The ancient monastery founded in the sixth century was a great burial place for Gaelic kings and a place of pilgrimage, writes Eileen Battersby
Midwinter's delicate watery light illuminates the peaceful monastic settlement of Clonmacnoise, Co Offaly. On a day even too cold for much bird activity, the site is still, save for a couple of swans. The weary sun casts no reflection on the swollen, steel-grey Shannon. Most of the monuments stand within the old graveyard. On a slight rise on the western approach to the site, stands the ruined hall-keep of a castle and parts of its walled enclosure, off to the east is the Nun's Church.
Clonmacnoise is the place at the centre of Ireland to which St Ciarán came in the mid 6th century to found his monastery. The exact year is uncertain as sources vary, suggesting dates between 543 and 549. He died shortly afterwards aged only 33.
The setting is beautiful, dominated by wide views of the river as it cuts through a limestone based, raised bog landscape, itself consisting of working farmland. At any given moment, one's contemplation of the seven remaining stone buildings and two round towers might be interrupted by the sound of a passing tractor. It is fitting. After all, this quiet place, still used for prayer and burial, and more recently for extensive archaeological research, was once a busy town, Ciarán's City.
Nowadays, it takes a detour off the main Dublin-Galway road to reach Clomacnoise. Yet this was once the major crossing point of the Shannon, when the river served as Ireland's central routeway. This was the junction of the Shannon and the Esker Riada - ancient Ireland's commercial life revolved around this place.
Therein lies much of the wonder of Clonmacnoise; this is a site at which the built and natural heritage meet. Any examination of the monastery and its wealth of history, archaeology, medieval architecture and sculpture must be placed within the context of its natural environment, much of which remains in private ownership. All of which makes a strong case for the recent government decision to apply for World Heritage Site status for this monastic settlement, which is among Ireland's most visited monuments.
Logistically, it was an inspired location. Today it remains inspirational. Ciarán was not the first arrival. The name Clonmacnoise, Cluain Mhic Nóis, or the meadow of the sons of Nóis, suggests there was earlier settlers, and archaeologist Heather King's excavations have revealed Iron Age settlement material. At its peak, between 700 and 1200 AD Clonmacnoise was a centre of great learning and artistic activity.
That it enjoyed royal patronage is evident in the form of stone churches and three high crosses, the finest of which, The Cross of the Scriptures or West Cross, is a majestic work of Christian iconography, while the South Cross is more abstract, with only one figured scene, the Crucifixion. Only the shaft remains of the third cross and there are other shaft fragments, the largest of which bears a mounted horseman. Turlough O'Connor and his son Rory, two of the last High Kings of Ireland, and who both endowed Clonmacnoise, are buried here in the Cathedral.
But with wealth and success come envy and danger; the Vikings came 13 times, while the native Irish ransacked the site on 27 occasions and the Normans perpetrated 6 raids. The Normans, and 12th-century church reform, spelt decline. By the early 13th century, this once-wealthiest of monasteries that had so attracted Norman interest that a substantial castle was built nearby, had become irrelevant. Yet Clonmacnoise did remain an important place of pilgrimage up until the 17th century and continues locally to the present through the Pattern Day, September 9th, honouring St Ciarán.
In the middle of its decay, Clonmacnoise experienced a small revival. During a boom of sorts in the 15th century, about 1460, the beautiful Gothic north doorway was added to the Cathedral as was the vaulting at the east end of the building. For all the splendour of these features, they mark the monastery's final flourishing. Having survived the Reformation through being in Gaelic or Old English control, the English garrison, stationed at nearby Athlone, razed the settlement in 1552.
Following the 1641 Rebellion, the Catholic clergy gained control of church property across the country. Salvation seemed forthcoming. The Catholic Vicar General initiated repair work on the cathedral and this is recorded in a wall plaque in that building. But within two years, 1649, Cromwell had arrived and Clonmacnoise was again left to its fate. Before this final crisis, early antiquarians had already begun to take notice of the site. The second edition of Sir James Ware's book on Ireland, published in 1658, included an engraving of Clonmacnoise based on a map of 1621. It shows 10 churches, three of which are gone. Several of the details are incorrect as some buildings, already in ruins by then, are depicted as roofed.
By the 19th century, George Petrie was at work recording the remarkable collection of early Christian decorated cross slabs. Clonmacnoise has the largest collection of such monuments in Europe, numbering more than 700, a few are on display, but the majority is held in a specially constructed storage unit on the site.
At a time in which the Government acts as if it alone is concerned about the future of Ireland's heritage, as long as there is potential tourism interest and no impediment to commercial development - consider the recent sacrifice of Tara's hinterland, the Carrickmines Castle fiasco and the potential development threat now posed to Trim Castle - it is worth pointing out that as early as the 1860s, members of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society had launched an appeal for funds to repair the chancel arch of the Nun's Church.
This is the most amazing building on the site. Situated about 400 metres from the main enclosure, on the pilgrim's road, a partial stepping stone path, along the Esker Riada, it is a beautiful 12th century Romanesque church believed to have been built by Derbforgaill, she who was abducted by Diarmuid Mac Murrough in 1152.
By 1866, the Kilkenny Archaelogical Society had repaired and rebuilt the arch and doorway. The society was a pioneering force in the development of local archaeological societies throughout the country. In time it became the Royal Society of Antiquarians of Ireland, while the present Kilkenny Archaeological Society, revived by Hubert Butler, defers to a fine tradition.
Heritage in Ireland is a contentious issue, research all too often takes second place to rescue or development-led archaeology. But for King, her fourteen seasons spent working at the site has been akin to an ongoing voyage of discovery. In 1992, she nominated the site for inclusion in the World List of Most Endangered Sites. That cry was heeded in the form of extra Government funding for excavation work. As for the sought-after World Heritage Site status, King maintains, "It's the recognition of the importance of the site I'm looking for and the added protection it will bring." Extensive excavation, conservation work and discoveries such as the Iron Age material and the existence of an early 9th century timber bridge spanning the Shannon have made the site a valuable source for archaeology. This work has generated a series of important seminar papers; two volumes of Clonmacnoise Studies edited by King have been published to date, the culmination of which is the virtual recreation of the world that was Clonmacnoise for the interested layman and scholar alike.
The first volume, published in 1998 includes a definitive essay by Conleth Manning on the cathedral while John Bradley examines the monastic town of Clonmacnoise. Wonderful 19th century photographs enhance the book. Volume two is dominated by Jenifer Ni Ghrádaigh's essay, Derbforgaill and the Nun's Church, about the site's masonry and an essay on the castle.
Next week sees the beginning of the preparation of the World Heritage Site application. At present, Temple Dowling, part of which is the third oldest building on the site, is being conserved. The three main high crosses were moved indoors in 1992, replicas now stand in their original positions. "When Flannsinna built the cathedral in 909, and also erected the Cross of the Scripture in stone," says King, "He was replacing earlier wooden crosses and was obviously looking to immortality." The cross bears his name and seeks a prayer for him, the king of Ireland.
Clonmacnoise is a monastic monument but one with a very strong secular dimension. Whether religious or royal, it has left a lasting legacy in stone.
Clonmacnoise Studies Volume 1 & 2, edited by Heather A. King, are available from Wordwell