The Diocese of Meath: Ancient and Modern (vol. 2)

Each story keeps the passage it was read from. Open one to read the passage as the book has it, and, where the companion has written its own telling, that too.

1. Bishop Edward Staples Preaches Heresy at Navan, Provoking Popular Fury

   Navan · town · Meath · 1548

   Bishop Edward Staples of Meath, who had renounced the Catholic faith, planned to preach at Navan but was warned that the people so despised him for his heresy that 'if the country could, they would eat you.' A local beneficed clergyman begged him not to preach there for fear of his safety.

   Read the passage

   " One gentlewoman to whom I did christen a child which beareth my name, came in great alarm to a friend of mint-, desiring how she might find means to change her child's imim- ; and he asked her why, and she said : Because I would not have him bear the name of an heretic. A gentleman, dwelling nigh unto me, forbade his wife, who would have sent her child to be confirmed by me, so to do ; saying, his child should not be confirmed by him that denied the sacrament of the altar. A friend of mine, rehearsing at the market that I would preach the next Sunday at Navan, divers answered they would not come there, lest they should learn to be heretics. One of our lawyers declared to a multitude that it was a great pity that I //•>/.•,• nut lm,-/in/, for I preached heresy .... A beneficed man, of mine own promotion, came unto me weeping, and desired me that he might declare his mind unto me without my displeasure. I said I was well content. My lord, said he, before you went last to Dublin, you were the best beloved man in your diocese, and non- i/<»i are the worst beloved that ever came here. I asked why. ^ hy, said he, for you have taken open part with t/ie State — that false heretic — and preached against the sacrament of the altar, and deny saints, and will make us worse than Jews ; -wherefore if the country could, they would eat you ; and he besought me to take heed of myself, for he feared more than he durst tell me. He said, you have

   THE BISHOPS OF MEATH — FAILURE OF REFORMATION. 17

   Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 5

   As the companion tells it

   You are coming through Navan, in Meath. In 1548, this was where Bishop Edward Staples of Meath meant to preach, and where the people would not have him. Staples had renounced the Catholic faith. A gentlewoman whose child he had christened, a child that bore his name, came in great alarm to a friend, asking how she might change the child's name, because she would not have him bear the name of an heretic. A gentleman near Staples forbade his wife to send their child to be confirmed by him, saying his child should not be confirmed by one who denied the sacrament of the altar. A friend of Staples told the market that the bishop would preach the next Sunday at Navan. Divers answered they would not come, lest they should learn to be heretics. A lawyer declared to a multitude that it was a great pity that Staples was not burning, for he preached heresy. Then a beneficed man, of Staples's own promotion, came to him weeping, and asked to speak his mind without displeasure. Staples said he was content. The man told him, before you went last to Dublin, you were the best beloved man in your diocese, and now you are the worst beloved that ever came here. Staples asked why. The man said, you have taken open part with the State, that false heretic, and preached against the sacrament of the altar, and deny saints, and will make us worse than Jews. Wherefore, he said, if the country could, they would eat you. He begged Staples to take heed of himself, for he feared more than he durst say.

2. Clandestine Penal-Era Mass near Drumcondra

   Drumcondra · town · Meath · 1700–1750

   During the persecution of the Catholic Church in the early eighteenth century, when chapels were closed, Fr. Fleming celebrated Mass at daybreak in a valley near Drumcondra while parishioners kept watch on the surrounding hills.

   Read the passage

   In 1704 we find the Rev. Thomas Fleming registered at Trim, in accordance with the Penal Statute, as " Popish Priest of Drumconragh, Ardagh, Loghbrackan, and Inismot." He was ordained at Ardpatrick, County Louth, in 1674, by Dr. Oliver Plunket, was 54* years of age in that year, and lived on the townland of Moonistown. The Rev. Father Fleming was a very respectable old priest, •was held in high esteem by the Protestant gentry, and his name is reverenced by the people of this parish to the present day. In his time there was a mud-wall thatched chapel at Drumcondra, and another on the townland of Ballinavoran ; and, during the frequent storms which blew over the Irish Church in the early part of the last century, when the wretched Catholic chapels were closed throughout the kingdom, the venerable pastor, nothing daunted, used to celebrate Mass at day-break in a valley near

   * In Battersby's reprint of. the Registered Clergy in 1704, the age is entered as forty-four, in place of fifty-four. See this list corrected in the Collections on Irish Church History, edited by Dr. M'Carthy of Maynooth College, page 287.

   Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 20

3. Cromwellian Massacre at Wexford

   Wexford · town · Wexford · 1649

   Wexford was among the towns subjected to Cromwell's merciless butcheries during his 1649 campaign in Ireland, described as exceeding the atrocities of historical tyrants.

   Read the passage

   3. CromWell landed in Ireland on the 14th of Ari 1649, and commenced rigorously to carry out the wishes of the Parliament — viz., to uproot the Catholic religion and to exterminate the people. He was a hideous monster,* and his merciless butcheries in Drogheda, Wexford, C 'a I Ian, and wherever his troopers marched, surpassed in fiendish atrocity the most savage barbarities of Tamerlane, the Taitar, or, more recently, of Nadir Shah. Referring the reader to the various Histories of Ireland in which evidences accumulate of Cromwell's barbarity, and of the terrible misery he inflicted on the country, we confine ourselves to a few extracts from contemporary writers. Father Dominick de Rosario O'Daly thus describes the Cromwellians and their progress through Ireland rf-

   " That raging mass, besprinkled with the monarch's blood, burst upon the land of my love. The butcher, the buffoon, and the hired cut-throat, each led his band ; and the very dregs of English cities and towns were invested with centurion authority. Then came hideous woes, as though would lash us with a triple scourge — discord, famine, and pestilence. AVell

   Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 7

   As the companion tells it

   Up ahead is Wexford town. In 1649 it was among the places where Cromwell's campaign brought what this source calls merciless butchery. Cromwell landed in Ireland on the 14th of August 1649 and began to carry out the Parliament's wishes, to uproot the Catholic religion and to exterminate the people. The book calls him a hideous monster. It says his butcheries in Drogheda, Wexford, and wherever his troopers marched surpassed in fiendish atrocity the most savage barbarities of Tamerlane the Tartar, and more recently of Nadir Shah. The writer turns to a contemporary, Father Dominick de Rosario O'Daly, who described the Cromwellians and their progress through Ireland in these words: That raging mass, besprinkled with the monarch's blood, burst upon the land of my love. The butcher, the buffoon, and the hired cut-throat, each led his band; and the very dregs of English cities and towns were invested with centurion authority. Then came hideous woes, as though would lash us with a triple scourge, discord, famine, and pestilence.

4. Death and burial of Bishop Dease during the siege of Galway

   Galway · city · Galway · 1651–1652

   Fleeing the Parliamentary forces, Dr. Dease took refuge in Galway and was hospitably received in the Jesuit College, where he died during the siege of the city in 1651-2. His remains were interred under the threshold of the sacristy of the collegiate church of St. Nicholas, Galway.

   Read the passage

   When the Parliamentary forces were swarming over the country, Dr. Dease, with many others, took refuge in Galway, and was hospitably received in the Jesuit College, where he died, during the siege of that city, in 1651-2.* His remains were interred under the threshold of the sacristy of the collegiate church of St. Nicholas, Galway ; and his friend, Sir Richard Bellings, had a monument erected to his memory, for which he composed the following inscription :*f*

   " In lachrymas oculos Hibernia solve cadatque Hsec Hecatombe super preesulis ossa tui Hie pius prudens regi sua jura Deoque Reddere callebat doctus utroque foro Bella fideni regnum cssco discrimme cuncta Miscebant fixa sed stetit ilia petra Laeta illi gravitas et mentis amabile pondus Eloquio dulcis grandis et Ingenio Internae vultus rutilabat gratia flamma3 Illi ardens zelus sed ratione sagax Extra talis erat luberet penetrare sed intus Occurret seraphim cor in igne micans Tanta illi castse semper custodia mentis Ut libare Deo promptus ubique foret Si fletu posset revocari talis in auras Prsesul in eternum lumen utrumque fleret."

   Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 6

   As the companion tells it

   As you pass through Galway, you are travelling the streets where Dr. Dease died during the siege of 1651 to 1652. Fleeing the Parliamentary forces that were spreading across the country, he took refuge here and was received into the Jesuit College, where he died while the city was under siege. His remains were buried under the threshold of the sacristy of the collegiate church of St. Nicholas. His friend Sir Richard Bellings raised a monument to his memory, inscribing it with a Latin elegy calling Ireland to weep over the bones of her bishop, praising Dease as pious, prudent, learned in both divine and civil law, steadfast in faith amid war, and ardent in zeal guided by reason.

5. Defaced Popish Stone Saves the Priest at Durrow Chapel

   Durrow · parish · Offaly

   A lettered stone attached to an old chapel in Durrow attracted the attention of local gentry out hunting, who threatened to have the priest punished. Stepney, proprietor of Durrow, secretly warned the priest, Dr. Anthony Nolan, and had the stone defaced so no symbol of Popery remained, allowing it to stand.

   Read the passage

   Stepney,* the proprietor of Durrow, sent privately for the priest (Dr. Anthony Nolan)/f- and advised him to have the stone removed or defaced. The pastor got it defaced by a mason, and as there was no longer any symbol of Popery about it, the gentry allowed it to remain. The Stepneys were a kind-hearted family, who lived on friendly terms with their Catholic neighbours, and often interposed to prevent persecution.

   In the Tullamore district, there was a chapel at Ballyduff. The site of the present chapel was granted by the Charleville family.

   Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 28

6. Destruction of the old church of Ardbraccan

   Ardbraccan · townland · Meath · 1777

   The old parish church of Ardbraccan contained many monuments including a splendid tomb to Bishop Edmund Ouldhall, all swept away when the present Protestant church was built in 1777. Graves were dug up and bones disinterred and thrown into a pit.

   Read the passage

   * The walls of the old church were levelled, monuments were cleared away, graves were dug up, cart-loads of bones and skulls were disinterred, for the purpose of clearing a site for the present church. The fragments of mortality were thrown into a pit in the cemetery. There is a monument in the church-yard to the memory of George Montgomery, Protestant Bishop of Meath, which was repaired some years ago, and ornamented with some figured slabs taken from the tomb of a Catholic dignitary, name now unknown. Under this monument three Protestant Bishops are interred, viz., Dr. Montgomery, the celebrated traveller Dr. Pococke, and the unfortunate Dr. O'Beirne.

   t There is a tradition in the parish that a Mr. T , then owner of

   Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 20

   As the companion tells it

   Somewhere close to Ardbraccan, the old parish church stood here until 1777, when the present Protestant church was built on its site. The walls were levelled and the monuments cleared away. Graves were dug up, and cart-loads of bones and skulls were disinterred and thrown into a pit in the cemetery. Among what was lost was a splendid tomb to Bishop Edmund Ouldhall. A monument in the churchyard to George Montgomery, Protestant Bishop of Meath, was later repaired with figured slabs taken from the tomb of a Catholic dignitary whose name is now unknown. Three Protestant bishops are buried under that monument: Dr. Montgomery, the celebrated traveller Dr. Pococke, and the unfortunate Dr. O'Beirne.

7. Dr. Plunket hid in caves and woods to minister during Cromwellian persecution

   Ardagh · parish · Longford · 1649–1655

   While Cromwell devastated Ireland and transported people to the Barbadoes, Dr. Plunket secretly visited his afflicted flock at great personal risk, hiding by day in caverns, woods, and poor cabins.

