MALACHY (MÁEL-MÁEDÓIC)Irish sources as Máel-Máedóic Ua Morgair, Malachy
was born in Armagh in 1095. He was the son of
Mugrón Ua Morgair, a man of learning and head of
the monastic school (aird-fher leighind) of Armagh,
who died in Mungret in 1102. From a young age he
came under the influence of the ascetic Ímar Ua
hAedacáin, the founder of the monastery of St. Peter
and St. Paul in Armagh and was just ten years old when
the new coarb of Patrick (i. e., the abbot of Armagh),
Cellach, joined the reform movement, just then gaining
ground in the Irish church. His formation, therefore,
took place at a very critical time for the church in
Ireland, and he was in a position to observe it at close
quarters. In fact, he soon came to the attention of
Cellach, who ordained him deacon around 1118 and
priest one year later. Obviously impressed by Malachy’s
qualities, Cellach appointed him as his vicar at Armagh
while he (Cellach) was in Dublin for a period from
1121 pursuing the aims of the newly formed church
hierarchy. During this vicariate he is said to have vig-
orously pursued reforms, reinstituting sacraments
which had lapsed, and establishing, in particular, the
customs of the Roman church. On Cellach’s return, he
went to Lismore to acquaint himself with the practices
of the universal church; Máel Ísa Ua hAinmire, one of
the main architects of reform whom Cellach had met
at the synod of Raith Bressail, was bishop there and
had previously been a Benedictine monk at Winchester
in England. After his training, he was recalled to
Armagh because his uncle, then coarb of Bangor,
wished to retire and hand over that monastery to
Malachy in order that he might restore it to its former
glory. On the instructions of his mentor, Ímar, he took
with him ten of Ímar’s monks and began his task; one
of these monks was Máel Ísa, brother of the first abbot
of Mellifont and later papal legate, Gille Críst Ua
Connairche. In 1124, Malachy was consecrated bishop
but it is not clear which diocese he ruled; Connor,
according to St. Bernard, but he continued to govern
Bangor, which is in the diocese of Down—perhaps he
ruled both. An outbreak of violence in 1127 saw him
and a group of his monks flee to Lismore, a setback
he turned to advantage by founding a new monastery,
the location of which is disputed (monasterium
Ibracense).
Malachy and the Primacy
Shortly before he died in 1129, Cellach nominated
Malachy as his successor. Cellach would have been
well aware that this nomination would meet resistance
in Armagh because it represented a major break in
tradition in that Malachy did not belong to the family
that had controlled the abbacy of Armagh since the
middle of the tenth century. For this reason he laid
responsibility specifically on the two kings of Munster
to help Malachy take up his new office. Immediately
after Cellach’s death, a member of the traditional rul-
ing family, Muirchertach, was installed as the coarb of
Patrick. As a result, Malachy was reluctant to take up
his appointment, as he knew this would be violently
resisted. For the reformers this was an intolerable sit-
uation, as it was essential that Armagh, the seat of the
primate, should remain in the possession of a reformer.
Because of this, those two stalwarts of reform, the
papal legate Gille and Máel Ísa Ua hAinmire, both of
whom, along with Cellach, had signed the decrees of
Raith Bressail, strongly urged him to take up his position;
he continued to be indecisive however. Finally, in
1132, after three years of unsuccessful persuasion, they
called together an assembly of bishops and lay princes
to add strength to their urging, saying that they were
prepared to use force if necessary. Eventually Malachy
relented, but he did not enter the city (Armagh) at this
stage; for two years he carried out his episcopal duties
from outside while Muirchertach remained within.
When a new coarb succeeded Muirchertach in 1134,
Malachy’s supporters acted; they forcefully but suc-
cessfully installed him in the city, despite the resistance
met. Armagh was finally in the possession of the
reformers, but it was an uneasy possession. Because
of this, Malachy devised a strategy; he would resign
in favor of a candidate who would be acceptable to
both the reformers and the local power, the Cenél
nEógain. The candidate chosen was Gilla Mac Liac.
The office of bishop and coarb was now successfully
merged and protection was assured. Malachy was free
to pursue reform at a different level.Malachy the Church Reformer
In 1139/1140, Malachy traveled to Rome to get papal
approval for the decisions made earlier at Raith Bressail.
The pope received him well and questioned him
closely about the church in Ireland; as a result he
decided that the time was not yet ripe for the granting
of his approval. Appointing him papal legate, he
advised Malachy to return home, call general council,
get the agreement of all, and at that stage seek papal
approval. Back in Ireland, Malachy set about getting
the agreement of all. Because Dublin had remained out-
side the structure agreed at Raith Bressail, and because
the interests of the king of Connacht, Tairrdelbach
UaConchobair (now king of Ireland), had to be
accommodated, some compromises had to be made.
Weknow very little about his negotiations, but in 1148
a synod was held on Saint Patrick’s island. It would
appear that agreement was reached there; as a result,
Malachy was sent by the synod to the pope to get his
approval. However, he never got to meet the pope, but