Above: Painting of Saint Dominic

For a long period was almost exclusively monastic. The monasteries were governed by rules that had in many cases been handed down from their founders. Thus reference is made in ancient documents to the rules of St. Ailbe of Emly, St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, St. Comghall of Bangor and St. Carthach of Lismore. These rules were not similar to the set body of rules which were afterwards drawn up for the regulations of great religious orders like the Benedictines and the Dominicans, but were a number of pious practices derived from the precept or example of the first Abbot. In all of these rules the three virtues most strongly commanded are obedience, poverty, and chastity.

Every member of the community had to yield the most implicit obedience to the commands of the Abbot. To hold riches in contempt and to denude oneself of all worldly possessions was regarded as the first perfection of a monk. The rule of St. Columcille prescribes absolute nakedness from worldly goods in imitation of Christ. The life of the community was conceived as a warfare; they regarded themselves as the soldiers of Christ, and therefore divorced themselves from earthly interests. They were also required to be chaste in thought, word, and work.

Above: The Map of Lismore

The rule of St. Columbanus provides that silence, ” which is the practice of justice,” must be carefully preserved at every task and in every place. The tongue was regarded as a source of sin, and therefore the monks must only speak when absolutely necessary, and the Abbot in giving his orders was to be brief and to the point. Humility was another virtue strongly insisted upon and the rule of St. Carthach of Lismore requires the monk to live in humility towards all, showing to everyone ” devotion, humility, and enslavement.”