The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-09-27

1.-The monks dwelling in it conyersed
Ionlv with the Irish and spent on the
same class of people their rents and
revenues. The convent itself remained
lin the Cistercians' hands up to. 1543,
when it was made q Protestant place Of
worship. afterwards becoming ruin.
To day Newry has a Dominican con.
went, house OF the Poor Glares and an
festablishment of the Christian Brothers.
when the Cistercian abbey was con.
lfscated bY the King 1t was granted to
! Sir Nicholas B4gnall, whose descen-
dants still enjoy the property.
" The Abbe Mace Geoghegan says that
| 1t would be morally impossible to dis
cover how many episcopal sees there
|were in Ireland before the Twelfth
century, and he adds: ''lf the number
|equalled that Of the bishops whom st.
Patrick coDsecrattd, we should reckon
on $50, according to Jocelin, and ac-
cordlng to Nennins 1876; but it is very
unlikely that the saint Tad consecrated
Ithat number Of bishops for 50 many
/ different sees. We're 1t not that several
succeeded each other in the same sees
we should admit that almost everv
village had its bishop, However great
we may suppose che number to have
been, 1t was considerably lessened be-
fore the twelfth century, several sees
having been united together When
palliums were given at the council of
Keil. which assembled March 8. Il52, to
the archbishops Of Armagh. Cashel,
Dublin aud Tuam. under the first
named metropolitan were placed the
sers OF Connor. Down. Louth or Clog
her, Clonard. Keils, Ardagh, Rapnoe
Ratblure. Duleek and Derry. OF these
the first two have since been united,
their union dating back to l45l, when
Bishop John governed the two di0ceses.
Clonard. Kslls, ,Rathiure and Duleek
have been absorbed by other districts.
and he archbishop has as suffragans
now only the bishops OF Derry, Dro
more, Down and C0nnor, Kilmore.
Meath, Cogher. Ardagh and RAphoe.
or these seas the one which DE-.
l4eahy's death has just left vacant is
among the most ancient. Down and
tonnnr date their foundation. the for
mer TO st. Fergus, who fourished IN
the sixth century, and the latter TO st.
H..gus, who lived a hundred wears
earlier Fillmore does not appear to
have becnm. the seat Of an episcopate
unit! the fifteenth century, though
some claim that bishops resided there
as early as 1850, and even before that
date. Ardagh, one Of whose latest in
cumbents. Right Rav George Conroy.
who was sent in 1873 as Papal ablegate
to Canada. died Aug. 4 of that year
down in Newfoundland. had as it's first
bishop st Mel, who is said to have
been installed by St. Patrick, a fact
which makes Ardagh Que of the oldest
of the Irish sees. Kaphoe's beginnings
are uncertain; some claim that st.
Eunan founded the see, out just when
that saint lived is not clear, even it his
.esta ablishment of the sec be conceded.
Derry was not founded until ll58. when
the bishops assembled in the synod Of
Meath promoted Flathbert to that
diocese. Earlier sees in this district
are said to have existed at Ardsrath
and Maghera. and the abb0ts of Derry
we're not infrequently called bishops
before FIathbert' conservation. Meath
is the result of the union. in the twelfth
century, of some halt a dozen petty
districts chat formerly had bishops Of
tsieir own. such as Clonaid, Duleek.
Kpils, Trim, Ardbraccan, DDnshagliD,
Slane and FOure.
The late Bishop Leah7 was, in point
OF his years i'll the purple, the senior of
the irish hierarchy, his conservation
having taken place Oct. 2l, 1849, 81,
that he governed Dromore nearly
fortYsone years. Ole OF his predeces
sors. Bishop Thomas Scrope, already
alluded to, had y longer record than
that. however, as he was coDsrcrateu IN
1884 and did not die unti. l49I, fifty
seven wears later. though he by no
means retained th6 administration OF
the diocese during the whole Of that
long period. The late blshop, like his
predecessor. Dr.. Blake. Was
a man OF great plety aud Zeal, and
,lIader his ptljtfaufe fa diocese fl ,lsrial1