Athassel Priory and the Cult of St Edmund in Medieval Ireland, by Francis Young

While the cult of the East Anglian martyred king Edmund (d. 869) has been amply explored in its English and Scandinavian contexts, little attention has been paid to its manifestation in medieval Ireland, an omission now remedied by Francis Young’s study. Although there is some slight evidence that the cult of St Edmund might have been introduced into Hiberno-Norse Dublin through Scandinavian connections, pre-eminently it was associated with English settlers from the late twelfth century onwards and it remained very much confined within that community. The most significant manifestation was the foundation of the Augustinian priory of Athassel (co. Tipperary) by William de Burgh (d. 1206), a minor landholder who hailed from Burgh (Norfolk) and accompanied John, son of Henry II, to Ireland in 1185; William secured extensive speculative grants of land in North Munster, leading to the establishment of the de Burghs, later Burkes, as one of the most...

Ancient history · Archaeology · Cult · Classics · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · Historical Studies of British Isles · History · Medieval Literature and History