Walking inside the tumbled chapel walls and seeing birds nesting in the silent bell towers, it's hard to believe this was once one of Europe's great universities. Yet, Ireland's Clonmacnoise, quiet now but for the rustling of the nearby River Shannon, was the home of 3000 scholars at a time when Ireland stood as a beacon of learning amidst Europe's Dark Ages. While a trip to the Emerald Isle offers much in the way of fun - singing, dancing, shopping and pub hopping - a visit to Clonmacnoise in rural County Offaly is a sobering journey into a history both glorious and tragic.
