Illaunloughan
| Illaunloughan Irish: Oileán Lócháin | |
|
County Kerry | |
|---|---|
 The site of Illaunloughan | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | V36667311 |
| Location: | 51°53’12"N, 10°22’24"W |
| Village: | Portmagee |
| Order: | Early Celtic |
| History | |
| Established: | late 7th century AD |
| Disestablished: | 9th century AD |
| Information | |
| Condition: | ruined |
Illaunloughan is a mediæval Christian monastery found on a tiny island of a third of an acre in the Portmagee Channel, a channel separating Valentia Island from the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry[1][2][3]
The site is denoted a National Monument.
History
A monastery was founded here in the late 7th century AD, but had ceased to exist by the 9th century. Two saints named Lochan appear in the Martyrology of Tallaght (c. AD 800); one could have been the founder, although lochan could also refer to seaweed. Illaunloughan may have been a stopping-off point for pilgrims travelling to Skellig Michael, which lies 9 nautical miles to the south-west. Excavation revealed middens containing the remnants of meat, oats, seabirds and fish. Also revealed were earthen oratories and casting of fine metalwork.[4]
Up to the 20th century Illaunloughan was used as a cillín for the burial of unbaptised infants and as a graveyard by local people.[5]
Description
There are 8th-century dry stone oratories and altars (leachta) and a gable shrine for the relics of the community's saints. These relics were decorated with quartz and scallop shells.[6][7]
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Illaunloughan) |
References
- ↑ "Illaunloughan 5m hill, Kerry Islands Ireland at MountainViews.ie". https://mountainviews.ie/island/2424/?PHPSESSID=m5ic4dspak4jj300f7pgtdchb0.
- ↑ "Illaunloughan Island : an early mediæval monastery in County Kerry in SearchWorks catalog". https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/5971928.
- ↑ "Holdings: Illaunloughan Island". http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000280094.
- ↑ Monk, Michael A.; Sheehan, John (23 February 1998). Early Mediæval Munster: Archaeology, History and Society. Cork University Press. ISBN 9781859181072. https://books.google.com/books?id=lRjFBdR3cLgC&q=Illaunloughan&pg=PA102.
- ↑ "Unpublished Excavations: Early Mediæval Period : Christianity". http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/unpublished_excavations/section12.html.
- ↑ "Illaunloughan island, County Kerry". http://www.earlychristianireland.net/Counties/kerry/illaunloughan_island/.
- ↑ "Illaunloughan Island : An Early Mediæval Monastery in County Kerry - Jenny White Marshall & Claire Walsh - 9781869857790". https://www.omahonys.ie/illaunloughan-island-an-early-mediæval-monastery-in-county-kerry-p-61389.html.
- Oileán Lócháin / Illaunloughan: Placenames Database of Ireland