Title: "Saint Declan's Well in Ardmore. Het ontstaan en de ontwikkeling van een devotionele beweging. (Saint Declan's Well in Ardmore. The origin and development of a devotional movement)

Degree: Thesis submitted to the Free University of Amsterdam for a master's degree in cultural Anthropology.

Date: 31/08/88

This thesis describes the origin and development of the Pattern of Saint Declan, and endeavours to interpret its history in terms of "religious regimes". At one time this Pattern was an important pilgrimage, as of now however, celebration of the event is more local.

In the 19th century the diocesan clergy tried to suppress certain pilgrimages or devotions such as Ardmore, calling them 'pagan' practices. These 'pagan' practices differ little from other pilgrimages e.g. Knock and Lough Derg, which are however controlled and supported by the diocesan clergy. The question is why control certain pilgrimages and not others? We cannot find the answer to this question with the general theories, which study religion. They are biased and do not go further than regarding religion as a system of meaning.

The research perspective developed by Prof. M.M.G Bax of the Free University of Amsterdam seems to give insight into these problems. (Ref. "Religious Regimes and state formation: Towards a research Perspective." In: Anthropological Quarterly, January 1987, Vol. 60 Pages 1 – 11). He introduces the term "religious regime". Religious Regimes play an important role in processes of state formation and development. They are also dependant on the state for their development.

People and groups are attached to one another by power and dependency relations. This is also the case with religious people/groups. According to Bax changing power balances between secular and regular (monastic) clergy are connected with power balances in the society as a whole. The regular and secular clergy form in alternation a dominant and dominated regime.

With this anthropological – sociological perspective, which looks upon religion from a power perspective, the origin and development of the pilgrimage pattern in Ardmore is mappeo. To work with this perspective we need a broader outlook. In part 1 of the thesis the history and development of Roman Catholicism in Ireland is described. Part 2 deals with the development of Ardmore as a devotional centre.