Parish of Mountrath

Source: Rev M Comerford" Collections relating to the Dioceses of Kildare and Leighlin" Vol. 3 (1886)

The ancient and proper name of this parish is Clonenagh. Formerly the now distinct Parishes of Raheen and Ballyfin were comprised in the united Parishes of Clonenagh and Clonagheen.

CLONENAGH

This place - the name of which, Claineidhniach, signifies Latibulum hederosum, "the Ivied retreat," - is remarkable for the celebrated monastery which was founded here by St. Fintan, about the year 548. - (Lanigan). This saint was born about the year 525; the place of his nativity is doubtful, beyond the fact that it was named Cluain. This, Colgan, in one passage, supposes to be Cluain-mic-Trein, i.e., the present New Ross; but elsewhere, he states it to be Clonkeen in Leix, and this latter appears to be now the generally received opinion. The parents of this saint were named Gabhren and Findadh, the latter is conjectured by Colgan to have been a sister of St. Lewis of Coolbanagher. On the 17th of February the Feilire of Aengus records, "The Feast of Finntan, the prayerful, of vast Cluain-Ednich;" and the Gloss in the Leabhar Breac, and the Martyrology of Donegal, on the same day, add:- Fiontain, son of Gaibhreine, son of Corcran, son of Eochaidh, son of Bresal, son of Den.- Here he and (St.) Brigid meet (in their pedigrees), Abbot of Cluain-eidhniach in Laoighis (Leix). Great was the abstinence of this holy Fiontain, as is evidenced from this verse (of Aengus)-

Fiontain the generous
Never ate during his time
But bread of barley corn
And water of earthy clay.

A very ancient vellum book . . states that Fiontain of Cluain-eidhniach, chief of the monks of Erin, in his manners and life resembled Benedictus, head of the monks of Europe.
Colgan styles him "Fintanus Stationarius de magno Cluaineadnach;" the epithet of stationarius being applied to him from his praying, like many others of our early saints, with his arms extended in the form of a cross. A remnant of this ancient usage may still be observed in the extension of the arms at Mass after the Consecration, prescribed by the rite of some of the Religious Orders.

St. Fintan received his early education from a holy priest by whom he was baptized. Whilst yet a boy, he was visited by St. Columbkille, who, on that occasion, foretold St. Fintan's future distinguished career. When he arrived at man's estate, he entered the Monastery of Tir-da-glass (now Terryglass, Co. Tipperary), where St. Columba, son of Crimthain then presided over a famous school. Having passed a novitiate here, he and two, some say three, companions, being anxious to find a retired place where they might devote themselves to the service of God, consulted St. Columba, and, accompanied by him, they came to Clonenagh. Here, it is said, St. Fintan and his companions passed a year, but, finding their solitude greatly broken in upon, they determined to abandon the place, and directed their course to the Slieve Bloom mountains, again accompanied by St. Columba; this saint, looking back upon Clonenagh, saw a multitude of angels hovering over it. His disciples seeing him sorrowful, asked the cause; the saint replied: Because I see the place we have left filled with the angels of God, and these angels unceasingly minister between it and heaven. One of us, he added, should return and abide there for the future. Whereupon Fintan said: Whomsoever, O Father, you direct to return, he will instantly obey. Columba replied: Go you in peace to that spot, O holy youth, and the Lord be with you. It has been divinely revealed that for you it shall be the place of your resurrection. St. Fintan accordingly retraced his steps to Clonenagh and established himself there; this was about the year 548. Great numbers flocked to this place to serve God under the guidance of our saint, amongst whom was St. Com-gall, afterwards the founder of the famous Monastery of Bangor, who passed some years under his direction.- (Ussher). The discipline observed at Clonenagh was very rigorous; the fasting and abstinence were so severe that St. Canice of Aghaboe and other holy men remonstrated with St. Fintan on the subject. Yielding to their representations, he relaxed the rigour of his rule in favour of his community, but, himself, adhered to his former mode of life. An incident related in his Life respecting an application of a holy bishop Brandubh, to be permitted to join his community - which has been already given (see Agha, Parish of Bagnalstown), reveals the austerity practised at Clonenagh. Finding his end approaching, St. Fintan assembled his monks and named Fintan Maeldubh as his successor.
Another Saint Fintan, who appears to have been a monk at Clonenagh, and a contemporary of the founder, was venerated on the 21st of February. He is styled Fintan Corach, for which appellation different explanations are given; he was so named, it is said, either because of his frequent change of residence, or on account of his having given a pledge (coir) to return to Clonenagh, or, what is much more probable, because of his having been distinguished for chanting the Divine praises. The Feilire, at 21st Feb., records "The calling of quireful Fintan post contemptum mundi, on the feast fair. . . . The Leabhar Breac adds: "Fifteen years and six score (was) the age of Finntan, a-chanting lasting melodious psalms over the brink of a fountain." The Martyrology of Tallaght, at this date, has the entry: "Finntani Coraighi Illeamchoill vel Cluaineidneach," i.e., the Feast of Fintan Corach of Lowhill, or of Clonenagh. It appears certain that this saint ended his days at Clonenagh and is interred there. Under date, March 27th, the Irish Calendars record a St. Fintan to whom the designation Bel na Salm, i.e., "The mouth of the Psalms," is given, "Finntan Os Psalmorum" (Mart. Tallaght). Colgan conjectures, with great appearance of probability, that this saint is identical with St. Fintan Corach.

