Kilfenora

Kilfenora (Irish: Cill Fhionnúrach, meaning Church of the Fertile hillside or Church of the White brow) is a small village in County Clare in Ireland, just south of The Burren. It is situated at the southern tip of the Burren. It supposedly derives its name from its location, the church of the fertile hillside, although another explanation for the name is given in Cill Fionn abhrach, the church of the white brow or meadow. The official Irish name, as used on the roadsigns, is Cill Fhionnurach but no such person as a St. Fionnuir has ever been associated with Kilfenora. Other names for the town or diocese were Fenebore, Kilfenoragh, Finneborensis, and Collumabrach.

History

Kilfenora was the site of an important early monastic settlement. St. Fachtna founded an Abbey here in the 6th century. Kilfenora gained the title "City of the Crosses", a reference to the High Crosses within or near the precincts of the cathedral.

Religion

The Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111 ignored Kilfenora's claim to separate episcopal government. This rejection briefly united the O'Connor and O'Loghlen clans whose chieftains preferred to maintain their own independent bishopric rather than submit ecclesiastically to the O'Brien dominated diocese of Killaloe. In 1152 the Synod of Kells, under Cardinal Paparo, recognised the diocese of Kilfenora as a separate entity.

Kilfenora was among the most important dioceses in Ireland at one stage but by the late mediaeval period it had fallen on hard times and the diocese was regarded as one of the most impoverished in the country. The first Protestant bishops were appointed in Ireland in 1541 but Kilfenora was not an attractive appointment. In 1628 Dr. Richard Betts was nominated by Charles 1 as bishop but he declined the position, stating that he had "no wish to become bishop of the poorest see in Ireland". His predecessor, Richard Murray, had been fortunate in obtaining a translation in 1627 to Llandaff, the poorest see in the then Church of England. Within the Church of Ireland jurisdiction and no longer able to maintain its independence, Kilfenora was united in turn to the Protestant diocese of Limerick from 1606-1607, Tuam from 1617-1742, Clonfert from 1742-1752, Killaloe from 1752-1976 and reunited to Limerick diocese in 1976. The diocese was described by Lord Stafford in 1638 as "being not worth above four score pounds to the last man." The diocese consisted of the baronies of Corcomroe and Burren and was the smallest in Ireland.

The Bishops of Kilfenora

The last Catholic bishop of the diocese was James Augustine O'Daly who died in France in 1749. In 1750 the Catholic church united Kilfenora with Kilmacduagh and in 1883 both dioceses were united with the relatively new diocese of Galway. The pope is the bishop of Kilfenora diocese, and the bishop of Galway is the Apostolic Administrator. To this day, the official title for prelate in the see of Galway is Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora.

Till we meet,
Slan agus beannacht!