Clonard

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Motte built by Hugh de Lacy in Clonard

Clonard ( Irish : Cluain Ioraird , literally translated: Erards Willow ), today a small town in County Meath with 347 inhabitants (2016) on the former N4 from Dublin to Sligo , was once one of the most important monastic centers in Ireland and was a bishopric until 1202.

Historic location of Clonard

The territory of Clonard lies north of the upper reaches of the Boyne and is part of the good grazing and arable land of Meath that once belonged to the Laigin dynasty , whose sphere of influence stretched from south-west Ireland (now Leinster ) to Wales . At the end of the 5th century, however, a gradual conquest of Meath by the Uí Néill of Connacht began . This campaign first ended with victory in the Battle of 516.

The land of Clonard lay on an important connecting route in east-west direction, which separated the kingdoms of the Laigin from those of the Uí Néill after the campaigns of conquest. Due to its central location within Ireland, it was not far from Mumu, the kingdom in the south-west of Ireland, which roughly corresponds to today's Munster . Also Armagh was easily accessible via a nearby branch.

Founding monasteries on borders and on major transport routes were not uncommon in Ireland. They offered the widely used advantage that they could serve as a meeting point for negotiations and peace efforts. They also became easily accessible destinations for pilgrimages.

Established by St. Finnian

The founding of Clonard goes back to Finnio moccu Telduib, who later became one of the most important saints of the Iroschottischen Church as St. Finnian . Finnian grew up in what is now County Carlow and found his first teacher, Foirtchernn von Trim , who introduced him to the teachings of St. Patrick and the previously developed monastic traditions of Ireland. Finnian then moved to Wales, where he deepened his studies with Cadoc von Llangarvan and Gildas.

Whether Finnian, as Ryan suspects, founded Clonard before he went to Wales or not until after his return in 520 remains unclear. It is essential, however, that Finnian of Wales introduced intensive study of scriptures and other texts as an integral part of the duties of monastic life in Clonard, while other monasteries in Ireland emphasized the ascetic tradition.

Early Christian monasteries in Ireland did not necessarily only train their own monks. It is even conceivable that the consideration for the land gift was the establishment of a school. They then entered into competition with the established schools of poets. The ideal location of Clonard, the study of the scriptures from Wales and the exceptional talent of the Finnians as teachers made the new monastic school unprecedented in Ireland. The sources here report no fewer than three thousand students.

Some of Finnian's most important disciples are even glorified as the " twelve apostles of Ireland " in several hagiographic writings . However, it is not certain that all names mentioned were actually students of Finnian. In general, it should also be borne in mind that, as with Finnian at the time, it was not unusual for monks to move on to other monasteries and thus have more than one teacher. For example, St. Ciarán was not only a pupil of Finnian, but later had Enda von Aran as a teacher before he founded Clonmacnoise in 543 . Another important student was St. Columban , who would later found the famous monastery in 563 on the Isle of Iona, part of Scotland. Also Brendan the Navigator was in Clonard, before he founded the monastery of Clonfert 559th The founding fathers Brendán von Birr, Colmán from Tír-dá-glas (Terryglass), Molaisse from Devenish, Cainnech from Aghaboe, Ruadán from Lorrha, Mobí from Glas Noiden, Senell from Cleenish and Nennid from Inishmacsaint should also be mentioned.

Clonard's reputation continued after Finnian's death in 550. The training was carried out by full-time teachers, many of whom were so important that their names were recorded in contemporary chronicles.

Viking age

Despite its proximity to the navigable River Boyne, Clonard was spared from raids for a long time. It was not until 841, shortly after the Vikings settled in Dublin , that Clonard fell victim to a raid that also affected Clonenagh and Killeigh, which led to extensive destruction. Although the monastery witnessed how King Conchobor Mac Donnchad was drowned by the Vikings right next to the monastery in the Kilwarden river in 864, there was still time for rest and reconstruction. The chronicles tell of further raids by the Vikings only in the years 891 and 939.

The Role of Clonard in Reforming in the 12th Century

One of the most important initiators of the reform movement was the Bishop of Meath Maol Muire Ua Dunáin , who was very likely a monk of Clonard. He was among the signatories of the petition to Anselm of Canterbury to ordain Mael Iosa Ua h-Ainmire as Bishop of Waterford and, as papal legate , assumed a leading role in the following synods of 1101 in Cashel and 1111 Rathbreasail . In the latter, Clonard became the seat of the bishopric of West Meath, while the seat of the bishopric of East Meath fell to Duleek . However, this decision was revised in the same year at the local synod of Uisnech, at which the seat for West Meath fell to Clonmacnoise and the seat of East Meath to Clonard. Since Clonard was on the border of the two dioceses, such a change was easily possible.

