Rahan

Rahan lies about 6 km west of Tullamore on the little River Clodagh, a short walk from the canal. A monastery was first founded here in the 5th century and re-founded in the 6th by St Carthage, also called Mochuda, who later went on to found Lismore. The remains of churches from the 11th and 12th centuries still stand among the graves, and the way in crosses private farmland, so close every gate and mind the livestock. In 1818 the Jesuits opened a seminary in the parish and the Presentation Sisters a convent and school, and the convent and school survive today. Rahan is a peaceful break on the long rural stretch between Tullamore and Pollagh; we have not yet checked where boats can tie up, so moor with care.