Why did the Irish church turn to its abbots for leadershipp?

This article details the history of Christianity in Ireland. Ireland is an island to the north-west of continental Europe. Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers just under five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remainder and is located in the north-east of the island. Roman Catholicism is the largest religious denomination, representing over 73% for the island and about 87% of the Republic of Ireland ...

Sorry for any inconvenience caused but there has been a typo which we are trying to fix. St Patrick is mentioned throughout this page but it is actually st Paul. Read more about this confusion in the paragraph about the history of Christianity in Ireland