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42-622: The most important text regarding the family of Finn (son of Cumaill) is Fotha Catha Chnucha ("The Cause of the Battle of Cnucha"), as it is contained in the ancient parchment Lebor na hUidre (LU), dated to the 12th century. Otherwise, the next most important tract is the Macgnímartha Finn ("The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn") copied in a 15th-century manuscript. According to the Fotha Catha Chnucha , Cumhall mac Trénmhoir

84-659: A landmark case when a prosecution was brought against the vandal by the Crown, due to the efforts of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland . Some of the funds which had been raised for the prosecution were later used by the Society to repair the cap of the church's tower. The structure is possibly the earliest example of a church and round tower being part of a single structure in Ireland. Temple Connor: Church used by

126-403: A major center of religion, learning, craftsmanship and trade by the 9th century; and together with Clonard it was one of the most famous places in Ireland, visited by scholars from all over Europe. From the ninth until the eleventh century it was allied with the kings of Meath . Many of the high kings of Tara ( ardrí ) and of Connacht were buried here. Clonmacnoise was largely abandoned by

168-632: A section on the local ecology of the Shannon and the wetland bogs. Other amenities include a theatre for audio/visual presentations, a Fáilte Ireland tourist office, gift shop, tea room, toilets and parking. Guided tours of the site may be booked in advance for groups. Near the Chapel of Clonfinlough at Clonmacnoise there are several limestone boulders, one of which is called the Fairy's or Horseman's Stone. It has many cup-shaped hollows, crosses, daggers, and

210-572: A stone carving of his family crest above the door. Temple Hurpan: Built in the 17th century at the east end of Temple Dowling, this annex had no religious function outside of being a burial ground for some members of the local parish. Sometimes referred to as MacClaffey's Church. Clonmacnoise was handed over by the Church of Ireland to the Irish Government in 1955 and has been maintained by various departmental bodies since then. Currently

252-546: A young man from Rathcroghan , County Roscommon . Until the 9th century it had close associations with the kings of Connacht . Saint Ciarán founded the monastery in the ancient territory of Uí Maine at a point where the major east–west land route ( Slighe Mhor ) meets the River Shannon after crossing the bogs of Central Ireland known as the Esker Riada . The strategic location of the monastery helped it become

294-528: Is recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters in 1106, giving us a latest possible date and location for the main body of the manuscript. Some time later, H (named for his addition of two homilies) added a number of new texts and passages, sometimes over erased portions of the original, sometimes on new leaves. Based on orthography and an English loanword , Gearóid Mac Eoin concludes that H wrote in

336-464: Is some speculation that the masonry thus toppled in the storm of 1135 may have been reused in the building of McCarthy's Tower. Temple Finghín & McCarthy's Tower: Romanesque church and round tower – 12th century. An unusual occurrence was the vandalism of this church in 1864 by a person from Birr on a 'pleasure party' to the Seven Churches, as Clonmacnoise was often termed. This led to

378-522: The Church of Ireland since the 18th century. It underwent significant restoration works in the second decade of the twentieth century, when the pitch of the roof was raised and the internal space was remodelled. The church is maintained under the auspices of the Athlone Union of Parishes , and each Sunday during the summer a service is held at four o'clock in the afternoon. North Cross: Oldest of

420-518: The Fianna , as explained in the Magnímartha Finn . Cumhall's wife Muirne was already pregnant with his son, Fionn, and Muirne's furious father Tadg not only refused to accept her back, but ordered her burnt to death. Cumhall's wife however seeks Conn's protection, and in exile she delivers a child which she names Demni. Demni (Demne) later became Finn. Cumhall is reputed to be buried within

462-535: The bogs of central Ireland along the Eiscir Riada (an esker left by the receding glaciers of the last ice age ) crossed the River Shannon. According to Adomnán of Iona, who referenced the testimony of earlier abbots of Iona who had known Columba, St Columba visited the monastery at Clonmacnoise during the time when he was founding the monastery at Durrow. While he was there he prophesied about

