Timoleague chalice

I was reading Damien Enright’s feature (March 17, Irish Examiner) on walking in Timoleague.

The National Museum, Collins Barracks, Dublin, has a display of medieval Franciscan chalices, including the chalice from Timoleague Friary. I spoke with the former director of medieval silver, to ‘fill him in’ on the history of the Timoleague chalice after the burning of Timoleague Friary in 1642. Some friars escaped by rowboat heading west; they were rescued by some fishermen from Cape Clear, where they left a box with instructions that it not to be opened as they would return, but never did.

In 1855, the parish priest was visiting Cape, and spotting the box, enquired as to its history and to what it contained; as the family were instructed to by the friars, it was never opened in over 200 hundred years. So the priest gave instructions to open it; it contained the remains of vestments, but also the chalice. I did ask that maybe an acknowledgement to the people of Cape could be attached to the display.

In the Glucksman in UCC is the Book of Lismore compiled in Timoleague Friary, and discovered in Lismore castle, the property of the Duke of Devonshire, whose family has cared for it. Could not the Book of Lismore and the Timoleague chalice be reunited in the Cork museum, on loan?

Pat Kelly

Blackrock

Cork