Orla of Kilcreevanty
Encyclopedia
Orla of Kilcreevanty, Arroasian Abbess
, fl. 1308.
Orla is the one of a very few known abbesses of Kilcreevanty.It was founded in the mid-to-late 12th century and appears to have continued into the sixteenth century.
Orla experienced difficulties with Archbishop of Tuam
, William de Bermingham
. In 1308 she sued him for trespass
, stating that
The resolution of the dispute is not known, although Gillian Kenny surmises that other motives were at work, stating that "The reasons for the dispute may be deeper-seated than they appear, however."
She was preceded as abbess by Fionnuala Ní Conchobair, daughter of Felim mac Cathal Crobderg Ua Conchobair
. The exact duration of Orla's term of office is not known, nor the identity of her successor.
That both she and Fionnuala bore Gaelic
, rather than Anglo-Irish
, names, points to Killcreevanty been a Gaelic community.
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
, fl. 1308.
Orla is the one of a very few known abbesses of Kilcreevanty.It was founded in the mid-to-late 12th century and appears to have continued into the sixteenth century.
Orla experienced difficulties with Archbishop of Tuam
Archbishop of Tuam
The Archbishop of Tuam is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Roman Catholic Church.-History:...
, William de Bermingham
William de Bermingham
William de Bermingham, Archbishop of Tuam 1288-January 1312.De Bermingham was a member of the family of Baron Athenry. His father was Meyler de Bermingham . He had a number of children. Among them were Will Finn de Bermingham and Simon de Bermingham, killed with their cousin John de Bermingham, 1st...
. In 1308 she sued him for trespass
Trespass
Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels and trespass to land.Trespass to the person, historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, wounding, mayhem, and maiming...
, stating that
despite the fact that the abbey was under the protection of the king and that the king had warned the Archbishop not to trouble the nuns, she and her nuns were continually subject to excessive and expensive visitations and demands for good by the Archbishop. She alleged that he regularly entered the abbey with men and horses and had seized goods to the value of one hundred pounds.
The resolution of the dispute is not known, although Gillian Kenny surmises that other motives were at work, stating that "The reasons for the dispute may be deeper-seated than they appear, however."
She was preceded as abbess by Fionnuala Ní Conchobair, daughter of Felim mac Cathal Crobderg Ua Conchobair
Felim mac Cathal Crobderg Ua Conchobair
Feidlim Ua Conchobair was a King of Connacht in Ireland.A daughter, Fionnuala Ní Conchobair died in 1301 as abbess of Kilcreevanty, Clonfert.-References:...
. The exact duration of Orla's term of office is not known, nor the identity of her successor.
That both she and Fionnuala bore Gaelic
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
, rather than Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
, names, points to Killcreevanty been a Gaelic community.