   Read the passage

   While Cromwell was desolating Ireland with fire and sword, and transporting to the Barbadoes the remnant of the people, Dr. Plunket, like a true apostle, visited his afflicted flock, at the peril of his life, to console and encourage them in their numerous trials. He lay hid by day in the caverns of the earth, in the unfrequented woods, and in the cabins of the poor, and came forth by night to confirm them in the faith, to administer the sacraments, and stimulate them to perseverance. But the sanguinary edicts against the Catholic clergy were so rigorously enforced, that the holy bishop had at length to yield to the storm, and seek safety by flight. Accordingly he made his escape to Portugal, and wandered thence to France and the Netherlands. We find him at Seez, in Normandy, in 16G2, when Peter W;:!sh wrote to solicit his signature to the Remonstrance. Dr. Plunket gave no answer to Walsh, but wrote the following letter to his brother, Sir Nicholas Plunket :*

   * Walsh's Remonstrance, p. 13t

   Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 8

8. Dr. Terence O'Brien hanged by General Ireton at Limerick

   Emly · town · Tipperary · 1651

   Dr. Terence O'Brien, Bishop of Emly, was executed by hanging under the order of General Ireton during the Cromwellian conquest.

   Read the passage

   In the year 1649, there were four archbishops and twenty-three bishops in Ireland; during a portion of Cromwell's reign there was only one — viz., Dr. Swiney, of Kiimore — who was unable to seek safety by flight, in consequence of age and infirmity; and in 1G66, as we have seen, only six survived. Three of our bishops were hanged by the Cromwellians — viz., Dr. Heber M'Mahon, of Ciogher, by Sir Charles Coote ; Dr. Terence O'Brien, of Emiy, by General Ireton ; and Dr. Boetius Egan, of Ross, by the Puritan Cavalry.

   Seven died in Ireland, and repose in Irish graves — viz., Dr. Fleming of Dublin, Dr. Roth of Ossory, Dr. Dease of Meath, Dr. O'Mallony of Killaloe, Dr. Egan of Elphin, Dr. Connell of Ardfert, and Dr. Mageoghegan of Meath.*

   Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 8

9. Father Barnewall hidden in a turf rick at Cortown

   Cortown · townland · Meath

   While visiting the parish of Cortown, priest-hunters from Kells searched so closely for Father Barnewall that a farmer constructed a hiding apartment for him inside a rick of turf.

   Read the passage

   At one time, during which the penal law against the priesthood was enforced with more than usual rigor, Waller had Father Barnwall concealed for several weeks in his house. Many of the peasantry were aware of this, and understood, too, the propriety of not seeming to know, and, of course, the necessity of not divulging this act of benevolence to their afflicted pastor. Hence, when any of the people would have a sick call, the messenger would proceed to Allenstown, pass around the house so as to attract attention, and when Mr. W'aller would ask the cause of uneasiness, the reply would be that a priest was required in such a place. The peasant knew the hint was enough, and forthwith Father Barnwall would be seen journeying on his mission of charity, and, that discharged, stealing back to the house of his protector and friend. However, Father Barnwall would be often obliged to visit remote parts of his parish, and find it impossible to return for a considerable time. On one occasion, while visiting the parish of Cortown, the priest- hunters from Kells made so close a search after him, that, to ensure his safety, a farmer constructed a little apartment for him in a rick of turf,*

   a few years ago given by Rev. Mr. Geoghegan to the late Richard

   Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 20

10. Fr. Richard Ennis and the Navan cholera epidemic of 1832

    Navan · town · Meath · 1832

    During the terrible cholera outbreak of 1832 in Navan, Father Richard Ennis worked tirelessly day and night attending the sick and dispensing the sacraments, an act of devotion still remembered in local tradition.

    Read the passage

    cath, in the year 1807, entered the Seminary of Navan at an early age, and went thence to the College of Maynooth, where he studied for three years. In 1827 or ''28 he proceeded to the Eternal City, having accompanied Dr. Boylan, the learned and accomplished President of the Irish College, Rome, and remained there till 1830, imbibing, at the fountain of religion and of sacred learning, that devotion to -the Holy See, that spirit of charity and selfsacrifice, which in after years so pre-eminently characterized him. Soon after his return to his native diocese, he was appointed to the curacy of Nobber, and, in 1831, to Navan, where he spent seven or eight years. During the terrible cholera of 1832, Father Ennis was occupied from morning till night, and frequently from night till morning, attending the sick, consoling the afflicted, dispensing the sacred mysteries, regardless of self ; and the impression his burning zeal and untiring devotedness made on the people of Navan is still deeply engraven in their recollections and traditions. We next find him curate in Mullingar, administrator of Blacklyon, pastor of Ardhraccan, whence he was translated, in July, 1842, to Rathmolyon, in the deanery of Trim, where he became Yicar- Forane and Master of Conference. We are compressing the life of a great man, indeed, into a narrow space ; but he was a faitliful priest of God, and hence his varied range of duties, his manifold services to the Church and to the country, can be better conceived than expressed in the silent language of the pen.

    As a pulpit orator, Father Ennis had no superior. He was peculiarly methodical and orderly in the arrangement of his discourse, logical and lucid in argument, extremely happy in the selection of his words, earnest and fervent in manner, and there was about his person such an appearance of sanctity, such a heavenly meekness and sweetness, such an Apostolic dignity and grace, that those who listened to him could never forget the preacher, or the

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 25

    As the companion tells it

    Up ahead is Navan, in Meath. In 1832 cholera tore through this town, and the priest who stood in its path was Father Richard Ennis. Ennis had entered the Seminary of Navan as a boy, then studied for three years at Maynooth. He travelled to Rome with Dr. Boylan, the President of the Irish College there, and stayed till 1830. Soon after coming home he was given the curacy of Nobber, and then in 1831 he was sent to Navan, where he would serve for seven or eight years. When the cholera came in 1832, Father Ennis worked from morning till night, and often from night till morning, attending the sick, consoling the afflicted, dispensing the sacred mysteries, regardless of himself. The book says his burning zeal and untiring devotedness left a mark on the people of Navan that is still deeply engraven in their recollections and traditions. After Navan he served as curate in Mullingar, administrator of Blacklyon, and pastor of Ardraccan. In July 1842 he was moved to Rathmolyon, in the deanery of Trim, where he became Vicar-Forane and Master of Conference. As a preacher, the record says he had no superior. He was methodical and orderly in arranging his discourse, logical and lucid in argument, and extremely happy in his choice of words. There was about his person, it says, such an appearance of sanctity, such heavenly meekness and sweetness, such Apostolic dignity and grace, that those who listened could never forget the preacher.

11. Leader's alibi drinking at Rathconrath before the robbery

    Rathconrath · townland · Westmeath · 1778

    The gang leader who planned the robbery of Bishop Geoghegan deliberately stayed drinking at a house in Rathconrath at the time of the crime, to establish an alibi, noting the hour ominously before riding off to check on his associates.

    Read the passage

    turned to his home at Ballybeg. A gang of highwaymen who then infested the country resolved to break into his house, rob him, and, in case of resistance, take his life. Everything favoured their plans, for the curate, on the bishop's return, got leave of absence to visit his friends, and no one slept in the house unless Dr. Geoghegan and an aged housekeeper. On the night fixed for the robbery, the leader of the gang, who had arranged all details, but who resolved not to be present, was drinking in a house at Rathconrath, several miles distant, and in order to have witnesses to prove an alibi, should the vengeance of the law or the wrath of the people descend on him, he took out his watch, and said ominously to those around him, " Mind, it is now twelve o'clock." He next mounted his horse and rode off to see how fared it with his associates. In the meantime the robbers met, and, having blackened their faces, cast lots to decide who would break through the window and open the house to the rest. The lot fell on a notorious ruffian named Mick Allard (pronounced by the people Ollard), from the hill of Rathconrath, County Westmeath, whom they set half drunk in order to encourage him. A stone flung through the window, which hit the post of the bed on which Dr. Geoghegan was sleeping, awoke him ; and, when he rose to ascertain the cause, he saw a robber with a hatchet in his hand attempting to force his way through the window. When the bishop asked him what brought him there, the ruffian, who was supported on the shoulders of his companions, averted his face, took more drink, and continued to force himself through the window. The bishop remonstrated with him, threatened, but all to no purpose. Now, in the room there was an old rusty gun, which Dr. Geoghegan had in his hands that day while walking through his little farm, and in which there was an old charge which he endeavoured frequently, but in vain, to fire off. When remonstrance failed with the robber, the bishop took the old gun in his hands and presented it at the intruder. More drink was now supplied to Allard, and he persevered, hatchet in hand, forcing himself in the window. Dr. Geoghegan, never

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 11

12. Nugent Ministers in Plague-Stricken Waterford

    Waterford · city · Waterford · 1651

    Fleeing persecution, Nugent traveled to Waterford, a city scourged by plague, where he ministered alone for six weeks to rich and poor, intending to remain until sword or plague ended his life.

    Read the passage

    " Having terminated a mission there, I came to Waterford, where the harvest was still more abundant, the city being far more populous, and scourged with the plague. I am here alone for six weeks, attending to the wants of the poor and of the rich, and it is my intention to remain here until the sword or the plague shall terminate my career.

    " I had no confessor until God sent an English priest to this city : returning from Spain to England, he was forced to enlist by the Parliamentarians, who were ignorant of his being a priest, and being sent into Ireland to join the Puritan army here, he effected his escape, and now lies concealed in the neighbourhood.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 7

13. Priest-hunting traditions on the banks of Lough Derravaragh

    near Lough Derravaragh · lake or lakes · Westmeath

    During persecution the Holy Sacrifice was frequently offered in the ditches on the banks of Lough Derravaragh, and numberless vivid traditions survive of priest-hunting and the stratagems used to evade government spies seeking to arrest Catholic clergy.

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    In the days of persecution the Holy Sacrifice was frequently offered up in the ditches, on the banks of Lough Derravaragh, and, during this period, the priest took refuge on the hill of Knockeyon, slept by night on the brink of the lake, having a boat moored in one of the crevices, into which he fled when pursued, and thus escaped his enemies. There are numberless vivid traditions respecting priest-hunting here, and of the many stratagems adopted to evade the vigilant and unceasing espionage which the Government set in motion for the arrest of the Catholic clergy. When toleration, even trifling, dawned on the persecuted Church, an humble chapel was erected at Kingstown, which, in course of time, was followed by another at the same place. The site of the present handsome chapel of Mayne was generously granted, rent free for ever, by the family of Dease, of Turbotstown. In the present chapel of Faughelstown there is a tomb with the following inscription :

    " Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. (Apoc. vix. 13.) Grant, 0 Lord, that the soul of thy servant,

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 26

14. Priory of the Blessed Virgin, Duleek: tombs and ruined belfry

    Duleek · town · Meath · 1587–1691

    The ruined priory retains a lofty ivy-clad belfry and part of the old church shell. A mitred effigy tomb, an obliterated Cusack crest, and the grave of Bishop James Cusack lie within, alongside a memorial to John Lord Bellew, mortally wounded at Aughrim.

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    " This window was made by Sirr John Bellewe, Knight, and Dame Ismay Nugent, his wife, in the yeare of oure Lord 1587." (See Lodge's Peerage, vol. iv., p. 168).

    There is a monument here to John Lord Bellew, who was mortally wounded at the battle of Aughriin, and another to the Taaffe family.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 18

15. Rathcore and the exemption of clergy from military service

    Rathcore · townland · Meath · 804

    At Rathcore in 804 AD, King Aedh Oirdnidhe rested with his army while marching against the Leinstermen, forcing the Archbishop of Armagh and northern clergy to accompany him. The clergy's remonstrance led to a famous judgment by the poet Fothadh that exempted clergy from military expeditions forever after.

