Holy Island (Clare)
| Holy Island | ||
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| Waters | Lough Derg | |
| Geographical location | 52 ° 54 '54 " N , 8 ° 27' 6" W | |
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| length | 600 m | |
| width | 350 m | |
| Highest elevation | 40 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
Holy Island ( Irish Inis Cealtra ) is a round oval island in Lough Derg and belongs to County Clare in Ireland . Its original name Inis Cealtra (anglicized also Iniscaltra ) means "church island " according to PW Joyce (1827–1914) in Old Irish. It is also known as the "Island of the Seven Churches". Although wooden churches are considered the most common form of early church construction in Ireland, there were also churches with walls made of wickerwork and clay. Liam de Paor (1926–1998) discovered one here The remains of the 7.5 × 4.5 m church confirm similar reports by Tirechán, who, as St. Patrick's biographer, refers to Ireland's wood poverty.
The name "Holy Island" or "Holy Isle" is very common in the British Isles ; u. a. Holy Isle in the Firth of Clyde .
St. Caimin , who died in the middle of the 7th century, founded an abbey of the Iroschottischen Church here . In 836 under Turgesius and in 922 under Tomran the island was sacked by Vikings from Limerick . The high king Brian Boru (d. 1014) from Clare rebuilt the church; his brother is said to have been the abbot of the monastery that the Benedictines maintained until 1009 AD . Holy Island was assigned to the Diocese of Killaloe at the Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111 AD . The island's churches were not used again after being destroyed in 1615 AD.
On Holy Island are its ruins and a round tower , the entrance of which is about 3.0 m above the ground. It is named after St. Cosgrath , a hermit who lived here in the 10th century. The 25 acre island is still a burial site and is visited by pilgrims. The round tower was excavated by Liam de Paor, its restoration lasted from 1970 to 1980. Nevertheless, no stones were found that could belong to the conical cap of the tower. Legend has it that it was left unfinished because the bricklayer was distracted by a beautiful blonde witch.
The ruins
The main building is the Church of St. Caimin, parts of which are dated to the late 10th century. It was a one-room church with the ante on both gables typical of early Irish stone churches . In the 12th century a Romanesque doorway was built into the west wall and a choir was built between the ante of the east gable. In the ruins of the church there are a number of crosses , tombstones and a sundial .
The two cemeteries are entered on the east side of St. Caimin through an archway in the dividing wall. The oldest gravestones are on the original site. The tombstone of Cosrach, "the miserable" († 898 AD) is marked by a footprint. Another grave is that of "the ten men". Who they were, where they came from and why they were buried here is unknown.
The oratory is in the cemetery and is also called Teampall na bhFear nGonta , the “Church of Wounded Men”. It has the most interesting structure. Inside there are megaliths that are arranged in such a way that they may have belonged to a small passage tomb , a portal tomb or a small five-stone circle . Christianized menhirs are relatively common in the Atlantic part of Europe, but Christianized megalithic structures are rare.
In the early 18th century, the oratory on Holy Island was the morgue of the O'Grady clan, whose motto was "wounded but not vanquished". The so-called confessional is outside the walls of the “Cemetery of the Saints” near the oratory. It dates from before the 11th century. It is not known whether it was actually used as a confessional during the pilgrimages of the 18th and 19th centuries.
St. Michael's Church is a small church. It stands in the earthen walls of an enclosure that is marked on old maps as "Garaidh Mhicheáil" (Michael's garden). There was undoubtedly a cillin here , a burial place for children who died unbaptized.
The Baptistery, a small Romanesque church, is located south of St. Michael's. It is enclosed by a rebuilt stone wall. She has several names, St. Brigid, Baptistery and, unresponsive , the Piggery . In 1839 the church was devastated by a storm. It was rebuilt as a shepherd's house and appears to have also been used as a forge.
The large ruined church of St. Mary south of St. Caimin's dates from the early 13th century and is the largest building on the island. The original door openings were bricked up. Inside are a few tombs and a 17th century style tomb belonging to the O'Brien clan. In 1210 St. Caimin's fell out of use and St. Mary's became a parish church.
On the island there is also a pre-Christian bullaun , a perforated bargaining stone (negotiating stone ) and a holy spring .
Legends
St. Colum founded the first monastery here around 520 AD. St. Caimin, who founded the second monastery, was a stepbrother of Guaire , the king of Connacht (who had his dun where Dunguaire Castle is today). He died in either 644 or 652. He was Abbot Bishop of Inis Cealtra and some claim that he was also the first Bishop of Killaloe. The wife of the ruler Turlough O'Brien , a descendant of Brian Boru, was buried here in 1076 AD.
traffic
The shortest route to the island is from Knockaphort Pier, but boating enthusiasts prefer the longer route from Mountshannon (with racing boats).
literature
- Peter Harbison : Guide to the National Monuments of Ireland , Dublin 1970, p. 43f. ISBN 0-7171-0758-2
