Clonmacnois: The World’S Oldest University to Have Existed

By Brendon K. Colvert.

Ireland is a small country on the western seaboard of Europe; despite its small population significant millions of people all over the world proudly assert that they are either Irish born or are direct descendants.

Culturally the Irish are very sociable, intelligent, artistic and great achievers (ExplorerShackleton; ScienceHamilton; PhysicsWalton; InventionHolland; Literature; Joyce, Shaw, Yeats, Heaney).
Such enduring qualities predate those exponents above by thousands of years. Before the advent of Christianity in the 5th century the recounting of all tribal history, law, poetry and sagas was passed from generation to generation orally. The professions (poetry, medicine, law, history, building) were usually practiced along family lines; those who reached the highest degree were titled Ollamh (Professor) The Brehons (judges) and the Fil (poets)studied for years to memorise their lore; for example a poet studied for 12 years and could qualify only when he was able to recite, on command, any of 350 poems or to compose instantly a poem on a given subject. Poets received the highest honour in society next to the King. It is widely conceded that Ireland developed in poetry beautiful metres, alliteration, assonantal rhyme and consonantal harmony. The earliest commentaries show that honour was held in highest esteem; the great Fenian, Gol Mac Morna said a man lives after his life, but not after his honour; St Patrick asked Caoilte Nac Ronn , nephew of Fionn Mac Cumhal, what contained you in your lives? Truth in our hearts, strength in our arms and fulfilment in our tongues
The establishment of Christianity in the 5th century brought literature, grammar, writing, and languages which were joyfully adopted by the learned class; very soon afterwards the country was covered with monasteries whose complete organisation seems to indicate that Druidic colleges transformed en-masse; foundations extending from St Colmcilles Doire in the north to St Finbarrs, Ballingeary in the south and from St Kevins in Glendalough in the east to St Endas in the Aran Islands. Hundreds of monastic foundations and the greatest of these was Clonmacnois in the midlands which at the height of its power had as many as 7,000 students who travelled from all over Europe and the British Isles. Here was taught Scriptures, Theology, Classics, Grammar, Geography, History, Hagiography, Law, Mathematics, Philosophy, Logic, Rhetoric, Music, Art, Sculpture, Metalwork, Art, Irish, Latin Greek and Hebrew.

The acquisition of learning and languages coupled with a desire to evangelise offered great freedom to Irish monks who with a leader and 12 followers went on mission to far away locations, some say as far as Kiev. After the fall of the Roman Empire and the succeeding Dark Ages there was great demand for Irish teachers to open and staff schools throughout Europe; the most prolific period being the 6th to 12th century; their great work hastened the Renaissance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Aug 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496988720

Brendon K. Colvert.

Author was formerly a Police Inspector whose expertise was mainly in technical investigation. He has travelled extensively through Europe, North & South America, New Zealand, South Africa aided by police contacts. He was Editor of a monthly police magazine for 8.5 years becoming a bi-monthly publication for 12 years (Editorials, features, colour pieces, history and current affairs subjects). He published the acclaimed story of William Geary’s 70 year struggle to have his honour restored, the process revealed a considerable amount of wickedness and maladministration of justice. He has been a corporate member of the Chartered Institute of Journalists for many years.

Book preview

© 2014 Brendon K. Colvert. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/11/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-8868-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-8866-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-8872-0 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

I pay a sincere tribute to the manager and staff at Clonmacnois who are most generous and helpful. Thanks to Paschal Sweeney and Edward Nolan for much encouragement. I am most grateful to Dominic Colvert for truly expert advice and assistance. Blessings on St Ciarán whose Abbatial influence preserves the serenity and reverence of the site.

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter 2: Saint Ciarán

Chapter 3: Ruins Beside The Shannon

Chapter 4: A Chronoligical View

Chapter 5: Treasures

Chapter 6: Fables Of Clonmacnois

Chapter 7: Library And Manuscripts

Chapter 8: Monasticism At Clonmacnois

Chapter 9: The Great School

Appendix: Abbatial Succession

Selected Bibliography

About The Book

Ireland is a small country on the western seaboard of Europe; despite its small population significant millions of people all over the world proudly assert that they are either Irish born or are direct descendants.