    Read the passage

    Rathcore, anciently called Dwn-Cair, " Cuar's Dun or Fort/' has been rendered memorable in- our annals, hi consequence of its connection with a remarkable event. It had been the custom, after the conversion of Ireland to Christianity, to oblige the clergy to accompany their clansmen in their military expeditions. Wars were then frequent, and it was an intolerable abuse to drag religious from their sacred duties and peaceful pursuits, and oblige them to be spectators of the plundering raids and bloody reprisals which divided and disgraced the country. Hugh the Legislator (Aedh Olrnlgli), monarch of Ireland, marching at the head of an army, in the year 804, to attack the Leinstermen and devastate their country, rested with his troops at Rathcore. The Archbishop of Armagh and the northern clergy were obliged to accompany him, and at Rathcore they earnestly remonstrated with him on the gross injustice and impropriety to which they were subjected. The King left the matter to the decision of a learned ecclesiastic named Fohy, who was his own poet, tutor, and adviser. The lamented Professor O'Curry* describes the transaction thus :

    " This monarch (Aedh Oirdnidhe), in the year 799 (rede. 804), raised a large army, with which he marched against the people of the province of Leinster, and proceeded as far as Dun Cuar, on the confines of that province and Meath, where he encamped. The monarch, on this occasion, compelled the

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 25

16. Sienna Convent, Drogheda, founded and Plunket relic enshrined

    Drogheda · town · Louth · 1721

    MacEgan urged the Archbishop of Armagh to found a convent of Dominican nuns in Drogheda, leading to the Sienna Convent under Catherine Plunket, niece of the martyred Archbishop Oliver Plunket, where his head was enshrined in a silver case.

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    easily escape notice.* One of the first official acts of the new Provincial was to urge Dr. M'Mahon, Archbishop of Armagh, to have a convent of Dominican nuns founded in Drogheda, and this led to the establishment of the Sienna Convent, over which presided as first Superioress Catherine Plunket, niece to the martyred Primate, Dr. Oliver Plunket, and in which was most appropriately deposited the head of the venerable Archbishop, enshrined in a silver case, where it can still be seen. Father MacEgan, like his great predecessor, Roche McGeoghegan, was indefatigable in reviving his order, in collecting the scattered stones of the sanctuary, and he lived to see flourishing communities of the Dominicans in almost every diocese in Ireland. In 1725, as Irish Provincial, he assisted at the election of Very Rev. Thomas Ripoll, who was raised to the dignity of Superior of the order. In the same year he proceeded to Rome, and, being nominated and elected to the See of Clonmacnoise, was consecrated by Pope Benedict XIII. on the 29th of September, 1725. The Holy Father, who had a high opinion of his worth and efficiency, paid him every mark of respect, and continued him in the Provincialship of the order until such time as a suitable successor could be elected. In 1729 Dr. MacEgan was transferred by the Pope to the See of Ferns, and, in the same year, to that of Meath, when Dr. Luke Fagan was promoted to the Archiepiscopal See of Dublin. On his appointment to Meath, the, Holy See granted him the parish of Navan in commendam, and the administration of the diocese of Clonmacnoise. On the 1st of May, 1737, he and Dr. James O'Gallagher, Bishop of Raphoe, were assisting consecrating prelates at the consecration of Dr. Laurence Richardson to the See of Kilmore. The ceremony took place in the convent of the Dominican nuns of Dublin, and the consecrator was Dr. Linegar, Archbishop of Dublin.

    * De Burgo tells us that saoh was the espionage at the time, that three strangers could'nt enter any of our towns without the knowledge of the magistrates. — Hib. Dom., p. 162.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 10

    As the companion tells it

    Coming through Drogheda now. It was here, around 1721, that a new chapter opened for the Dominican nuns in Ireland. Father MacEgan, the newly appointed Provincial of the order, urged Dr. McMahon, the Archbishop of Armagh, to have a convent of Dominican nuns founded in this town. His urging led to the establishment of the Sienna Convent. The woman chosen to preside as first Superioress was Catherine Plunket. She was the niece of the martyred Primate, Dr. Oliver Plunket, who had been put to death for his faith. And so it was most fitting that the head of the venerable Archbishop was deposited there, enshrined in a silver case, where it could still be seen in the years after. Father MacEgan was a man described as indefatigable in reviving his order, collecting what the source calls the scattered stones of the sanctuary. He lived to see flourishing communities of Dominicans in almost every diocese in Ireland. His work went far beyond Drogheda. In 1725, as Irish Provincial, he assisted at the election of Very Reverend Thomas Ripoll to the dignity of Superior of the order. That same year he went to Rome, where he was nominated and elected to the See of Clonmacnoise, and consecrated by Pope Benedict the Thirteenth on the 29th of September, 1725. The Pope held him in high regard and kept him in the Provincialship until a suitable successor could be found. In 1729 he was transferred to the See of Ferns, and the same year to Meath. The Holy See granted him the parish of Navan and the administration of Clonmacnoise. On the 1st of May, 1737, he assisted as a consecrating prelate when Dr. Laurence Richardson was consecrated to the See of Kilmore, in the convent of the Dominican nuns of Dublin.

17. St. Bridget's crosses and Cromwellian hanging tree at Martry

    Martry · townland · Meath

    Two crosses called St. Bridget's crosses once stood on a green knoll at the crossroads of Martry, their shafts smashed though pedestals remain. A tree in the parish, since cut down, was traditionally where several priests were hanged during Cromwell's time.

    Read the passage

    There were two crosses on a green knoll, at the crossroads of Martry, called St. Bridget's crosses. The erect and cross shafts have been smashed, but the pedestals remain. There was a tree in this parish, from which several priests were hanged in the time of Cromwell. The tree has been cut down, but the site is still pointed out.

    Moyagher.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 20

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere around here, there were two crosses on a green knoll at the crossroads of Martry, called St. Bridget's crosses. The shafts have been smashed, but the pedestals remain. A tree in this parish, from which several priests were hanged in the time of Cromwell, has been cut down, but the site is still pointed out.

18. St Fechin's monastic remains at Fore

    Fore · townland · Westmeath

    At Fore, St Fechin preached and founded a great monastic settlement; traces of his community's cultivation, the church lintel, an old mill still turned by Lough Lene's waters, and a holy well all survive as relics of ancient devotion.

    Read the passage

    There is an air of sanctity and grandeur about the crumbling walls, the holy ruins, and the magnificent scenery of Fore, which is intensified by the many Catholic traditions and sacred memories which linger over this once great seat of monasticism. Here St. Fechin preached and labored, edifying religious and laity by his holiness and austerity of life ; and here are numerous traces of the high state of cultivation to which the unremitting toil of his community subjected and nourished the wild unprofitable wastes. The lintel of the doorway of his church is still the admiration of the antiquarian tourist, and an old mill, as in the days of St. Fechin, is still turned by the rushing waters of Lough Lene, as they sweep down from the Benn of Fore. The holy well is still reverenced as a relic of ancient Devotion, and one of his favourite places of solitude and prayer still bears the prints of his limbs, as he knelt at his devotions. Here is the little island, now called " Monk's Island," where it is said the students of the college attended class in the summer time ; and, contiguous to it, another, where tradition hands down that the Danish tyrant, Turgesius, so long the scourge and terror of the country, was captured, after defeat by the victorious soldiers of our own King Malachy. In a word, the eye is charmed, the heart is elevated, faith is vivified, and love of holy Ireland magnified by a pilgrimage or visit to Lough Lene and Fore.

    432 DEANERY OF MULLINGAR — FORE OR COLLINSTOWN.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 26

19. Synod of Kells pronounces the war just

    Kells · town · Meath · 1642

    On 22 March 1642, bishops of the province of Ulster held a Synod at Kells, presided over by Archbishop Hugh O'Reilly of Armagh, declaring the Catholic war just and meritorious while warning against plunder or murder under pain of excommunication.

    Read the passage

    ciless executions of that stormy period, we find the Catholic clergy never encouraging retaliation, never steeling the hearts of the people, in their hour of triumph, to the cry of mercy, but, on the contrary, interposing to save life and property, and often concealing in their houses Protestant prisoners, on whom reprisals would have been sometimes taken, for the savage barbarity with which the Puritan soldiery were butchering men, women, and chilchildren, throughout the country.* On the 22nd March, 1642, the bishops of the province of Ulster held a Synod at Kells, County Heath, which was presided over by Dr. Hugh O'Reilly, Archbishop of Armagh. The Synod pronounced the war undertaken by the Catholics of Ireland to be just and meritorious, inasmuch as it was waged for their King, country, and religion ; warned the people against entering on it through motives of avarice or revenge, and denounced, under the penalty of excommunication, all such as should be guilty of plunder or murder during the course of the war. All the bishops of the province attended this ecclesiastical council, unless Dr. Dease, and his absence on so momentous an occasion, under circumstances of such extreme peril to the spiritual and temporal interests of his people, diffused, as might be expected, a wide-spread spirit of dissatisfaction and popular indignation. No doubt his advanced age, the possession of a large estate, the traditions of the Pale, in which he had been brought up, family influences, and a temperament averse to tumult and popular excitement, exercised considerable influence in keeping him aloof from the movements of his countrymen ; but his principal motive of abstention seems to have been "// ";m/W/rvx/o// of a, probability of success."^ On the 10th of Hay, same year,

    * Haverty's Ireland, p. 531 ; Hardiman's lar-Connaught, p. 406 ; Carte's Ormond, vol. i., p. 267 ; Warner, p. 182; Curry's liciicw, and Irish Histories, pfissim.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 6

    As the companion tells it

    As you pass through Kells, this is the town where, on 22 March 1642, the bishops of Ulster gathered for a synod that shaped the Catholic war effort. Archbishop Hugh O'Reilly of Armagh presided, and the synod pronounced the war undertaken by the Catholics of Ireland to be just and meritorious, inasmuch as it was waged for their King, country, and religion. Yet the bishops also warned the people against entering the war through motives of avarice or revenge, and denounced, under penalty of excommunication, anyone guilty of plunder or murder during the fighting. All the bishops of the province attended, with one notable absence. Dr. Dease stayed away, and his failure to appear on so momentous an occasion stirred widespread dissatisfaction and popular indignation. His advanced age, his large estate, the traditions of the Pale in which he had been raised, family influences, and a temperament averse to tumult all played their part. But the principal motive for his abstention seems to have been his doubt about the probability of success. The book notes that the Catholic clergy of this stormy period never encouraged retaliation, but instead interposed to save life and property, often hiding Protestant prisoners in their houses when reprisals might otherwise have been taken for the barbarity of Puritan soldiery butchering men, women, and children throughout the country.

20. The Black Church of Corballis and its buried skulls

    Corballis · townland · Meath

    A church called the Black Church once stood at Corballis (now Oldtown), with an extensive attached cemetery. About thirty years before writing, potatoes planted in the field revealed a layer of skulls, bones, and human remains less than a foot below the surface.

    Read the passage

    TJie Black Church. — On the townland of Corballis, now called Oldtown, there was a church called "the Black Church." The field in which this edifice stood is still called "the Black Church field." This sanctuary was levelled many years ago, and the stones carried away. There was an extensive cemetery attached, but is has long since been discontinued. About thirty years ago, potatoes were planted in this field, and it was found that, less than a foot under the surface, there was a layer of skulls, bones, and human clay. Since that time the site of the church and burying ground is occupied with grass, and it is to be hoped that no rude hand will offer any additional disturbance to the rest of the dead.

    Follistovm.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 18

21. Bishop Plunket defies bigots to remain in Navan

    Navan · town · Meath · 1779

    On his arrival in Navan as the newly consecrated Bishop of Meath, Dr. Plunket was ordered by local bigots to leave on peril of his life, as they would not allow a Popish bishop to reside there. He refused, declaring they might take his life but he would reside in Navan, and he made it his home for the rest of his long life.

