Ch. 5 - Early Christian Ireland
Ch. 5 - Early Christian Ireland
e a rCHRISTIAN
EARLY l y c h r i s IRELAND
tian
ireland
Ireland
Ireland
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Learning Outcomes
2.6 CONSIDER the historical significance of Christianity on the island of Ireland, including
its contribution to culture and society in the Early Christian period.
1.3 APPRECIATE their cultural inheritance through recognising historically significant
places and buildings and discussing why historical personalities, events and issues are
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commemorated
1.8 INVESTIGATE a repository of historical evidence such as a museum, library, heritage
centre, digital or other archive or exhibition.
1.9 DEMONSTRATE awareness of the significance of history of Ireland and of Europe
and the wider world across various dimensions including political, social, economic,
religious, cultural and scientific dimensions.
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Introduction
In Ireland, the Iron Age - when iron was used to make tools and weapons - took place
between 500 BC and AD 400. Towards the end of the Iron Age, by the early fifth century AD,
Christianity had arrived in Ireland. This had an enormous impact on culture and society in
Ireland. Many fascinating archaeological sites and a wealth of artefacts date from this time.
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AD 400 to AD 795 Chapter
5
55.1
.1 TTHE
h e ARRIVAL
A r r i v a l OFo f CHRISTIANITY
C h r i s t i a n i t y IN
in
I r e l
IRELAND a n d
Early Christian Ireland is the period when Christianity first came to Ireland. At that time, the people of Ireland
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were the Celts, farmers and warriors who had come from Central Europe and were pagans. A pagan is
someone who worships various gods, often with a focus on nature or the earth. Druids were spiritual figures
similar to priests in pre-Christian Celtic Ireland.
By the third century AD, the Roman Empire had spread as far as England and was mainly Christians. For
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historians, the first official source about Christianity in Ireland is dated AD 431, when a bishop named Palladius
was sent to the ‘Irish who believe in Christ’.
The most famous bishop to travel to Ireland was St. Patrick. He was brought to Ireland from Wales as a slave
when he was 16 years old. After six years, he escaped back to Britain but later returned as a bishop to spread
Christianity. Between AD 432 and 461, St Patrick worked, mainly in the north, and founded many churches and
missions. We know all of this from his book, ‘St. Patrick’s Confessio’. In it he says that he ‘baptised thousands’
and ‘ordained clerics everywhere’.St. Patrick began to convert the pagan Celts to Christianity.
Pagan festivals continued, but gradually became absorbed into Christianity: for example, Samhain became
Hallowe’en. St. Patrick is said to be buried at Down Cathedral, Co. Down.
Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
Early Irish Monasteries
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• St Ciarán in Clonmacnoise
• St Colmcille in Derry
• St Brendan in Clonfert
• St Kevin in Glendalough
Monks are men who dedicate themselves to a religious order
and to life in a monastery. The monks lived very strict, simple
lives and spent their days praying and working. They prayed six
to eight times every day. Farm work included ploughing, milking,
harvesting and grinding corn. The monks were often self-
sufficient – they produced all the food they needed.
Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
Chapter Five: Early Christian
Strand Two: The History of
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Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
Early Irish Monasteries
Monasteries became centres of learning and were famous as the best in the world for the teaching of poetry,
literature, arts and the Gospel. Ireland became known as ‘the Land of Saints and Scholars’, a saying that is still
popular to this day. Large monasteries such as Clonard, Kells, Clonmacnoise, Glendalough and Clonfert were
built along important routes and had regular contact with nearby towns. But small monasteries were also built
in far more remote spots such as Sceilg Mhicíl in Co. Kerry.
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On Sceilg Mhicíl, about a dozen monks lived on a steep rocky island with a small stone church. A beehive hut
was a small stone hut, shaped like a beehive, where a monk slept. To plant and grow food, soil had to be
brought from the mainland. The extreme isolation meant that monks could better focus on God and work.
Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
The layout of an early Irish
monastery
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Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
The layout of an early Irish
monastery
• The oratory (church) – made of wood or stone – was • The round tower was a bell tower and a safe place for
where monks attended Mass or prayed. people (and treasures) if the monastery came under
• The scriptorium was where manuscripts were copied attack. The door was many meters above ground and
by hand and illustrated. could not be reached without a ladder. Its few
• A manuscript is a book written by hand. The monks windows were very high up so that a lookout could
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who did this work were called scribes. spot attackers and access would be difficult. Many
• The refectory was where the monks ate their meals. round towers are still visible in Ireland, including:
Glendalough in Co. Wicklow, Kells in Co. Meath,
Ardmore in Co. Waterford, Clonmacnoise in Co.
Offaly.
• Large monasteries had a guesthouse for travellers or
visiting tradesmen.
• All monasteries had fields to grow crops and graze
animals.
• There was a cemetery (graveyard) for the monks’
simple graves.
• Large monasteries had a circular wall or bank for
protection.
Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
Checkpoint (pg. 39, Artefact, 2nd Edition)
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Checkpoint (pg. 39, Artefact, 2nd Edition)
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AD 400 to AD 795 Chapter
5
5 .5.3:
3 : tTHE
h e ART
a r t OF
o f EARLY
e a r l y CHRISTIAN
christian
iIRELAND
reland
Early Christian Ireland monasteries were famous for their great works of art, which were made to honour God
and show the monastery’s importance. These works of art included manuscripts, metalwork and high crosses.
Early Christian monks continued to use the La Tene style art that had been brought to Ireland by the Celts.
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acorns, powdered rocks, metals and beetles. For pens, monks used quills –
goose feathers sharpened and dipped in ink.
• The Cathach of St Columba is the oldest Irish manuscript. It dates
from the late sixth century AD.
• The Book of Durrow was probably created between AD 600 and 700
and is kept in Trinity College Library.
• The most famous manuscript is the Book of Kells also kept at Trinity
College Dublin. It dates from around AD 700-800 and is a beautifully
decorated copy of the four Gospels. The Book of Kells attracts over
500,000 visitors to Trinity College each year! Every day a librarian very
VERY carefully turns to a new page. It is, after all, over 1,200 years old.
Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
Metalwork
Irish monks were very skilled craftsmen and created beautiful metalwork
pieces. These included: chalices, brooches, bells, cups and belts.
The monks decorated silver with gold, amber, enamel and coloured glass.
They also made intricate gold writing, called filigree.
Celtic designs can be seen in their work, which shows overlap between
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Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
Stonemasonry - Stone
Stonemasonry was very important in Early Christian Ireland. Gifted stonemason monks carved what we call
Crosses
high crosses. A high cross is a free-standing stone cross, usually with elaborate carvings showing biblical
scenes.
For example; the story of Adam and Eve or the Crucifixion of Christ. Most people at that time could not read or
write so these scenes helped teach Bible stories. Complex Celtic patterns surrounded these scenes – like a
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page border. Two of the most beautiful high crosses in Ireland are:
• The Cross of the Scriptures in Clonmacnoise, Co. Offaly (late tenth century)
• Muiredach’s Cross in Monasterboice, Co. Louth (mid-ninth to early tenth century).
Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
Checkpoint (pg. 41, Artefact, 2nd Edition)
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AD 400 to AD 795 Chapter
5
5.3:
5 . 3THE IMPACT
: th e i m pOF
a c IRISH
t o f iMONKS
rish
m o nABROAD
ks abroad
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Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
Checkpoint (pg. 42, Artefact, 2nd Edition)
1.Why do you think war followed the fall of the Roman Empire?
2.Explain what is meant by the Dark Ages.
3.What work did Irish monks do when they went abroad?
4.Name three modern European countries where Irish monks founded monasteries.
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Checkpoint (pg. 42, Artefact, 2nd Edition)
1.Why do you think war followed the fall of the Roman Empire?
a. Because each of the territories from the Roman Empire wanted to establish themselves as independent
countries.
