Built in 1189, Kilfenora's cathedral was once an important place of pilgrimage. St Fachan (or Fachtna) founded the monastery here in the 6th century, and it later became the seat of Kilfenora diocese, the smallest in the country. Loop around the more recent Protestant church and enter the oldest part of the ruins, under a glass roof to protect them from the elements. The chancel contains two primitive carved figures on top of two tombs and three ancient stone crosses.
The high crosses have explanatory captions on stainless-steel plaques alongside. They include the impressive 800-year-old Doorty Cross measuring 4.2m high; it lay broken in two until the 1950s, when it was re-erected.