    Read the passage

    2. Dr. Plunket was elected to the See of Meath on the 19th of December, 1778, .and was consecrated in Paris on the 28th of February, 1779. He was presented with an episcopal outfit and library by a family of rank in France, as a small token of the respect and veneration in which he was held, but was robbed of nearly all, on his way home, by Paul Jones, the American privateer. On his arrival in Navan he was ordered by some of the local bigots to depart hence, on the peril of his life, as they said they were determined that no Popish bishop should reside here. Dr. Plunket answered, that his life they might take, but in Navan he would reside. They were vanquished by his firmness, and hence, throughout his long life, Dr. Plunket made Navan his home. The reader is referred, for additional information, to Diocese of Meath, vol. i., pp. 234-40.

    2. Visitation, 1780.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 12

    As the companion tells it

    As you pass through Navan, you are in the town where Dr. Plunket took his stand in 1779. He had been consecrated Bishop of Meath in Paris that February, and given an episcopal outfit and library by a family of rank in France. On his way home, Paul Jones, the American privateer, robbed him of nearly all of it. When he arrived in Navan, local bigots ordered him to leave on peril of his life, saying no Popish bishop would reside there. He answered that they might take his life, but in Navan he would reside. They were vanquished by his firmness, and he made Navan his home for the rest of his long life.

22. Deliberate destruction of Clonfad church and graveyard by road building

    Clonfad · townland · Westmeath

    Clonfad, once the residence of St Etchen and site of St Columbkille's ordination, had its church and graveyard desecrated when public roads were deliberately constructed directly through them, similarly to Kilbride-Pace.

    Read the passage

    Clonfad, remarkable for having been the residence of St. Etchen, and for having witnessed the ordination of St. Columbkille, is now desolate indeed. The old'walls have been torn down, and for the most part uprooted. The church and grave-yard, like those of Kilbride-Pace, seem to have been designedly ruined, by the construction of public roads directly through them. This is public desecration— this is cowardly, cold-blooded, ferocious, and atrocious insult to the living and the dead with a vengeance ! There is a fragment of a very ancient, unornamented, unlettered cross in the cemetery, which marks, it is said, the resting place of six bishops. A short distance to the north-east of the church are traces of the old monastery. A perch or so to the east of the church-

    XOTE. — I am indebted to the Rev. Michael Callery, C.C., Killucan, for much valuable information concerning this parish and Milltowu.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 26

23. Destruction of St Mary's Abbey, Duleek for mansion building

    Duleek · town · Meath

    The ruins of St Mary's Abbey (also called St Kianan's) stand within the demesne of the Marquis of Thomond; most walls were demolished to build the mansion house, tombs and headstones were uprooted, and the sacred earth of the dead was carted off to manure a garden.

    Read the passage

    This celebrated monastery, called by some, St. Kianan's,"f" met with a fate similar to that of the religious foundations of its day. Its ruins stand within the demesne of the Marquis of Thomond, but most of the walls have been torn down to build the mansion-house ; the very tombs and headstones of the departed have been uprooted and smashed for a similar purpose ; and, alas ! alas ! the sacred clay of mortality, the poor earthly fragments of man, which even a demon might spare, have been carted off to manure and fertilize a garden. Comment on such ruthless and sacrilegious barbarism is unnecessary, and the heart is too

    * The writer remembers having seen the Apostle of Temperance, the saintly and memorable Eev. Theobald Mathew, preach to the people, under the shadow of this cross, in the summer of 1840 or 1841 ; and had the pleasure of listening to the late lamented Frederick Lucas, on Tenant Eight, in June or July, 1852. Both have passed from amongst us, it is to be hoped to a better world ; and few of those who remain have loved the church and people of Ireland better.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 18

24. Eneas Penny Slain at the Altar in Killagh Parish Church

    Killagh · street · Tipperary

    Eneas Penny, parish priest of Killagh, was slain at the altar of his own parish church during the persecution of Catholic clergy under Elizabeth.

    Read the passage

    " Among many other Roman Catholic bishops and priests that were put to death for the exercise of their functions in Ireland, Glaby O'Boyle, Abbot of Boyle, of the diocese of Elphin, and Owen O'Mulkerin, Abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, in that diocese, hanged and quartered by Lord Gray, in 1580 ; John Stephens, for saying Mass for Teigue MacHugh, was hanged and quartered by Lord Borroughs, in 1597 ; Toady O'Boyle, guardian of the Monastery of Donegal, was slain by the English in his own monastery ; six friars were slain in the monastery of Moynihigan ; John O'Calyhor and Bryan OTrevor, of the order of St. Bernard, were slain in their own monastery, de Sancta Maria, in Ulster, as also Felimy O'Hara, a lay -brother ; so was Eneas Penny, parish priest of Killagh, slain at the altar in his parish church there ; Cahall M'Goran, Rory O'Donnellan, Peter O'Quillan, Patrick O'Kenna, George Power, Vicar-General of the diocese of Ossory ; Andrew Stritch, of Limerick ; Bryan O'Muirihirtagh, Vicar-General of the diocese of Clonfert ; Dorohow O'Molony of Thomond, John Kelly of Louth, Stephen Patrick of Annaly, John Pillis, friar,

    * The Geraldincs, by O'Daly, translated by Rev. C. P. Meehan, p. 161. •f1 Review, p. 6, extracted from Theatre of Catholic and Protestant Religion, p. 582.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 5

25. English Priest Forced to Enlist, Escapes Near Waterford

    Waterford · city · Waterford · 1651

    An English priest returning from Spain was forced to enlist in the Parliamentarian army and sent to Ireland, where he escaped and lay concealed in the neighbourhood of Waterford, later becoming Nugent's confessor.

    Read the passage

    " I had no confessor until God sent an English priest to this city : returning from Spain to England, he was forced to enlist by the Parliamentarians, who were ignorant of his being a priest, and being sent into Ireland to join the Puritan army here, he effected his escape, and now lies concealed in the neighbourhood.

    " I pass freely through the city, acting as the gardener of the greatest heretic in the place: I work also as a porter in carrying burdens. Should God grant me a continuance of this happy tranquillity, I will remain here ; if, however, I am recognized, I shall, if possible, go on to Dungarvan and Youghal, and so make the circuit of Ireland, until freed from the toils of this life.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 7

26. Priest killed by fall from horse near Dysart

    Dysart · townland · Westmeath · 1740–1765

    Either Rev. James or Rev. Barnabas Barnwall was killed by a fall from his horse while returning home from Dysart, the residence of a Catholic branch of the Nugent family, and a large stone on the roadside marked the spot of his death.

    Read the passage

    dred guineas towards the building, and roofed it at his own expense. Hence it happened that the Catholic chapel of Mullingar was the only slated edifice of the kind at that period between Dublin and Galway. Lord Belvedere manifested his friendship for Father Barnwall on one trying occasion. It appears the priest performed a marriage ceremony between a Catholic and a Protestant girl (probably a recent convert) : the punishment of this legal offence was death (see Scully's Penal Laws, p. 17). The Rev. Mr. Ross, Protestant Rector of Mullingar, prosecuted Father Barnwall, and would have had him victimised only for the active interference of Lord Belvedere, who, being a Peer of the realm and a member of the Privy Council (Archdall's Lodge, vol. iii., p. 29), had, of course, great influence at the time. The Rev. James Barnwall, or his namesake, Rev. Barnabas (I don't know which), was killed by a fall from his horse, on his way home from Dysart, the residence of a Catholic branch of the Nugent family, and a large stone on the roadside marked the place of his death.

    The present fine spacious Cathedral of Mullingar was solemnly dedicated on the 15th of August, the patron day of the parish, in the year 1836. There are two priests interred* in it — viz., Rev. Peter Carbery, a native of the parish, and Rev. J. M'Laughlin, who died while curate in Mullingar. Over the former is a slab with the following inscription :

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 26

27. Cromwellian Atrocities at Callan

    Callan · town · Kilkenny · 1649

    Callan was one of the towns where Cromwell's troopers carried out fiendish butcheries during the Cromwellian campaign in Ireland.

    Read the passage

    3. CromWell landed in Ireland on the 14th of Ari 1649, and commenced rigorously to carry out the wishes of the Parliament — viz., to uproot the Catholic religion and to exterminate the people. He was a hideous monster,* and his merciless butcheries in Drogheda, Wexford, C 'a I Ian, and wherever his troopers marched, surpassed in fiendish atrocity the most savage barbarities of Tamerlane, the Taitar, or, more recently, of Nadir Shah. Referring the reader to the various Histories of Ireland in which evidences accumulate of Cromwell's barbarity, and of the terrible misery he inflicted on the country, we confine ourselves to a few extracts from contemporary writers. Father Dominick de Rosario O'Daly thus describes the Cromwellians and their progress through Ireland rf-

    " That raging mass, besprinkled with the monarch's blood, burst upon the land of my love. The butcher, the buffoon, and the hired cut-throat, each led his band ; and the very dregs of English cities and towns were invested with centurion authority. Then came hideous woes, as though would lash us with a triple scourge — discord, famine, and pestilence. AVell

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 7

28. Dean Moore's tomb beside Father Branagan's at Ardbraccan

    Ardbraccan · townland · Meath · 1818

    Rev. Richard Moore, Dean of Emly and Rector of the parish, died in 1818 and his monument stands alongside Father Branagan's grave at Ardbraccan churchyard. Tradition held that despite being a Protestant clergyman, he may have died a Catholic, attended by Father Branagan.

    Read the passage

    With Dean Moore/f" the Protestant Rector, he was on very intimate terms. The Dean used frequently to visit him, and the pesantry tell many anecdotes illustrative of the friendship that existed between them. Many are of opinion that the Dean died a Catholic, that Father Branagan attended him, and put the holy oils on him, previous to his departure, and that hence he wished to be interred alongside of him. Whether this be true or not, it is quite useless now to investigate ; but it is certain that his close intimacy with the Dean, without the sacrifice of any principle, counteracted a thousand evil influences, and was instrumental, in those days, in obtaining concessions and favors for his humble flock.

    Father Branagan was unquestionably a profound theologian, a scholar of vast and varied information, and had a felicitous mode of communicating it. He was Vicar- Forane and Master of Conference, and was held in great respect by clergy and laity. As a controversialist he was pithy and pointed — every word ad rem, and he brought

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 20

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere around here at Ardbraccan, Dean Moore's tomb stands beside Father Branagan's grave. The Reverend Richard Moore was Dean of Emly and the Protestant rector of the parish, and he died in 1818. He and Father Branagan, the Catholic priest, were on very intimate terms, and the peasantry told many anecdotes of their friendship. Tradition says the Dean died a Catholic, that Father Branagan attended him and put the holy oils on him before his departure, and that he wished to be interred alongside his friend. Whether that is true, the writer says, it is useless now to investigate. What is certain is that Branagan's closeness with the Dean, without sacrifice of any principle, counteracted a thousand evil influences and won concessions and favours for his humble flock in those days.

29. Dr. Robert Plunket's clandestine ministry at Kilbride during Cromwellian persecution

    Kilbride · townland · Cavan · 1650–1660

    Dr. Patrick Plunket's letter to Rome describes Robert Plunket, pastor of Kilbride, who for six years during the Cromwellian persecution lived by day in caverns and rocks and by night secretly offered Mass and ministered to his scattered flock. He is proposed as coadjutor to the Bishop of Kilmore.

    Read the passage

    " The Bishop of Kilmore being continually infirm in body, and sometimes too in mind, is not able to repress the dissensions which have arisen in his diocese ; the only remedy would be to give him a coadjutor. I propose to you a person renowned for his learning and piety, who, during the persecution of Cromwell, never abandoned the sheep entrusted to his charge. For six years he dwelt by day in the caverns and rocks, and by night offered the Holy Sacrifice and refreshed the scattered focL His name is Robert Plunket, Pastor of Kilbride, and son of the Baron of Locriff, not far from the diocese of Kilmore. If in your charity you seek to remedy the aforesaid evils, you will be good enough to nominate him or some other coadjutor.

