Women Crusaders?

Kilberry near Athy is between the Bog of Allen and the River Barrow but you could pass through without seeing either or even noticing Kilberry itself.     

There is no pub, shop or cafe. Its history is in its fields and in one of those is old Kilberry church, more imposing than you might expect.

What caught my eye was its tall and sturdy tower. Obviously intended for more than a bell. What is its story?

All that is recorded of Baire who gives Kilberry (‘Cell of  Baire’) its name is that he died around the year 630. Anything he built is long gone.

The tower is a clue to what happened later. The ruin is from an abbey of the Knights Hospitallers (of Crusades fame) built on Baire’s site. Because of their Norman origins part of their role in Ireland was to help protect the Pale around Dublin. Hence strong walls and a tower.

However Kilberry is unusual.  In an 1837 Ordinance Survey map it is marked as a ‘nunnery’. Had the Hospitallers female as well as male members?

The Hospitallers were founded during the Crusades and invited women to join in taking care of the sick and wounded. The women had their own ‘nunnery’ some distance from the men to avoid any improper mixing. Those involved, both men and women, would have been of Norman descent. 

Kilberry is the first example of such a ‘nunnery’ I had seen in Ireland.  

From the time of St Brigid communities of women dedicated to personal improvement and service to others were not uncommon in Ireland.  They were also spiritual guides and educated foster children of promise.  This tradition continued until the Normans came with more strictly regulated and structured Orders. The new monastic style gradually replaced the old Irish way in the name of progress and ‘reform’. 

Today Kilberry is more known for its bogs. In 1947 a Peat Moss Factory was opened there to allow commercial activity in the bog to continue but environmental protests limited its use and its car park-sized loading areas are now empty. On the plus side the bog is now a popular habitat for wintering birds.

Now you can pass through Kilberry without noticing it. A revered hermit, Knight Hospitallers (women and men) and a peat industry have come and gone. Only its name remains unchanged, echoing part of our national story.