Gloriously placed overlooking the River Shannon, 7km northeast of Shannonbridge, Clonmacnoise is one of Ireland’s most important ancient monastic cities. The site is enclosed within a walled field and contains numerous early churches, high crosses, round towers and graves in astonishingly good condition (although several gravestones incline to the ground at under a 45-degree angle). The Clonmacnoise Visitor Centre provides an introduction to the site as well as containing several highly important and original stone crosses, along with explanations of their iconography.
Clonmacnoise
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The small churches at Clonmacnoise are called temples, a derivation of the Irish word teampall (church). Tiny Temple Ciaran is reputed to be the burial…
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Temple Connor originally dates from the 11th century but has many later features, including a quite modern roof; services are still held here. As it has…
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Temple Finghin and its round tower are on the northern boundary of the Clonmacnoise monastic site, overlooking the River Shannon. The building dates from…
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The original North Cross is inside the Clonmacnoise Visitor Centre.
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The largest building at Clonmacnoise, the cathedral was originally built in AD 909, but was significantly altered and remodelled over the centuries. Its…
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This 12th-century historic site has Romanesque Gothic transitional windows that are unique to Ireland. It's also known as the Kings' Church, as seven…