People in history - A monk in an early Christian monastery in

Ireland

I am a monk. I live in Ireland in the sixth century. I came from Britain where I
was captured in a raid by Irish warriors. Monks are holy men who want to pray
and honour God. Monasteries are centres of learning and culture. We study
the bible, copy manuscripts, produce great works of art through metal working
and stone-carving and welcome visitors. We live very simple lives. We follow
strict rules and produce our own food. We wear long tunics with woollen
cloaks, and shoes or sandals. I live in the monastery at Clonmacnoise. In the
larger monasteries, including the one I live in, the buildings are surrounded by
a circular bank or wall, similar to a ring-fort. Some monasteries have two walls,
one inside the other. The main building is the oratory, or church. The church is
a simple stone building. Other buildings include the abbots house,
the refectory, where we eat our meals, the scriptorium, where we copy
manuscripts and the guesthouse for visitors. Monks live in single cells. Beside
the church is the cemetery or graveyard. Monks are buried in simple graves
dug in the ground, or in stone cist graves. Round towers are stone towers
between 25 and 40 metres tall.
They are wide at the base and taper towards the top. The door is high above
the ground and is reached by a ladder. At the top of the tower, there are four
windows, facing north, south, east and west. The towers are used as belfries
when a hand bell is rung from the top window to call the monks to services.
They are also used for storage and for safety when the monastery is attacked
by the Vikings. Our main activity is prayer. We have six to eight services each
day. During the rest of the day there is work to be done on the farm
ploughing, milking, and harvesting and grinding corn. Monasteries produce
manuscript books. Manuscripts are hand-written books. The gospels, the
psalms, the lives of the saints and the Celtic sagas are written down. Some
of the most important manuscripts are the Cathach, the Book of Durrow and
the Book of Kells. Monks who develop great skills in writing and illuminating
religious books are called scribes.