Church Island (Valentia Harbour) Explained

Church Island
Native Name:Oileán an Teampaill[1]
Native Name Lang:ga
Established:7th century AD
Disestablished:before 1100
Diocese:Kerry
Status:ruined
Style:Celtic
Location:Valentia Harbour, County Kerry
Coordinates:51.9376°N -10.2833°W
Map Type:Ireland
Public Access:yes
Embedded:
Embed:yes
Designation2:National Monument of Ireland
Designation2 Offname:Church Island (Valentia Harbour) Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Site[2]
Designation2 Number:59

Church Island is a medieval Christian monastery and National Monument located in Valentia Harbour, Ireland. [3]

Location

Church Island is located on a 1-acre (0.4 ha) island in Valentia Harbour, immediately west of Beginish, 1.4km (00.9miles) north of Knightstown.[4]

History

The island was anciently a centre for iron smelting.

The monastery was established in the 7th century AD.[5]

Excavations by M. J. O'Kelly in 1955–56 turned up the remnants of a wooden oratory and a cross inscribed with Ogham.[6] [7] [8] [9] It also gave evidence of the diet of the monks: cod, ballan wrasse, oats, barley, gannet, shag, cormorant, goose, duck, beef, mutton, pork, goat meat, horsemeat and seal.[10]

Description

Contains the remains of a stone oratory, clochán (possibly a hospitium),[11] and holy well.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Oileán an Teampaill/Church Island. Logainm.ie.
  2. Web site: National Monuments in State Care: Ownership & Guardianship . 4 March 2009 . National Monuments Service . Ireland . 12 May 2021 .
  3. 25507048. Church Island, Valentia Harbour, Co. Kerry. P. J.. Lynch. 8 March 2018. The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 10. 2. 155–160.
  4. Web site: Church Island, Valentia Harbour, Valentia Island - GoKerry. GoKerry.ie. www.gokerry.ie.
  5. Book: Ireland, Royal Society of Antiquaries of. Journal. Church Island valentia.. 1901. Internet Archive.
  6. Web site: The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 8 March 2018. The Society. Google Books.
  7. Book: Hendroff, Adrian. Killarney to Valentia Island – The Iveragh Peninsula: A Walking Guide. 30 March 2015. The Collins Press. 9781848895522. Google Books.
  8. Web site: Church island, valencia harbour, County Kerry. www.earlychristianireland.net.
  9. Web site: Church Island Monastic Settlement, Valentia Harbour, Kerry, Ireland – Things to See and Do - Activeme.ie. Activeme.ie. www.activeme.ie.
  10. Web site: The unknown Kerry beauty of Church Island laying low to the surrounding Lough Kay. 20 November 2017.
  11. Book: Addleshaw, George William Outram. The Pastoral Structure of the Celtic Church in Northern Britain. 8 March 1973. Borthwick Publications. 9780900701375. Google Books.