Donegal Abbey and Town, Ireland
Dedicated to the Four Masters, 1632 - 1636.
Four Masters Memorial the Diamond Donegal Town
We are in Donegal town Co Donegal Ireland. We are in what is known as the 'Diamond'. This is the town's central square for meeting and greeting, people watching and shopping.
In the centre of the paved area is a massive 10m high obelisk dedicated to the memory of the 4 Masters.This tall conspicuous memorial monument dominates the centre of The Diamond. Engraved on each side of the pillar is a name written in Irish. The written explanation offered low down is also written in Irish. There is no translation.
This four-sided sandstone obelisk/memorial was erected 1938. Each side is Inscribed with the names of authors of the Annals of the Four Masters.
The four masters were four monks (Michael O'Clery, Peregrine O'Clery, Peregrine Duigan and Fearfeasa O'Mulconroy). They came from the Franciscan friary in Donegal Town and it is believed they compiled the Annals of the Four Masters between 1630 and 1636.
The monument was estimated to cost £980, a sizeable sum in 1938.
The Annals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland (Irish: Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the Annals of the Four Masters (Annála na gCeithre Máistrí) are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge ( the Flood ) , dated as 2,242 years after creation to AD 1616.
Copies of the Annals are held at Trinity College Dublin, the Royal Irish Academy, University College Dublin and the National Library of Ireland. The original Annals of the Four Masters is now kept in Switzerland, by the Franscians, but details can be obtained from the National Library on Kildare Street in Dublin.
4 Masters Poem
Four meek men around the cresset,
With the scrolls of other days;
Four unwearied scribes who treasure
Every word and every line.
Not for fame or not for fortune,
Do these eager penmen dream.
Oh ! that we who now inherit
All their trust, with half their toil,
Were but fit to trace their footsteps
Through the Annals of the Isle;
Oh ! that the bright Angel, Duty,
Guardian of our task might be,
Teach us as she taught our Masters,
In that Abbey by the sea,
Faithful, grateful, just to be !
T.D. McGee
Best Attractions and Places to See in Donegal Town, Ireland
Donegal Town Travel Guide. MUST WATCH. Top things you have to do in Donegal Town. We have sorted Tourist Attractions in Donegal Town for You. Discover Donegal Town as per the Traveller Resources given by our Travel Specialists. You will not miss any fun thing to do in Donegal Town .
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List of Best Things to do in Donegal Town, Ireland
Lough Eske
Donegal Castle
Abbey of the Four Masters (The Abbey)
Muckish Mountain
Donegal Railway Heritage Centre
The Deserted Village of Port
Barnesmore Gap
Gola island
Church of the Sacred Heart
Famine Graveyard
The Four Masters Dancers, Donegal Town. The Three Tunes
The Four Masters Dancers perform The Three Tunes in The Abbey Hotel, Donegal Town in May 2010
Exploring 15th Century Donegal Abbey
We are in Co Donegal north west Ireland and we are exploring Donegal town. We have dandered away from the shops and gone out along the pier beside the river Eske, which flows out into Donegal Bay. All is overshadowed by the Blue Stack Mountains.
It is here we find the remains of the 15th Century Donegal Abbey/Friary/Priory jutting out of a windswept, craggy hillside overlooking the incoming tide. The site offers fabulous views out around the bay. Burials here are thought to have started in the 1500s so the graveyard must be one of the oldest in Ireland.
-O’Donnell chieftain of Tír Chonaill believed to be Gaelic lord of the area, the ruler of Tyrconnell Hugh Dubh O'Donnell and his wife Finola O'Brien founded Donegal Fransiscan Abbey in 1474.
Donegal was trying to hold out against the English.
-Act of Suppression of 1535 by Henry VIII
-Destruction of their abbey in late 1580s -1600 by by the Sheriff of Donegal William Mostian and his brother Hugh Mostian.
-Friars still remained amongst the people
- In the Nine Years' War ( 1593 to 1603 ) the Abbey was used for a meeting between the rebel leadership and envoys of the Spanish King Philip II
-The Abbey was the scene of fighting during the 1601 Siege of Donegal when a force led by Red Hugh O'Donnell attempted to capture the town from Crown forces led by the Gaelic warrior Niall Garve O'Donnell. During the fighting Niall Garve's younger brother Conn O'Donnell was killed.
-After the 9 Years War and the Flight of the Earls from near Rathmullan in September 1607, the nearby castle and its lands were seized by the English Crown and given to an Englishman, Captain Basil Brooke, as part of the Plantation of Ulster.