2.Explain what is meant by the Dark Ages.
a. The period 500-1000 AD that saw war throughout Europe. It is also a period of time for which we have
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5.4:
5 .THE
4 : tARRIVAL
h e a r r iOF
v a THE
l o f VIKINGS
the
vikings
In eight-century Scandinavia (modern-day Denmark, Sweden and Norway), the people we know as Vikings
were farmers and fishermen.
Their superb shipbuilding and navigational skills allowed them to voyage to many countries, including Ireland.
The Vikings’ boats were called longships, capable of crossing stormy seas but still shallow enough to sail up
rivers.
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Viking raids on Ireland
The first record Viking attacks on Ireland took place in AD 795, focusing on rich monasteries. Those on Lambay
Island, Co. Dublin and Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim were both pillaged and burned that year. By the mid-ninth
century, the Vikings were establishing longphorts, camps by the water used as a base for raids. Many
longphorts were temporary while others grew into important trade points and eventually large towns. Wexford,
Waterford, Limerick and Dublin were all once longphorts.
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Early Christian monasteries were easy targets for raiders. To the pagan Vikings, Christian monasteries were
not sacred in any way – they were isolated places, full of treasure and with no warriors to defend them.
The Vikings also took captives to sell as slaves along with cattle and food stores. Round towers were very
useful in Irish monasteries for warning and protection in times of attacks – but not just by Vikings as the native
Irish also attacked (also pagans).
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Viking settlements in
Over time, the Vikings who settled in Ireland intermarried with Gaelic people and adopted Gaelic culture and
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customs (became Gaelicised). Eventually, the Vikings disappeared as a distinct group in Ireland but they had
deeply influenced Irish culture and society.
• They introduced currency (coins) to Ireland and opened more trade liks with Europe.
• They introduced new words to the Irish language such as long (ship), bróg (shoe), margadh (market),
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Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
A Viking Settlement:
• The most prominent archaeological find of Viking remains and examples of beautiful craftsmanship were
Dublin found in Dublin at Wood Quay, Christ Church and the Temple Bar area.
• At Wood Quay, remains of about 200 houses from the tenth and eleventh centuries were uncovered, giving
us a wealth of information about Viking life in Ireland.
• The houses were rectangular and their thatched roofs (of barley straw) were supported by posts
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Checkpoint (pg. 43, Artefact, 2nd Edition)
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Checkpoint (pg. 43, Artefact, 2nd Edition)
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AD 400 to AD 795 Chapter
5
Since its arrival on the island of Ireland, Christianity has shaped Irish identity, beliefs, practices and customs.
Early Christian monasteries can be found all around Ireland and metalwork, stonework and manuscripts
created there are conserved in our museums.
Early Christian Ireland influenced the Irish landscape, as many place names reveal a religious origin, for
example Kilkenny, Monasterevin and Downpatrick. The Early Christian Irish Church cleverly absorbed some
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pagan rituals and beliefs, such as holy wells, into their practices, which ensured that Christianity quickly
became the dominant religious tradition in Ireland. According to the 2016 Census figures, 84.6% of the
population of the Republic of Ireland identifies as Christian.
Since the Plantations, divisions within Christianity on the island - between Catholics and Protestants - have
made religion a key factor in Irish history (we will learn more about them next year).
Many of the symbols that represent Ireland to this day can be linked to the history of Christianity on the island.
One such symbol is Brigid's cross, a cross of woven rushes which is traditionally linked to St Brigid of Kildare.
Another symbol that represents Ireland is the shamrock which is associated with St Patrick who used it to
explain the Holy Trinity. The Shamrock is used as the symbol for the Irish national rugby and soccer teams.
The Republic of Ireland's national holiday is on 17th March and is dedicated to St Patrick, the patron saint of
Ireland. In countries such as the USA and Australia, people who are part of the Irish diaspora come together to
mark St Patrick's Day with many wearing the shamrock to celebrate their Irish heritage.
Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
St Brigid of Kildare, c. AD 451-
St Brigid of Kildare is one of Ireland's three patron saints. She was an Early
525 Christian Irish nun, abbess and foundress of several convents. St Brigid's
Convent in Co. Kildare was founded in AD 470 - even earlier than Inis Mór.
Her feast is 1st February. This was originally a pagan festival called Imbolc,
which marked the beginning of spring and was associated with a popular
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Celtic goddess of the same name. The few historical details on St Brigid are
all from Christian sources dated centuries after her death, while the stories
about her contain elements of folklore and strong similarties to the goddess.
Some have suggested that St Brigid was not a real figure, but an invention of
the Church.
St Brigid's Cross taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie); St Brigid taken @MsDoorley
from Wikipedia.
Checkpoint (pg. 42, Artefact, 2nd Edition)
1.Give two examples of place names in Ireland that reveal a religious origin.
2.What percentage of the Irish population identifies as Christian, according to the 2016 census?
3.Name two Irish symbols.
4.When is the Republic of Ireland's national holiday?
5.Name a patron saint of Ireland.
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Checkpoint (pg. 42, Artefact, 2nd Edition)
1.Give two examples of place names in Ireland that reveal a religious origin.
a. Kilcormac
b. Monasterevin
c. Downpatrick
d. Kilkenny
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2.What percentage of the Irish population identifies as Christian, according to the 2016 census?
a. 84.6%
3.Name two Irish symbols.
a. Shamrock
b. Brigid’s Cross
c. The Harp
4.When is the Republic of Ireland's national holiday?
a. 17th March - St Patrick‘s Day
5.Name a patron saint of Ireland.
a. St Patrick
b. St Brigid
c. St Columba
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AD 400 to AD 795 Chapter
5
5 5.6:
. 6 : SUMMARY
summary
• Early Christian Ireland is the period when Christianity first came to Ireland.
that...•
•
A bishop called Palladius was sent to Ireland in AD 431 to spread Christianity.
The most famous bishop to travel to Ireland was St. Patrick between 432 and 461.
• From the sixth century on, many monasteries were build on island. The first monastery, named Inis Mór,
was founded by St. Enda. The first convent was founded by St. Brigid at Kildare.
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• Other examples of monasteries include Clonard, Kells, Clonmacnoise, Glendalough, Clonfert and Sceilg
Mhicíl.
• Some monastery buildings were: beehive huts, an oratory, a refectory, a scriptorium and a round tower.
• Art created by the monks included manuscripts, metalwork and stone high crosses.
• The Vikings began to raid and settle in Ireland in the eighth century.
• Amazing evidence giving insight into their lives in Dublin was found at Wood Quay.
• Many Irish monks went abroad to save or spread Christianity.
• This period is historically significant for the island of Ireland and has impacted Irish identity.
Diagram taken from Artefact, 2nd Edition by Eimear Jenkinson and Gregg O'Neill (educate.ie) @MsDoorley
Reflecting on... Early Christian
Ireland
The arrival of Christianity to the island of Ireland is historically significant. Christianity helped
to spread reading and writing in Ireland. Irish monasteries became centres of learning. Great
works of art were also created by Irish monks. Christainity therefore contributed to the
culture and society of Early Christian Ireland.
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SEC Examination Questions
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Project
Guidelines: Assessment:
1.Length: The depth of your project should reflect about 2-3 weeks of work. Your projects will be
2.Sources: Use at least three different sources for your research. These can assessed based on:
be books, scholarly articles, or reputable online resources. 1.Research and
3.Citations: All information and images that are not your own should be Content
Ireland
properly cited. 2.Creativity and
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4.Mediums: You may choose to present your project in one of the following Presentation
ways: 3.Understanding of
⚬ Poster/PowerPoint: Your poster should be informative and visually Context
engaging. 4.Adherence to
⚬ Minecraft or Lego Model: If choosing this option, please also include Guidelines
a brief report explaining your model.
⚬ Painting/Drawing: Your artwork should be accompanied by a
description.
⚬ Recycled Materials: Create your model using recycled materials and
provide an explanation of your creative process.
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Project
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