The Anchorite of Fore Abbey

[Myles O'Reilly]

Bocht, Fore featured once again on an RTE Docu Sunday evening. This one was called "Invasion: The Normans."

 

[valamhic]

This is a video on the Anchorite's Cell at Fore Abbey Co. Westmeath. An Anchorite took a special vow, to remain for the rest of his life enclosed in these small cells, awaiting his death.


Fr Patrick Beglin was easily the most famous of the Anchorites of Fore, and incidentally he is said to have come from the South East corner of Co. Westmeath, where there still are Beglins and still involved in the Church. At the time of Beglin, that is the last decades of the 16th and the early decades of the 17th century, it was owned by the Ussher family but rented out to the Nugents, of Donore I think, who I believe protected the anchorite:

In any case he was certainly not the last anchorite, after him you had:


There are a number of Anchorite cells in Ireland, one is attached to St Canice's Cathedral in Kilkenny for example, and at least one in the environs of Dublin described here, St Doulagh's of Balgriffin:


Why we seem to have only one continuing to function at the time of the Reformation and Counter Reformation is hard to say. Also its origin could be either from the time of St Fechin, this old Irish saint, like many others of his era, was noted for being a kind of hermit or anchorite, or it could have been created by the de Lacys when they built the nearby Benedictine Monastery c.1180, similar to one at a monastery of theirs in Wales.

Incidentally Westmeath also has another unique Catholic institution in that respect, because it also has the only monastery in Ireland which continued to function as a Catholic one all throughout the Reformation and Counter Reformation. This is the Franciscan convent of Multyfarnham, burned down and sacked many times by the English government but always built back again there or nearby and hence survived to this day.

In any case here is a description of the Anchorite in Fore from 1682:

How did he get up on the terrace over his cell if there was no door in it?

 

[scolairebocht]

Well it is two small stories inside, with a little staircase.

 

[valamhic]

Well it is two small stories inside, with a little staircase.

Oh , a two storey?

 

[scolairebocht]

Yes actually.

 

[Myles O'Reilly]

It unfortunate you haven't looked up that programme Bocht. Your antecedents the Nugents were discussed. Yis were brought in and planted by Hugh De Lacy.

 

[scolairebocht]

Yes sorry for being slow to reply, I saw it alright, was very interesting. But then the program has to talk about Ireland was really politically close to Europe and migrants are great etc, the agenda is always there with RTE!

Actually there was one thing that really struck me but it was presumably just a mistake. The historian in France - I found that bit very interesting - talking about a very early charter with regard to Fore, seemed to mention 'Westmeath'. But of course there is no Westmeath until Henry VIIIs time. But that said sometimes I have seen early references to Westmeath, there does seem to be some such specific area before it was shired off, and I just wonder could it actually be written like that - in Latin obviously - in that early charter?

I was just wondering anyway.

 

[Myles O'Reilly]

Its possible Sir. However I took him to mean in 'present day' Westmeath.

Regarding the politics I thought the guy who said "ironically England is now further away from Europe than it was [hundreds of years ago]" was wrong.

England is as close to Europe today as it was before Brexit. They're intertwined. The World is such a small place now.

Btw did you see RTE's idea of early Irish people?

Early Irish people were dark skinned with blue eyes – documentary

Hunter gatherer population inhabited Ireland before being replaced by early farmers

www.irishtimes.com