Lately I found myself in Athlone – the center of Ireland – where the slow running river Shannon is full to it’s brim

Behold Athlone Castle.

The central keep or ‘donjon’ has been finely restored

and contains impressive treasures – like this huge lock which once secured the castle gate

Best of all this Sheela-na-gig or ‘Sile-ina-Giob’ (Sheela on her hunkers). She is only one of about a hundred Sheelas remaining  in Ireland. She  formed the keystone of a water gate in Athlone.

Among the antique and bookshops of Athlone –  it is good to see the goddess culture endures

Next door to the castle I did inspect Sean’s Pub – the oldest pub in Ireland – founded in 990AD. Surely it must have been a clóchan supplied with honey mead?

Other interesting buildings include this award-winning Thai restaurant

and this cute establishment

 Wandering south of Athlone to  Clonmacnoise – Meadow Of The Sons Of Nós – which was once a major center of learning, religion and craftmanship

These plains flood each winter – but this year much more extensively  – as seen behind  Ciarán’s little tomb

The little temple shrugs off the years since Ciarán died here in 606

A sacred destination to which tired pilgrims travelled along this ancient path

Home place to this exceptional high cross

Standing four meters tall –  carved in sandstone in C900 –  depicting biblical scriptures in its panels

badly weathered but still identifiable – the crucifixion

         A craftsman from Donegal undertook to copy this masterpiece high cross

Brendan Mc Gloin loved the cross so much that he painstakingly recreated each panel

showing us the cross – as it would have been

all rich and sacred and of itself festooned with texture

See more about how he made it here.

Then when completed it was shipped to Oregon

to honour the Irish people there.

At home the graveyard of Clonmacnois is still in use today.