Cluain Ioraird

Clonard derives from Cluain Ioraird, meaning 'Iorard's meadow'—a personal name element combined with 'cluain' (meadow or pasture). The settlement is one of Ireland's earliest and most significant early Christian sites, traditionally linked with Palladius, Ireland's first bishop, around the mid-5th century. Clonard Abbey, the great monastic foundation of the place, was established in the 6th cen...