Corcomroe Abbey
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Corcomroe Abbey (
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
: ''Mainistir Chorca Mrua'') is an early 13th-century
Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
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 ...
located in the north of the Burren region of
County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
,
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 ...
, a few miles east of the village of
Ballyvaughan Ballyvaughan or Ballyvaghan () is a small harbour village in County Clare, Ireland. It is located on the N67 road on the south shores of Galway Bay, in the northwest corner of The Burren. This position on the coast road and the close proximity ...
in the
Barony of Burren The Barony of Burren is a geographical division of County Clare, Ireland, that in turn is divided into civil parishes. It covers a large part of the Burren. Legal context Baronies were created after the Norman invasion of Ireland as divisions ...
. It was once known as "St. Mary of the Fertile Rock", a reference to the Burren's fertile soil. The
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 ...
ruins feature stone carvings that are considered to be among the finest in a Cistercian church in Ireland. The abbey appears in W.B. Yeats' play ''The Dreaming of Bones''. They constitute a
National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...
and are open to the public.


Geography


Location

The ruins are located around 800 metres east of the village of Bellharbour in Glennamannagh, a valley of the Burren. The closest large village is
Ballyvaughan Ballyvaughan or Ballyvaghan () is a small harbour village in County Clare, Ireland. It is located on the N67 road on the south shores of Galway Bay, in the northwest corner of The Burren. This position on the coast road and the close proximity ...
, a few miles further west. The L1014 road passes close by the abbey. About a kilometer from the abbey are the ruined churches of
Oughtmama Oughtmama ( ga, Ucht Máma) is a civil parish in County Clare. It lies in the Burren, a region in the northwest of the county. It contains many antiquities, including three early-medieval Christian churches, ruined castles, prehistoric cairns ...
. Although no stream was present at the site, several wells are located in the townland where the abbey stands, which probably provided water to the monastic foundation.


History

A band of
Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
monks came to the area from the abbey at Inislounaght in
County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...
in the late 12th century. Sources vary as to the exact founding date (1180–1200). The foundation is attributed either to Donal Mór Ua Briain (Donald O'Brien), the patron of a number of other religious structures in the historic
Thomond Thomond (Classical Irish: ; Modern Irish: ), also known as the kingdom of Limerick, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nenag ...
region, who died in 1194 or his successor Donough Cairbreach. If it is true that Corcomroe established a daughter-house in 1198 at Kilshane (
County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Munster , subdivision ...
) the former is more likely. Alternatively, Kilshane may have been the first attempt by this group of monks to set up a monastery and after that failed in 1200, Corcomroe may have been the site of their second try. On stylistic grounds, the founding is thought to have occurred around 1205–10. Construction of the abbey used local
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
. Legend maintains that the building was indeed commissioned by King Conor na Siudane Ua Briain (see below). According to the legend, Ua Briain executed the five masons who completed the abbey to prevent them from constructing a rival masterpiece elsewhere. The documentary evidence on Corcomroe Abbey is scanty. Moreover, since the Cistercians did not engage in pastoral work to the same extent as some other orders, few traditions on the abbey were maintained by local folklore. In 1226, a papal mandate addressed to the Bishop of Kilfenora and the abbot of Corcomroe shows that the abbey was integrated into the Cistercian network at that time and that the abbot was an important functionary in the local church. Another missive, from 1359, concerned the finances of the archdiocese of Tuam and the diocese 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 ...
. In between, in 1228, the relationship with the mother-house at Inislounaght was ended and Corcomroe became subservient to
Furness Abbey Furness Abbey, or St. Mary of Furness, is a former Catholic monastery located to the north of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The abbey dates back to 1123 and was once the second-wealthiest and most powerful Cistercian monastery in the coun ...
. This was part of an attempt by the order to bring the more remote houses of the order in Ireland under closer control. In 1227, 1280 and 1287 there were complaints that the abbot of Corcomroe had failed to appear at the General Chapter at Citeaux for a long time. According to a 15th-century report, in 1268 a battle was fought at ''Siudáine'', close to Corcomroe in which Conor O'Brien (Conor na Siudane Ua Briain), King of Thomond was surprised by Conor Carrach O'Loughlain and slain with many of his retainers. His body was retrieved from the battlefield and buried at Corcomroe by the monks. Another battle reportedly took place nearby in 1317, when there was internal feuding between the O'Briens and their allies. The abbey was used as a barracks by Dermot O'Brien. By the end of the 14th century, the local area was held by a branch of the O'Cahans (O'Kane or Keane) from Derry in Ulster. It is not clear exactly how this occurred. Earlier that century, the wool trade had boomed but then fell into decline. Selling off/mortgaging land may have been a way tried by the abbey to improve its economic circumstances. In any case, the O'Cahans became stewards of the abbey's lands. Papal letters of the early 15th century refer to issues around appointments at
Kilfenora Kilfenora ( ga, Cill Fhionnúrach , meaning 'Church of the Fertile Hillside' or 'Church of the White Brow') is a village and a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is situated south of the karst limestone region known as the Burren. Si ...
and
Killilagh Killilagh or Killeilagh ( ga, Cill Aidhleach) is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It contains the village of Doolin. Location The parish lies in the northwest corner of the Barony of Corcomroe. It is and covers . It lies along the So ...
. In 1419, the abbot John became Bishop of Kilmacduagh. Papal correspondence became more frequent after this time, mostly for reasons of local abuses of order rules notably the ban against marriage. Church dynasties had become quite common in Ireland at that time, and were also present at Corcomroe. Through the 15th century, the abbey and several parishes were controlled by the Tierney family. These practices of hereditary succession of abbots and use of abbey resources by powerful families resulted in a decline of monasteries' fortunes. The number of monks fell, monastic churches were reduced in size. At Corcomroe, the church was shortened by 13 metres in the 15th century. There is also evidence that suggests that at the time the monks' dormitory had been in disuse. The
English Reformation The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...
led to the dissolution of
Catholic 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 ...
monasteries in England and Ireland. In 1554, the abbey and its land (15 quarters) was granted to the
Earl of Thomond Earl of Thomond was an hereditary title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created twice for the O'Brien dynasty which is an ancient Irish sept native to north Munster. History and background First creation Under the Crown of Ireland Act 1542, Ki ...
/Baron Inchiquin, Murrough O'Brien. The property is last mentioned in the family papers in 1702, when they were mortgaged By William, Earl of Inchiquin to Donat O'Brien of
Dromoland Dromoland Castle ( ga, Drom Ólainn) is a castle, located near Newmarket-on-Fergus in County Clare, Ireland. It is operated as a five-star luxury hotel with a golf course, with its restaurant, the "Earl of Thomond", being awarded a Miche ...
. The monks continued to tend the fields and maintain the abbey as circumstances allowed, but the political climate led to continued decline. In 1625, Father Daniel O'Griffy of
Dysert O'Dea Monastery Dysert O'Dea Church (Irish: ''Díseart Uí Dheá'' - "the hermitage of Deá") near Corofin in County Clare, Ireland stands on the site of an early Christian monastery which was reportedly founded by St. Tola in the 8th century. Most of the pr ...
was appointed as "commendatory abbot" of Corcomroe, but that may have been purely titular. This was also true of the last abbot, the Reverend John O'Dea, a monk of Salamanca, appointed in 1628. In 1879, the Office of Public Works acquired the ruins.


