St. Mochua and The Round Tower - South Dublin...

St. Mochua and

The Round Tower

Joe Williams

ISBN 0954766059

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SOUTH DUBLIN LIBRARIES

C

ST. MOCHUA AND THE ROUND TOWER ST. MOCHUA AND THE ROUND TOWER

St. Mochua and

The Round Towerby

Joe Williams

South Dublin Libraries — February 2006

32 1

The confusion most probably arises from the fact that duringthe 1880s steps were cut in the buttress and floors andladders installed to facilitate access to the top of the tower.Proof of this may be had from the following extract of a speechmade by Patrick Gogarty at a National League meeting held inClondalkin on Sunday 15th November 1885. Gogarty, who wassecretary of the Clondalkin Branch of the league, wasprotesting against evictions carried out by Mr. Roper-Caldbeckwho then owned Moyle Park.

The following is taken from theshort hand notes of Sgt. T. KeavenyR.I.C who had been instructed torecord the proceedings of themeeting.

“The Senior Roper came to live inthe town, he had an idea to give twoentrances to his very secludedlawns, he must have had it in hisideas to cut off all mode of ingresswith the tower. For he placed thesteps so high, that unless you werevery agile in the nether limbs youcould not gain admittance to it.”29

This then leaves one puzzle. Why was the tower built with sucha narrow circumference and why was the supportive buttressadded?

It may be, that it was based on earlier slim wooden towers thathave not survived. Another possible explanation is that whenthe foundations were being dug out the underlying limestonebedrock was discovered. It was then decided that a narrowcircumference would give sufficient stability on such a firmbase.

Steps to the tower as they aretoday.


COPYRIGHT 2006 JOE WILLIAMS & LOCAL STUDIES SECTIONSOUTH DUBLIN LIBRARIES

ISBN 0954766059

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a rerieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the priorpermission of the copyright owners.

Published bySOUTH DUBLIN LIBRARIES

Design and layout byJOHN MCALEER

Printed in Ireland byGRAPHPRINT LTD.

Local Studies Section South Dublin Libraries HeadquartersCounty Library Unit 1Town Centre Square Industrial ComplexTallaght TallaghtDublin 24 Dublin 24Phone 353 (0)1 462 0073 Phone 353 (0)1 459 7834Fax 353 (0)1 414 9207 Fax 353 (0)1 459 7872

e-mail [email protected] site www.southdublin.ie

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Cover Image: Clondalken Church and Tower by Gabriel Beranger (1767)1958DTX (33) used by permission of the National Library of Ireland.

Reproduction rights owned by the National Library of Ireland.

Unless otherwise noted the photographs and prints used in this book aretaken from the collection of the author, Joe Williams.

2 31

Clondalkin Church and Round Tower in 1791 from Grose’s Antiquitiesof Ireland reproduced in Ball’s A History of the County Dublin.

Archdeacon’s print of Clondalkin Church and Round Tower circa 1770taken from Ball’s A History of the County Dublin is obviously based on a

1767 Beranger print.


A unique feature of Clondalkin RoundTower is the buttress of rubble andsmall stones which surrounds thebase of the tower. It is approximately1m deep, rising to a height of 3m,from where it curves inwards to theoriginal surface. This feature does notappear to be bound into the mainstructure, and as it is built fromdifferent materials, most probablywas added after the tower wascompleted.

It is reputed that William Caldbeck ofMoyle Park, on whose land the tower

stood, built it. However as Caldbeck only purchased the landin 1780 this cannot be correct as it is clearly shown in thedrawings of Samuel Molyneaux (1725), Gabriel Beranger(1767)28 and T. Archdeacon (1770).

Foreword by

Mayor Thérèse Ridge

IAM particularly pleased to be askedto pen an introduction to JoeWilliams’s book on Clondalkin’s

greatest asset: the Round Tower.

The author has provided a picture for usof Medieval Clondalkin and hispainstaking research has added to ourknowledge of St. Crónán Mochua andhis links to Clondalkin and NorthKildare.

A continuum is provided from theconstruction of the Tower in the 9th Century through to the 19thCentury and it would appear that there was a Rally Round theTower group in action in 1866 when an open air lecture was heldin Clondalkin on th e origins and design of the Tower.

