The Irish standard., 1893-11-11
MOUNT NELL LERAY
An Interest," Description Of an
Ideal Monastic Retreat in the
County ofVvaterford.
THE FAMOUS TRAPPlsT MONKS


History az the Growth Of this Hard
Working, Asoetio. Religious
Order in Ireland.
Ernest r. Holmes gives the following
interesting sketch Of the Monks OF Mel
leray in letter to the Chicago Times:
Transforming Z wilderness into gar
den is not 90 pleaeurable that most men
care 20 pay for tho privilege. The Trap
pist monks at Mount Mellersy hare had
to do just that.
Halt century ago thirty nine Irish
monks were driven away from the Trap
pist monastery at Melleraie, in France,
by one Of those prescriptions which SO
often scattered their sscetic order and
caused it, like certain plants, to grow
anew from every fragment. The little
band of penuiless wanderers made it's
way to their native land. Five or six
miles northeast OF Cappoquin, in the
county of Waterford, ,on the top of low,
rounded mountain, they found tract OF
barren land that NO one had cared to till
while the rich valley Of the Blackwater
lay 90 near aud gave 60 much ampler re-
'compense for labor. They were joined
by Father Vincent Ryan, who had been
sent to ireland the year before to found
a monastery.
With eixpeuce less than the proven.
bial halt crown that has founded SO
many fortunes, these men OF indomita BILE
will, trained to hard labor and privation,
set to work to establish q monastery in
the wilderness. How they toiled and
suffered no one living now truly
Knows, for all lie IN the little cemetery
about the stone cross raised as mem
orial Of the founding of the house. That
they toiled not in vain is evidenced by.
the finely appointed monastery, schools
and chapel that now stand in the midst
OF magnificent farm, producing the
greater part of the subsistence Of those
who live at Mount Melleray, as the place
is called, after the. mother house. Away
out in Iowa, at Dubuque, is the third
Melleray. New Melleray, ne of the three
honses OF the, order on this side Of the
Atlantic.
When the little band Of monks began
the arduous task of making heath coy
cred mountain into garden the landed
proprietor was only too glad to have
them digging and hacking away, piling
up stones and grubbing out underbr ush.
A nominal rent was imposed, mere
1rifle, and doubtless the monks felt duly
thankful that the Lord had provided so
cheap farm. But as years went on the
incessant labor of the monks transfo, med
the wilderness into fair fields and mead
ows. Vincent Ryan, the founder and
first abbot, had trusted all to the Lord
when he began herculean task With
nothing, and the work had prospered.
But with the trust reposed in the ''lord"
with the lower case apt was other
wise. This lord, or his successor, looked
npon the former wilderness and it was
fair to see The monks had made i'm
provements they would not care to leave.
He concluded that he really couldn'tlet
them have such valuable land for such
nominal rental. The rate was raised,
and I was told. not by the monks, but in
Dublin, that they now pay about s200
a year, As they are still reclalming por-
tions of Wild land there is an excellent
prospect that the landlord will have the
opportunity, which few Il; that ilk ever
neglect, of raising the rent ,aeain. Such
ie the justice of Irish landlordism.
Standing as it does rather out of the
lines of ordinary tourist travel, Mount
Melleray is visited by few of those who
A.do'' Ireland in . week. But it is re-
aarded as holy as we'll as very pleas
ant place. and many devout Catholics 60
there for few days. devotions. Loca,
tourists who are in the region often
make the half pilgrimage and call on
the hospitable monks. There are num-
Der OF theological students regularly un-
der instruction at the monastery school
and priests otter come for period Of
meditation and devotion, So secluded
sas it is, the monastery is vet reached by
an eddy from the stream Of human ac-
tisity which it is to be hoped flows back.
into the world purified.
AS neared the monastery half dozen
young priests, in. silk hats and long.
black ooats. walking over the hills toward
Ceppoquin, and = jaunting car with both
priests and ladies', gave evidenoe Of these
Eyistat;ons.
The houses off the psopls emp ployed lb,y
the mon 81 thes stu.S
! = n q 4