Pilgrimage to Duiske Abbey 2018

Along the waters of the mighty River Barrow that forms the backbone of the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin - and whose waters have witnessed many of our pilgrimages in the past - we returned again to beautiful Graiguenamanagh and to the ancient and new Duiske Abbey for a Traditional Latin Mass of Our Lady on Saturday. Reports of previous pilgrimages are to be found here and here, here and here.

Traditional Easter Ceremonies

The Easter Ceremonies in the Gregorian Rite:

Holy Thursday

4 p.m. - Holy Mass: Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, Co. Meath
6 p.m. - Holy Mass: Sacred Heart Church, The Crescent, Limerick City
6 p.m. - Holy Mass: Ss. Peter and Paul's Church, Paul Street, Cork City
7 p.m. - Holy Mass: St. Kevin's Church, Harrington Street, Dublin 8.
7.30 p.m. - Tenebrae: Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, Co. Meath

Good Friday

12 noon - Stations of the Cross: Ss. Peter and Paul's Church, Paul Street, Cork City
3 p.m. - Liturgy of the Passion: Sacred Heart Church, The Crescent, Limerick City
3 p.m. - Liturgy of the Passion: Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, Co. Meath
5 p.m. - Liturgy of the Passion: St. Kevin's Church, Harrington Street, Dublin 8.
6 p.m. - Liturgy of the Passion: Ss. Peter and Paul's Church, Paul Street, Cork City
7 p.m. - Stations of the Cross: St. Kevin's Church, Harrington Street, Dublin 8.
7.30 p.m. - Tenebrae: Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, Co. Meath

Holy Saturday

12.30 p.m. - Tenebrae: Ss. Peter and Paul's Church, Paul Street, Cork City
8 p.m. - Easter Vigil: Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, Co. Meath
8.30 p.m. - Easter Vigil: Ss. Peter and Paul's Church, Paul Street, Cork City
9 p.m. - Easter Vigil: Sacred Heart Church, The Crescent, Limerick City
9 p.m. - Easter Vigil: St. Kevin's Church, Harrington Street, Dublin 8.

Easter Sunday

9 a.m. - Holy Mass: St. Mary's Church, Ballyhea, Co. Cork
9 a.m. - Holy Mass: St. Mary's Church, Chapel Street, Newry, Co. Down
10 a.m. - Holy Mass: St. Patrick's Church, Drumkeen, Co. Donegal
10 a.m. - Holy Mass: Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, Co. Meath
10.30 a.m. - Holy Mass: Sacred Heart Church, The Crescent, Limerick City
10.30 a.m. - Holy Mass: St. Kevin's Church, Harrington Street, Dublin 8.
12 noon - Holy Mass: Ss. Peter and Paul's Church, Paul Street, Cork City
1.30 p.m. - Holy Mass: Holy Cross Church (O.P.), Tralee, Co. Kerry
2 p.m. - Holy Mass: St. Columba's Church, Longtower, Derry City
4 p.m. - Holy Mass: St. Therese's Church, Somerton Road, Belfast City
5 p.m. - Holy Mass: St. Patrick's Church, College Road, Kilkenny City
5.30 p.m. - Holy Mass: Blessed Sacrament Chapel, Our Lady's Shrine, Knock, Co. Mayo

Beannachtaí na Cásca oraibh go léir!
A happy and holy Easter to one and all!

Latin Mass Pilgrimage to Goresbridge 2014

This was our first pilgrimage to the beautiful village of Goresbridge, although we have had Masses in most of the surrounding Parishes. Perched on the borders of Carlow and Kilkenny, Goresbridge, as you can imagine, was named for the Gore family who, according to Dr. Comerford’s Collections, received a grant from Charles II of lands that had been confiscated from Catholics. The Gores were replaced at the beginning of the 19th Century by the Clifdens as the big people in the place.

Dr. Comerford also tells us that Fr. John Murphy led the men of Wexford to cross the Barrow at Goresbridge (also known as Newbridge) on 23rd June, 1798, where they met with and defeated a body of mounted and foot troops. They got as far as Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny but finding no local support retreated back across the Barrow at Goresbridge on 26th.

 As is usual, the Church of Ireland building stands prominent and proudly, while the Catholic Church on 'Chapel Lane' is more modest of aspect. The Church of the Holy Trinity is a small simple country Church with galleries in the transepts. It has the unusual arrangement of having the organ pipes in a gallery over the Altar.

 The Church also contains fine stained glass windows, with central plaques depicting an emblem of the Holy Trinity, Christ the King, the Sacred Heart, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, St. Brigid, St. Laserian and St. Oliver Plunkett.

Dr. Comerford gives 1822 at the date of the present Church, built by Fr. Lewis Moore, R.I.P. Frs. Michael Brennan, P.P., d. 1851, and Matthew O’Connell, who had served in America, are buried in the Church. Requiescant in Pace.

Latin Mass Pilgrimage to Duiske Abbey 2014

It’s the fourth successive year that we’ve had Mass in the beautiful Duiske Abbey thanks to the kindness of the Priest and people of Graignamanagh. It almost completes our ‘conquest of the Barrow’ since we have organised Mass at Emo in the Parish of Portarlington, Monasterevin, Carlow, Bagenalstown, Goresbridge, Graiguenamanagh and New Ross, covering almost the whole length of the river. God willing, Mountmellick and Leighlinbridge will soon ‘fall’ to the Catholic Heritage Association!

Duiske Abbey is one of those few ancient Churches that are again in use for Catholic worship, the Black Abbey, Kilkenny, and Holy Cross Abbey, Co. Tipperary being two others. The story of its restoration to the Church, thanks to the intervention of ravens who harassed the Anglican congregation that was using part of the old Abbey Church until they abandoned it to the Catholics, and who then left the Catholics in quiet enjoyment of the place, has already been told in these pages. 

Another story relating to Graiguemanagh is actually about its twin town of Tinnahinch, which occupies the other side of the bridge across the River Barrow. There was an ancient custom among the Irish, first begun at the time of St. Patrick by Agneis, the Queen of the High King Laoghaire, that each King would give up a sheep from each of his flocks each year to the poor in honour of St. Michael the Archangel. The King of Ossory, Doncadh, restored the custom in the 10th Century. Tinnahinch was a centre of devotion to St. Michael in the Kingdom of Ossory in the Middle Ages and a Church and Holy Well were dedicated to St. Michael at Tinnahinch.

 The story of the Barrow is a story of Bridges. The passage and retreat of the men of 1798 across the bridge at Goresbridge about 6 miles upstream of Graiguenamanagh, has already been mentioned. They had to make their crossing there because the eastern side of the bridge over the Barrow was blown up by the English forces to prevent the crossing of the men of Wexford towards Kilkenny.

 In the latter half of the 6th Century, St. Fiacre had his monastery at Ullard, also in the Parish, before he travelled to France to found the monastery at Meaux. Dr. Comerford relates that St. Fiacre was a student of St. Comgall of Bangor, Co. Down (who had himself studied under St. Fintan at Clonenagh, near Mountrath), and had administered the Last Rites to his tutor. Returning home with the arm of the Saint as a relic, he was asked to baptise the son of the local Chieftan, Aedh, and when he reached into his satchel to take out the Ritual, the arm flew up into the air and fell to the ground. Aedh gave St. Fiacre the site at Ullard for a Church and shrine to the relic of St. Comgall.