Ailbe Ua Maíl Mhuaidh
Encyclopedia
Ailbe Ua Maíl Mhuaidh Irish
bishop of Ferns
, died 1223.
. He became a Cistercian monk at Baltinglass
, and eventually rose to be abbot
of that house. His family, the Ua/Ó Maíl Mhuaidh (O'Mulloy), claimed descent from the branch of the Connachta
later to be called the southern Uí Néill
.
Ailbe's ancestor, Fiachu mac Néill
(flourished 507–514), was one of the Kings of Uisnech
; his descendants, the Cenél Fiachach, held lands from Birr
to Uisnech
in southern Westmeath and part of Offaly.
Their southern territory became known as Fir Cell (land of the churches) covering a large part of what is now County Offaly
, where the surname
O'Mulloy is still very common.
, archbishop of Dublin
, held a synod at Holy Trinity Church
, Ua Maíl Mhuaidh preached a long sermon on clerical continency, in which he laid all the blame for existing evils on the Welsh and English clergy who had come over to Ireland.
on 3 September 1189. On 5 November, he was appointed by Pope Innocent III
, with the Archbishop of Tuam
and Bishop of Kilmacduagh
, to excommunicate the Bishop of Waterford
, who had robbed the Bishop of Lismore
. In 1205, Ua Maíl Mhuaidh received 10 shilling
s from the royal gift, and on 3 April 1206 was recommended by the king to the chapter of Cashel for archbishop.
In November 1207, Innocent addressed a letter to Ua Maíl Mhuaidh with reference to persons who had been improperly ordained. On 17 June 1208, Ua Maíl Mhuaidh was sent by the king on a mission to the King of Connaught. On 15 September 1215, he had protection while attending the council at Rome; and on 5 September 1216 received custody of the bishopric of Killaloe.
, while in Ireland between 1207 and 1213, seized two manor
s belonging to the Bishop of Ferns. For this Ua Maíl Mhuaidh excommunicated him; but the earl pleaded that it was done in time of war, and retained the manors all his life.
After Marshal's death, Ua Maíl Mhuaidh came to the king at London and petitioned for the restoration of his lands. King Henry I
begged the bishop to absolve the dead, but Ua Maíl Mhuaidh refused to do so unless restoration were made. To this the younger William Marshal
and his brothers refused their consent, and Ua Maíl Mhuaidh then cursed them, and foretold the end of their race.
The quarrel appears to have been at a crisis in 1218. On 18 April of that year, Ua Maíl Mhuaidh was prohibited from prosecuting his plea against William, earl Marshal, and on 25 June Pope Honorius III directed the Archbishop of Dublin and the legate to effect a reconciliation between the bishop and the earl.
of Mag Arnaide (Adamstown
), who died about 520. His interest in the saint partly stemmed from the fact that Mag Arnaide lay within the diocese of Ferns, but also denoted his personal attachment to the saint's cult in an episode where Abbán converts a man of royal rank from the area and baptises his son: "I who gathered together and wrote the Life am a descendant [nepos] of that son". However, the immediate circumstances which prompted the composition of the Life are likely to have been political, a direct consequence of his quarrel with the Marshall family.
speaks of him as conspicuous for his sanctity. Ua Maíl Mhuaidh consecrated the infirmary chapel at the Cistercian abbey of Waverley
on 6 November 1201, and dedicated five altars there on 10 July 1214. The monks of St. Swithin's, Winchester
, made him a member of their fraternity. He appears as a witness to several charters in the Chartulary of St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin
.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
bishop of Ferns
Bishop of Ferns
The Bishop of Ferns is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Ferns in County Wexford, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:...
, died 1223.
Background
Ua Maíl Mhuaidh was native of what is now north County TipperaryCounty Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
. He became a Cistercian monk at Baltinglass
Baltinglass
Baltinglass or Baltinglas is a town in south-west County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated on the River Slaney near the border with County Carlow and County Kildare, on the N81 road. Its Irish name means "the way of Conglas", Conglas being a member of the mythological warrior collective, the Fianna...
, and eventually rose to be abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of that house. His family, the Ua/Ó Maíl Mhuaidh (O'Mulloy), claimed descent from the branch of the Connachta
Connachta
The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King Conn Cétchathach...
later to be called the southern Uí Néill
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
.
Ailbe's ancestor, Fiachu mac Néill
Fiachu mac Néill
Fiachu mac Néill was a king of Uisnech in Mide of the Ui Neill dynasty. He was the son of the high king Niall Noígíallach. According to the king list in the Book of Leinster, he succeeded his brother Conall Cremthainne as king of Uisnech.According to the Tripartite Life of Saint Patrick, Saint...
(flourished 507–514), was one of the Kings of Uisnech
Kings of Uisnech
The Kings of Uisnech were of the Uí Néill and one of its major southern branches, the Clann Cholmáin. The Hill of Uisnech is located in what is now County Westmeath, and was in early historic Ireland considered as the area where all five provinces met....
; his descendants, the Cenél Fiachach, held lands from Birr
Birr
Birr is a town in County Offaly, Ireland. Once called Parsonstown, after the Parsons family who were local landowners and hereditary Earls of Rosse. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe....
to Uisnech
Uisnech
The Hill of Uisneach, or Ushnagh, also Uisnech , formerly regarded as the centre of Ireland, is a historical site in County Westmeath . The 182 metre hill lies on the north side of the R390 road, 8 km east of the village of Ballymore, beside the village of Loughanavally...
in southern Westmeath and part of Offaly.
