Church Island (Lough Beg)
| Church Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | Lough Beg | |
| Geographical location | 54 ° 47 ′ N , 6 ° 29 ′ W | |
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| Residents | uninhabited | |
The silted up Church Island ( Irish Inis Taoide ) in Lough Beg (small lake) is located near Bellaghy / Drumlamph in the far east of County Londonderry , north of Lough Neagh in the heart of Northern Ireland .
The island
The former island near the shore has silted up on the west side and can be reached on foot in summer via the 300 hectare wet meadows known as "the beach" . In the event of heavy rainfall or floods in the Lower River Bann, which flows through the lake, the area becomes an island again.
The church
The ruin of the 12th century island church of St. Taide still has its entire pointed tower, added in 1788 by the Earl of Bristol (Bishop of Derry, known as Bishop Hervey). The tower is popularly called Hervey's Folly. During the Second World War, an American aircraft grazed the tower with its wing tip, causing a noticeable kink. The church goes back to a previous building, which dates from early Christian times. The associated settlement on Inis Taoide, (or Toide, Toit; derived from Thaddeus), as the island was originally called, is mentioned in the 11th century in the Ulster annals .
The church burned down in 1603. During the Irish Rebellion in 1798, many women and children sought refuge on this and other islands in Lough Beg. Around the church are an old cemetery with 53 graves and the grounds of the old monastery.
Pilgrimage to Inis Taoide
The annual pilgrimage was reintroduced in 1910 and takes place on the first Sunday in September. In earlier years thousands of people used to attend, today there are more than a hundred.
The beach
The wet meadows are winter or migration quarters for birds from the northern hemisphere. Thousands of geese and ducks come from Russia and other northern regions in winter. Many rare plants including Lady Mint and the Ladies's Tresses Orchid (Spiranthes cernua) share the habitat with the birds.