Macalister — The Historif and Antiquities of Tnis Cealtra. 109 



condition of the standing crosses, indicate all too clearly that the island 

 suffered ravages at the Eeformation comparable with those that it had 

 suffered six or seven hundred years before at the hands of the Vikings. The 

 churches were probably unroofed at this time, for soon after we find them 

 reported as being in ruin. In the Royal Visitation of the Diocese of Killaloe' 

 we find " Eectoria unpropriata, Eichardus Boyle miles ffirmarius, Vicaria de 

 eadem vacat pwrvi valoris, Ecclto'ia et Cancella ruinantur." Already, how- 

 ever, it had become a place of refuge for the adlierents of the ancient faith. 

 Sir Arthur Chichester, writing to the Privy Council, in a letter dated 4 July 

 1609,- complaius that " the Jesuits and priests from abroad have flocked 

 hither of late in greater numbers than has at any time heretofore been 

 observed. The most eager and stirring of them usually come and go hence 

 with the swallow, making a yearly revenue here of poor and rich with their 

 indulgences, pardons, and other Eomish illusions (such as he thinks no other 

 nation in Christendom are abused withal besides this) ; and keep in life the 

 pai'ty of ill subjects with feigned remonstrances of matters of state, 

 intelligence, and news. Herewith they ha\'e an excellent faculty, but very 

 dangerous to the state, that they can at any time (without his being able to 

 prevent them, and even to hear of them until it has been done and past) 

 assemble together an incredible number of people to receive absolutions and 

 pardons, specially the idle sort of malefactors. There is not one, from the 

 murderer of his brother to Mm that steals a goat, but believes in them, and 

 Hocks to them, and will make a conscience to cherish and protect them from 

 officers, if any be so honest and dutiful as to offer to attach them. At a place 

 called Minahinche, in the borders of the county of Tipperary, the week before 

 Easter last, and since at another place called Inishgaltafihe^ in Connaught, an 

 island near the Shannon side, there were gathered together in each place to the 

 number of at least 15,000 persons, and some say there were many more." 



With this accords the " Loyal Answer " of Bishop John Eider, 1622.* 

 From this document we learn several facts of interest with regard to the 

 position of the island and its chui'ches imder the reformed dispensation. 

 The prebend of "Enniskalty" — we once more detect the "Oxford manner" 

 in the good bishop's orthography — to which the rectory of the island 



' Printed in Dwyer's " History of Killaloe," p. 89. I have however here given the 

 original Latin from the transcript in sis. R.I. A. 23 F 1, p. 208. 



2 Cal. State Papers, p. 240. 



^ Even already the English ear is becoming deaf to the letter r ! 



* Dwyer, op. cit., p. 101. The original document being inaccessible to me, I rely here 

 on Dwyer's copy. The Record Office possesses a transcript, apparently not quite 

 accurate. 



Btl.A. PROC. VOL. XXXIII., SECT, C. [17] 