    " In this, my diocese of Meath, than which no other is more extensive in the whole kingdom, there are about eighty secular jpvV'.v/x, Icirntcd and exemplary men ; there are also many belonging to the regular clergy, Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and some Fathers of the Society, who with great applause attend to the education of youth, so that the heretics themselves send their children to their schools.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 8

30. Friars Slain in the Monastery of Donegal and Moynihigan

    Donegal · town · Donegal

    Toady O'Boyle, guardian of the Monastery of Donegal, was slain by English forces within his own monastery, while six friars were similarly killed at the monastery of Moynihigan during the Elizabethan campaign against Catholic religious houses.

    Read the passage

    " Among many other Roman Catholic bishops and priests that were put to death for the exercise of their functions in Ireland, Glaby O'Boyle, Abbot of Boyle, of the diocese of Elphin, and Owen O'Mulkerin, Abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, in that diocese, hanged and quartered by Lord Gray, in 1580 ; John Stephens, for saying Mass for Teigue MacHugh, was hanged and quartered by Lord Borroughs, in 1597 ; Toady O'Boyle, guardian of the Monastery of Donegal, was slain by the English in his own monastery ; six friars were slain in the monastery of Moynihigan ; John O'Calyhor and Bryan OTrevor, of the order of St. Bernard, were slain in their own monastery, de Sancta Maria, in Ulster, as also Felimy O'Hara, a lay -brother ; so was Eneas Penny, parish priest of Killagh, slain at the altar in his parish church there ; Cahall M'Goran, Rory O'Donnellan, Peter O'Quillan, Patrick O'Kenna, George Power, Vicar-General of the diocese of Ossory ; Andrew Stritch, of Limerick ; Bryan O'Muirihirtagh, Vicar-General of the diocese of Clonfert ; Dorohow O'Molony of Thomond, John Kelly of Louth, Stephen Patrick of Annaly, John Pillis, friar,

    * The Geraldincs, by O'Daly, translated by Rev. C. P. Meehan, p. 161. •f1 Review, p. 6, extracted from Theatre of Catholic and Protestant Religion, p. 582.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 5

    As the companion tells it

    Coming up near the town of Donegal. In the Elizabethan campaign against Catholic religious houses, friars were killed in this area. Toady O'Boyle, guardian of the Monastery of Donegal, was slain by the English in his own monastery. Six friars were slain in the monastery of Moynihigan. These were among many Roman Catholic bishops and priests put to death for the exercise of their functions in Ireland. Others fell the same way. Glaby O'Boyle, Abbot of Boyle, and Owen O'Mulkerin, Abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, both in the diocese of Elphin, were hanged and quartered by Lord Gray in 1580. John Stephens was hanged and quartered by Lord Borroughs in 1597 for saying Mass for Teigue MacHugh. John O'Calyhor and Bryan O'Trevor, of the order of St. Bernard, were slain in their own monastery, de Sancta Maria, in Ulster, as also Felimy O'Hara, a lay-brother. Eneas Penny, parish priest of Killagh, was slain at the altar in his parish church there.

31. Fr. Patrick Geoghegan hunted by Orange yeomanry in 1798

    Durrow · parish · Offaly · 1798–1799

    During 1798 the pastor of Durrow and Kilbride suffered greatly from the bigotry and fanaticism of the Orange yeomanry. He was hunted from his home and caught a fatal cold hiding in a field of corn, from which he never recovered, dying in 1799.

    Read the passage

    * He was hunted from his home, and caught cold hiding in a field of corn, from which he never after recovered.

    ;>:,() DEANERY OF CLARA — TULLAMORE.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 28

32. Kells chapel closed by rioters against bishop's appointee

    Kells · town · Meath · 1790

    The chapel at Kells was shut by a group of men, apparently instigated by supporters of Rev. Mr. Smith, who had been recommended by Earl Bective but was not admitted by the bishop. The dispute led to conferences and eventually a formal appeal to Rome.

    Read the passage

    „ 8. This day I should have been at Kells, but the chapel was shut by a few wicked and impious fellows, at the instigation, as was supposed, of the deluded friends of Rev. Mr. Smith,* who was recommended by Earl Bective, but not admitted by me. His Lordship wrote thrice to me on the occasion, and I answered respectfully but firmly. I prevailed on Rev. Laurence Reilly to resign his nomination to Kells, as he was, on account of a family contest, obnoxious to the Earl. I determined to have the parish governed by a Deservitor until things grew quiet.

    „ 9. Kilskeer (Rev. James Ferrall), 43 confirmed. — Sermon : The Eucharist, as to the dogma and practice. On the rioters of the parish.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 17

    As the companion tells it

    Up ahead is Kells in Meath. In 1790 the chapel here was shut by a group of men, believed to be acting for the supporters of Reverend Mr. Smith. Smith had been recommended by Earl Bective, but the bishop refused to admit him. The earl wrote three times to the bishop, who replied respectfully but firmly. The bishop then persuaded Reverend Laurence Reilly to give up his nomination to Kells, since a family dispute had made him objectionable to the earl. Until things settled, the bishop placed the parish under a Deservitor. The dispute went on to conferences and a formal appeal to Rome.

33. Orange yeomanry plunder Annville after Battle of Granard

    near Annville · street · Cork · 1798

    In 1798, after the battle of Granard, Orange yeomanry plundered the house at Annville, Ballikelchriest, belonging to John O'Reilly, and trampled on vestments found there that had belonged to Bishop Chevers, seeking to display their hatred of Popery.

    Read the passage

    * Dr. Chevers' niece, Ellie, was married to John O'Reilly, of Annville, Ballikilchriest, and, in 1798, the Orange yeomanry, after the battle of Granard, plundered this house, and trampled on the vestments which they found in the house, and which had belonged to the bishop. By this means these barbarians wished to exhibit their hatred of Popery.

    170 THE BISHOPS OF MEATH — DR. CHEVERS.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 11

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere about Annville, in 1798, after the Battle of Granard, Orange yeomanry plundered the house of John O'Reilly. He was married to Ellie, niece of Bishop Chevers. They trampled on vestments found there that had belonged to the bishop, wishing to exhibit their hatred of Popery.

34. Priest-hunters concealed from at Sir Thomas Taylor's garden house near Kells

    Kells · town · Meath

    Priests were frequently hidden from the notorious priest-hunter Sir Richard Barker's bloodhounds in Sir Thomas Taylor's garden house near Kells.

    Read the passage

    * By all accounts lie was an infamous scoundrel. Priests were frequently concealed from his bloodhounds in Sir Thomas Taylor's garden house, near Kells.

    266 DEANERY OF KELLS — ARDBRACCAN.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 20

    As the companion tells it

    As you pass through Kells, in Meath. Sir Richard Barker was an infamous scoundrel, a priest-hunter. Priests were frequently concealed from his bloodhounds in Sir Thomas Taylor's garden house, near the town.

35. 1798 Yeomanry Terror in the Rahin District

    Rahin · townland · Kildare · 1798

    In 1798, the Black Horse and Orange yeomanry gave great annoyance to Catholics in the Rahin district, preventing Mass for several Sundays; terrified people often remained in the fields all night, fearing their houses would be attacked and themselves killed.

    Read the passage

    In the year '98 the Black Horse (as they were called) and the Orange yeomanry gave great annoyance to the Catholics of this district. For several Sundays Mass was prevented, and the people were so terrified at the wanton

    DEANERY OF CLARA — RAHIX. 535

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 28

36. Archbishop of Tuam carried by litter out of Dublin toward Connaught

    Dublin · city · Dublin · 1662

    After Peter Walsh pressured him over the Remonstrance, the elderly Archbishop of Tuam was advised to leave quickly and was carried in a litter from Dublin on his way back to Connaught the following day.

    Read the passage

    mentarians, he was cast into prison, and then driven into exile, where he remained for about ten years. Worn down at length with age and infirmities, he longed to return to the shrine of St. Jarlath, to revisit his longwidowed Church, and to rest, after his labors, in an Irish grave. He was then, as Walsh tells us, " very aged, infirm, and sickly, and looked upon as not able to live one year longer." He sailed from France, and landed in Dublin, in October or November, 1662, at a time when Ormond was in the country, without having asked or obtained permission to return from any minister of the Crown. He hoped to reach his diocese, and take shelter amongst his people, now in his old days, without attracting the attention of the authorities, or their spies ; but in this he calculated in vain. No sooner had he landed than the bloodhounds of Ormond were on his trail, and, soon after his arrival, Peter Walsh discovered his hiding-place. " How dare you come back," said the false friar, " without the leave of my lord Ormond ? You signed the Jamestown decree against him — go now and ask his pardon : and, as a pledge of your future good conduct and loyalty, sign this Remonstrance." The Archbishop refused to comply, and remarked that he ventured home from France to die, and be buried in an Irish grave. He therefore made a melancholy request that the Lord Lieutenant would be pleased to connive at his return " for so short a time as he had to drag a miserable life, and end it by a death more welcome, which he daily expected." Walsh was puzzled : he felt conscious that the presence in Ireland of such an Archbishop, at such a time, would stimulate others to resist the Remonstrance, and thus completely baffle the deep-laid plots and plans of himself and his master. To get him out of the way, Walsh advised him to start speedily from Dublin, and accordingly, on the following day, the aged prelate was carried in a litter, on his way to Connaught."*

    Dr. Eugene Sweeny, Bishop of Kilmore, was then a

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 8

    As the companion tells it

    Dublin. The road takes you through the city where, in October or November of 1662, the Archbishop of Tuam came home from France to die and be buried in an Irish grave. He had spent about ten years in exile, cast into prison and driven out by the Parliamentarians. He was, as Walsh himself tells us, very aged, infirm, and sickly, and looked upon as not able to live one year longer. He sailed from France and landed in Dublin without having asked or obtained permission to return from any minister of the Crown. Ormond was in the country. He hoped to reach his diocese and take shelter amongst his people without attracting the attention of the authorities or their spies. He calculated in vain. The bloodhounds of Ormond were on his trail, and Peter Walsh discovered his hiding-place. How dare you come back, said Walsh, without the leave of my lord Ormond? You signed the Jamestown decree against him. Go now and ask his pardon, and as a pledge of your future good conduct and loyalty, sign this Remonstrance. The Archbishop refused. He said he ventured home from France to die and be buried in an Irish grave. He made a melancholy request that the Lord Lieutenant would be pleased to connive at his return for so short a time as he had to drag a miserable life, and end it by a death more welcome, which he daily expected. Walsh was puzzled. He felt conscious that the presence in Ireland of such an Archbishop, at such a time, would stimulate others to resist the Remonstrance, and thus completely baffle the deep-laid plots and plans of himself and his master. To get him out of the way, Walsh advised him to start speedily from Dublin. On the following day, the aged prelate was carried in a litter, on his way to Connaught.

37. Bishop Geoghegan's death and burial at Kilcumreragh

    Kilcumreragh · townland · Westmeath · 1778

    Wracked with guilt over having caused Allard's death, Bishop Geoghegan fretted and pined away until his own death in 1778. He was buried with his family in the old church of Kilcumreragh, where a headstone inscription still commemorates him.

