd pile ; And, home returning, soothly swear
—" Was never scene so sad and fair. " Lay of the Last Minstrel," Canto II.
then estimated at ,£17,441 14s. o^d. See "
38 The monks of this order were sup- plied from the Abbey of Rivaulx in Yorkshire. 39 It has been published by Mr. Gale, in the first volume of his "Rerum Anglicanum Walter Scott of the present appearance of Scriptorum Veterum," tomus i. , pp. 133 to
37 The beautiful description, given by Sir
the ruins, must be familiar to the admirers of 244. 40
'*
View of North- Melrose —has been the frequent resort of umberland," an admirable account of the
English poetry
;
and, since its publication,
In Mr. Hutchinson's
tourists
" If thou would'st view fair Melrose
aright,
Go visit it by the pale moonlight ;
and of its historic incidents is 41 See ibid. , pp. 394, 395.
:
abbey
given.
For the
beams of
" Ireland :
its Character," &c. Scenery,
gay butto
lightsome day
theruins
When the broken arches are black in
night,
And each shafted oriel glimmers
John Bale,
the Protestant of Bishop
Gild,
flout,
gray.
white
When the cold
Archbishop of Armagh :
terciensibus monachis advocatum. "
;
" Illustrium Maioris Scriptorum
shower Streamsontheruin'dcentraltower; When buttress and buttress, alter-
nately,
num. lxxxv. , p. 240.
44 In the List of Irish Cistercian Abbeys,
light's
uncertain
Brytanniae, quam nunc Angliam et Scotiam vocant, Catalogus,"&c. CentuariaDecimaquarta,
42 For a and description
of Mellifont Abbey, see Mr. and Mis. Hall's
43
Ossory, writes, regarding St. Malachias,
"
Promittit tamen post suam mot tern, futurum se esse pro Ci—s-
Seem framed of ebon and in D'Alton's " of Ireland, ivory ; John History
When silver edges the imagery,
from the earliest period to the year 1245,
engravings
June 12. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
629
hehadarrangedwithSt. Bernardallthepreliminarydetails; but,theselec- tion of St. Christian O'Conarchy, afterwards Bishop ofLismore, to become the first Abbot, over the earliest established house of the institute, should cause him to be regarded as the beatified Father, who ruled over a fer- vent community, and whose example gave rise to the numerous Cistercian branches, which in the course of that age and of succeeding centuries had been erected over Ireland.
A brief account of the order, from its rise in our country to its suppression in the sixteenth century, and its subsequent restoration in the present age, mayhavesomeinterestforourreaders. 1. In1142,44DonatO'Carroll,chief of Uriel or Ergallia, bestowed lands whereon to erect the buildings *s within his own territory, and at the request of his Metropolitan, the illustrious Arch-
6
the Abbey of Mellifont was happily chosen ; it is entirely surrounded by ver-
dant hills, and thus placed in a pleasant valley, as sequestration should always characterize the monastic buildings, especially of that institute. In Wright's
•'
the close of the last century, about a. d. 1798, the ruins of Mellifont Abbey
hadbeendescribed,byJosephCooperWalker,*? astheythenappeared/8 He
supposes the octagon building to have been designed for some other purpose than that of a baptistery/9 The entrance was under a wide round arch, and
rendered impassable by a millrace, that ran through it, being uncovered ; the tower that capped the arch was in ruins, before the close of the last century. The watercourse led to the mill, which is quite modernized by frequent re- pairs, while the millrace empties into the Mattock, a tributary of the River Boyne. The Mattock is a beautiful little river, passing near the ruins, and under it,s° water was conveyed from a river, more elevated than the Mattock, about three miles distant from the abbey, to a cistern on the top of the octa- gonal building ; from which the water was again conveyed by conduits to every room and every cell in the abbey. Northward of the cells or cellars, at a little distance, the sacristy stood apart, and almost buried in a heap of rubbish. As
you advance a (ew paces towards the entrance from what Mr. Walker called the sacristy, there appeared, in pretty good preservation, a beautiful little
bishop of Armagh/
In accordance with the Cistercian custom, the site of
Louthiana," there is a delineation and description of this building. Towards
""