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504-440: The 9th century, and the original population of fewer than ten men grew to perhaps 1,500 to 2,000 by the 11th century. Although the site was based around a core of churches, crosses, graves and ecclesiastical dwellings and workshops, it would have been surrounded by the houses and streets of a larger secular community, the metalworkers, craftsmen and farmers who supported the monastic clergy and their students. Artisans associated with

546-587: The Gothic-style north doorway, often called the Whispering Arch, dating to the mid-15th century. The cathedral is the largest of the churches at Clonmacnoise. Rory O'Connor , the last High King of Ireland, was buried near the altar in 1198, joining his father Turlough. Most of the graves currently seen in the church are those of the Coghlan family, whose patriarch extensively rebuilt the cathedral in

588-580: The Office of Public Works manages the site on behalf of the Department of the Environment and Local Government. The current visitors' centre opened in 1993, replacing a wooden structure, and entry to the site is contingent on the payment of an entry fee seven days a week (from 1973 to 1985 a part-time guiding/interpretative service was maintained, which also required a small admission fee). The centre

630-564: The Sons of Nós') is situated in County Offaly , Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone . In 544 Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan , County Roscommon , arrived at this location with seven companions. (Saint Ciarán is not to be confused or conflated with St. Ciarán of Saigir , patron of Osraige ). Here he met Diarmait mac Cerbaill , who later became the first Christian crowned High King of Ireland. Together they built

672-625: The compilation of the Annals of the Four Masters was completed. Its location is unknown until 1837, when it was part of a collection owned by Messrs. Hodges & Smith of College Green , Dublin, and was cited by George Petrie in an essay on the History and Antiquities of Tara Hill. The Hodges & Smith collection, 227 manuscripts in all, was purchased by the Royal Irish Academy in 1844. Joseph O'Longan's lithographic facsimile of

714-781: The cross. Both men were also responsible for the building of the cathedral. The cross was carved from Clare sandstone c. 900. The surface of the cross is divided into panels, showing scenes including the Crucifixion, the Last Judgement, and Christ in the Tomb. The original was moved into the visitors' centre in 1991 to preserve it from the elements; a replica stands at the original site. Cathedral (Temple McDermot): Building started around 909 by King Flann Sinna and Abbot Colmán mac Ailella . The west doorway has been recently (and somewhat controversially), comprehensively restored with

756-638: The doctrine of salvation. Towards the close of the seventh century a plague carried off a large number of its students and professors. Clonmacnoise's period of greatest growth came between the 8th and 12th centuries. It was attacked frequently during these four centuries, most often by the Irish (at least 27 times), the Vikings (at least 7 times) and the Normans (at least 6 times). The early wooden buildings began to be replaced by more durable stone structures in

798-399: The end of the 13th century. Today the site includes nine ruined churches, a castle, two round towers and a large number of carved stone crosses and cross-slabs. The Irish government's Office of Public Works manages the preserved ruin. An Interpretive Centre is open to the public, the graveyard is in use and religious services take place in a modern chapel. Clonmacnoise (meaning 'Meadow of

840-424: The first church at the site. This was a small wooden structure and the first of many small churches to be clustered on the site. In September 549, not yet thirty-three years of age, Ciarán died of a plague, and was reportedly buried under the original wooden church, now the site of the 9th-century stone oratory, Temple Ciarán. This location was particularly important because here the major east–west land route through

882-565: The following texts, in various states of preservation: Notes on known alternative versions and copies of the tales in the text are given in Best & Bergin 1929 , pp. xvii–xxxviii Clonmacnoise Clonmacnoise ( Irish : Cluain Mhic Nóis ) is a ruined monastery situated in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone , founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán ,

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924-504: The future debates in the churches of Ireland about the dating of Easter and claimed that angels had visited the monastery at Clonmacnoise. While he was there, a young monk named Ernéne mac Craséni (who would later be famous in Ireland) tried to touch Columba's clothes while Columba was not looking. However, the saint immediately noticed and grabbed the boy by the neck, told him to open his mouth, and then blessed him, saying that he would teach

