The Haunting Beauty of ClonMacnoise

Clon Macnoise on the River Shannon

There was an other worldly presence here, and I felt goosebumps rise on my arms.

It was hard to believe I was in Ireland.  This was a trip I’d dreamed of for years and now I could hardly close my eyes for fear of missing something. As I became acquainted with the Irish countryside, sugar-coated images of thatched cottages and leprechauns fled before the splendor of the real thing. Here, velvet blue skies flanked rolling green hills, ancient stone buildings hovered on every horizon, and age-old rock walls snaked across the fields.
I had expected, the scenery in Ireland to be fascinating, but was pleasantly surprised to learn the same could be said of its history. Especially in places like St. Ciaran’s Monastery at Clonmacnoise.

This was an Unusual Place 

Clonmacnoise is in Southern Ireland, in County Offaly, and though it’s a…