From the archives: First stone for Mayo's Errew Monastery was laid in 1840

By Tom Gillespie

IN December 1964 The Connaught Telegraph devoted a full broadsheet page to the history of Errew Monastery outside Castlebar

It read as follows: The years proceeding the Great Famine of 1847 saw a great awakening of intellectual activity in Ireland. Some of the teachers of the hedge schools had come more to the open and set up private schools in public places.

O’Connell had lifted the spirit of the masses. He, however, found that the English language was best suited to his purpose - to argue with the British in their own lingo. During the same period the Irish language did not lack support.

A devoted band of scholars, employed in public life, were directing their overtime effort to the one goal: the releasing of the treasures locked in the surviving old Irish manuscripts, knowledge hitherto vaguely known but to a handful of the learned.

And release they did.

Never was there a period which brought forth the publication of so much manuscript material. The misfortune was that while the majority of the teeming population had good speaking facility in the language, they were not sufficiently educated to benefit from this gush of Gaelic. But education was in the air, though not exactly as Irishmen would have it.

It is in this setting we saw the founding of the Franciscan Monastery at Errew, Castlebar, when one of the greatest Gaelic scholars gave a grant of land to the Franciscan Brothers in Kilmoylan, Co. Galway, for the erection of a monastery and schools.

How did the Brothers of Kilmoylan (Brooklodge, Ballyglunin) get in touch with James Hardiman?

It is very likely that was through the other famous scholar, John O’Donovan. Hardiman and O‘Donovan were intimate friends since about 1827 when the latter was employed by Hardinam as a scribe in the Public Record Office in Dublin.

Around 1838, O’Donovan was in the west collecting information for the Historical and Topographical section of the Ordnance Survey. At the same time, he was, among other tasks, and in conjunction with Eugene O’Curry and George Petrie, privately working in the translation and editing of the annals of the Four Masters.

In the course of all this activity, O’Donovan made it a point to meet all kinds of persons who could give him the most exact local information.

Brother Bernard Garry, it appears, was one of those who was able to give him a large fund of local lore. He was a naive of Ballindine, Co. Mayo, a classical scholar, and a kindred genius, so they became fast friends.

The autographed volumes which O’Donovan presented him for the use of Errew Monastery would show this.

The name Garry was dear to O’Donovan who was then tracing the lineage of Fegal O’Gara, Lord of Cul-a-vin, the Patron of the Four Masters work - the annals of the Kingdom of Ireland (Annala Rioghachta Eireann).

Also he would have noted from the records that the O Garie, O Garee name connected with Kinturk, Ballyheane, by a Fiant of Elizabeth in 1592, and that Fergal O’Gara was of the same family.

However, the meeting occurred. Brother Bernard Garry and another Brother met James Hardiman in Galway some time in 1838 or ’39 and let him know that the Archbishop of Tuam, Dr. John MacHale, would like the Franciscan Brothers to conduct a school somewhere Co. Mayo.

Hardiman, who, in 1818 and 1819 had purchased two small estates in the Barony of Carra, and whose mother was an Errew lady, Marcella Hall (see life of ‘Seamus O hArgadain’ by Criostair Tuinleigh, B.A., BComm.), gave, in 1839, a grant of 10 acres of land at Errew to the brothers for the erection of a monastery and schools.

Whereas I, James Hardiman, of Taylor’s Hill in the County of the town of Galway, being seized and possessed in fee simple of the lands of Errue, with other lands in the Parish of Ballyheane, Barony of Carra, and County of Mayo, have given and granted for ever to the professed ones of the Third Order of St. Francis of the Monastery of Kilmoylan in the County of Galway, all that part and parcel of the said lands of Errue laid down and described in a map and survey thereof hereto annexed, and meared and bounded as therein set fort containing by said survey 10 acres arable land, Irish Plantation measure. And whereas I have this day in the presence of the Revered Richard Gibbons of Castlebar, Ordinary of the said Parish of Ballyheane, and of James O’Flaherty of Galway Gert, and others there assembled, delivered the possession of the said 10 acres of land to Brother Bernard Garry of the Order and Monastery aforesaid for the use of the said Order to erect a Monastery and schools thereon.

Now I do hereby bind myself and my heirs at any time hereafter to execute a lease for ever of the said lands at a peppercorn rent to any trustees to be named for the purpose aforesaid. Given under my hand and set this twelfth day of November, 1839.

JAMES HARDIMAN.

Present possession given and this writing signed, sealed and delivered: Richard Gibbons, P.P., Castlebar, James O’Fahertty, Galway.

Indenture was duly executed on the twelfth day of December, 1842. Five trustees were appointed: Dr. MacHale, Fr. Gibbons, Fr. Browne (Burriscarra and Ballintubber), Brother Bernard Garry and Brother Paul O’Donnell.

At the end of 1839 or early 1840, Brothers Bernard and Paul came to Errew to prepare for the building of the monastery. A building known as the Old Kitchen must have been already in existence, and there the Brothers lived till the Monastery was fit for habitation.