Description

The construction used the standard plan of Cistercian foundations, but on a reduced scale. The cruciform church, facing east, features just one side chapel in each
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 ...
and a small
cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
court. The church, though lacking a roof, is largely intact with an aisled nave (of which the north aisle has all but disappeared or was never completed). Of the abbey's domestic buildings only a few traces remain. However, significant pieces of the high wall surrounding the five acre monastic precinct are still visible. The arched gate through this wall was blown down by a storm in 1839. Its remains and those of a gatehouse lie about 100 meters west of the church. The abbey is noted for its detailed carvings and other rich ornamentation, which are not commonly found in structures from this period. This includes columns, capitals and ribs that support the vaulted sanctuary (or
choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
) ceiling. The sanctuary also contains the tomb of Conor O'Brien (or Conor na Siudane Ua Briain), King of Thomond, located in an arched recess. The limestone effigy (close to life size) is one of the few contemporary representations of an Irish chieftain. Although vandalised in the early 19th century, the monument is in fairly good condition. A late addition is the Neoclassical "O'Loughlin King of the Burren Family Tomb", from the late 18th or early 19th century. It is located in the floor in front of the recess with Conor O'Brien's tomb.


Today

The abbey today is a tourist attraction and is accessible to the public.


See also

* List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Clare)


References


Sources


Corcomroe Abbey
at Clare County Library * Clements, P. 2011. ''Burren Country''. The Collins Press.


External links

*

' - Cooke, Thomas L. - '' Galway Vindicator'', 1842
Corcomroe at National Monuments Service
{{Tourism in County Clare Religious buildings and structures completed in 1211 Religious organizations established in the 1200s Cistercian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Buildings and structures in County Clare Religion in County Clare Ruins in the Republic of Ireland Former populated places in Ireland Christian monasteries established in the 13th century National Monuments in County Clare Tourist attractions in County Clare Gothic architecture in the Republic of Ireland