Exploring ‘the Angels’ Graveyard’: Relics, Sculpture and Ecclesiastical Power at Clonmore

Abstract

AT THE ECCLESIASTICAL SITE OF CLONMORE, Co Carlow (Ireland), components of at least one, and possibly two, composite stone shrines were recently identified in the graveyard. This new archaeological evidence, together with its already considerable assemblage of early-medieval sculpture, supports a number of textual sources claiming that Clonmore housed a significant collection of corporeal saints’ relics. What makes Clonmore unusual in this regard is that it was reputed to possess a corporeal relic from every saint in Ireland, leading to its moniker Relic na nAingel (‘the Angels’ Graveyard’). Yet surprisingly, this site has been largely overlooked in recent studies. Using a combination of historical sources and archaeological evidence, this paper demonstrates that Clonmore’s identity was inextricably linked to its cult of relics and that its expression differed markedly from most other relic cults across Ireland and, to an extent, elsewhere in Western Europe – indicating that the cult of relics in Ireland was perhaps more diverse in its character and material manifestations than has been previously assumed.