Ireland – Ancient History

After leaving Kinsale, for the most part we followed Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way route west along the coastline…

The village across the water is Timoleague Cork, Ireland.   If you click on this photo to enlarge it, you’ll note the large stone structure along the water in the center left of the photo.  That was our next stop…

The village gets its name from the original Irish name, ‘Tigh Molaga’, meaning Home/House of Molaga.  St. Molaga was reputed to have brought beekeeping to Ireland and honey production still goes on in the area.  Back in history, the village and much of the adjacent country belonged to a series of families, sometimes changing ownership via armed conflict.

FYI…to learn about The Wild Atlantic Way, the scenic route stretching from the southwest of Ireland to the northwest in Northern Ireland, just go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Atlantic_Way.  I just wish that we’d had about 10 days to explore this spectacular coastal route!

This is Timoleague Abbey…that big structure viewed across the water in the previous photo.  The Abbey was founded by the Franciscan order in 1240.  It was built on the site of a monastic settlement and monastery founded by Saint Molaga in the 6^th century. 

It amazes me that so much of this very old…ancient…structure is still standing!  The stone work is pretty spectacular.  However, not all of the structure dates back to 1240.  It was rebuilt and expanded by Donal Glas McCarthy, Prince of Carbery, in 1312.  He is actually buried here.  Irish and Norman patrons further expanded the 1500s.    

The monks inhabiting Timoleague Abbey were dispersed by the Reformation, but they returned in 1604.  In 1612, the abbey was sacked by English soldiers who also smashed all of the stained glass windows but, as you can see from these photos, a lot of the significant architecture has survived.  Despite the destruction, the friars remained in the abbey.  In 1642 Cromwellian soldiers set fire to the structure…

After the burning of the Timoleague Friary some friars escaped by rowboat.  They were rescued by some fishermen from Cape Clear, where they left a box with instructions that it not be opened as they would return, but they never did.  In 1855, a parish priest was visiting Cape Clear and he noticed the box, inquiring about its history and content.  After 200 years it was opened to reveal the remnants of vestments and, what is now referred to as the Timoleague Chalice.  It is now on display in The National Museum, Collins Barracks in Dublin.   

FYI, the tower itself dates from the 1500s.  Cellars are located in the east part of the building and they were connected directly to the river via an outbuilding.  This allowed for the safe delivery of goods to the friary.  I also learned that the building contains some mysterious hidden wall passages…possibly escape routes back in the ‘bad old days’?

The abbey or friary is situated on the banks of the River Argideen overlooking Courtmacsherry Bay.  As you can see from this photo as well as 2 of the previous ones, people are buried everywhere in and around the ruins of the abbey.  Like many other ruins of its type, the abbey continued to be used as a burial ground until late in the 20^th century. 

  

As for the founder of the original monastery at Timoleague, St. Molaga was a native of County Cork born into humble circumstances.  However a wealthy family in the area took an interest in him and they ensured that he received a good education.   He became a priest and chose the life of a missionary.  While continuing his holy work in Britain, he met St. Dominic of Ossory, who presented him with a hive of bees.  St. Molaga brought the bees back to Ireland with him.  Because he introduced beekeeping to Ireland his ‘nickname’ is St. Molaga the beeman.

I believe that this photo was taken in Clonakilty Ireland…but I’m not certain.  I just liked the soft yellow color of the building juxtaposed with the red trim around the windows and doors.  What really set it off was the signing: “Dochtuir”, Irish Gaelic for Doctor.

This photo and the next one were taken as we drove through the town of Conakilty.  The town has a population of about 4,600.  It is a tourism center in West Cork and it was recognized as the “Best Town in Europe” in 2017.  In the same year, it was given the title of the “Best Place of the Year” by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.

We liked the ‘look’ of the An Sugan Guesthouse and Restaurant at the center of the photo…but it was too early for lunch!  You can check it out at http://www.ansugan.com/.

Clonakilty was founded in 1613.  It benefited from the patronage of Richard Boyle, 1^st Earl of Cork who is regarded by some as the town’s founder.  He had received its charter from King James I of England.  It’s a bit hard for someone from the US to get their minds around the landlord system in Ireland or the United Kingdom, but the Earls of Shannon later inherited the land and they remained the main landlords of the town until the early 20^th century.

Note:

·         Michael Collins, the former Director of Intelligence for the IRA, lived in Clonakilty and later served as Chairman of the Provisional Government and was instrumental in the founding of the Irish Free State.  He was killed in an Anti-Treaty ambush during the Civil War.  A statue of Collins was erected in town and dedicated in 2002. 

  

We didn’t stop in Conakilty…just too too little time and too much to see and do in the countryside. It was a foggy morning and we were in search of truly ancient Irish history.  This was the countryside where we stopped, got out of our van and starting walking into the past…

I took this photo of Bill and Bonnie along the path from the parking area…

…and they reciprocated by taking this photo of Laurie and me!

This is the Dromberg Stone Circle (“Liagchiorcal An Droma Blig”) in County Cork Ireland.  To say that this is an ancient site in an understatement!  Radiocarbon dating of samples taken from the site indicate that it was active from 1100 to 800 B.C.  That means that it is at least 2800 years old!

The stones includes 17 closely spaced stones span a circle that is 31 feet in diameter.  The most westerly stone is 2 egg shaped cup-marks, one with a ring around it. (A form of prehistoric art) It’s flanked by a pair of portal stones providing a south-west axis and the monument is orientated in the direction of the setting sun during the midwinter solstice.  The midpoint that is set in line with the winter solstice sunset which is viewed in a conspicuous notch in distant hills.   

Laurie posed with the stones…careful not to touch them and be whisked back in time as in her favorite Scottish TV series “Outlander”.  Note the strings laid across the circle.  The gentleman on the right and his compatriot were measuring and examining the circle during our visit.  The largest stone is called “The Druid’s Altar” and some believe that the site is haunted or cursed!  People still leave offerings of trinkets, coins and sweets on the Axial Stone at Dromberg.

Following a number of surveys in the early part of the 20^th century, this middle to late Bronze Age site was excavated and restored in 1957.  During the excavation, an inverted pot was found in the center of the circle.  It contained the cremated remains of a young adolescent wrapped in thick cloth.  About 80 other smashed potsherds, some shale and a collection of sweepings from a pyre was also discovered in the center of the circle. 

The fog certainly contributed to the feeling of being in the past…with maybe a ghost or two hanging around this site!  Laurie took this photo of yours truly walking past the ruins of one of two round stone walled conjoined prehistoric huts that lie about 130 feet from the Dromberg Circle.  The larger of the huts had a timber roof supported by a post.  The smaller hut had a cooking oven on its east side. 

A path leads from the huts to the cooking place (fulacht fiadh) which featured a hearth, well and trough where water was boiled by adding hot stones.  Evidence indicates that the ‘fulacht fiadh’ was in use until sometime in the 4oos A.D.  The function of these fulacht fiadh sites is still debated.  Other than for cooking, they may have been used for dying clothes, bathing, as saunas or even possibly as a brewery…  

In the USA, a site like this would be fenced off or minimally be under the supervision of guides or park rangers.  After all, Dromberg is one of the most visited megalithic sites in Ireland and it is protected under the National Monuments Act.   Perhaps the Irish and tourist in Ireland are more respectful of such sites…or perhaps it’s just not feasible to guard all of the ancient and historic sites in the country.  County Cork alone has 58 National Monuments and there are over 1,000 nationwide that are listed under the Monuments Act!

That’s all for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a bit of ancient history!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave