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March 20, 2006
AN TOSTAL SOUVENIR PROGRAMME 1953 - CHAPTER 10
Chapter 10 of the An Tostal Programme of 1953 is devoted to the Black Abbey at Tully.TULLY ABBEY
THE TEMPLARS who lived at Tully were monk soldiers organised to assist pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land and to protect the Places sacred to Christians which were in danger from the Mahommedan Infidels. Their first foundation was in the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem.
The order had four ranks of monks: the armour-clad warrior on horseback with lance and heavy sword; the foot soldier with bow and arrow; the farmer who tilled the land, and the chaplains who ministered to the spiritual wants of the brethren. All members had vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and wore a habit of white with a red cross on the left shoulder. The ensign of the order was a white flag with a black cross. Hence the Abbey was called ‘The Black Abbey.’
The house at Tully which signifies ‘a rising ground’ is dated from 1290 and lasted till its suppression by Henry VIII about the middle of the 16th century. It was an important commandery holding jurisdiction direct from the Pope. It was exempt from taxation and had the right of sanctuary; that is, lawbreakers who found shelter within its precincts could not be molested. It owned upwards of three hundred acres. The order was abolished in 1312 and its property transferred to the Knights of St. John, afterwards called the Knights of Malta. All the property of Tully was confiscated by the crown and the monks dispersed. The tradition for horse-breeding which the monks developed is still preserved close by in the famous National Stud.
About 400 yards north of the Abbey ruins, near Mr. Cashin’s house is St. John’s Well, and was much frequented by Kildare people and other pilgrims up to recent years.
[There is an error here. It was the Knights Hospitallers not the Templars who occupied Tully. The description however of their insignia and their habits is correct - Mario Corrigan]
Posted by mariocorrigan at March 20, 2006 09:51 PM