Limerick. Six weeks after his election he abandoned the
tradition of a century and a half, and received holy orders. But in
other respects he trod in the footsteps of his predecessors. In the
following year he went on a circuit of the Cenel Eoghain, and "took away
his full demand: namely, a cow for every six, or an in-calf heifer for
every three, or a half ounce of silver for every four, besides many
donations also." Next he proceeded to Munster, with similar results. But
his circuit of Munster is important for other reasons. There he had
opportunities of intercourse with his Munster friends, Gilbert of
Limerick and Malchus of Waterford. And with that circuit we may connect
two incidents of the highest significance. In 1106, apparently in the
latter part of the year, Caincomrac Ua Baigill, bishop of Armagh, died.
The news of his death probably reached Cellach while he was in the
south. Certainly in Munster Cellach was consecrated bishop. It is
impossible not to connect the latter event with the former. He was
consecrated to fill the vacancy created by the death of O'Boyle. Thus he
was now bishop of Armagh as well as coarb of Patrick. In his own person
he united the two lines of coarbial and episcopal succession, which had
parted asunder in 957, when the first of a series of lay coarbs had been
elected, and the first of the six contemporary bishops had been
consecrated.[40] This was a great gain for the Reformers. The old
anomaly of a ruler of the Church who was not a bishop had, so far as
Armagh was concerned, disappeared for the time. And Armagh was the
principal ecclesiastical centre in Ireland. Cellach might now call
himself archbishop of Armagh, though he had not fulfilled the condition
laid down by Gilbert, that an archbishop must receive the pall at the
hands of the Pope. The title was actually accorded to him by so rigid a
papalist as St. Bernard.[41]

But there was more to come. In the year 1101 there had been held at
Cashel a great assembly of the clergy and people of Ireland. Bishop
O'Dunan, whom we already know, was at their head. To it came also
Murtough O'Brien, who earlier in the year, after an expedition in force
through Connaught and Ulster, had entered Tara as _ardri_ of
Ireland.[42] In the presence of the assembly he surrendered Cashel, the
royal city of the kings of Munster, to the Church, as an offering to God
and St. Patrick.[43] When we consider the persons who were concerned in
this transaction w