The ruins of the ancient
monastic establishment at St. Mullins are situated on the eastern bank
of the river Barrow and stand on a site of great historic interest,
which is associated in the annals of our country with the life of the
great ecclesiastic, who was at once a prince, a patriot, an artist and a
poet, St. Moling.
The place now known as St.
Mullins was also called Ros Broc or the Badgers Wood and Achadh-Cainidh,
"Kennedy's Field" and when St. Moling decided on this site he called to
his assistance the man known as the Cobban Saer who was Celtic Ireland's
most notable builder. We are told that he used wood from the celebrated
yew tree, the "Eo Rossa" which was mentioned in the Book of Leinster to
roof the oratory.
St Moling was connected with
many historic places in Ireland , including, Glencullen in Co. Dublin,
Mullins in Co. Wicklow, Glendalough where he resided at times,
Mullinakil in Co. Kilkenny where he is still honoured and Timolin in Co.
Kildare where there is a church called St. Mullins.
St. Moling was also made
Archbishop of Ferns in the year AD691 which gave him the honour of
presiding over all the bishops of Leinster. We are told that St. Moling
laid down the Archiepiscopal office before his death and retired to his
beloved Teach Moling, where he died and was buried according to the
"Four Masters" on the 13th, of May, 696.
Some of the work of St. Moling
as an artist are believed to be still in existence. A set of
water-coloured drawings of the Apostles said to have been executed by
him, which were preserved for many centuries in the family of Kavanagh's
of Borris House are now in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin and
where the Book of Moling can also be seen. It contains extracts from the
gospels and prayers for the sick in the Latin language, but in the Irish
character. He also showed engineering skills in the construction of the
watercourse, nearly a mile long, which he is said to have done with his
own hands to bring water to his mill and which to the present day can be
traced, one of the mill stones remains to the present day.
Burial Place of the Clans
St Moling was regarded by the
Clan Kavanagh as their special Patron Saint and St. Mullins Cemetery has
been the burial place of the Kavanaghs Kings of Leinster. Amongst the
many famous people interred there are, St, Moling, tradition marks the
grave, the King of Dal nAraide better known as Sweeney the Madman who
came to the House of Moling for help after being cursed by St Ronan,
Bryan na Nestroake who was known to the nobility and gentry of Ireland
for his noble action and valour in assisting King James's troops at the
battle of the Boyne and Aughrim. He is buried left of the Penal Altar
which is a small stone structure where according to tradition, Mass used
to be celebrated in penal times; a scout posted on top of the adjoining
moat protected the priest and his congregation against a surprise
attack.
In front of the Penal Altar is
the tomb of the late Rev. Daniel Kavanagh with which is associated a
cure for the toothache. If you want to be cured you take a small
amount of clay from outside the graveyard gate, you place it under the
tomb, you get some clay from under the tomb, place it in the mouth and
walk on to the Holy Well where you wash the clay from your mouth with
water from the well, saying a short prayer to Fr. Kavanagh.
General Thomas Cloney who led
the Irish at the Battle of Three Bullet Gate, New Ross in 1798 is buried
in Kavanagh family tomb No. 767.
Many examples of the
eighteenth century folk art "monumental specialists" are to be
found in St. Mullins including some very important work by Miles O'Brien
who was a native of Raughduff, near Killanne, the site of his homestead
can still be seen there, also some beautiful work by Cullen, from the
Royal Oak and T. Handcock. Many of those famous stones cut by such
brilliant craftsmen are now badly damaged by the weather over the
decades but some distinctive examples still remain and are worth
recording, now. Where possible we have given the name of the stonecutter
who was recorded on the particular stone.
Apart from the obvious
interest of genealogists the tombstones at St. Mullins have much to
offer. Several bear memorial verses that are probably original.
Pattern
Day at St. Mullins
Each year on the Sunday
before July 25th, thousands gather from many parts of Ireland
and abroad to take part in the historic pilgrimage which now consists of
Holy Mass at the penal altar to drink water from the holy well and visit
the graves. Many say that for generations hundreds of
"cures"
have taken place at this hallowed spot and people still go there to pray
for help in times of distress and ailment.
The Holy Well dates back to
the time of St. Moling and there is no doubt that the present pilgrimage
is part of the ancient custom of wading in the waters of the mill-race
when the pilgrimage lasted for several weeks.
St. Mullins also had its civil
history as it was once a town of considerable importance which had grown
up around the monastic community. It has been recorded that it was
rebuilt in 1347 by Walter Bermingham and in 1535 a Walter Cowley
recommended the government to erect a fortified tower and to construct a
wall around the town and colonise it. In the year 1581 a sum of £350 was
levied off the counties Wexford and Carlow to erect a tower at St.
Mullins to guard the navigation of the Barrow. There are many other
interesting circumstances connected with this historic site and also
many ruins in the neighborhood such as the church of
"Thampull-na-Bo"
and the Castle of Poulmounty.
Within the
graveyard area which encircles the monastic site the traces of four
ruined churches can be found and the ruins of a small cell believed by
some to be the identical Teach Moling in which he lived in solitude and
from which he ruled his community. It also includes the Protestant
Church, the little oratory which has a traditional dedication to St.
James, the stone cross which is at the east end of one of the churches
is called St James's Cross. There is also the famous round tower
foundation which was connected to one of the churches by a spiral
staircase and in this resembles the tower of Temple Finghin at
Clonmacnoise. It can be said that St. Mullins was once a ritual site and
kingship ceremonies not very different from Tara or Tailteann may have
taken place here, as did the tribal rites dedicated to the fertility of
the land and to the spirits that presided over it.
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