Ecclesiastical connections: From Clones to Clogher

An event exploring the connections between the monastic settlements of Clones and Clogher was held last week at the border town's St Tigernach’s Church of Ireland.

The community came together for the launch of the fascinating event called 'Clones to Clogher Community Connections Cross-border Project'.

Clogher Monastery and Bishopric was founded by St. Macartan in 454AD. Macartan, one of St. Patrick's missionary staff, uncle to St. Brigid, and one of the earliest Christian saints in Ireland was the first Bishop of Clogher until his death in March 506AD. Clogher Monastery was established near the ancient Royal Fort of Rathmore, seat of the Ulster King of Clogher Eochaidh. The second Bishop of Clogher was St. Tigernach of Clones, grandson of King Eochaidh, baptised and named by St. Brigid, and who died in April 549AD and is buried in a Sarcophagus or House Shrine in the Round Tower Graveyard.

Anne Corley, Local History and Genealogy Officer in the Cassandra Hand Folk and Famine Centre, Clones shared how the project started, the significance of the discovery of a 1693 map of Ireland and the ancient monastic connections between Clones and Clogher; The Photographs of Rose Shaw, a Governess in Fardross House and Amateur photographer in the 1900s, Clogher's Ancient City Status and St Tighernach.

Heather McLaughlin from The Rural Centre, Clogher gave an overview of Rose Shaw, and her photographic collection. Heather also explained how the people from the Clogher Valley who featured in her photographs had been identified and from that the family oral history project developed. The Rural Centre also manages the Ancient Clans - Our Shared Heritage website available at www.theruralcentre.eu or www.ancientclans.org

Former Field Monument Warden and passionate promoter and practitioner of community-led archaeology and heritage conservation, Barney Devine shared how he had discovered the Ancient Pilgrim Route from Clones to Clogher over Sliabh Beagh on the 1693 map and the research he had carried out. By exploring the landscape and gaining local knowledge Barney rediscovered many ancient way markers, ruined monastic buildings, and medieval settlements still in situ along the route. Article available at https://barneydevine.com

Sean McCaughey of Clogher Community Village Forum did further research and spoke with locals to see if this ancient route could be re-established so that it could be walked again at certain times of the year, with landowner permission. This resulted in the creation of an information leaflet and two interactive maps, one of the Pilgrim Route and the other of the sites of the Rose Shaw Photographs.

Funded by the Shared Island Civic Society Fund, this was the second last event of a year long project and the organisers thanked everyone who came to St. Tigernach’s. MC for the night, Clones Community Forum Chairperson Walter Pringle, who had introduced proceedings with the Right Reverend Ian Ellis, Anglican Bishop of Clogher saying a few words on the connection between both monastic settlements.

Monsignor Laurence 'La' Flynn Prior of Lough Derg, closed the event discussing the good work carried out on promoting pilgrimage in Ireland and mentioned the new interactive map on Lough Erne Pilgrim Way to Lough Derg.

Clones Community Forum, based in the Cassandra Hand Folk and Famine Centre; Clogher Community Village Forum and The Rural Centre both based in Clogher, County Tyrone came together just over one year ago to collaborate on this project to carry out research on The Ancient Pilgrim Route, Rose Shaw's photographs, St Tighernach’s connection and Clogher City Status. Over the course of 2025 both forum came together to hold a variety of workshops and study visits in Clones, Clogher and Sliabh Beagh.

The first large event in February 2025 was the launch of the Rose Shaw Photographic Exhibition. Rose was a governess in Fardross House, Co. Tyrone, and also an amateur photographer who with the help of a local lad would bring her large camera out to visit local people in their everyday lives in the Clogher Valley and Sliabh Beagh area. These photos were in the National Museum and copies were provided for an exhibition in Corrick House. There was great interest in the photos as many locals were able to identify their ancestors and record their stories for later generations. The culmination of this project was the launch of the information leaflet and interactive map in St. Tigernachs, Clones last Friday. The organisers will again walk some of the route, weather permitting, at the end of March. As a lot of the route way-markers are on private land there will be some planned walks throughout the year when dates are confirmed.