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                        THE IRISH PENNY JOURNAL.

        NUMBER 38.      SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1841.      VOLUME I.

[Illustration: HOLY-CROSS ABBEY, COUNTY OF TIPPERARY.]

In a recent number of our Journal we led our readers to the banks of that
beautiful river,

      “The gentle Shire, that, making way
    By sweet Clonmel, adorns rich Waterford;”

and we now return to it with pleasure to notice another of the beautiful
architectural remains of antiquity seated on its banks--the celebrated
Abbey of the Holy Cross. This noble monastic ruin is situated in the
barony of Eliogarty, county of Tipperary, three miles from Thurles, on
the road to Cashel, and seven miles north-east of the latter.

The origin as well as the name of this celebrated monastery is derived
from a piece of the holy cross for which it was erected as a fitting
depository. This relic, covered with gold and ornamented with precious
stones, was, as O’Halloran states, but without naming his authority,
a present from Pope Pascal II, in 1110, to Murtogh O’Brien, monarch
of Ireland, and grandson to Brian Boru, who determined to found a
monastery in its honour, but did not live to complete it. But, however
true this account may be as to the gift of the relic, there is every
reason to doubt it as far as the date of the foundation of the monastery
is concerned, which, as appears from the original charter still in
existence, was founded by Donald O’Brien, King of Limerick, the son of
the Murtogh above named, as late as the year 1182, at which time it was
richly endowed with lands for its support by its founder. These grants
were confirmed in 1186, by King John, then Lord of Ireland, who further
ordered that the monks of this abbey should enjoy all chartered liberties
and freedoms, as appears from the following record of the 20th Edward I.
A.D. 1320:--

“EDWARD, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke
of Aquitain, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting. Know
ye that brother Thomas, Abbot of the Church of Mary of the Holy Cross,
near Cashel, came into our Chancery of Ireland the day after the feast
of Michael the Archangel, in the 13th year of our reign, at Cashel, and
exhibited in our said Chancery a certain charter, not cancelled, nor in
any respect vitiated, under the seal of John, formerly Lord of Ireland
and Earl of Morton, in these words:

‘JOHN, Lord of Ireland and Earl of Morton, to all justices, barons, &c.,
as well French as English, Welsh and Irish, and all other liege men
of Ireland, greeting. Know ye, that, for the love of God, and for the
salvation of my own and the souls of my predecessors and successors, I
have granted and given, and by these presents do grant and give, to God
and the blessed Mary of the Holy Cross, and to the Cistertian Monks
serving God there, in free, pure, and perpetual alms, the under-written
lands, as fully and freely as Domuald O’Brien, King of Lymberick, gave
and granted, and by this charter confirmed to the Cistertian Monks of the
Holy Cross; to wit: Kelkaterlamunu, Ballydubal, Ballyidugin, Ballygirryr,
Ballymyoletobin, and Ballytheloth, Gardath, Ballaschelagh, Balythougal
et Ithologin. These lands I have given for the salvation of my soul, and
those of my predecessors and successors, and for the souls of my soldiers
who lie there, to enjoy peaceably, with all liberties and free customs,
without any secular exactions in fields, ways, forests, fisheries, &c. I
have also granted that they shall be free from all mulcts in my courts,
for what cause soever they shall be amerced, and also free of all toll
whatever; they shall sell or buy, for their own use, throughout my land
of Normandy, England, Wales, and Ireland; and that their lands be not put
in plevine.--Witnesses