JC History - Early Christian Ireland

Pre-Christian Ireland

-Dominated by Celtic culture (language, laws, religion)
-Coincided with iron age
-Romans didn't conquer Ireland
-Druids controlled Celtic religion (pagan religion)

Iron age

Iron replaced bronze as the main metal for weapons + tools

Druid

spirtural figures simaller to Celtic priest with a foucos on nature and earth

Pagan religion

Believed in many gods

The coming of Christianity to Ireland

-Christians were in Ireland by early 5th century
-Some came from Roman Britain where they had been captured in raids by Irish warriors
-Others were Irish people who converted to Christianity after contact with British Christians
-The pope sent missionaries to visit the Irish Christians
-Palladius was the first missionary
-St Patrick was the most famous missionary

Palladius

-First missionary sent to Ireland
-431 AD
-A bishop sent to 'the Irish who believe in Christ'

St Patrick

-Born in Roman Britain
-Was captured at the age of 16 by Irish raiders
-He was a slave for 6 years + tended to sheep in the West of Ireland
-He escaped + returned to Britain
-He later became a priest + a bishop then returned to Ireland as a missionary

Ireland after missionaries

-Ireland was largely Christian after the 6th century
-This caused significant changes to Irish culture + society
-It replaced the pagan religion
-Celtic festivals were replaced with Christian ones

St. Patrick's Confession

-An account written by St Patrick
-It includes brief details about his life
-It explains why he did certain things + defends his name against any attacks
-The Book of Armagh in Trinity contains the earliest copy of the confession

When were monasteries in Ireland built?

Early 6th century

first monastery built

inis mór founded by st enda on the aran islands around 500 AD

Who founded the monasteries

St íta
St Brigid
St Enda in the Aran Islands
St Finian of Clonard
St Ciarán of Clonmacnoise
St Brendan of Clonfert

monks

men who deicaded themselfs to a religiuos oder and to live in a monastey

What happened in monasteries

-Centres of learning + culture
-Bible studied
-Manuscripts written
-Art made with metal + stone work
-Visitors welcome
-Pray

Manuscripts definition

handwritten texts

beehive hut

small stone hut shaped like a beehive where a monk slept

Monks lives

-Simple lives
-Strict rules
-Abott in charge
-Produced their own food
-They wore long tunics with woollen cloaks, and shoes or sandals

How do historians + archaeologists know about Clonmacnoise?

1. Begin investigation with questions
2. Research sources for evidence to answer questions

Where was Clonmacnoise?

On the river Shannon, south of present day Athlone

Clonmacnoise: How old was it + who founded it?

-St Ciaran founded it in 549 AD

Clonmacnoise: Did many people live here?

-Clonmacnoise was a large urban area
-There was a fair green where fairs were held
-It was a large site
-A large population lived between the first + second rings around the monastery

Clonmacnoise: What did they work at?

-Clonmacnoise was a major centre of Christian art + learning
-Annals of Clonmacnoise + other manuscripts were produced in the scriptorium
-There is evidence of craftwork, animal slaughtering, metalworking, stone cutting + farming

Clonmacnoise: What connection did the monastery have with the river?

-Traders could sail up + down the river
-Remains of a wooden bridge on the river Shannon were found. The timber dated back to 804AD

Clonmacnoise: Why was this location chosen for the monastery?

-It is the junction of the north-south route on the navigable River Shannon with the Eiscir Riada (Great Road) - a great glacial deposit - which was the main east-west route across Early Christian Ireland

Clonmacnoise: Was there only 1 wall around it?

-8th century manuscripts say there was 2 or 3 rings
-Excavation of a ditch showed at 2nd ring
-An aerial photo showed a 3rd ring

Clonmacnoise: What use was made of the buildings?

