Clonmacnoise, located just south of Athlone in the center of Ireland, was founded in the 6th century by St. Ciaran. The monastery was known for its scholarship and piety and thrived form the 7th to the12th century.  It has been sacked and ruined many times over by both the Vikings and the Anglo-Normans, so nothing of value was left. The old church ruins are still there, along with some of the oldest and largest celtic crosses in Ireland. These crosses are about 9 feet tall and intricately carved from limestone. The one above is the Cross of the Scriptures and is decorated with biblical scenes, though the identity of most of the figures is uncertain. 

The round tower below is over 19 m (62 ft) high. Notice the doorway is well above the ground level, for security purposes. The doorway was reached by a ladder which could be hauled up in time of danger. The tower itself was used to store valueables such as manuscripts.

Clonmacnoise is a beautiful site on the banks of the river Shannon, the largest river in Ireland and the main travel route in ancient times. In fact, it lay at the crossroads of medieval travel routes that linked all parts of Ireland

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