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faith · Sunday 23 August 2026 · 3:00pm 
Seir Kieran 125th Anniversary Celebrations
At Seir Kieran Church · Seir Kieran, Clareen, Co. Offaly
At Seir Kieran Church · Seir Kieran, Clareen, Co. Offaly
Seir Kieran, a few kilometres from Clareen village, is one of the older ecclesiastical sites in County Offaly, traditionally linked to St Ciarán the Elder (Ciarán of Saighir), who is honoured in Irish tradition as one of the earliest Irish saints and reputedly founded a monastery here before the mission of St Patrick. The present-day Catholic church at Seir Kieran, within the Kilcolman and Seirkieran parish grouping administered by the Diocese of Killaloe, marks its 125th anniversary with a dedicated celebration on Sunday 23 August 2026, running from 3pm to 5pm. Anniversary gatherings of this kind in rural Offaly and north Tipperary parishes are typically built around a concelebrated Mass, with past and present parishioners, former clergy and neighbouring parish priests invited to take part, followed by some form of reception or social gathering in the church grounds or nearby parish hall. The site is recorded among Ireland’s national monuments as an early ecclesiastical enclosure, and the surviving church building dates from the last century rather than the early medieval period of its monastic founding. The 125-year milestone gives the parish an occasion to mark its own local history alongside the far older monastic story of the site itself.
Seir Kieran is reached from Birr via the R421 Roscrea road, turning off close to Clareen village, roughly 8km from Birr town centre. There is no train station in Birr; Roscrea and Tullamore both have Irish Rail stations and are the nearest options for onward travel. Parking on the day is informal, in the church grounds and along the approach road, so allow extra time given the anniversary crowd.
Heading to Seir Kieran Church in Clareen? Offaly has plenty more to see. Read the Clareen area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.