THE IRISH PENNY JOURNAL.
| Number 38. | SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1841. | Volume I. |
HOLY-CROSS ABBEY, COUNTY OF TIPPERARY.
In a recent number of our Journal we led our readers to thebanks of that beautiful river,
and we now return to it with pleasure to notice another of thebeautiful architectural remains of antiquity seated on itsbanks—the celebrated Abbey of the Holy Cross. This noblemonastic ruin is situated in the barony of Eliogarty, countyof Tipperary, three miles from Thurles, on the road to Cashel,and seven miles north-east of the latter.
The origin as well as the name of this celebrated monasteryis derived from a piece of the holy cross for which it waserected as a fitting depository. This relic, covered with goldand ornamented with precious stones, was, as O’Halloranstates, but without naming his authority, a present from PopePascal II, in 1110, to Murtogh O’Brien, monarch of Ireland,and grandson to Brian Boru, who determined to found a monasteryin its honour, but did not live to complete it. But, howevertrue this account may be as to the gift of the relic, there isevery reason to doubt it as far as the date of the foundationof the monastery is concerned, which, as appears from theoriginal charter still in existence, was founded by DonaldO’Brien, King of Limerick, the son of the Murtogh abovenamed, as late as the year 1182, at which time it wasrichly endowed with lands for its support by its founder.These grants were confirmed in 1186, by King John, thenLord of Ireland, who further ordered that the monks of thisabbey should enjoy all chartered liberties and freedoms, asappears from the following record of the 20th Edward I.A.D. 1320:—
“Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lordof Ireland, Duke of Aquitain, to all to whom these presentsshall come, greeting. Know ye that brother Thomas, Abbotof the Church of Mary of the Holy Cross, near Cashel, cameinto our Chancery of Ireland the day after the feast of Michaelthe Archangel, in the 13th year of our reign, at Cashel,and exhibited in our said Chancery a certain charter, notcancelled, nor in any respect vitiated, under the seal of John,formerly Lord of Ireland and Earl of Morton, in these words:
‘John, Lord of Ireland and Earl of Morton, to all justices,barons, &c., as well French as English, Welsh and Irish,and all other liege men of Ireland, greeting. Know ye, that,for the love of God, and for the salvation of my own and thesouls of my predecessors and successors, I have granted andgiven, and by these presents do grant and give, to God andthe blessed Mary of the Holy Cross, and to the Cistertian[Pg 298]Monks serving God there, in free, pure, and perpetual alms,the under-written lands, as fully and freely as DomualdO’Brien, King of Lymberick, gave and granted, and by thischarter confirmed to the Cistertian Monks of the Holy Cross;to wit: Kelkaterlamunu, Ballydubal, Ballyidugin, Ballygirryr,Ballymyoletobin, and Ballytheloth, Gardath, Ballaschelagh,Balythougal et Ithologin. These lands I havegiven for the salvation of my soul, and those of my predecess