Mass returns to Church of Nine Saints

 

AT midday on Saturday (June 1) mass will be celebrated at the 1,500-year-old Church of the Nine Saints close to the Bridges of Ross in Kilbaha. The tranquil early Christian site overlooks the ocean.

The ceremony will be the first held there since August 26, 1973, when Fr Seamus O’Dea said mass in the company of visiting students from Maynooth. That mass is believed to have been the first celebrated in the church for 1,000 years.

The Church of the Nine Saints is located on the land of Patrick and Mary Magner, Ross. The church was built by St Senan around 500 AD and next to the church lies the burial ground of the saints.
St Senan’s story originated at a time when paganism gradually gave way to Christianity. He was born in Magh Lacha, about four miles north-east of Kilrush.

As a child, he was sent to join his clansmen in battle in Corcomroe, a territory located in the Burren Region of North-East Clare. Having been spared by his enemies in battle, he swore to devote the remainder of his life in service to God.
He began by taking a monastic habit in Ossory, after which he travelled to many religious sites, including Rome, from which he returned in the early 500s. It was following this visit that Senan became involved in building a number of important religious sites.

A multitude of these religious buildings and churches were built in Clare. The church is Ross is 12m long and six metres wide.

“The western gable is still standing but the eastern gable has fallen and the wall that remains is about two metres high,” St Cuan’s, Kilbaha school principal Mary P Lynch explained.

“The adjoining walls are also in bad repair. The altar, which is at the eastern wall, has been roughly rebuilt. The carved stone head, which was on the altar, was removed but the carved cross still remains. There are three flagstones in front of the altar, which mark the place where people are buried. These are covered over with a thick growth of grass and weeds. The doorway, which is on the south, has also fallen. The only other opening is the plain, oblong split and splay on the south wall. Some of the stones on this split are loose,” Mary P Lynch added. The church was constructed with building stones, which are held in place with mortar. This mortar was made with seashore sand and blood.

The tomb of the nine saints lies to the south of the church. It is a kerbing of blocks filled with earth and stones. The grave, as well as being the burial place of the reputed nine saints who were linked with the church, was also a burial place for the population of the area.

“This was discontinued sometime around the early 1700s owing to “a miraculous occurrence”. It is said that a body, which had been buried there, was found above ground and that it “continued to revisit the glimpses of the moon” every time it was re-interred, till the people of the district got alarmed and took it to another graveyard,” the school principal said.

St Cuan’s primary school in Kilbaha is named after the last of the saints to die. According to Mary P Lynch, St Cuan was somewhat of a rogue.
“Legend has it that after his companions died, Cuan was so upset that he fell into mortal sin. When he died after repenting of his sins, he was not buried in the same place as his “sinless” companions but instead he was buried in a site across the bog a short distance south of the church near where the post office is. Because of the esteem in which the people held him, they built a Teampall and cemetery. The graveyard is also known as ‘St Cuan’s Bed,” she explained.

Dr Caroline Maguire, Kilclogher, a past pupil of St Cuan’s National School has found there is historical evidence of The Church of the Nine Saints recorded in The Book of Leinster, Trinity College Dublin and also in The Book of Lismore.
On Saturday, Fr Michael Casey will celebrate open-air mass in the church ruins, which are next to the Atlantic Ocean. St Cuan’s National School pupils, past and present, will take part as will the wider community, while Kilkee historian, Paddy Nolan, will give a talk on the significance of the monument.

After the mass, Flan Gibson, Moneen, will show spectacular footage of the cliffs around Loophead from Carrigaholt to Kilkee. The beauty of the underwater in the area will be visible. This will provide an opportunity to further admire the area near which Senan decided to build The Church of The Nine Saints.

Fr Michael Casey notes that the 1,500-year-old church provides a clear link to early Christian times.

“When you look at the dates that are associated with Tempall na Naofa, you’re going back to the beginning of Christianity in this country. St Brendan, St Cuan and St Senan are all associated with the infancy of the faith.
“From a parish point of view, it’s great that we’re celebrating it this year, which is designated the Year of Faith in the Church,” the Cross-Kilbaha parish priest said.

He feels Early Christian Ireland resonates with modern Ireland in some respects.
“When you look back at that time you’re talking about how much in tune Celtic spirituality was with nature and with the concerns of the people. That would be something that might be of relevance today as well. Winning the Best Place to Stay in Ireland award this week, also acclaims the natural beauty of the area,” Fr Casey reflected.

During the early Christian era, St Patrick spent seven years travelling and living in Munster although he never visited Clare or Corca-Baiscinn as it was referred to then. At the time, the region was going through an intense period of, almost entirely, local warfare, which deterred Patrick from visiting the county.