A story that will always be associated with Mungret is that of ‘The Wise Women of Mungret’ who beat the monks of Lismore in a scholarly competition. More on that later.
Today the historic Mungret site is ‘embedded’ in suburban Limerick but can still impress. What started in the early 400s with a group of domed huts grew into a university city. As many as 1,500 students once lived there with six churches and buildings for accommodation, study, manuscript transcription and support industries.
Of the six churches, the remains of three are still prominent. The ‘Old Church’ was built abut 800. The bigger ‘St Nessan’s Church’, beside the mainroad, is pre-Norman (1100) and the later Norman influence can be seen in the substantial Abbey from 1260.
Nessan, who started it all, is said to have been a disciple of Ailbe (known in Wales as Elvis), regarded as active in Munster before Patrick got there. Nessan was also known as ‘the Deacon’ suggestion he was respected more for his life than his rank.
The man who put Mungret ‘on the map’ was Manchin, a successor of Nessan. His name, Manchin or Munchn, is said to mean ‘little monk’ but if that refers to his height it did not limit his impact. Beside his scholarly and spiritual legacy he is known for cursing the natives of Limerick, saying that there ‘the stranger would flourish and the native would perish’. Why he did this is unclear and whether he was right only the locals can debate.
As to the ‘Wise Women of Mungret’, a learned contest had been arranged between the famous monastic schools of Mungret and Lismore. The monks of Mungret, not wishing to lose, devised a plan to intimidate the opposition. On the day of the contest a number of them dressed up as women and began washing clothes at a ford the visiting monks would have to cross. One of the visitors asked a washerwoman for directions to the monastery in Irish and the 'washerwoman' replied in flawless Latin. A second 'washerwoman' gave more information in flawless Greek. The monks decided that if the washerwomen were so proficient in Greek and Latin, then the learned scholars of the monastery would surely defeat them in the contest. They returned home, leaving Mungret unchallenged.
Two local institutes later took up this tradition of learning: Mungret College run by the Jesuits (until it closed in 1974) and St Munchin’s still run by Limerick Diocese. Both were for boys but when Mungret College closed it was succeeded by Mungret Community School which is co-ed. The tradition of ‘the Wise Women of Mungret’ is kept alive.
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