ANNALS OF CLONENAGH

A.D. 548. (circa) the monastery founded.
AD. 590. (circa) St. Fintan, the founder, died, on the 17th of February.
AD. 610. Fintan Ua Eachach, Abbot of Clonenagh, head of the monks of Europe, died, on
Thursday. Hence Colman, son of Fergus sang: -

On Thursday Fintan was born,
And was conceived upon the earth,
And on Thursday he died
Upon my white sheets. - Fragments Irish Annals.

By some this Fintan is said to have been the immediate successor of the great St. Fintan; but it is evident, that this passage really refers to the first St. Fintan. The difference in dates is no strong argument to the contrary, as in those old Annals the chronology is frequently inaccurate, the apparent discrepancy in St. Fintan being called in one place the son of Gabbren, and in another, the son of Echach is explained by his being called the son of Gabbren, from his immediate progenitor, and the son of Echach, from his great-grandfather. This was a custom among the Irish, who distinguished families by O or Hua, i.e. grandson or a descendant, and by Mac, i.e. son or descendant.
- See Lives of Irish SS. Vol. II. 577.

A.D. 625. St. Fintan Maeldubh, second Abbot of Clonenagh, died on the 20th of October.
(AA. SS. p.335.)

A.D. 638. St. Fintan Munna, Abbot, died on the 21st October. The Mart, of Donegal has the following passage in reference to him:- "Munna, Bishop and Abbot of Clonenagh in Leix. Fionntain was another name for Munna. Tulchan was the name of his father. Two hundred and thirty was the number of the monks in his convent. And it was Mochua, son of Lonan, that cured him of the leprosy which he had from the beginning. He was of the race of Connall Gulban, son of Niall; Fedhelm, daughter of Maine, was his mother. It was of him this testimony was given:-

The son of Tulchan, of his own consent,
Did not thrust a nail (i.e. of his finger) into his flesh;
That his suffering might be greater here,
He never scratched himself.

A very ancient book states that Munna, the son of Tulchan, was in his habits and life, like unto Job the patient."

A.D. 639. St. Gobban, who founded the monastery of Old Leighlin, and afterwards resigned it to St. Laserian, retiring in 632 to Killamery in Ossory, died this year and was interred at Clonenagh. His feast was observed on the 6th of December. "Gobban's feast, a shout of thousands, with a train of great martyrdom, angelic wall, abbot of virginity, lucid descendant of Lane." (Feil. Aeng.) The Gloss in Leab. Br. and entry in Mart. Donegal state that 'in Clonenagh are Gobban's relics.'"

The next Abbot was St. Aedhan, son of Concradh; he died on the 21st of November.

A.D. 650. Mohsacra, Abbot of Clonenagh, and of Tigh-sacra (" Sacra's house," Saggard) in the vicinity of Tamlacht, (Tallaght) and of Fionn-mhagh in Fothart, (Query, Fenagh?) died on the 3rd of March (Mart. Donegal). Another Saint of the same name is calendared at 8th of January; this saint, who flourished at a later date, was, according to Fr. O'Hanlon, more probably the Abbot of Clonenagh.

