URBAN EXPRESSION

All Types And Styles Of Urban Expression

church of ireland

NEW WILD GEESE MUSEUM IN LIMERICK – ST MUNCHIN’S CHURCH AND GRAVEYARD

by

NEW WILD GEESE MUSEUM IN LIMERICK – ST MUNCHIN’S CHURCH AND GRAVEYARD

I was unable to visit Limerick in 2020 because of travel restrictions and when I visited Limerick last September this churchyard was closed to the public.

In the past I have complained that it always rains every time I visit Limerick, even at the height of summer. This year I took a huge gamble on the weather and forecast the day before I travelled to the city was that it would constantly during the week but it only rained for a few hours on my first day and for the duration of my visit to St. Munchin’s Church (Church of Ireland).

When I visited today [19 April 2022] I discovered that it was now operating as the “Wild Geese Museum” [explained below] which was officially launched as part of the 2021 Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival on 9th July. I also visited on the 20th. but had problems with my camera so I did not manage to photo the interior of the church as I had planned.

A joint project by the Limerick Civic Trust, the Limerick Museum and the Consular Agency of France in Limerick (French Embassy) this new museum celebrates the city’s rich Wild Geese heritage by giving an overview of the history of those who left Ireland over the centuries and went on to fight in foreign armies across Europe and the world.

The term Wild Geese was originally coined to refer more specifically to the 14,000 Jacobite soldiers and their families who left Limerick, led by Patrick Sarsfield, following the signing of the Treaty in 1691. The majority of them, including Sarsfield, ended up joining the French army of king Louis XIV. Many of them, and their descendants, settled and prospered in France (a significant number of them, known as the ‘wine geese’, in the Bordeaux engaging in wine production) greatly contributing to strengthening the links between France and Ireland.

The museum tells their story and features a wide range of objects from the collections of the Limerick Museum which had never been put on display before.

I must admit that I had, up until a few years ago, believed that Munchin was not a real name, maybe because I had confused it with the word munchkin. I learned that I was wrong when I came upon St. Munchin’s Church across the road from King John’s castle.

St. Munchin’s Church (Church of Ireland) built in 1827. Designed by The George and James Pain who gave the building a Gothic style. The four pinnacles at the top of the tower provide this church a distinguished aspect. The church is situated in King’s Island, between the Bishop’s Palace and the Villier’s Alms Houses. It was built in 1827 and was renovated in 1980 by the Limerick Civic Trust. It was a used for a period by the Island Theatre Company and is now used, until this year, as a store for Limerick Civic Trust.

Mainchín mac Setnai (fl. late 6th century), also anglicised to Munchin, was allegedly the founder of the church of Luimneach (now Limerick), Ireland, and a saint in Irish tradition, acquiring special eminence as patron of Limerick City. Both his origins and the date of his association with the city are debated.

Through his father Sétna, Mainchín is alleged to belong to the Dál Cais, given a pedigree linking him to the ancestors of the O’Brien dynasty. His tutor was the Corco Mruad saint Mac Creiche according to the Life of that saint. Mainchín is said to have founded Luimneach when Ferdomnach, king from the Dál Cais, granted him land at Inis Sibtond.

A major problem with the above is that the Dál Cais themselves are unknown by that name before the 930s and are believed by scholars to be the descendants of a Déisi population which migrated into the region at an uncertain period. Before the Dál Cais the greater region appears to have been dominated for a time by another people entirely, the Uí Fidgenti, who eventually found themselves much displaced by the Dál Cais in the second half of the 10th century and following, although after having previously overrun many of the Déisi themselves in the very same territories.

It has been argued that his appearance in Limerick is actually due to his adoption by the later Norse there, with whom the O’Donovan family, late representatives of the kingdom (although of uncertain origins themselves), were closely associated.

In fact no “successors” of Mainchín in Limerick are known before the 12th century and so his existence there cannot be verified before then.

In the Martyrology of Donegal, Mainchín’s feast day occurs on 29 December. In Bruree, his feast day is commemorated on 2 January, but this date may have been erroneously taken from that recorded for St Manchán (Manchéne) of Min Droichit in the Félire Óengusso. The Roman Martyrology also lists January 2 as Mainchín of Limerick’s memorial.

The origins of St Munchin’s parish can be traced back to the Treaty of Limerick of 1691. Originally called St Lelia’s parish, the name was changed to St Munchin’s in 1812. There are currently churches in the parish named in honour of both saints.

