Dysert O'Dea

Northwest of Ennis (the N85 to Fountain Cross, then 4mi/6km to the left on the R476) lies the site of Dysert O'Dea (National Monument), with a church, a round tower, and a high cross. The present church dates from the late 17th C., when it was reconstructed more or less in its original form (12th-13th C.). It has a fine Romanesque doorway carved with beautiful geometric designs, foliage and rather Mongoloid masks. At the northwest corner of the church stands the stump of a round tower, still 40ft/12m high, and in a field to the east is a high cross, with an unusual figure of the Crucified Christ, fully clothed, on the east side; the other sides are divided into panels with a variety of geometric patterns, human figures and interlace designs with animals.