Molana Abbey

Molana Abbey is a 6th-century Abbey located on the south coast of Ireland in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore, near Youghal. The abbey lies on an island in the River Blackwater. The monks of the monastery helped co-edit Collectio canonum Hibernensis in the 8th century. It came under the control of the Augustinian order in the 13th century before being seized by the English Crown during the Reformation and gradually falling into ruin.

The Irish name for the island is Dairinis, which can be translated as "Oak Island". Early Middle Ages text sources also use this name for the abbey. However, since there was another monastery island of that name in Wexford (the name of the founder Máel Anfaid was added to differentiate between the two). In later centuries, the old Irish name was dropped and only the founders name was used. The founders Irish name was later anglicized to Molana.

The monastery is located on a former river island in the Blackwater River, but was connected to the mainland in 1806 by the construction of two dams on the west side of the mainland. The site is only a few kilometers from the river mouth and the natural port of Youghal on the south coast of Ireland. The access to waterways in the early Middle Ages was of great importance as it gave easy access to travel to monasteries in Ireland, Britain and Brittany. It is thought the monks at Molana used currachs for this purpose. According to some traditions, it is known that a sea voyage in the early Christian period between Southern Ireland and Brittany could be completed in three days and nights.

A disciple of St. Carthage, called Máel Anfaid, founded the monastery on an island called Dair Inis on the River Blackwater in the sixth century. Little is known of the founder but it is thought he could have lived to at least 608 AD. The early monastery was recorded as having an extensive library including Greek Vulgate and African councils resolutions. Although it can also be assumed that, as with many other Irish monasteries, Molana was a victim of raids by Vikings, no such records of any attacks have survived. In particular, the prominent location near the mouth of the River Blackwater makes the chances of an attack even likelier.

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