History of the Irish Bards," Memoirs of
45 See Roger Dodsworth's and William remained perfect , when visited by Mr.
when the Annals of Boyle, which are
adopted, as the running Text authority, ter-
minate,"vol. i. , pp. 179, 180, the Taxations
of those various houses are given. The Irish Builder, vol. xxviii. , April 15th, 1886. Taxation of Mellefont is set down at 20s. 49 Five arches of the octagonal building
" Monasticon
Dugdale's 1029, 1030. 46 See Sir
Walker the rest fell, a few months before, ;
on a mason removing a stone he wished to
Anglicanum," pp.
Duobus expressse Commentariolis. Quibus adjicitur Historia Ccenobiorum Cistercien- sium Hibernise," pp. 61 to 63. Following the authority of a Catalogue of Cistercian Abbeys in a Manuscript, classed E. 3, 8,
Trinity College. Dublin, Sir James Ware has the first foundation at II 39, viz. : St. Mary's, Dublin. For this early date, we have only
of its Annals. See " Chartula- ries of St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin," &c, edi- ted by John F. Gilbert, in two vols. London, 1884, 8vo. See vol. ii , sect, ix . , pp. 217,
to 237, 258.
*' He was an M. R. I. A. , and author of the
Ware's "
rum Cassiliensium et Tuamensium Vitse.
in a modern edifice. Near to and on a line with the octagonal building remained two cells rudely finished, partly raised above and partly sunk below the surface. They appeared to have been cellars, and they were then occupied by the swine of a miller, who worked the adjoining mill.
5° Walker's According to Joseph Cooper
description.
*• To the foregoing description Mr.
Walkeradds "Myciceroneinformedme, :
that the great chapel stretched up a hill that lies behind the little chapel I have been de-
scribing; 'and this, sir,' says he, pointing to a small church, 'is a part of it which the Protestants of this parish have converted to
the
testimony
James
Archiepiscopo- place
Tassoni," &c.
48 See his Unpublished Fragment, in the
630 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
chapel, the smallness of which induced him to think it must have been a chapel- of-ease. Thischapelwasenteredthroughapointedarch,ontheinsidefinished most exquisitely in the Gothic style. Opposite to the entrance was a noble window, and besides three windows on each side were all finished in the same manner. *1 2. Thenexterection,intheopinionofSirJamesWare,appearsto have been the Abbey of Newry,52 about the year 1144. However, the pre- cise year of its date cannot be ascertained with certainty, but there is sufficient evidence, that it must have been about 1160. 53 it was founded by Maurice M'Loughlin, King of all Ireland. 54 3. The first erection at Boyle 55 seems to have been about 1148, although changes of location took place, beforethemonksoccupiedthatsituation. s6 Atlength,MauriceO'Duffyfixed his fraternity at Boyle, and founded its splendid Abbey in 1161. It was de- dicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 4. About the year n50,57 in Athlone, and on the Roscommon side of the River Shannon, a monastery was founded, and it was dedicated to St. Peter and to St. Benedict. Sir James Ware thinks
it was identical with a foundation alluded to as Monasterium de Benedic-
tione Dei. 58 5. In 1151,59 Dermitius, the son of Murchard, King of Leinster, founded a monastery for Cistercian monks at Baltinglas, on the River Slaney. It was otherwise called, De Valle Salutis. 60 6. It is stated, that Murchard O'Melachlin, King of Meath, founded and endowed Bective Abbey,61 in the county of Meath, and near the River Boyne, on the 14th day of January, 11 64. It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and styled
the
Abbey
deBeatitudine. 63 Inthe 63 wasfoundedthemonas-
6*
tery Nenay, anciently
in the Magio, county
of Limerick. 8. In
of
7. called De
year 1151
1 154, Odomey or the Abbey of Kyrieleyson, in the county of Kerry was
founded. 65 Here was buried Christianus O'Conarchy, the first Cistercian
Abbot of Mellifont, and afterwards the illustrious Bishop of Lismore, a. d.
