Inishcaltra
Inishcaltra is a civil parish on the borders of County Galway and County Clare. It includes the village of Mountshannon and Holy Island, long the site of religious activities. It forms part of the Catholic parish of Mountshannon (Clonrush).
Contents
Location
Inishcaltra is 3¾ miles north-east of Scarriff. The parish covers 11,283 acres, mostly lying on the west shore of Lough Derg, and including some islands in that lake including Red Island, Inniscalthra, Young's Island, Basley Island, and Cribby Island. There is a belt of low land along the lake, rising into the Slieve-Baughta mountains.[1] It lies for the most part in the county of Galway, with some townlands in the county of Clare.
The parish includes the village of Mountshannon. The road from Scarriff towards Portumna and Loughrea runs along the lake shore.[1]
History
Holy Island (Inis Cealtra) after which the parish is named lies about half a mile from the shore.
It was the scene of pre-Christian religious activities. The 70-ft pillar tower may have been used in sun worship. More recently the island was the site of Christian structures, including various cells or oratories, now ruined. The main church is the Teampol Camin, named after the founder or patron, Saint Camin who died around 658. The Danish invaded the island in 834, 908 and 946.[1]
The total population in 1841 was 2,378 in 383 houses.[1] By 1851, after the famine, the number had dropped to 1,457 through emigration and deaths from starvation.[2] Today the civil parish is part of the Catholic parish of Mountshannon (Clonrush) in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. The church of St Caimin is in Mountshannon.[3]
Townlands
The parish contains the townlands of Bohateh North, Bohateh South, Cappaduff*, Cloonamirran, Cloontyconnaught, Cloontymweena*, Coogypark*, Cooldorragha*, Curratober, Derroran East, Derroran West, Derrycon Lower, Derrycon Upper, Dooros, Glenwanish, Inishcaltra*, Kilrateera Lower, Kilrateera Upper, Knockaphort*, Magherareagh, Middleline North, Middleline South, Mountshannon, Sellernaun East, Sellernaun West and Woodpark.[4]
*: Coogypark, Cooldorragha and Cloontymweena form part of the main body of County Clare; Knockaphort and Cappaduff together form a detached part of the county, as does Inishcaltra (Holy Island).
References
- Location map: 52°55’53"N, 8°25’47"W
Citations
Sources
- "Inis Cealtra". Placenames Database of Ireland. http://www.logainm.ie/426.aspx. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- Madden, Gerard (1993). "For God or King-The History of Mountshannon, County Clare". East Clare Heritage. http://www.mountshannon.com/index.php/history/. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- "Map of Inishcaltra Parish showing Townlands". Clare County Library. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/inishcaltra_townlands.htm. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- "Mountshannon (Clonrush)". Diocese of Killaloe. http://www.killaloediocese.ie/parish/mountshannon-clonrush/church.html. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- "Mountshannon Historical Background". Clare County Library. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/mountshannon_history.htm. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- "Inishcaltra". Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland 1845. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/iniscealtra_parish1845.htm. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
