Church Island (Lough Gill)
| Church Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | Lough Gill | |
| Geographical location | 54 ° 15 ′ 6 ″ N , 8 ° 23 ′ 29 ″ W | |
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| surface | 17 ha | |
| Highest elevation | 2 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
Church Island ( Irish : Inis Mór , "big island") is the largest island in Lough Gill in County Sligo , Ireland , where you can take boat trips. The lake is east of the city of Sligo its outlet, the Garavogue River flows through the city. Its east end, where Parke's Castle is located, is already in County Leitrim . Lough Gill is a scenic lake that is also home to the islands of Monks Island and Innisfree . The latter was made famous by William Butler Yeats , who wrote a poem about it when he was homesick and imagined the sound of the water at Innisfree.
" I will arise and go now, and go to Inishfree.
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
and live alone in the bee loud glade. "
Church Island belonged to the O'Rourkes and is the site of an early monastery founded by St. Loman in the 6th century. The preserved church ruins have a rounded, Romanesque portal, which was unusual for the founding period. A hollow in a stone near the entrance is called "Lady's Bed". This place was a pilgrimage destination for pregnant women. The monastery burned down in 1416.
- Church Island
literature
- Peter Harbison : Pre-christian Ireland - From the first Settlers to the early Celts . London 1988, p. 214 ISBN 0-500-27809-1