Fore () is a village, next to the old Benedictine Abbey ruin of Fore Abbey, situated to the north of Lough Lene in

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

, in Ireland. The village, (sister parish of nearby St. Mary's Collinstown) is situated within a valley between two hills: the Hill of Ben, the Hill of Houndslow, and the Ankerland rise area. There can be found the ruins of a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

monastery, which had been populated at one time by

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Benedictine monks from Évreux, Normandy. Fore is the

anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

version of the Irish name that signifies "the town of the water-springs" and was given to the area after

Saint Feichin In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

’s spring or well, which is next to the old church a short distance from where the ruined monastery still stands. It was

St. Feichin ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

who founded the ancient Fore Abbey around 630. By 665 (the time of the

yellow plague Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

) there were 300 monks living in the community. Another important aspect of Fore is the ''Fore Crosses'' one of which is in the village of Fore. There are 18 crosses; some crosses are plain (most likely to wind and rain erosion) whilst others still remain carved. These are spread out over 7 miles on roadways and in fields and bore witness to religious persecution during penal times. The Monk Gerald of Wales related the following legend of Féchín: ''" Chapter LII (Of the mill which no women enter) :''"There is a mill at

Foure Fore () is a village, next to the old Rule of St Benedict, Benedictine Abbey ruin of Fore Abbey, situated to the north of Lough Lene in County Westmeath, in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The village, (sister parish of nearby St. Mary's Collinst ...

, in

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, which St. Fechin made most miraculously with his own hands, in the side of a certain rock. No women are allowed to enter either this mill or the church of the saint; and the mill is held in as much reverence by the natives as any of the churches dedicated to the saint. It happened that when Hugh de Lacy was leading his troops through this place, an archer dragged a girl into the mill and there violated her. Sudden punishment overtook him; for being struck with infernal fire in the offending parts, it spread throughout his whole body, and he died the same night"''.

References

{{County Westmeath 630 establishments Towns and villages in County Westmeath