South of Athlone, on a wide bend of river shannon, elevated on the safe
ground of the east river bank, you will find Clonmacnoise, the age-old
monastery settlement. The compound, with many graves between the ruins of the
churches and the early-Christian and medieval high crosses, looks like a
large and lonely cemetery.
Every year on September 9, St. Ciaran day, a pilgrimage to
Clonmacnoise takes place. At this day, a mass is said at the open air altar.
It is said that St. Ciaran founded the monastery in 545 ad but
died in the same year. The monastery developed into the the most famous spiritual
institution of Ireland and soon gained the state of a university. The monks
created many precious manuscripts, such as the Annals of Tighernach (11th
century) and the Book of the Dun Cow (12th century). In their work shops,
they also crafted various religious items.
These treasures, of course, attracted not only visitors from other monasteries but
also some shady characters. The monastery was pillaged and burned down several times
between the years 834 and 1204. First came the Vikings, then the
Normans, who burned to ashes more then 100 houses. And in 1552, British troops,
coming from Athlone, raided the place and took literally everything they could carry -
word is that they didn't even leave the windows in the frames. The monastery was
finally closed down for good a hundred years later, when the place was totally
devastated - once again - by troops under Oliver Cromwell.
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