1 186. The celebrated and beautiful of 66 beside the 9. Abbey Holycross,
River Suir in the county of Tipperary, was founded about 1169, and it was
magnificently endowed, by Donald O'Brien, King of Limerick. 67 10. At Fermoy, in the county of Cork, a Cistercian house 68 was built, a. d. 1170,
their own use. ' On this hill, the friars had
their garden which is still marked by a few
pear trees. Near the mill are some walls
that convey no idea of the kind s8 Its Taxation was 6s. 8d.
of buildings to which they belonged. *******
On the west side of the river stood a large wood belonging to the abbey, which tradi-
59 The Cistercian List has the date 1 148, and the Taxation 13s. 4d.
^
tion says covered 300 acres ; not a single
tree of it remains. Part of the wall that en-
compassed the abbey is visible here and illustrations, in that charming book, William
there. " R. Wilde's" Beauties of the Boyne, and its 2
5 Its title in the List of Cistercian Abbeys Tributary, the Blackwater," chap, v. , pp.
is De Veridi Ligno ; its dale of erection 1 1 53 ; and its Taxation is 6s. 8d.
53 See John O'Donovan's interesting paper on the Charter of Newry, in the "Dublin
No.
104. 54 See Roger Dodsworth's and William Dug-
108 to ill.
te
Its Taxation was 13s. 4d.
63 The Cistercian List has the date
PcnnyJournal. "vol. i. ,
13, pp.
102 to
1148.
6< Also called
tion was 10s.
Monasternenagh
:
its Taxa-
its Taxa-
" 65 dale's Monasticon Anglicanum," p. 1031.
Its Taxation was 3s. 4d.
55 Called De Buellio : its Taxation was
13s. 4d.
56 See a very interesting account of this
"
place, in John D'Alton's
land, from the earliest Period to the year 1245, when the Annals of Boyle which are adopted, as the running Text authority, ter-
Also called De Sancta Cruce : tion was 6s. 8d.
History of Ire-
*7 See Roger Dodsworth's and William
Dugdale's "Monasticon Anglicanum,'' pp.
1035.
minate," vol. i. , pp. 178,179.
57 The year 1 152 is set down in the Cister-
cian List.
66
See Roger Dodsworth's and William "
Dugdale's Monasticon Anglicanum," pp. 1033, 1034.
" See a beautiful description with pictorial
**
tion was 3s. 4d.
It was styled De Castro Dei : its Taxa-
June 12. ] LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS.
631
which is called the Mother of several monasteries in Ireland and in the Isle
of Man. 11. In the same county of Cork was a Cistercian monastery called 6
Mawre, 9 erected in the year 1172. 12. Dunbrody Abbey,? in the county of Wexford, was founded by Hervey de Montmorency, about the year 1175.
Other writers have it in the
2
1182 or
1184. 7
1 It is also called Dun-
year
Monaster-Evin, formerly Rosglas,?
At
River Barrow, and county of Kildare, a house for Cistercians was founded,? * as some state in 1178, while another authority has it 1189. 7s 14. Ashroe or Esarua in the county of Donegal is supposed to have been the site chosen for a Cistercian Abbey, so early as 1 178. It is called Abbatia de Samaria,76 in the Annals of Ireland, edited by William Camden. The Annals of Boyle place its foundation in the year 1183 ;77 while other accounts have it n84. 15. The Abbey of Chrore, having the Barrys as patrons, was erected a. d. 1 1 80. It was situated at Middleton, in the county of Cork, and it was known
as De Choro Benedicti. 78 16. in the of is said Jerpoint79 county Kilkenny
to have been erected in 1180, by Donat O'Donoghoe, and to have been en-
8 ' in the
endowed at Inislawnacht, by Donald O'Brien, King of Limerick, and by Malachy O'Felan, King of the Decies, in the county of Tipperary. It is some-
brothy. 7
13.
