Located near Athlone in County Offaly, Clonmacnoise Monastary sits in a pristine location on the River Shannon. Founded in 544 it was a center for learning with ties to the Kings of Ireland many of which are said to be buried on site. The monastery continued to grow over time becoming quite powerful until around the 12th century. With great power and a strong location came Viking and Norman attacks.
Highlights of the ruins at the monastery are the tower overlooking the Shannon, the Cross of the Scriptures including its magnificent religious detail, the North Cross with its hunting and fertility symbols, King’s Church which sits atop the graves of generations of Irish Kings, the Cathedral and its whispering arch, and the Fairy’s Stone.
The interpretive center is well worth a short visit as it houses the original high crosses and other important information. It details relics found on site including the magnificent Clonmacnoise Crozier which is on display at the Irish National Museum in Dublin. The Center even has information on the Papal visit to the ruins in 1979 by Pope John Paul II.
Clonmacnoise is a wonderful stop if you are traveling between Galway and Dublin as it is off the main highway. It is well worth a visit with its stunning views and superb history.
My mother wanted to see a high cross in Ireland and boy is this the mother of high crosses.
Bulldog Travels / Photos By Jenny 
I love the carved cross.
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It’s pretty impressive. And very tall. (And fun to photograph.)
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It was the carvings that caught my attention.
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There is a lot of meaning behind them a lot of which is very Pagan related to harvest and fertility. People still make pilgrimages there to worship at the cross. The real one is inside the museum onsite so nothing bad happens to it.
There is/was another glorious one at the Rock of Cashel that seemed like it was 20 feet tall but it fell over years ago. It’s massive and so impressive even in a heap on the ground.
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Great captures of the ruins! Love the little boy capture. 🙂
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Thanks! That’s my nephew. Not sure which was happier him or the curious cows.
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Mysterious place and great photos!
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Thanks very much for the comment. It is a really beautiful place with a peaceful vibe. The river running parallel to it only adds to the beauty. Stop by anytime.
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Lonely and mysterious place. Ambient light and highlights your photos. A very interesting post. Ah! The nice boy with cows, break the silence! Cheers! 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by to enjoy the monastery with me. That is my nephew. He was as enamored with the cows as they were with him. Curious little things…
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Hi Jenny. A great Irish trip again. Love the header Cross. Perfect. Angle, light, B&W.
544? Aren’t you amazed (as I am) at how far ago, some people set up “thinking” centres?
😉
(And 1500 years later, a lot still don’t think?)
😦
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What does that say about us philosophically? Perhaps we aren’t meant to figure it out? Or we aren’t advanced enough to overcome our more primal side?
But yes I had to double check that date. It’s so cool especially since I live in ‘Merica and we are a young country.
Thanks for the compliment on the cross. I like that one too.
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The main reason for our slow progress was written by Hannah Arendt, something like “every newborn child has to re-invent the world”. We do not genetically inherit memories of our ancestors, which would be great. Instead, the only way we can try to avoid the errors of the past is by Education, education and education. No other way. Look her up. She is one of my favourite philosophers. best book is probably “The conditon of modern man” or something like that. They change titles from one country to the other. 🙂
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You are an interesting guy. I knew you would have a good answer to my question.
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Haha! may I add that the question is more important than the answer (not mine by the way) Do look Hannah Arendt up. She was a very interesting lady. Be good my friend.
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I’m so glad we connected.
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I am too Jenny. I really love our “near Chats”. And exchange of views… be good my niece. Leave your phone in the living room not in the bedroom. “Talk” to you soon. Signing out, Uncle Brian. 😉
(Sweet dreams)
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Now tell me which came first the chicken or the egg?
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It is a very good question. I’ve read a lot in anthropology, and I’ve never found any evidence, but if we think about language, I think babies invented language. 🙂 There has to have been babies born with a language capacity their parents didn’t have. And once language was invented, the world was described. “At the beginning was the Word”…:)
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Watch how quickly babies and young people pick up on new technology. It would be easy for them to adapt to new language or customs as well surely.
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I’ve seen toddlers walk/stumble to a tv screen and touch it repeatedly to make it work… (Wide-eyed emoticon)
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My new phew figured out the numeric code on my phone before he could read by memorizing the pattern. Crafty little devil.
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Your “New Phew”? 🙂
Yes they are crafty.
Long before this E-age, daugher #2, age 2 or something would do jigsaw puzzles, turning all the pieces upside down, and place them according to actual shape not the drawing. That was very weird.
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Interesting.
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AutoCorrect does the strangest thing sometimes.
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at’s gwy aie turnn it awf.
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These are some stunning photos!!!
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Thank you very much. I am glad you enjoyed them.
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That first picture is INSANE!!! So dark and melancholy. I absolutely love it! 😀
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Thank you! I have a few more I did that way too that I didn’t post. Maybe I will another day for a black and white challenge or something. Glad you enjoyed them!
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That grass is so incredibly green – here in Canberra the grass is in need of rain and very dry…lovely photos…really good.
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It is still very dry here with a drought this summer. I know how you feel. It was nice to travel there and see the green. Thanks for the comment.
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Oh wow, this is beautiful! I’m so jealous of your being able to travel there.
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Thank you. It is a lovely place. I’m glad you could track there with me. Thanks for the follow and the comment. Stop by anytime. Feel free to check out my other posts.
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I don’t know why, but seeing your photos reminded me of my favorite Irish author – Frank McCourt. Ireland really is awesome! 🙂
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Everyone knows Frank! Wouldn’t it be nice for him to write a happy story set in Kinsale? (His stories are so good but they are sad reading sometimes…)
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I think that’s a fantastic idea! I’d love to read if he’d done it. Actually, there’s a sense of comedy in his tragedy. But I’m not saying it’s funny. He really went through a lot, but he handled it very well.
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Very Irish of them to laugh through their tragedy. Very Shakespearean.
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Indeed. This is one of the reasons why I want to visit Ireland.
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The sense of humor is amazing and warm and everything you would dream it is and more. 😉
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Really interesting! 🙂
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