Saint Carthage at Rahan.
Rahan in Offaly is located between the Clodiagh river and the Grand Canal in an idylic setting. Nice, quiet and peaceful with some beautiful antiquities and interesting history what's not to like?
There are two wonderful Churches located at Rahan, both with Romanesque features. A further ruin of which little remains has been described as a possible third Church however it's more likely the remains of a Tower House judging by the thickness of its walls.
There is an OPW information board outside the Church but I found it confusing to interpret. It took me a while to figure the panel out because among other things it referred to both Churches as 12th Century.
It's believed that a Monastery was established here in the 5th Century by someone known as Camelacus however very little seems to be known about this figure from history.
Saint Carthach aka Carthage/Mochuta re-established a monastic community on the site sometime in the 6th Century.
Carthach was originally from the North Kerry area and eventually left Rahan and founded another Monastery at Lismore in Waterford.
It would appear from the records that Carthach was quite austere and a hard taskmaster. Life at Rahan was reputedly tough and eventually Carthach and his followers were forced to leave Rahan for good by the King of Meath and his soldiers.
He journeyed to Lismore and founded another Monastery here and is believed to have died circa 637 A.D.
The main Church at Rahan is believed to have been constructed around 1150 and is incorporated into a later Church which was built in 1732. The partial remains of the transepts of an unusual cruciform Romanesque Church are still preserved as are a beautiful Romanesque doorway and Rose window.
I have never had the opportunity to enter the Church but I believe there is a surviving Chancel arch of three orders, a Sheela na Gig and several other interesting early relics inside should you be lucky enough to find it open.
Surrounding the Monastic enclosure is a clearly visible embankment which was probably the original boundary of the settlement.
Not far from the main Church and lying nearby in open green pasture is a further Church which is believed to date from the 15 or 16th Century.
This Church too has also incorporated earlier Romanesque elements including its beautiful Romanesque doorway and it has both simple windows and later ornately carved ogee windows. There are animal carvings and a human head which are hard to spot unless you look closely.
The final ancient construction lies in a corner of the adjacent graveyard and has been referred to both as a Church and as a Castle/Tower House depending upon which source you look up.
Judging by the depth and thickness of the surviving walls it appears as if it were more likely a Tower House which has long since been destroyed over the intervening centuries and wasn't recorded. That's just a guess on my part.
Hopefully Covid 19 movement restrictions will soon be lifted and you can go and enjoy a few hours wandering around beautiful Rahan.
Keep the wheels turning.......
P.S. Not far from Rahan at Killina is a tiny Memorial Garden which has among other things a Penal Law Mass Rock, Saint Anthony's Holy Well and a lovely Bullaun Stone. It's worth visiting if in the area.
Co-ordinates Here :
53°16'44.3"N 7°36'48.8"W
53.278960-7.613544
