Pre-Christian Ireland:

Brehons, Bards & Druids

  Brehons: lawyers trained in Celtic law.

  Bards: singers, songwriters, poets and storytellers.

  Druids: Celtic priests, trained in religion & philosophy, and serving as advisors to kings.

Education was completely oral, traditional, and by apprenticeship. Training as a druid priest was said to take twelve years.

Irish Christianity

Patrick (bishop 432-60?)

Parents and home: British, moderately well off, incompletely educated.

Kidnapped by Irish raiders as a boy, forced to serve as a shepherd in what is now county Antrim.

Conversion: in fields.

Escape: to continent or to Britain?

Call

Education: in Gaul, at Auxerre.

Controversy over his appointment.

Palladius sent to Ireland, 431.

Patrick appointed bishop of the Irish, 432.   From his Confession:
"In the light, therefore, of our faith in the Trinity I must make this choice, regardless of danger I must make known the gift of God and everlasting consolation, without fear and frankly I must spread everywhere the name of God so that after my decease I may leave a bequest to my brethren and sons whom I have baptized in the Lord--so many thousands of people" (Confession 14).
"It was not grace of my own, but God, who is strong in me and resists them all--as He had done when I came to the people of Ireland to preach the Gospel, and to suffer insult from the unbelievers, hearing the reproach of my going abroad, and many persecutions even unto bonds, and to give my free birth for the benefit of others; and, should I be worthy, I am prepared to give even my life without hesitation and most gladly for His name, and it is there that I wish to spend it until I die, if the Lord would grant it to me. For I am very much God's debtor, who gave me such great grace that many people were reborn in God through me and afterwards confirmed, and that clerics were ordained for them everywhere, for a people just coming to the faith, whom the Lord took from the utmost parts of the earth, as He once had promised through His prophets . . ." (Confession 37-38).
For that reason we ought to fish well and diligently, as the Lord exhorts in advance and teaches, saying: Come ye after me, and I will make you to be fishers of men. And again he says through the prophets: Behold, I send many fishers and hunters, saith God, and so on. Hence it was most necessary to spread our nets so that a great multitude and throng might be caught for God, and that there be clerics everywhere to baptise and exhort a people in need and want, as the Lord in the Gospel states, exhorts, and teaches, saying: Going therefore now, teach ye all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world." (Confession 40)

missionary strategy.

impact.

The rise of Irish monasticism.

Popularity of holy orders.

Monks, bards, and brehons: education in Ireland.

Monks and mission.

Abbots vs. bishops.

St. Brigid (ca 450--ca 528).
Founder of Kildare, built on site of ancient pagan temple. Brought on site a monastery as parallel institution; developed Kildare as head of a great paruchiae. A gift of administration. Brigid's song .

St. Ninian (early V).
A Briton (= modern Welsh), educated in Rome according to Bede. Founded Candida Casa (Whithorn, Scotland). Evangelized southern Picts. Candida Casa became an important center of education for many Irish Christians.

Finnian of Moville. Educated at Candida Casa, helped to train Columba.

St. Finnian (early VI). Reputed to have trained in Wales. Founded Clonard, Meath ca. 520. At Clonard, Finnian trained the "twelve apostles of Ireland," including St. Ciaran and St. Columba.

Columba (Colum Cille; mid VI, ca. 521-597). from royal family of the Néill, related to Ainmere King of Tara. raised by Christian priest; he was sent to study under Finnian at Moville (Strangford Lough); he also studied under an Irish Christian bard. Finally he joined the monastery at Clonard to study under another Finnian. Columba went on to found monastic communities and their schools at Derry and Iona. Iona, the most famous, became a center of evangelism to Scotland and northern England. Columba is also thought to have evangelized areas of the Inner Hebrides and eastern Scotland (both Scots and Picts).

St. Ciaran.
Also trained at Clonard under Finnian; founded Clonmacnois, another famous center of learning.

St. Kevin (?--ca. 615).
Trained in Kilnamanagh, Co. Dublin. Founder of monastery and school at Glendalough, Co. Wicklow. member of royal family of Leinster.

Columbanus (ca. 550-615). Trained in Gleenish (on Lough Erne, Fermanagh) and later at Bangor for several years, leaving ca. 590 for the continent. Founded Annegray, Luxeuil, Lure, Bobbio (Italy), in addition to evangelizing Bregenz, on the eastern shore of Lake Constance (Switzerland).

Conflicts at Annegray, in Frankish politics. Establishes Luxeuil. Columbanus' monastic regulations: monks could eat half as much as St. Benedict's rule, but had to sing twice as many psalms. Food was cabbage, vegetables, bread. Trouble with ecclesiastical authorities; "banished" by the king. Ministry in Switzerland, at Bregenz. Forced to leave again, he takes his group to Bobbio in Italy. There he dies in 615.

St. Aidan (?--651). Oswald, upon becoming king of Northumbria sends to Iona for a bishop. Corman; Aidan; foundation of Lindisfarne, monastery established.
King Oswald accompanies Aidan as interpreter in his evangelism. Aidan's work continues after Oswald's untimely death, spreading Christianity throughout Northumbria and south to the staunchly pagan region of Mercia. Aidan also founded Melrose, Coldingham in Berwickshire and Hartlepool in Northumbria

Irish Monastic Life

develops apart from St. Benedict and his rule; tended to be stricter.

the abbot

the monastic paruchia

obedience to superiors

discipline: sin cured by its opposite.

physical layout of monastery: the church(es), cells, workshops, graveyard.

monastic duties

Major Monasteries:

Candida Casa (Withorn, southwestern Scotland). Founded early 5th cent. by St. Ninnian. An important training center for missions to Scotland, and for Irish monks and missionaries in Ireland.

Kildare, in Liffey valley. on the site of a nunnery founded by St. Brigid. She later induced a group of hermits to establish a monastery alongside and in cooperation with her work. late 5th cent?

Bangor, on the Ards peninsula. Founded ca 558 by Comgall, an Irish Pict. A great center of missions to Scotland, England, and Europe..

Clonard, Co. Meath. founded ca. 520 by St. Finnian. "the seedbed of monasticism"; "preeminent in learning" (McNeill). Finnian trained Columba and St. Ciaran.

Glendalough, Co. Wicklow. founded mid to late 6th cent. by St. Kevin.

Clonmacnois, Offaly. founded by St. Ciaran (early 6th cent.); "the great collegiate monastery" to which thousands (!) came to study (Marnell)

Celtic Christianity

- importance of abbots over bishops

- marriage: (1) of priests; (2) in general

- emphasis on oral learning

- emphasis on community

- incorporation of Celtic traditions of the bard and brehon.

Impact of Irish Christianity on Europe

Contribution to conversion of Scotland, Picts
Foundation of monasteries & abbeys in England: Northumbria, conversion of Saxons.
France: Luxeuil; work among Gauls
Switzerland: St. Gallen
Italy: Bobbio
Evangelism, hospitality, relief work for sick & elderly, educational institutions.

Synod of Whitby, 664.
The issue of Easter dating decided in favor of the Roman party. King Oswiu presides. The beginning of the decline of influence of Irish-Celtic Christian leadership in Britain.

The Viking Era, 9th--10th Centuries.
Viking raids and viking settlements. Irish confusion. Impact of viking destructions on Irish policy towards church property, on law. Alliances gradually form to repel the "Gaill". Impact on the arts, book production, learning. The church's relation to secular authorities. Brian became "High King of Ireland" some time around 1002, and confirms Armagh as having the ecclesiastical supremacy of Ireland as "the heir of Patrick."