The earliest plan of the monastic site at Clonmacnoise is an engraved bird's-eye view published in the second edition of James Ware's De Hibernia et antiquitatibus eius disquisitiones (London, 1658). To my knowledge it is reprinted here for the first time since that date. I first learned of the existence of this plan in Françoise Henry's great three-volume work on Irish art and was amazed at the quality of it when I consulted a copy of the book.

The first edition of this work, published in London in 1654, contains less information than the second edition and does not have this engraving. The better-known bird's-eye view of St Patrick's Purgatory, Lough Derg, as well as a number of other illustrations are in both editions.

The plan shows Clonmacnoise viewed from the west, with the boundary wall of the graveyard on the same line as today, apart from alterations made to the west boundary in the 1950s. The strange kick out in the wall at the bottom is the round tower as misinterpreted by the engraver, who must have been working from an original by someone else. The churches are shown more or less in their correct positions relative to each other, though C should be further to the north, while A and B should be more to the west. "Temple Finian" (K), depicted with its round tower belfry and three churches (G, H and I) which do not survive today, are shown also incorporated in the boundary. All of the churches are identified by letter and this is the earliest source for the names of the churches. Only two crosses are shown: the Cross of the Scriptures in front of the Cathedral and another in the south-east segment of the graveyard. Close to the latter is a small tomb-like feature. This could be the tomb of an early thirteenth-century bishop of Clonmacnoise called Murtogh O'Murry or Muiredach Ua Muirecén which Bishop Anthony Dopping described as being 'beyond the Cathedral on the east end' in 1664. The fact that all the churches are depicted with roofs need not be taken as evidence that all were roofed at this stage and certainly the aisles depicted on the Cathedral and 'Temple Conor' are fanciful.

The inscription at the base shows that the engraver was Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) who also signed the other full-page illustrations in both editions of the book. Hollar is well known for illustrations of famous buildings in London and crowd scenes such as the trial and execution of the Earl of Strafford. There is a related sketch plan among the Ware manuscripts in the British Museum (Additional MS 4784- I am grateful to Siobhan de hÒir for this reference). It is not the original for the engraving but both are likely to be derived from a more complete original sketch.

The second oldest printed plan of Clonmacnoise is in Harris's edition of the works of James Ware, first published in 1739. As well as a plan, this large foldout engraving contains views and elevations based on a survey and sketches by Jonas Blaymires. Fortunately a letter from Blaymires to Harris, describing his work on the site in 1738, has been published (JRSAI 11(1870), 256-8). It is worth quoting here (right) at length as a commentary on the illustration and because it is both amusing and evocative of the period.

Blaymires's plan is of great interest in that it is much more accurate than the earlier bird's-eye view but shows some of the same detail such as the three extra churches and the east cross. The general view shows the couples of the roof of Temple Kieran still surviving along with the east gable of the Cathedral. Part of the roof of Temple Doolin, which then served as a Protestant parish church, can be seen. Temple Kelly, of which only fragments of the base of the wall survive today, is depicted as a substantial ruin. The chancel arch of the Nun's Church is depicted with only its inner order intact but precariously balanced. It remained thus until it fell in the middle of the last century and was subsequently reconstructed by the Kilkenny and South-east of Ireland Archaeological Society. All things considered, Blaymires did produce a remarkable record of the site and we can forgive him for boasting about it!

Francoise Henry used the 1658 plan as evidence that the cross at Bealin, Co. Westmeath was originally at Clonmacnoise. This is by no means certain and the east cross indicated on these plans may be represented by one of the cross fragments known from the site. Also, in an anonymous article in the 1951 number of the Journal of the Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Antiquarian Society, it is argued convincingly that Twyford, where the Bealin Cross formerly stood, was the site of Iseal Chiaráin, a place mentioned in the Lives of St Ciaran and in the annals. It may always have had this cross.