Saints and Scholars

After St. Patrick died, holy people called monks set up monasteries all over Ireland. A monastery was a place where monks worked and said prayers. A monastery was made up of a lot of small buildings. Each monk had his own tiny hut. There was always a church and a long hut. There was also a hut for visitors. There was a fence around the monastery. Outside the fence, there was the monastery farm.

The Work of the Monks

The monks worked and prayed everyday. Some monks worked on the farm. Some monks made ornaments from metal. Other monks made beautiful crosses from stone. They also built round towers. The monks made copies of the holy books from the bible. The books had lovely drawings in them. The most famous of these books is the Book of Kells.

Monastery Schools

Boys came to the monasteries to be taught. The boys helped in the fields and they learned from the monks. Some of the schools became very famous. People came from Great Britain and France to study.

Famous Monasteries

There were schools all over Ireland. Some of the most famous schools were at Clonmacnoise, Glendalough, the Aran Islands and Swords. Ireland became known as the Island of Saints and Scholars.

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