Fore Abbey () is the ruins of a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

and Early Gaelic 7th century Abbey with associated Mill, Anchorite's Cell, Holy Wells and a structure associated with St. Féichín, all situated to the north of

Lough Lene Lough Lene (Irish language, Irish: ''Loch Léinn'') is a lake situated in north County Westmeath, Ireland, between the villages of Castlepollard, Collinstown and Fore Abbey, Fore. It has a rich and varied history, including several prehistor ...

County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

, adjacent to Fore village. Architectural additions, damage by fire and dismantlement have altered the site's appearance and layout over the centuries.

A Gaelic Monastery

The abbey was founded in the 7th century by Saint Féichín in 630 CE. It functioned for over 400 years until it was re-founded by de Lacy in around 1200 as a cell of the Abbey of Évreux, now

Évreux Cathedral Évreux Cathedral, otherwise the Cathedral of Our Lady of Évreux (), is a Catholic church located in Évreux, Normandy, France. The cathedral is a national monument and is the seat of the Bishop of Évreux. Building description The cathedr ...

in France as the 'Abbey of SS. Féichín & Taurinus OB'. Fore is the

anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

version of the Irish "Fobhair", meaning "water-springs". The name is derived from St. Féichín's spring or well which is next to the 'old church' (7th century Irish church with cellae), a short distance from the ruined later monastery. The site is referenced in the

Annals of Inisfallen The ''Annals of Inisfallen'' () are a chronicle of the medieval history of Ireland. Overview There are more than 2,500 entries spanning the years between 433 and 1450. The manuscript is thought to have been compiled in 1092, as the chronic ...

(AI) as "Repose of Fechtnach of Fobar". The Ó Cibhleacháin clan were recorded as the

coarb A coarb, from the Old Irish ''comarbae'' (Modern Irish: , ), meaning "heir" or "successor", was a distinctive office of the medieval Celtic Church among the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland. In this period coarb appears interchangeable with " erenac ...

s of the Monastery at Fore. * By the time of St. Féichín's death in 665 he had attracted about 300 monks to his community. * Between 771 and 1169 Fore Abbey was burnt 12 times by pillaging invaders, such as the Viking Lord

Turgesius Turgesius (died 845) (also called Turgeis, Tuirgeis, Turges, and Thorgest) was a Viking chief active in Ireland during the 9th century. Turgesius Island, the principal island on Lough Lene, is named after him. It is not at all clear whether the na ...

based at Lough Lene and his fort on Randoon, between Collinstown and modern Castlepollard; and the O'Reilly Lords of Breifne (modern Cavan) as the power of the Gaelic kings of Meath waned in 1169. * A small 'high cross' in solid masonry was set up at the original entrance to the site possibly in the 10th century Early high cross at Fore

* By 1200, the Gaelic Abbey was secularized * The 'old church' (7th century) had a chancel added in the 13th century * In the boundary arch between the original structure and the chancel, an effigy of a monk - though possibly a Sheela-na-gig - is set into the arch. Putative sheelanagig fore

A Benedictine Priory

In the 13th century

Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, 4th Baron Lacy (; before 1135 – 25 July 1186), was an Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman landowner and royal office-holder. He had substantial land holdings in Herefordshire and Shropshire. Following his participation in ...

had built a Benedictine priory in the valley near the Gaelic Monastery. Many of the buildings that remain today (in ruins) are from the 13th and 15th century and have been restored throughout the 20th century, making Fore Abbey and environs one of the largest group of Benedictine ruins and ecclesiastical landscape to have sojourned and remained in Ireland. This priory was dedicated to both St Féichín and St Taurin, of Évreux, founder of the parent monastery in France. As a cell of a foreign or 'alien' house in the 13th century, the English Crown held the lands and manor owned by the when the English and French were at war with each other. * Its 13th century church still has some painted plaster decorations in the church and graceful arcaded cloister. * Attached to the church are the broken walls of two towers, where the monks once lived, and the de Lacy vassal Richard de Tuite held an apartment * In spite of assertions to holding huge numbers of monks and students, Medieval Fore Priory never had any more than a handful of monks under a prior, who were most likely drawn from the Anglo-Norman aristocracy, if not 'French' in origin.

Seven Wonders of Fore

The abbey is also noted for what locals call the "Seven Wonders":Meehan, pg.243. #The

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

built upon the

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

. #The

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * Factory * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Paper mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * Sugarcane mill * Textile mill * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic ...

without a race (St. Fechin reportedly induced water to flow from the ground and operate a mill that had no visible water supply - in reality water from

flows through the ground). Photo: St. Féichín's Mill Ruins of St Feichins Mill

#The water that flows uphill. (St. Fechin reportedly used his staff to make the water flow uphill) #The

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

that has three branches/the tree that won't

burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), soli ...

. Pilgrims place coins in it, giving it the name "the copper tree." #The

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

that doesn't

boil A boil, also called a furuncle, is a deep folliculitis, which is an infection of the hair follicle. It is most commonly caused by infection by the bacterium ''Staphylococcus aureus'', resulting in a painful swollen area on the skin caused by ...

in St Fechin's holy well. #The

anchorite In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress); () is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, Asceticism , ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. Anchorit ...

in a cell, which is a small tower house on the slope above the churches with a mausoleum to the Nugent family added in the 19th century, giving the whole structure the appearance of a church. Photo: The Anchorite Cell (below right)

#The lintel-stone raised by St. Fechin's

prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

s. Photo: Lintel stone of 7th-century Church Lintel detail of 7th century church at Fore

Conclusion

Another important aspect of Fore is the ''Fore

Cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

es'' one of which is in the village of Fore. There are 18 crosses; some crosses are plain (most likely due to wind and rain erosion) whilst others still remain carved. These are spread out over 7 miles on roadways. The lands associated with the abbey in the middle ages were extensive taking in many of the townlands/parishes around Castlepollard.

Gallery

File: ForeAbbey.JPG, Fore Abbey File: Village de Fore.JPG, Fore Village File:St_Feichins_Mill.JPG

References