St Munchin’s parish is one of the five original parishes in Limerick City along with St John’s, St Michael’s, St Mary’s and St Patrick’s. However with the growth of Limerick City in the last 40 years, the area of St Munchin’s has been reduced greatly due to the creation of new parishes. In 1964 the parish of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was created, from the south eastern part of St Munchin’s parish. [I assume that this creation of new parishes applies to the Roman Catholic Church and not to the Church Of Ireland]

In 1970 the parish of Christ the King in Caherdavin to the west was created and six years later to the north of the old St Munchin’s parish, the parish of Corpus Christi in Moyross was created. The population of the parish is around 10,000.

NEW WILD GEESE MUSEUM AT ST MUNCHIN’S CHURCH AND GRAVEYARD

by

NEW WILD GEESE MUSEUM AT ST MUNCHIN’S CHURCH AND GRAVEYARD

I was unable to visit Limerick in 2020 because of travel restrictions and when I visited Limerick last September this churchyard was closed to the public.

In the past I have complained that it always rains every time I visit Limerick, even at the height of summer. This year I took a huge gamble on the weather and forecast the day before I travelled to the city was that it would constantly during the week but it only rained for a few hours on my first day and for the duration of my visit to St. Munchin’s Church (Church of Ireland).

When I visited today [19 April 2022] I discovered that it was now operating as the “Wild Geese Museum” [explained below] which was officially launched as part of the 2021 Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival on 9th July. I also visited on the 20th. but had problems with my camera so I did not manage to photo the interior of the church as I had planned.

A joint project by the Limerick Civic Trust, the Limerick Museum and the Consular Agency of France in Limerick (French Embassy) this new museum celebrates the city’s rich Wild Geese heritage by giving an overview of the history of those who left Ireland over the centuries and went on to fight in foreign armies across Europe and the world.

The term Wild Geese was originally coined to refer more specifically to the 14,000 Jacobite soldiers and their families who left Limerick, led by Patrick Sarsfield, following the signing of the Treaty in 1691. The majority of them, including Sarsfield, ended up joining the French army of king Louis XIV. Many of them, and their descendants, settled and prospered in France (a significant number of them, known as the ‘wine geese’, in the Bordeaux engaging in wine production) greatly contributing to strengthening the links between France and Ireland.

The museum tells their story and features a wide range of objects from the collections of the Limerick Museum which had never been put on display before.

I must admit that I had, up until a few years ago, believed that Munchin was not a real name, maybe because I had confused it with the word munchkin. I learned that I was wrong when I came upon St. Munchin’s Church across the road from King John’s castle.

St. Munchin’s Church (Church of Ireland) built in 1827. Designed by The George and James Pain who gave the building a Gothic style. The four pinnacles at the top of the tower provide this church a distinguished aspect. The church is situated in King’s Island, between the Bishop’s Palace and the Villier’s Alms Houses. It was built in 1827 and was renovated in 1980 by the Limerick Civic Trust. It was a used for a period by the Island Theatre Company and is now used, until this year, as a store for Limerick Civic Trust.

Mainchín mac Setnai (fl. late 6th century), also anglicised to Munchin, was allegedly the founder of the church of Luimneach (now Limerick), Ireland, and a saint in Irish tradition, acquiring special eminence as patron of Limerick City. Both his origins and the date of his association with the city are debated.

Through his father Sétna, Mainchín is alleged to belong to the Dál Cais, given a pedigree linking him to the ancestors of the O’Brien dynasty. His tutor was the Corco Mruad saint Mac Creiche according to the Life of that saint. Mainchín is said to have founded Luimneach when Ferdomnach, king from the Dál Cais, granted him land at Inis Sibtond.

A major problem with the above is that the Dál Cais themselves are unknown by that name before the 930s and are believed by scholars to be the descendants of a Déisi population which migrated into the region at an uncertain period. Before the Dál Cais the greater region appears to have been dominated for a time by another people entirely, the Uí Fidgenti, who eventually found themselves much displaced by the Dál Cais in the second half of the 10th century and following, although after having previously overrun many of the Déisi themselves in the very same territories.

It has been argued that his appearance in Limerick is actually due to his adoption by the later Norse there, with whom the O’Donovan family, late representatives of the kingdom (although of uncertain origins themselves), were closely associated.