966-403: The grounds of Castleknock College , supposedly under a hill upon which an old water tower now stands. Attempts to connect Cumhall with Camulus , a Celtic god of war known from Roman-era inscriptions, are now largely rejected. Old Irish cumal means "female slave", and it is possible that a noble father was invented for Fionn to obscure an ignoble origin. Alternatively, some early texts call

1008-674: The hero "Fionn mac Umaill", which may indicate his father's name was originally Umall. Lebor na hUidre Lebor na hUidre ( Middle Irish: [ˈl͈ʲevor nˠə ˈhuiðʲrʲə] , LU ) or the Book of the Dun Cow (MS 23 E 25) is an Irish vellum manuscript dating to the 12th century. It is the oldest extant manuscript in Irish . It is held in the Royal Irish Academy and is badly damaged: only 67 leaves remain and many of

1050-519: The late 12th or early 13th century. After the monastery of Clonmacnoise was broken up, the manuscript came into the possession of the O'Donnell dynasty of Donegal who held it until 1359, when it and the lost Leabhar Gearr were used to ransom members of the clan who had been taken prisoner by Cathal Óg Ó Conchobhair Sligigh (d. 3 November 1362). Áed Ruad O'Donnell recovered the manuscript in 1470, and it remained in Donegal at least until 1631, when

1092-461: The manuscript was published by the RIA in 1870. A diplomatic edition by R. I. Best and Osborn Bergin ( Best & Bergin 1929 ), with the three hands distinguished by different typefaces, was published in 1929. Digital scans of the pages at the Royal Irish Academy have been published on the web by ISOS (Irish Script on Screen).( ISOS & MS 23 E 25 ) The remaining leaves of the manuscript contain

1134-518: The mid-seventeenth century. Temple Melaghlin: Built c. 1200. Also called the King's Church, due to the fact that at least seven generations of Melaghlin Kings are said to be buried underneath the structure. The church is also believed to have housed the scriptorium, the room where the manuscripts were designed and decorated. South Cross: A 9th-century piece originally situated at the southern end of

1176-526: The most popular route for crossing the Shannon, as well as the best-defended settlement in the region. People migrated north from Clonmacnoise to Athlone, and along with the population decrease went much of the support that the site needed to survive, and former allies began to recognise the decline in the site's influence. The influx of continental religious orders such as the Cistercians , Franciscans , Augustinians , Benedictines , Cluniacs , etc. around

1218-440: The opening pages of several of the texts, which were continued by M, who Best identified as Máel Muire mac Céilechair meic Cuinn na mBocht, based on matching the handwriting with two marginal probationes pennae or pen tests, in which the scribe wrote his name. A much later note elsewhere in the manuscript names Máel Muire as the person who "wrote and compiled this book from divers[e] books". His murder by Vikings at Clonmacnoise

1260-487: The same process. O'Rourke's Tower: Though named O'Rourkes' Tower, after 10th-century Connacht king Fergal O'Rourke, the Chronicum Scotorum records that it was finished in 1124 by Turlough O'Connor , king of Connacht , and Gilla Christ Ua Maoileoin, abbot of Clonmacnoise. Eleven years later it was struck by lightning which knocked off the head of the tower. The upper part of the tower is later work, so there

1302-492: The same time fed into this decline as numerous competing sites began to crop up. Ireland's move from a monastic framework to a diocesan one in the twelfth century similarly diminished the site's religious standing, as it was designated the seat of a small and impoverished diocese. In 1552 the English garrison at Athlone destroyed and looted Clonmacnoise for the final time, leaving it in ruins. The monastery ruins were one of

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1344-673: The site created some of the most beautiful and enduring artworks in metal and stone ever seen in Ireland, with the Clonmacnoise Crozier (on display in the National Museum of Ireland ) and the Cross of the Scriptures representing the apex of their efforts. The Book of the Dun Cow , a vellum manuscript dating to the 12th century, was written here and its main compiler, Máel Muire mac Céilechair meic Cuinn na mBocht

