The Irish standard., 1893-05-13
KILLALA DIOCESE.
It's Foundation BY ST. Patrick Dates
From the Middle of the Fifth
Century.
ILLUSTRIOUS INCUMBENTS,
This Connaught Diocese is One of
the Smallest Of the Irish I
Episcopates.

the Smallest Of tho Irish
Episcopates.
The diocese of Killala, which is at
present lamenting the loss of it's late
bishop, Rt Rev. Hugh Conway, whose
death was announced last week, is one of
the oldest of the Irish episcopates. Its
foundation dates from about the middle
Of the fifth century, when st. Patrick,
then making visitation of the province
of Connaught, is said to have been 80
entranced by the beauty Of the land that
lies around the mouth of the river Moy,
that he built on the south side of that
historic stream noble church to which
he gave the name of Kill Aladh, and over
which he placed Muredach, one of his
own disciples, as bishop. In subsequent
years the successors of this first Mayo
prelate were often styled the bishops Of
Tiramalgaid, of which word the modern
rirawley is corruption; and also the
bishops of O'Fiacra, the title of small
territory on the Moy; but their present
appellation. bishops of Killala, was used
as early as the twelfth century, and has
remained in vogue ever since. The signl-
ficance of the word which gives the see
it's name is the church of Aladh, or Aw-
ley, the patronymic of prince who for
merly dwelt at Killala, and who divided
his possessions among his sons and be-:
took himself to cell, to lead an eremiti-,
cal life.
OF the premier prelate of this ancient.
see very little is now known, says wri-''
ter in the Boston Republic. The Irish
Church honors his memory on August:
IL, which may have been the day Of his
death; but there is no.account at pres
ent available of his conservation or de-
mise. He was contemporary of St. Co.
lumba, and after his conservation he was
one of the prelates who assembled at
Ballysadare, in Sligo, to honor the apos-
tie of the Hebrides. There was a tradi-
tion current among the people of his
jurisdiction that his remains were buried
in the Isle of Innismurray; and there is
an old legend which tells no he, with
st. Patrick, st. Brigid and st. COLUMBIA,
blessed the port of Killala on certain
occasion. OF the town of Killala, from
which the see that is now grieving for
the death of DR.. Convey takes It's name,
some famous antiquities are thus de-
scribed by an Irish ecclesiastical writer:
TN the town of Killala is to be seen one
of the round towers, concerning which
there has been so much controversy or
conjecture. The erection of this tower,
the most perfect of it's kind at present in
ireland, and of the first church of Kill
lala, is attributed to Gobham, an archi-
tect and divine of tho sixth and seventh
centuries. The pious builder retired to
cell within mile of Killala, where the
stone intended for the apex of the tower
is still to be seen; the cell was called
Kilgobhan, and scarcely a vestige of it
remains. It had shared the fate of other
monuments which, like it, reminded one
of the glory Of other days. 1t was stu
ated in the townland of Cartoon which
belongs to Knox of Castlereagh, whose
herds of cattle now tread over this VEN
cradle spot. Nearer the town is another
cell, Killibron, or the cell of Bronus,with
whom st. Patrick is said to have So
journed q considerable time during his
important mission in Tirawley. 1t has
become victim also to the devastating
fury of the sixteenth century. Some
years ago the round tower of K,llala
was struck by lightning, and a hideous
chasm was formed in it's side; but the
last Protestant bishop has repaired it."
Killala is no longer the episcopal place
of residence, however, and the prel4tes
of Killala have for years back dwelt at
Ballina.
The diocese Of Killala suffered severely
during the time that the Danes overran
ireland, and the SEQ was without pre-
late for many years in consequence.
From the sixth to the middle of the
eleventh century the succession seems to
have been rudely broken; but from the
latter period the line Of prelates is readily
followed. Some of these prelates were
men Of renown in their day; and others
experienced no little opposition during
their administrations.
OF the former class may be mentioned
Bishop Richard Barrett, who occupied
the seesfron 1923 g IS ~ and uhn whom
. sept ross in rebellion, PIT himself as
the head Of the North Connanght clans
marched againG them and gave them bat
lie till be brought them again into sub