The Apparitions and Miracles at Knock; also, the Official Depositions of the Eye-witnesses

i8
ing to Lewis, it is a market town, situate in the parish Of
Annagh, diocese of Tuam, barony of Costello. Mayo is
divided into nine baronial districts, two of which—Clan-
morris and Costello—lie at the south-eastern boundary
bordering on Roscommon county. A monastery of Augus-
tinian Friars was founded here in the year 13 12, and largely
endowed by the family of Nagle, who took the name of
Costello, or MacCostello. It nourished till the reign of
James I. In the year 1641, the friars gained possession of
their old home, and rebuilt portions of the ruined edifice.
Again, after a score of years, they were obliged to fly. They
continued to dwell amongst the people, for priests in Ireland
at that period were obliged to hide from the view of any
Government official, and to abide for three months or twelve
months in one house, and then to seek a change of habita
tion, lest their presence in a town or village should become
publicly known. The friars administered to the spiritual
wants of the faithful, celebrating Mass, whenever possible, in
the ruined cloisters of their monastery. Some fifty-five years
ago they began again to rebuild the broken walls of their
church and convent. They possessed by right over one
hundred and fifty acres of land, bestowed by the Barons
MacCostellos, in times past, on the community. This pro
perty the grandfather of the present Viscount Dillon took
to himself at the end of the century just passed, and with
much seeming kindness gave the friars, with a lease for ever,
at a shilling an acre, twelve acres of their own land, keeping
in his own right as lord of the territory around the rest of
the fee-farm, which really belonged to the good religious,
but to which the English law gave them no title, or rather to
which it disentitled them. At the present time the prior and
his brethren in religion are in possession of a neat church
and of a very substantial establishment suited to a small
"