Owen Deacy of Errew, born about 1876, gives many facts about the early days of the monastery for in his school days it was only about 40 years built.

He says Brother Paul was a native of Newport, Co. Mayo, and was a weaver by trade.

Fr. Martin O’Donnell, who was Chaplain at the monastery for some years 'til his death in 1963, traced a Weaver’s Row in Newport and a Carrickkeneady (Rock of the Clothes, bleach), and also O’Donnell families still in the vicinity.

The foundation stone of the monastery was laid on July 21, 1840. The inscription over the front door is as follows: Under the special patronage of his Grace, the Most Illustrious Lord John MacHale, Archbishop of Tuam, the first stone of this Monastery was laid by James Hardiman, Esq., on the 21st day of July, 1840. A.D. 1840.

The style of the building was plain and monastic. Walls were of good stone masonry, well executed but devoid of ornament. Rooms and cells were of ample proportions according to the standards of the century.

A large chapel extended from the rear, but owing to the Famine this was not roofed for some 30 years. As it then happened it was not required due to the decrease in population.

While the erection of the monastery was in progress, Hardiman got a large house built as a residence for himself. This was quite close to the monastery and was known as ‘Errew House’. Some of the tradesmen employed in both buildings were from Galway town.

According to local tradition, Hardiman stayed only one night in the new house, but stayed with the brothers in the monastery on later occasions when he visited the district.

It is also said that he taught for some time in the classical school opened in the Monastery for pupils going on for the professions, chiefly for teachers who were to staff the primary schools under Dr. MacHale’s independent scheme.

One of the earliest pupils of note who attended Errew Monastery (in 1845, aged 16 years) was Ulick J. Bourke, later Canon Bourke, for a time President of Tuam College, and in 1880 P.P. of Kilcolman, Claremorris, when he was deputed by Dr. MacHale to investigate, with two other dignitaries, the facts of the alleged apparitions at Knock Shrine on August 21, 1879, and during the subsequent months.

Canon Burke was a native of Carrowkeel, Lahardane, and a near relative of Dr. MacHale.

He says that he received ‘forty years later’ from the same teacher, Patrick Staunton, at Castlebar, who taught the young John MacHale ‘the rudiments of Latin, Greek and English’. Later at the Errew Monastery he got good grounding in the Irish language, together with further instruction in the Classics.

When in 1856 he published his ‘College Irish Grammar’ he did not forget to present a copy of the first edition to the Monastery, bearing his autograph as follows:

“Chum Ministire un Irruidh an a muineadh, a laethibh a oige, fios air Dhia, air a thir, agus air ar dteanga mathardha don ughdar, a gColaiste Naoimh Padraic a Maghanfhiuit, La Feile san Peadair, Poil a Mmbliadhain, 1856”

Hardiman and O’Donovan presented several volumes to the Monastery in its early years. Both were engaged in editing the old Irish Manuscripts, and when a volume was published for the Royal Irish Academy by either two scholars the first thought was to present an autographed copy to Brother Bernard Garry.

On a copy of ‘The Battle of Magh Rath’, edited by John O’Donovan, we have the inscription: “To Brother Bernard Garry, this volume is presented for the use of the Monastery of Errew, by his affectionate friend and well-wisher, John O’Donovan, Dublin, March 14th, 1843.

On another volume, ‘The Antiquities of Tara Hill’, by George Petrie, Esq., R.H.A., M.R.I.A., O’Donovan inscribed: “Presented to Brother Bernard Garry for the Library of the Monastery of Errew, Co. Mayo, by John O’Donovan, October 14th, 1842.”

And in the same volume in O’Donovan’s handwriting are the words: “Translated by me from the original M.S. in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin. J. O’Donovan, October 15th 1842.

This refers to his translation of the ‘Feth Fiadha’ or ‘Deer’s Cry’ of St. Patrick from the old Irish of the ‘Liber Hymnorum’ into Latin, with extensive notes in English and Irish.

James Hardiman’s name is on most of his books still surviving at the Monastery (1964) of the thousand volumes which, it is said, he left there.

The Famine of 1846-’47 dealt all but a death blow to the activities of the Monastery and its schools.

Brothers Bernard and Paul had to make their way to the U.S.A. to collect money to buy a little food for the Brothers and for numerous families in the neighbourhood.

When they returned after three years’ questing, the face of the district bore sad change. Many of the houses were vacant, and many of the old folk, with whom they had become acquainted when they left for America, had died from hunger and plague. In the Primary School the children were weak and listless. The Higher School was scarcely functioning and it took some years to get back to normal progress.

In later years, Dr. Higgins, Auxiliary Bishop of Tuam, and Dr. Gilmartin, Archbishop, received their early education there, and many others down to our time who reached positions of prominence in many walks of life.

While education was regarded as an important occupation, the chief aim was the maintenance of the community life in accordance with Rule of Sr. Francis.