Location: On the R436 between Ferbane and Ballycumber. The co-ordinates below are for the main church of the complex which is by the main road and easy to spot.
OS: N 17135 26970
Longitude: -7.7437456
Latitude: 53.292988
Description and History: This is quite a complex site with a lot to see, so I can’t fit it all onto the one page. I will give a brief history of the site here and then click the links below to read more detailed information about all the sites located here and to see photographs.
This site is special and with a long history stretching back to the 7th century when a monastery was founded here by St. Manchán. Manchán emerges as an interesting figure and quite a confusing one. There are several saints called Manchán, but Manchán of Lemanaghan (Liath Manchán – the grey place of Manchán) is by far the most prominent. Determining which traditions belong to the right saint can be difficult. In some traditions he is listed at the son of Siollán and was of the Ulaidh in Ulster. In other traditions he is said to have been one of the Eóganachta of Munster, and in one tradition is said to have been Welsh. His mother was Míleac or Mealla/Mella who is sometimes also considered a saint and to whom the small 10th/11th century church at Lemanaghan is dedicated to. Little is known about Mella.
In the Life of Colmán of Lynally, Manchán acted as a messenger between Rahan and various saints who were said have been jealous of the success of Mochuda of Rahan. He is also connected to Clonmacnoise in the Life of Colmán also. Manchán was said to have suffered from an eye ailment which was cured when he made contact with the body of St. Molua at Clonfermulloe in Laois. In one tradition Manchán died in the townland next to Clonfertmulloe, Mondrehid, in 652. Annalistic sources, however, say he died of a great plague that ravaged Ireland in 664-665. Many saints are listed as passing away from this plague as well as Cathan Cú-cen-máthain, the King of Munster.
He is thought to have penned several poems, been an authority on scripture, and was given the epithet ‘the wise’. However, if this is a conflation with other saints of the same name, it remains unclear.
While the earliest surviving structure at the site is the 10th/11th century (St. Mella’s Cell) the pathway leading to it is likely to be much older and is part of an earlier network of roads dating from the 6th century onwards that navigated the boggy terrain. It appears if a lot of roads converge on the site, indicating that it was a hub of activity in the early medieval period. Its proximity to Clonmacnoise highlights its importance. The presence of early Christian cross slabs, the bullaun stone, and St. Manchán’s Shrine show an important and likely busy place. The site flourished well into the 13th century before entering a period of decline. By the 14th century Lemanaghan was a simple parish church, having lost its previous prestige. In Papal taxation records, Lemanaghan appears as a poor site, not able to offer anything for Papal taxes having been ravaged by war. The site was eventually abandoned following the Irish Confederate Wars in the mid-17th century.
This is a fascinating and complex site and well worth spending some time here to make sure you visit everything. I am sure there is stuff that we missed as well. More really should be made of this, especially given how close it is to Clonmacnoise.
Click below to read about the individual sites that make up this complex:
-St. Manchán’s Well, Bullaun Stone and Rag Tree
Difficulty: Fairly easy, the main church is roadside, but there is a bit of a walk down to St. Mella’s Cell along an uneven path.
Date of Visit: 1st May, 2026.
For more ecclesiastical sites, click here.
For more sites in Co. Offaly, click here.