Wednesday 23 November 2016

Ecclesiastical History Diocese of Cloyne and Ross - 2.

From Walsh's Ecclesiastical History of Ireland, from p. 246, Chapter XXVI:

Diocese of Cloyne (Contd...)

John de Cumba, a Cistercian monk of the abbey of Combe in Warwickshire, succeeded in 1335 by provision of the Pope and obtained the temporals in the same year.
John Brid, abbot of the Cistercian abbey of Louth Park in Lincolnshire, England, succeeded. Nothing more known of this prelate.
John Whittock succeeded in 1351, was dean of Cloyne when chosen to the see, was confirmed by the Pope and obtained the temporals from the king having renounced all clauses in the bull of the Pontiff prejudicial to the royal interest. John died in February 1361.
John de Swafham, a Carmelite friar of the abbey of Lyn in the county of Norfolk and doctor of divinity of the university of Cambridge, was consecrated bishop of Cloyne in 1363. John was translated to the see of Bangor in Wales on the 2d of July, 1376, by Pope Gregory XI as a recompense for his great labors against the Wickliffites.
Richard Wye, a Carmelite friar was advanced to the see of Cloyne by provision of Pope Gregory XI and obtained the temporals in the year 1376. Having committed some misdemeanors he was excommunicated in 1380.  He fled into England and was deprived in 1394. Notwithstanding his deprivation he took upon himself to act as bishop and the year following King Richard II, who was then at Waterford, ordered him to be arrested and given in custody to Peter Hackett, archbishop of Cashel.
Gerald Canton, an Augustin hermit and vicar general of that order in Ireland, was promoted to the see of Cloyne by provision of Pope Boniface IX and was restored to the temporals in November, 1394. Gerald was sitting on the 14th of May, 1407.
Adam Pay or Pye succeeded. Was sitting in 1421 and in that year had disputes with the bishop of Cork in a parliament assembled at Dublin about the union of Cork with the diocese of Cloyne.  The parliament took no cognizance of the matter, as it properly belonged to the Pope. This prelate died in the year 1430.
Jordan succeeded to the see of Cloyne united to that of Cork in 1430.

Diocese of Ross

Its founder and first bishop St. Fachnan Mongach already noticed.
Donegal MacFolact whom O'Flaherty makes the twenty seventh bishop of Ross after St Fachnan. He quotes the book of Leacan as his authority:

"Dongalus a Fachtna ter mums episcopus extat Lugadia de Gente dedit cui Russia mitram."

This distich has been translated by the Rev Mr Dunkin Hail:

"Happy Ross that could produce thrice nine All-mitred sages of Lugadia's line From Fachnan crowned with everlasting praise Down to the date of pious Dungal's days."