St. Mochua is referred to in O’Hanlon’s Lives of Irish Saints in thefollowing manner; "Sixtus, a Roman Bishop bore upwards abuoyant troop with Mo Chua, a victorious Prince frommultitudinous Cluain Dolcin." This book will be heartilywelcomed in the even more multitudinous Clondalkin of the 21stCentury.

Mayor, South Dublin County Council

30 3

Molyneaux print of Clondalkin Round Tower circa 1725.


Author’s Introduction

THE author would like to thankSouth Dublin County Counciland South Dublin Libraries for

their assistance in the production ofthis book, especially the staff of theLocal Studies Section of the CountyLibrary Tallaght, in particular KieranSwords. He corrected my curiousEnglish, arranged clearance ofphotographs and organised the lay-out and printing.

Seamus Cullen gave his time and knowledge in driving mearound the sites in Kildare and directed me to thedocumentary evidence.

The genesis of this book was the Rally Round the Towercampaign. The enthusiasm of the committee, under thedirection of Bernardine nic Giolla Phádraigh, and the totalsupport of the community were amazing.

To them all my sincere thanks and I hope the finishedproduct meets with their approval.

Joe Williams

along with the sill and lintel are ofgranite. This is one of onlythirteen towers that have flat-lintelled doorways.26 Round–headed doorways first appearedtowards the end of the 11thCentury when the arch becamean important feature ofRomanesque architecture.27 Thereis no sign of any decorationaround the doorway, which is1.63m in height and tapers,bottom to top, from a width of64cm to 55cm.

The first floor is at the level of thedoorway with a basement levelbelow. The floor of the basementis of rough rubble and is a little

above the level of the outside pavement. Below the doorway thewall is set back approximately 5cm forming a ledge on whichthe joists of the first floor rests. Originally there were a furtherfour floors above this level, however when the present floorswere installed this was reduced to three by placing one floorbetween the old second and third levels. At the same time longladders were installed to provide access to the top level.

There are six windows in the tower, one on the first floor facingsouth, one on the second floor facing west and four just belowthe cornice facing north, south, east and west. These four werefitted with perspex in 1972, which became discoloured andwas replaced with glass in recent years. The cap which sits onthe cornice is reputed to be original although local lore statesthat lightning, in the 1930s, knocked off some of the stones. Itis at a less acute angle than most other towers.

4 29

The doorway of ClondalkinRound Tower is formed of

granite erratics.

Author Joe Williams


Contents

Foreword by Mayor Thérèse Ridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Author’s Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter I — The Monastery of Clondalkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter II — The Introduction of Christianity to Ireland . . . . . . . 11

Chapter III — St. Mochua of Clondalkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Chapter IV — Round Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter V — Clondalkin Round Tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Chapter VI — To the Present Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Appendix 1

Abbots and Bishops of the Monastery of Clondalkin . . . . . . . . 41

Appendix 2

O.S. Map of Clondalkin Village circa 1865 (1:2,500) . . . . . . . . . 42

Appendix 3

1866 Poem about Clondalkin Round Tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

28 5

This plan illustrates the method of construction used for round towers with externaland internal walls laid and bound together with a core of rubble and mortar.

Clondalkin Round Tower is builtmainly of uncoursed, uncut calp

limestone.

round towers, the circumferenceof the other towers rangesbetween 15 and 17 metres.25 Thiscombined with the fact that it isalmost cylindrical gives it theappearance that it is about totake off. (see p. 34).

The doorway at the top of thebulge faces east towards thepresent parish church; it is 3.9mabove street level. The doorway issquare headed and has fourjambstones on either side; these


CHAPTER V

Clondalkin Round Tower

THE actual method of building round towers varied verylittle, a circular trench was dug and a foundation ofroughly dressed stones was laid in it. Where they have

been measured, foundations have been found to be less thanone metre deep. On this the walls were built. The same methodof construction was used in all cases, with external andinternal walls laid and bound together with a core of rubbleand mortar. As they rose the external face was inclined slightlyinwards. The effect of this was that the whole circuit of the wallleaned in on itself thus giving it extra strength.

Clondalkin Round Tower is of a very early style. This is shownby the rough stones used in its construction, which have nosign of being shaped or worked by a mason. Consequently thewall is poorly coursed with a great many spalls. It is built fromthe local calp limestone, with the door frames being formed byLeinster granite erratics. The tower also includes smallquantities of sandstone.

