Elphin, County Roscommon
Encyclopedia
Elphin, sometimes spelt Elfin , is a village in north County Roscommon
, Ireland
. It forms the southern tip of a triangle with Boyle
18 km (11 mi) and Carrick-on-Shannon
14 km (9 mi) to the north west and north east respectively. It is at the junction of the R368 and R369 regional road
s. Knock International Airport http://www.knockairport.com is 50 km (31 mi) west of Elphin - approximately 40 minutes by road.
. St Patrick is believed to have visited Elphin, consecrated its first church and ordained its first bishop, Asicus (subsequently the patron saint of Elphin). Information supporting the visitation of St Patrick is to be found in two important memorials of early Irish
hagiography
, the Vita Tripartita of St Patrick, and the "Patrician Documents" in the Book of Armagh
. On his missionary tour through Connacht
in 434 or 435, St Patrick came to the territory of Corcoghlan, present day Elphin. The chief of that territory, a noble Druid
named Ono, gave land and afterwards his castle or fort to St Patrick to found a church and monastery. The place, which had hitherto been called Emlagh-Ono (a derivation of its owners name) received the designation of Ail Finn, which means "rock of the clear spring". This nomenclature was adopted on the basis of a large stone raised by St Patrick from a well opened by him in the land of Ono and placed on its margin. A copious stream of crystal water flowed from the well and continues to flow through Elphin to this day. St Patrick built a church called Tempull Phadruig (Patrick's church) and established an Episcopal See
in Elphin. St Asicus remained as bishop of Elphin. St Patrick also founded an episcopal monastery or college at Elphin, believed to be one of the first monasteries founded by him. In pre-Reformation
times, Elphin was host to a large number of religious orders and was a religious centre of international significance. This is supported by the appearance of Elphin in a number of pan-European maps in the Middle Ages.
After the Reformation Elphin continued as the centre of a bishopric. A new bishop's residence was built in the 1720s to the central block and flanking pavilions plan that is very common in Irish country houses of this period. The main block of the bishop's house was destroyed by fire early in the 20th Century and was subsequently demolished, but the ruins of the pavilions survive together with the curtain walls that linked them to the main house.
The cathedral
was also rebuilt in the eighteenth century. It was a modest building no bigger than a small parish church
with a tall square clock tower at its west end. An apse
was added in the 19th century. The cathedral
was used for worship up to the early 1960s. It was badly damaged in a storm in 1962 and was demolished a few years later, but its partially restored ruins can still be seen.
Associated with the cathedral was Elphin Diocesan School, popularly known as 'The Latin School'. Its most famous students were Oliver Goldsmith
and the eye surgeon Sir William Wilde
the father of Oscar Wilde
. The school was closed in the 1860s when the seat of the bishopric was moved to Kilmore
, County Cavan
.
According to legend, it was close to Elphin that the mythological figure of Oisin
fell from his horse upon his return from Tir na nOg
(The Land of Eternal Youth). Within 6 km of Elphin is Cruachan
(otherwise Rathcroghan), the famous palace of Queen Meave (she of the Táin Bó Cúailnge
and a prominent figure in Irish mythology
, notably the Ulster Cycle
) and the Connacht
kings. The well of Ogulla (otherwise the Virgin Monument), scene of the famous conversion and baptism of Aithnea (Eithne) and Fidelm, the daughters of Leoghari, monarch of Ireland in the time of St Patrick, is also situate near Elphin. It is reputed that the gold and riches of Ned Kelly
are buried in foothills just outside of Elphin.
County Roscommon
County Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the town of Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It forms the southern tip of a triangle with Boyle
Boyle, County Roscommon
Boyle is a town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located at the foot of the Curlew Mountains near Lough Key in the north of the county. Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery, the Drumanone Dolmen and the popular fishing lakes of Lough Arrow and Lough Gara are also close by...