685. Died, Ossein, Abbot of Clonenagh.- (Four Masters.)

767. St. Maelaithgen, Abbot of Clonenagh, died.- (Do.) His feast was observed on the 21st of October. Amongst the disciples of this saint, at Clonenagh, was the famous St. Aengus, surnamed the Culdee.* Another Aengus, who wrote the life of this saint in elegant metre, states that Aengus the Culdee studied from boyhood in the Monastery of Clonenagh. The Mart. Donegal, at the 11th of March, thus refers to St. Aengus: - "Aenghus-na-heblen, bishop, who is called Aenghus Celé-de. It is he that composed the Feiliré. He is of the race of Irial, son of Connall Cearnach; and it was at Cluain-eidhnech, on the bank of the Eoir (the Nore), in Laoighis, he was fostered; he read his psalms first, and he was afterwards buried, according to this verse, which is in the poem which begins-

Delightful to sit here around him,
By the side of the cold, clear Eoir.

Aengus in the Assembly of Heaven,
Here are his tomb and his bed;
It is from this he went to death,
In the Friday, to holy Heaven,
It is at Cluain-eidhnech he was nursed;
At Cluain-eidhnech he was buried;
At Cluain-eidhnech of many crosses,
He read his psalms at first.

St. Aengus retired from Clonenagh to a place in the present parish of Maryborough, which from him, has since been called Disert Aengus, or Enos, where he built himself a cell. See Chapter on Parish of Maryborough.
He next visited Coolbanagher, where he was favoured with a vision of angels. This circumstance, the details of which are given in Vol. 2, p. 144, first suggested to him to compose his celebrated metrical hymn in honour of the saints, called the Feilire or Festilogium, of St. Aengus. He committed this work to writing at the Monastery of Tallaght, county Dublin, where he entered as a lay brother or farm servant, in which humble capacity he spent seven whole years. At the end of that time it was accidentally discovered who he was. St. Aengus returned afterwards to Clonenagh, where he died on the 11th of March, and was buried, sometime between the years 819 and 830. St. Aengus was the author of several works, the chief of which are the Feiliré, or Festilogium; the Calendar of the Saints, called the Martyrology of Tallaght; and the Litany of the Saints. He also wrote, as Ware records, "De Sanctis Hiberniae, lib. 5;" the History of the Old Testament, in metre; and the Psalter-na-rann is also generally ascribed to him; this latter is a miscellaneous collection, relating to Irish affairs, in prose and verse, Latin and Irish. In his litany, the saints of Clonenagh are thus invoked:- " The monks of Fintan, son of Ui Echach. They partook not, save of the herbs of the earth and water; it is impossible to count them, because of their great number. Amongst them were eight Fintans. I invoke unto my aid, through Jesus Christ."*

838. The Danes destroyed this Abbey. - (M'Geoghegan.)
840. The Four Masters record the plundering of Clonenagh by the foreigners.
843. Dun-Masg (Dunamase) was plundered by the foreigners, and Aedhe, Abbot of Tir-da-glass and Clonenagh, was taken prisoner, and they carried him into Munster, where he suffered martyrdom for the sake of God. - (Four Masters.)

* Dr. Todd - Introduction to Martyrology of Donegal, thus describes the Feiliré, and the Martyrology of Tallaght:- Feilire of Aengus Ceile De. "Four lines in rhyme are devoted to each day of the year, and the author has imposed on himself the task of introducing into those four lines the names of the saints commemorated on that day. The copy of this work preserved in the library of the Royal Irish Academy, and a still more perfect copy in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, are accompanied by a copious interlinear gloss and scholia, containing some very curious legends and traditions, which throw great light on the ancient state of religion and of society in Ireland down to the eleventh century."
The Martyrology of Tallaght.- This work was contained in the Book of Leinster, a MS. of the twelfth century, preserved in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, but has long disappeared from that volume, which is now very imperfect. During my visit to Rome, in 1862, I found eleven of the missing leaves of this most precious manuscript (which I recognised at once) among the documents kindly shown me by the superior of St. Isidore's convent. These leaves contain some of the curious tracts attributed to Aengus Ceile De, together with a copy of the Calendar or Martyrology of Tallaght, referred to by Colgan, which is, however, itself also unfortunately imperfect, owing to the loss of a leaf. The defect includes the whole of November and the first sixteen days of December. This calendar is a transcript of a very ancient martyrology, containing a list of the saints and martyrs of the universal Church under each day of the year, the Irish saints being added at the end of each day, and separated from the rest by a peculiar mark. The Calendar commences on Christmas day, and not, as is more usual, on the Kalends of January. At the beginning is this title in rubric:-

"Incipit martira oenghusa me oiblean et maolruain ic" (i.e. hic)."

