Monastery of Mohill-Manchan: An Early Irish Monastic Foundation
Site at a Glance
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- Country
- Ireland
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Monastery
On this page11 sections
History
Monastery of Mohill-Manchan is an early Irish Christian foundation in Ireland, established at Mohill during the sixth century, probably between AD 500 and 538, by the missionary Manchan of Mohill. The monastery formed part of the expansion of Irish monastic foundations during this period and became closely connected with the local Gaelic territorial community of Muintir Eolais.
The sixth-century foundation
Manchan’s role was central to the establishment of the church, although it is not known whether he died at Mohill. His remains may have been preserved and placed in a shrine there. The community associated with the church was ascetic, meaning that it followed a disciplined religious life, and its position within Muintir Eolais limited the influence of the bishop. Authority was shared among a bishop, an abbot, and an erenagh, a church official involved in the administration of ecclesiastical lands and hereditary local offices. At times, these responsibilities may have been combined in one person.
The monastic estate extended across the river and included Mohill, Tullybradan, Lisdadanan, Coolabaun, Cappagh, Gortfadda, Drumcroy, and Drumkilla. It covered approximately 300 to 600 acres. A daughter church at Cloonmorris was founded sometime between about AD 500 and 700, extending the foundation’s religious connections beyond its central settlement.
Transformation into a medieval priory
Following the reform of the Irish Church, the monastery became the Priory of Saint Mary of Mohill-Manchan around 1216. It belonged to the Diocese of Ardagh, an ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Ireland, and was occupied by Canons Regular who followed the Rule of Saint Augustine. These were clergy who lived communally under a religious rule while carrying out pastoral work. The priory was governed by a prior.
Medieval records describe Mohill as a resident religious house with responsibility for pastoral care. In 1418 it was dependent on the Priory of Abbeyshrule in the Diocese of Ardagh. In 1475 it was described as resident, elective, and responsible for pastoral care, with an annual value of no more than approximately 12 marks. A mark sterling was a medieval unit of monetary valuation. The question of dependency remained disputed, since a petition in 1477 again claimed that Mohill depended on another monastery. Around 1400 to 1401, the prior’s office was valued at 20 marks sterling, while valuations during the fifteenth century ranged from 10 to 20 marks.
Sanctuary, local power, and recorded events
The monastery retained close religious and political ties with Muintir Eolais and had the right to offer sanctuary to fugitives. This privilege is specifically recorded for 1430, when Donough Mac Tiernan took refuge there after Brian, son of Tiernan Og O’Rourke, was killed. Donough later left under the guarantee of Mac Rannall to make peace, and compensation was paid to O’Rourke.
The annals also associate Mohill with important ecclesiastical figures. In 1166, Ruaidhri Ua Conchobhair covered Manchan’s shrine with gold-embroidered material. Gilla-na-naev Mac Celie, the coarb, or institutional successor, of Saint Caillin died at the monastery in 1330. The prior of Mohill, the son of Eogan Mag Ragnaill, died in 1473, and Farrell, son of Robert Mac Rannall, died in 1486.
Suppression and later religious use
The priory was suppressed during the English suppression of Irish monasteries, probably between about 1550 and 1590, although a date as late as 1621 has also been proposed. In 1583 Mohill was described as the Queen’s manor, comprising about six quarters. In March 1590, an English army invaded Muintir Eolais, occupied Mohill, and defeated its local leaders. The priory was then forfeited to the English Crown.
After the suppression, the former monastic holdings were divided. Edward Barrett received a portion around 1592, while Terence O’Byrne of Muintir Eolais received another around 1594. Barrett’s share passed to John Crofton around 1594 and was later bequeathed by Crofton to his son Henry in a deed dated 2 June 1607.
The priory was re-established in some form during the rule of Confederate Ireland, the Catholic-led government formed during the Eleven Years’ War, around 1642 to 1649. Canon Antony Mag Raghnaill, also known as Reynolds, was appointed prior of Mohill-Manchan on 21 August 1648. Cromwellian forces suppressed the priory again during the parliamentary conquest of Ireland around 1649 to 1653. Its clergy were expelled and faced the risk of execution under the Penal Laws, measures that restricted the religious, political, and property rights of Catholics in Ireland.
In the eighteenth century, Saint Mary’s Church, a Protestant church, was established on the ruins of the priory. The former priory site later became associated with the Hyde family vault in the churchyard.
Remains
The surviving remains of Monastery of Mohill-Manchan lie within the graveyard of Saint Mary’s Church and include portions of the former priory or sanctuary, an old schoolhouse, and the base of a round tower. A round tower was a tall, generally circular medieval Irish ecclesiastical tower commonly associated with monastic settlements. At the time of dissolution, the priory’s possessions included a church, two stone buildings, a cemetery, and several townlands covering approximately 160 to 240 acres.
Churchyard and monastic structures
Hyde family vault
The south and east walls of the Hyde family vault incorporate the remains of the former priory or sanctuary. Saint Mary’s Church was built on the priory ruins, and the vault preserves part of the earlier structure within the later churchyard setting. These walls provide surviving physical evidence of the priory’s fabric after its medieval religious use had ended.
Schoolhouse and round tower base
The ruins of an old schoolhouse form another visible part of the former monastic site. The base of a round tower survives near the town’s old people’s home. Together, these remains relate to the wider early ecclesiastical settlement, which probably included a church, school, mill, house of hospitality, Christian burial ground, monastic cells, a house of tears, and a round tower.
Reused monastic stone
Castle at Rinn Lough
The Crofton family built an old castle at Rinn Lough using material from Mohill Priory. Small free stones of the same class as those observed at the priory ruins were noted in the castle. This reuse connects the later fortified building with the physical remains of the suppressed religious house.
Nearby sites
