The calm of Clonmacnoise

Frank Greally found an afternoon visit to the tranquil setting of Clonmacnoise, near Shannonbridge, County Offaly, was a lovely calming experience

The remains of the ancient ecclesiastical site at Clonmacnoise, south of Athlone, are among the most extensive of their kind in Ireland and well worth a visit. Clonmacnoise (the Irish Cluain Mhic Nóis means the meadow of the sons of Nós) was founded about 584 CE by St Ciarán, the son of a wright or master craftsman. Situated on a large area of bog through which the river Shannon ows, its location in earlier times was literally at the crossroads of Ireland, where the north/ south artery of communication, the Shannon, crossed the major east/west routeway along the gravel ridges formed by glacial eskers.

This pivotal location contributed to the development of Clonmacnoise as a major centre of religion, learning, trade, craftsmanship and political in uence. As the burial place of St Ciarán, it has attracted pilgrims for nearly 1500 years.

The site contains a number of churches dating from the 10th to the 17th Centuries, a round tower, a castle, three stone crosses and a large collection of early grave slabs. With its large lay population, Clonmacnoise resembled a town rather than a monastery. All of the domestic houses and buildings of the community were built of timber and have not survived, although traces of them have been found. Many historical manuscripts, including the 11th-century Annals of Tighernach and the 12th-century Book of Dun Cow, were written here. The Visitor Centre, which was closed for essential maintenance work on the afternoon I visited, houses an audio-visual theatre, an interpretative display, a selection of grave slabs and three crosses. Clonmacnoise has a very large collection of grave slabs dating from about the 8th to the 12th Century, a small selection of which are on display in the Visitor Centre. These are carved with di erent forms of crosses and most have an inscription giving the name of the person commemorated.

A walk amongst the peaceful stone ruins of this historic place makes you mindful of the saints and scholars of Ireland’s golden age of learning. It’s a place to pause and ponder and there’s a lovely short circular walk out of the grounds and along winding and quiet country roads that lead back to the site. Today, the site exists as a preserved ruin under the management of the O ce of Public Works and visitors can see the high crosses, a cathedral, seven churches, and two round towers. The beautifully preserved structures of Clonmacnoise Cathedral, Temple Doolin, Temple Hurpan and Temple Melaghlin are impressive and leave you with a great sense of the generations gone before us.

By the 9th Century, Clonmacnoise was Ireland’s most famous monastery, along with Clonard, and was visited by scholars from all over Europe. Between the 9th and 11th Centuries, it became the burial site for the High Kings of Tara.

In the cathedral at Clonmacnoise, there is a ‘whispering door’. It is said that lepers would stand here and could be heard across the cathedral when they came to confess their sins and the priest would keep a safe distance.

Today’s imposing ruins, many of which have undergone comprehensive conservation work, re ect the activity that once bustled about the place. It is believed that 1,500 to 2,000 people lived and worked at Clonmacnoise during the 11th Century.

Pope John Paul II certainly thought enough of Clonmacnoise to include it in his famous visit to Ireland in 1979 and its historical signi cance and popularity with visitors endures almost 1,500 years after its foundation. It’s a rare gem and a reminder of our great tradition as a land of saints and scholars. It’s a place I will return to again soon.