In fact no “successors” of Mainchín in Limerick are known before the 12th century and so his existence there cannot be verified before then.

In the Martyrology of Donegal, Mainchín’s feast day occurs on 29 December. In Bruree, his feast day is commemorated on 2 January, but this date may have been erroneously taken from that recorded for St Manchán (Manchéne) of Min Droichit in the Félire Óengusso. The Roman Martyrology also lists January 2 as Mainchín of Limerick’s memorial.

The origins of St Munchin’s parish can be traced back to the Treaty of Limerick of 1691. Originally called St Lelia’s parish, the name was changed to St Munchin’s in 1812. There are currently churches in the parish named in honour of both saints.

St Munchin’s parish is one of the five original parishes in Limerick City along with St John’s, St Michael’s, St Mary’s and St Patrick’s. However with the growth of Limerick City in the last 40 years, the area of St Munchin’s has been reduced greatly due to the creation of new parishes. In 1964 the parish of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was created, from the south eastern part of St Munchin’s parish. [I assume that this creation of new parishes applies to the Roman Catholic Church and not to the Church Of Ireland]

In 1970 the parish of Christ the King in Caherdavin to the west was created and six years later to the north of the old St Munchin’s parish, the parish of Corpus Christi in Moyross was created. The population of the parish is around 10,000.

SAINT MOLUA’S CHURCH NEAR STORMONT

by

SAINT MOLUA’S CHURCH NEAR STORMONT

Designed by Denis O’D Hanna, and completed in 1962, St Molua’s caught me a bit surprise especially when I discovered that it was Church Of Ireland, not that I would expect anything else at the location. The church is on the Upper Newtownards Road, a short distance past Stormont gates but unfortunately I could not photograph it in detail as there was a large funeral underway.

I am not sure if different accounts apply to two different people of if there was in fact only one saint.

SAINT MOLUAG:
Saint Moluag (c. 510 – 592; also known as Lua, Luan, Luanus, Lugaidh, Moloag, Molluog, Molua, Murlach, Malew) was a Scottish missionary, and a contemporary of Saint Columba, who evangelised the Picts of Scotland in the sixth century. Saint Moluag was the patron saint of Argyll as evidenced by a charter in 1544, from the Earl of Argyll, which states “in honour of God Omnipotent, the blessed Virgin, and Saint Moloc, our patron”. The House of Lorne became the kings of Dalriada and eventually united with the Picts to become the kings of Scots.

Saint Lughaidh, better known by his pet name of Moluag, was an Irish noble of the Dál nAraide (one of the main tribes of the Ulaid in what is now called Ulster). There are various Irish forms of the name, such as Lughaidh (or Lugaid), Luoc and Lua. Latinized they become Lugidus, Lugidius, Lugadius, Lugacius and Luanus. The name, as it has come down the centuries, Moluag or Moluoc, is made up of the honorific mo, plus the original name Lughaidh, pronounced Lua, plus the endearing suffix –oc. Other variants include Lugdach, Malew, Molonachus, Moloc and Molucus.

SAINT MOLUA:
Saint Molua (d. c 609), (also known as Lua, Da Lua), was an Irish saint, who was a Christian abbot in the Early Middle Ages. Saint Molua’s feast day is on 4 August. He is venerated in the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.

St Molua was an Irish priest of the 6th century who like Columba and Gall trained in the monastery at Bangor, County Down (about twelve miles from Belfast). The saint’s real name was originally Lughaidh (pronounced Lua). His father is believed to have been Coche or Carthach of the Corca Oiche, a sept associated with the Ui Fidgenti from the Limerick area. His mother, Sochla was from Ossory.

Local Historians note of stories that tarnished the Saint’s reputation in his time, those being that he had fathered many children to the daughter of a local Eóganachta Chieftain in County Clare. These children were named locally as Ó Maoldomhnaigh which in turn birthed the family name of Moloney.

Little is known on Molua other than he was a monk, a builder and possibly a hermit. Molua was the founder of Killaloe (Irish: Cill-da-Lua), which bears his name Lua. Molua had his oratory on Friar’s Island, later replaced by a stone church near the present village of Killaloe. Like most Irish saints he appears to have been very hospitable, believing that in entertaining others he was entertaining Christ. He was kind to animals as well as humans and it was said that when he died all living creatures bewailed him.

