Category: Early Christian Ireland

• Medieval Lynally (600-1600) A millennial Church. By Rory Masterson. No 1 in the Offaly History Monastic Series 2025 with two lectures and a tour to follow in March-June. Offaly History Blog No 698, 5th March 2025

  The origin of Lynally as a religious centre can be traced to Colmán who founded a monastery here in the seventh century.  His death is recorded in 611.  Colmán himself was from Connor in modern day county Antrim.  His family were of the Dál Sailni clan who ruled the area around Connor.  According to an early Latin life of Colmán, it was St. Columcille who requested that a site be granted to Colmán for a monastery and as a result Aed Sláine (d.604) granted him Lynally. 

  Three ‘Lives’ of St. Colmán have come down to us, two in Latin and one in Irish.  It should be pointed out that these so called ‘Lives’ are not biographies.  Written long after the saint’s death the so called lives are in fact glorified fictional accounts of the saint’s life designed to justify property claims or political allegiances of his foundation by linking them to purported events in the founder’s life. Thus the close relationship between Lynally and St. Columcille’s foundation at Durrow is depicted in the lives by tales of friendly encounters between Colmán and Columcille. We have already seen how the early life of Colmán credits the founding donation of the site of Lynally  to the request of Columcille while a later Irish Life even claims that Columcille’s sister was Colman’s aunt.  

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  March 5, 2025

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• St. Colum Cille’s Catholic Church, Durrow: built in 1831-32; major renovation completed thirty years ago. No. 5 in the Anniversaries Series. By Offaly History with thanks to Gerry Walsh for notes on the renovation in 1993–94. Heritage Week visit Sunday 18 August. Blog No 641, 15th August 2024

  It is hard to believe that we are catching up on history. In seven years time we mark the 200^th anniversary of the building of the Catholic church in Durrow. This year is the thirtieth anniversary of the major renovation. The catholic church now in use at Durrow dates back to 1831and was completed in 1832 and consecrated by the then bishop Rahan-born  Dr John Cantwell, on 24 September 1832. In an unpublished report on the houses and churches of County Offaly prepared for the Offaly Historical Society in 1985, William Garner wrote:

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  August 15, 2024

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• The Law of the Innocents, Birr 697 AD. By Jim Houlihan. Blog No 525, 20th Sept 2023

             In a time of war in eastern Europe and the coming to an end of the Decade of Centenaries period in Ireland, 1912–23 with the cessation of the civil war, here we today publish the second of two blogs on the protection of innocent people in times of strife. The article is by Jim Houlihan and on Monday 25 Sept. Dr Houlihan will give a lecture on Adomnán’s Law of the Innocents-Birr 697 AD. at Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore (and online) at 8 p.m. More details of his talk and online booking for Zoom see our FB post @offalyhistory. Our thanks to John Dolan for the first article and to Jim Houlihan for this article and his forthcoming talk.

  Early in the summer of the year 697, probably in May, a great assembly of kings, bishops and abbots, along with their followers and servants, took place in Birr. It was a joint meeting of kings (rígdál) and of church leaders (synod). They came together to proclaim a law for the protection of women, children, clerics and other people who did not bear arms, in times of conflict. The law was called Cáin Adomnáin or the ‘Law of the Innocents’ (Lex Innocentium) and later referred to in a poem as the ‘Great Law of Bir

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  September 20, 2023

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• The Synod of Birr, 697AD. By John Dolan. Blog No 522, 9th Sept 2023

  In a time of war in eastern Europe, and the coming to an end of the Decade of Centenaries period in Ireland, 1912–23 with the cessation of the civil war here, we today publish the first of two blogs on the protection of innocent people in times of strife. The first article is by John Dolan and on 23 September that by Jim Houlihan. On Monday 25 Sept. Dr Jim Houlihan will give a lecture on Adomnán’s Law of the Innocents-Birr 697 AD at Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore (and online) at 8 p.m. More details of his talk in our September newsletter which will be posted online soon. Our thanks to John Dolan for this article.

  There was an extraordinary Synod held in Birr in 697AD.  This synod was called by Adomnán, abbot of Iona, who arrived in Birr with the princes of church and state and who produced an edict that fundamentally challenged the way warfare was carried out in Ireland and beyond.

