Today you can see much of the living religious history of Ireland, not only via historical sites such as Clonmacnois, but through Ireland's many churches, chapels, and graveyards. Churches range from the simple country parishes to the rich historical cathedrals like St. Patrick's and Christ Church in Dublin. For the devout, there are various pilgrimages to take in Ireland, such as climbing Croagh Patrick near Westport, or St. Patrick's Purgatory at Lough Derg.

One of our most interesting finds was the Holy Trinity Church in Westport - not particularly remarkable on the outside, but incredibly, beautifully ornate within.

Some other major historical religious sites:

- St. Canices Cathedral, Kilkenny - the 2nd longest cathedral in Ireland (c.1285AD)

- Sligo Abbey - large historical site containing a fantastic collection of Gothic and Renaissance tomb sculpture

- Drumcliff Church, Sligo - resting place of WB Yeats

- Old Mellifont Abbey, Co. Louth - the first Cistercian monastery in Ireland (c.1142AD)

Quick Tips:

If you find in your guide book a site of interest, look online - Ireland is a very tech-savvy country and it is highly likely you can find a website for almost any major site you'd care to visit.

Historical churches do not always receive support from the state or government. If visiting a church, please be kind and drop a donation in the box to help with the upkeep.

Best Way To Get Around:

Drumcliff is located 5 miles north from Sligo on the N15. The road actually cuts across what was the original site of St Columba’s monastery, founded in 575. Only a remnant of the round tower and a remarkably well-preserved high cross dating from the 10th century remain from the original buildings at the site. St Columba was best known for converting the Picts of Northern Scotland to Christianity and for his monastery at the isle of Iona.

The graveyard is an interesting place to wander around, even if you are not interested in Yeats. Overgrown in spots, it is a higgledy-piggledy jumbling of graves dating back over the centuries. Yeats’ grave is located close to the church door, with his self-penned epitaph from his poem "Under Ben Bulben" marking the stone:

Cast a cold eye

On life, on death.

Horseman, pass by!

The church itself is an attractive wood and stone structure, with two large, beautifully crafted swans serving as the handles to the twin doors that lead inside. It is worth going inside as well, to see the unusual ceramic wall mosaics as well as the number of antique stone monuments housed there.

There is a gift shop on the grounds, and it is a surprisingly good find, stocked with Yeats memorabilia as well as a variety of local handicrafts. And unlike the cookie-cutter "Irish handicrafts" found at too many tourist sites, these were unique, and I bought several items. Also, there is a small hut close to the gift shop which houses a knitwear shop, where I bought a pair of hats and a gorgeous scarf – the only knitwear I bought my entire stay in Ireland!

Be sure to take the time to find the Yeats memorial tucked in a corner of the small parking lot that is closer to the church building. This interesting monument has a bench for contemplation and is a lovely piece of Irish art as well.

A lovely church and quaint graveyard, well worth a stop on your journeys.

Lore has it that St. Patrick passed through Dublin on his journeys, and at a well close to where the cathedral now stands, baptized pagans into Christianity. (You can see a spot on the church grounds showing the approximate location of that well.) To commemorate his visit, at the time, a small wooden church was built on that site.

In 1191, this church was elevated to the status of cathedral, and the current cathedral building was built between 1200 and 1270. Age, religious reformation, and the elements took their toll on the building, and in the late 1800's, a full-scale restoration was carried out on the cathedral by the Guinness family. The cathedral was so lovingly restored that it is hard to believe it ever fell into disrepair.

St Patrick's is both an active church and a living museum to the history of Ireland. Many notable Irish historical figures are either buried here (ie, Jonathan Swift lies near the entrance) or commemorated here (such as Carolan, the last of the Irish bards). The choir, which was founded in 1432, had the first performance of Handel's Messiah in 1742. St. Patrick's was also the site of the first University in Ireland.

It is interesting to note that there are two cathedrals in Dublin, which is rather unusual – most cities only have one major cathedral. While exact records have been lost to time, it’s believed that when St. Patrick's was granted cathedral status, it was intended to replace nearby Christ Church Cathedral. That never quite worked out, both cathedrals remained active, and eventually St. Patrick's was named the nation's cathedral while Christ Church is the city’s cathedral.

St. Patrick's is open year-round to visitors (admission is under €5 for adults) except for certain holy days such as Christmas and Christmas Eve. Additionally, non-worship visitors are restricted from wandering the cathedral during certain services, so it is advisable to check their web site for current hours.

Although there are tours available, visitors are allowed to wander on their own through the building.

From a distance, Holy Trinity does not look remarkable; a rather simple layout topped with a pencil-peaked spire, this church is dressed in grey Portland stone. However, as you get closer you realize the stone is beautifully carved, particularly around the doors and windows, a prelude of the artwork within.

Cannon James Hannay, rector of the parish 1892-1913, once said of the church, "it is easy to love, beautifully decorated and rich in modern carving." An understatement if there ever was one. Italian craftsmen did most of the work on the mosaics and murals (mostly scenes from the Gospels) which cover nearly every inch of the interior. Gorgeous pink Carrara marble lines the sanctuary. The murals are crafted in marble with gold overlay in places, with black cement contrast. Local legend has it that the alabaster used for the beautiful pulpit was part of the cargo from a shipwreck in nearby Clew Bay and that it had washed up on shore. The lovely painted organ dates to 1852 and was moved here from the previous parish church.

In addition to all this stunning handiwork are a number of handsome stained glass windows, including a large "rose" style window. (It should be noted that Westport churches in general seem to have many fine historical stained glass windows).

If you are in Westport, the Holy Trinity is definitely worth a visit.