Benedict was bishop of Ross in 1172 and sat about eighteen years after Maurice who succeeded 1190 died in 1196.
Daniel, a secular priest who obtained the see by forged letters to the Pope, succeeded and was consecrated at Rome by the bishop of Albano in the year 1197. Daniel forged several letters from bishops and thus deluded the Pope to confirm him in the see of Ross.
Florence and another monk of Ross having repaired to Rome each of them asserting his claim to the diocese, the former accused Daniel of deception in procuring his own consecration. The Pontiff Celestine committed the examination of the claims of those three candidates to Mathew O'Heney, archbishop of Cashel, and to Charles O'Heney, bishop of Killaloe, with instructions if they found Daniel canonically elected to establish him in the possession of the see, if otherwise that they should investigate the claims of the two monks and declare the one chosen according to the canons the bishop of Ross. Having proceeded to enquire, the delegates cited Daniel to appear on three occasions, to which Daniel paid no attention. They then enquired into the claims of the other parties and finding that the opponent of Florence was not even put in nomination and it appearing that Florence was canonically elected who had the concurrent testimonials of the clergy and people of Ross, of the king, of Cork, and moreover the prelates of the province, they confirmed the said Florence, by apostolic authority. During those proceedings, Pope Celestine died and Innocent III was advanced to the papal chair and Daniel again repaired to Rome, where he endeavored to support his cause as he began it, by fraud and falsehood. He was at length ousted and his competitor Florence established in his see. Florence succeeded, was sitting in 1210 in which year he was suspended by the Pope from the power of ordaining for having conferred three orders in one day on William, bishop elect of Emly. Florence died in the year 1222.
Robert or Richard who succeeded Florence was sitting in 1225. Florence O Cloghena resigned in 1252.
Maurice, a minorite and chantor of Cloyne, succeeded in 1253. Maurice obtained licence from the Pope to resign and in 1269 the archbishop of Cashel was empowered to receive his cession of the diocese by Pope Clement IV and absolve him from all obligations to the church of Ross.  The Pontiff in his letter added that Maurice was incompetent to govern the see of Ross both from his want of learning and the weakness of his constitution.
Walter O'Mitchain, a Franciscan friar, succeeded in 1269, sat five years and died in 1274.
Peter O'Hullican, a Cistercian monk, was consecrated in 1275 and also obtained the temporals. Peter died in 1290.
Lawrence, a canon of Ross, was elected in 1290. He sat nineteen years, died in 1309, and was buried in his own church.
Mathew O'Fin, who was an abbot, was chosen by the dean and chapter on the 8th of March, 1309. Mathew recovered several possessions of his see which had been unjustly usurped by Thomas Barret and Philip de Carew. The king, thinking there was collusion in the affair in order that the statutes of mortmain might be avoided, ordered another inquest to try the case and the jury found in favor of the bishop. Mathew died in the year 1330.
Lawrence O'Holdecan or Hullucan succeeded in 1331 was confirmed by the dean and chapter of Cashel as that see was then vacant. Lawrence only presided four years.
Denis was consecrated in 1336. Denis died in 1377.
Bernard O'Connor, a Franciscan friar, succeeded in 1378 by provision of the Pope and having sworn allegiance to the king obtained the temporals.
Stephen Brown, a Carmelite, succeeded in 1378 by provision of Pope Boniface IX and was restored to the temporals on the 6th of May, 1402.
Mathew, bishop of Ross, died about the year 1418.
Walter Formay, a Franciscan friar and doctor of divinity, was promoted to the see of Ross by Pope Martin V in November, 1418.
Cornelius MacElchade, a Franciscan friar, was promoted instead of John Bloxmonch, a Carmelite who neglected to expedite his provisional letters, by the Pope to the see of Ross on the 18th of August, 1426.
Thady succeeded as bishop of Ross and was sitting in January 1488, died soon after.
Odo or Hugh succeeded in 1489 and sat only five years.
Edmond Courcey, a minorite and professor of divinity, who had been consecrated bishop of Clogher in June, 1484, was translated to the see of Ross in September, 1494. Edmond died in a very advanced age on the 14th of March ,1518, and was buried in a monastery of his own order at Timoleague in the county of Cork, of which he built the steeple, dormitory, infirmary and library.
John Imurily, a Cistercian of the abbey of Maur in the county of Cork and afterwards abbot of that house, succeeded to the see of Ross in the year, 1519. He died on the 9th of January same year and was buried in the monastery of Timoleague, having assumed the Franciscan habit.
Bonaventure, a Spaniard, succeeded and was sitting in 1523.

Thursday 10 November 2016

The Round Tower at Waterloo

To the north of Cork City, just a few miles north of Blarney, up the valley between the Boggera and the Nagle Mountains, the Martin River flows down towards the River Lee. Fr. Mat Horgan was Parish Priest of Blarney in the 19th century. He was a man of many talents and a great supporter of Irish Catholic heritage. The name of this great Corkonian deserves to be better remembered. He gave a lecture in 1839 which included his own translation into Irish of an ode by Horace.

He was a historian and the author of many learned articles but only one book on the Tithe War of 1834 when a Protestant Minister called Ryder called out the English soldiers to collect contributions to the Protestant Church that were imposed by law even upon Catholics. 12 died and many were wounded to satisfy his greed.