1386-452: The site's central hub. It has one Christian scene on its west face, a rough carving of the Crucifixion of Christ. Many believe that the Cross may have been part inspiration for the later Cross of the Scriptures. Again, the original is in the interpretative centre, with a replica occupying its original site. Temple Dowling: Originally built in the 10th century, this tiny church is named after Edmund Dowling , who renovated it in 1689, placing

1428-669: The smallest church in Clonmacnoise. Traditionally presented as the grave site of St. Ciarán, excavations of the church unearthed the Clonmacnoise Crozier, but no saintly remains. Cross of the Scriptures: This 4-metre-high sandstone cross is one of the most skilfully executed of the surviving high crosses in Ireland, and of particular interest for its surviving inscription, which asks a prayer for Flann Sinna, King of Ireland, and Abbot Colmán who commissioned

1470-491: The stops on the itinerary of Pope John Paul II during his visit to Ireland in 1979 . The site includes the ruins of a cathedral, seven churches, two round towers, three high crosses and a large collection of Early Christian grave slabs. Most of the churches have recently undergone comprehensive conservation works, mostly re-pointing , with the Nun's Church (about 1 km off site), currently under wraps while it too undergoes

1512-403: The texts are incomplete. It is named after an anachronistic legend that it was made from the hide of a dun cow by Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise . The manuscript is thought to be the work of three scribes, whose handwriting was distinguished by Richard Irvine Best in 1912 and identified with the letters A , M and H . A and M are believed to be contemporary. A began the manuscript and wrote

1554-516: The three extant crosses. Created c. 800. Only the limestone shaft and sandstone base (a former millstone) survive. The decoration is non-Christian, with an image of Cernunnos , the Celtic God of hunting and fertility, displayed on the east face of the shaft. Temple Kelly: All that remains of this church are the low-lying perimeter stones, which still give a good indication of the church's original size. Temple Ciarán: At 2.8 by 3.8 metres,

1596-493: Was an ally of Fionn. Tadg, slighted by Cumall's sweeping away his daughter, appealed to Cumall's lord, Conn of the Hundred Battles, and Conn gave choice of either relinquishing the daughter or suffer banishment. Cumall refused to give up his wife, and Conn made war against Cumhall, and Cumhall was killed by Goll mac Morna in this Battle of Cnucha, located at what is today Castleknock . Goll then took over leadership of

1638-495: Was designed to cater for a maximum of 80,000 visitors per annum; it attracted roughly 169,000 visitors in 2007 and 135,000 in 2010. Main features of the Interpretative Centre are exhibits depicting the history of Clonmacnoise and the area, archaeological artefacts (including the original stone crosses, brought indoors for preservation and display), information on the people who would have lived and worked there, and

1680-525: Was reputedly murdered in a Viking raid in 1106. By the 12th century Clonmacnoise began to decline. The reasons were varied, although attacks by the Vikings (under Turgesius ) and the Normans contributed. Without doubt the most debilitating factor was the growth of the town of Athlone to the north of the site from the late-12th century. Athlone became the main trading town for the midlands of Ireland, and

1722-498: Was son of a petty king, and served the High King Conn Cet-Chathach "of the Hundred Battles". Cumhall was also Conn's half-uncle, his mother being the mother of Conn's father,. Cumhall became suitor for the hand of Muirne Muncaim "of the fair neck", daughter of the druid Tadg mac Nuadat , but Tadg refused him, so Cumhall forcibly carried away Muirne in elopement. In Fotha Catha Chnucha Cumhall's wife

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1764-548: Was the granddaughter to Nuadat who was a druid to king Cathair Mór , but she was granddaughter to Núadu of the Tuatha Dé Danann according to a passage in the Acallamh na Senorach . Also where the former work gives Almu daughter of Becan as Nuadat's wife, the latter treats Almha the daughter of Brecan as a virgin daughter who bore Cumall a son then died in childbirth. Cumhall had a brother, Crimmal mac Trénmhoir, who

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