Cork, Diocese of (CORK, DIOCESI DI) - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, p. 328

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

CORK, DIOCESI di. — In Éire (Ireland), suffragan of Cashel. The name derives from the Gaelic corcach (market).

The origin of the diocese dates back to the first decades of the seventh century, when St. Fionnbarr founded a monastery and a school beside the market near the estuary of the river Laoi (English Lee). This foundation gave rise to the city of C. St. Fionnbarr, the first bishop and patron of the diocese, had among his successors

in the episcopate the Blessed Taddeo Mac Carthy, who died in 1492 at Ivrea in Piedmont, during a return journey from Rome. The cult rendered to him ab immemorabili was confirmed by the Holy See in 1895.

Of the ancient Christian monuments of the diocese, the best preserved are the monastery of Kilcrea and the hermitage of Gögán Barra, where St. Fionnbarr prepared himself for his future mission. The diocese, covering an area of 2,847 sq km, comprises 35 parishes, 86 churches, 12 communities of religious, 150 diocesan priests and 140 religious priests, 11 communities of lay religious, 4 seminaries and ecclesiastical colleges; 33 communities of nuns. Numerous schools are conducted by the Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers. In 1948 Catholics numbered 167,200 in a population of 175,200.

BIBL.: J. Lanigan, Ecclesiastical History of Ireland, 4 vols., Dublin 1822; Annales of the four Masters, edited by J. O'Donovan, 7 vols., 2nd ed., Dublin 1856 (v. vol. VII, index); W. M. Brady, Records of C., Clowne and Ross, 3 vols., Dublin and London 1864; edited by, Episcopal succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, 3 vols., Rome 1876–77 (v. index); J. Healy, Ireland's ancient schools and scholars, Dublin 1890, passim; G. Saroglia, Il boato Taddeo Machar vescovo irlandese, Ivrea 1895; Journal of the C. Hist. and Archæol. Society, passim; I. F. Kenney, Sources for the early history of Ireland, I. New York 1929, pp. 28, 40, 50, 55, 401–402, 742; P. Seaton, s. V. in Cath. Enc., IV, pp. 370–71; Irish Catholic Directory and Almanach 1949, Dublin 1949, pp. 279–90.