Historic sites Osraige

view of seirkieran (saighir).



jerpoint abbey, founded in 1160 ad domnall mac goilla phádraig.



st. ciarán s chair ; ancient stone seat in st. canice s cathedral, kilkenny city. stone under seat reputed have been part of original bishop s throne @ saighir (c. 400) , later abbey of aghaboe (c. 950), brought here when church (or predecessor) became cathedral of diocese.

modern counties laois , kilkenny preserves many of ancient , medieval site associated kingdom of osraige. long , well-attested sculptural tradition of stone carving, creation of irish high crosses developed under dál birn / mac giolla phádraig kings of osraige. of ireland s earliest stone high crosses found within ancient kingdom of osraige or close borders. great examples of tradition include fine crosses still preserved @ kinitty, ahenny , killamery, amongst other sites. historians have asserted pre-norman fortification existed @ site upon kilkenny castle built; ancient capital of kingdom. st. ciarán said have founded influential monastery of seirkieran, in present-day clareen. saighir first episcopal seat within kingdom , burial site of kings of osraige. there, ruins of monastic site, earthworks, holy well, ruined base of irish round tower, medieval defensive motte, numerous christian cross-slabs, bases , gravestones can found, next 19th-century church of ireland parish. st. canice founded 2 important churches in kingdom, @ aghaboe , kilkenny, each in turn becoming capital of diocese after saighir. aghaboe abbey served osraige s second ecclesiastical seat, before again later relocated kilkenny time in twelfth century. st canice s cathedral in kilkenny city exhibits well-preserved ninth-century round tower can climbed top. in april 2004, geophysical survey using ground-penetrating radar discovered original foundations of twelfth century cathedral of diocese of ossory , large structure possibly royal mac giolla phádraig palace; noting site bears strong resemblance contemporaneous structures @ rock of cashel. jerpoint abbey, founded near present-day thomastown in 1160 king domnall mac goilla phádraig. there debate whether jerpoint either benedictine or cistercian during first twenty years, 1180 king domnall mac goilla phádraig brought cistercian monks nearby baltinglass abbey , remained such thereafter. well-preserved 30-meter, capless round tower can seen @ grangefertagh. in 1999, hoard of 43 silver , bronze items dated 970 ad discovered in rocky cleft deep in dunmore cave, containing silver ingots , conical buttons woven fine silver. cave site of recorded viking massacre in 928.

in 1984, series of commemorative cast stone panels sculpted joan smith installed facade on buttress walls of ossory bridge forms part of ring road on river nore connecting n10 carlow waterford. facade symbolically depicts history of south kilkenny area time of mythological figure of oengus osrithe late twentieth century.