Reorganisation of the Church
Above: St. Laurence O’Toole
In the early part of this period the condition of the Church, and the state of religion generally present a sad contrast to the glories of the period before the coming of the Norsemen. The continued warfare had played havoc with the Church, and had, to a great extent, demoralised the people. The persistent manner in which the Norse had singled out churches and monasteries for their attacks had left many of the sanctuaries deserted, and many districts deprived of the exercise of religion. Not a few of the Irish chiefs, unfortunately, followed the example of the invaders, and displayed the loss of the old reverence by frequent attacks on some of the most venerated monasteries, by appropriating the church lands, and by claiming the right, frequently asserted by force, of imposing their own nominees upon Church offices. The corruption of manners is also illustrated by frequent breaches of faith and acts of cruelty.
In this picture, however, there were many bright spots. Brian had done much to foster religion and learning, and his example was followed by others. Many of the chiefs contributed generously to the development of the old and the foundation of new homes of piety and learning. Most conspicuous and significant in many ways is the grant of the city of Cashel to the Church, made by Muirkertagh O’Brien in noi, the ancient seat of the southern Kings being solemnly dedicated at a provincial synod convened by O’Brien on the eve of his victorious march to Aileach .*
* Another interesting grant was the foundation by Dermot Mac Murrough of All Saints Priory, on the site of which Trinity College, Dublin, was established.
The organisation of the Church, and the interests of religion alike, suffered severely from the ambitions of chiefs and others who designed to control the appointments of Church dignitaries, and to seize upon Church properly. The chiefs (whose personal power had expanded during the continued warfare) wished to control the appointment of bishops and abbots—as kings and nobles in Liter years long endeavoured to do in Europe. Generally they nominated a cleric of their own clan, but often they seized upon the titles and lands for themselves or for a lay nominee. In some cases these rights were fought for by rival clans. In Armagh hostile claimants for the See of St. Patrick were long supported by the Cineal Eoghain on the one hand, and the Oirghialla on the other. The attack by Diarmuid Mac Murrough on the convent of Kildare {page 97) sprang from the rival claims of the clans of North and South Leinster to the nomination of the Comharb of St. Bridget. The result was that in numerous cases lay usurpers, some of whom were married, held themselves out as the Comharbs or successors of a venerated saint, and took the relics and the lands and property attached to his See or monastery while the religious duties were either totally neglected or were carried on by some unknown cleric.
Similar methods were employed by the erenachs or lay stewards of the Church property {chap. IV), who frequently seized upon the lands during the temporary banishment of the monks. Retaining the relics and other emblems of the founder, they passed on to their families the title of his successor and the possession of the lands.
Below : Illustration Picture Of Saint Malachy
The Irish Church was, however, still vigorous enough to produce from its own ranks—both Gaelic and Norse—devoted clerics, capable of carrying out effective reforms. Most prominent in the work of re-organisation was St. Malachy O’Morgair. Born in 1094, he became abbot of the monastery of Bangor, which had sent so mmy missionaries to evangelise Europe, but which was then in ruins. Hiving partially restored the famous school, he was next (n25) created B.shop of” Connor ” (or Dal Riada), and by arduous toil, revived religion in that territory. At this time the Bishop of Armagh was Celsus (Ce.diu,c). His eight predecessors had been lay and married usurpers, members of the ruling clans of Oirghialla, who having secured the ■’ X)AtMX Tof a ” and other relics of St. Patrick, had been accepted by the ignorant people as his ” Comharbs.” Celsus himself belonged to the usurping family but was anxious to restore order. He nominated Malachy as his successor, and upon his death (1132) at the request of Gilbert, Bishop of the Norse of Limerick, and of many clergy and chiefs, Malachy unwillingly accepted the dignity. For two years he was kept out of the See by the intruding family, but eventually he got possession of the See and of its insignia. He had accepted the dignity on the condition that he might retire when order was restored, and having accomplished this task, he resigned (1137), and was succeeded by Gelasius, Abbot of the Columban monastery of Derry.
Although Malachy had resigned the primacy, and had become Bishop of ” Down ” (or Dal Araidhe), he was still the most influential man in the Irish Church. He had set before himself the carrying out of two great reforms. The first of these was the organisation of definite dioceses. It has been noticed that in the early Irish Church there were very many bishops, and that there were no territorial dioceses. The bishops were attached to great clans or to the more important monasteries, and their rule was not determined by any definite territory. This loose system had become worse during the ravages of the Norse, and formed a striking contrast to the great system which Pope Gregory (” Hildebrand “) had established on the Continent with its definite dioceses grouped into provinces which were presided over by recognised archbishops. In Ireland, Armagh was recognised as the head, and in each of the great political divisions of the country certain ” Comharbs ” enjoyed a sort of precedence over the other bishops; but there was nothing like an organised episcopal system.
Gilbert and Celsus had both endeavoured to remedy this state of disorder. At two synods held at Uisneach (11 n) and Rathbreasail (1118), the number of dioceses was fixed, and they were formed into two provinces presided over by Armagh and Cashel— representing the old divisions of Leath Chuinn and Leath Mhogha, and also the existing political state of affairs. The arrangement, however, was not formal, and Malachy determined to get the sanction of the Pope for a new grouping, and proceeded to Rome to request the ” palliums,” which gave due authority to archbishops. The Pope (Innocent II) received him warmly, and created him Papal Legate in succession to Gilbert, but deferred the question of the palliums until a National Synod should request them.
Eight years afterwards (1148), a National Synod at lnnispatrick (near Skerries) sent forward the request. Malachy again started for Rome, but died on the way at Clairvaux, the famous monastery of his warm friend, St. Bernard. Four years later (1152J at the Synod of Kells, Malachy’s organising work was crowned. Thirty-eight dioceses were formed and grouped into four provinces under the Archbishops of Armagh, Cashel, Tuam and Dublin respectively, and upon those Archbishops the Papal Legate, Cardinal Paparo, conferred the pallium. The two new provinces apparently recognised the political influence of the O’Connors in the West, and the importance of the Norse element in the East. The primacy over all was still continued in the Archbishop of Armagh, now formal head of a National Church.
The dioceses formed at the Synod of Kells are practically those which nowexist.* They represented, to a great extent,the territories occupied by the principal clans,f and therefore still indicate roughly the location and extent of many clans at the time immediately before the Norman Invasion The Norse Bishops.—It was not until the Synod of Kells that the Norse settlers became an integral part of the Church in Ireland. The Bishops of Dublin, Limerick and Waterford had hitherto been consecrated by the Norman Archbishop of Canterbury, and regarded themselves as independent of Armagh. Now, however, Dublin was raised to the dignity of an Archbishopric at the head of a province of the Irish Church. Nine years later the existing Bishop died (1161), and his successor—the celebrated St. Laurence O’Toole—was the first Archbishop of Dublin consecrated by the Archbishop of Armagh.