Decline of Monastic Settlements in Ireland: Glendalough and Clonmacnoise

Tim McGreal
3/24/14
Glendalough and Clonmacnoise are two historical monastic settlements in Ireland. At
the height of their prominence they were quite large, similar to two towns based around
monasteries. It is estimated Glendalough had 500-1000 people living at the settlement at its
height in the 11
th
century, and Clonmacnoise had 1500-2000 people living on site at its height in
the 12
th
century (The Rise and Fall of Medieval Wi cklow; An Iri sh Game
of Thrones.
IRI SH HI STORY PODCAST).
These settlements endured raid after raid by Normans passing through the area in the
years of their existence. In these raids many of the buildings and churches were burned, stores
of food and treasure were taken, and people were killed, but each time the settlements were
rebuilt and continued to flourish. It would take much more permanently diminish two
settlements with a living population supporting them.
Glendalough was started by St. Kevin in the 6
th
century. Before that time it was said to
have been remote and desolate. St. Kevin was a hermit and probably chose Glendalough for its
remoteness. Followers were eventually attracted to St. Kevins lifestyle, and Glendalough grew
into a town. At this time Ireland had a monastic religious structure, and the community at
Glendalough was centered about its monastery and religious leaders (Trant, History of
Blessington Parish).
From the time of its founding until the 11
th
century, Glendalough grew and flourished.
This was despite occasional raids on the town by Normans, which are documented in the Irish
Annals (The Rise and Fall of Medieval Wi cklow; An Iri sh Game of Thrones. IRI SH
HI STORY PODCAST). In the 11
th
century Ireland was transitioning from a monastic religious
structure to one of diocese. A diocese is a large area controlled by a designated bishop. To
accommodate for this change in the political/religious structure of Ireland, Glendalough was
designated as the center of one of two large diocese in North Leinster. Glendaloughs
prominence and power of the time is demonstrated by this assignment. (Cantwell, SOCIETY
AND SETTLEMENT IN GLENDALOUGH AND THE VARTRY).
In the middle of the 12
th
century, invasion by the Anglo-Normans was underway, and
this caused the relatively peaceful climate to change and give way to increasingly worse
upheaval, strife, and famine. Throughout the 12
th
century, Glendalough and the surrounding
lands it controlled were fortunate to escape Norman invasion. There are several possible
reasons for why the Normans did not take Glendalough and its territory. It may have been the
lands were not very fertile or hospitable, or it could have been that the church of Glendalough
predominately owned these lands.
In the early 13
th
century Glendalough began to decline because refugees and other
Gaelic people who wanted to live in an area outside the Norman control migrated into the area.
It is likely that these people immigrating into the region displaced large numbers of the existing
population. It was recorded at this time that because of these circumstances, more murders
were committed in that valley than in any place in Ireland because of the deserted and vast
solitude. (The Rise and Fall of Medieval Wicklow; An Irish Game of Thrones.
IRI SH HI STORY PODCAST).
In the early 13
th
century, the diocese of Dublin was firmly controlled by Anglo-Normans.
In a political move to gain control of Glendaloughs lands, and to take away much of its
independence and prominence, the Archbishop of Dublin annexed Glendalough, effectively
seizing control of the lands and moving the settlements religious significance to Dublin.
According to archeological analysis of the area of Glendalough, the site was not completely
abandoned, though, and there are signs that building and expansion continued to some degree
after being annexed by Dublin. The Normans built a new center to serve as a hub trade and
interaction. This site was built approximately four miles North-West of Glendalough, and was
named Castlekevin. Castlekevin was a Norman outpost, but the area remained peaceful for
much of the 13
th
century. This was probably because life was decent for the general Gaelic Irish
population, meaning few starved to death or were killed. (The Rise and Fall of Medieval
Wicklow; An Irish Game of Thrones.IRI SH HI STORY PODCAST).
This all changed in the late 13
th
century. In 1270, a hard winter was recorded, which was
followed by a poor harvest which caused what was deemed as a, Great famine and scarcity in
all Erinn. This caused the Gaelic Irish in the area to revolt, raiding Norman outposts for
provisions. This upheaval and unrest between the Normans and Gaelic Irish carried on with
varying degrees of intensity for many years, until finally in mid-14
th
century Norman influence
and power in Ireland was receding as a whole, and the Normans could no longer send new
armies to reassert control over Castlekevin and the nearby Glendalough area. (The Rise and
Fall of Medieval Wi cklow; An Iri sh Game of Thrones.IRI SH HI STORY PODCAST).
Castlekevin was not immediately destroyed after its freedom from Norman influence,
but it slowly declined and was mostly disassembled for its stone materials eventually. After
Castlekevin was built, Glendalough would never regain its former prominence. This could be
partly because it was decimated by English forces in 1398. Even after being mostly destroyed at
this time, it remained a revered religious place, and a local place of worship.
Another prominent monastic settlement, Clonmacnoise, had a similar history to
Glendalough. Founded in 546 AD by Ciaran, deemed one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland,
Clonmacnoises growth and prominence was aided by its close connection to the kings of
Connacht. This settlements growth was also aided by its strategic location. At its peak,
Clonmacnoise was larger than Glendalough, with a population of 1500 2000 people.
Interestingly, this site never encountered the same unrest as Glendalough, with its decline
facilitated by the changing church/political structure, and competition from competing
settlements and religious orders. Clonmacnoise is still well preserved in present day, and
religious services are still held on site today in a modern chapel.
Glendalough and Clonmacnoise were prominent Irish monastic settlements in their
time, and ultimately the decline of both was not due to localized events of a given place or
time, but because of changing circumstances in the Catholic Church and the political structure
of the time. This is evidenced in the settlements demonstrated ability to overcome numerous
raids and destruction. Ultimately, monastic settlements became less significant in the dealings
of the church, and diocese were consolidated into larger diocese in Dublin and other areas,
leaving these settlements with little funds and manpower for reconstruction after inevitably
decaying over time, albeit this decay was accelerated by external forces at times.
















Bibliography
Trant, Kathy. History of Blessington Parish. Blessington.Info. Blessington, Co. Wicklow,
Ireland. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Cantwell, Ian. SOCIETY AND SETTLEMENT IN GLENDALOUGH AND THE VARTRY. 1999. Web. 24
Mar. 2014.
The Rise and Fall of Medieval Wicklow; An Irish Game of Thrones.
IRI SH HI STORY PODCAST. November 1, 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Glendalough's Monastic History. Wicklow Mountains National Park. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.