As part of the reform movement, many early Christian monasteries adopted the Augustinian rule . This corresponded to Rome's initiative, begun in the 11th century, to offer priests in the vicinity of an important church or diocese the possibility of a regulated monastic community. Unlike the continent, Ireland already had a centuries-old tradition of supporting dioceses through monasteries. Accordingly, this led to comparatively few start-ups in Ireland. Instead, numerous existing monasteries simply adopted the Augustinian rule. With the support of Murchad O'Melaghlin, the then King of Meath, the Choral Women's Monastery, consecrated to St. Mary, was founded in 1144 . has been confirmed. At about the same time, on the initiative of Malachias , the monastery of Clonard was converted into an Augustinian canon monastery dedicated to Saint Peter.

Clonard after the Anglo-Norman invasion

After the invasion of the Normans in 1169, Diarmaid Mac Murchadha carried out a raid in Clonard before 1171 . At that time Etru Ua Miadhachain was Bishop of Clonard. After his death in 1173, Echtigern Mac Maoil Chiaráin was another Irish successor, who also remained Bishop of Clonard until he died in 1191. During the tenure of Echtigern, between 1183 and 1186, Hugh de Lacy founded a second Augustinian canon in Clonard, dedicated to St. John , to which monks from the St Thomas canon in Dublin probably initially came.

In 1192, however, Simon Rochfort was succeeded by a Norman who belonged to one of the new influential families in Meath. In addition, there was an increased settlement of Normans in the area around Clonard. The conflict between Irish and Normans came to a head when Mathghamhain O'Ciardha was killed by the Norman settlers in Clonard in 1200, and in return his father, Fitzpatrick O'Ciardha, set fire to and looted Clonard, as the annals expressly point out to meet the Normans.

Simon Rochfort took this as an opportunity in 1202, with the apparently assumed consent of the papal legate Cardinal John of Salerno , to move the seat of the Bishop from Clonard to Trim . This enabled the security of Trim Castle , the main fortress in Ireland built by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter. In addition to Clonard, two other important monastic centers in Ireland, Kells and Glendalough, also lost their bishopric in the course of the reorganization after the invasion.

Apparently, Simon Rochfort would have liked to move the St. Johannes Canon Monastery with him to Trim. In any case, a letter from Prior Topul has come down to us, in which he asks that the pen remain in Clonard. This was evidently complied with, although the majority of the Anglo-Norman monks nevertheless moved to Trim and this resulted in a merger of the two monasteries in Clonard.

The canon monastery, now dedicated to both Saints John and Peter, remained largely Irish dominated until the 14th century. However, it no longer had its old meaning and the monastery soon got into financial difficulties. So it is called a poor insignificant house as early as 1260. In 1270 income is considered too little for self-sufficiency and in 1302 income is too little to be able to collect tax on it.

With the abbots Edmund in 1315 and Thomas Piers in 1362, Norman names were increasingly found again in the 14th century. Regardless of this, Clonard's economic base did not seem to improve, as another account of the poor condition has come down to us from 1459. In the meantime, the monastery was apparently even orphaned, so that in 1483 a Franciscan abbot was to become. The last abbot at the time the monasteries were dissolved was Gerald Walshe, who died on May 17, 1540.

The Reformation in Clonard

On November 25, 1540, the assets were appraised. The appraisers report on a church, a cemetery, a bell tower and a hall in need of renovation on a plot of approximately one and a half acre . Other properties included 272 acres, a rectory, and two parish offices, valued at only £ 12 and shillings. A not insignificant discount was taken into account, because a large part of the country lay fallow due to the ongoing rebellion of the Irish.

Clonard's baptismal font commemorating the history of the monasteries

Clonard was then given as a fief to Sir William Bermingham, along with Ballyboggan, when he became Baron of Carbrie on June 17, 1541. In 1551, however, the fief fell to Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas Cusack. His son John Cusack, who was a stonemason, is believed to be the artist of the elaborately designed font of Clonard , which is now in the Catholic parish church of Clonard.

swell

  • A large number of entries on Clonard can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters and the Annals of Ulster . All times from the annals were checked according to the tables by Daniel P. Mc Carthy (see below) and corrected as necessary.
  • For an overview of the St. Finnian hagiographies, see James F. Kenney , The Sources for the Early History of Ireland: Ecclesiastical , 1929. Most recently reprinted in 1997 by Four Courts Press, Dublin. ISBN 1-85182-115-5 .
  • Admonán of Iona, Life of St. Columba , Penguin. ISBN 0-14-044462-9 .

Secondary literature

Web links


Coordinates: 53 ° 27 ′  N , 7 ° 1 ′  W