Lecture by Dr D’Aughton from University College Cork

Lecture at the library on the mysterious history of a 15th century Irish chalice

By Dr Małgorzata Krasnodębska D’Aughton, Senior Lecturer in the School of History, University College Cork.

In the summer of 2021, a silver gilt chalice was sold at an auction by Duke’s Auctioneers of Dorchester. The catalogue described the chalice as ‘an exceptionally rare Irish silver-gilt chalice, circa 1480’.

The O'Learghusa Chalice is now in Monaco for temporary display at the Princess Grace Irish Library – one evening only!

To contextualise the fate of liturgical objects like this one – Dr D’Aughton will look at the surviving archival material and objects associated with the medieval Kilconnell Franciscan friary in County Galway, which at the end of the 17^th century housed such objects, one dating back to 1409 with the name of William O’Kelly.  These were taken from the friary for safekeeping during this troubled period, with some being moved to continental Europe. Most of these chalices have now been lost.

However, this chalice survived and resurfaced recently at an auction in Dorchester in 2021. It's current owner, an Irish businessman, renamed it the O'Learghusa Chalice, in tribute to his mother's family.

The chalice was used to celebrate mass at the private chapel in the Prince's Palace in the Principality of Monaco on 12th January 2025 - the first time in Europe for centuries.

It is on display at the Princess Grace Irish Library for one evening only (22th January 2025), before it goes on permanent display at Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland.