in time he rose to become abbot of glendalough at the age of 26 in 1154. lorcán was a religious reformer. he wished that the irish church would reflect the universal church and strengthen the bonds between the irish church and rome. through his own example lorcán brought his spiritual renewal to the church in ireland and married the best in the gaelic monastic movement with the best in the frankish-european liturgical monastic movement. abbot lorcán began a spiritual renewal programme amongst the monks of the abbey bringing the gaelic abbey of glendalough in line with the frankish abbeys of continental europe. he invited the canons of st. augustine to come and assist in the reform of the abbey and he became a member of the augustinian order himself.