Clonfert Cathedral is a

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

of 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 second ...

Clonfert Clonfert () is a small village in east County Galway, Ireland, halfway between Ballinasloe and Portumna. The village gives its name to the Diocese of Clonfert. Clonfert Cathedral is one of the eight cathedral churches of the Church of Ireland, ...

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Clonfert, it is now one of three cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Limerick and Killaloe. The current building was erected in the 12th century at the site of an earlier 6th century church founded by

Saint Brendan Brendan of Clonfert (c. AD 484 - c.577), is one of the early Celtic Christianity, Irish monastic saints and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He is also referred to as Brendan the Navigator, Brendan the Voyager, Brendan the Anchorite, Br ...

, which was associated with a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

he founded and at which he was buried. The Dean of the Cathedral is the Very Reverend Roderick Lindsay Smyth who is also

Dean of Killaloe The Dean of Killaloe is based at the Cathedral Church of St Flannan in Killaloe in the united diocese of Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert within the Church of Ireland. The Dean of Killaloe is also Dean of St Brendans, Clonfert, Dean of Kilfenora, ...

Dean of Kilfenora The Dean of Kilfenora was based at the Cathedral Church of St Fachnan (also known as St Fachtna) in Kilfenora, Clare in the small Diocese of Kilfenora within the Church of Ireland. It is probable that the Dean and Chapter were established aroun ...

and both Dean and Provost of

Kilmacduagh Kilmacduagh () is a small village in south County Galway, near Gort, in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the site of Kilmacduagh monastery, seat of the Diocese of that name. The diocese is now part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Ki ...

Description of the cathedral

The earliest part of the church dates back to around 1180. Its doorway is the crowning achievement of Hiberno-Romanesque style. It is in six orders, and has a large variety of motifs, animal heads,

foliage A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

, human heads etc. Above the doorway is a pointed hood enclosing triangles alternating with bizarre human heads, and below this is an

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

enclosing more human heads. The early 13th century east windows in the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

is an example of a late Romanesque windows. The chancel arch was inserted in the 15th century, and is decorated with angels, a rosette and a

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...

carrying a mirror. The supporting arches of the tower at the west end of the church are also decorated with 15th century heads, and the innermost order of the Romanesque doorway was also inserted at this time. The

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

is also 15th century. The church had a Romanesque south

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

, which is now in ruins, and a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

north transept, which has been removed. In the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church one mile to the south is a 14th-century wooden statue of the

Madonna and Child In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent in ...

, and on the roadside near this church is a 16th-century tower-house. Image:Clofert_door_top_2006-06-21.JPG Image:Clonfert_door_2006-06-21.JPG Image:Clonfert_mermaid_crop.jpg Image:Clonfert_mermaid_crop_(adjusted)_2006-06-21.jpg Image:Clonfert_angels-_north_2006-06-21.JPG Image:Clonfert_angels-north_(ajusted)_20006-06-21.jpg Image:Clonfert_angels-_south_(adjusted)_2006-06-21.jpg Image:Clonfert_angel_&_dragon.JPG Image:Clonfert_mermaid_&_angels_2006-06-21.JPG Image:Clofert Cathedral 2006-06-21.jpg

Preservation

Clonfert Cathedral was included in the

2000 World Monuments Watch The World Monuments Watch is a flagship advocacy program of the New York-based private non-profit organization World Monuments Fund (WMF) and American Express to call upon every government in the world, preservation organizations, and other groups ...

by the

World Monuments Fund World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and trainin ...

. The soft sandstone structure had weathered severely, and prior conservation efforts, which did not fully address all the building's problems, as well as substantial biological growth, had compounded the deterioration. Due to the limited resources of the dwindling congregation,

American Express American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation specialized in payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The company was found ...

provided financial assistance through the organization.World Monuments Fund: Saint Brendan's Cathedral, Clonfert, Galway, Ireland
/ref>

