St. Abban

St. Abban

St. Abban is the patron saint of Adamstown.  He was born in County Meath in the sixth Century.  Born a prince, he was the son of Cormac, King of Leinster. His mother Miolla was the sister of St. Ibar.
St. Ibar , considered the apostle of Wexford, founded a Monastery in Beig-Eirinn  (Little Ireland) on the northern side of Wexford Harbour . In his youth, St. Abban  was sent to his uncles monastery to study . St. Abban went on to establish a monastery in Magheranoidhe, subsequently known as “Abbanstown”  now Adamstown. He also founded numerous churches and monasteries throughout the Country. His feast day falls on October 27th  and is traditionally associated with the Patron.

St. Abban’s Church, Graveyard & Cross
The present Church which is dedicated to St. Abban was built in the year 1835.  Rev. Peter Sinnott  was involved in the building of both Adamstown and Raheen Churches. Stones from the ancient Parish Church of Doononey were used in the Adamstown project. The tower of Adamstown Church fell on March 10th  1872- but was soon rebuilt.
Adamstown Graveyard is steeped in history. It contains examples of stonemasonery and craftsmanship by Myles O’ Brien who was renowned in the 1780’s and the 1790’s as one of the greatest craftsmen of his time. Headstones carved by him frequently depicted the crucifixion, the sun  and the moon as well as  the lotus tree which was a symbol of the resurrection. Brian J Cantwell in October 1984 said of Adamstown Graveyard “ It is a credit  to the community of Adamstown, containing the largest collection of passion type carvings of any graveyard in the southern part of the county”

St. Abban’s Cross
Measuring more than 3 metres high, cut from granite and thought to  date back to the eight century.
According to local folklore ” if a person stands with his back to the cross and is able to span it, he will be cured of back ailments ”.