Lecture about medieval parishes of Westmeath

Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society’s next lecture will be delivered at the Greville Arms Hotel, Mullingar on Wednesday next, February 12 at 7.30pm by Dr Rory Masterson, and examines the origin and organisation of the medieval parishes of Westmeath.

The development of parishes in large parts of Ireland is linked to the Anglo-Norman conquest and settlement, and their size and organisation reflects the aspirations and needs of these colonists.

Parishes and their associated churches and chapels are, in a sense, the Cinderella of medieval religious studies. Monasteries and priories, with their more spectacular ruins and more abundant sources relating to their history, have always attracted greater attention from both historians and archaeologists. But for the bulk of the people of medieval times parishes and in particular their parish church or chapel were of much greater importance.

It was in here that all the great events of their lives, baptism marriage and burial, took place. Indeed burials continued in their graveyards until well into the twentieth century showing the reverence with which they were still held.

The dissolution of the monasteries was to have a dramatic effort on the parish churches and was a major contributing factor in their eventual demise as centres of religious services.

This paper by Finea native Dr Masterson, who holds a PhD in History from Maynooth University, will examine how and why this came about and why they were left to become the ivy clad ruins that we see today.