No trip to the Shannon region of Offaly or the Midlands would be complete without a detour to Clonmacnoise, nestled on the banks of the River Shannon.
I often passed near it by car and meant to drop in but never did. Then I cycled right past the entrance several times whizzing along on a lighter bike without stopping. Finally I got round to actually going into the grounds and interpretive centre.
I was shocked at the staggering amount of history, artifacts and ancient buildings which covered the grounds and interpretive centre. I could have kicked myself for passing it by so many times before without stopping.
On a bicycle Clonmacnoise can be approached from just about any direction and a spin through the many small villages while heading there on a sunny day is sheer bliss although you won't be breaking any speed records on the various small byroads that cover the area. Cyclotouring at its best.
This early Monastic site was founded in the middle of the 6th century by Saint Ciarán. It is set in a hauntingly beautiful location with the golden banks of the Shannon as its backdrop. As the seasons change so too do the colours and light refraction around it. In summer, winter, autumn and spring, it takes on different hue's.
The Interpretive Centre contains an impressive array of early Christian Cross Slabs, many with inscriptions in Irish and Ogham. On site there two round towers (one with roof, one without), three High Crosses, Churches and a Cathedral among the many antiquities to be seen. The Interpretative Centre also plays host to a short audio visual show, well worth taking the time to view.
The founder of Clonmacnoise, Saint Ciarán, is a different Saint from the founder of Seir Kieran, another Ciarán.
Athlone, through which the River Shannon flows is not far away if you want to combine the two in a day and it also is rich in history. Athlone is almost geographically right in the centre of Ireland and lies in the County of Westmeath, making it an ideal base for touring.
It's worth taking the time when viewing any of the relics to closely look an the inscriptions knotwork and patterns, and the various scenes depicted. Many are graphical representations of biblical or historical stories, a fact previously unknown to me.
Ogham is probably best described as an early type of ruinic script. Its origins are a matter of debate. There are 20 letters in the Ogham alphabet.
Clonmacnoise
About 600 or 700 metres on from Clonmacnoise on the road towards Shannonbridge lies the little known Saint Ciarán's Well, pictures below.....
It's on the right if leaving Clonmacnoise traveling towards Shannonbridge and well worth stopping for.
There's a galvanized Pedestrian gateway so look out for that. It was a
stopping point on an ancient Pilgrim Path. There's some beautiful carved
slabs here and it's a lovely tranquil spot.
Approximately 2 Kms from Clonmacnoise in the opposite direction from Saint Ciarán's Well lies the Clonfinlough Stone. This is a lone stone covered in Cupmarks, Footprints, Cross like markings and more recent gouges.... It's origin is unknown. It may be Neolithic, Bronze Age or Early Christian period. No one seems to know where it came from or what it's origins are. There is a signed walk to the Clonfinlough Stone which lies on a natural Esker.
