Overview
The finest Romanesque doorway in Ireland is kept behind a locked door. Clonfert Cathedral, a plain stone church in a small village east of the River Shannon, is nearly always shut – but the key is easy to get. Knock at the house immediately to the right of the church and the caretaker will hand it over. Do that first, because the doorway and the carvings inside are the whole reason to make the trip out here.
This is not a polished visitor attraction. There are no facilities, no ticket desk, and the village is genuinely off the beaten track. What you get instead is one of the great pieces of medieval Irish stonework, more or less to yourself.
Saint Brendan and the monastery
Saint Brendan the Navigator founded a monastery here in the 6th century, and at its height it is said to have held around 3,000 monks – a major centre of learning that sent scribes and missionaries across Europe. Brendan died around 584 and was buried at Clonfert; his grave is marked by a simple slab with a cross, inside the cathedral.
Like every rich monastery on a river, it drew raiders. Clonfert was burned in Viking raids in 1016, 1164 and 1179, and rebuilt each time. Once the seat of the Diocese of Clonfert, the cathedral is now one of five in the Church of Ireland Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe.
The west doorway
The west doorway, carved around 1200, is the reason the cathedral matters. It has six orders of brown sandstone, with a later 15th-century inner order in blue limestone, and it’s packed with foliage, stylised animals, human faces and mythic creatures. Some sources credit it to Bishop Peter O’Moore, who held the see between 1161 and 1171.
Inside, look for the 15th-century chancel arch, decorated with angels, a rosette and a mermaid holding a mirror – the mermaid is worn smooth from centuries of hands touching her. The sacristy is 15th-century, there’s a 15th-century stone font near the entrance, and a 19th-century carved oak pulpit. The interior is restrained but rewards a slow look, which you’ll have to yourself.
The grounds and Clonfert Palace
The churchyard holds historic gravestones and cross slabs. A short yew-tree avenue leads from the churchyard into the adjacent field to the ruins of Clonfert Palace, a late 17th-century residence built for the Church of Ireland bishop – the avenue itself is one of the nicer things about a visit here. Beyond the grounds, the flat Shannon floodplain makes for an easy wander among hedgerows and grazing land.
Getting there
Clonfert village is about 9 km from Banagher and roughly 15 km from Ballinasloe. Coming off the M6, take junction 16 for Loughrea on the N65, bypass Loughrea towards Portumna, then follow the signs. A small car park sits near the churchyard; some paths are unpaved and get muddy after rain. There are no toilets or shops on site – Ballinasloe is your nearest stop for those.
Allow about an hour, most of it on the doorway and the interior carvings. Early or late light rakes across the reliefs and photographs best. To make a day of it, Portumna Castle is about a 20-minute drive, with Pallas Castle and the Battle of Aughrim Visitor Centre also within reach.