sight of the ruins of Clonmacnois which he saw as an icon of the holiness of the people who studied, produced works of art and prayed here.  Pope John Paul thought of the missionary history of Clonmacnois which contributed to the evangelisation of his own land and others of Central and Eastern Europe.


It seems to me that any visitor to Clonmacnois should hear in the first place that this is one of the holiest places in Ireland or indeed in Europe.  Clonmacnois was one of the largest and longest occupied places of monastic life and prayer in all of Western Christendom.If this is forgotten, then the very heart of Clonmacnois has been overlooked.  Above all Clonmacnois should not be seen as a reminder of an ancient past only.  Clonmacnois is a place which challenges us as Christians.  As Pope John Paul said in 1979 Clonmacnois is  "charged with a great mission".

The narrow roads that lead to Clonmacnois from north and south convey the impression that the ancient monastery is located in a truly remote place.  While this is so in terms of the present day road system in the midlands, quite the opposite was true in the heyday of the busy Celtic monastery. For it St Ciaran sought out the most accessible location in the heartland of Ireland in the 6^th century.  As a means of access the Shannon was the equivalent of a modern day motorway.  The sandhills of the Esker Riada which stretch eastward from Clonmacnois and the level plains to the west completed a perfect setting, easy to access and beautiful to the eye where the river bends and lingers, as if it were reluctant to move on.

Can Clonmacnois, located as it is and given its unique history, be a symbol of renewal and reconciliation for our times?  It was the place to which monarchs of high renown and humble and unknown people came in search of final peace and made long atonement.  To the visitor of modern times this "quiet watered land" can still speak of a peace that is a welcome counterpoise to the agitation characteristic of our time.  Clonmacnois can be a haven of peace for our generation as it was for our ancestors. It is my hope and prayer that nothing will prevent the Seven Churches, to use the title that the locals always bestow on Clonmacnois, from continuing to speak to the heart as it has done so well for so long.