Fr. Mat was known locally as "the man who built the Round Towers". In fact, he built two, one at Waterloo and another at Whitechurch both in the north of County Cork. There was great controversy among the antiquarians of the time regarding the true origins of Round Towers that dot the landscape of Ireland. Fr. Mat proposed the solution that seems so obvious now that they were bell towers and places of storage and refuge. To demonstrate his theory, he built the two towers. He died in 1849 at the age of 46 and was buried beneath the tower at Waterloo.

Across the gap along the road to Mallow you reach the River Clyda above which sat Castle Barrett or Castlemore that was once the stronghold of the Templar Knights of Mourne Abbey, who arrived around the year 1200. The Boggeras have a desolate appearance above Mourne Abbey. No wonder that they are the home place of "the man from God knows where".

Into our townland on a night of snow,
Rode a man from God knows where;
None of us bade him stay or go,
Nor deemed him friend, nor damned him foe,
But we stabled his big roan mare;
For in our townland we're decent folk,
And if he didn't speak, why none of us spoke,
And we sat till the fire burned low.

The River Clyda will be well-loved of all Cork people in exile in Dublin because, as you sit on the train from Dublin, it and the Blackwater are the first signs of the land of streams that announce that you are home again in dear old Cork.

[UPDATE] Since I posted this another great Irish poem has been brought to my attention. I was sitting down watching Darby O'Gill and the Little People and enjoying the nonsense when my Grandma started reciting the correct form of the poem quoted by Sean Connery incorrectly in the film. Instantly I realised that it would go well with my post on the Round Towers and I asked her to write what she could remember of it:

THE PILLAR TOWERS OF IRELAND
By D.F. McCarthy

I.
The pillar towers of Ireland, how wondrously they stand
By the lakes and rushing rivers through the valleys of our land;
In mystic file, through the isle, they lift their heads sublime,
These gray old pillar temples, these conquerors of time!

II.
Beside these gray old pillars, how perishing and weak
The Roman's arch of triumph, and the temple of the Greek,
And the gold domes of Byzantium, and the pointed Gothic spires,
All are gone, one by one, but the temples of our sires!

III.
The column, with its capital, is level with the dust,
And the proud halls of the mighty and the calm homes of the just;
For the proudest works of man, as certainly, but slower,
Pass like the grass at the sharp scythe of the mower!

IV.
But the grass grows again when in majesty and mirth,
On the wing of the spring, comes the Goddess of the Earth;
But for man in this world no springtide e'er returns
To the labours of his hands or the ashes of his urns!

V.
Two favourites hath Time--the pyramids of Nile,
And the old mystic temples of our own dear isle;
As the breeze o'er the seas, where the halcyon has its nest,
Thus Time o'er Egypt's tombs and the temples of the West!

VI.
The names of their founders have vanished in the gloom,
Like the dry branch in the fire or the body in the tomb;
But to-day, in the ray, their shadows still they cast
These temples of forgotten gods--these relics of the past!

VII.
Around these walls have wandered the Briton and the Dane
The captives of Armorica, the cavaliers of Spain
Phoenician and Milesian, and the plundering Norman Peers
And the swordsmen of brave Brian, and the chiefs of later years!

VIII.
How many different rites have these gray old temples known!
To the mind what dreams are written in these chronicles of stone!
What terror and what error, what gleams of love and truth,
Have flashed from these walls since the world was in its youth?

IX.
Here blazed the sacred fire, and, when the sun was gone,
As a star from afar to the traveller it shone;
And the warm blood of the victim have these gray old temples drunk,
And the death-song of the druid and the matin of the monk.

X.
Here was placed the holy chalice that held the sacred wine,
And the gold cross from the altar, and the relics from the shrine,
And the mitre shining brighter with its diamonds than the East,
And the crosier of the pontiff and the vestments of the priest.

XI.
Where blazed the sacred fire, rung out the vesper bell,
Where the fugitive found shelter, became the hermit's cell;
And hope hung out its symbol to the innocent and good,
For the cross o'er the moss of the pointed summit stood.

XII.
There may it stand for ever, while that symbol doth impart
To the mind one glorious vision, or one proud throb to the heart;
While the breast needeth rest may these gray old temples last,
Bright prophets of the future, as preachers of the past!

[First Published on the St. Conleth's Catholic Heritage Blog in April, 2010]