3 onthebanksofthe
dowed him. 8° by
17. Abbey Leix,
or Abbatia de
Lege Dei,
County, is said to have been erected by Cochegerius O'Moore, in the year 1183. 18. Abouttheyear1187,therewasaCistercianmonasteryfoundedand
times called the of the Monastery
Suir,
82 as it
lay
near that river. On 19.
an Island,83 formerly in Lough Strangford, called Inniscumhscraigh, there 8
was a monastery built before the Anglo-Norman Invasion. * Here, too, the
Abbey of Inis or Inis-Curcy, as now corruptly called, was founded by John De Courcy, in the county of Down, on the 3rd of June, a. d. 1180, or on the Kalends of July, a. d. 1187, according to other accounts. 20. About a. d.
1 189 or 1 190, Crovderg O'Conor, Prince of Connaught, is said to have founded Knockmoy,8* in the county of Galway, and here having taken the Cistercian habit, hedied and was buried a. d. 1224. 21. The beautiful Abbey of Leigh, otherwise known as Grey Abbey,86 was founded by Africa, wife of John de Courcy, in the county Down, a,d. 1193. In it, she was afterwards buried. 22. The Abbey of Corcumroe, in the county of Clare, was founded
The Cistercian List has 1200. It was called De Petra fertili. 87 23. TheAbbeyofComer,orCumber,88inthecountyofDown,was
in the year ) 197.
69 Alias De Fonte Vivo : its Taxation was 6s. 8d.
7° Alias De Portu Sanctse Marise : its
13s. 4d.
71 See an interesting description and his-
tory of this foundation, in J. N. Brewer's
7* Its Taxation was 3s. 46! .
79 Also called De Jerepont : its Taxation
was 13s. 4d.
Taxation was
*° See Dodsworth's and William Roger
"Beauties of Ireland," vol. i. , to pp. 372
1028, 1029.
*' Its Taxation was 8s. 8d.
8* Its Taxation was ios.
83 Now a peninsula. The Abbey was
called De Inis : its Taxation was 13s. 4d.
e* In the "Dublin Penny Journal," there are two woodcut illustrations of the original Abbey-church of Inch, and the later Abbey- church, with a description and historic data, by George Petrie, Esq. , vol. i. , No. 50, pp.
396, 397-
8s It was called De Colle Victoria; : its
Taxation was 13s. 4d.
86 It was also called De Jugo Dei : its
Taxation is not given in the Cistercian List.
375. 7* See Roger Dodsworth's and William
Dugdale's " Monasticon Anglicanum," pp. 1027, 1028.
its
73 See
ibid. , pp. 1031, 1032.
7* It was called De Rosea Valle :
Taxation was 6s.
's See " Chartularies of St. Mary's Abbey,
Dublin," &c, edited by John T. Gilbert, vol. ii. , p. 218.
76 Its Taxation was 3s. 4d.
77 See John D'Alton's "History of Ire- land, from the earliest Period to the year 1245," and Annals of Boyle, vol. ii. , pp. 308, 309, and n. (a).
"
Dugdale's Monasticon Anglicanum," pp.
Queen's
632 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [June 12.
8
founded in the year ii98, 9 or 1199. 9° 24. In the year 1200, William Mares-
chal,EarlofPembroke,foundedTinternAbbey,9* inthecountyofWexford, as an act of thanksgiving for having escaped from a great storm at sea. 25.
In the 1200 was founded the year
of the River of 2
God,' thought
monastery
by Sir James Ware to have been known as Shrowle or Shrowe, and supposed
by him to have been in the county of Longford. However, it should rather
be Kilbeggan, in the county of Westmeath. 26. In the year of our Lord
1202, the Convent of Stanley came to Ireland, and the monks dwelt at first
in Loghmeran, near Kilkenny, then at Athnamolt, and afterwards at the castle,
the place being called of the Holy Saviour, otherwise Duisque or Dusk, in
the county of Kilkenny. It is also called Downyskir. 93 Here, William
Mareschal when he came to Ireland, a. d. 1207, established a Cistercian
Abbey, and it was called De S. Salvatore. 94 27. A Cistercian house was
founded at Wetheny °s or Wodeny, also called Woney,06 in the county of
Limerick, a. d. 1205, by Theobald Walter,^ son of Hervey Walter, and brother
to Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury. The place is known as Abing-
don. 98 28. In 121 1, at Larha, sometimes called Abbey Lara or Larah, for-
merly known as Granard, in the county of Longford, a Cistercian house 99 was
established by Richard Tuite. 29. In 12 18, a Cistercian house was founded
at Dere, on the sixth of the March Kalends. It is likely this is the house
called De Claro Fonte,100 in the Cistercian List, which has its foundation at
1205. Sir James Ware supposes this possibly to have been identical with
Moycosquin, which was undoubtedly situated in the diocese of Derry. 30.
