Thursday, May 8, 2008
After another full Irish breakfast, we loaded the buses, got one last view of Galway Bay and, after a quick detour through the heart of the city, bid Galway adieu. We headed eastward toward Dublin, making a planned stop after about an hour and a half at the 6th century monastic site Clonmacnoise, which is located along the River Shannon in County Offaly.
Established about 548 A.D. by St. Cieran, the son of a master craftsman, Clonmacnoise -- whose name is derived from the meadow of the Irish noble Nos -- is one of the most extensive set of ruins of their kind in Ireland. St. Ciaran and seven followers were the first to establish the monastic order at the site. The site contained a number of churches varying in date from the 10th to the 17th century, a round tower, a castle, three stone crosses and large collection of early grave slabs. Since St. Ciaran is buried on the site, it has attracted pilgrims for nearly 1,500 years. The photo above shows our group during the tour of the site.
All of the original domestic buildings and churches on the site were originally built of timber and have not survived, though traces have been found during archaeological excavation. The monastery, which at times resembled a small town because of the number of laypeople often at the site, was plundered on many occasions by Irish enemies, the Anglo-Normans and the Vikings, with it finally being reduced to ruin in 1552 by the English garrison from Athlone.
Today, the site is operated by the Irish Office of Public Works, though it has been a national monument since 1877. A visitors center and exhibit have been erected on the site, which still boasts ruins of a castle built by the governor of Ireland in 1214, the Cathedral originally built in the year 909, and various small temples on the site, including Temple Ciaran, where St. Ciaran himself is buried. Oddly enough, Temple Ciaran is only about about 48 square feet in area -- the size of a small office or a walk-in closet.
One of the later temples built on the site, Temple Connor, has been used since the 18th century by the Church of Ireland. Services are held there every Sunday at 4 p.m. from May to late September. An annual ecumenical service is held there each summer, and Pope John Paul II himself officiated a Mass at the site in the early 1970s. Interestingly enough, the three sandstone Celtic crosses on the site, which date back to the 9th century, have been replaced by replicas on their original locations around the Cathedral at Clonmacnoise; the originals have been preserved inside the visitors center exhibition.
After a quick lunch at Clonmacnoise, we again boarded the buses for the two and a half hour drive to Dublin, arriving in the mid-afternoon. Dublin, we've found, is a blend of Old World charm and modern cosmopolitan, with historic buildings and sites blending with the sites and buildings of a 21st-century metropolis.
As we arrived in the city and headed for our hotel, we rode past several of the sites we will have the chance to visit, including Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, the Grafton Street commercial district and the historic bridges along the River Liffey. We had the opportunity to explore some of the city on our own after checking into the hotel, with many going for traditional Irish pub fare for dinner, such as "bubbles and mash," a dish combining meat/sausage with mashed potatoes. Others sampled the variety of cuisine offered around the city.
Many of us, myself included, made it a fairly early night after three days chock full of tours and activities. Tomorrow we have a more detailed visit of Trinity College and a panoramic bus tour planned, with the Wind Ensemble's second concert performance set tomorrow night at St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is the largest church in Ireland. Friday will be our last full day in Ireland.
Until next time, the luck of the Irish be with you...
Brian
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