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  September 9, 2023

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• Statue of St Broghan/Brochan placed at Broghan’s Well, Clonsast, County Offaly on 20 August 2023. The final event in Offaly as part of National Heritage Week 2023 and which 200 attended. Support from the Heritage Council, organised by Bracknagh Heritage Society. Blog No 518, 26th August 2023

  Bracknagh Heritage Society unveiled a statue of Saint Brochan in Saint Brochan’s Well, Clonsast, County Offaly for National Heritage Week. The Blessing was performed by Fr. Gregory Corcoran, P.P and by Reverend Alan Melbourne. Mary Briody on behalf of Bracknagh Heritage Society welcomed a large crowd who gathered at the Holy Well and Monastic site at Clonsast (on farmland) as Frances Cunningham unveiled the statue. Mary Delaney gave a talk on the History of St. Brochan and the 7^th century monastic site. Pat Carey read an “Ode to St.Brochan’s Well”, composed by Mary Crotty.

  The event was accompanied by the local Choir and Ciaran Flood played the pipes. 

  Address from Mary Delaney, local historian and chairperson of Bracknagh Heritage Society

  

  Good afternoon, Fr. Corcoran, Reverend Melbourne, Ladies and Gentlemen

  Today we gather in this sacred place to remember Saint Broghan and to pay tribute to him by placing a statue of the Saint into this holy well. We hope that this will enhance the historical importance of the monastic ruins here in Clonshannon and will provide a valuable resource for future generations.

  From the early 6^th century young men and indeed some young women, as was the case of Saint Brigid, left their homes and families and decided to devote their lives to God in a special way. Some joined monasteries and convents while others like Saint Broghan established their own monasteries. Today, only fragments of the landscape they created survive. Nonetheless they left a legacy that deserves recognition. This legacy is an important part of our historical past.

  The townland of Clonsast or Clúin Sasta is the site of the monastery founded by Saint Broghan in the 7^th century. Monks usually chose isolated locations on which to establish their holy grounds, locations that would be free from distraction. Clonsast translates as “the meadow of tranquility” and would have provided an idyllic refuge in which Saint Broghan and his monks could pray and work. The monastery was built on a section of dry land surrounded by the Bog of Clonsast and the greater Bog of Allen and was in close proximity to Croghan Hill, another important seat of worship.

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  August 26, 2023

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• A new edition of the Annals of Clonmacnoise by Nollaig Ó Muraíle. Explore the link with Lemanaghan, Saturday 12 August, 2.30 p.m. Heritage Week Special no. 1. Blog No 512, 10th August 2023

  Please see an invitation from the community in Lemanaghan about two events  this Saturday 12 August as part of Heritage Week. We are publishing early this week as part of our Heritage Week Specials from 12 to 20 August. So keep in touch with us on Social Media and do call to Offaly History Centre and Offaly Archives as part of next week’s 2023 programme.

  The community of Lemanagahan extend a special invitation to you for a truly remarkable event – the book launch of “The Annals of Clonmacnoise”  where the links with Lemanaghan will be discussed by the author Nollaig Ó Muraíle.
  Event Details:
  Date: Saturday, August 12th, 2023
  Time: 2:30 PM
  Venue: The Granary, Boher, Ballycumber, Offaly, N35NX30 [beside St. Manchans Church]

  “The Annals of Clonmacnoise” is a meticulously compiled chronicle that offers a panoramic view of Ireland’s past. Through its pages, you’ll be transported to a world of ancient tales, historical intrigue, and cultural treasures that have shaped the very essence of our heritage.

  

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  August 10, 2023

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• The Battle of Mag Léna. By John Dolan. Blog No 509, 2nd August 2023

  Mag Léna is of interest for two events that occurred in the early historic period. The first event is the pseudo historic Battle of Mag Léna.  The second event was the significant Synod of Mag Léna and the Letter of Cummain, part of the Irish church row with Rome over the dating of Easter.

  Both incidents caused a split in Ireland!

  What’s in a name?