Clonfert in the Annals

* 561 - ''In which the battle of Cúl Dreimne is what is to be recorded, and in which Ainmire, son of Sétna, and Ainnedid son of Fergus, and Domnall were victors. Diarmait, however, was put to flight; and on this day Cluain Ferta Brénainn was founded at the order of an angel. U 558, 560, 561, 564; AU 558' * 636 - ''Repose of Carthach, abbot of Cluain Ferta Brénainn, who is called Ségán.'' * 752 - ''Repose of Cúángus, abbot of Liath Mo-Chaemóc, and repose of Fiachna grandson of Maicnia, abbot of Cluain Ferta Brénainn.'' * 802 - ''Repose of Ólchobar, abbot of Cluain Ferta Brénainn.'' * 817 - ''Connmach ua Cathail, wise man of Cluain Fearta Brenainn, died''. * 820 - ''Laithbheartach, son of Aenghus, Bishop of Cluain Fearta Brenainn ... died.'' * 838 - ''A great assembly of the men of Ireland in Cluain Ferta Brénainn, and Niall son of Aed, king of Temuir, submitted to Feidlimid, son of Crimthann, so that Feidlimid became full king of Ireland that day, and he occupied the abbot's chair of Cluain Ferta.'' * 866 - ''Tomrar the Jarl, plundered Cluain Ferta Brénainn, and Brénainn killed him on hethird day after he had reached his camp.'' * 949 - ''The spoiling of Sil-Anmchadha (

Síol Anmchadha Síol Anmchadha was a sub-kingdom or lordship of Uí Maine, and ruled by an offshoot of the Uí Maine called the Síol Anmchadha (''"the seed of Anmchadh"''), from whom the territory took its name. It was located in Connacht, Ireland. Histor ...

), and the plundering of Cluain-fearta-Brenainn, by Ceallachan and the men of Munster.'' * 971 - ''Cinaedh of the Oratory, anchorite of Cluain-fearta, died.'' * 1045 - ''Clonfert, with its church, was burned by the Ui-Maine. Cuchonnacht, son of Gadhra Ua Dunadhaigh, was there slain.'' * 1112 - ''Mael Maire Ua Fócarta, coarb of Brénainn, rested in Christ.'' * 1136 - ''

Domhnall Ua Dubhthaigh Domhnall Ua Dubhthaigh, Archbishop of Connacht, died 1136. The post of Archbishop of Connacht was a precursor to that of Archbishop of Tuam. His death is noted in the Annals of the Four Masters as follows: ''Domhnall Ua Dubhthaigh, Archbishop ...

, Archbishop of Connaught ... died after mass and celebration at Cluain-fearta-Brenainn.'' * 1162 - ''The relics of Bishop Maeinenn and of Cummaine Foda were removed from the earth by the clergy of Brenainn, and they were enclosed in a protecting shrine.'' * 1170 - ''Cormac Ua Lumluini, lector of Cluain-fearta-Brenainn, the remnant of the sages of Ireland in his time, died.'' * 1179 - ''Clonfert-Brendan, with its churches, were burned.'' * 1186 - ''Maelcallann, son of Adam Mac Clerken, Bishop of Clonfert-Brendan, died.'' * 1190 - ''A meeting was held at Clonfert-Brendan, to conclude a peace between Cathal Crovderg and Cathal Carragh. All the Sil-Murray repaired to this meeting, together with the successor of St. Patrick, Conor Mac Dermot, and Aireaghtagh O'Rodiv; but they could not be reconciled to each other on this occasion. O'Conor and the Sil-Murray went to Clonmacnoise on that night, and early next morning embarked in their fleet, and sailed up the Shannon until they came to Lough Ree. A violent storm arose on the lake, by which their vessels were separated from each other; and the storm so agitated the vessel in which O'Conor was, that it could not be piloted. Such was the fury of the storm, it foundered, and all the crew perished, except O'Conor himself and six others. In this vessel with O'Conor (Cathal Crovderg) were Areaghtagh O'Rodiv and Conor, son of Cathal, who were both drowned, as were also Conor and Auliffe, the two sons of Hugh Mageraghty; O'Mulrenin, and the son of O'Monahan, and many others.'' * 1195 - ''Donnell Ó Finn, Coarb of Clonfert-Brendan, died.'' * 1202 - ''Murtough O'Carmacan, Bishop of Clonfert-Brendan, died.'' * 1266 - ''A bishop-elect came from Rome to Clonfert-Brendan, and the dignity of bishop was conferred on him, and on TomásÓ Mhiadhachán, at

Athenry Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virtu ...

, on the Sunday before Christmas.''

References

External links

Article on Clonfert
from the Catholic Encyclopedia
''Ecclesiastical history of Ireland, from the first introduction of Christianity to the beginning of the thirteenth century''
John Lanigan, 1829

Description of the cathedral

Preservation

Clonfert in the Annals

References

External links

See also