IRELAND'S HISTORICAL CHRISTIAN REMAINS

Following up to my previous instalments on Ireland (see here for part 1: IRELAND: A WONDERFUL LANDSCAPE and part 2: THE WONDERS OF MEGALITHIC IRELAND), I decided to dedicate this third post to one of the things that defined the country throughout its history, for good and - unfortunately - at times for worse: religion, and specifically Christianity. However, I didn't take a reporter's approach, nor did I want to delve into the Troubles; while I am fully aware of the religious controversies and wars that happened in Ireland during the last centuries, and of the pain and scars they left on the island and its people, I was off to depict the beauty of the country as best as I could, and so I did. Early Christian settlements, ruins of what once have been mighty churches and abbeys that fulfilled such an important role in the diffusion of religion all over Europe, impressively decorated High Crosses, Holy Wells and so on, most of which placed in really beautiful natural settings; Ireland offers a wealth of photographic opportunity following the trails and paths that early Christians walked many centuries ago.

Jerpoint Abbey, Ireland 2012

Jerpoint abbey, above, is one of the best preserved abbeys' ruins in Ireland; so are the Rock of Cashel and Athanassey abbey, below: in this case, shooting after a storm provided me with intense, dramatic skies that enhanced the atmosphere of the places.

Storm over Athassel, Ireland 2012

Extremely important for the diffusion of Christianity, but not as well preserved as some of the others, is Mellifont Abbey:

Mellifont Abbey, Ireland 2012

Despite being very scant, the remains give us a pretty good idea of the importance of the setting; the particularly elegant double-colomned cloister's remains and what is left of the lavabo are impressive, and so is the size of the abbey's grounds. Despite its actual state, and no matter how difficult it is to imagine it while there, secular and religious history has been made at Mellifont, synods held, treaties signed; during its heydays, hundreds of people lived in and around the abbey.

Out of the most traveled touristic paths, one can meet with very interesting finds, such as the huge and well preserved Franciscan friary in Adare, now hidden in the middle of a golf course:

Adare's Franciscan friary, Ireland 2012

Or Killonaghan church, in the Burren:

Storm over Killonaghan, Ireland 2012

and the more modern chapel at Gougane Barra, on a foggy day:

Gougane Barra, II, Ireland 2012

Going back in time, Gallarus oratory is not to be missed: its construction is a feat of engineering, its walls still not letting in rain nor wind after so many centuries:

Gallarus Oratory at dusk, Ireland 2012

Just close by stands the small, Romanesque church of Kilmakedar, shot at dusk; on the left you can see an Ogham stone, while on the right stands an early cross:

Kilmakedar, Ireland 2012

Early Christians in Ireland started by carving crosses in wood, moving subsequently to carving stone crosses of amazing beauty; these so called High Crosses stand tall (in the literal sense of the word) today, after centuries, still amazing us with their magnificent carvings. Here comes a series of some of the most impressive high crosses I found and photographed last summer in Ireland. First, the high crosses at Ahenny, starting with the North Cross: 

North Cross, Ahenny, Ireland 2012

Ahenny's North Cross at sunset, Ireland 2012

Followed by the South Cross:

South Cross, Ahenny, Ireland 2012

Ahenny's South Cross at sunset, Ireland 2012

Then the High Cross at Drumcliff, in the yard of the same church where W.B. Yeats' tomb is:

Drumcliff's High Cross, Ireland 2012

Following, also shot at dusk, you'll see two of the Clonmacnoise crosses; unfortunately, these are modern copies, the originals are stored in the museum on site (the amazingly informative display is very recommended!) to preserve them from the elements:

Cross of the Scriptures, Clonmacnoise, Ireland 2012

South Cross, Clonmacnoise, Ireland 2012

Less known and in a worse state of preservation, but nevertheless still quite impressive, is the High Cross at Termonfecking:

Probably the most known of all, and certainly one of the most impressive both for its size and for its wonderful decorations, is Muiredach's Cross at Monasterboice:

Muiredach's Cross, Ireland 2012

Kells is the location of four crosses, out of which the beautiful Cross of St. Patrick & St. Columba and the East cross (here photographed with Kells' round tower behind) are the most interesting, photographically speaking:

Cross of St. Patrick & St. Columba, Ireland 2012

Kells' East Cross, Ireland 2012

Duleek's High Cross is actually not so high, but its decorations are worth a stop:

Very interesting is also a second Cross' head, laying in the church's remains at Duleek; judging from the size of both the head and the base, it should have been pretty impressive as well:

To end this tour into early Christian Ireland, here is the remote, paleo-Christian Cross of St. Brendan, marking his grave:

And the monastery at Glendalough, very impressive in its valley setting, photographed at dusk:

Glendalough at sunset, Ireland 2012

and in the early hours of the morning:

Glendalough, Ireland 2012

Ok, this is the end of the third instalment of photographs from Ireland: I hope you enjoyed them!

Click here to see part 1: IRELAND: A WONDERFUL LANDSCAPE, part 2: THE WONDERS OF MEGALITHIC IRELAND and part 4: IRELAND'S MAN MADE LANDSCAPE

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Now for the technical stuff (click to go to the related product page): all images shown here have been shot with a Nikon D800E equipped with the Nikon 24mm f/1.4 AF-S, Nikon 35mm f/1.4G AF-S, Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AF-S, Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AF-S and the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 AF-S VR; a SB-910 Speedlight controlled via the D800E commander has been used at times as well. For support I used a Gitzo tripod equipped with an Arca Swiss Cube head; last, but certainly not least, I also used Singh-Ray filters, including a polarizer & various ND filters. Photos have been developed in Nikon Capture NX 2 and finished in Adobe Photoshop CS6.

Thank you for reading this far, and stay tuned for more!

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