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