ST. LAURENCE O’TOOLE

LAURENCE 0’TOOLE Feast Day: November 14 th Place of Birth: Mullaghcreelan between Castledermot and Kilkea Year of Birth: 1128 Father: Murtagh O’Toole, chieftain of the southern half of present Co. Kildare, an area then called Hy Murray. Mother: Dervail O’Byrne, daughter of a local chieftain. Family: 8 children, one daughter and seven sons. Laurence was youngest son. Famous Relation: Mor, his sister married Dermot Mac Murrough, King of Leinster.

DERMOT MAC MURROUGH Dermot Mac Murrough was famous because he invited the Normans such as Strongbow to Ireland in Dermot was a large, violent, cruel, war loving man hated by strangers and feared by his own people.

LAURENCE’S YOUNG DAYS Maurice O’ Toole was not on friendly terms with Donagh O’Connor, chieftain of Offaly. To ensure both families got on well together, baby Laurence was sent to live with Donagh O’Connor and his family. This was an old Irish custom. It was known as Fosterage.

LAURENCE AS A HOSTAGE Laurence was 10 in His father, as only a local chieftain, had to obey Dermot Mac Murrough, King of Leinster. Dermot demanded a hostage from him. Maurice gave him his son Laurence as a hostage. For a time Laurence lived in Dermot’s castle, until the day his father refused to obey an order from Dermot. Then Laurence was forced to live in a dilapidated, leaky hut on only enough bread, greens and water to keep him alive for 2 years.

THE RESCUE Laurence was 12 in The Bishop of Glendalough helped Dermot and Laurence’s father to come to an agreement. Dermot agreed to exchange Laurence for 12 of his own soldiers who had been captured by Laurence’s father Maurice O’Toole. The exchange took place in Glendalough Monastery in Co. Wicklow. St. Kevin founded this monastery centuries earlier.

LAURENCE ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN In 1162 he was appointed Archbishop of Dublin. He oversaw the building of many churches, most importantly Christ Church Cathedral, He never ate meat and fasted every Friday on bread and water. Every day he fed 30 people at his table. Sometimes he had over 300 orphans to look after. He was a peacemaker, he tried to arrange peace between Irish, Vikings and Normans in Dublin.

THE NORMANS Remember Dermot Mc Murrough King of Leinster had asked Henry the Second King of England and Normandy (part of France) to send Normans like Strongbow to Ireland. Dermot wanted Henry to help him fight his great enemy Rory O’Connor High King of Ireland. He promised Strongbow his daughter Aoife in marriage and he would become King of Leinster when he died.

LAURENCE ABBOT OF GLENDALOUGH Maurice was so delighted to have Laurence back, he agreed to send one of his sons there to be educated. Laurence agreed to go to school in Glendalough. He later became a monk there. In 1158 he was elected Abbot of Glendalough by the monks. This meant he was in charge of the monastery. During a famine in that part of Wicklow, he fed the hungry who were starving. In the monastery, he had to run a school, orphanage and hospital.

THE NORMANS ATTACK DUBLIN In 1170 Dermot and Normans led by Strongbow attacked Dublin. Despite the presence nearby of the High King of Ireland Rory O’Connor with an army of 30,000 men, Dublin was captured by the Normans. Laurence rallied the people in vain to resist the Normans. He pleaded with the Normans to have pity on the people of Dublin. Despite his efforts, 700 men, women and children were slaughtered.

THE IRISH ATTEMPT TO RECAPTURE DUBLIN Rory O’Connor High King of Ireland joins forces with other Irish chieftains and attacks the Normans in Dublin. Laurence O’Toole is said to have organised this. The Normans in Dublin sent him to negotiate peace with Rory. Rory with his large army was in no mood to negotiate. Alas 600 Normans launched a surprise attack on the Irish and drove his pooly armed soldiers into headlong flight. Strongbow and the Normans kept control of Dublin. Rory O’Connor was the last Ard Ri na hEireann High King of Ireland.

THE GOOD OF HIS PEOPLE Laurence saw that the Normans could not be defeated. When Henry the 2nd came to Dublin in 1171 Laurence accepted him as his overlord. On Christmas Day 1171 Henry attended mass in Christ Church Cathedral.

VISIT TO CANTERBURY IN ENGLAND In 1175 he went to Canterbury to meet Henry. As he was offering mass in Canterbury, a maniac, who had heard of his piety (holiness), wanted to make a martyr of St Laurence. He smashed him in the head with a heavy stick. Everyone present concluded he was dead. But he came around a short while later and asked for a bowl of water which he blessed and asked that his wounds be washed with it. The blood stopped immediately and he got up and said mass. When he died 5 years later in France, the fracture was to be seen in his neck.

VISIT TO ROME In 1179 St. Laurence and six other Irish bishops went to Rome. He met Pope Alexander the 3rd. He gave the Pope an account of the state of affairs in Ireland. The Pope appointed him Papal Legate in Ireland.

HIS FINAL DAYS In 1180 Laurence went to England to see Henry. Rory O’Connor the last High King of Ireland, asked him to settle a dispute between him and Henry 2nd. Henry refused to meet him and took himself off to Normandy in France. For three weeks Laurence waited in England for Henry to return, but in vain. Laurence decided to follow him to France. In France he contracted a fever. He kept travelling until he came to the Abbey of Eu. Here after three days, he died on Friday 14 th November. He was just 52. Laurence was buried at Eu.

REMINDERS OF LAURENCE IN CASTLDERMOT A panel in the rose window in the Church of the Assumption, Castledermot. A stained glass window in Kilkea Church which also comemmorates the saint. Levitstown Church is dedicated to Saint Laurence.

SOUTH KILDARE (HY-MURRAY) AFTER LAURENCE’S DEATH. Strongbow granted the territory of Hy-Murray to Walter de Riddlesford, one of his knights, Strongbow, perhaps, considered he had a right to this district. His wife Aoife was grand-daughter of O’Toole, and niece of St. Laurence O’Toole.