lorrha

Its architecture is unspoilt. The smithy, old school-cum-community hall and nearby house illustrate typical single storey buildings, simple in design, characteristic of the Irish village. The a group of sophisticated monuments: the decorated bases and part shafts of two 9th century high crosses, and a 15th century carved doorway set into the walls of a much older church, all within the probable site of the monastery founded by St Ruadhan who died in 545. A short distance past this group is a man-made flat-topped earthen mound - a Norman motte. Another Norman legacy is the church of the Canons Regular (beside the ball-alley) with finely decorated doorway displaying rosettes, bambinos and a female head.