Clonfert Cathedral

Clonfert was founded by Brendan the Navigator around 560 and he is said to be buried here. The building is small - it functions as a parish church and would pass without notice but for the west doorway, added around 1180, which is the outstanding piece of Irish Romanesque sculpture. Six receding orders of arches carry animal heads, foliage, chevrons and geometric ornament, and above them a steep triangular pediment holds a grid of human heads in triangular recesses, with more heads and rosettes in the arch itself. The effect is dense, strange and unlike anything else in the country. A fifteenth-century chancel arch inside carries carved angels, a rosette and a mermaid. The building is a working church in a very quiet rural setting with no visitor facilities, and access to the interior depends on it being unlocked or on a keyholder.

What to look for

• The west doorway - six orders of Romanesque carving under a pediment of heads.
• The head grid - human faces set in triangular recesses above the arch.
• The chancel arch - fifteenth-century carving with angels and a mermaid.
• The Brendan association - the sixth-century foundation and his burial place.

When to go

April to October for the light on the carving, which is west-facing and shows best in the afternoon. The interior may be locked; the doorway is outside and always accessible.

Before you go

A very small building in a remote rural spot with no facilities and roadside parking. The interior is sometimes locked. The doorway is weathered in places. It is a single-feature visit for people who care about Romanesque carving.

Nearby

Portumna Castle is south; Clonmacnoise is north-east across the Shannon.

Key facts