-The Annals of the Four Masters by four of their friar members in1636 tells the full intriguing story of the friary.
Féilte All Ireland Abbey Hotel 2
Ceol agus craic in the Abbey Hotel Donegal Town, organised by the Four Masters Club
Annals of The History of Ireland by The Four Masters, with family map
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A rare surviving History of Ireland translated by both Connellan and O'Donovan in the 19th century. A timeline of Irish history on a year by year basis. Both editions described. The Connellan translation includes a large folding map showing family locations in Ireland (1847).
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Bawnboy Workhouse, Co. Cavan, Ireland - A film of this sad place
In June 2011 we visited Bawnboy Workhouse or Union Buildings.
You can still get a physical sense of the pain suffering and sorrow of the site.
This is the film of this sad place.
This fine cut-stone group of buildings was erected in 1852. It served the poor of the parishes of Templeport, Corlough, Kildallan, the two Drumreillys, Newtowngore, Ballinamore, Swanlinbar and part of Glangevlin.
A Board of Guardians governed each union; some nominated by the Grand Jury and the others by the voters of the ratepayers. The Guardians levied a rate on the union and used the proceeds to support the workhouse. Discipline was strict in the workhouse and the diet was limited. Men were segregated from their wives and children from their parents.
In the the front row of buildings on the plan below from left to right there were the following sections- lock up, female probation ward. girls school, waiting room, boardroom, office, entrance gates, masters' rooms, surgery store, boys' school and male probationary ward (text from
Music by: Damien Dempsey
Donegal Abbey Singers preforming Joy to the World on the Diamond Donegal Town
Adding a little extra Christmas Sparkle to beautiful Festive Donegal Town The Donegal Abbey Singers
Abbey Hotel Donegal
This is the abbey hotel Donegal town
Gael Scoil na gCeithre Maistrí (2), St. Patrick's Day Parade,Donegal Town 2010
The return journey from the 2010 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Donegal Town. Video shot from the grounds of St. Patrick's Church, Donegal Town.
The Four Masters episode 1
This is our first no error episode of the Four Masters!
STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT
Donegal Town
Once considered the capital of Tír Chonaill, a Gaelic kingdom controlled by the O'Donnell Clan, Donegal Town is rich with history. In this tourism short we take a peek at Donegal Castle and drop in at Magee1866.
Naba Ireland vs Dublin Lions
Bundoran win promotion to Division 1 of Donegal ACFL
BUNDORAN ROUNDED OFF their marathon season with elevation to One of the All-County Football League in Donegal. Brian Gavigan's team defeated Four Masters 0-10 to 1-4 in the promotion-relegation play-off in Ballyshannon
A Day In Donegal Town!!!.wmv
Carrickabraghy Castle Co. Donegal Ireland 4K
Taken with a Gopro Hero 4 black dji 450 naza lite gimbal hero4.
Carrickabraghy (Irish: Carraig Brachai) Castle stands on a rocky outcrop at the north-western extremity of The Isle of Doagh, at the head of Pollan Bay, in the parish of Clonmany, in the Barony (Ireland) of Inishowen, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland.[Known locally as 'The Castles', it is a place of captivating beauty, steeped in history with tales of bravery and battles, and of foreign invasion and revolt. The site is of significant importance to both local and national Irish history.
Whilst it is accepted that the Irish word 'Carraig' means rock, there is some debate as to the meaning of 'Bhrachai'. It is thought the word could be a personal name, as it is mentioned in the pre-Norman genealogy of the Cineal Fhearghasa, and could be an ancestor of the McFall sept. Machtochair, in his book Inishowen, Its History, Traditions and Antiquities says Carraig Bhrachai means 'The Friars Rock'.
History
From the ninth to the thirteenth century Inishowen was politically divided into three 'tuatha' or districts. These were known as Aileach in the south, Bredach to the east and Carraig Bhrachai to the west. The Lords of Carraig Bhrachai were the O Maolfabhail sept (anglicised McFall), who were descended from Cineal Fhearghasa, a branch of Cineal Eoghain. They ruled from the town-land of Carrickabraghy, the area where the Castle now stands. They were one of the most important families in Inishowen.
The earliest historical mention of Carrickabraghy comes in The Annals of the Four Masters;
Sean Beattie, in his book 'Ancient Monuments of Inishowen' recounts a tale regarding a Viking raid on Donegal in the tenth century. Three princesses were taken as hostages during the raid. One of the princesses escaped and took plundered treasure with her. She came ashore at Carrickabraghy and married a local chief.
