Meelick Monastery

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The west side of the Meelick Monastery, which now serves as a church.

The Meelick Monastery ( Irish Míleac , English Meelick Friary ) was founded in 1414 by Breasal O'Madden as a house of the Franciscans in the Diocese of Clonfert . In 1479 the monastery joined the Observants . During the Reformation , the monastery was closed in 1559. At times the monastery was used by the Franciscans until it was finally abandoned in 1852. It was then used as a parish church and extensively restored from 1984 to 1985.

history

The connection between the O'Madden family and the monastery remained intact for centuries, as evidenced by this memorial plaque from 1671.

The name Meelick goes back to the Irish term miliuc , which refers to a marshland adjacent to a river or body of water . The site of the monastery borders directly on the Shannon a little upstream from Portumna near Eyrecourt . The foundation itself goes back to the order of the antipope John XXIII. to the Bishop of Clonfert, Thomas O'Kelly, to found three houses for the Franciscans. In addition to Meelick, the establishment of Kilconnell , which is in the same diocese , was also successful. Compared to Kilconnell, Meelick fared significantly worse economically. In 1445 it was found that the monastery was so poor and so badly damaged by armed conflicts that Pope Eugene IV issued an alms pardon to finance the necessary repairs. With the support of the O'Madden family, the monastery joined the Observants in 1479.

Southwestern view of the monastery where the approach of the demolished southern transept can still be seen.

The monastery was closed in 1559 and heavily damaged. In 1595 the monastery was renovated again and then looted and damaged twice. No brothers were found on site during the Provincial Donagh Mooney's inspections in 1616 and the buildings were largely destroyed, according to the report. The Franciscans returned around 1630. During this period the eminent historian John Colgan was the community's Guardian . A large procession is recorded from 1645, in which the brothers took part in their habit . During Oliver Cromwell's campaigns , the brothers had to flee again, after which they did not return until 1686, only to flee again in 1690 after the defeat of Catholic Ireland . When the penal laws passed against the Catholics waned somewhat, the Franciscans came back again and tried to remain inconspicuous.

During this time, the south transept , which is no longer preserved, was makeshift as a church. During the famine , the brothers ran into financial difficulties as they tried to provide food for the needy population. Henry Hughes, the Bishop of Gibraltar thereupon donated 100 pounds to the community in 1847. In 1852 Meelick was finally given up to the Franciscans, after which the remains of the building were used as a parish church. It was only through extensive restorations in 1984 and 1985 that Meelick gained its present form, with the south transept being torn down and the main nave and the choir area covered again.

literature

  • Aubrey Gwynn , R. Neville Hadcock: Medieval Religious Houses Ireland . Longman, London 1970, ISBN 0-582-11229-X , pp. 254-255 .
  • Seán Spellissy: The History of Galway: City & County . The Celtic Bookshop, Limerick 1999, ISBN 0-9534683-4-8 , pp. 392-393 .
  • Colmán N. Ó Clabaigh: The Franciscans in Ireland, 1400–1534 . Four Courts Press, Dublin 2002, ISBN 1-85182-548-7 .
  • Edel Bhreathnach, Joseph MacMahon, John McCafferty (Eds.): The Irish Franciscans 1534–1990 . Four Courts Press, Dublin 2009, ISBN 978-1-84682-210-0 .

Remarks

  1. ↑ See Gwynn and Ó Clabaigh, p. 44.
  2. ↑ a b c See Spellissy.
  3. ↑ See Spellissy, p. 392.
  4. ↑ Cf. Ó Clabaigh, p. 43.
  5. ↑ a b c Cf. Gwynn.
  6. ↑ See Spellissy and Gwynn.
  7. ↑ See article by Patrick Conlan: Reforming and seeking an identity, 1829-1918 , p. 107, from Bhreathnach et al.

Web links

Commons : Meelick Friary  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 53 ° 10 '24.2 "  N , 8 ° 5' 4.7"  W.