Tristernagh Abbey facts for kids
Tristernagh Abbey is an old ruined building in County Westmeath, Ireland. It was once home to a group of religious men called Augustinian canons. These canons were like monks who followed the rules of Saint Augustine. The abbey is located near a lake called Lough Iron, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) north-east of Ballynacargy village.
The name Tristernagh comes from the Irish words Triostarnach, which means "place of thorns".
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History of Tristernagh Abbey
This important religious place was started around the year 1190. A Norman settler named Geoffrey de Costentin founded it and dedicated it to Mary. Geoffrey was given the land by Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath, a powerful Norman lord. There was already an old church nearby called Kilbixy, which was dedicated to St. Bigseach.
The first leader of the abbey, called a prior, was named Henry. Over the years, several important church leaders, like the Bishops of Ardagh and Meath, helped the priory.
The Abbey Closes Down
The last prior of Tristernagh Abbey was Edmund Nugent. In 1536, the abbey was searched and closed down by people working for King Henry VIII. This was part of a big change when many monasteries in England and Ireland were closed. Edmund Nugent received money to live on, and five other canons also got smaller payments. The land of the abbey was later given to William Piers by Queen Elizabeth I.
People in the Kilbixy area used to tell a story that when the abbey was closed, the friars (another name for the religious men) took the abbey bells and threw them into Lough Iron!
What Happened Later
A man named Henry Piers, who was the son of William Piers, tried to fix up the abbey. He later became a Catholic. It's possible that the monastery was used for religious purposes again for a short time around 1646.
In 1682, Sir Henry Piers, who owned the ruins, said they were still very big. But in 1783, one of his family members, Sir Pigott Piers, pulled down most of the abbey. A writer named James Norris Brewer later called this a terrible act. He said that Sir Pigott Piers' name should always be mentioned with "contempt" because of what he did.
Sir Pigott Piers used some of the old abbey stones to build a new house called Tristernagh House. This house was built in a style called Gothic Revival, which looked like old castles. By the early 1800s, this new house was also falling apart. Some people believe it was the inspiration for a famous book called Castle Rackrent. Locals also believed that clearing the old abbey graveyard in 1783 brought bad luck to the Piers family. Today, not much is left of either the abbey or the house.
O'Doherty's Bush Legend
In the late 1600s, a local story was written down by Sir Henry Piers. It said that a group of 600 soldiers, led by a chief named O'Doherty, camped near the abbey. They were later defeated and most of them were killed right outside the abbey walls. Some people think this story is about Sir Shane O'Doherty, who was sent to the area in 1599 after a battle.
Locals used to point out a thornbush and a small hill in the Tristernagh area as the place where O'Doherty's soldiers camped. This spot was even shown on old maps from the 1800s as "O'Doherty's Bush".