18 km (11 mi) and Carrick-on-Shannon
Carrick-on-Shannon
Carrick-on-Shannon is the county town of County Leitrim in Ireland. It is also the smallest main county town in the country . It is situated on a strategic crossing point of the River Shannon and is the largest town in the county. The population of the town was 3,163 in 2006. It is in the barony...
14 km (9 mi) to the north west and north east respectively. It is at the junction of the R368 and R369 regional road
Regional road
A regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is a...
s. Knock International Airport http://www.knockairport.com is 50 km (31 mi) west of Elphin - approximately 40 minutes by road.
History
Elphin has historically been an important market town and the diocesan centre for the Diocese of ElphinDiocese of Elphin
The Diocese of Elphin was established following the Synod of Rathbreasail in the year 1111. In that year the see for east Connacht was moved from Roscommon. Elphin was the traditional site of a monastic house established by St Patrick c.450, although there are no remains of that date.Following the...
. St Patrick is believed to have visited Elphin, consecrated its first church and ordained its first bishop, Asicus (subsequently the patron saint of Elphin). Information supporting the visitation of St Patrick is to be found in two important memorials of early Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
, the Vita Tripartita of St Patrick, and the "Patrician Documents" in the Book of Armagh
Book of Armagh
The Book of Armagh or Codex Ardmachanus , also known as the Canon of Patrick and the Liber Armachanus, is a 9th-century Irish manuscript written mainly in Latin. It is held by the Library of Trinity College, Dublin...
. On his missionary tour through Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
in 434 or 435, St Patrick came to the territory of Corcoghlan, present day Elphin. The chief of that territory, a noble Druid
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
named Ono, gave land and afterwards his castle or fort to St Patrick to found a church and monastery. The place, which had hitherto been called Emlagh-Ono (a derivation of its owners name) received the designation of Ail Finn, which means "rock of the clear spring". This nomenclature was adopted on the basis of a large stone raised by St Patrick from a well opened by him in the land of Ono and placed on its margin. A copious stream of crystal water flowed from the well and continues to flow through Elphin to this day. St Patrick built a church called Tempull Phadruig (Patrick's church) and established an Episcopal See
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
in Elphin. St Asicus remained as bishop of Elphin. St Patrick also founded an episcopal monastery or college at Elphin, believed to be one of the first monasteries founded by him. In pre-Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
times, Elphin was host to a large number of religious orders and was a religious centre of international significance. This is supported by the appearance of Elphin in a number of pan-European maps in the Middle Ages.
The cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
was also rebuilt in the eighteenth century. It was a modest building no bigger than a small parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
with a tall square clock tower at its west end. An apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
was added in the 19th century. The cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
was used for worship up to the early 1960s. It was badly damaged in a storm in 1962 and was demolished a few years later, but its partially restored ruins can still be seen.
Associated with the cathedral was Elphin Diocesan School, popularly known as 'The Latin School'. Its most famous students were Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer, poet and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield , his pastoral poem The Deserted Village , and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man and She Stoops to Conquer...
and the eye surgeon Sir William Wilde
William Wilde
Sir William Robert Wills Wilde MD, FRCSI, was an Irish eye and ear surgeon, as well as an author of significant works on medicine, archaeology and folklore, particularly concerning his native Ireland...
the father of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
. The school was closed in the 1860s when the seat of the bishopric was moved to Kilmore
Diocese of Kilmore Elphin Ardagh (Church of Ireland)
The Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh is a diocese of the Church of Ireland located in central Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh.It is one of twelve Anglican dioceses in the island of Ireland...
, County Cavan
County Cavan
County Cavan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Cavan. Cavan County Council is the local authority for the county...
.
Oisin
Oisin , is a common boy's name.-Origin:The name Oisin probably originated in the myth of Tír na nÓg.Oisin was the son of Fionn mac Cumhaill and was brand to the land of youth by beautiful Niamh.-McPherson and Ossian:...
fell from his horse upon his return from Tir na nOg
Tír na nÓg
Tír na nÓg is the most popular of the Otherworlds in Irish mythology. It is perhaps best known from the story of Oisín, one of the few mortals who lived there, who was said to have been brought there by Niamh of the Golden Hair. It was where the Tuatha Dé Danann settled when they left Ireland's...
