The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1963, Page 15

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
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most profound influence on the
politics and the culture of the world.
They led mankind along what Chinese
philosophy calls ‘The way of life’. It
is to them that we owe the organization
of society and the development of
learning. From the beginning they in-
stinctively divided the zones of in-
fluence; that of the Greeks was south-
eastern Europe, Asia Minor and the
shores of the Mediterranean; that of
the Celts was all central and western
Europe.”
The love of learning has generally
been characteristic of the Irish race.
In referring to Ireland in the middle
ages, this is recorded in the Encyclo-
paedia: “The love of literature of the
traditional type, in song, in poem and
in saga was more universal in Ireland
than in any other country in Western
Europe. In the eighth and ninth cen-
turies the scholars of Ireland were
among the most distinguished at the
courts of kings, especially that of
Charlemagne. Ireland was called, ‘The
Island of Saints and scholars.’ For two
centuries, the seventh and eighth, Ire-
land was the university of western
Europe.”
Dr. Samuel Johnson, the great Eng-
lish author, called Ireland in the mid-
dle ages, “The school of the west, the
quiet habitation of sanctity and liter-
ature.” The author of Faerie Queene,
Edmund Spenser (1552-1599), who was
well acquainted with conditions in
Ireland, as he had lived there for many
years, says in his book, View Of The
State Of Ireland: “Ireland had the use
of letters very anciently and long be-
fore England.”
The Ancient Schools
A great number of monastery schools
were founded in Ireland, from the
middle of the fifth century, and flour-
ished all over the country. The oldest,
and at the same time one of the most
famous school was founded at Armagh
A.D. 450. Towards the end of the fifth
century A.D. and during the follow-
ing centuries, several colleges were
established, the most celebrated being
Noendrum, founded by St. Muchua;
Louth, by St. Moctha; and Kildare, by
St. Brigit. Clonfert was founded by
Brendan, the “navigator”; Clonard,
was founded by St. Finnian, in 520;
Clonmacnois was founded in 544 by St.
Ciaran. Owing to its situation in
the centre of Ireland and its enjoyment
of political freedom, Clonmacnois be-
came practically a national university
with which many of /the most important
chiefs, such as the O’Connors, the
McDermots and the MacCarthys main-
tained close connection. Bangor was
founded by St. Comgall; Glendalough,
by St. Kevin, in the sixth century, and
Lismore, near Waterford, was founded
by St. Carthage, in the seventh cen-
tury. Students crowded there from
Wales and Britain, Germany and Italy.
At Clonfert, on the Shannon, St. Bren-
dan gathered around him three thou-
sand students, as had done St. Finnian.
Still another monastery school was
founded in the lower Lake Killarney
district, the school of Yusin Drecain,
which was a lay school of general liter-
ature, or as we should say, a school of
arts rather .than of scripture and the-
ology. The last school that should be
mentioned is Iniscaltra, which is locat-
ed on an enchanting island in Lower
Dreg, between Galway and Clare. It
was founded by St. Columba, who was
succeeded by Comin, the writer of
philosophical studies.
St. Columba (521-597), established a
monostery and school on the holy is-
land of Iona, about 563 A.D. In his
time the world’s largest library was
located there and students from many
lands gathered there. Lindisfame, .the