    Read the passage

    adverting to consequences, never imagining the gun. would fire, in ord'-r to frighten the robber, put his linger on the r, and pulled it. The charge went oft', the robber reeled, his companions ran away, and Allard fell from the window to the ground, a corpse. Dr. Geoghcgan never recovered this accident. He fretted and pined away at the thought of having been instrumental in sending a soul to hell. Fortified by the Sacraments, he departed this life on the 26th of May, 1778, and was buried with his friends in the old church of Kilcumreragh. A headstone has the following inscription :

    Here lyeth the body

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 11

38. Dr. Brady hopes to win 'greedy hearers' at Dunboyne

    Dunboyne · town · Meath · 1564–1565

    Protestant Bishop Brady, said to have been born in Dunboyne, expressed hope for converting the local people there whom he described as 'greedy hearers' of the new religion. A year later he admitted failure due to lack of funds to maintain hospitality.

    Read the passage

    " For my own diligence I would rather others would speak than myself; and yet this far I dare presume, by God's help, to do as much good as any other that could be sent hither ; for a number of the simple people, and especially where I was born, are greedy hearers, and such as, I trust, will be unfeignedly icon." — (Shirley, p. 136.)

    A year passed by without the "greedy hearers" being won, and, on the 16th of May, 1565, he candidly admits that, without an open house and a plentiful table, such as he could not afford, there was no hope of his holding his ground :

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 5

    As the companion tells it

    Up ahead is Dunboyne in Meath. Protestant Bishop Brady, said to have been born here, wrote in 1564 of his hope for the local people, calling them

39. Drumcondra as Frontier Stronghold Attacked by Northern Irish

    Drumcondra · town · Meath · 1412

    Drumcondra, though now a village, was once a town of importance and one of the frontier strongholds of the Anglo-Norman Colony, and was often attacked by the Northern Irish in their wars with the Palesmen. In 1412, Thomas Fleming, Baron of Slane, obtained licence for a weekly market and annual fair here.

    Read the passage

    Drumcondra, though now a village, was once a town of importance. It was one of the frontier strongholds of the Anglo-Norman Colony, and hence was often attacked by the Northern Irish in their wars with the Palesmen. In 1412, Thomas Fleming, Baron of Slane, had licence for a weekly market and an annual fair here. — (Rot. Put. 13 Henry IV.)

    Louyhbraccan. — The old church stood on a hill to the south of Drumcondra, and commanded an extensive view of the surrounding country. Of the ancient pastors of Loughbraccan we find Rev. William Alexander recorded as Parish Priest of " Loghbrakair, near Syddan." The old church has been demolished, and the ruins are now inconsiderable.—(Pat 11 Henry IV.)

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 20

40. Exhumed bones piled into mound at Frankford chapel-yard

    Frankford · townland · Offaly

    When the chapel of Frankford was built on part of the graveyard site of Kilcormick, all the skulls and bones in the cemetery were dug up and piled together under a stone wall and covered with clay; this mound of the dead, marked with a Crucifixion figure, could still be seen in the author's time.

    Read the passage

    In the district of Killaghy there was a chapel connected with the Friary of Cully. There was a chapel at Rathkerrig, a wild, mountainous place ; next, on the present site of Mountbolus, followed by the present handsome chapel of Mountbolus. The present chapel of Frankford, now about to be succeeded by another erection, was built on a portion of the site of the grave-yard of Kilcormick, which was attached to the monastery arid church of Kilcormick, now called Frankford.* Some time in the last century, w~hen this chapel was about being erected, all the skulls and bones in the cemetery were dug up, piled together, and surrounded by a stone wall. The fragments of mortality were covered with clay, and this mound of the dead can still be s,een in the chapel-yard of Frankford, having a figure of the Crucifixion on the north side of it. This pagan desecration of the dead — this cruel and heartless (if not impious and sacrilegious) intrusion on a consecrated cemetery, where slept the prince and the peasant, the priest and the monk — where generation after generation of the people, for miles around, went to repose in the silence of the grave — cannot be stigmatized in language sufficiently expressive and condemnatory. If no site could be obtained for a chapel, save and except by rudely invading the grooves of our fathers, by shovelling up the bones of the dear departed, and carting them off as if they were a nuisance or an obstacle — then, better, indeed, have the Holy Sacrifice offered up^ as it was oftentimes before, on the mountain top, in the secluded valley, ^or by the shady boreen; — better, indeed, kneel in the green fields, with the open canopy of heaven above us, and thus patiently await more tolerant times, than, like parricides, to tear open and outrage the tombs of the dead. ,

    The chapel of Mountbolus was built by Rev. Walter Lynch, assisted by his curates for the time being, especially by Rev. Patrick Gibney, the present pastor of

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 28

41. Father Kearney Defies Proselytising Attempts in Trim Gaol

    Trim · town · Meath · 1817–1830

    As curate in Trim, Rev. John Kearney successfully resisted attempts to proselytise Catholic prisoners in the gaol; when Protestant tracts were distributed to inmates, he went from cell to cell gathering and flinging them outside, provoking loud reclamation from bigots.

    Read the passage

    The Very Rev. John Kearney was succeeding pastor. This distinguished man was born in the parish of Killare, studied in Navan and Maynooth, and was ordained about the year 1817. He officiated as curate in Trim, and in this capacity, successfully resisted the shameless attempts made to proselytise the unfortunate prisoners in the gaol. A number of Protestant tracts were distributed therein by the authorities ; but Father Kearney courageously went from cell to cell, gathered together all he could find, and indignantly flung them outside. This act of his created great sensation at the time, and elicited loud and threatening reclamation from the bigots, but he was fearless and unflinching. He subsequently discharged the duties of curate in Clara, became administrator in Kilkenny West, and, after the death of Father M'Cormick, succeeded as pastor. In all the political efforts made to raise up Ireland Father Kearney took an able and conspicuous part. He was one of a noble band to whom posterity will yet do justice for their praiseworthy and patriotic efforts to secure a hoine for the Irish people in the land of their forefathers. The speeches, writings, and valuable services of Father Kearney on the Tenant Question are still fresh in the recollections of the people. He departed this life on the 17th of December, 1861, universally regretted, and was buried in the chapel of Tobber-

    DEANERY OF CLARA — HAHIX. 529

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 28

    As the companion tells it

    Coming through Trim in County Meath. Back around 1817, a man named John Kearney served here as curate. He had been born in the parish of Killare, studied in Navan and Maynooth, and was ordained about that year. What marked his time in Trim was what happened in the gaol. The authorities distributed Protestant tracts to the Catholic prisoners inside, an attempt to proselytise them. Father Kearney went from cell to cell, gathered together every tract he could find, and flung them outside. The act created a great sensation at the time. It drew loud and threatening reclamation from the bigots, but he was fearless and unflinching. He later served as curate in Clara, became administrator in Kilkenny West, and after the death of Father M'Cormick, succeeded as pastor. He took an able and conspicuous part in the political efforts to raise up Ireland, and his speeches, writings, and work on the Tenant Question stayed fresh in people's recollections. He died on the 17th of December 1861, universally regretted, and was buried in the chapel of Tobber.

42. Father Mathew preaches under the Duleek cross

    Duleek · town · Meath · 1840–1852

    The author recalls seeing Fr Theobald Mathew, the Apostle of Temperance, preach to the people under the shadow of the ancient cross at Duleek around 1840-1841, and later heard Frederick Lucas speak on Tenant Right there in 1852.

    Read the passage

    * The writer remembers having seen the Apostle of Temperance, the saintly and memorable Eev. Theobald Mathew, preach to the people, under the shadow of this cross, in the summer of 1840 or 1841 ; and had the pleasure of listening to the late lamented Frederick Lucas, on Tenant Eight, in June or July, 1852. Both have passed from amongst us, it is to be hoped to a better world ; and few of those who remain have loved the church and people of Ireland better.

    f There was' a monastry or cell in this neighbourhood, at Keenoge, dedicated to St. Kianan.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 18

43. Franciscan Friars of Multifarnham Resist the Remonstrance

    Fearbranagh or Multyfarnham · townland · Westmeath · 1663

    Peter Walsh met the Guardian and friars at Multifarnham in January 1663 and spent three days and nights trying to persuade them to sign the Remonstrance, but they refused and deferred to the Lord Lieutenant. Walsh compared his fruitless effort to trying to 'wash the Blackamore.'

    Read the passage

    The Provincial of the Franciscans promised Walsh to meet him after Christmas, near Multifarnam, and to confer on this and other matters. Accordingly, in January, 1663 (new style), Walsh went to Multifarnam, met Father Peter Gennor, the Guardian, and a number of the friars, and exhausted every effort to induce them to sign. He threatened Ormond's displeasure, but they begged to be excused to the Lord Lieutenant, and put off signing the Remonstrance. Walsh himself tells us that he spent three whole days and nights in Multifarnam, endeavouring to induce the friars to sign, but his eloquence was to no more purpose than to " wash the Blackamore."-f- After this meet-

    * Reinonstrancc, p. 48.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 7

44. Hanging of Father Cairns and convert Mr Perry

    Kilbeggan · town · Westmeath · 1798

    The same murderer who plotted the Ballinagore killings had a priest, Father Cairns (or Keirans), and his travelling companion Mr Perry, a Protestant minister's son and convert, hanged in the same eventful year of 1798. Perry was offered pardon if he returned to Protestantism but refused and was murdered with the priest.

    Read the passage

    in the same eventful year. Mr. Perry was offered pardon (?) if he returned

    to Protestantism, and on his refusal, was murdered with the priest. R

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 26

    As the companion tells it

    As you pass through Kilbeggan, this town remembers 1798, when Father Cairns and his companion Mr Perry were hanged. Perry, a Protestant minister's son who had converted, was offered pardon if he returned to Protestantism, and on his refusal, was murdered with the priest.

45. Holy water anecdote between Dr. Plunket and Dr. O'Beirne at Navan chapel

    Navan · town · Meath

    During a visit to Navan, Dr. Plunket found Dr. O'Beirne blessing himself with holy water in the chapel after being challenged whether he had forgotten 'the old way', hinting at O'Beirne's suppressed Catholic loyalties despite his conversion to the Protestant church.

    Read the passage

    next find him Protestant chaplain, attached to the flag-ship, the " Eagle," during the American War, preaching occasionally to Protestant audiences in New York, and an active political character, writing pamphlets for his party after his return to London. In March, 1782, the Duke of Portland was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and O'Beirne'accompanied him as private secretary and chaplain. When the Duke returned to England, O'Beirne returned with him ; and in April, 1783, when his patron was appointed First Lord of the Treasury, O'Beirne was again appointed private secretary, and was piit into possession of two livings in Northumberland and Cumberland. When Earl Fitzwilliam was appointed Lord Lieutenant in 1795, O'Beirne accompanied him as first chaplain ; and it is a singular circumstance that, when O'Beirne, through the influence of the Duke of Portland, was appointed to a rectory in his native diocese, he found his brother the parish priest. One promotion succeeded another in rapid succession. He was made Bishop of Ossory, and, on the death of Dr. Maxwell, in 1798, he was translated to the See of Meath, the temporalities of which were then valued at £8,000 per annum. He married a Lady Stuart, grand-daughter to Francis, the sixth Earl of Moray, and by her had one son and two daughters. Dr. O'Beirne was an accomplished scholar, and, both as a speaker and writer, ranked amongst the foremost of his day. When he came to Ardbraccan, he lost no time in visiting Dr. Plunket, and, during the remainder of his life, he called regularly to see his old friend and benefactor. On one occasion that he visited Navan, Dr. Plunket was in the chapel superintending some repairs. Dr. O'Beirne went in to see him, and, when they were coming out, after Dr. Plunket had blessed himself with the holy water, he remarked to Dr. O'Beirne, " I suppose, my lord, you have forgotten the old way." Dr. O'Beirne looked round to see if the workmen wen- in sight, and, finding they were not, he blessed himself likewise with the holy water, saying, " No, my lord, I do not forget the old way." To the very last moment Dr. Plunket had hopes of Dr. O'Beirne's return to the Catholic Church. In this, however, he was disappointed, for, as far as can be ascertained, he died as he had lived. He departed this life on the 17th of February, 1823, aged 76 years, and was buried in the church-yard of Ardbraccan. We may, perhaps, allude to additional facts in Volume III.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 13

    As the companion tells it

    As you pass through Navan in Meath, there is a story from this town about two bishops and a gesture that spoke louder than words. Dr. O'Beirne, who became Bishop of Meath in 1798, had come to Ardbraccan and made a habit of calling on his old friend Dr. Plunket. On one visit to Navan, Plunket was in the chapel overseeing repairs, and O'Beirne went in to see him. As they were leaving, Plunket blessed himself with the holy water and said to O'Beirne, "I suppose, my lord, you have forgotten the old way." O'Beirne glanced round to check the workmen were out of sight, then blessed himself too, saying, "No, my lord, I do not forget the old way." Plunket held out hope until the end that O'Beirne would return to the Catholic Church. He never did. O'Beirne died on 17 February 1823, aged 76, and was buried at Ardbraccan.

46. Mass over Dr. Cusack's grave at Duleek before the Boyne

    Duleek · town · Meath · 1690

    It is said that Dr. Tyrrell celebrated Mass in the old church of Duleek, over the grave of his predecessor Dr. Cusack, on the morning of the Battle of the Boyne, and that he then accompanied King James's retreating army.

    Read the passage

    4. It is said that Dr. Tyrrell celebrated Mass in the old church of Duleek, over the grave of Dr. Cusack, his predecessor, on the eventful morning of the battle of the Boyne, and that after the defeat of King James's army he accompanied it in its retreat. He seems to have suffered much during the Williamite wars, and to have clung to the last to the fallen fortunes of James II. His sufferings and death are thus alluded to in a letter, dated Paris, 28th of October, 1692, which was addressed by Dr. James Lynch, Archbishop of Tuam, to the Cardinal Prefect of Propaganda :-f*

    " Since our departure, very many most pious ecclesiastics have died, not so much by a natural death, as by oppression and cruelty of those that pursued and hunted them down. Among those were also some bishops, the first of whom was the Bishop of Meath, who died after the taking of Limerick, having been previously worn out with fatigue, and borne down •with infirmities from the hardships of the times ; now in the city hotly besieged, then in our camp, wishing to escape the bullets, shells, &c., and chiefly to end his days more quietly in the country," &c.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 9

47. Mass tree near Lobinstown and disguised priest

    Lobinstown · townland · Meath · 1700–1750

    A large tree near Lobinstown is remembered as the site where the priest often celebrated Mass during Penal times, and tradition holds the pastor travelled disguised as a beggar with his vestments hidden in a linen bag to evade persecution.

    Read the passage

    In the early days of the last century, the Holy Sacrifice was offered in the open air on the townlands of Parsonstown and Footstown, and there is a hollow still pointed out in the former place, where the sacred mysteries were frequently dispensed. There is a large tree near Lobinstown, under the branches of which the priest often times celebrated Mass ; and it is handed down that the pastor usually travelled at that time in the disguise of a beggar, with the vestments across his shoulders in a linen bag, and thus .evaded the bigotry of the times. There was a family in

    this neighbourhood named P , which, for generations,

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 23

48. Rebuilding of St. Mary's Abbey by the Lacy family

    Trim · town · Meath · 1200–1300

    In the thirteenth century St. Mary's Abbey at Trim was rebuilt on a style of great magnificence for Augustinian Canons by the Lacy family. It became frequented and patronised by leading Anglo-Irish families until the Reformation.

    Read the passage

    " Amongst the many monasteries which once ornamented Ireland, and from which the blessings of religious education were diffused throughout the land, we may point with pride to St. Mary's Abbey of Trim. Here, too, the naked were clad, the hungry were fed, and the door of hospitality was open to the traveller and the stranger. This monastery was founded by St. Patrick, about the year 432, on a site granted by Fethlemid, son of Laogaire, Monarch of Ireland, and convenient to a ford over the Boyne called ' Ath-Truim,' ' the Pass or Ford of the Elder Trees,' from which the venerable town of Trim derives its name. An episcopal See, supposed to have been the most ancient in Ireland, was established here by St. Patrick, over which presided, as first bishop, St. Loman, followed for centuries by a succession of learned and saintly prelates, some of whose names, calendered in our martyrologies, are reverenced still as patron saints of Erin. St. Mary's Abbey outlived the long disastrous wars of the Danes, and the coming of the English ; but, like most of our ancient monasteries inside the Pale, it pined away, and was allowed gradually to die out. After the Anglo-Norman invasion Trim became one of the principal strongholds of the Pale, and parliaments were frequently held in its castles and monastic halls. In the thirteenth century St. Mary's Abbey was re-built on a style of great magnificence, for Augustinian Canons, by the family of Lacy, and from this period to the so-called Reformation we find it frequented and patronised by the leading Anglo-Irish families of the day. In course of time, by bequest and by purchase, the temporalities of this abbey were considerably augmented, and thus the worthy canons were enabled to dispense charity to the indigent

    392 DEAXERY OF TRIM — TRIM.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 25

    As the companion tells it

    As you pass through Trim, this is the town of St. Mary's Abbey. The original monastery here was founded by St. Patrick around 432, on a site granted by Fethlemid, son of Laogaire, Monarch of Ireland, beside a ford over the Boyne called Ath-Truim, the Pass or Ford of the Elder Trees, from which Trim takes its name. St. Patrick established an episcopal see here, said to be the most ancient in Ireland, with St. Loman as its first bishop, followed by centuries of learned and saintly prelates whose names are still revered as patron saints of Erin. The abbey survived the long wars of the Danes and the coming of the English, but like most ancient monasteries inside the Pale it was allowed to die out. After the Anglo-Norman invasion Trim became one of the principal strongholds of the Pale, and parliaments were frequently held in its castles and monastic halls. In the thirteenth century the abbey was rebuilt on a style of great magnificence for Augustinian Canons by the Lacy family, and from that period to the Reformation it was frequented and patronised by the leading Anglo-Irish families of the day. Through bequest and purchase the abbey's temporalities grew, and the canons dispensed charity to the indigent.

49. St. Bridget's foundation tradition at Kilbride

    Kilbride · townland · Westmeath

    A church and convent were founded at Kilbride by St. Bridget, with local tradition holding it was the first church she erected after her religious profession on the hill of Usny. Stones from the ruined convent were later used to build a house that eventually became a Convent of the Sisters of Mercy.

    Read the passage

    Kilbride. — A church and convent were founded here by St. Bridget, and there is a tradition amongst the people that this was the first church erected by her after her religious profession, on the hill of Usny. There are still some remains of an old monastery and chapel ; and the fragments of a church in the cemetery, quite contiguous, measure fifty-two in length by twenty-four. Some years back, with the permission of the church-warden of that day, many of the stones of convent and church were carried away to build a house, and, by the providence of God, this house has been converted into a convent — the Sisters of Mercy are living there to-day. Thus, the mission of St. Bridget is still perpetuated amongst the people of Kilbride, or Clara, and the youth, as of old, are trained up in habits of virtue and industry.

    Ardnurcher, or Ath-an-urcJiair, has been called also Horseleap, and the tradition of the place is, that it derives this name from the fact of Sir Hugh de Lacy having leaped on horseback over the drawbridge, making his escape from pursuit. The Four Masters record the erection of a castle here in the year 1192. The old church of Ardnurcher was levelled in the seventeenth century, and a Protestant house of worship was erected on the site. In the graveyard rest Rev. Mr. Sheeran, formerly pastor of Tubbi-r, Rev. Kedagh Dempsey, Rev. Patrick Fallen, and many other ecclesiastics whose names are not now remembered. Over Rev. Mr. Dempsey is a stone, with the following :

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 27

50. St Fechin's prayer-print stone

    Fore · townland · Westmeath

    One of St Fechin's favourite places of solitude and prayer near Fore still reputedly bears the imprint of his limbs from when he knelt in devotion.

    Read the passage

    There is an air of sanctity and grandeur about the crumbling walls, the holy ruins, and the magnificent scenery of Fore, which is intensified by the many Catholic traditions and sacred memories which linger over this once great seat of monasticism. Here St. Fechin preached and labored, edifying religious and laity by his holiness and austerity of life ; and here are numerous traces of the high state of cultivation to which the unremitting toil of his community subjected and nourished the wild unprofitable wastes. The lintel of the doorway of his church is still the admiration of the antiquarian tourist, and an old mill, as in the days of St. Fechin, is still turned by the rushing waters of Lough Lene, as they sweep down from the Benn of Fore. The holy well is still reverenced as a relic of ancient Devotion, and one of his favourite places of solitude and prayer still bears the prints of his limbs, as he knelt at his devotions. Here is the little island, now called " Monk's Island," where it is said the students of the college attended class in the summer time ; and, contiguous to it, another, where tradition hands down that the Danish tyrant, Turgesius, so long the scourge and terror of the country, was captured, after defeat by the victorious soldiers of our own King Malachy. In a word, the eye is charmed, the heart is elevated, faith is vivified, and love of holy Ireland magnified by a pilgrimage or visit to Lough Lene and Fore.

    432 DEANERY OF MULLINGAR — FORE OR COLLINSTOWN.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 26

51. The Annsbrook High Cross

    Annsbrook · street · Dublin · 1599–1600

    An elaborately carved cross at Annsbrook was built by Jennet Dowdall in memory of her late husband William Bathe of Athcarne, who died in 1599 and was buried at Duleek church.

    Read the passage

    " This cross was builded by Jennet Dowdall, late wife unto William Bathe, of Athcarne, Justice, for him and for herself, in the yeare of our Lorde God, 1600, which Justice deceased 25th October, 1599, and buried in the church of Duleeke. Whose soules I praye God take to his mercie. Amen."

    St. Mary's Abbey.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 18

    As the companion tells it

    Along here stands the Annsbrook High Cross. Jennet Dowdall had it built in 1600 for herself and her late husband William Bathe of Athcarne, a Justice who died on 25 October 1599 and was buried at Duleek church. The inscription ends with a prayer: "Whose soules I praye God take to his mercie. Amen."

52. Tullamore Cholera of 1832 and Fr Finnegan's Ministry

    Tullamore · town · Offaly · 1832

    Father Thomas Finnegan attended the sick and dying during the fearful cholera outbreak of 1832 in Tullamore, often working in his shirt sleeves to hear confessions. He was later buried in the churchyard of Nobber after dying of dropsy and jaundice.

    Read the passage

    The Rev. Thomas Finnegan, succeeding pastor, was born in the parish of Cruicetown, in August, -1798, studied in Navan, and completed his course in the Irish College of Paris. He was ordained in 1827 by Mons. Affre, the late Archbishop of Paris (who was shot at the barricades in 1848), and officiated for a few years as cure in France. At the close of 1831 he returned to Ireland, officiated as curate in Kilmessan, and subsequently in Tullamore. In the fearful cholera of 1832, Father Finnegan was to be seen at all hours in Tullamore, often in his snirt sleeves, attending the sick and the dying, and hearing the confessions of the

    DEANERY OF KELLS — KELLS. 311

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 21

53. Assassin's retributive murder in 1824

    Ballynagore · townland · Westmeath · 1824

    The chief plotter of the 1798 Ballinagore murders, who had taken the priest's horse and renamed it, was himself brutally murdered in October 1824, which the author frames as a divine retribution long delayed.

    Read the passage

    rigorously punishes. This same R was brutally murdered in () tuher,

    1824, and tliu^ met .with a retribution which, although we may deplore, was not undes-rve.I. England ! England ! what blood is on thy head ! Scoundrels such as these, to whom for centuries thou K •••<! thy

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 26

54. Bishop of Kilmore Alone Survives Cromwellian Persecution

    Kilmore · townland · Cavan · 1649–1667

    Dr. Burgatt reported that of Ireland's twenty-seven bishops in 1649, all but the Bishop of Kilmore were killed or exiled during the Cromwellian persecution; the Bishop of Kilmore alone remained due to age and infirmity.