At 101 in the of Cork, a Cistercian foundation is referred to Tracton, county
a. d. 1224. Its possessions were confirmed by Edward III. , King of
In the time of David Mac
103
the Benedictine monks are said to have been removed from Hore Abbey,'°3 in the county of Tipperary, and a colony of Cistercians from Mellifont replaced
England.
31.
Carwill, Archbishop
of
Cashel,
them, in the year 1260. In the Cistercian List, however, the foundation is I0
placed at i272. 4
The foregoing does not exhaust the list of Cistercian Abbeys in Ireland.
TherewasoneatKilcooly,calledDeAlboCampo,,05 andfoundedin1200,
sessions of the various Cistercian houses in Ireland were exempt from the
I0 payment of tithes, in virtue of those privileges enjoyed by that order. 9
to the Cistercian List. At
in 1205 a Cistercian house was founded. io7 A monastery of the Cistercian order was built, likewise, at Killconnell. 108 The ancient and continued pos-
according
Loughsuidy,
8? Its Taxation was 6s. 8d.
88 In Latin De Commer : was 6s. 8d.
rives its
9s The Taxation of this house was 13s. 46! .
*
9°
91 Called De Voto : its Taxation was
13s. 4d. See Roger Dodsworth's and William
IO° ,01 ,02 "3 I0* ,05 ,o6 ,07 ,o8
Its Taxation is set down at 6s. 8d.
According According
to the Cistercian List.
to Sir Ware. James
De Albo Tractu. Its Taxation was 13s. 4d.
It is called De Rupe Cassel.
The Taxation is set down at 6s. 8d. Its Taxation was 6s. 8d.
Its Taxation was $>. 4d.
According to the Cistercian List.
See Roger Dodsworth's and William
Monasticon
s2 Or De Flumine Dei : its Taxation was
6s. 8d.
93 See Roger Dodsworth's and William
Dugdale's "Monasticon Anglicanum," pp.
1032,1033.
9* Its Taxation was 13s. 4d.
95 Latinized De Wethnia.
96 See Roger Dodsworth's and William
Dugdale's "Monasticon Anglicanum," pp.
1034, 1035.
9? From him the noble family of Butler de-
Dugdale's
Anglicanum, p. 1033.
its Taxation
origin.
"Its Taxation was 6s. 8d.
Alias,
also Latinized 106 Balliornan,
Dugdale's "Monasticon Anglicanum," p. 1029.
IO' See D'Alton's " of Ire- John History
land, from the earliest Period to the year 1245, when the Annals of Boyle, which are adopted, as the running Text authority terminate," vol. i. , pp. 179, 180.
June i2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 633
CHAPTER II.
SUPPOSEDPRIVILEGESOBTAINEDFROMPOPEINNOCENTII. , FORTHESEEOFCLOGHER— DEATH OF ST. CHRISTIAN O'MORGAIR—BURIED AT ARMAGH—COMMEMORATIONS— FOUNDATION OF MOUNT MELLERY IN IRELAND—AFFILIATE BRANCHES—CONCLU- SION.
Few additional particulars can be gleaned, in reference to St. Criostan or
Gillachrist O'Morgair. although he was such a distinguished prelate in the Irish
Church. It is remarked, as we are 1 in the of that informed, Registry Clogher,
the brother of the renowed St. Malachy obtained from Pope Innocent II. ,
that the fourth part of the Tithes, or the Episcopal part through all Ergall,
2 shouldbeallottedtotheBishopsofClogher. Ifsuchwerethecase,itmust
be observed, that his brother Christian had died before St. Malachy set out on his first visit to Rome, which was in the year n39 or 1 140. 3 Christian
O'Morgair's death took place in the year 1138.
