Ireland – Mellifont Abbey & Kells

We are using our first full day in Ireland to pursue the 'eternal'. We are driving out to the village of Kells (pop 6,608 in 2016) in County Meath, origin of the Book of Kells (9th century). First, we make a quick stop to enjoy the morning air in Kilsharvan Cemetery (Co Meath). We learn from the posted sign:

The cemetery dates back to the 13th century. The church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist – the bitter tongued, thus the name Cill Searbhain – 'the church of the bitter tongued one'. The church has been in ruins since 1641. The Augustinian monastery at Colpe, erected by Hugh de Lacy in 1182, was endowed with the tithes of the church at Kilsharvan.

There are 150 inscriptions, the earliest being to John Cofee, died March 1734. The oldest person recorded is Mary Flinn, who died 1922 at the age of 105.

Interestingly, the side-by-side markers for John Collins (died May 25, 1789) and Monica Collins (nee Donaghy, died May 30, 2017) are separated by over two centuries. An elaborate, white high cross stands over the McDonnell family plot, which includes the grave of John McDonnell (died Jan 20, 1892), the Irish surgeon known for being the first to use ether as an anesthetic outside the United States, on New Year's Day, 1847.

Our quest continues at Mellifont Abbey (12th century), near Drogheda in County Louth – not far from Newgrange. The Abbey is Cistercian, the same order we know from the in Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça (also 12th century).

The asceticism of the Cistercians requires solitude, which explains the enormous Gatehouse at one side of the entrance drive, which encloses a natural valley. A posted poem reads:

Once you enter the abbey and final vows you take

That is most likely the last time a journey outside you make

The monks must, at all times, within the walls remain

And may only leave the abbey when the Abbot's permission they gain

And within this tall tower, made well with stone and mortar

Lives the monk who decides who comes and goes, he is the abbey Porter

Within this valley lie the remains of the Abbey. Only two elements are still intact: the Chapter House and the octagonal arcade of the Lavabo.

The Cistercian order was introduced to Ireland by St Malachy. While on his way to Rome in 1140, St Malachy visited the monastery of Clairvaux. He was deeply impressed by the strict religious life of the monks and left four of his companions behind to be trained by the Abbot, Bernard of Fontaines.

St Malachy was asked to 'look for and prepare a site like those he had seen in Burgundy'. Two years later a group of monks arrived at Mellifont to build the great abbey. Progress was not easy and a group of the brothers retreated to Clairvaux because of the reluctance of the Irish Brothers to accept the strict rule imposed by the Cistercian order. In a letter to St Malachy, St. Bernard wrote: 'It will be your business to help in the building and other things necessary for the well-being of your house.' The abbey was consecrated in a great ceremony in 1157.

Ironically, L'Abbaye de Clairvaux is now being restored from a high-security prison (c1804) to a tourist site.

A docent unlocks the Chapter House for our visit. Its Gothic detailing is wonderfully preserved, especially the carved columns and the embossed floor tiles, and identifies this construction as fourteenth century. The archivolts on the interior of the entry portal are now installed (or recreated?) behind the altar of St. Bridget and St. Bernard in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York.

The arcade of the Lavabo delivers a proper Romanesque weight and proportion. In contrast, because of its ruined state and freestanding nature, it feels more open and light than the Gothic building, which would have been behind the cloisters.

We make our way around the path that outlines the cloisters. Despite the missing architecture, the site is peaceful and full of memory – as intended.

We have an appointment to see a new arts facility. We arrive in Kells with plenty of time to spare – plenty of time to explore. So, we stop into the St Johns Cemetery:

The cemetery is within the ruins of the Priory of the Hospitallers of St. John, an order founded in Italy in 1113 to protect pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem.

An order which did not prosper in Ireland.

This priory was founded by Walter Dr Lacy, the son of Hugh De Lacy, in 1199, who was granted the Kingdom of Meath in 1172 by Henry II, the Norman King of England.

Little known about the priory until 1559 when it is forced to surrender all its property to the commissioners of Henry VIll, at the time of the Reformation.

Its most likely that soon after, it fell into ruin that it became a burial ground, the earliest recorded headstone so far uncovered is 1720, but the general practice in the centuries prior was a stone marker sometimes with a carving of an Celtic Christian Cross, a number which have been uncovered.

THe Abbey of Kells is just up the hill, and though we've visited the site before, we did not get to look inside the church. The interior is nineteenth century, and not particularly remarkable; still, we acknowledge the importance of the site to Irish heritage.

The only remaining part of the medieval church still standing today is the Square Bell tower in the grounds. From surviving records we know that the old church was a large cruciform structure with a Chancel and Tower. Over the door of the tower is a stone tablet with a curious inscription in Latin and old English. Part of this inscription reads "The Bodie of this churche being in utter ruyn and decaie was reedified I and DNI 1578, through the diligence and care of the Reverede Father I God Hughe Brady Byshop of Meath" …

There are three important stained glass windows in the church. The first is on the north wall near the Taylor monument. It commemorates the wife and son of the Reverend John Healy, one time rector of Kells and Archdeacon of Meath. The window was made by the London firm, Heaton, Butler & Bayne, c.1920. It depicts: (Left) A Good Wife (Proverbs 31.27, (right) The armour of God (Ephesians 6.11). The second window is on the south wall and commemorates Henry Mortimer Dyas, who died in August 1915. This window was made by the same company and depicts: The angel at the tomb. The altar windows represent Celtic interlacing, in the style of the Victorian Celtic revival, appropriate for the home of the Book of Kells.

The great Round Tower (10th century) is being cleaned and is wrapped in staging. Next door, Saint Columb's House, which is about the same age, looks incredibly fresh, though the construction is obviously ancient.

Finally, it's time for our visit at the Kells Printing Works. This is an old industrial press just recently refurbished and reopened as an historic and educational space. The collection includes a R. W. Cope Albion press, and a stunning workhorse W. Dawson & Sons Wharfedale press (both c1830). A pair of platen job presses, a model from J. Wade and a Morfitt's "Empress" stands between them.

Importantly, the Wharfedale is the same make and model used in Liberty Hall to print the Proclamation of the Irish Republic in 1916 and is one of only two of its kind currently functioning on the island. Its history includes printing local newspapers throughout the nineteen and twentieth centuries: Meath Herald, Meath Reporter, Meath Advertiser, and Meath Chronicle.

All of this is the legacy of Briany Finnegan, who ran the shop (in a different location) until his death in 1983. The facility includes a workshop area with an enormous type collection, as well as stocks of papers and inks; upstairs, there is a lecture and exhibit space. The Printing Works underscores the importance of the printed page to both Kells and Ireland.

We have one last appointment: a solar eclipse is due to start just after six. We decide to wait in the parking lot in the center of Kells to see what we can see. Though the skies are partly cloudy, we soon get a promising image of the early eclipse (photo @ 6:30PM). Getting a photo is tricky, as we struggle to keep the iPhone cameras protected with the film of the protective glasses.

In less than an hour, the eclipse reaches its maximum at about ninety-four percent (top image, photo @ 7:13PM), and the sunlight dims. We grab one last picture (photo @ 7:35PM) as the moon clears the sun's disk.