Ireland in the Middle Ages was a dynamic and expanding society, fuelled by intellectual enquiry, artistic innovation, and the creation of colonies in Scotland and Wales.
A driving force behind much of the energy and achievement of the Irish in that time came from the monastic orders, and a new book, to be launched next month, will look at the many monasteries which were situated around Lough Corrib.
A Guide to Lough Corrib’s Early Monastic Sites, by Rev Anthony MA Previté, and published by the Old Chapel Press, will be launched in the Galway City Museum on Saturday September 11 at 3pm by Eamonn P Kelly of the National Museum of Ireland.
This detailed book, containing more than 100 colour photographs, looks at the 31 settlements created by Irish monks that were around Lough Corrib. These range from the well preserved abbeys at Cong, Ross Errilly, and Claregalway, to the small remains at Kilian Church and Inchiquinn. The book also details the lives of the early saints who lived in, or were associated with, the areas in question.
The author Rev Previté was ordained in St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church in 1988 and served there as a curate. He was then appointed as Rector of the Omey Union of parishes, based in Clifden. He also served as Rector of Cong, Dean of St Mary’s Cathedral in Tuam, and as Archdeacon of the dioceses of Tuam. He is now retired and lives in Oughterard with his wife Christina.