It is interesting to note that throughout the period of Viking invasion in Inishowen the McFall sept maintained their control over Carrickabraghy.
Carraig Bhrachai is not mentioned again in the history books until 1600. The present remains of The Castle are thought to have been built around this time. The O Dochartaigh Clan had risen into power in Inishowen and the Chief of the clan and Lord of Inishowen was Sean Og O Dochartaigh. The English invasion of Ireland was well underway, and to protect his livestock and supplies from English raids, Sean Og decided the best place to store them was on The Isle of Doagh with his kinsman, The Lord of Carraig Bhrachai, Feilimi Brasleach O Dochartaigh. There was good reason for this as The Isle of Doagh was unfamiliar territory to the English and was easily defended as it was only accessible at low tide.
Sean Og O Dochartaigh died suddenly in 1601 and his successor as Lord of Inishowen had not yet been decided. The natural choice, his first-born son, Cathaoir Rua, had not yet come of age, and there were other forces at work wanting their own man installed. Aodh Rua O Donaill, the Lord of Tir Chonaill, wanted an experienced and mature man at the helm, someone who would remain loyal to him, effectively keeping the peninsula and its resources under his control. That man was Feilim Og, Sean Og's half-brother. The English commander in Derry, Sir Henry Dowcra, was not bothered who the successor was as long as they were ready to submit himself and the territory to the Queen. Aodh Bui Mac Daibheid wanted the young Cathaoir as successor. Aodh Rua O Donaill prevailed and Feilim Og was inaugurated in February 1601. His reign, however, was to be short lived. Aodh Bui Mac Daibheid, though cunning negotiations with both Dowcra and O Donaill, had Cathaoir Rua O Dochartaigh rightfully installed as Lord of Inishowen in May 1601. He was just 14 years old, and he was to be the last of the great Irish Lords.
It is important to note that Ireland at this time was very fragmented, with feuds and arguments happening between different clans. The English were seen as just another enemy, and the rulers of the clans were really only interested in keeping hold of their own lands.
The music in this video is by my good friend Ben Glover who lived in the nearby town of Glenarm.
Ben now lives in Nashville USA.
Some Bio of Ben-
The music of Americana artists mixed with traditional Irish songs were the soundtrack for Ben Glover growing up in the sleepy seaside village of Glenarm in the north of Ireland.
In the summers during studying law at university he paid his way across the Atlantic by performing Irish folk ballads, the songs of Christy Moore and The Pogues in the bars in Boston, while back home in the pubs of Ireland he was singing Dylan and Springsteen.
This theme seems to be woven throughout his life - one artist influenced by two countries connected by the Atlantic Ocean.
Ben relocated to Nashville in 2009 and immersed himself in the southern culture.
More at 'benglover.co.uk'
Ross Errilly Friary (Founded 1351?)
Achill Historical Society outing to Ross Errilly Friary, Headford Co. Galway. 06.09.2015
Foundation[edit]
Both Luke Wadding and the Four Masters (who refer to Ross Errilly in their Annals as Ros-Oirbhealagh) record that the abbey was founded in 1351, but this date has been called into question by numerous historians. Architectural cues and documentary evidence have given rise to a modern consensus that the friary was founded sometime in the middle of the 15th century, perhaps around 1460.[2] The earliest existing documentary evidence of a religious community at the site appears in the will of a local man that has been dated to either 1468 or 1469.[3][4] In any case, it is clear from the architectural evidence that any religious building that may have been on the site prior to that time was greatly expanded during the 15th century. Around 1473, a delegation of Franciscans from Ross Errilly went to Donegal at the request of the Tyrconnell clan and founded the Donegal Friary, where the Four Masters would later write their famous Annals. (Wikipedia)
September 4, 2015 12:23:38 AM EVPs Abbey hotel, Donegal, Ireland #2
Listen to the whole recording. Maybe you'll hear something we didn't. Ear phones recommended. The mumbling you hear in the background is my cousin and I speaking. We had The spirit box right up to the microphone on the iPad.
00:16 i'm sick of it - 01:29? -02:32 Rose? -02:37 ? -03:29 got trouble - 03:58 ? - 05:19? Means so much -05:31 ? - 05:50 Who is that - 06:01 get down? - 06:32 nasty - 07:11 ? - 07:22 if you look hard -
Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland???