The small village of Clonfert, only a short distance west of the River Shannon in County Galway, is home to a beautiful cathedral that boasts an elaborate, Romanesque doorway dating from 1200. The ecclesiastical history of the place dates back to the 6th century when St Brendan the Navigator founded a monastery and it is predictable there were about 3,000 monks living there. When he died, about 584, St Brendan’s body was buried at Clonfert and the presence of his remains explains why such an ornate doorway was later created.
Note: The Church is locked but a key is available locally from the house at the right-hand side of the Cathedral.
