The small churches at Clonmacnoise are called temples, a derivation of the Irish word teampall (church). Tiny Temple Ciaran is reputed to be the burial place of St Ciarán, the site's founder. The floor level in Temple Ciaran is lower than outside because local farmers have been taking clay from the church for centuries to protect their crops and cattle. The floor has been covered in slabs, but handfuls of clay are still removed from outside the church in the early spring.
Near the temple's southwestern corner is a bullaun (ancient grinding stone) supposedly used for making medicines for the monastery's hospital. Today the rainwater that collects in it is said to cure warts.
Elsewhere on the site, the little roofed church is Temple Conner , still used by Church of Ireland parishioners on the last Sunday of summer. Walking towards the cathedral, you'll pass the scant foundations of Temple Kelly (1167). Continuing round the compound you come to the 12th-century Temple Melaghlin , with its attractive windows, and the twin structures of Temple Hurpan and Temple Doolin .
