The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-12-01
Dor ofkIlel Tradition Of
Awful Tragedy Verified
Evidence Of Ghastly Holocaust Of the
Elizabethan Period at eatlynow-
lart Brought to Light.
Ten Skeletons Of Victims Of the Perse-
cutions Of Penal Days A.
ready Found.
Church Was Surrounded by Soldier
During Mass, and Set on Fire, While
Worshippers Were Penned in ane
Incinerated.

A remarkable discovery has recent
" been made in the ruined church
of Ballynowlart, in the Kings County.
The former name of Ballynowlart is
said to have been Ballyshaunt or Bal
lyshean. At present the little place
forms part of the parish of Clonbul-
logue, in the diocese Of Kildare. The
old church stands on the estate of
that noted parsonage, Lord Ashtown,
about four or five miles northwest of
Monasterevan. If we may trust the
gazetteers, the parish of Clonbullogue,
which includes Ballynowlart, lies like
an oasis in the Bog of Allen, and
here, according to tradition, a CHASTITY
tragedy was enacted in the days of
persecution.
Tradition has it that, once upon a
time, while the people were hearing
surrounded and set on fire by the sol
diery, while the. worshippers were
penned within the walls of the doomed
building. The Elevation was over;
the priest endeavored to escape, with
the Blessed Sacrament and the chalice
in his hands. He was thrown back
into the flames, and persisted with his
people in frightful holocaust.
Such has been the immemorial ira
dition of the place. With a view of
testing the truth of this tradition,
Father Edward OLeary, the learned
historian of the Queens County,
gained permission to make archaeology
ical Investigations on the scene of the
tragedy. On October IL research
party of four priests, aided by dozen
farmers and laborers, began opera
tions within the ruined edifice. The
clergy present were: Rev. z. OLeary,
P. p, V. F., Portarlington; Very Rev.
M. Lalor, P. P, Mountmellick; Rev.
Michael Kennedy, c. c.. Clonbullogue,
and Rev. ]. Lennon, c. c., Mountmel-
lick.
Four hours were devoted to the
work Of excavation, and the results
surpassed the most sanguine hopes of
the explorers. The church was a large
one for, say, the Elizabethan period.
1t measured 60 feet by Is, but the ex-
ploring party was able to examine
only a tenth or twelfth part of the
inner area. In that small space they
found 10 skeletons, lying irregularly,
chiefly on the face, on the floor of the
church, about Is inches below the sur
face, number Of the bones being
charred and blackened. On the floor
also, and among the remains, they
found a quantity Of charcoal, in small
bits. Amongst the bones were the
ribs of children. very small, in good
preservation, and unblackened. This
suggests that the infants were unborn,
and that they persisted with their
mothers in common catastrophe.
1t is reasonable to assume that in
those terrible times the poor people
went to Mass in fear of their lives,
and were ready for death, and that
the priest also was prepared to face
death in a Christian spirit. Some of
them were killed by the falling beams
of the roof, for the church was rs feet
wide. With the roof some portions
of the walls must also have fallen on
the people, as Father O'Leary and his
fellow-explorers found traces of the
burnt materials on top of the fallen
mortar.
The whole discovery furnishes
striking proof Of the local tradition.
Seldom, indeed. has a tradition been
verified in SO remarkable a manner.
Who the priest was. or what was the
exact date of the tragedy, we do not
know for the present. We can only
hope that further Investigation may
shed fresh light on this dreadful cpl
sode of the Penal times.
HOW LINCOLN TREATED FREE
SPEECH AND FREE DRESS