Slab with a carved Maltese cross inside a circle. The cross is thought to date from 650AD and mark the resting place of Aédh, an anchorite monk
Killaghtee Cross, Co Donegal, Ireland
Killaghtee old church
Glendalough Monastic City
St Kevin’s Church and Round Tower, Glendalough, Co Wicklow, Ireland
St Kevin’s Church and Round Tower, Glendalough
St Kevin’s Church
Glendalough Round Tower, Glendalough
Glendalough Round Tower, Glendalough
Glendalough Reefert Church and crosses, Glendalough Monastic City
Glendalough Reefert Church and cross, Glendalough Monastic City
Glendalough Reefert Church
Glendalough Reefert Church
Glendalough Cathedral
Glendalough Cathedral
Glendalough Cathedral
Glendalough Crosses
Nine crosses at Glendalough Monastic City
Reefert Cross, Glendalough, Co Wicklow, Ireland
Cross at Reefert Church ruin, Glendalough
Rough Cross at Reefert Church ruin, Glendalough
Broken Cross at Reefert Church ruin, Glendalough Monastic City
High Cross (with broken shaft?), Glendalough
St Kevin’s Cross, Glendalough Monastic City
Three more broken crosses, Glendalough Monastic City
St Mochta’s House
St Mochta’s House, Louth, Co Louth, Ireland
St Mochta, a disciple of St Patrick, founded a monastery here in the early 6th century. The building here is thought to date to the 12th Century
St Mary’s Priory
St Mary’s Priory, Louth, Co Louth, Ireland
The 13th century church ruins are on the site of a monastery founded by St Mochta early in the 6th century
Fuerty Abbey
Fuerty Abbey and Ancient Graveyard, Co Roscommon, Ireland
Old Kiltartan Church and Graveyard
Old Kiltartan Graveyard, Gort, Co Galway, Ireland
Kells Monastic Site
Kells (Ceanannas Mór) monastery was founded in 554AD by St Columba (St Colmcille).
Kells High Cross – The East Cross, east face
Kells High Cross and Round Tower
Kells Round Tower, 10th century
Kells High Cross – The South Cross aka Cross of Patrick and Columba
Kells High Cross – The West Cross, west face
9th century Kells High Cross – The Market Cross, west face.
Kells High Cross – The Market Cross, east face
Kells High Cross – the base of the Market Cross
Spire doorway. Kells Monastic Site, Co Meath, Ireland
Cahercommaun Stone Fort
Cahercommaun Stone Fort, The Burren, Co Clare, Ireland
Three ringed stone fort perched on a cliff edge. Built circa 800AD
The outer walls are quite ruinous
Kilfenora High Crosses
Kilfenora, the West Cross
The North High Cross
The west face of the Doorty Cross
The east face of the Doorty Cross
High Cross shaft fragment
Bishops Head above the entrance
Kilfenora Cathedral, The Burren, Co Clare Ireland
Caherconnell Stone Fort
Caherconnell Stone Fort, The Burren, Co Clare, Ireland
The cashel was built in the 10th Century.
The new entrance dates to the 15th – 16th century
Wall detail.
Caherconnell Stone Fort is located in the karst rugged limestone landscape of the Burren like Cahermore Stone Fort.
St Brigid’s Holy Well
Saint Brigid’s Well, Liscannor, Co Clare, Ireland
Came across this well on the way to the Cliffs of Moher – it’s amazing.
In the wall of the grotto
The entrance to the grotto and well
Kilmacduagh Monastery
Kilmacduagh Monastery, Gort, Co Clare, Ireland
Kilmacduagh Round Tower at 34 meters – the tallest round tower in the world
Cahermore Stone Fort
Cahermore Stone Fort aka Ballyallaban ringfort, The Burren, Co Clare, Ireland
Fortified farmstead with walls up to 9 feet thick and high, built in the medieval period.
Cahermore Stone Fort is located in the karst rugged limestone landscape of the Burren like Caherconnell Stone Fort.
Ballindoon Abbey (Priory)
Ballindoon Abbey – the ruin of a Dominican Priory, aka St Mary’s Priory
Ballindoon Abbey overlooking Lough Arrow, Co Sligo, Ireland
St Patrick’s Well and Shaver’s Well
St Patrick’s Well (Tobar Phadraig) and Shaver’s Well (Tobar An Bherrtha)
The sign for St Patrick’s Well and Shaver’s Well, Bunduff, Co Leitrim, Ireland
St Patrick’s Holy Well
Shaver’s Holy Well is a short distance away by the sea
Tobernalt Holy Well
Tobernalt Holy Well, Co Sligo, Ireland
St Patrick’s Chair, Well, Rag Tree and Bullaun Stone
St Patrick’s Chair, Altadaven, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Bullaun Stone at St Patrick’s Chair and Well
St Patrick’s Well (St Patrick’s Chair can be seen at the top – left of center)
Rag Tree at St Patrick’s Chair
Mevagh Cross
Mevagh Cross, Co Donegal, Ireland
Cup-marked stone that lies beside the church ruin
Kinlough Old Church and Graveyard
Kinlough Old Graveyard, Co Leitrim, Ireland
Kinlough Old Church ruin
Ardclinis Old Church
Ardclinis Old Church and Graveyard with Fairy Tree
Ardclinis Old Church, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
Ardclinis Fairy Tree (Rag Tree)
Rags are tied to trees in the belief that as the cloth rots an ailment or problem will disappear or a wish will be forfilled.
