Inchcleraun facts for kids
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Native name:
Inis Cloithrinn
Nickname: Quaker Island
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 Inchcleraun
Location in island of Ireland
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| Geography | |
| Location | River Shannon |
| Coordinates | 53°35′02″N 8°00′40″W / 53.584°N 8.011°W |
| Area | 0.577 km2 (0.223 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | Longford |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Inchcleraun (also known as Inis Cloithrinn or Quaker Island) is a small island in the middle of Lough Ree, a lake on the River Shannon in central Ireland.
It's famous for the ancient ruins of St. Diarmaid’s Monastery, which was built way back in 560 AD. These old buildings are so important that they are now a National Monument of Ireland.
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Exploring Inchcleraun Island
This island is about 57.7 hectares (that's like 142 acres) big. It sits right in the middle of Lough Ree. To its west, you'll find Knockcroghery in County Roscommon. To its east is Newtowncashel in County Longford.
A Look into the Island's Past
The name Inchcleraun comes from an old Irish name meaning "Clothru's Island". In old Irish stories, Clothru was a daughter of Eochu Feidlech, a powerful High King of Ireland. She became the Queen of Connacht and once owned this island.
Queen Medb's Story
Clothru's sister, Medb, also spent time on Inchcleraun. This was after her husband, Ailill mac Máta, killed her lover, Fergus mac Róich. There's a spot on the island called Grianan Meva, which means "Medb's sunny place". Nearby is Innadmarfa Meva, meaning "Place of Medb's death". Legend says Medb was killed here by a stone thrown from Elfeet Castle, across the lake. Other versions of the story say she was hit by a lump of cheese fired from a slingshot!
Why "Quaker Island"?
The name "Quaker Island" is much newer. It came about because a Quaker once owned the island. Today, the Irish government owns Inchcleraun.
The Ancient Monasteries
Inchcleraun is home to several old church ruins. These buildings tell stories of a time when monks lived and studied here.
Templedermot: The First Monastery
The most famous ruin is a monastery founded by Saint Diarmaid the Just in 540 AD. Diarmaid was a teacher to another famous saint, Ciarán of Clonmacnoise.
Templemore: The Main Church
This is the most important ruin on the island. The church has one main room, about 14.5 meters (47.5 feet) long and 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) wide. Its walls are still about 4 meters (13 feet) high. You can see two beautiful, narrow windows at the east end. These windows are called lancet windows.
The windows on the south side look like they were added later. The doors are gone, but marks show where a main door might have been on the west side and another entrance on the north side. An upper room once existed above some parts of the monastery. The inside walls of the church used to be covered in plaster.
Templemurry: The Largest Church
This is the biggest church ruin on the island. Local stories say that any woman who enters Templemurry will die within a year.
Clogas: The Bell Tower Church
This church sits on the highest point of the island. It has a square bell tower attached to the main building. This was unusual for churches of that time, as most had separate round towers. The church is rectangular, measuring about 10.6 meters (34.7 feet) by 5.1 meters (16.7 feet). You can see it from the shoreline on the northern part of the island.