The tower is complete and, so far as can be ascertained, hasnever been repaired. A unique buttress of rubble and smallstones surrounds the lower portion. The height of the tower iscalculated at 27.5m and the circumference immediately abovethe buttress is 12.7m.24 This makes it the most slender of all

6 27

Plan of a typical m

onastery based on the layout of Nendrum

Monastery on M

ahoe Island in Strangford Lough.

Taken fromT

he Modern T

raveller to the Early Irish C

hurch.Courtesy of F

our Courts P

ress and the authors.


Tadhg O’Keeffe in his recent books Medieval Ireland andIreland’s Round Towers, while accepting that they were bell-houses, considered that they must have had a more importantuse to justify the effort and cost of their construction. Hesuggests the only other function for which we havedocumentation is the storage and veneration of relics.

As already mentioned, the Annals of the Ulster record that in949 A.D. the belfry at Slane “was burned by foreigners with itsfull of relics and distinguished persons”. Likewise the burningof the bell tower of Monasterboice with its books and treasuresis recorded in 1097 A.D.23

CHAPTER I

The Monastery of Clondalkin

IN the late 6th Century, St. Crónán Mochua founded amonastery at Clondalkin – Cluain Dolcáin1. P.W. Joyce inhis Irish Local Names Explained translates the placename

as Dolcan’s Meadow. However, there is no record of anyperson named Dolcan in the Annals. It seems reasonable toassume that anyone who was important enough to have anarea named after him would have appeared in one or more ofthe ancient records. The Rev. Canon Sherlock, on a field trip toClondalkin in 1905, suggested that the word Dolcan might be‘Dalkin’ which is a corruption of the Irish word ‘Deilgne’meaning ‘thorns.’2 Based on this translation the nameClondalkin means ‘Meadow of Thorns’.

All that remains of the monastic settlement of Clondalkin isthe round tower, a granite erratic font, medieval crosses andthe outline of the protective fosse which is still visible ontoday’s streetscape. The layout of a typical Irish monastery isillustrated on the facing page. Orchard Road, with gardenssloping up from street level, formed the boundary on one side.3

This has been confirmed by the discovery of a pathway,possibly the entrance to a hut, in the back garden of one of thehouses. Continuing around Main Street the fosse then curvedto the west to include the round tower. During archaeologicalexcavations in 2004, remains of this fosse were discovered.

26 7


The first buildings within this enclosure were built of wood.Venerable Bede, writing in the 8th Century refers to thechurches of the Irish as:

"Made of hewn oak and thatched with straw."4

The existence of a scriptorium isborne out by missal fragmentswhich contain references to St.Mochua and Cluain Dolcáinpreserved among the manuscriptsat the library of Karlsrue inGermany. St. John’s Church andgraveyard now stand at the centreof the former monastery. TowerRoad, which separates the roundtower from the church, probablyresulted from the upgrading of apathway between the north andsouth entrances to the enclosure.Another enclosure lay to the north-east of which nothing survives

except the tradition that this was once a church site, knownlocally as the ‘Chapple Field’.5 In 1964 when this area wasbeing cleared for St. Killian’s Park housing scheme, stone wallsand human bones werefound. An excavationcarried out by theNational Museum underthe direction of EtienneRynne revealed the wallsof a church within an ovalenclosure. A bronze pindating from the 10th or11th Century was foundagainst the outside wallof the church.6

8 25

Large cross in the grounds of St. John’s Church.

Early baptismal font carved from a graniteerratic in the ground of St. John’s Church. Notice of an open-air lecture at Clondalkin in 1866.


suggestion and stated that they were ecclesiastical buildings ofthe early Celtic Church.20 He suggested that they were usedmainly as bell towers, housing the most valued possession ofthe monastery, the bell of the founder.

The argument as to their origin was the subject of an open-airmeeting at Clondalkin Tower arranged by Caleb Palmer andJohn Darling on Thursday 24th May 1866. They gave sevenreasons for maintaining their Eastern or Phoenician originsand were prepared to defend their theories against those ofPetrie. Charles Vallancey wrote a long poem in praise of those‘men of true genius and sterling worth’.21 Although there is norecord of the outcome of this meeting it is now accepted thatPetrie was correct.

From a Breton tract we know that the three main ecclesiasticalbuildings of a monastery were the oratory, the church and theround tower. References in the Annals suggest that roundtowers are only associated with churches. It is reasonable toassume that the towers were erected soon after the foundationof monasteries and were a symbolic central feature of theChristian community.