Their southern territory became known as Fir Cell (land of the churches) covering a large part of what is now County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, where the surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
O'Mulloy is still very common.
Sermon in Dublin
In Lent 1186, when John ComynJohn Comyn (archbishop)
John Comyn , born in England, was Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland.-Life:He was chaplain to King Henry II of England and on his "urgent" recommendation was elected Archbishop of Dublin following the death of St...
, archbishop of Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin may refer to:* Archbishop of Dublin – an article which lists of pre- and post-Reformation archbishops.* Archbishop of Dublin – the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin....
, held a synod at Holy Trinity Church
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland...
, Ua Maíl Mhuaidh preached a long sermon on clerical continency, in which he laid all the blame for existing evils on the Welsh and English clergy who had come over to Ireland.
Bishop of Ferns
Ua Maíl Mhuaidh was shortly afterwards made bishop of Ferns, the see having been previously declined by Gerald of Wales. He was present at the coronation of Richard IRichard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
on 3 September 1189. On 5 November, he was appointed by Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
, with the Archbishop of Tuam
Archbishop of Tuam
The Archbishop of Tuam is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Roman Catholic Church.-History:...
and Bishop of Kilmacduagh
Bishop of Kilmacduagh
The Bishop of Kilmacduagh was an episcopal title which took its name after the village of Kilmacduagh in County Galway, Ireland. In both the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church, the title is now united with other bishoprics.-History:...
, to excommunicate the Bishop of Waterford
Bishop of Waterford
The Bishop of Waterford was a medieval prelate, governing the Diocese of Waterford from its creation in the 11th century until it was absorbed into the new Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore in the 14th century...
, who had robbed the Bishop of Lismore
Bishop of Lismore, Ireland
The Bishop of Lismore was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the town of Lismore in County Waterford, Ireland.-History:The diocese of Lismore was one of the twenty-four dioceses established by the Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111. The see of Ardmore was incorporated with Lismore in...
. In 1205, Ua Maíl Mhuaidh received 10 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s from the royal gift, and on 3 April 1206 was recommended by the king to the chapter of Cashel for archbishop.
In November 1207, Innocent addressed a letter to Ua Maíl Mhuaidh with reference to persons who had been improperly ordained. On 17 June 1208, Ua Maíl Mhuaidh was sent by the king on a mission to the King of Connaught. On 15 September 1215, he had protection while attending the council at Rome; and on 5 September 1216 received custody of the bishopric of Killaloe.
Excommunication of Earl of Pembroke
William Marshal, 1st Earl of PembrokeWilliam Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
Sir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , also called William the Marshal , was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He was described as the "greatest knight that ever lived" by Stephen Langton...
, while in Ireland between 1207 and 1213, seized two manor
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
s belonging to the Bishop of Ferns. For this Ua Maíl Mhuaidh excommunicated him; but the earl pleaded that it was done in time of war, and retained the manors all his life.
After Marshal's death, Ua Maíl Mhuaidh came to the king at London and petitioned for the restoration of his lands. King Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
begged the bishop to absolve the dead, but Ua Maíl Mhuaidh refused to do so unless restoration were made. To this the younger William Marshal
William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke was a medieval English nobleman, and the son of the famous William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke.-Early life:William was born in Normandy probably during the spring of 1190...
and his brothers refused their consent, and Ua Maíl Mhuaidh then cursed them, and foretold the end of their race.
The quarrel appears to have been at a crisis in 1218. On 18 April of that year, Ua Maíl Mhuaidh was prohibited from prosecuting his plea against William, earl Marshal, and on 25 June Pope Honorius III directed the Archbishop of Dublin and the legate to effect a reconciliation between the bishop and the earl.
Life of Abban
About 1218, Ua Maíl Mhuaidh wrote a life of AbbánAbbán
Abbán moccu Corbmaic , also Eibbán or Moabba, is a saint in Irish tradition. He was associated, first and foremost, with Mag Arnaide and with Cell Abbáin...
of Mag Arnaide (Adamstown
Adamstown
Adamstown may refer to one of the following places:Australia:* Adamstown, New South Wales, a town in New South WalesIreland:* Adamstown, County Wexford, a village in County Wexford* Adamstown, Dublin, an urban village in County Dublin...
), who died about 520. His interest in the saint partly stemmed from the fact that Mag Arnaide lay within the diocese of Ferns, but also denoted his personal attachment to the saint's cult in an episode where Abbán converts a man of royal rank from the area and baptises his son: "I who gathered together and wrote the Life am a descendant [nepos] of that son". However, the immediate circumstances which prompted the composition of the Life are likely to have been political, a direct consequence of his quarrel with the Marshall family.
Death
Ailbe Ua Maíl Mhuaidh died on 1 January 1223. Matthew ParisMatthew Paris
Matthew Paris was a Benedictine monk, English chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire...
speaks of him as conspicuous for his sanctity. Ua Maíl Mhuaidh consecrated the infirmary chapel at the Cistercian abbey of Waverley
Waverley Abbey
Waverley Abbey was the first Cistercian abbey in England, founded in 1128 by William Giffard, Bishop of Winchester. It is situated about one mile south of Farnham, Surrey, in a bend of the River Wey.-History:...
on 6 November 1201, and dedicated five altars there on 10 July 1214. The monks of St. Swithin's, Winchester
Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe...
, made him a member of their fraternity. He appears as a witness to several charters in the Chartulary of St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin
St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin
St. Mary's Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey located near Abbey Street in Dublin, Ireland. Its territory stretched from the district known as Oxmanstown down along the river Liffey until it met the sea. It also owned large estates in other parts of Ireland...
.