1. I came fromBritain where I was captured in a raid by Irish warriors.
2.Monks are holy men who want to pray and honour God.Monasteries are centres of learning and culture. 3.We study the bible,copy manuscripts, produce great works of art through metalworkingand stone-carving and welcome visitors.
4. We live very simple lives.We follow strict rules and produce our own food.
5. We wear long tunics with woollen cloaks, and shoes or sandals.
6. I live in the monastery at Clonmacnoise.In the larger monasteries, including the one I live in, thebuildings are surrounded by a circular bank or wall, similar to a ring-fort.
7. Themain building is the oratory, or church. Other buildings include the abbot’s house, the refectory,where we eat our meals, the scriptorium, where we copymanuscripts, and the guesthouse for visitors.
8. Monks live in single cells. Beside the church is the cemetery or graveyard. Monks areburied in simple graves dug in the ground, or in stone cist graves.
9. Round towers are stone towers between 25 and 40 metres tall. They are wide at the base and taper towards the top. The door ishigh above the ground and is reached by a ladder.
10. The towers are used as belfrieswhen a handbell is rung from the top window to call the monks toservices. They are also used for storage and for safety when themonastery is attacked by the Vikings.
11. Our main activity is prayer. We have six to eight services each day.During the rest of the day there is work to be done on the farm –ploughing, milking, and harvesting and grinding corn.
12. Monasteries produce manuscript books. Manuscripts are hand-written books. The gospels, the psalms, the lives of the saints andthe Celtic sagas are written down.
13. Some of the most important manuscripts are the Book of Durrow and the Book of Kells.
14. Some monks carve stone High crosses and others make metal chalices called filigree.
