there. But it was also significant in that it is the first
indication we have of Ua Briain’s changed strategy
in relation to church reform at the beginning of the
twelfth century. Henceforward, he would pursue a
course that would see that reform carried out within
a purely Irish context only, with no place in it for
Canterbury.
MARTIN HOLLAND
References and Further Reading
Gwynn, A. The Irish Church in the Eleventh and Twelfth Cen-
turies, edited by Gerard O’ Brien. Dublin: Four Courts Press,
1992.
Hughes, K. The church in early Irish society.London: Methuen,
1966.
Gwynn, A. The Ttwelfth-Century Reform,A history of Irish
catholicism II. Dublin & Sydney: Gill and Son, 1968.
Watt, J. The Church in Medieval Ireland. 2nd ed. Dublin: Uni-
versity College Dublin Press, 1998.
Holland, Martin. “Dublin and the reform of the Irish church in
the eleventh and twelfth centuries.” Peritia: Journal of the
Medieval Academy of Ireland14 (2000): 111–160.
See alsoChurch Reform, Twelfth Century; Ráith
Bressail, Synod of; Ua Briain, Muirchertach
CASHEL, SYNOD OF II (1172)
Twenty years after the synod of Kells had received
papal confirmation for the new organizational structure
for the church in Ireland, another synod took place at
Cashel. This, however, was a synod of a different kind;
it assembled at the request of King Henry II of
England, shortly after his arrival in Ireland on October
17, 1171. He first went to Lismore, the see of Gilla-
Críst Ua Connairche, then papal legate in Ireland.
Afterward he proceeded via Cashel to Dublin, and
thus had the opportunity to meet two archbishops,
Donnchad Ua hUallacháin (Cashel) and Lorcán Ua
Tuathail (Dublin). Through these contacts arrange-
ments were put in place for a synod to meet at Cashel
soon afterward.
Wehave to rely on non-Irish sources, in particular
Giraldus Cambrensis, for information on the synod,
as the Irish annals curiously ignore it. This may have
a bearing on how it has come to be interpreted by
historians. We are told that the papal legate, Gilla-
Críst, presided, and the archbishops of Cashel, Dublin,
and Tuam (Cadla Ua Dubthaig)—together with the
bishops of their provinces, other bishops, and
clergy—attended. Due to age and infirmity, the arch-
bishop of Armagh, Gilla-Meic-Liac, was not present,
but he later gave his consent to its decisions. Henry II
apparently did not attend and was represented instead
by Ralph, abbot of Buildwas; Ralph, archdeacon of
Llandaff; Nicholas, the king’s chaplain; and other
royal officers.
The decrees enacted were:- the laity to repudiate spouses related to them by
kinship or marriage and to adopt lawful marriage
contracts; - infants to be catechised before the doors of the
church and baptised in consecrated fonts in bap-
tismal churches; - parishioners to pay tithes of animals, crops, and
other produce to their own church; - church property to be free from all exactions
made by secular magnates; - clerics, whose kinsmen are obliged to contribute
to composition payments, to be exempt from such
contributions; - all the faithful, in their final illness, to make a
will in the presence of their confessor and neigh-
bors in the manner specified; - those who die after a good confession to receive
their due in terms of masses, vigils, and manner
of burial.
It was also decided that in Ireland, all matters relating
to religion were to follow the observances of the
English church. Some have interpreted this as referring
to liturgical practices only; others see it as encompass-
ing more, and therefore being much more fundamental,
especially since it is claimed that the Irish bishops
swore fealty to Henry at around this time. Given the
absence of Irish sources it is difficult to be sure what
the position of the Irish bishops was, either collec-
tively or individually, although we know that they had
communicated concerns about the state of the Irish
church to Pope Alexander III. But from Henry’s point of
view, the synod was a diplomatic success. He was able,
St. Patrick’s Rock, Cashel, Co. Tipperary. © Department of the
Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dublin.CASHEL, SYNOD OF I (1101)