Western Ireland Tour, Day 4:  Clonmacnois

The great monastery of Clonmacnois was founded in the mid-6th century, in the early days of Irish Christianity.  It thrived for nearly 1,000 years, despite sackings by the Vikings, the Normans, and other Irish chieftains, until finally the English destroyed it in 1552.  Today it is most famous for its magnificent High Crosses, particularly the 9th-century Cross of the Scriptures.  Clonmacnois, dotted with ecclesiastical ruins, is a breathtaking landscape of the Irish past.

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