Inishcaltra

Inishcaltra (Irish: Inis Cealtra[1]) is a civil parish in the barony of Leitrim in County Clare, Ireland. The main settlement in the parish is the village of Mountshannon. It is noted for the eponymous island of Inis Cealtra, which is an ancient Christian monastic site. In the Catholic Church, the parish is part of the ecclesiastical parish of Mountshannon (Clonrush).

Inishcaltra

Inis Cealtra
Civil parish
St. Brigid's church and St. Caimin's church and tower on Holy Island
Inishcaltra
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52.931517°N 8.429739°W / 52.931517; -8.429739
CountryIreland
ProvinceMunster
CountyCounty Clare
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-1 (IST (WEST))

Location

Inishcaltra is 3.75 miles (6.04 km) northeast of Scarriff. The parish is 4 by 4 miles (6.4 by 6.4 km), and covers 11,283 acres (4,566 ha). It mostly is located on the western shore of Lough Derg and includes some of the lough's islands such as 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.[2] The road from Scarriff towards Portumna and Loughrea runs along the lake shore.[2]

History

The island of Inis Cealtra after which the parish is named lies about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from the shore. It is often called the Holy Island. It was the scene of pre-Christian religious activities. The 70 feet (21 m) 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, Teampol Camin, located in Mountshannon, is named after the founder or patron, Saint Camin who died around 658.[3] Danish raids took place in 834, 908 and 946.[2]

The total population in 1841 was 2,378 in 383 houses.[2] By 1851, after the famine, the number had dropped to 1,457 through emigration and deaths from starvation.[4]

The parish was in County Galway from 1610 to 1898.[4] By the terms of the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, the parish and it's neighbour, Clonrush, were transferred from the barony of Leitrim in the county of Galway to a newly created barony of the same name in County Clare.[5]

Townlands

Townlands of the parish are: Bohateh North, Bohateh South, Cappaduff, Cloonamirran, Cloontyconnaught, Cloontymweenagh, 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.[6]

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References

Citations

  1. Inis Cealtra, Placenames Database of Ireland.
  2. Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland 1845.
  3. Mountshannon (Clonrush).
  4. Mountshannon Historical Background.
  5. Madden 1993.
  6. Map of Inishcaltra Parish showing Townlands.

Sources

  • "Inis Cealtra". Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  • Madden, Gerard (1993). "For God or King-The History of Mountshannon, County Clare". East Clare Heritage. Retrieved 5 April 2014.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "Map of Inishcaltra Parish showing Townlands". Clare County Library. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  • "Mountshannon (Clonrush)". Diocese of Killaloe. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  • "Mountshannon Historical Background". Clare County Library. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  • "Inishcaltra". Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland 1845. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
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