The Bishop of Ardagh was a separate
episcopal title which took its name after the village of
Ardagh, County Longford
Ardagh (, older version ) is a village in County Longford, Ireland. Ardagh is located towards the south of County Longford, southwest of Longford town, located off the N4 road. Originally a site of pre-Christian worship, Ardagh became a site ...
in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
. It was used by the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
until 1756, and intermittently by the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...
until 1839.
Tradition states that a monastery was founded at Ardagh by
St Patrick, and that his nephew,
St. Mel (died c.490), was its bishop or abbot. Although there is no historical or archaeological evidence to support it, Mel is regarded as the founder of the see.
The diocese of Ardagh was established in 1111 at the
Synod of Rathbreasail
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word meani ...
as the see for east
Connacht
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...
. At the subsequent
Synod of Kells
The Synod of Kells (, ) took place in 1152, under the presidency of Giovanni Cardinal Paparoni, and continued the process begun at the Synod of Ráth Breasail (1111) of reforming the Irish church. The sessions were divided between the abbeys o ...
in 1152, its area was reduced to the territory of the
Conmaicne.
[Galloway, ''The Cathedrals of Ireland''.]
Ardagh Cathedral was severely damaged by warfare in 1496 and was never restored. There are remains of an eighth- or ninth-century church at Ardagh, which is known as ''St. Mel's Cathedral'', although it dates from three centuries after the saint's death, and predates the introduction of a diocesan system in Ireland.
Following the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, there were parallel
apostolic successions. In the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, the bishopric has been united with
Clonmacnoise
Clonmacnoise ( Irish: ''Cluain Mhic Nóis'') is a ruined monastery situated in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. Until the 9th cen ...
since 30 May 1756. Until the mid 19th-century, the parish church of
Ballymahon
Ballymahon () on the River Inny is a town in the southern part of County Longford, Ireland. It is located at the junction of the N55 National secondary road and the R392 regional road.
History
Ballymahon derives its name from the Irish lang ...
had served as a pro-cathedral for the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise
The Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise ( ga, Deoise Ardach agus Chluain Mhic Nóis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Ireland.
Geography
The diocese is entirely within the Republic of Ireland and contains most of counties Longford and Leitrim, wit ...
. A new
St Mel's Cathedral in
Longford was built for the diocese between 1840 and 1856. The building was destroyed by fire in the early hours of Christmas Day 2009.
In the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...
, Ardagh was intermittently held with
Kilmore between 1604–1633, 1661–1692 and 1693–1742, then held with
Tuam
Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bronz ...
1742–1839. Ardagh was again united to Kilmore 1839–1841. Since 1841, Ardagh has been part of the bishopric of
Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh.
Pre-Reformation bishops
Bishops during the Reformation
Post-Reformation bishops
Church of Ireland succession
Roman Catholic succession
Notes
* These two bishops appear as rival bishops, and the rivalry was continued to 1237.
* There was a disputed election after the death of Uilliam Mac Carmaic in 1373. Cairbre Ó Feaghail died at Avignon in 1378, and it is not certain that he ever got possession of the see. John Aubrey, O.P., friar of Trim, was one of the three rival candidates in 1373. (The third candidate was Richard O'Farrell, Dean of Ardagh).
* The date of Cormac Mác Shamhradháin's resignation is uncertain, but a 'Joh.', bishop-elect of Ardagh, was in Rome in 1463.
References
Bibliography
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External links
The Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and ClonmacnaoisThe Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh (Church of Ireland)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ardagh
Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise
Lists of Anglican bishops and archbishops
Lists of Irish bishops and archbishops
Bishop of Ardagh
Bishops of Ardaghh
Bishops
Bishops
Conmaicne Maigh Rein
Conmaicne Angaile