Durrow
Encyclopedia
Durrow (meaning 'plain of the oaks') is a small rural village in County Offaly
, Ireland
. Durrow is located on the N52
off the N6 road
between Kilbeggan
(in County Westmeath) and Tullamore
(in County Offaly).Famous for being the Ancestral home of the Champion ploughman Luke Bracken.(1936 Jnr All Ireland Ploughing Championship) and Dean McDermott, Offaly Bord na Scol runner up, 2000
Durrow Abbey
, surrounded by woods, is one of Ireland's most important early Christian monasteries founded by Saint Colmcille.
Many mistakenly assign County Laois
as the location of this particular monastic settlement due to the presence of a larger town in Laois called Durrow
.
was established in exile and during that time Colum Cille yearned for monasteries in Ireland. The poem 'An Exile's Dream' specifically indicates Durrow as location for a monastery. Durrow was then part of the territory of Tethba, which now lies mostly in Co. Longford. It was also located near one of Ireland's five ancient routes, Slighe Mór. However, no accounts survive of what Colum Cille's monastery was like at its foundation, but it probably included a wooden church and huts for residence and work for the monks. The great monastic enclosure of Durrow can be seen in the aerial photographs of the surrounding lands. South of the monastery is evidence of Early Christian burials, unearthed by excavation of burial mounds by the National Museum of Ireland.
Local hero Dean McDermott was born here, on the 'High Road'.
, who was selected from Colum Cille's own extended family at the start. Later rule of the Columban monasteries would be dominated by certain familys who became hereditary rulers forming ecclesiastical dynasties.
Uí Neill association was also important and in 763 Domnall, King of Meath, was buried in the graveyard of Durrow. In 764 a war was fought with Clonmacnoise over burial rights, particularly the burial site of future Kings of Meath.
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Durrow is located on the N52
N52 road (Ireland)
The N52 road is a national secondary road in Ireland. It links the M7 motorway from just south of Nenagh, County Tipperary to the M1 motorway north of Dundalk in County Louth.The road is long.-Quality of Road:...
off the N6 road
Roads in Ireland
The island of Ireland, comprising Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, has an extensive network of tens of thousands of kilometres of public roads, usually surfaced. These roads have been developed and modernised over centuries, from trackways suitable only for walkers and horses, to...
between Kilbeggan
Kilbeggan
-Geography:Kilbeggan is situated on the River Brosna, in the south of County Westmeath. It lies southeast of Lough Ennell, north of the boundary with County Offaly, about 9 kilometres north of Tullamore. Kilbeggan is surrounded by the gently rolling Esker Riada, the linear sand hills that stretch...
(in County Westmeath) and Tullamore
Tullamore
Tullamore is a town in County Offaly, in the midlands of Ireland. It is Offaly's county town and the centre of the district.Tullamore is an important commercial and industrial centre in the region. Major international employers in the town include 'Tyco Healthcare' and 'Boston Scientific'. In...
(in County Offaly).Famous for being the Ancestral home of the Champion ploughman Luke Bracken.(1936 Jnr All Ireland Ploughing Championship) and Dean McDermott, Offaly Bord na Scol runner up, 2000
Durrow Abbey
Durrow Abbey
Durrow Abbey is a historic site located off the N52 some 5 miles from Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland.To this day, Durrow Abbey remains a largely undisturbed early historic and medieval monastic site containing a complex of archaeological monuments, ecclesiastical and secular, visible and...
, surrounded by woods, is one of Ireland's most important early Christian monasteries founded by Saint Colmcille.
Many mistakenly assign County Laois
County Laois
County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
as the location of this particular monastic settlement due to the presence of a larger town in Laois called Durrow
Durrow, County Laois
Durrow is a small town located in south County Laois, Ireland. Bypassed by the M8 motorway on 28 May 2010, the town is located on the R639 road at its junction with the N77. The river Erkina flows through Durrow and joins the River Nore about 1.5 km east of the town...
.
Monastery
IonaIona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
was established in exile and during that time Colum Cille yearned for monasteries in Ireland. The poem 'An Exile's Dream' specifically indicates Durrow as location for a monastery. Durrow was then part of the territory of Tethba, which now lies mostly in Co. Longford. It was also located near one of Ireland's five ancient routes, Slighe Mór. However, no accounts survive of what Colum Cille's monastery was like at its foundation, but it probably included a wooden church and huts for residence and work for the monks. The great monastic enclosure of Durrow can be seen in the aerial photographs of the surrounding lands. South of the monastery is evidence of Early Christian burials, unearthed by excavation of burial mounds by the National Museum of Ireland.
Local hero Dean McDermott was born here, on the 'High Road'.
Control
Patronage shifted during the millennium that followed the monastery's establishment. The Kings of Meath, Kings of Tethba and the MacGeoghegans, as well as chieftains known as Cinél Fiachach supported the monastery. This support did not permit them to appoint it abbotAbbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
, who was selected from Colum Cille's own extended family at the start. Later rule of the Columban monasteries would be dominated by certain familys who became hereditary rulers forming ecclesiastical dynasties.
Uí Neill association was also important and in 763 Domnall, King of Meath, was buried in the graveyard of Durrow. In 764 a war was fought with Clonmacnoise over burial rights, particularly the burial site of future Kings of Meath.
See also
- Colum Cille
- Durrow AbbeyDurrow AbbeyDurrow Abbey is a historic site located off the N52 some 5 miles from Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland.To this day, Durrow Abbey remains a largely undisturbed early historic and medieval monastic site containing a complex of archaeological monuments, ecclesiastical and secular, visible and...
- Book of DurrowBook of DurrowThe Book of Durrow is a 7th-century illuminated manuscript gospel book in the Insular style. It was probably created between 650 and 700, in Northumbria in Northern England, where Lindisfarne or Durham would be the likely candidates, or on the island of Iona in the Scottish Inner Hebrides...
- List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Offaly)
- List of towns and villages in Ireland