User:The intrepid hangman of the burren

Clonlea monastery and graveyard ruin kilkishen

this small thatched monastery was originally built in the around 520 ac by St Senan of cork. On his arrival to Kilrush in 500 acLocated on a steep hill for protection and beside clonlea lake where there was a water mill and fishing and washing was done the field exevated a few years ago found wood from the mill but it was so old it had to be reburied. . It also was the source to St. Senans blessed well which he put near the lake and is still used today. The monastery was decorated with stonework and had a small square altarstone placed inside the walls which was used to worship the small stone was found in clonlea lake and the stonework is gone to museam of ireland along with extremely old wood from the thatch roof also found. . A hollow path surrounds the monastery in a circle still today and was used for daily rosary’s. In famine times it became a funeral path. The graveyard was originally across the lake and after a mass in the monastery monks brought the dead across in a coffin on little fishing boats to be buried in the graveyard. Though sometime during 1000 ac - 1400 ac the graveyard was said to have moved overnight. The monastery was abanded in the 12 th century after the last of the monks died. And people have been buried there since. One of the most famous is the very first vault just inside the gate which belonged to the evil priest hunter John Cusack who lived in kilkishen castle during the 16 th century. He was so hated someone carved a mean poem on his grave and turned the stone over for his corpse to see

god is happy when man cease sin

the devil is happy when a soul he wins

man is happy when evil dies

but all his happy for here John Cusack lies

years after that his vault was was opened by 2 lads so they could destroy his remains but the bones were missing and folklore says his body was flung into clonlea lake know one really knows or ever will but  lights have been seen in the monastery and chanting heard. Looks like it isn’t abanded just yet a few old friends are staying