One theory proposed that they were built as watch towers as aconsequence of Danish raids. This is hard to accept as bothClondalkin and St. Michael le Pole, in Dublin, adjoined Danishsettlements and were allowed to remain.22 Furthermore, othertowers are located far away from rivers and the coast which areobvious lines of attack. Some towers are built close to eachother or are in valleys with restricted fields of observation.

24 9

Rynne suggests that a woodenchurch surrounded by an earthenenclosure had existed from anearly date, probably replaced by astone church in early medievaltimes. This was probablydestroyed during the 18th centurywhen it was replaced by theCatholic Parish church onMonastery Road known as St.Killian’s Church. When thischurch became too small for thegrowing population, it was decidedto build the present parish Churchof the Immaculate Conception andSt. Killian in 1862.7

Early Christian cross in thegrounds of St. John’s Church.

Footpath unearthed in the rear garden of a house on Orchard Road, Clondalkin.


Christianity in the 5th Century. To produce lime, limestone isreduced to small blocks which are then burned in kilns. Thesekilns are shaped like inverted hollow cones with an opening atthe bottom. They are usually built into banks thereby allowingfilling from the top. Kindling is placed at the bottom, coveredby alternating layers of stone and turf, until the kiln is filled.Once lit, large kilns were kept burning for years, with theburnt lime being continuously extracted from the bottom. Thiswas a dangerous business as at a later date an extract fromthe Record of Burials of St John’s Church shows;

April 12th 1829. Edward Kelly – burned in Lime Kiln17

Limestone was quarried throughout the Clondalkin area. Themain quarries were at the top of the Monastery Road.Limestone is the bedrock that runs throughout the village attimes less than 20 cm below the surface. Stone used in theconstruction of the round tower is thought to have come froman area immediately to the west of the tower.

There have long been arguments as to the origins andfunctions of round towers. The wilder theories credited them toDruids, Persian Fire Worshipers, African Sea Kings,Phoenicians and Indians.18 One writer saw them as phallicsymbols, associated with a fertility cult as is the case in otherareas of the world where similarly shaped monuments arelocated. In many countries and with many creeds, towers markmajor religious sites and point to Heaven as an expression ofreligious fervor. Could not the early travellers have broughtthis custom with them from Europe or from even furtherafield?

The first historian to concentrate on round towers was Dr.Thomas Molyneaux in 1725, who argued that they were ofDanish origin.19 However, George Petrie, in his prize winningessay to the Royal Irish Academy in 1833, refuted this

10 23

An aerial view of Clondalkin village circa 1930. The curve of Orchard Road can beseen at the right of the picture.

The front gardens of these houses on Orchard Road, Clonalkin are above roadlevel. The road follows the line of the fosse of the monastic settlement.


H.G. Leask, commenting in his Irish Churches and MonasticBuildings, on the dating of early ecclesiastical buildings statedthat precise dating was difficult and often impossible andconcluded that if the date of the introduction of mortar wasknown the task might be made easier. The building ofstructures of the size of round towers only became possibleafter the introduction of mortar. Mortar was a mixture of burntlime and sand mixed with water or, in this early period, oxblood.

The Romans introduced mortar to northern Europe andBritain. Therefore, early Christians who came to Ireland fromareas of Roman influence were familiar with masonry, whichused mortar as a bonding material. Certainly, there is norecord of the use of lime mortar in Ireland before the arrival of

CHAPTER II

The Introduction of Christianity to Ireland

TO understand the foundation of this monastery and itsplace in the spread of Christianity through the Leinsterarea, one has to return to the introduction of

Christianity to Ireland. The early stages of the growth of theChristian church in Ireland are not fully documented.Christianity seems to have spread here from Gaul (France) andBritain through contacts made by the Irish, trading with thoseareas. Another possibility is that the religion was introducedby British slaves captured on raids from Ireland.

From at least the early 5th Century, Christians were to befound in the south of the country and were known to thechurch in Gaul. They formed the “Irish believing in Christ" towhom in 431 A.D. the deacon Palladius was sent by PopeCelestine. There is no record as to the depth or success of hismission.8

Other missionaries took their guidance from the church inBritain. The most celebrated of these was Patrick, the only onewho has left documentary proof of his mission. Howeverneither his Confession nor his Epistle to Corotious wasintended to be a historical record. The others, who were laterrepresented as subordinates of Patrick, probably worked

22 11

Clondalkin Round Tower circa 1890 from the Chapman Livingstone collection.(Courtesy of the Irish Picture Library)


independently of each other. These early Christians wereinspired by the lives of the Eastern anchorites, especially St.Anthony. They wished to live their lives in meditation andsolitude. However, word of their piety and knowledge soonattracted others who wanted to learn from them and whowished to copy their way of life. One of these was Ciarán,founder of Clonmacnoise, who during his short life was activein the area bordering the Shannon.