Children’s toys and other personal things are also to be found on the tree.
Bodoney Church and Graveyard
3 Crosses attached to exterior wall
Bodoney (Badoney) Church and Graveyard, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland
St Colmcille’s Abbey
St Colmcille’s Abbey, Gartan, Co Donegal, Ireland
The site is reputed to be the birthplace of St Colmcille
The remains of an ancient cross on a small mound
The remains of the other cross
The Holy Well at the entrance to the site
The flagstone of loneliness
Leac na Cumha – The flagstone of loneliness, Co Donegal, Ireland. St Colmcille is said to have slept on this ancient cup-marked stone before his exile to Iona.
Ancient megalithic site…
rebranded as St. Colmcille’s Birthplace by a large cross and stone plaque
Old Conwal Graveyard
Old Conwal Graveyard, Co Donegal, Ireland
Decorated pillar
Crude figure on stone
Celtic cross and knot work on grave slab
Cross on large grave slab
Ray High Cross
Ray High Cross, Co Donegal, Ireland
aka St Colm Cille’s Cross
The Ruin of Ray Church
Ray Church, Co Donegal, Ireland
Dunlewy Old Church
Dunlewy Old Church, the Poisoned Glen, Co Donegal, Ireland
St Patrick’s Well – Tubberpatrick
St Patrick’s Well (Tubberpatrick), Portstewart, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
The Yellow Steeple – St. Mary’s Abbey
The Yellow Steeple, – St. Mary’s Abbey, Trim, Co Meath, Ireland
Door detail of St. Mary’s Abbey
St Deirbhile’s Church and Graveyard
St Deirbhile’s Church, Belmullet, Co Mayo, Ireland
Some of the crosses in St Deirbhile’s Graveyard
St Deirbhile’s Holy Well
St Deirbhile’s Holy Well, Belmullet, Co Mayo, Ireland
An annual pilgrimage takes place around 15th August
The story of St. Dairbhile goes something like this… born of a noble family of Meath she travelled to the Mullet peninsula to escape a noble suitor. However, she was followed, and gouged out her own eyes to make herself less attractive. When her horrified Prince left, she washed her eyes in the waters of a well that sprung from where they had fallen and her sight was restored.
Bective Abbey
Bective Abbey, Co Meath, Ireland
Bective Abbey was founded in 1147 for the Cistercians by Murchadh O’ Melaghin, King of Meath and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin
The Cloister
Rosserk Abbey (Friary)
Rosserk Abbey (Friary), Killala, Co Mayo, Ireland
Founded around 1450 for the Friars of the Third Order Franciscans
Killala Round Tower
Killala Round Tower, Co Mayo, Ireland
12th century Round Tower – the original monastic settlement probably goes back to the 5th century when St Patrick appointed Muiredach as first bishop of Killala
Carlingford Abbey
Carlingford Abbey (Dominican Friary), Co Louth, Ireland
Founded circa 1305 by the Dominican Order
St Brigid’s Well and Faughart old graveyard
St. Brigid’s Well, Faughart, Co Louth, Ireland
St. Brigid’s Well
Rag Tree at St Brigid’s Well
By the shrine
The ruins of a medieval church
The grave of Edward Bruce, King of Ireland who was defeated and killed in the battle of Faughart 14th October 1318. (brother of Robert Bruce King of Scotland)
Some of the interesting headstones
St Brigid’s Shrine
Steps to St Brigid’s Shrine, Faughart, Co Louth, Ireland
1st February St Brigid’s feast day is also Imbolc a pagan festival marking the beginning of spring associated with the Irish Goddess Brigid. Some believe the date of Imbolc was more flexible and associated with the onset of the lambing season.
The Grotto
Some of the Stations positioned along St Brigid’s stream
Station 6 Cloch na Crúibe – The hoof stone
Station 7 Cloch na Glúine – The knee stone
Station 8 Cloch an Choim – The waist stone
Castledermot Round Tower and High Crosses
Castledermot Round Tower and High Crosses, Co Kildare, Ireland
Castledermot Round Tower and Romanesque arch of earlier church (reconstructed)
South High Cross, West face
South High Cross, East face
North High Cross, East face
North High Cross, West face
Holed cross stone (the swearing stone) – very weathered
Viking Hog-back stone with weathered diamond pattern on one side and crosses on the other
Medieval millstone in the graveyard
Moone High Cross
Moone High Cross, Co Kildare, Ireland
The ruins of Moone Abbey