Monastery of Mohill-Manchan

Monastery of Mohill-Manchan

Location within Ireland
Monastery information
Other names	Saint Mary's Priory of Maethail-Manchan
Established	6th century
Disestablished	c. 1550 – c. 1590
Dedicated to	Saint Manchan
Diocese	Diocese of Ardagh
Controlled churches	Medieval Christian
People
Founder(s)	Saint Manchan
Site
Location	County Leitrim
Country	Ireland
Coordinates	53°55′21″N 7°51′56″W / 53.92259°N 7.86557°W / 53.92259; -7.86557
Visible remains	school-house ruins round tower base.
Public access	No

The monastery of Mohill-Manchan (Irish: mainistir an Maothail-Manachain) anciently located at Mohill,^{[n 1]} county Leitrim, was probably founded by Manchan of Mohill in the 6th century. Little is known about the former monastic community here. About the year 1216, the monastery became a religious house of the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine dedicated to the Saint Mary until suppression c. 1550 – c. 1590. The Priory of Mohill was briefly revived during Confederate Ireland rule but faced total destruction by Cromwellian forces c. 1649-1653. From the ruins St. Mary's Church, Mohill, of Protestant denomination, was established in the 18th century.

Arrival of christianity

Great changes in 6th century encouraged the growth of, and conversion to, Christianity as reflected by the multitude of monasteries which sprang up at mid-century, across Ireland,^[3] and evidence by archaeological records of the presence of church sites, Christian burial grounds and holy wells.^[4] The monastic settlement of Mohill located in the Túath of Conmaicne Réin, otherwise Muintir Eolais, is one such example. Mohill was near the ancient border of the Kingdom of Meath and monasteries were all situated, roughly speaking, on the borders between provinces.^[5][6]

• "Of the boundary of Meath with the provinces here, ... and the Shannon to Loch-Bó-dearg, from that to Maothail, thence to Athluain [sic]".^{[7][n 2]}

Monastery of Mohill-Manchan

A Christian missionary named Saint Manchan founded a church here between 500–38AD, and is patron saint of Maothail Manachain parish since this time.^[4][8][9] Whether or not Manchan died at Mohill is unknown, but his remains were probably preserved and enshrined here.^[10][11] Little is known of the monastic community at Maothail-Manachan,^[9] but it surely consisted of a church, school, mill, house of hospitality, Christian burial ground, monastic cells, "house of tears",^{[n 3]} and a round tower.^[8] The monastery was governed by the bishop, abbot, and uniquely Irish "erenagh" side by side - power exercised by one person alone, separate individuals or combined in practical permutations.^[13] The monastery was strongly bound with the tuath of Mohill (barony), meaning the Bishop enjoyed little influence; the monastic lifestyle here followed asceticism.^[14]

The monastery was of considerable extent,^[15] stretching across the river to encompass the townlands of Mohill, Tullybradan, Lisdadanan, coolabaun, Cappagh, Gortfadda, Drumcroy and Drumkilla, potentially an estate of c. 700 – c. 1072acres.^[9][16] By the 12th century, large monasteries rather than dioceses commissioned metal reliquaries,^[17] and the shrine of Manchan of Maethail may have been created for, and preserved at, the monastery of Mohill.^[18] A daughter church was extant at Cloonmorris since c. 500-700AD.^[19]

Priory of Mohill-Manchan

From the 13th century (c. 1216) following a reform movement of the Irish church, the monastery at Mohill became the Augustinian Priory of Saint Mary's of Mohill-Manchan. The priory of Mohill belonged in the diocese of Ardagh, with Canons Regular adhering to the Rule of St. Augustine.^{[n 4]} The Priory of St. Mary's was headed by a prior or prioress, whose office was valued at 20 "marks sterling" c. 1400 – c. 1401,^[20][21] or 10-20 "marks sterling" later in the 15th century.^[22][23] The office of prior reverted to the Apostolic see should a Prior die in office.^[23] In 1418 the Priory of St. Mary's Mohill was described as "conventual and with cure", a dependency of the priory of Abbeyshrule in the diocese of Conmaicne, otherwise Ardagh,^{[n 5]} and sufficiently attractive for a canon from Clonmacnoise to enter its doors.^[22] In 1475, the Priory of St. Mary's Mohill was described as "conventual", "elective", "with cure", "value not exceeding c. 12 marks", and "not depending on any other monastery or place", the latter indicating Mohill was not a dependency of Abbeyshrule priory,^[24] though a 1477 petition again alleges this dependency.^[25]

Personalities

It is impossible to fully catalogue the succession of holders of Abbots, Priors, and Canons at this ancient monastery. The information below is preserved.

