One of the first places our bus tour stopped was at the old monastery at Clonmacnoise, in the middle of Ireland, on the banks of the mighty Shannon river.
It was founded in 545 AD, although the stone buildings are from the 10th – 12th centuries. It is starting to show its age a little bit.
Monastrey at Clonmacnoise, Ireland
Sarah liked it a lot, since the Chapel on the right of the picture above is the Dowling chapel, so there was a bit of familial pride to be had.
There was a visitor information center which had a 20 minute film about the founding of the place, but to be honest all I can remember was that whoever founded the place built a wooden church there, and then died of the Yellow Plague the next year.
There were also some old Celtic crosses on display from the graveyard. They had been moved indoors to reduce wear and tear from the elements.
Celtic Cross, Clonmacnoise, Ireland
There was also a castle across the road that was in even worse repair.
Clonmacnoise Castle, Ireland
Tags: Clonmacnosie, Ireland