The Romanesque church at Clonmacnoise is currently wrapped up below scaffolding and plastic sheets drying out before restoration. The staff in the visitor's centre told me that it will be a couple of years before it is uncovered again and so The Nun's Church (built in 1167) offers the only chance to see some fine Romanesque carving for the time being.
Situated 500m from the main site you can visit this without going through the centre. The walk is a pleasant one along a narrow lane flanked on one side by the broad flood planes of the Shannon and a raised pilgrim's trail on the other.
The church is very ruined - most of the walls are just 1m tall - but the doorway and chancel arch have survived pretty much intact. The doorway is nearly complete with a shallow hooded arch. The outer part consists of a beaded section terminated in a pair of fine dragon heads. Inside this is a typical row of pointed chevrons with a small beading detail. Within this is a wonderful set of dragon heads holding a bar in their mouths. Most of their noses are broken off, but many ratain teeth and tongues. The columns that flank the doorway are plain, but terminate in finely carved terminals.
The chancel arch just has the top section missing, which is replaced by blank blocks of stone. It is mainly beautifully proportioned beaded chevrons. The outer row, like that on the door, terminates in two lovely dragon heads. Next in is a layer of diamonds that wrap the corner with small heads occupying the centre position of the diamonds, so that they are on the edge of teh arch facing inwards. One of these is said to be a small Sheela-na-Gig, but this is very doubtful.
The columns are plain, but terminate in very finely carved terminals. These are mainly geometric but do incorporate some heads.
Whenever you see a church as fine as this in ruins you have to wonder what other fine ornament it had when complete. It could easily have rivalled anything else that Ireland can offer.
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A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
 Templecronan (Co. Clare) |  St. Mella's Cell (Co. Offaly) |  Cormac's Chapel (Co. Tipperary) |
 Banagher (Co. Derry) |  St. Kevin's Chapel (Co. Wicklow) |  St. Anne's (Co. Dublin) |
