Geophysical study being undertaken of important South Offaly historical site

  A geophysical survey is currently taking place at the famous historical site of Seir Kieran in Clareen, South Offaly, and has already revealed a number of additional enclosures.

  A thriving monastery once existed here centuries ago and it's one of the most important ecclesiastical heritage sites in the Midlands.

Geophysical technology measures, maps and images various subsurface physical properties of the earth's crust. It can alert archaeologists to the possible presence of something important beneath the earth's surface. 

  At a recent Birr Municipal District meeting Amanda Pedlow, Heritage officer with Offaly County Council while giving an update on heritage plan projects spoke about the current surveying work taking place at Seir Kieran monastic site.
"The early medieval monastic enclosure at the site is owned by the State and managed by the Office of Public Works," she remarked. "It is leased to a local landowner who keeps it grazed. The church and burial ground in the middle of the enclosure are owned and managed by the Church of Ireland and Vestry."
Amanda said the graveyard wall itself is of considerable historical importance and contains many elements of buildings that are most likely later medieval in date, meaning a lot of care is needed in their conservation.
In 2021 the Vestry were able to secure some funding from the Community Monuments Fund, an initiative from the National Monument Service and Offaly Heritage Office. The Vestry worked with Denis Shine of the Irish Heritage School in Birr to produce a Conservation Management Plan which sets out the importance of the site and future conservation works needed.
"In 2022," continued Amanda, "this report forms the basis of their application to the Community Monuments Fund for Stage 1 conservation works to take place at the site; the outcome of this application will be known later this spring. The Vestry have been long looking for an opportunity to support these works as they are of a large scale and will need considerable financial support."
In addition to the conservation works a programme of ongoing research is being supported by Offaly County Council. "A geophysical survey," commented the Heritage Officer, "of the enclosure’s interior by Dr. Ger Dowling is being co-ordinated by Denis Shine working with the local community (and with permission of the OPW and National Monuments Service). This survey can show up sub-surface features that may be of archaeological interest under the ground, and already is revealing a number of additional enclosures at the site. The survey will ultimately assist with the interpretation of what may have happened at the site or what it might have looked like. It is one piece of the jigsaw!
"A graveyard survey is also currently ongoing, by Stephen Callaghan and the Irish Heritage School. This survey will shed further light on the individuals interred within the graveyard in the past."
For more on the site a video was made about it last year and it can be seen on the Offaly Heritage Youtube channel.

The name Seir Kieran derives from Saighir Chiaráin, meaning ‘the fountain of Ciarán’. The ancient church at Seir Kieran is associated with St Ciarán the elder, who is supposed to have spent 30 years in Rome studying the scriptures. In ancient times the church was a burial place of the kings of the ancient kingdom of Ossory.

Today pilgrims continue to carry out stations at St Kieran’s Well and St. Kieran’s Bush & Stone on his feastday (March 5th). Within the graveyard is the base of a 9th century high cross which features carvings of biblical scenes, such as ‘Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden’.

Sometime before 1170 Seirkieran became a house of Augustinian canons and shortly after this date the priory church of St. Ciarán was built. The walls of this church form the northern boundary of the graveyard. The foundations of an earlier round tower can be seen on the external northwest angle of the priory ruins. The priory was dissolved in 1552 and sometime later the church was fortified when a small circular gun-tower was added on to the southeast angle. In 1844 the Church of Ireland built the present church, in which are housed a stone cross and some early cross slabs that were found in the graveyard. A sheela na gig from the site is now in the National Museum of Ireland.