Culturally the Irish are very sociable, intelligent, artistic and great achievers (Explorer–Shackleton; Science–Hamilton; Physics–Walton; Invention–Holland; Literature; Joyce, Shaw, Yeats, Heaney). Such enduring qualities predate those exponents above by thousands of years. Before the advent of Christianity in the 5th century the recounting of all tribal history, law, poetry and sagas was passed from generation to generation orally. The professions (poetry, medicine, law, history, building) were usually practiced along family lines; those who reached the highest degree were titled Ollamh (Professor) The Brehons (judges) and the Filí (poets)studied for years to memorise their lore; for example a poet studied for 12 years and could qualify only when he was able to recite, on command, any of 350 poems or to compose instantly a poem on a given subject. Poets received the highest honour in society next to the King. It is widely conceded that Ireland developed in poetry beautiful metres, alliteration, assonantal rhyme and consonantal harmony. The earliest commentaries show that ‘honour’ was held in highest esteem; the great Fenian, Gol Mac Morna said "a man lives after his life, but not after his honour;

St Patrick asked Caoilte Nac Ronán, nephew of Fionn Mac Cumhal, ‘what contained you in your lives? Truth in our hearts, strength in our arms and fulfilment in our tongues

The establishment of Christianity in the 5th century brought literature, grammar, writing, and languages which were joyfully adopted by the learned class; very soon afterwards the country was covered with monasteries whose complete organisation seems to indicate that Druidic colleges transformed enmasse; foundations extending from St Colmcille’s Doire in the north to St Finbarr’s, Ballingeary in the south and from St Kevin’s in Glendalough in the east to St Enda’s in the Aran Islands. Hundreds of monastic foundations and the greatest of these was Clonmacnois in the midlands which at the height of its power had as many as 7,000 students who travelled from all over Europe and the British Isles. Here was taught Scriptures, Theology, Classics, Grammar, Geography, History, Hagiography, Law, Mathematics, Philosophy, Logic, Rhetoric, Music, Art, Sculpture, Metalwork, Art, Irish, Latin Greek and Hebrew.

The acquisition of learning and languages coupled with a desire to evangelise offered great freedom to Irish monks who with a leader and 12 followers went on mission to far away locations, some say as far as Kiev. After the fall of the Roman Empire and the succeeding Dark Ages there was great demand for Irish teachers to open and staff schools throughout Europe; the most prolific period being the 6th to 12th century; their great work hastened the Renaissance.

FOREWORD

By

Conor Brady

Editor of the Irish Times for 16 years. Visiting Professor, John Jay College, City University of New York. Senior Teaching Fellow, Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business UCD. Formerly member of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.

The flat plains of central Ireland have never been celebrated by artists and writers to the same degree as the island’s dramatic and rugged coastal places.

But these rolling, almost level landscapes are richer than any other part in the numbers of ancient monastic and ecclesiastical sites that are located here. This was a place of where Christian spirituality and learning flourished half a millennium before the Normans arrived in Ireland. Historians and archaeologists have referred to it as a sacred landscape.

Virtually every townland in Counties Offaly, Westmeath, Laois and Kildare has its ancient remains from the era when Ireland was the land of saints and scholars. Here is a holy well; elsewhere one sees the outline of a tiny Celtic church. There are high crosses, old burial grounds, ancient pathways or patterns worn smooth by the feet of pilgrims and penitents over 1,500 years. For the most part the sites are small, often hidden in valleys and away from the main roads. There are perhaps a score that might be termed major sites, where the great saints – Colmcille (or Columba), Ciarán (or Kieran), Brigid, Manachan, Leann, Carthage and others located their foundations.

But the outstanding site is Clonmacnois, the university city founded on the banks of the Shannon by the visionary Saint Ciarán. And it is to Clonmacnois that Brendon Colvert directs our steps in this excellent book that must delight both the first-time visitor and the regular pilgrim.

Even today, Clonmacnois is breathtaking. The traveller approaching from the land side on the narrow, winding road is suddenly presented with a vista of towers, churches and memorials, dominating the green sweep of meadow that leads down to the broad Shannon. It is even more majestic when approached from the water. One can imagine the malevolent anticipation of the Viking raiders that sailed upriver to plunder its riches. One can appreciate the wonder of kings and mighty chieftains as their stately barges approached the rich and powerful monastic foundation for meetings and negotiations with their counterparts from elsewhere on the island.

It was precisely because the ancient kingdoms of Ireland converged here that what we now call the midlands became the place where great monasteries and centres of learning were founded. When the potentates of Connacht or Ulster came to parley with the kings of Leinster or Munster it was required that they show their prestige and their influence, being made welcome at the monasteries they had endowed and which flourished under their protection.

For the kings of Connacht and Meath Clonmacnois was a symbol of political power and influence. Its grounds contain many royal tombs. But along with its temporal importance, it was a centre of advanced learning and of Christian worship for almost 1000 years. Scholars came here from all