Clonmacnoise was founded in 545 AD by St. Ciaran (Kieran in English) in what was then the Kingdom of Meath. This was an ideal location in the heart of Celtic Ireland, handy to both road and river travel, and became the burial place for many kings of Tara and Connaught.

Prince Diarmuid, who later became the first Christian High King of Ireland, helped Ciaran build the first church on the site. Ciaran himself did not live to see Clonmacnoise grow; he died of plague only 4 years later at the age of 33. No major cathedral ever graced the site – rather a number of smaller wood and stone churches – but Clonmacnoise became a major center for learning and the arts. Some of the finest Celtic craftwork to be produced here is still unsurpassed.

The monastery saw many troublesome times in its history – it was destroyed at least a dozen times and attacked at least three times as many. Every time, the monks rebuilt, until Cromwell’s forces destroyed it in 1552. After Clonmacnoise’s demise, there were no monasteries in Ireland until the 19th century.

Today, a tastefully designed visitor center – meant to resemble the crannogs that one provided living quarters in Clonmacnoise’s heyday – guards the entrance. Norman conquerors built a castle here in 1214 and the remains of that structure can still be seen just outside the site’s entrance. It was only quite recently that extensive ground radar surveys were taken to determine the extent of the site, and the modern cemetery that was started on the grounds in the 1950’s stopped further burials.

It is interesting to note that Ciaran chose this site over the rich plains not far away; it was considered uninviting at the time and Ciaran felt the harshness would better serve disciples of the Cross. Today, Clonmacnoise is regarded as one of the most beautiful religious sites in Europe, with little modern development around the site to take away from the beauty of the site.

Once you pass through the visitor center and the informative short film, you wander into the main part of the site. Here are the ruins of various churches built on the site over time, as well as the largest collection of ancient Celtic high crosses. One of these, the Cross of the Scriptures, is considered the finest example of high cross work. The 3 major historical crosses (the others being the South and North crosses) were moved inside the visitor center to preserve them, and replicas placed on their spots. While many gravestones have been uncovered, there is still plenty of work to be done here, with more than 600 known grave slabs or fragments found to date – the largest collection of Early Medieval grave slabs in Ireland and Great Britain. There are many interesting stones to look at throughout the grounds.

You pass a round tower as you enter the site, and sections of the area have been separated by stone walls. A small group of ruined churches cluster together at the crest of the hill – the smallest of these is believed to contain St. Ciaran’s grave. Down the slope, with the beautiful River Shannon behind, is the small pavilion built for Pope John Paul II’s visit here in 1979 (you can even sit where His Holiness sat). The grounds are a fascinating jumble of graves dating back over hundreds of years, with high crosses and markers in varying states of repair.

One of the largest and best preserved buildings on the site, simply called the Cathedral, has an interesting feature – the whispering arch. A monk would stand on one side of the arch and the sinner on the other, whispering his confession into the carved details of the arch, which would carry the confession to the monk’s ears only. It still works!

On the far side of the grounds, leading to the lovely Nuns’ Chapel, is the pilgrimage path, where you can walk the same stones the pilgrims to the site did hundreds of years ago.

Admission is approximately €5 and the site is open year-round. The site is primarily hilly, grass and stones, so has limited accessibility.

The current incarnation of Christ Church dates from around 1170, and was built by Saint Laurence O’Toole (the patron saint of Dublin) and Strongbow (nee Richard de Clare), although earlier versions of the cathedral may date back to around 1030 AD. It has been through several major renovations in its history, including extensive work in the last decade to help restore the crypt (approx. 1171-72), which is one of the largest medieval crypts in the British Isles.

The crypt, which is entered via its original door and stairwell, is unusual as it stretches under almost the entire church, and is a pretty neat place to explore: the massive rough stone pillars support the entire weight of the church above, and are little changed from their original state. Today, the crypt houses many artifacts as well as a number of memorial carvings. Among the items: a mummified cat and mouse who got stuck in the pipe organ, discovered in 1860s; and the 1670 stocks from Christ Church Yard. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the crypt was used for business as well as a market, and it is believed that a pub at one time was run there!

The cathedral went through three major style renovations, from the original Hiberno-Norse (Viking) cathedral, which was replaced by a Romanesque and then the Gothic cathedral. In 1562, part of the nave roof vaulting collapsed, damaging Strongbow’s tomb. The current Strongbow grave is an excellent example of both medieval stonework as well as detailing period armor. You will notice a smaller figure beside it; it is believed to be a remnant of the original memorial.

Interestingly enough, like St. Patrick’s, the major force behind Christ Church’s renovations in the late 1800’s was a brewing family: in this case, a Dublin whiskey distiller named Henry Roe. His gift of £230,000 would be equivalent to £23 million today! There are some of the original medieval floor tiles preserved within the Peace Chapel of St. Laud in the southeast corner of the church; the Victorian renovators copied these tiles throughout the cathedral. The screens across the central parts of the cathedral are also lovely examples of Victorian ironwork. The dark wood stalls located in the quire are also examples of Victorian handicraft.

If you peek into the nave, you can see a remnant of some of the original cathedral walls, known as the "leaning wall of Dublin," some 18" off the perpendicular since the mid-1500’s. Medieval carvings can be seen here in the nave, as well in the north trancept. More recent inhabitants of the church have worked hard to preserve the church’s history and historical artifacts. Fortunately, many items were found in the crypt, preserved for no better reason than they had been out of the way! Today many of these treasures are on special display in the crypt.

Christ Church is open daily from 10am–5pm except St. Stephen’s Day (Dec 26); access to parts of the cathedral is limited during services. Christ Church is extremely wheelchair-accessible, and guide dogs are admitted.