Here begins the Martyrology of Aengus Mac Oiblean and Maolruain.
The Litany of Aengus, written about 798, is described by Sir James Ware, as "A book of litanies in which, in a long series of daily prayers, are invoked some companies of saints who were either school-fellows under the same master, or who joined in society under the same leader, to propagate the faith among pagans, or who were buried in the same monastery, or lived in communion in the same church, or lastly, who were joined together by any other like titles." The vast number of foreign saints who were buried in Ireland, whose intercession is invoked in this Litany, affords the strongest proof of the great influx of foreign ecclesiastics to Ireland in the fifth and sixth centuries. The Litany has been published in the Irish Ecclesiastical Record.

866. The Abbot Laictene died. - (Id.)
872. The Abbot Ainbeallagh, son of Fonaseach, died. - (Id.)
890. Colga, son of Caithniadh, Abbot of Clonenagh, died. - (Id.)
898. The Abbot Mael Ciaran, who was also Abbot of Tir-da-glass, died. - (Id. and AA. SS.)
909. Tiopraide, bishop of this Abbey, died; in same year, the Abbot Litheach, died; in this year also the Abbey was plundered. - (Tr. Thaum, p. 633.)
919. The plundering of Clonenagh, and burning of the Oratory of Mochua (Timahoe), by the foreigners.- (Four Masters.)
922. The Abbot Duibhliter, died.- (Id.)
927. The Abbot Tuathal, son of Maelciaran, died. - (Td.)
937. Ceallachan, King of Cashel, with the men of Munster, and Macca-Cuinn, with the foreigners of Port Lairge (the Danes of Waterford), plundered the churches of Clonenagh and Killeigh.- (Id)
940. Ceallach, son of Eporan, bishop of Clonenagh, died.- (Id)
965. Gormghilla, chief vice-Abbot of Clonenagh, was killed by the men of Ossory.- (Id.)
970. Muiredach O'Connor, bishop, successor of Fintan of Clonenagh, died.- (Id.)
991. Dermod, Lecturer of Kildare, and Abbot of Clonenagh, died, of whom was said: -

Dermod, protector of the good Canons,
A man of blooming hospitality and friendship;
Unfortunate, O Supreme Dispenser of the laws!
That death came unto him.- (Id.)

1007. Tuathal O'Connor, successor of Fintan (Abbot of Clonenagh), died .- (Id.)
1071. Donghal Ua Coibhdheanaigh, noble priest of Clonenagh, died .- (Id.)
Thady Dowling in his Annals, under date A.D. 1348*, records the Translation of the Relics of St. Fintan, and examination of the miracles ascribed to him, with a view to his formal canonization, by Thomas St. Leger, Bishop of Meath: ' "1348. Translatio Sancti Fyntani Abbatis, patroni de Clonenagh, in episcopatu Leighlin, per Thomam de sancto Leothegario episcopum Midensim facta fuit, et si quaeratur quare examinatio miraculorum et autoritas canonizationis hujusmodi non com-mittebatur potius ordinario loci quam extraneo, respondetur, quod Episcopus Leighlin supplicavit Romano Pontifici pro caussione (sic) translationis et canonizationis, et cetera."
The site of this celebrated monastery is still well known - situate about a mile and a-half from Mountrath, on the road leading to Maryborough. Local tradition tells of there having been seven churches at Clonenagh; these have now quite disappeared. There is a church in ruins here, but, according to the opinion of O'Donovan, it does not date further back than the 15th century. This old church, after being suffered to fall to ruin, was repaired, and used as a Protestant place of worship, up to a comparatively recent period. Archdall, writing in 1786 (Monast. Hib.) states that "Clonenagh is now a parish church of the Diocese of Leighlin." The adjoining grave-yard is used as a place of interment, chiefly of Protestants; on the opposite side of the road is another cemetery, in which Catholics, exclusively, are interred. At least three priests lie interred here; the tomb-stones are so over-run with weeds and grass, that it is very difficult to decipher them. After a vigorous application of brush and water, one of these revealed the following interesting inscription:- " Here lieth the body of the Revd. Lawrence Colleton, Pastor of Clonenagh, Bachelor of Divinity in the Sorbonne, and Archdeacon of the Diocese of Leighlin, who departed this life, the - of September, in the year of our Lord, 1788, aged 66 years. Requiescat in Pace.

