The Irish standard., 1908-03-07
ANCIENT IRISH MANUSCRIPTS
Discovery Of 4 Most Interesting Doc.
ument,

OIe0VVOTy Ot u WOte Interesting OoGs
ument.
Recently the Most Rev. DR.. Healy,
Archbishop OF Tuanl, says the Mayo
News. received through Mr.. w. H.
Grattan- Flood, a copy of most inter-
esting document issued by Pope Eu-
gene ~, in the year 1882. A word
about how it was discovered: Every
scholar knows that in the Papal Ar
chives in Rome are stored up valuable
records. The acts of every Pope are
there arranged in the order If time;
and so vast are these records that the
series now reaches the enormous num-
Der Of 2,150 huge volumes. 1t used to
be alleged that the Roman authorities
guarded these records with a jealous
care because they contained things
that could not bear the light. But the
late Pope. Leo XIII. said truth fears
no criticism, and so, with character
istic fearlessness, he threw these an
cient archives open to the world in
1891, and invited scholars Of ell ma
tions to come and search for knowl-
edge. Every government in Europe
fastened to find out what these secret
volumes contained about itself. The
British government sent learned men
to search diligently and to traascribe
everything they could find relating to
England. ireland or Scotland. The
search is still going on. Seven vol
umes have been published 1T inter-
walls giving the results of their ]abors
so far; and the eighth volume, which
will be published in few months, con-
tains the following interesting docu-
lnent:
"27th day of September, 1882.
Pope Eugene w grants to the Arch
bishop of Tuam an indulgence of two
years and two guarantees, on rI1e
usual conditions. for those oenitents
who visit and give aims towards the
repair of the fabric Of the Chapel of
st. Patrick on the mountain which is
called Croagh Patrick; this indulgence
to be gained on the Sunday preceding
the Feast of st. Peters Chains. be-
cause on that day a great multitude
resorts thither to venerate st. Patrick
In said chapel
Mr. Grattan-Flood has been assist
ing in the public record office. London.
and when he came upon the above he
sent a copy to his Grace Of Tuam. The
Archbishop, who has revived the an
Client pilgrimage to Croagh Pstrick,
and has erected a chapel on it's lone
summit. was much gratified 10 have
such authentic evidence that the pill
grimage was known and approved in
Rome 500 years ago. Jocelyn, the his
torian, who wrote life of st. Patrick
in 11S5, tells us that in his own time
multitudes of people were wont to
ascend this holy mountain to watch
and fast and pray on the spot sancti-
fled by the watchings, fastings and
prayers of the Irish National Apostle.
The Irish annals bear us back stirl
further and tell us that thirty of the
pilgrims lost their lives in terrible
thunderstorm on the summit in 1113.
Indeed, the ancient pathway ND the
graceful cone, worn deep with the feet
of pilgrims during fourteen hundred
years. bears ample testimony to the
, faithful tradition that from st. Pat
rtcks time to our own his children
have gone thither, in the spirit Of faith
and penance to solicit his intercession
on the venerable spot hallowed by mis-
prayers and bedewed with his tears.
The document of Pope Eugene is
important for various reasons. It
shows that there had been a chapel on
the mountain at least until 1882, and
that the ancient pilgrimage was ac-
customed to be held on a certain Sum
day. This Sunday Is easy to deter
mine. because the Feast of st. Peters
Chains is the first day of August, ami
the Sunday preceding must be .he last
Sunday of July. When the Most REV.
DR.. Healy was reviving the pilgrimage
three years ago. he enquired among
the people if they had any tradition
regarding the day. They said the be-
lief that 1t was the last Sunday of
July was handed down to them by
their fathers. His Grace accordingly
fixed the annual pilgrimage for that
day. and he now rejoices 70 find such
high confirmation of the taithfulness
and trustworthiness of the local ira
ditions.
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