Annals

Monastery of Mohill-Manachan, former grounds

The Irish Annals refers to the monastery and Mohill many times. For 1430AD the Annals of the Four Masters highlights an interesting privilege of the monastery at Mohill was a right to offer sanctuary to a fugitive fleeing from enemies.^[9] The Irish Annals records the military invasion of Muintir Eolais in March 1590, defeat of the local Túaths and forfeiture of Mohill monastery to the English crown.

• "AD 538: Manchán of Maethail fell".^[42]
• "1166: The shrine of Manchan, of Maethail, was covered by Ruaidhri Ua Conchobhair, and an embroidering of gold was carried over it by him, in as good a style as a relic was ever covered in Ireland".^[18]
• "1330: The coarb of (St) Caillin, Gilla-na-naev Mac Celie, died in the monastery of Maothail".^[18]
• "1430: Brian, the son of Tiernan Og O'Rourke, was slain by the sons of Melaghlin Mac Rannall, at Maethail-Mhanchain; and Donough Mac Tiernan was driven into the monastery of Maethail. Donough, however, came out of his own accord, for the sake of his people, on Mac Rannall's guarantee; and made peace between them; and an eric (compensation) was given to O'Rourke for the death of Brian".^[18]
• "1473: The son of Eogan Mag Ragnaill, prior of Mohill, rested.",^[43]
• "1486, The Prior of Maethail, Farrell, the son of Robert Mac Rannall, died".^[36]
• "1486: The prior of Maethal, namely, Ferghal, son of Raghnall, son of Robert, son of the Prior Mag Raghnaill, died this year on Easter Day".^[35]
• "1486: The Prior of Maethail, Farrell, the son of Robert Mac Rannall, died".^[18]
• "1590: An immense army was sent by the governor .. to Muinter-Eolais, in the beginning of March; and they captured ten hundred cows. And they were that night in Maethail; ... Pledges from the comarb of Fidhnacha, and pledges from the comarb of Druim-Oiriallaigh, and nine pledges from Muinter-Eolais, both church and territory, came with the Saxons on that occasion. The Breifne was burned on that hosting".^[44] "This army was no [sic] numerous, that he sent a vast number of his captains and battalions to Sliabh-Cairbre to oppose the inhabitants of Muintir-Eolais. ... The whole territory, both waste and inhabited, was under the power of the Governor until the ensuing Michaelmas, when ... the tribes of Breifny, and of Muintir-Eolais, and of the other O'Rourkes who remained in the country, opposed the Governor, and continued spoiling every thing belonging to the English, to which they came, until the end of this year".^[45]

Suppression between 1550-90

Monastery of Mohill, ruins of the "old school house" covered under thick ivy.

From 1540 the English were forcefully suppressing Monasteries throughout Ireland,^{[18][n 10]} and "near the end of the sixteenth century, a bad time it was for priests and papists".^[47] Some sources claim the monastery was suppressed as late as 1621,^[6][48] but in 1583 Mohill was described as the "Queens's manor" consisting of 'about six quarters',^[16] and the Irish Annals ominously record the year of suppression as 1590 when "an immense" english army occupied Mohill and routed the Muintir Eolais chieftains.^[18][49][50] Afterwards the "late monastery of Moghill" was divided between Edward Barrett c. 1592 and Terence O'Byrne c. 1594,^{[51][52][n 11]} with Barret's parcel of Mohill subsequently passing to an englishman named John Crofton c. 1594,^[16] who bequeathed same to his son Henry by deed dated June 2, 1607.^[54] On dissolution the Priory possessions were the townlands of Tullybradan, Coolabaun, Gortfadda, and Drumcroy, totaling c. 160 – c. 240acres, a church, two stone buildings, and cemetery.^[6][55]

Revival and destruction

Confederate Ireland rule was established c. 1642 – c. 1649, and during the Eleven Years' War the "Priory of Mohill" was re-established in some manner with Antony Mag Raghnaill, otherwise Reynolds, elected prior in 1645.^[41] Within a few years the Mohill clergy were dead or exiled.^{[n 12]} Before or during the devastating Cromwellian conquest of Ireland c. 1649 – c. 1653, the monastery at Mohill was totally destroyed.

Ruins

Nothing survives of the early ecclesiastical site here,^[58] except for an inaccessible old school house, base of the round tower located near the old persons home in the town, and remains of the abbey or sanctuary forming the south, and east walls of the Hyde family vault in the graveyard of Saint Mary's church, Mohill later built on the site from monastery ruins.^{[6][8][10][16][30]} Previously the Croftons had built the old Castle at Rinn Lough from the ruins of the Mohill abbey, as small free stones of the same class were evidenced in each.^[16] There may be other undocumented ruins on the wider monastic site, though it is not classed as a national monument or heritage site.^[59]

See also

• Muintir Eolais
• Conmhaícne
• Mohill (barony)

Notes and references

Notes

Citations

Primary sources

Secondary sources

Annals

Ecclesiastical sources

Miscellaneous sources