    Read the passage

    sword or on the scaffold, amongst whom were three bishops ; more than a thousand urrc &-nt into e.dlc, and umong.st tinthe surviving bishops — with one only exception, the Bishop of Kihnore, who, weighed down by age and infirmities, as he was unfit to discharge the episcopal functions, so too was he nnable to seek safety by flight. And thus for some years our island remained deprived of its bishops, — a thing never before known during the many centuries since we first received the light of Catholic faith."

    The Superior of the Jesuits writes, in 1652 :*

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 7

55. Bishop of Meath dies worn out after the siege of Limerick

    Limerick · city · Limerick · 1691

    An eyewitness account describes the Bishop of Meath dying after the taking of Limerick, having been worn down by fatigue and the hardships of the siege, moving between the besieged city and the camp before seeking a quieter death in the country.

    Read the passage

    " Since our departure, very many most pious ecclesiastics have died, not so much by a natural death, as by oppression and cruelty of those that pursued and hunted them down. Among those were also some bishops, the first of whom was the Bishop of Meath, who died after the taking of Limerick, having been previously worn out with fatigue, and borne down •with infirmities from the hardships of the times ; now in the city hotly besieged, then in our camp, wishing to escape the bullets, shells, &c., and chiefly to end his days more quietly in the country," &c.

    3. The Vacancy of the See.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 9

    As the companion tells it

    As you travel through Limerick, this is the city whose siege in 1691 wore down the Bishop of Meath to his death. An eyewitness wrote that many pious ecclesiastics died "not so much by a natural death, as by oppression and cruelty of those that pursued and hunted them down." The bishop was among the first of them, moving between this hotly besieged city and the camp, trying to escape bullets and shells, and seeking to end his days more quietly in the country.

56. Catholic clergy driven from Callan cathedral

    Callan · town · Kilkenny · 1647–1648

    Rinuccini recalled that Inchiquin had driven the Catholic clergy out of the cathedral of Callan and installed clergy of a different religion in their place, as further evidence of Inchiquin's treachery to the Catholic cause.

    Read the passage

    recollect that a month ago he pillaged the town of Carrick, and slew the inhabitants, vJho u'ere Catholics, palliating the atrocity by asserting he could not restrain his soldiers. Remember, too, that he has driven the Catholic clergy out of the cathedral of Callan, and introduced those who do not profess your religion. Talk not of your inability to carry war into his quarters. The army under Jones has been worn out watching O'Neill during the summer, and does not amount to more than 3,000 men. Preston, with the troops recently levied in Leinster, ought to be able to meet him. Inchiquin has not more than 3,000 in Munster ; they are naked and hungry, and you fear him iclien ''Hght.to despise him. In Conuaught and Ulster the Scotch are able to do little more than commit robberies for their sustenance. At the present moment Owen O'Neill has an army of more than 6,000 men. He is ready to act against Inchiquin in the South, and I will supply moneys to pay his troops, and thus rid you of these scruples with which the ravages of his soldiers have so long afflicted you. / exhort you to union of heart and purpose ; and remember that your rulers of England hare nerer treated you, Catholics, with respect, except wlien you stood in a united and formidable league"

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 6

57. Concealment of priests during penal times

    Mullingar · town · Westmeath

    During the penal era priests had no fixed abode and were forced to conceal themselves in woods and lonely places and in the houses of the poor, reflecting the persecution of Catholic clergy in the Mullingar area.

    Read the passage

    impossible, as the priest had no fixed abode, and was necessitated to conceal himself sometimes in woods and lonely places, and sometimes in the housed of the poor. It happened too, where registries were kept, that after the death of the pastor, they sometimes passed into the hands of his relatives, who, not knowing their value, allowed them to perish. The old Marriage Registry of Mullingar has on the first page the name of" Rev. Thomas Geoghegan, Pastor Ecclesiae de Castletown de Kindelena," dated "4th of August, 1743." Father Geoghegan seems to have belonged to the Dominican convent of Mullingar, and thence appointed to the parish of Castletown-Geoghegan. The registry is called " Liber Confraternitatis Rosarii," and the entries begin at October, 1737. The old registry is a gem in its way, and the accuracy with which the Dominican Fathers kept it, especially Rev. Laurence Fitzgerald, challenges competition at the present day. There is one very extraordinary circumstance connected with this registry, which illustrates the working of the penal code, and that is the entries of money given to the parson for toleration of, or connivance at, the marriage ceremony. Every Catholic, before receiving the sacrament of matrimony was obliged to get a license* from the parson, and of course to pay for the same. The sums varied from 2s. 8d. to 4s. 6d. each, and whether there was anything for the priest or not, the parson, at all events, should get his pound of flesh. The parsons of Mullingar during the period of the following quotations were Rev. Messrs.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 26

58. Death and Burial of Dr. Mageoghegan near the Brosna

    Clonmacnoise · townland · Offaly · 1664–1665

    Bishop Anthony Mageoghegan died at the close of 1664 or early 1665 in the village of Cluntina, near the banks of the river Brosna. At his own request he was buried in the ancient cemetery of Clonmacnoise.

    Read the passage

    3. In the midst of this controversy, Dr. Mageoghegan was summoned before the just Judge, from whom, it is to be hoped, he received that crown of justice to which, humanly speaking, his many trials for the Catholic faith, and his unswerving fidelity to religion and country, would seem to have entitled him. He was one of the grandest characters that figured in our history, during the eventful days of the seventeenth century ; and his career was so irreproachable and consistent, that the hired assassin, Peter Walsh, dared not whisper anything to his discredit. Warmly recommended to the Holy See, by the Nuncio, for promotion to the diocese of Clonmacnoise, and subsequently to that of Meath, Anthony Mageoghegan proved himself, in the hopeful days of the Confederation, during the usurpation of Cromwell, and after the restoration of Charles II., not only a faithful, zealous, and patriotic prelate, but one who was every way worthy of the approbation and friendship of the great Rinuccini. He died at the close of 1664, or early in 1665, in the village of Cluntina,* near the banks ol the river Brosna,and was buried, at his own request, in the ancient cemetery of Clonmacnoise.

    " In memoria etcrna erit Justus."

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 7

59. Deaths of two young priests from fever caught at stations

    Moyagher · townland · Meath · 1806–1850

    Rev. Richard Gosson caught a fatal cold after sitting in wet clothes hearing confessions at a station, and Rev. Hugh Farrelly died similarly after being drenched on his way to a station; both are buried at Moyagher churchyard.

    Read the passage

    This parish is situated in the barony of Lune. The old church* measures, internally, sixty-eight feet by nineteen feet eight inches. Most of the walls have been torn down, and the stones earned off for building purposes. There is every appearance of malicious Vandalism and sacrilegious iconoclasm, in the ruthless ruin and desolation with which the Church robbers have wrecked this ancient sanctuary. Inside what remains of the old walls there is a flat tomb to the memory of Christopher Plunket and his wife Catherine Begg, dated 1630, asking a prayer for their repose. The Rev. Richard Gosson is interred in the church-yard. He was born in the parish of KelLs, officiated as curate in the parish of Mountnugent, got a wetting while attending a station, sat hearing confessions in his wet clothes, and caught a severe cold, from which he never afterwards

    * The imitation of a ruin in the clmrch-yard of Killua, cm-ted to grace and ornament tin- drim-Mir and prospect from the castle, was bnilt of portions of the stones of Moyagher church.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 20

60. Dr. O'Beirne buried at Ardbraccan churchyard

    Ardbraccan · townland · Meath · 1823

    Thomas Lewis O'Beirne, the Protestant Bishop of Meath and former Catholic seminarian who apostatized, died in 1823 and was buried in the churchyard of Ardbraccan. He had earlier lost his place in the Irish College in Paris and became a Protestant clergyman and eventually bishop.

    Read the passage

    next find him Protestant chaplain, attached to the flag-ship, the " Eagle," during the American War, preaching occasionally to Protestant audiences in New York, and an active political character, writing pamphlets for his party after his return to London. In March, 1782, the Duke of Portland was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and O'Beirne'accompanied him as private secretary and chaplain. When the Duke returned to England, O'Beirne returned with him ; and in April, 1783, when his patron was appointed First Lord of the Treasury, O'Beirne was again appointed private secretary, and was piit into possession of two livings in Northumberland and Cumberland. When Earl Fitzwilliam was appointed Lord Lieutenant in 1795, O'Beirne accompanied him as first chaplain ; and it is a singular circumstance that, when O'Beirne, through the influence of the Duke of Portland, was appointed to a rectory in his native diocese, he found his brother the parish priest. One promotion succeeded another in rapid succession. He was made Bishop of Ossory, and, on the death of Dr. Maxwell, in 1798, he was translated to the See of Meath, the temporalities of which were then valued at £8,000 per annum. He married a Lady Stuart, grand-daughter to Francis, the sixth Earl of Moray, and by her had one son and two daughters. Dr. O'Beirne was an accomplished scholar, and, both as a speaker and writer, ranked amongst the foremost of his day. When he came to Ardbraccan, he lost no time in visiting Dr. Plunket, and, during the remainder of his life, he called regularly to see his old friend and benefactor. On one occasion that he visited Navan, Dr. Plunket was in the chapel superintending some repairs. Dr. O'Beirne went in to see him, and, when they were coming out, after Dr. Plunket had blessed himself with the holy water, he remarked to Dr. O'Beirne, " I suppose, my lord, you have forgotten the old way." Dr. O'Beirne looked round to see if the workmen wen- in sight, and, finding they were not, he blessed himself likewise with the holy water, saying, " No, my lord, I do not forget the old way." To the very last moment Dr. Plunket had hopes of Dr. O'Beirne's return to the Catholic Church. In this, however, he was disappointed, for, as far as can be ascertained, he died as he had lived. He departed this life on the 17th of February, 1823, aged 76 years, and was buried in the church-yard of Ardbraccan. We may, perhaps, allude to additional facts in Volume III.

    Internet Archive dioceseofmeathan02cogaiala, Chapter 13

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere around here, in the churchyard at Ardbraccan, lies Thomas Lewis O'Beirne, who died on the 17th of February, 1823, aged 76. He was the Protestant Bishop of Meath, but he had begun life as a Catholic seminarian. He trained at the Irish College in Paris, lost his place there, and turned Protestant clergyman instead. During the American War he served as chaplain on the flagship "Eagle," preached to Protestant audiences in New York, and wrote political pamphlets for his party back in London. The Duke of Portland brought him to Ireland as private secretary and chaplain in 1782, and later secured him livings in Northumberland and Cumberland. When Earl Fitzwilliam became Lord Lieutenant in 1795, O'Beirne went with him as first chaplain. Promotions followed fast. He was made Bishop of Ossory, and on the death of Dr. Maxwell in 1798 he was translated to the See of Meath, worth £8,000 a year. When he took up his rectory in his native diocese, he found his own brother serving as the parish priest. He was an accomplished scholar, ranked among the foremost speakers and writers of his day, and married Lady Stuart, granddaughter of Francis, the sixth Earl of Moray, by whom he had one son and two daughters. There is a story told of him visiting his old friend Dr. Plunket at Navan. Plunket was in the chapel overseeing repairs. As they left, Plunket blessed himself with holy water and said to O'Beirne, "I suppose, my lord, you have forgotten the old way." O'Beirne checked that no workmen were watching, then blessed himself too, saying, "No, my lord, I do not forget the old way." Plunket kept hoping O'Beirne would return to the Catholic Church, but as far as anyone could tell, he died as he had lived.