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| Ruins of Church at Youghalarra |
Did St. Coana have a church at Youghalarra in North Tipp before the arrival of St. Patrick to Ireland?
I came across a very interesting bit of folklore this week about Youghalarra Graveyard. Previously I posted the photo shared which from the archaeological inventory is thought read "'ST. COE[ ]' and underneath this 'NE 433'"
The Irish Folklore Commission has this to say about the graveyard.
...
"On part of the wall of the old church is the figure of a head with the inscription St Coana 433 AD. It is recorded St. Coona died in 433 A.D.
Saint Patrick came to Ireland in 432 and his visit to Munster did not take place till after the year 450. Bishop Palladuis preceeded Saint Patrick. Saint Ailbe of Emly visited Rome before the coming of Saint Patrick and four bishops laboured in Ireland at the time of his coming.
Saint Kieran was a bishop in the Ely O'Carroll territory. Youghal Ara being the birthplace of Saint Ailbe it is only natural to expect that he would establish a church there and ordain a priest before the coming of Saint Patrick. The church of Saint Coona was constructed of timber the present ruin was built at a later period. The ruin stands north of Youghal village on high ground. It is built of brownish and reddish grit stone. The interior surface of the wall presents a structure of small and long stones, the long stones in particular are shaped quadrangular and polygonal and some are shapeless but all are dressed with a chisel or hammer."
http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922150/4856531/5012166
Unfortunately it doesn't say who collected the above folklore but there are a few pages about religious remains in the same parish by what is probably the same person. There are a number of errors that I can see in what they write so does that call into question what they record about one of the earliest churches in Ireland being located at Youghalarra? It probably does. For example they confuse the place of birth of Saint Ailbe - it is more widely thought that he was born in South Tipp near Emly.
However Youghalarra is far more important than curently thought of now. It is more than likely an early Christian Monastery with a double bullaun stone and holy well nearby (all signs of a monastic site). People still go to the holy well on its "pattern" day of 24th July each year. The holy well is dedicated to St Conlan - I'm not sure if that is the same person as St. Coana.
Edit - 24/04/16
Quick update on the source of the Youghalarra information, indicating that it might have been the location of a pre-St. Patrick church. I have been reading The History of Ely O'Carroll Territory by Rev. John Gleeson (1915) and the information recorded on duchas.ie pretty much comes word for word from this book. Unfortunately that doesnt take me any closer to the source as Rev Gleeson doesn't record where his information originated. He does vaguely mention that some of the information about the existing ruin at Youghalarra originates with the 1840 ordnance survey (His father was a surveyor) but there is nothing definite.
Saint Patrick came to Ireland in 432 and his visit to Munster did not take place till after the year 450. Bishop Palladuis preceeded Saint Patrick. Saint Ailbe of Emly visited Rome before the coming of Saint Patrick and four bishops laboured in Ireland at the time of his coming.
Saint Kieran was a bishop in the Ely O'Carroll territory. Youghal Ara being the birthplace of Saint Ailbe it is only natural to expect that he would establish a church there and ordain a priest before the coming of Saint Patrick. The church of Saint Coona was constructed of timber the present ruin was built at a later period. The ruin stands north of Youghal village on high ground. It is built of brownish and reddish grit stone. The interior surface of the wall presents a structure of small and long stones, the long stones in particular are shaped quadrangular and polygonal and some are shapeless but all are dressed with a chisel or hammer."
http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922150/4856531/5012166
Unfortunately it doesn't say who collected the above folklore but there are a few pages about religious remains in the same parish by what is probably the same person. There are a number of errors that I can see in what they write so does that call into question what they record about one of the earliest churches in Ireland being located at Youghalarra? It probably does. For example they confuse the place of birth of Saint Ailbe - it is more widely thought that he was born in South Tipp near Emly.
However Youghalarra is far more important than curently thought of now. It is more than likely an early Christian Monastery with a double bullaun stone and holy well nearby (all signs of a monastic site). People still go to the holy well on its "pattern" day of 24th July each year. The holy well is dedicated to St Conlan - I'm not sure if that is the same person as St. Coana.
Edit - 24/04/16
Quick update on the source of the Youghalarra information, indicating that it might have been the location of a pre-St. Patrick church. I have been reading The History of Ely O'Carroll Territory by Rev. John Gleeson (1915) and the information recorded on duchas.ie pretty much comes word for word from this book. Unfortunately that doesnt take me any closer to the source as Rev Gleeson doesn't record where his information originated. He does vaguely mention that some of the information about the existing ruin at Youghalarra originates with the 1840 ordnance survey (His father was a surveyor) but there is nothing definite.
Most interesting article, as is the entire site. Congrats! Is it possible to sign as a follower, in order to see updates?
ReplyDeleteHi Sean - I didn't even realise that you could do that. I'm new to blogging. I've added a widget that lets you see updates. Thanks for the feedback.
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