Saint Manchan's Shrine
The path in Leamanaghan offers a deep sense of place—where the land speaks, and the road remembers.
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.
Situated in the rural hinterland of County Offaly, the village of Leamanaghan occupies a site of profound cultural and spiritual significance along the ancient Slí Mhór ("Great Way")—one of the five principal roads of early medieval Ireland. These arterial routes connected the island’s preeminent royal and ecclesiastical centres, facilitating not only political and economic movement but also the diffusion of religious and cultural practices.
The Slí Mhór, extending from east to west across the island, intersects Leamanaghan at a point long associated with pilgrimage and monastic devotion. Founded in the 7th century by St Manchan of Liath, the monastic site at Leamanaghan was a key spiritual node in the Christianisation of the Irish midlands. It remains a locus of devotion, memory, and continuity, bearing witness to over a millennium of religious tradition.
Today, the pilgrim path through Leamanaghan retains both its sacral and topographical integrity. Traversing raised timber walkways and boardwalks across the surrounding bogland, the route guides visitors past key devotional landmarks, including:
St Manchan’s Holy Well, an enduring focus of local veneration and healing rites
The monastic ruins and early ecclesiastical enclosures
Intervening stretches of ancient roadways and natural landscape marked by stone, water, and memory
This landscape offers more than historical interest—it embodies the “sacred geography” of early Christian Ireland, where place, story, and ritual practice are deeply embedded in the physical environment.
Leamanaghan thus represents an exceptional example of a living heritage landscape, where pilgrimage, folklore, and historical continuity intersect. The route is still walked today, affirming the enduring legacy of St Manchan and the powerful resonance of Ireland’s early medieval monastic tradition.
Along the Slí Mhór
The path in Leamanaghan offers a deep sense of place—where the land speaks, and the road remembers.
Learning Experiences Ireland © All rights reserved.