| Killone Abbey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Augustinian Pre-Reformation Catholic |
| Location | |
  Shown within Ireland | |
| Geographic coordinates | 52°48′22.32″N 9°0′15.62″W / 52.8062000°N 9.0043389°W |
| Architecture | |
| Groundbreaking | founded c.1189 (or monks founded 1120) |
| Materials | sandstone |
Killone Abbey (Irish: Mainistir Chill Eoin[1]) is a former nunnery located on the grounds of Newhall Estate in County Clare, Ireland.
History
[edit]The abbey was founded in 1190 by Donal Mór O'Brien, King of Thomond and Munster (pre-16th century Clare was called Thomond), who placed there a sisterhood of the order of Saint Augustin. It was a prominent house of Canonesses Regular and was one of a number of female monastic institutions in Gaelic Ireland.[2]
It became associated with the O'Brien dynasty, one of the main Gaelic noble families in medieval Ireland, and several of its abbesses were drawn from their ranks. Among them was Slaney O'Brien (d. 1260), the daughter of Carbreagh, King of Thomond, who renounced her royal status and worldly possessions to take up the role of abbess.[3][4][5]
She was described in the Irish annals as "the most pious, most charitable, and most generous woman in all Munster" [4]
The last abbess, Lady Honora O'Brien, daughter of Murrough O'Brien, the 1st Earl of Thomond, played a significant role in the abbey's later history. Following the suppression of monastic houses in 1540, Lady Honora married Sir Roger O'Shaughnessy and became heiress to Newhall and Killone. Their marriage, which required papal dispensation, occurred after the birth of their three eldest children.[4][2][6]
By 1617, the abbey was recorded as being in ruins. Today, its remains are located on lands within the grounds of Newhall House and Estate. The ruins include substantial portions of the abbey church and a crypt. A narrow stone stairway, situated between the altar and the east window, leads to a ledge atop the south wall of the church, which overlooks the surrounding grounds.[4]
Saint John's Holy Well
[edit]Also located on the grounds of Newhall Estate is the Holy Well of Saint John the Baptist. Known as Tobar Eoin in Irish, the well's origins date to pre-Christian times when it is believed to have been a pagan site of offerings to Jun of Babylon with summer festivals.[4]
According to folklore, the well is believed to have healing properties and has served as a place of pilgrimage for centuries. It features remnants of historical stone structures and a natural spring. Local folklore suggests that the well was visited for blessings and cures, particularly during the feast day of Saint John. It continues to attract visitors.[7][8][9]
The well, adorned with inscriptions, some dating to 1600, remains a site of veneration.[10] Lord Walter Fitzgerald (the fourth son of Charles, Duke of Leinster) visited the site in 1899 and documented its history in Inscriptions at St. John's Well, Killone Abbey, County Clare for the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.[9]
The site is still used for religious services and an annual outdoor Mass is held at the well in June.[11]
Access
[edit]The abbey and graveyard is privately owned,[12][13] part of Newhall Estate, owned by the Commane family.[14][15] The abbey site is protected under the National Monuments Acts, with guardianship vested in the Office of Public Works.[14][13] As it is private land, access is available with the owner's permission.[12][15][failed verification] Killone Abbey is linked to Clare Abbey by the "Pilgrim's Path", a footpath through Ballybeg forest.[11]
Gallery
[edit]-
Killone Abbey 1890 Lawrence Collection National Library of Ireland -
Killone Abbey 1890 Lawrence Collection -
Killone Abbey -
Killone Abbey Graveyard Ennis -
Killone Abbey Graveyard Ennis
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "Cill Eoin/Killone". Logainm.ie. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ a b McShane, Bronagh Ann (2022). Irish Women in Religious Orders, 1530-1700: Suppression, Migration and Reintegration. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 55–69. ISBN 978-1-78327-730-8.
- ^ O'Dowd, Mary (17 February 2016). A History of Women in Ireland, 1500-1800. Routledge. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-317-87725-7.
- ^ a b c d e Enright, Sonny. The Rambler from Clare. pp. 107–108.
- ^ Frost, James (1893). The History and Topography of the County of Clare: From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the 18th Century. p. 120.
- ^ Ireland, Royal Society of Antiquaries of (1901). The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. The Society. p. 124.
- ^ "Saint John the Baptist Holy Well, Tobar Eoin, Newhall". County Clare Heritage Office. 31 July 2021. Archived from the original on 10 October 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ Monahan, Fintan (24 June 2019). "Pilgrimage to St. John's Well, Killone Abbey". Killaloe Diocese. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ a b Lord Fitzgerald, Walter (July 1899). "INSCRIPTIONS AT ST. JOHN'S WELL, KILLONE ABBEY, COUNTY CLARE" (PDF). ROYAL SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF IRELAND. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ Society (Yorkshire), East Riding Antiquarian (1903). The Transactions of the East Riding Antiquarian Society. The Society. p. 20.
- ^ a b "Mass at St John's Well – a very special occasion". Clarecastle Community Development. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ a b "National Monuments, Dáil Éireann debate". The Oireachtas. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Municipal District of Ennis Committee Meeting (item 6, no. 1)" (PDF). Clare. 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ a b "National Monuments – Tuesday, 16 Jun 2015 – Parliamentary Questions (31st Dáil) – Houses of the Oireachtas". www.oireachtas.ie. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Newhall Estate". newhall.ie. 23 February 2024.
Sources
[edit]- Glichrist, R., Gender and Material Culture: The Archaeology of Religious Women, (London, 1994)
- Ó Dálaigh, B., ‘Mistress, Mother and Abbess: Renalda Ní Bhriain c.1447-1510’ in North Munster Antiquarian Journal, 32, (1990) pp 50–63.
- O’Keeffe, T. An Anglo-Norman Monastery: Bridgetown Priory and the Architecture of the Augustinian Canons Regular in Ireland, (Cork, 1999)
- Westropp, T.J., ‘The Augustinian Houses of the County Clare: Clare, Killone and Inchicronan’ in Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, (1900) pp 118–135.