  Mag Léna is mentioned in logainm.ie as Moylena and places it in the parish of Kilbride, Co. Offaly.  Mag or Magh translates as a plain or open country, there is no information provided on the meaning of the word Léna.  Unusually, there are no additional references other than the basic location details, also this older relic from the original card index system below. A 13^th century manuscript mentions Cath Mhuighe Léana.  Magh Léana is mentioned elsewhere. In his Survey Letters we find O’Donovan used a variety of spellings for the name – Moylena, Moyléna, Moyleana, Moleany and Moy-leana.

  

  Logainm index card for Mag Léna.

  As usual there are difficulties with the older Gaelic placenames and how they were recorded over time.  Today the only memory of the name is in Tullamore, where the Moylena road joins the Clara Road and eventually joins the Rahan Road through Glendaniel.

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  August 2, 2023

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• Gaelic Assembly and Inaugurations Sites in County Offaly. By John Dolan. Blog No 488, 10th May 2023

  Pre-Christian Irish Society

  When Christians arrived in Ireland and started to write about the country they found an island of Gaelic kingdoms, perhaps up to 150, that was dynastic and the political organisation was based on the tuath.  The tuath was the bedrock of the Gaelic political system and is described as a small kingdom. Most of what we know now has been gleaned from the Irish Law Tracts, commonly known as the Brehon Laws. Other written sources include the Hero and Saga Tales. 

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  May 10, 2023

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• The Everyday Colmcille. By Dr M.J. Fox, Blog No 389, 8th June 2022

  Traditionally it has been believed that St. Columba, or Colmcille, left this world on 9 June 597, marking his departure from this world and entering a new life. Throughout those 77 years on this earth, according to his first hagiographer, Adomnán, he is reported to having performed many ‘prophecies, miracles and visions’[1] some of them astounding and others quite the opposite. Although much has been made of his more breathtaking and spectacular feats of saintliness, his less notable achievements have garnered significantly less consideration, though they might be worth reflecting on too. Here we take a few examples directly from Adomnán’s writings – one example from each of his three parts or books – and determine if they have any currency today, 1425 years later. (This article is published to mark St Colmcille’s Day on 9 June. Wishing our President Helen Bracken and all who have worked hard to see Durrow fully restored to public health and public access. Ed.)

  Adomnán’s work is divided into three books, and according to the title, the first concerns prophetic revelations, the second miracles, and the third visions. There is no chronological order to most of it. He is sometimes painfully clear about some of his sources, and vague or silent about others. Over the centuries it has been added to, and the veracity of his writing has been the subject of much debate, with some researchers more disparaging than others. Here, we are only concerned with the original Adomnán work, and nothing later than that.[2] It was written at least 60 to 100 years after Colmcille’s death. It is worth adding that the version used in this article is a 1995 translation with extensive and informative notes by Richard Sharpe.

  

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  June 8, 2022

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• Manuscripts from Early Offaly Monasteries. By John Dolan, Blog No 381, 11th May 2022

  The earliest writing is recorded in eastern Asia about 5,000 years ago. The spread was westwards with the use of earthen (cuneiform) tablets that are still found today in the Tells of modern Iraq and in the Fertile Valley.  Cuneiform tablets were mainly used for recording stock control items and account balances; at the same time Egyptian hieroglyphs were starting to record the stories of the Pharaohs.

  

  Cuneiform and Hieroglyphs

  The Greeks and Romans introduced writing to the Mediterranean countries and it spread across Europe to Britain with the arrival of the first Roman invasion in 55BC.

  

  
  Ogham is the first recorded writing in Ireland, based on inscriptions on stone. Ogham is a language based on the Roman alphabet.  The influence of the Roman empire had introduced the Latin language and writing to most of Europe. Only two other societies used stone – Pictish symbols in Scotland and Norse Runes in northern Europe.  Ogham stones are found in Ireland and in the Irish areas of influence in Scotland and Wales.

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  May 11, 2022

  Annals of Clonmacnoise, Annals of Tigernach, Book of Berchan, Book of Durrow, Cronicon Scotorum, Imirce Chiaráin, Kilcormac Missal, Leabhar na hUidhre, Macregol Gospel, Senad Saighre, St Manchan's Shrine

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