Haec est requies mea in aeternum;
Hic habitabo quoniam elegi eam.

Two other stones mark the graves of priests, bearing the following inscriptions: -

"Here lieth the body of the Rev. Daniel Horohan, who departed this life the 13th day of November, in the year of our Lord, 1749, aged 60 years." "Here lieth the body of the Rev. Denis Lalor, who departed this life the 26th March, 1762, in the 44th year of his age."

On the roadside, the well of St. Fintan is pointed out. It does not, it is said, occupy its original site, which was in the adjoining field; the owner of this field contrived to divert the spring to the place it occupies at present. An old tree, opposite the well, is popularly supposed to be connected with it. In some cavities in the trunk, water is said to be, at all times, found, to which healing properties are ascribed.

The Monastery of Clonenagh ranked amongst the distinguished seats of learning in the kingdom, in early Christian times. It was called the Gallican school (Gael., i.e., a foreigner) from the great number of foreigners who resorted thither, particularly from Gaul (Brenan 1, p. 104.) Amongst the Lost Books of Erin is the Leabhar Cluana-eidhniech, or Book of Clonenagh. This work, the compilation of the monks of Clonenagh, was extant when Dr. Geoffry Keating wrote his History of Ireland, early in the 17th century. He refers to it as amongst the books "that are to be seen at this day," and he quotes many passages from it in the course of his work. Father O'Hanlon gives reasons for thinking that this precious historical treasure was at one time preserved in the library of Ballyfin house, and consequently that it may still exist. - (Lives of Irish, SS., 2. p. 591.)
Between Clonenagh and Mountrath stood until recently the remains of an extensive old fort, known as Red Castle. It was probably erected when Leix was reduced to shire-ground. The ruin has now quite disappeared;

MOUNTRATH

This place, called also Moynrath, or the fort in the bog, became, in the beginning of the seventeenth century, the property of Sir Charles Coote, who, although the surrounding country was then in a wild state and overspread with woods, laid the foundation of the present town In 1628 Sir Charles obtained for the inhabitants a grant of two weekly markets and two fairs, and established a very extensive linen and fustian manufactory, which, in the year 1641, together with much of his other property here, was destroyed. His son Charles regained the castle and estate of Mountrath, with other large possessions, and, at the Restoration, was created Earl of Mountrath, which title, on the decease of Charles Henry, the 7th Earl, in 1802, became extinct. Newpark, adjoining the town, was the residence of the Earl of Mountrath. In 1831 the town contained 429 houses; iron was made and wrought here till the neighbouring woods were consumed for fuel. The Post Chaise Companion, published in 1805, states that "Near Mountrath is an extensive bank containing, or rather, formed of excellent iron ore, within a few feet of the surface; here an iron and metal foundry has been established and wrought some years since with great success; but at present, from the scarcity of charcoal, on the destruction of the neighbouring woods, the furnaces are seldom employed; it is much to be regretted that such a valuable manufacture should be discontinued on the above account, as the country abounds with bogs, and charred turf might probably be substituted in the place of charcoal for most purposes." Lewis (Top. Dict.), writing in 1836, says -

"An extensive factory for spinning and weaving cotton is carried on by Mr. Greenham, who employs 150 persons in the spinning mills, and about 500 in weaving calicoes at their own houses; the average quantity manufactured is from 200 to 250 pieces weekly. Stuff-weaving is also carried on extensively; there is a large brewery and malting establishment, and an extensive oil mill; and the inhabitants carry on a very extensive country trade."

