Jerpoint Abbey

Continuing on the freakish theme one more day, I've been wanting to visit Jerpoint Abbey for a few months now - ever since my last visit to Kilkenny in November. Why? To see the grave of St. Nicholas. Who wouldn't want to see that?

So Beth, RJ and I stop at Jerpoint Abbey, just outside of Thomastown, on our way from Kilkenny to New Ross on Sunday. We have a little lunch, pay our 3 Euro for admission and begin walking around. What I found were some absolutely beautiful ruins of an abbey that served as an Irish-Norman launch point for the crusades. What I didn't find, was St. Nicholas' grave. I soon learned that the supposed grave is located on private property just west of the abbey.

Legend has it that a band of Irish-Norman knights returned from the Crusades having seized St. Nicholas' remains and buried them in the Church of St. Nicholas in the town of Newton Jerpoint. The church and the town are now in ruins, but apparently the grave still remains. You can find a better account of it here.

I was not in the mood to knock on a stranger's door and ask him if I could see St. Nicholas' grave, so we packed up and headed on down to the land of the Kennedy's in New Ross. However, Jerpoint Abbey was quite a site to see. And at 3 Euro, it is a bargain for what you get. If you find yourself in Kilkenny, take the scenic drive down the R700 towards Thomastown and see the abbey. Here are a couple more pictures.

So You Want Freakish?

Wally made a comment that I was "like our very own history channel...but slightly more freakish." So I thought I would present you with freakish. A few weeks ago when I was touring around County Meath, I stopped at St. Peter's Cathedral in Drogheda. Why did I do this? Please see the accompanying picture.

That is the 300 year-old decapitated head of St. Oliver Plunkett. Where else are you going to see a shrine to a saint that includes his/her actual head? So I took a knee, said a prayer for Kiowa (who we put down the day before), bought the all-inclusive book on St. Oliver Plunkett, made the sign of the cross, then left. There weren't any signs keeping me from taking pictures, but I didn't feel comfortable doing it, so this picture is from the Archdiocese of Armagh website.

So who exactly is St. Oliver Plunkett? No he didn't play quarterback for the Oakland Raiders (that would be Jim Plunkett) St. Oliver was, in fact, the Archbishop of Armagh who went into hiding in 1673 due to religious persecution of Catholicism.

St. Oliver was eventually captured. Local courts failed to prosecute him of any crimes, so he was sent to London where perjured witnesses could be brought to testify against him. He wasn't given time to sail his witnesses from Ireland over to London and was thus convicted of treason. He maintained his innocence and refused to save his own life by perjuring himself against other priests.

He was hung, drawn and quartered (think of William Wallace's death sentence from Braveheart) on July 1, 1681. He was canonized as a Saint in 1975.

So though this shrine may seem freakish, it puts into perspective the freedoms that most of us enjoy. Thank the good Lord, or whatever deity you choose to believe in that you have the freedom to practice (or not practice) your religion of choice. Things were different in times past, in fact, they're different in times present in some countries.