St. Bronagh was a virgin of Glen Seich desertum. She set up a religious settlement in the 6th. century near Rostrevor where the ruins of an ancient church called after her are in the old graveyard of Kilbroney. Her convent was erected to help sailors cast up on the beach by a cruel sea. She is referred to in O'Cleary's Calendar of Irish Saints. Her feast day is 2nd April.
A drive along the back road through the Mournes brought me to the lovely village of Rostrevor, home of Saint Bronagh. My first port of call was the Benedictine Monastery of the Holy Cross set in the spectacular Kilbroney Valley. Kilbroney is an anglicization of Cill Bronaigh or Bronagh's Church, and the presence of this saint is everywhere, despite the fact that no Vita exists and she has left no other traces in the historical record. The small Benedictine community at the new monastery is mostly made up of monks from the French monastery of Bec.
A short distance from the monastery is the old graveyard which houses the ruins of Saint Bronagh's church, Saint Bronagh's Cross, plus a shrine and a holy well. There were a few local people in the graveyard tending to their family plots and I thought, with both the natural beauty of the area and the presence of the local saint, that it would be a wonderful place in which to rest and await the resurrection. Although not a great deal seems to have been recorded about Saint Bronagh, her feast day is given in the Irish calendars at 2nd April. Her church does appear in later medieval records which mentions the lands, tithes and dues which were administered by the holder of the office of Saint Bronagh's baculus or staff. This relic is now sadly lost, although another relic has survived - Saint Bronagh's Bell. This bell turned up between a wall and a tree which was blown down in a storm in 1855, it was possibly hidden away during the penal days. It is now on display in the local Catholic church in Rostrevor and a small hammer is even provided for it to be struck. I always appreciate being able to interact with relics like this in their natural setting rather than viewing them purely as museum exhibits.
There is a cross in the graveyard, close to the ruins of the church. It is much weathered but still possible to trace the interlacing decoration.
The church itself was closed and labelled as a dangerous building, I hope some restoration work might be carried out to make it accessible.
The shrine to Saint Bronagh was erected in 1938 by the then parish priest. The statue is beautiful and to the left of it a colony of wasps had made their nest. Normally, I would be reluctant to go anywhere near a wasps' nest but in this setting, the insects were completely quiet and buzzed around Saint Bronagh's home without causing any problem.
Saint Bronagh's bell. I think until quite recently it was openly on display on the altar of the church, but now resides in this protective case. It is, however, still quite easy to strike the bell through the bars, and I did so three times, using the small hammer provided for the purpose. It had the most marvellous sweet and true sound.
I also enjoyed the stained glass window in the church which depicts Saint Bronagh in the company of the ancient Saints Patrick, Brigid, Colman and of the later medieval Irish martyrs Oliver Plunkett and Margaret Ball. Saint Bronagh herself is depicted with both the baculus and the bell, even though the bell on display in the church is a few centuries later than the 6th-century saint.
Michele Ainley
http://brigid-undertheoak.blogspot.com/2009/07/on-holiday-with-irish-saints-iii-saint.html
Holy Week
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