Synod of Birr
Encyclopedia
The Synod of Birr, held at Birr
in modern County Offaly
, Ireland
in 697 was a meeting of churchmen and secular notables. Best remembered as the occasion on which the Cáin Adomnáin
—the Law of Innocents—was guaranteed, the survival of a list of the guarantors of the law sheds some light on the synod.
The meeting at Birr is thought to have been convoked by Adomnán, Abbot of Iona
, and his kinsman, the High King of Ireland
, Loingsech mac Óengusso
. As well as being the site of a significant monastery
, associated with Saint Brendan of Birr
, Birr was close to the boundary between the Uí Néill
-dominated Leth Cuinn, the northern half of Ireland, and the southern half, Leth Moga, where the Eóganachta
kings of Munster
ruled. In 827 it served as the site of a rígdal, a meeting of kings, between the Uí Néill High King Conchobar mac Donnchada
and the powerful Eóganachta king Fedlimid mac Crimthainn. It therefore represented a form of neutral ground where the rival kings and clerics of north and south Ireland could meet without loss of face. Birr lay in the territory of the Éile
.
Among the churchmen present, or sending representatives, were Flann Febla, bishop of Armagh and spiritual heir of Saint Patrick
, the abbot of Emly
, chief religious site of the Eóganachta, other bishops and abbots, learned men such as Muirchu moccu Machtheni
, author of a life
of Saint Patrick, and, from Britain the Pictish
bishop Curetán
, and Adomnán and bishop Coeddi, both from Iona
.
Birr
Birr is a town in County Offaly, Ireland. Once called Parsonstown, after the Parsons family who were local landowners and hereditary Earls of Rosse. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe....
in modern County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 697 was a meeting of churchmen and secular notables. Best remembered as the occasion on which the Cáin Adomnáin
Cáin Adomnáin
The Cáin Adomnáin , also known as the Lex Innocentium was promulgated amongst a gathering of Irish, Dál Riatan and Pictish notables at the Synod of Birr in 697. It is named after its initiator Adomnán of Iona, ninth Abbot of Iona after St...
—the Law of Innocents—was guaranteed, the survival of a list of the guarantors of the law sheds some light on the synod.
The meeting at Birr is thought to have been convoked by Adomnán, Abbot of Iona
Abbot of Iona
The Abbot of Iona was the head of Iona Abbey during the Middle Ages and the leader of the monastic community of Iona, as well as the overlord of scores of monasteries in both Scotland and Ireland, including Durrow, Kells and, for a time, Lindisfarne...
, and his kinsman, the High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
, Loingsech mac Óengusso
Loingsech mac Óengusso
Loingsech mac Óengusso was an Irish king who was High King of Ireland. Loingsech was a member of the northern Cenél Conaill branch of the Uí Néill...
. As well as being the site of a significant monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
, associated with Saint Brendan of Birr
Brendan of Birr
Saint Brendan of Birr was one of the early Irish monastic saints. He was a monk and later an abbot, of the 6th century. He was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.- Early life :...
, Birr was close to the boundary between the Uí Néill
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
-dominated Leth Cuinn, the northern half of Ireland, and the southern half, Leth Moga, where the Eóganachta
Eóganachta
The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta were an Irish dynasty centred around Cashel which dominated southern Ireland from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, and its offshoot Carbery, well into the 16th century...
kings of Munster
Kings of Munster
The name Munster is derived from the Gaelic God, Muman. The province of Munster was once divided into six regions: Tuadh Mhuman , Des Mhuman , Aur/Ur Mumhan , Iar mumhan or Iarmuman , Ernaibh Muman , and Deisi Muman...
ruled. In 827 it served as the site of a rígdal, a meeting of kings, between the Uí Néill High King Conchobar mac Donnchada
Conchobar mac Donnchada
Conchobar mac Donnchada was High-King of Ireland with opposition between 819 and 833. Conchobar was the son of Donnchad Midi, high-king of Ireland ; his mother was Fuirseach, a noblewoman of the Dál nAraidi. Conchobar married Land, daughter of the former High-King Áed Oirdnide...
and the powerful Eóganachta king Fedlimid mac Crimthainn. It therefore represented a form of neutral ground where the rival kings and clerics of north and south Ireland could meet without loss of face. Birr lay in the territory of the Éile
Éile
Éile, Éle or Éli, commonly anglicised Ely, was an ancient and medieval kingdom of northern Munster in Ireland.-Overview:They claimed descent from Céin , a possibly mythical or spurious younger son of Ailill Aulom and brother of Éogan Mór, and thus kinship with the Eóganachta...
.
Among the churchmen present, or sending representatives, were Flann Febla, bishop of Armagh and spiritual heir of Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
, the abbot of Emly
Emly
Emly or Emlybeg is a village in South Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Clanwilliam. It is also an Ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly....
, chief religious site of the Eóganachta, other bishops and abbots, learned men such as Muirchu moccu Machtheni
Muirchu moccu Machtheni
Muirchu moccu Machtheni , usually known simply as Muirchu, was a seventh-century Irish historian and Leinster monk.-Works:...
, author of a life
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
of Saint Patrick, and, from Britain the Pictish
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
bishop Curetán
Curetán
Saint Curetán was a Scoto-Pictish bishop and saint, whose floruit lay between 690 and 710. He is listed as one of the witnesses in the Cáin Adomnáin, where he is called "Curetan epscop"...
, and Adomnán and bishop Coeddi, both from Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
.
Further reading
- Ní Dhonnchadha, M., "The guarantor list of Cáin Adomnáin" in Peritia, volume 1 (1982), pp. 178–215.