St Manchan's Shrine celebrated in new book

A lavish limited edition book, which is set to be launched this week in Tullamore, shines a light on the shrine of St Manchan, one of the great masterpieces of medieval Irish and European art.

Its importance has been acknowledged internationally since the nineteenth century and, since then, it has been the focus of academic study and numerous publications. Yet despite all that, there are still many fundamental aspects of the shrine, and indeed the local saint from Lemanaghan, that are misunderstood.

'St Manchan's Shrine – Art and Devotion in 12th Century Ireland' by Griffin Murray and Kevin O’Dwyer, aims to change all of that. With only 1,000 copies available, the hardback publication has been produced to celebrate the shrine and to provide access to its most recent scholarship, as well as in- depth photographic documentation highlighting the shrine’s imagery, influences and monastic metalsmithing.

It is the first book to examine the shrine in such detail with the intention of giving the reader a far deeper understanding and appreciation of it than previously possible.

The new publication will be launched by CEO of The Irish Heritage Council, Virginia Teehan, in Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay at 5pm on Friday (October 21).

Archaeologist Griffin Murray and metalsmith/photographer Kevin O’Dwyer have combined their expertise to create a high-quality full colour coffee table style book that features Griffin Murray’s in-depth story telling of the history and folklore of the shrine and O’Dwyer’s captivating and atmospheric photographs.

The publication features full and double-page image spreads, antiquarian drawings, illustrations and descriptive metalsmithing close-ups. The text is presented in a series of essay’s that cover various topics including Saint Manchan and Lemanaghan, Clonmacnoise and Lemanaghan, the art and craftsmanship of St Manchan’s Shrine, metalsmithing techniques, Late Viking art and the Urnes style  - and the shrines relationship with the makers of The Cross of Cong.

Published by Silver River Studios, the book priced €45, is partially funded by Creative Ireland and Offaly County Council.

You can order your book online here: http://www.saint-manchans-shrine.com/