ABSTRACT
Eighth-century Irish monasticism had adjusted itself to the world in a way which some sixth- and early seventh-century ascetics would have condemned. For centuries the Irish church had had its anchorites, men who withdrew from the life of the monastic city into asceticism and prayer: the canons speak of them with esteem in the same tone as they use when referring to bishops, scribes, and the great abbots. Yet ascetic practices were never completely neglected, and towards the end of the eighth century they achieved a powerful revival. The evidence shows that the folk of the ‘old churches’ felt no bitterness towards the reformers: on the contrary, they often maintained the ascetics, giving them honour, sometimes appointing an anchorite as head of their scriptorium or as abbot. In their other ascetic practices the culdees continued and developed many of the austerities of earlier saints.
