durrow abbey co. offaly conservation plan - Offaly County Council

ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The Guidelines to the Burra Char ter : Cultural Significance
state that:
‘Cultural Significance is a concept which helps
in estimating the value of places. The places that
are likely to be of significance are those which
help an understanding of the past or enrich the
present, and which will be of value to future
generations’.
There are a variety of categories used to evaluate
the level of cultural significance. Archaeological,
architectural, aesthetic, landscape, historic, social,
spiritual and natural will be used in the assessment
of significance of Durrow Abbey.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
In an archaeological context the significance of
Durrow must be considered to be of international
impor tance, being an undisturbed monastic site
founded by St Columcille in the sixth century. Its
landscape provides a unique setting for the ecclesiastical
and secular archaeology which remain at
the site.
A range of Early, High and Later Medieval monuments
survive at Durrow. Durrow Abbey is the only
complex of this type and impor tance, to remain
largely undisturbed within the islands of Ireland and
Great Britain.
The site is recognised as a sacred site within an
order of magnitude in archaeological terms of category
1 under the UNESCO protocol, a rating which
renders it capable of application for a World Heritage
Site designation.
Clann Colmain and Murchadh ua Briain a grandson
of Brian Borumha and Bishop Eochaid O’Kelly are
possibly interred at the site.
Durrow was the only major monastery in Ireland
mentioned by Bede, an Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical
writer of great standing who referred to it as ‘monasterium
nobile’ 36 .
Early Irish monastic sites played an impor tant role in
the safeguarding of Christianity in western Europe,
a fact acknowledged by Kenneth Clark in his publication
Civilization. Sites such as Durrow provided
a foothold for Christianity in Europe and through
the production of illustrated manuscripts ensured
its dissemination and survival.
The site is also significant due to the presence of
a number of later medieval archaeological monuments.
An Anglo-Norman settlement grew up at
Durrow in the late twelfth century following on
from the earlier monastic settlement.
The foundation of the Augustinian Priory of St.
Mary of Durrow can be dated to 1144 and was one
of the first Augustinian Priory’s founded as par t of
the twelfth century church reform. The foundation
was dissolved in the mid-sixteenth century and
is recorded as containing “the site of the abbey, a
church, a hall, two rectories, a ruined castle, several
messuages and cottages” 37 The continued wealth
is reflected in the foundation’s ownership of over
1,000 acres of land.
Durrow is one of the only monastic houses known
to have been founded directly by Columcille and
would have been one of the principal monastic
houses of his paruchia or federation (included Kells,
Iona and Derry). The settlement would have suppor
ted a substantial population during the early
medieval period. The impor tance of the site is further
reflected in its use as a burial place for bishops,
abbots and the nobles of the Midlands and Munster.
Áed mac Brénainn king of Tethba, Domhnaill of
36