(The Land of Eternal Youth). Within 6 km of Elphin is Cruachan
Cruachan, Ireland
Rathcroghan is a complex of archaeological sites near Tulsk in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is identified as the site of Cruachan, the traditional capital of the Connachta. While it is debatable whether this was a place of residence, it had huge importance as a cemetery and also hosted some of...
(otherwise Rathcroghan), the famous palace of Queen Meave (she of the Táin Bó Cúailnge
Táin Bó Cúailnge
is a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage...
and a prominent figure in Irish mythology
Irish mythology
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
, notably the Ulster Cycle
Ulster Cycle
The Ulster Cycle , formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Down and...
) and the Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
kings. The well of Ogulla (otherwise the Virgin Monument), scene of the famous conversion and baptism of Aithnea (Eithne) and Fidelm, the daughters of Leoghari, monarch of Ireland in the time of St Patrick, is also situate near Elphin. It is reputed that the gold and riches of Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly
Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
are buried in foothills just outside of Elphin.
People
- Percy French, the performer, poet, and water colour artist was born at Cloonyquin, approximately three miles outside of Elphin.
- Arthur MurphyArthur MurphyArthur Murphy , also known by the pseudonym Charles Ranger, was an Irish writer.-Biography:He was born at Cloonyquin, County Roscommon, Ireland, the son of Richard Murphy and Jane French....
(1727–1805) the lawyer, playwright and biographer of Samuel JohnsonSamuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
, Henry FieldingHenry FieldingHenry Fielding was an English novelist and dramatist known for his rich earthy humour and satirical prowess, and as the author of the novel Tom Jones....
and David GarrickDavid GarrickDavid Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
. - Murphy's better known contemporary Oliver GoldsmithOliver GoldsmithOliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer, poet and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield , his pastoral poem The Deserted Village , and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man and She Stoops to Conquer...
spent much of his childhood at BallyoughterBallyoughterBallyoughter is an 18th century house and park situated about 1.5 km south of Elphin, County Roscommon, Ireland.The earliest historical reference to Ballyoughter is in the Annals of Connaught which records that in 1542 Ulick Burke of Clanrickarde ‘took’ the residence of O Flannigan at...
, approximately one mile to the south of Elphin and may have been born at his mother's family home, Smith HillSmith HillSmith Hill is the name of many places, among them:*Smith Hill , a notable house in Elphin, Ireland*Smith Hill, Providence, Rhode Island, a neighborhood*The site of a particularly long-range broadcast tower in Herkimer County, New York...
, just outside of the village of Elphin. - Fergus O'Mulconry, one of the authors of the Annals of the Four MastersAnnals of the Four MastersThe Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
was born at Cloonahee about two miles (3 km) from Elphin. - Elphin is also the birthplace of Roderick FlanaganRoderick FlanaganRoderick Flanagan was an Australian historian, anthropologist, poet, newspaper proprietor, and journalist. He was born in Elphin, County Roscommon, Ireland and died when he was 34 years of age in East London, after spending 22 years in Australia...
(1828–1862) the Australian-Irish journalist, historian and anthropologist. - Luke O'ConnorLuke O'ConnorMajor General Sir Luke O'Connor VC, KCB was a British soldier. He was the first soldier to receive the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy, and was one of the most decorated servicemen ever to have served in the British Army.He was...
the first soldier who won the British military award, the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for his actions at the Battle of AlmaBattle of AlmaThe Battle of the Alma , which is usually considered the first battle of the Crimean War , took place just south of the River Alma in the Crimea. An Anglo-French force under General St...
during the Crimean WarCrimean WarThe Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
was born in Hillstreet, County Roscommon, very near to Elphin.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland.