BAGENALSCASTLENEWRY.COM FAKE

It is not supprising that when Ireland was flowing with Monastic life during its early beginnings that Malachy should decide to erect an Abbey here In Newry. Keating words, " The Holy Malachias erected a Monastery Lubhar Cinn Tragha In the County of Down in the christian year of 1144. This the year that marks the golden epoc of the Cisterian order. Like all Cisterian Abbeys in Ireland It was an allmost Identical building to that of the mother house In of Clairvaux. Here Is the outline of Newrys Abbey church

It was not Bernard of Clairvaux as is commonly believed In 1098 that brought about the Trappists Order or Cisterians an order of the Benedictine Family, but St Robert Of Molesme. He desired to hold the Holy Rule Of Benedict more perfectly,he left the monastary of which he had been Abbot with some 20 companions and settled In Citeaux today the diocese of Dijon. He was the most remarkable figure of his century in Europe. He was a great Cistercian monk, a man of prayer, a great spiritual writer and a gifted preacher. Foundations from Clairvaux became numerous.

Mellifont Abbey was the first official Cistercian Abbey in Ireland.
Within eleven years of its foundation, Mellifont founded seven daughter houses. Newry was one of the first and along with Malachis former foundation In the town in 1144, where In he had allready built the second convent In Ireland, Newry was destined to be the larges Abbey In Ireland at this time. THE GREAT CHURCH OF NEWRY HAD 9 ALTERS, THIS BEING THE BUILDING ON THE RIGHT GOING INTO LIDL(MUSEUM) Many Irish Abbeys had 7 alters or less. These abbeys, in their turn, sent out new foundations which brought the total number of monasteries tracing their afiliation through Mellifont to 28. The Irish monastic growth rapidly expanded through out the country.

In 1140 Maelmhadhog O'Morgair, better known as St. Malachy, the great reforming bishop of Down and at one time Archbishop of Armagh was travelling to Rome. Attracted by stories and tales of St Robert Of Molesme and St. Bernard, he visited Clairvaux, Citeaux and was so impressed that he petitioned the Pope asking for his permission to resign as a bishop so that he could enter Clairvaux as a novice. This permission was refused, he eventually left some of his companions behind at Clairvaux to be trained in Cistercian life with a view to founding a monastery of the Order in Ireland to where he returned dissapointed.

St. Malachy chose a site for his proposed monastery five miles north of Drogheda in Co. Louth. This land was in the territory of Donnachadh Ua Cearbhaill, king of Airghialla who donated not only the land but also the materials for the building of the new abbey. The first group of monks, the Irishmen trained by St. Bernard at Clairvaux, accompanied by some French monks who were to direct the building of the new abbey, arrived in 1142.

The Holy Malachias then erected the Monastery Lubhar Cinn Tragha In the County of Down in the christian year of 1144. It was later to suffer great sad times and burnings.

Before the reformation the Abbey was again under English attack, it was burned,1456, but not for the last time. Soon after this date the complete abbey was rebuilt and refurbished like many In Ireland, at this date many building were built futher afield than Is recorded locally. At this date the area called Baileybot or Ballybot, (English Town) was seen to house the planter Landlord types, those with land from long ago or who had bought it ? around this date. Many English monks and priests were going to and from the town, as they had been for hundreds of years since King Alfreds time, when he himself occupied a cell In Newry abbey, or as it was then called the college of Nerwy. He is rememberd well Aldfred, king of the Northumbrian Saxons, was in exile in Ireland about the year A.D. 685. He was known by the name of Flann Fion. This prince was the illegitimate son of Oswy, King of Northumberland, on whose death he was violently persecuted by his brother, and obliged to retire into Ireland, where, according to Bede in his life of St. Cuthbert, he devoted his time to study, "lectioni operam dabat." WHICH ARE ACCORDING TO MY RESEARCH MONASTIC LATIN WORDS FROM THE 5TH CENT they suggest a long house , See Lynch's Cambrensis Eversus, p. 128, and Dr. O'Conor, in the Annals of Ulster, p. 129, where O'Conor says that his grandfather had a copy of a poem "in a very obscure character.''believed written by the King while here.the poem mentions many places he visited. It was translated from a copy in the hand-writing of the late Edward O'Reilly, transcribed from a very old vellum MS., in the library of William Monck Mason, Esq. It is published in Mr. Hardiman's Irish Minstrelsy, vol. II. p. 372, but not translated.

Malachy was born in Armagh (in what is now Northern Ireland) and is believed by many to have had the gift of prophecy. He was baptized Maelmhaedhoc (a name which has been Latinized as Malachy) and was trained under Imhar O'Hagan, subsequently Abbot of Armagh. After a long course of studies he was ordained priest by St. Cellach (Celsus) in 1119. In order to perfect himself in sacred liturgy and theology, he proceeded to Lismore, where he spent nearly two years under St. Malchus. He was then chosen Abbot of Bangor, in 1123. A year later, he was consecrated Bishop of Connor, and, in 1132, he was promoted to the primacy of Armagh. St. Bernard gives us many interesting anecdotes regarding St. Malachy, and highly praises his zeal for religion both in Connor and Armagh. In 1127 he paid a second visit to Lismore and acted for a time as confessor to Cormac MacCarthy, Prince of Desmond. While Bishop of Connor he continued to reside at Bangor, and when some of the native princes sacked Connor, he brought the Bangor monks to Iveragh, County Kerry, where they were welcomed by King Cormac. On the death of St. Celsus (who was buried at Lismore in 1129), St. Malachy was appointed Archbishop of Armagh, 1132, which dignity he accepted with great reluctance. Owing to intrigues, he was unable to take possession of his see for two years; even then he had to purchase the Bachal Isu (Staff of Jesus) from Niall, the usurping lay-primate.

During three years at Armagh, as St. Bernard writes, St. Malachy restored the discipline of the Church, grown lax during the intruded rule of a series of lay-abbots, and had the Roman Liturgy adopted. St. Bernard continues: Having extirpated barbarism and re-established Christian morals, seeing all things tranquil he began to think of his own peace. He therefore resigned Armagh, in 1138, and returned to Connor, dividing the see into Down and Connor, retaining the former. He founded a priory of Austin Canons at Downpatrick, and was unceasing in his episcopal labours. Early in 1139 he journeyed to Rome, via Scotland, England, and France, visiting St. Bernard at Clairvaux. He petitioned Pope Innocent for palliums for the Sees of Armagh and Cashel, and was appointed legate for Ireland. On his return visit to Clairvaux he obtained five monks for a foundation in Ireland, under Chirstian, an Irishman, as superior: thus arose the great Abbey of Mellifont in 1142. St. Malachy set out on a second journey to Rome in 1148, but on arriving at Clairvaux he fell sick, and died in the arms of St. Bernard, on 2 November. Numerous miracles are recorded of him, and he was also endowed with the gift of prophecy. St. Malachy was canonized by Pope Clement (III), on 6 July, 1199, and his feast is celebrated on 3 November, in order not to clash with the Feast of All Souls.
He predicted British oppression for the Irish (good call) and conversion of the English back to Catholicism (bad call, but hope springs eternal in the mystic's heart, so, maybe next year...). According to the Abb� Cucherat, Malachy had strange visions of the future, including a list of the popes until the end of time.*

Some Roman Catholics think Malachy has predicted that Armageddon is just around the corner and that after the current pope there will only be two more popes before the end of the world. Of course Malachy didn't name the popes by name--otherwise we'd all be believers in his prophetic skills. He gave them descriptive names. John Paul II, the current pope, is number 110 and he was christened "De Labore Solis," from the labor of the sun. Those who have the gift of interpretation tell us that this is an accurate prophecy because John Paul II's father was a laborer and he has traveled around the earth (like the sun? well, remember, the prediction was pre-Copernicus). Some think the name refers to the fact that there was a total eclipse of the sun when JP II was born.

