Ardagh

Ardagh is an old church settlement in the country of the O'Farrells of Annaly. Tradition credits Saint Mel with founding its monastery, and the church reforms of the twelfth century made it the seat of a diocese. Its ecclesiastical rank outlasted the prosperity of the settlement itself. When Bishop William O'Farrell died in 1516, Ardagh was said to consist of only four wooden houses, and the cathedral had been so badly damaged that Mass was celebrated outdoors. The modest place retained the memory of a much larger religious centre.