In the latter portion of the last, and the beginning of the present century, Orangeism was rampant in the town of Mountrath, and the Catholics were subjected to constant insults and acts of violence from the dominant faction. In every lease granted on the. Castlecoote estate, on which the town was built, a clause was inserted prohibiting the letting, selling, or bestowal of ground for the purpose of erecting a Catholic Church. In consequence of this prohibition, the humble place of worship, used by the Catholics, stood upon a sand-bank, beside a tributary of the river Nore, at a place called "The Brook," just outside the town. Some of the old inhabitants remember to see men occupied in teeming water out of the chapel on Saturday evenings, in order that the people might be enabled to assemble there for Mass next day. About the year 1794, Dr. Delany, Bishop of the Diocese, who held Mountrath as a mensal parish, determined, if possible, to build a church for the parishioners. The Lord Castlecoote of the day was as much opposed as his predecessors had been, to the erection of Catholic places of worship. After commending the cause to Heaven by public devotions, the bishop made application for a site to a Mr. Hawkesworth, agent to Lord Castlecoote. This gentleman gave Dr. Delany a plot of ground, then in his own possession, and shortly after, through his influence with the proprietor, procured a lease for ever of it, as a site for a Catholic church. *
On this site the church was commenced about the year 1795. The people, accustomed to the small thatched chapels of Penal times, often built of mud, were amazed at the extensive dimensions of the new foundation, and distrusting the possibility of completing it, came to call it "Delany's folly." It is related that a stalwart priest named Dunne, then doing duty in the parish, used to accompany the men engaged in drawing building materials for the chapel, armed with a stout blackthorn, to repel any hostile attempts on the part of the aggressive Orange-men. Dr. Fitzpatrick, in his Life of J.K.L., refers to an attack made in 1793 on the priests of the neighbourhood assembled in Conference at Mountrath, by a party of armed Yeomanry, the intruders supposing, or pretending to suppose, that the priests had met together for unlawful purposes. In 1808, Father Duane, administrator of the parish, a delicate timid man, had his house attacked at night by the Orangemen; he made his escape by scaling a wall, and took refuge under the arch of a bridge. The cold and wetting he endured there, together with the terror, brought on an illness from which he died. Curious to relate, the house then used as an Orange Lodge is now incorporated with the present convent.

*The Annals of the Order of St. Brigid, from which some of the foregoing details have been taken, add - " It may not be out of place to say that Dr. Delany became intimate with this family; in her last illness, Mrs. Hawkesworth became a Catholic. In the presence of her daughters and her son, who was a Protestant clergyman, she requested of Mr. Hawkesworth to have the Parish Priest sent for. They were thunderstruck at her request, which, however, was complied with, and the priest had free access to her while she lived."

On the 18th of April, 1809, the Convent of St. Brigid, at Mountrath, was founded, three sisters proceeding thither from the mother house at Tullow (Annals of Order). Soon after, the Monastery of St. Patrick was established. Both convent and monastery have now large communities, chiefly employed in carrying on the great work of Catholic education. At present the Sisters are engaged in erecting a fine imposing building for the accommodation of their numerous resident pupils.

The church, erected by Dr. Delany, proved defective in the foundation; in consequence of this, the Rev. James Dunne, PP., came to the determination of building a new church. The work was begun soon after his appointment to the charge of the parish in 1857, and he had the consolation of seeing it completed before his death in 1867. The extraordinary exertions made by Brother John, of the Mountrath Monastery, mainly contributed to the success of the undertaking. This zealous religious travelled through a great portion of North America, Australia, New Zealand, and California, soliciting alms for the purpose; his exertions resulted in his being enabled to transmit the large sum of £4,000, over and above his expenses. The new church of Mountrath is one of the finest parochial churches in the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin. Several priests were interred in the former church; through the pious care of a recent pastor, the preservation of the inscribed tablets which marked their last resting places, has been secured by their being set in the wall of the new church. They are as follows:-

