Saint Manchan's Shrine
Walking the Slí Mhór: From Leamanaghan to Boher to Clonmacnoise
An Ancient Journey Through the Heart of Ireland
Along the flatlands and bogs of County Offaly lies a quiet, powerful road. Known as the Slí Mhór, or “Great Way,” this ancient east-west route once connected the great royal and monastic centres of early medieval Ireland. Today, a pilgrimage or heritage walk from Leamanaghan to Boher, and onward to the iconic monastic city of Clonmacnoise, offers a living link to the land, its saints, and its stories.
Leamanaghan
Leamanaghan is where your journey begins. Once known as Liath Mancháin ("Manchan’s grey place"), this secluded bogland was chosen by St. Manchan in the 7th century as a site of solitude and spiritual focus. The monastic ruins, holy well, and timber causeway still whisper of a time when monks walked barefoot in prayer, sustained by nature and devotion.
This was no random location—Leamanaghan lies directly on the Slí Mhór, offering both retreat and connection to a wider spiritual network. Pilgrims and monks once departed from this very place to visit sacred sites like Clonmacnoise, walking for miles through the wild beauty of the midlands.
Boher – A Shrine of Saints
A short journey—less than 3 km—brings you from Leamanaghan to Boher, a quiet village with an extraordinary treasure: Saint Manchan’s Shrine.
Now housed in Boher Church, the shrine was commissioned in the 12th century and is one of the finest examples of medieval metalwork in Ireland. It features intricate bronze figures and may have once been carried in procession or kept at the high altar of Leamanaghan’s monastery before being moved here for safekeeping.
Boher acts as a bridge between the early medieval monastic past and the continued local devotion of the present. A stop here is not just about viewing a relic—it's about standing in continuity with over 1,000 years of faith and craftsman
Clonmacnoise – The Monastic Capital
From Boher, the journey continues westward for about 18 km (by modern road or longer via scenic walking routes) to Clonmacnoise, one of Ireland’s most important early Christian sites. Founded by St. Ciarán in the 6th century, Clonmacnoise was a centre of learning, pilgrimage, kingship, and spirituality. It grew into a monastic city, with churches, high crosses, round towers, and a cathedral—all strategically located where the Slí Mhór meets the River Shannon.
For centuries, pilgrims from Leamanaghan would have made this journey—walking, praying, and preparing spiritually. The path you follow mirrors theirs. You are not just walking through countryside, but through the very fabric of Ireland’s early Christian story.
Tucked away in the quiet heart of County Offaly, the village of Leamanaghan lies along the ancient Slí Mhór, the "Great Way"—one of Ireland’s five legendary roads that once connected the island’s great royal sites. This historic route, steeped in myth and pilgrimage, winds through bogland, fields, and stone-walled paths, with Leamanaghan as one of its most spiritual resting points.
The path here is more than a trail; it’s a journey through time. Pilgrims still walk it today, following in the footsteps of St. Manchan, the 7th-century monk who founded the monastic site that still stands in silent reverence. The walk takes you past St. Manchan’s holy well, over old timber walkways and boardwalks that stretch across the bog, linking sacred ground to the broader Irish landscape.
The path in Leamanaghan offers a deep sense of place—where the land speaks, and the road remembers.
Along the Slí Mhór
The path in Leamanaghan offers a deep sense of place—where the land speaks, and the road remembers.
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