ST NAHI’S IN DUNDRUM AN 18th CENTURY CHURCH AND GRAVEYARD

by

ST NAHI’S IN DUNDRUM AN 18th CENTURY CHURCH AND GRAVEYARD

If you visit the graveyard be aware that as sections are in very poor condition it is easy to trip and fall.

The name Taney derives from Tigh Naithi meaning the house or place of Nahi, and who may also be associated with Tobarnea, a seashore well near Blackrock. The current church is still in use by the local Church of Ireland community and is one of two churches in the Parish of Taney (historically encompassing the whole area around Dundrum). It is built on the site of an early Irish monastery founded by Saint NahÍ.

St. Nahi’s stands on the grounds of the original monastery, having been refurbished several times, most recently in 1910, after a period when it was in use as the parish boys’ school. Following storm damage to the roof, a major refurbishment was carried out by the then Rector of the Parish, Canon William Monk Gibbon (father of the poet of the same name), who is buried in the grounds of the church. A plaque erected after the refurbishment reads:

The entrance gate to this Churchyard was erected by the parishioners of Taney Parish to the memory of William Monk Gibbons, Canon of Christ Church Cathedral by whose impression and effort the restoration of this church was accomplished. He repaired the altar of the Lord.

The church contains some interesting artefacts including the baptismal font of the Duke of Wellington who was baptised in 1769, donated to Taney Parish in 1914 by the closing of St. Kevin’s Church in Camden Row, and altar tapestries depicting scenes from the Bible. The tapestries illustrating the Last Supper were made by the two Yeats sisters Lily and Lolly Yeats, both of whom are interred in the graveyard.

Two Rathdown Slabs are displayed inside the church. These ornate burial slabs date back 1,000 years to the Viking-Christian era. Such slabs have only been found in the barony of Rathdown (the area roughly covering Churchtown to Bray). Only about 30 of these slabs have been discovered to date, these two were discovered in 2002 in the graveyard by archaeologist Chris Corlett, who had missed his bus from Dundrum and decided to explore the cemetery. Local historian John Lennon, as well as Harry Griffith, aided by Dúchas, relocated the slabs inside the church. Harry Griffith has been researching and listing the graves in St. Nahi’s graveyard since 2001, compiling a comprehensive history and listing of the graveyard. Harry Griffith was interred in the graveyard after an illness on 18 April 2012.

An insight into life expectancy for the area can be gleaned from the “Index to the Register of Burials” for the parish between January 1897 and April 1917 show 1,836 people buried during this period, of which 551 were children under 6 years of age.

The organ of St. Nahi’s was built by the renowned Irish organ-builder William Telford. However, St. Nahi’s was not its original home. The organ was only installed there in the 1990s. The church used a harmonium (which is still there) to lead congregational singing. The organ has one manual, pedal of limited compass and seven stops.

Cremated remains are interred to the left of the entrance gates. This area was originally used for patients of the Dundrum Central Mental Hospital. Old records refer to this area as the Asylum Plot.

A back gate to the church was only recently uncovered under much overgrowth. Although it had been used by teachers as a shortcut between the Church (when it was being used as a boys’ school) and the nearby girls’ school, its original function is said to have been as an entrance for Roman Catholics when attending funerals at a time when they were barred from entering the main gates of a Protestant church.

Many Irish Republican graves lie within the graveyard, including the gravestones of Lorcain McSuibhne, a member of the Irish Republican Army killed in 1922 in Kildare (his funeral occurred at St. Nahi’s and there exists photographic evidence of Éamon de Valera in attendance) and of James Burke, who was killed in Croke Park on Bloody Sunday.

The graveyard also contains many Royal Irish Constabulary Officers and Freemasons. There is one War grave. Sgt. William Anthony Kavanagh, RAF Volunteer Reserve, age 24, died 23 Sep 1944 as a result of a cycling accident while home on holiday, son of William and Mary Kavanagh of Balally. The site also contains the grave of the Irish physicist George Johnstone Stoney, who died in London in 1911. His ashes were brought back to be with his wife, mother and sister. His cousin Robert Stoney was a local curate when his wife died.

Currently over 10,000 burials have been recorded, with the earliest visible gravestone dating back to 1734. The Parish of Taney: a History of Dundrum, Near Dublin, and its Neighbourhood published in 1895, claims that there are “tens of thousands” of burials within the graveyard, a credible figure considering its age.

As the churchyard predates the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1869, it is open for burial to all those who live within the boundaries of the Parish of Taney, whatever their denomination.