convent was dedicated to
the Blessed Trinity. It is said there was a miraculous image of the
Blessed Virgin here, which brought great crowds of pilgrims. The feast
of the Porziuncula was kept here long after the abbey had fallen to
ruins, and the friars dispersed, and was known as the Abbey Day. Until
the last few years stations were held there regularly, on the 2nd of
October.

Clonmel Monastery was founded, about 1269, by the Desmonds; Drogheda, in
1240, by the Plunkets.

Some convents of Carmelite friars were also founded in the thirteenth
century, but as yet they have not been fortunate enough to obtain the
services of a historian, so that we can only briefly indicate the sites.
The Convent of Dublin, for White Friars, was founded by Sir Robert
Bagot, in 1274. The date of the establishment of the house at
Leighlin-bridge has not been ascertained; but it was probably erected by
the Carews, at the end of the reign of Henry III. There were also
convents at Ardee, Drogheda, Galway, Kildare, and Thurles. The Convent
of Kildare was the general seminary for the Order in Ireland; and one of
its friars, David O'Brege, is styled "the burning light, the mirror and
ornament of his country."

In 1248 the young men of Connaught inaugurated the periodical
rebellions, which a statesman of modern times has compared to the
dancing manias of the middle ages. Unfortunately for his comparison,
there was a cause for the one, and there was no cause for the other.
They acted unwisely, because there was not the remotest possibility of
success; and to rebel against an oppression which cannot be remedied,
only forges closer chains for the oppressed. But it can scarcely be
denied that their motive was a patriotic one. Felim's son, Hugh, was the
leader of the youthful band. In 1249 Maurice FitzGerald arrived to crush
the movement, or, in modern parlance, "to stamp it out"--not always a
successful process; for sparks are generally left after the most careful
stamping, which another method might effectually have quenched. Felim at
once fled the country. The English made his nephew, Turlough, ruler in
his place; but the following year Felim made a bold swoop down from the
Curlieus, expelled the intruder, and drove off a cattle prey. After this
proof of his determination and valour, the English made peace with him,
and permitted him to retain his own dominions without further
molestation. Florence MacCarthy was killed this year, and Brian O'Neil