Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin (anglicised as Christian Malone; died 1127) was an

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 ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

and

Abbot of Clonmacnoise The Abbot of Clonmacnoise was the monastic head of Clonmacnoise. They also bore the title "Coarb, Comarba of Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, Saint Ciarán", "successor of Saint Ciarán". The following is a list of abbots: List of abbots to 1539 Note ...

Family background

Ó Maoil Eoin (now anglicised as

Malone Malone is an Irish surname. From the Irish "''Mael Eóin''", the name means a servant or a disciple of Saint John. People * Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin (died 1127), historian and Abbot of Clonmacnoise, Ó Maoil Eoin * Adrian Malone (1937–2 ...

), denotes descent from a grandson of a person baptised in honour of Saint John. This assumption was introduced long after Maol Eoin had lived. It was contrived to demonstrate a long-standing association with the Church. As such "maol" is often described as meaning bald and then quickly followed by the idea of a monks shaved head. While "maol" does mean bald it also can mean thin. However, in both cases it is used in reference with the landscape; bald might mean lacking in trees, and thin might mean a peninsula or island. It defines a feature of the landscape that is associated with the family. The use of maol, in a family name, is found recorded some 200 years before Maol Eoin was born. Maolrunaigh (Mulrooney)was a past family name that was passed down, mostly in part, through the generations. This was a common way to include the name of the bride's father, as a mark of respect. If Maol Eoin means devotee of St John, then it would stand to reason that Maolrunaigh must be a devotee of St. Rooney. However, a St. Rooney does nor exist. The Ó Maoil Eoin were wrongly accorded kinship with the

Uí Briúin The Uí Briúin were a royal dynasty of Connacht. Their eponymous apical ancestor was Brión, son of Eochaid Mugmedon and Mongfind, and an elder half brother of Niall of the Nine Hostages. They formed part of the Connachta, along with the U ...

, based on the statement that ''"Maoliosa ,

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...

, who had a son named Maol Eoin ... a quo O'Maoil Eoin, anglicised Malone."'' However, the family were already in existence before Tairrdelbach was born, so the kinship is mistaken, or possibly a forgery, though at least one very old family tradition holds the name was intended to signify a friendship or political alliance at the time of baptism. They seemed to have been an ecclesiastical or

Erenagh The medieval Irish office of erenagh (Old Irish: ''airchinnech'', Modern Irish: ''airchinneach'', Latin: ''princeps'') was responsible for receiving parish revenue from tithes and rents, building and maintaining church property and overseeing the ...

family native to the area, with no links to any great royal houses.

Abbot Gilla Críst

Gilla Críst is the earliest known member of the family associated 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 ce ...

, and perhaps the ancestor of all subsequent Ó Maoil Eoin's associated with it. He was associated with

Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair (old spelling: Tairrdelbach Mór Ua Conchobair; 1088 – 1156) anglicised Turlough Mór O'Conor, was King of Connacht (1106–1156) and High King of Ireland (ca. 1120–1156). Family background and early life ...

, as attested in an entry in

Chronicon Scotorum ''Chronicon Scotorum'', also known as ''Chronicum Scotorum'', is a medieval Irish chronicle. Overview According to Nollaig Ó Muraíle, it is "a collection of annals belonging to the ' Clonmacnoise group', covering the period from prehistoric tim ...

''sub anno'' 1124 - ''"The great bell-tower of Cluaín moccu Nóis was completed by Gilla Críst ua Maíleoin and Tairdelbach ua Conchobuir."'' Two years later the same text records that ''"Gilla Críst ua Maíleoin, abbot of Cluaín moccu Nóis, the fount of wisdom and charity, the head of wealth and riches of Ireland, rested."''

''Chronicon Scotorum''

'' is an account of Irish affairs that ends in an unfinished manner in the entry dated 1150. Gilla Crist has been associated with the text as its compiler, Stokes, George Thomas: ''Ireland and the Anglo-Norman Church. A History of Ireland and Irish Christianity from the Anglo-Norman Conquest to the Dawn of the Protestant Reformation'' (1889), p 360: "...The ''Chronicon Scotorum'' was originally compiled about the year 1150 by Christian Malone, Abbot of Clonmacnis,..." but if so, it was continued at some point after his death. His actual role in relation to the Chronicon is uncertain.

Later Ó Máel Eóins and Malones

Subsequent abbots included * Áed Ua Máel Eóin (died 1153) * Tigernach Ua Máel Eóin (died 1172). Later

Bishop of Clonmacnoise Bishop of Clonmacnoise was the ordinary of the Roman Catholic episcopal see based at Clonmacnoise, County Offaly, Ireland. The bishops of Clonmacnoise (Old Irish: ''Cluain Moccu Nóis'') appear in the records for the first time in the 9th century ...

included: * Cathal Ua Máel Eóin (fl. 1187–1207) * Áed Ó Máel Eóin (I) (1214–1220) * Áed Ó Máel Eóin (II) (1227–1236) * ''1461. The Dean O'Malone, the most learned man in all Ireland, died at Cluain-muc-Nois-mic-Fidhaigh.'' Ruaidhrí Ó Máel Eóin,

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

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 Bron ...

and

, administered the Clonmacnoise

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

from about 1520 to 1540. He was elected

Bishop of Ardagh The Bishop of Ardagh was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the village of Ardagh, County Longford in the Republic of Ireland. It was used by the Roman Catholic Church until 1756, and intermittently by the Church of Ireland u ...

in 1517 and died in 1540. Richard Ó Malone of Donore,

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 ...

, "enjoyed the distinction of the being the first musician pardoned by Queen Elizabeth, the date being 1565.

References

External links