-A cathedral was built in 909AD
-The annals also make reference to other churches + high crosses
-A round tower was built in 1124AD
-Postholes in other round towers show that wooden steps were built up to the high door

Annals

historical records

round tower

a bell tower and a safe place for people (and teruses) if the monasterys came under attach

Scriptorium

A room in a monastery for writing or copying manuscripts

Refectory

dining hall

Dormitory

A room for sleeping

Oratory

Where monks prayed

layout of irish monastry photo

Technology used to investigate Clonmacnoise

-Geographical survey
-Virtual reality
-Underwater archaeology

Examples of other Monasteries

-Clonard
-Kells
-Cork
-Clonfert
-Glendalough
-Armagh
-Skellig Michael

Monastic towns

-Towns with many lay people living around the monastery
-Centres of economic activity

Lay people

a non-ordained member of a church.

Remote Monasteries

-Out of the way monasteries away from towns
E.g. Skellig Michael

Skellig Michael

-A monastery built on an island off the West coast of Co. Kerry
-Monks lived in small stone beehive huts (carbelled roofs) beside a small stone church

Round towers

-Stone towers built in big monasteries
-25 to 40m tall
-4 windows on top floor facing north, south, east + west
-Used as belfries to call the monks to services
-Also used to hide valuables during attacks

Belfries

The tower or steeple in which bells are hung to call monks to services

Work in a monastery

-Prayer was the main activity
-They prayed 6-8 times a day
-Farm work: ploughing, milking, harvesting + grinding corn
-Lay monks helped
-Monasteries were famous for their great works of art

What was the contribution of Christianity to Ireland?

-Reading + writing
-Contribution to art
-Contribution to Europe

Reading + writing

-Christianity brought reading + writing to Ireland
-First reading + writing was in Latin (language of the Catholic Church)
-Later it was in Irish (vernacular language)
-Early missionaries taught reading + writing
-These changes brought Ireland into written history
-It brought the learning of Roman scholars + early church writers to Ireland
-This was used to make laws

Ogham stones

-First form of writing was done on the sides of stones
-Lines carved represented words
-The ogham alphabet consisted of 20 letters based on the Latin alphabet
-Christianity made full use of the Latin language to write manuscripts

Contribution to art

-Manuscripts
-High crosses
-Metalwork

Manuscripts

\-Early manuscripts were written in Latin + later ones were written in Irish
\-Some recorded early Irish history
\-Some monks called scribes had skills in writing + illuminating religious books
\-They practiced on wax tablets
\-They copued manuscripts in a scriptorium onto vellum or parchment
\-They used reeds or quills + ink (made of minerals, plants + leaves)

\

Examples of manuscripts

1. Annals of Clonmacnoise - written in Clonmacnoise, original copy lost but a copy was made in the 17th century
2. Cathach - psalms in Latin on vellum, oldest manuscript in Ireland, kept in the Royal Irish Academy
3. Book of Durrow - a copy of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke + John in Latin, it is copied on vellum + housed in Trinity
4. Book of Kells - copy of the 4 gospels in Latin, copied on vellum + housed in Trinity
5. Book of the Dun Cow - Lebor na hUidre is a vellum manuscript with stories + legends from Ancient Ireland, it was written in Clonmacnoise, it is the oldest manuscript written in Irish + is held in the Royal Irish Academy

High crosses

-Minks carved high stone crosses
-Has scenes from the Bible on them
-Taught people about Christianity

Metalworking

-Monks produced silver chalices, croziers + brooches
-They were decorated with gold, amber + enamel
-The intricate gold writing is called filigree
-Their designs are influenced by the Celts

Contribution to Europe

-Irish monks founded monasteries abroad
-They made manuscripts in the Irish style + converted tribes to Christianity
-It is considered the 'Golden age' in Irish learning
Examples:
-St Colmcille founded Iona monastery in Scotland
-St Columbanus founded monasteries in France, Switzerland + Italy

St. Patrick's Day

-National holiday
-Irish national identity
-Parades are tourist attractions
-Brings the Irish diaspora together

Rules of St Columbus

-Must obey superiors
-Rule of silence must be obeyed
-No gorging or drunkenness, must eat coarse food
-Satisfied with few possessions
-Keep company with many

Casula

A cloak worn by early Christian monks.

Tonsure

A part of a monk's or priest's head left bare on top by shaving off the hair

Matins

morning prayers

Vespers

evening prayer

Cloisters

Covered walkway