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                        ABBEYSHRULE   ABBEY     PRESERVATION                                                         COMMITTEE

 

Telephone: 044-67551 044-57601                                                                                                                                  email         -     cathal@indigo.ie

The Abbeyshrule Cistercian Abbey Preservation Committee has been established with the aim of preserving the historic monastic site at Abbeyshrule. In recent time the condition of the Abbey and the adjacent tower house has deteriorated and many people feel that unless urgent remedial action is taken this precious part of the heritage of Co. Longford will be lost for future generations. The committee has been in contact with the Office of Public Works and Longford Co. Council with a view to carrying out some preservation work. The immediate priority is the carrying out of a proper archaeological survey of the site to determine the steps necessary to undertake preservation work. A delegation recently met the Co. Secretary to discuss the situation. As a request  the County Council have agreed to fund a substantial portion of the cost of the survey. It is hoped that the survey can be undertaken early in 1996. This survey should point the way forward and hopefully some preservation work may be undertaken in the near future.

Update 2001.

The Archaeological Survey was carried out during the summer of 1996 by Archaeological Consultancy Services ,Drogheda. This survey highlighted a number of urgent areas requiring immediate action. Our group is small with little if any funds. Appeals were made to various semi-state bodies which were deemed to have various levels of responsibility for the preservation of major national monuments. Some two submissions were made to the Heritage Council but were regretfully declined. This body , based in Kilkenny , were sympathetic but were/are themselves under funded.

However this Council lobbied on our behalf and at the time of writing a provisional four way meeting of Longford County Council , Duchas , The Heritage Council and ourselves is provisionally mooted for September. This will go some way to addressing the urgency of the project.

The actual survey had warned that the south wall of the major ruinous building was in grave danger of collapsing. In fact in January 1998 ,during a storm ,part of this wall comprising an original 13th century high gothic archway collapsed to a heap of rubble. This is a great loss as same formed part of the original cloisters and dated back to the very foundation itself. There is little doubt that more of the structure will collapse within a year or so if the whole matter is not immediately addressed.

The delayed Sept.01 meeting was addressed on 21st May . 02. The Local Branch held a meeting with The Longford/Westmeath Heritage Officer - Gerard Clabby.  New structures were put in place and a further meeting involving Duchas , The Heritage Council , Longford County Council and ourselves will take place in early course.

The 4th July 02 saw the onsite meeting convened. Meeting was organised and chaired by Gerry Clabby , County Heritage Officer.

Other welcome expert people in attendance included Mary Hanna , Architecture Officer , Heritage Council , Kilkenny , Paddy O`Donovan , Regional Archaeologist , Duchas , and  Roibeard O`Ceallaigh , Senior Executive Officer , County Council.

Members of the Local Preservation Committee also attended in numbers , Kathryn Keenan minuted the proceedings.

Visitors re-iterated the historical importance of the monument and the absolute necessity to stop the decay. Cathal McGoey , acting as local spokesperson , expressed sadness at the visual sight of a major collapse of part of the original 12th century structure some three winters ago.

Mary Hanna , suggested an examination by a qualified engineer in such matters , say drawn from a panel retained by the Heritage Council. Such could be undertaken in December/January coming during a period of zero foliage growth. It may be possible to address any urgent work immediately at low cost.

There is now a coherent strategy in place for the immediate future

Overall a very satisfactory meeting.

Brief Historical Background.

Location: Sited on the east bank of the river lnny, protected on the east by an expanse of bogland, referred to locally as Clonbrin or Clinan bog. In medieval times this would have provided an impassable obstacle to any unfriendly invaders. West over the river lay an autonomous region known from the tenth century as Upper Annaly home of the O'Farrell Sept Princes of Annaly. The location was on the perimeter of the outer reaches of what was known as the Pale. The area immediately around the Abbey is one huge burial ground probably stretching back to ancient times. O'Farrell in his endowment of the Abbey would have chosen the site due to its "holy ground" nature, as it was a classic buffer zone and should have been immune to hostile approaches. (In practice it did not work as several recorded enemy raids appear in the Annals)

Its strategic location was not the only reason for the siting. An earlier monastic settlement existed before the Cistercian foundation. Abbots of the tenth century are recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters. There is also the matter of surviving artefacts, the best known being the inscribed cross which expert opinion dates to the eight or ninth century.

It is estimated that at its pinnacle the monastery had 6000 acres in its possession immediately across the river to the west. Additionally a townsland known to this day as Ballinamanagh (town of the monks) show traces of an outer farming habitation connected to the monastery. This townland is beyond Colehill some 3 kilometres away. Like its sister Cistercian houses it operated a water mill on the Inny. This mill would have been an integral part of Abbeyshrule over many centuries and the last traces of it were erased by the river drainage of the 1960's.

In line with all burial grounds the Abbey was vested in the Local Authority (Longford Co.) by an act of the government early this century.

In conclusion it can be said that Co. Longford does not have many surviving historical monuments etc. it can also be very convincingly argued that Flumen Dei is the finest surviving and is the last great monument to the O'Farrell clan and the region known as Annaly itself Their other castles at Ardandra, Castle wilder, Tenelick, Cloncallow etc. on the lnny are all but disappeared. It becomes all both local and within the county to conserve what remains of this  old religious artefact.

August 2001