Rathlin O'Birne Island

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Rathlin O'Birne Island
View of Rathlin O'Birne (left in the picture) from the viewpoint Amharc Mór of the Slieve League mountain range, the foothills of which can be seen on the right
View of Rathlin O'Birne (left in the picture) from the viewpoint Amharc Mór of the Slieve League mountain range , the foothills of which can be seen on the right
Waters Atlantic Ocean
Geographical location 54 ° 39 '50 "  N , 8 ° 49' 57"  W Coordinates: 54 ° 39 '50 "  N , 8 ° 49' 57"  W.
Rathlin O'Birne Island (Ireland)
Rathlin O'Birne Island
surface 30 ha
Highest elevation 26  m

Rathlin O'Birne Island ( Irish : Reachlainn Uí Bhirn ) is an island located two kilometers off the coast of Donegal in the north-west of Ireland . It is located west of the small village of Malin Beg and the Slieve League mountain range . On the west side there is a lighthouse , the operation of which is automated.

geography

The area of ​​the island covers about 30 hectares with an extension of about one kilometer in north-south direction. The highest point, at the southern end of the island, is 26 m above sea level . It becomes flatter towards the north. The lighthouse stands on the western peninsula, which is only connected to the rest of the island by a narrow headland. Smaller islands lie west and northwest of Rathlin O'Birne.

history

On the south-eastern, somewhat protected side of the island there are remains of an early Christian monastery with a church ( Templecavan Church ), a holy spring ( Tober Murria ) and several places of penance . Cross stones are also mentioned in one report . The church is enclosed by a stone wall along with a few other structures.

Ruins of the small church belonging to the island monastery

The founding of the early Christian monastery is associated with Asicus, who served Patrick as a coppersmith and was consecrated by him as the first bishop of Elphin . It is said that he sought the solitude of the island to practice penance. He was then persuaded to return to his bishopric, but died on the way there. The year of death is given as 470. No further details are known about the following monastic community. The church was consecrated according to the traditional name of a Kevin , which could mean Kevin of Glendalough . This would indicate that Glendalough monks followed Asicus' example. Alternatively, the eponymous founder of a monastery on the Aran island of Inisheer could be meant. A church, also consecrated to Kevin, belongs to the monastery and is located opposite the island on the mainland south of Malin Beg.

In 1856 the lighthouse was built on the island, together with the houses of the lighthouse keepers who lived here with their families until 1912. After automation, these moved to the community of Glencolumbkille .

literature

  • Brian Lacy: Archaeological Survey of County Donegal . Donegal County Council, Dublin 1983, ISBN 0-9508407-0-X .
  • Alex Ritsema: Discover the Islands of Ireland . The Collins Press, Cork 1999, ISBN 1-898256-67-5 .
  • Aidan Manning: Glencolumbkille: A History 3000 BC - 1901 AD . Letterkenny 2001, ISBN 0-9730291-0-2 .

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ See p. 249 in Deirdre and Laurence Flanagan : Irish Place Names . Gill and Macmillan, Dublin 1994, ISBN 0-7171-2066-X .
  2. ↑ See Ritsema, p. 65.
  3. ↑ See map sheet 10 of the Discovery Series , ISBN 0-904996-49-2 .
  4. ↑ See Lacy, p. 286, entry 1603.
  5. ↑ See Manning, pp. 16-17.
  6. ↑ See Lacy, p. 283, entry 1595.
  7. ↑ See Ritsema, p. 65.