St. Kevin, also known as St. Comegan, is reputed to have beenborn in 498 A.D. His family was of high rank and lived on theborders of east Leinster. He was of the Dalmasincoirb Clan. Hisfather was Coinlogha or Coemlugus from the race LaeghaireLorc who were monarchs of Erin and from whom allLeinstermen descended.9

CHAPTER IV

Round Towers

ROUND TOWERS – Cloigthithe – Bell Towers arefreestanding structures on their own foundations and offairly similar dimensions. Where they are genuine they

are uniquely Irish, at least one thousand years old and a directlink to the early Christian church.

James Ferguson in his History of Architecture (1855) states:"as architectural objects these towers are singularly pleasing.Their outline is always graceful and the simplicity of their formis such as to give the utmost value to their dimensions … theyare among the most interesting of the antiquities of Europe."

Round towers are located in all but two of the counties ofIreland. There are sixty-five of which all or portions remain.The sites of another twenty-three, which have been destroyed,are known. Outside of Ireland there are only three othertowers, two in Scotland and one in the Isle of Man. It ispossible that earlier belfries or towers were built of timber, aswere the churches, this would explain the record in the Annalsof Ulster that the bell house at Slane was burned by theforeigners of Áth Cliath in 949 AD. Round buildings in stonehave existed in Ireland from early times. Small roofedexamples are clocháns or beehive huts of the Dingle peninsulaand of the west coast islands.

12 21

St. John’s Church viewed from the Round Tower.


His mother was Coenhella or Caenhella, daughter ofCennfhionnen, son of Crisi, son of Lugaidh. It is recorded thatthey lived near Bray in Co. Wicklow. He was educated by St.Petroc of Cornwall, who lived in Ireland at that time and alsoby the monks of Kilnamanagh near Tallaght.

Many miracles were attributed to St. Kevin during the time hespent living in isolation at Glendalough. In 549 A.D. he decidedto visit St. Ciarán at Clonmacnoise only to discover on hisarrival that the saint had died three days earlier. Legend has itthat when left alone with the body, St. Ciarán spoke to him andgave him instructions as to his future life.

Returning to Glendalough he founded a monastery there.Many pious men flocked to him and became monks. A numberof these men were named Crónán. However, none have beenofficially connected with St. Mochua. He sent them out to formcells and monasteries throughout the province of Leinster. Allwere subject to the rule of St. Kevin.

20 13

Glendalough is associated with St. Kevin.

St. Crónán Mochua died in 630 A.D. The Annals of Ulsterrecord that the relics of St. Kevin of Glendalough and St.Mochua of Clondalkin were taken on tour in 790 A.D. Thesecircuits or commutation of relics were a feature of the earlyChristian church. Their aim was the revival of religiousdevotion by raising the consciousness of their flocks as well asgenerating material gain for the monsateries concerned.

It is possible that these circuits of relics resulted in thebuilding of the round tower at Clondalkin. It is now acceptedthat the main functions of a round tower were the safety andveneration of the relics of the monastery’s founder.

Timahoe, Co. Kildare is the site of a monastic settlement attributed to St. Mochua.The Irish version of the name “Tigh Mochua” means Mochua’s house or church.


1419

Tea Lane churchyard Kildrought, Co. Kildare, the site of a monastic settlementwhich is attributed to St. Mochua.

St. Ciarán’s Monastery at Clonmacnoise is located on the banks of the riverShannon.

St. John’s Church and Round Tower, Clondalkin.

St. Mochua’s travels led him to Timahoe, Co. Kildare, whichtakes its name from Tigh Mochua – Mochua’s House. Todaythe church and graveyard are enclosed by a circular wall. Theremains of the outer defensive fosses are visible in thelandscape. These features can be found at all the sitesattributed to St. Mochua.

Timahoe is built on one of a number of islands within a largearea of bog. With modern drainage the surrounding bog hasdried out but the islands are still visible as raised platforms.To move around this area of bog the early Christian travellerhad to use toghers to transverse these wetlands. A togherconsists of wattle or branches laid on the bog surface, whichare then covered with marl and gravel until a stable surface isachieved.