Malachy's prophecies are said to have been locked away for four hundred years, much like this Newry chapel! before they were allegedly discovered in 1590 in the Roman Archives. Arnold de Wyon first published them. The debate has raged ever since as to whether they are forgeries or genuine predictions of St. Malachy.
In 1139 St. Malachy O�Morgair, left Newry for rome , I am led to believe the nunnery here was his last adventure, before leaving for this journey, later he went back to Rome again for a second journey, because the first visit impressed him so much, It is after this second journey he went to Melifont. , his renewed visit to Newry after this time was as a cictercian. He was formerly the archbishop of Armagh and then Bishop of Down, when he set out on a pilgrimage to Rome from Newry , On his way to france he stayed in the Cistercian abbey of Clairvaux and was so impressed with life at the monastery that he decided to become a Cistercian monk himself. In Rome Malachy appealed to the pope to absolve him of his priestly dutiesin Ireland, but his request was refused and so he returned to Ireland to fulfil his pastoral responsibilities. On his return journey Malachy stayed at Clairvaux for another two months, and left four of his companions at the abbey . This prophecy, which is distinct from the prophecies attributed to St. Malachy concerning the popes, is to the effect that his beloved native isle would undergo at the hands of England oppression, persecution, and calamities of every kind, during a week of centuries; but that she would preserve her fidelity to God and to His Church amidst all her trials. At the end of seven centuries she would be delivered from her oppressors (or oppressions), who in their turn would be subjected to dreadful chastisements, and Catholic Ireland would be instrumental in bringing back the British nation to that Divine Faith which Protestant England had, during three hundred years, so rudely endeavoured to wrest from her. This prophecy is said to have been copied by the learned Dom Mabillon from an ancient manuscript preserved at Clairvaux, and transmitted by him to the martyred successor of Oliver Plunkett.

Concerning the Popes

The most famous and best known prophecies about the popes are those attributed to St. Malachy. In 1139 he went to Rome to give an account of the affairs of his diocese to the pope, Innocent II, who promised him two palliums for the metropolitan Sees of Armagh and Cashel. While at Rome, he received (according to the Abb� Cucherat) the strange vision of the future wherein was unfolded before his mind the long list of illustrious pontiffs who were to rule the Church until the end of time. The same author tells us that St. Malachy gave his manuscript to Innocent II to console him in the midst of his tribulations, and that the document remained unknown in the Roman Archives until its discovery in 1590 (Cucherat, "Proph. de la succession des papes", ch. xv). They were first published by Arnold de Wyon, and ever since there has been much discussion as to whether they are genuine predictions of St. Malachy or forgeries. The silence of 400 years on the part of so many learned authors who had written about the popes, and the silence of St. Bernard especially, who wrote the "Life of St. Malachy", is a strong argument against their authenticity, but it is not conclusive if we adopt Cucherat's theory that they were hidden in the Archives during those 400 years.

After returning to Ireland, Malachy sent another group of Irishmen to Clairvaux to be taught in the Cistercian rule. Christian O�Conarchy (Gilla Crist O�Connairche) was made father of the Irish monks.It is not known for sure if he returned directly to newry to build there before Melifont, , but the popular idea that he didnt, has stayed with us, In the meantime Malachy had found a suitable site for his first new cistercian abbey,this a secluded spot near Drogheda on the River Mattock, a tributary of the Boyne. The site had been granted by Donough O�Carroll, king of Oriel, who was a strong supporter of the ecclesiastical reform movement. The Latin name of the abbey, �Fons Mellis� or the fount of honey, alludes to the purity and sweetness of Cistercian life. When all the Irishmen had been professed they returned to their homeland, accompanied by a group of French monks. One of the French monks, called Robert, was to direct the construction of the abbey based on the design of C�teaux. The monks arrived in 1142 and they settled at Mellifont. The French monks, however, did not mix well with the Irish and most of them returned to Clairvaux. In 1151 Abbot Christian was made bishop of Lismore and soon after became papal legate. After his death (in 1186) his name was inscribed in the calendar of the saints, and he has long been venerated as one of the most powerful protectors of Ireland. Newrys beginning's owe this man a lot,with out his input we may not be here.