St. Ciarán didn’t live a long life – probably not even as long as the putative lifespan of Jesus, to whom Ciarán devoted his life. Of course, making it to thirty years of age was pretty good for the 6th century. He did leave an enduring legacy – the monastery at Clonmacnoise, which he and his colleagues began to construct almost 1500 years ago. His feast day is today.
The picture above shows the churches and towers of Clonmacnoise that were built centuries after Ciarán’s death. The church and tower in the background are, respectively, Temple Finghin and McCarthy’s Tower, a 12th century building, and the shadow in the foreground is of O’Rourke’s Tower. It has been casting a north-facing shadow towards the Shannon every sunny day since 1124. This photo was taken during the 2015 solar eclipse.