These sites are linked to Clondalkin by the ancient Slís orroadways and by raised sand hills known as eskers which werealso utilized as paths. One of these eskers runs fromTempleogue to Lucan passing through Clondalkin, from wherethe Slí Mór leads to other monastic sites.


18 15

CHAPTER III

St. Mochua of Clondalkin

ST. MOCHUA was the founder of one of these earlymonasteries. His father was Lugaidh and was of the raceof Cathair Mór, monarch of Erin of the Legenians. His

mother was Cainer of Cluain da Saileach who was the motherof six other sons of Lugaidh, who also were Saints: Lasrain,Baedan, Garbhan, Baothin, Senchan and Rhuadhan.10 Bysaints we mean those who are recognised as leading holy livesdevoted to the practice of religion, not those who had to waitfor death to be canonised.

Another version of his family background is given by MervynArchdall who mentions that his genealogy is given in theLeabhar Breac as:

Crónán Mic ConnlaiMac Nathi Mic OengusaMic Dolbaig Mic Oililla CetaigMic Setnai Mic Cathach Mor, R.H.

Slain by Ced Cathach, AD 17711

O’Hanlon in his Lives of the Irish Saints notes the followingstanza:

‘Sixtus a Roman BishopBore upwards a buoyant troop

With Mo Chua a victorious PrinceFrom multitudinous Cluain Dolcin’12

Stone trough which probably stood over “Tober Mochua” and was later relocatedclose to the mill in Celbridge, Co. Kildare.

St. Mochua is attributed with the foundation of the church atKildrought, now known as the Tea Lane Churchyard. An entryin the County Kildare Chancery Inquisition that was taken atKilcock on the 22nd October 1604, when translated states:

“There is one messuage with close, and two cottages with theircloses, and eighteen acres of land in the town land ofKildrought called ‘St. Magho his land’, which were granted inmortmain to the church at Kildrought without license from theCrown, and for that reason they are now in the King’s hands.”16

Balraheen Church, now a disused churchyard south ofMaynooth, was also dedicated to St. Mochua. Balraheen todayis in the Catholic Parish of Clane/Rathcoffey. The local churchfor this area is situated at Rathcoffey, two miles south of theancient burial ground. Here the local school, built in 1930, isdedicated to the honour of St. Mochua.


In addition a festival in honour of Crónán, son of Lugdach isrecorded in the Martyrology of Tallaght, on the 6th August. Heis noted as being the same as Mochua of Cluana Dolcain.13

The first abbot of Clondalkin was St. Mochua, and accordingto one authority he was also a Bishop and Confessor. Anancient tradition seems to have prevailed that he was electedBishop at Clondalkin. Whether he was Bishop to his owncommunity or to the people residing around Clondalkin is notcertain. Frequently in the Annals we find the abbatial andepiscopal offices united in the same person. Successors of St.Mochua at Clondalkin followed this custom as is shown by thefollowing listings from the Annals of the Four Masters:

St. Ferfugaill Bishop and Abbot Died 784 A.D.Cathal Mac Corbmaic Bishop and Abbot Died 879 A.D.14

St. Mochua was venerated in Scotland on the 6th August. Wefind his name in the Martyrology of Drummon where he is alsonamed a Bishop and Confessor.15

The monastery of Clondalkin most probably controlled thenearby religious houses of Kilmahuddrick, Kilmactalway and

16 17

Remains of Kilmahuddrick Church, Clondalkin. There was a small monasticsettlement on this site.

Remains of Kilbride Church near Baldonnel

Kilbride. As has been shown, the influence of Glendaloughspread throughout the province of Leinster. In the samemanner, the influence of St. Mochua spread beyondClondalkin and into Co. Kildare.

In Celbridge, a stone trough, dated 1783, bearing St. Mochua’sname and image stood at the roadside next to the mill. Itpossibly stood over the “Tober Mochua” which was used bythe saint to baptize his converts. Rev. O’Hanlon in his Lives ofthe Irish Saints states that according to local tradition, peopleliving in or near Clondalkin formerly held a patron or festivalat St. Mochua’s Well near Celbridge in the parish of Kildrought,Co. Kildare.

Former site of the stone trough from St. Mochua’s Well, Celbridge, Co. Kildare.