"To the memory of the Very Rev. M. P. Malone, Parish Priest for some time of Tinryland, afterwards of Mountrath, Notary Apostolic and Penitentiary for the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin. He died in the fifty-third year of his age, on the 18th of October, 1835. For twenty-two years he discharged with zeal, disinterestedness, and ability, the arduous duties of his sacred calling. In him the poor found a friend, the prodigal a forgiving father, the afflicted a comforter, the oppressed an advocate, his country an honest patriot, and religion a priest of true piety. Requiescat in pace."
"Subter reliquiae hujus parochae pastoris, Thomae Nolan. Aeternae in spe vitae requiescunt. Decessit, aetat, an. 53, Sal. 1844. Amore Dei domûsque ejus decoris studio, nec non et patriae, ardenter flagravit. Rectus, beneficus, hospitalis, perinde sacerdotibus ac populo carus, morbo, quum fortiter laborasset diuque, in fide et Domino efflavit vitam. Requiescat in pace."
"Beneath are deposited, in the hope of a happy resurrection, the remains of the Rev. Patrick Fitzpatrick. He resigned his soul to God on the 16th of September, 1857, in the 62nd year of his age, and 39th of his priesthood. His last wish was to appeal, by this simple tablet, to the prayers of his people, to whom for 13 years, he dispensed the mysteries of God, and whom he loved and served with disinterestedness and zeal. May he rest in peace."
"I.H.S. Beneath are the remains of the Rev. Edward Mulhall. Gifted with a rare genius, an accomplished linguist, deeply versed in sacred and profane literature; eloquent, and adorned with every moral virtue, he was ever held in peculiar esteem and veneration. He began and completed his studies in Carlow College, where he was retained as professor; the labour and study undermined his constitution. Rome then attracted his devout mind, but a winter's journey inflicted injuries on his health which he bore with Christian resignation, till death set free his pure spirit on the 9th of September, 1857, in the 45th year of his age, and the 22nd of his priesthood. Lord have mercy on him. Amen."
"To the memory of the Rev. John M'Mahon, Catholic Curate of Mountrath, who died, Feb. 7th, 1850, aged 39 years. His remains are deposited in Tullore. In his character high integrity and energy, tenderness and truthfulness, the Christian's charity, and the Apostle's zeal, were beautifully blended. Through his missionary career of 13 years, he had been singularly loved and respected, and in death was followed to the grave by sorrowing thousands. Well, indeed, may the reverer of departed worth pause before this simple monument, and pay the homage of the prayer- Maybe rest in peace. Amen."
A painted window, and a massive marble altar of Our Lady, have been erected in this church as memorials of the affection and veneration of his flock for their former pastor, the Rev. James Dunne. Another gracefully designed marble altar has been lately raised as a memorial of the Rev. Andrew M'Donald, P.P.
Amongst the parochial church plate is a very massive and beautiful chalice, the gift of Bishop Delany, bearing the following inscription:- " In honorem Sanctissimae Sacramenti Eucharistiae suis impensis hunc calicem fieri curavit Reverendissimus Daniel Delany, epus. Kilds. et Leighs. Donoque dedit parochiae de Mountrath, 1789."

SUCCESSION OF PASTORS

REV. JAMES DWIGAN was appointed, in April, 1690, P.P. of the united Parishes of Clonenagh and Cloneheen. In the Registry of 1704, he is stated to reside at Downe, in the west division of the barony of Maryborough; was then aged about 50; was ordained in 1677, in Garriricken, by James Phelan, Bishop of Ossory, and his two sureties were Patrick Kinin, of Roskelton, Gent., and Henry Brereton, of Coppanarragh, Gent. Father Duigan died in 1712; this we learn from the epitaph of his successor,

REV. EDMUND CORCORAN, who is stated to have been P.P. 35 years, and to have died on the 8th December, 1747. - (Buried at Cremogue).

REV. DENIS LABOR was the succeeding Parish Priest; he died, March 26th, 1762, and is interred at Clonenagh.

REV. JOHN LALOR succeeded; he died Feb. 15th, 1770, and was buried at Cremogue.

THE VENERABLE LAURENCE COLLETON, Archdeacon of Leighlin, was the succeeding P.P. He died in September, 1788, and is buried at Clonenagh.

Mountrath then became a mensal parish. Dr. Delany, the Bishop, partly resided there. The first Administrator of whom there is any tradition was named ROCHE; perhaps he is the priest of that name who became P.P. of Suncroft, County Kildare, in 1805. The next Administrator was

FATHER DUANE, who died in 1808, by illness brought on in consequence of the attack made upon his house by the Orange-men. - Vide Supra.

The next Administrator was FATHER MALONE, afterwards P.P.

THE REV. FRANCIS Haly, afterwards Bishop of the Diocese, served as Administrator for ten years, and was succeeded by FATHER MALONE, appointed P. P. of Mountrath, on the division of the parish by Dr. Doyle, in 1820; he died in 1835, and was succeeded by

THE REV. THOMAS NOLAN, who died in 1844.

The next P.P. was the REV. PATRICK FITZPATRICK, who died September 16th, 1857.

THE REV. JAMES DUNNE succeeded; he died March 29th, 1867.

THE REV. MARTIN NOWLAN was the next P.P. in succession; he was translated to Newbridge in 1870, and was succeeded by

THE Rev. ANDREW M'DONALD. Father M'Donald died in November, 1880, and was succeeded by

THE REV. ANDREW PHELAN. In August, 1884, Father Phelan became P.P. of Maryborough, and Vicar-Forane. He was succeeded by

THE REV. EDWARD BRENNAN, the present pastor.

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