Illaunloughan

Illaunloughan is a medieval Christian monastery and National Monument located in County Kerry, Ireland.[3][4]The site is located on a tiny island of 0.3 acres (0.1 ha) in Portmagee Channel, a channel separating Valentia Island from the Iveragh Peninsula.[5]

Early Medieval ecclesiastical site
Illaunloughan
Oileán Lócháin[1]
Location within Ireland
Monastery information
Establishedlate 7th century AD
Disestablished9th century AD
DioceseKerry
Architecture
Statusruined
StyleCeltic
Site
LocationPortmagee, County Kerry
Coordinates51.886589°N 10.373427°W / 51.886589; -10.373427
Visible remainsstone oratory, a reliquary and a stone beehive hut
Public accessyes
National Monument of Ireland
Official nameIllaunloughan Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Site[2]

History

A monastery was founded here in the late 7th century AD, but had ceased to exist by the 9th century. Two saints named Lochan appear in the Martyrology of Tallaght (c. AD 800); one could have been the founder, although lochan could also refer to seaweed. Illaunloughan may have been a stopping-off point for pilgrims travelling to Skellig Michael, which lies 17 km (9 nm) to the southwest. Excavation revealed middens containing the remnants of meat, oats, seabirds and fish. Also revealed were earthen oratories and casting of fine metalwork.[6]

Up to the 20th century Illaunloughan was used as a cillín for the burial of unbaptised infants and as a graveyard by local people.[7]

Description

There are 8th-century dry stone oratories and altars (leachta) and a gable shrine for the relics of the community's saints. These relics were decorated with quartz and scallop shells, perhaps in reference to the use of the shell on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or the Camino de Santiago.[8][9][10]

References
  1. "Oileán Lócháin/Illaunloughan". Logainm.ie.
  2. https://www.archaeology.ie/sites/default/files/media/pdf/monuments-in-state-care-kerry.pdf
  3. "Illaunloughan Island : an early medieval monastery in County Kerry in SearchWorks catalog". searchworks.stanford.edu.
  4. "Holdings: Illaunloughan Island :". catalogue.nli.ie.
  5. "Illaunloughan 5m hill, Kerry Islands Ireland at MountainViews.ie". mountainviews.ie.
  6. Monk, Michael A.; Sheehan, John (23 February 1998). "Early Medieval Munster: Archaeology, History and Society". Cork University Press – via Google Books.
  7. "Unpublished Excavations: EARLY MEDIEVAL PERIOD : CHRISTIANITY". www.heritagecouncil.ie.
  8. Howard, Deborah (5 July 2017). ""Architecture and Pilgrimage, 1000?500 ": Southern Europe and Beyond". Routledge – via Google Books.
  9. "Illaunloughan island, County Kerry". www.earlychristianireland.net.
  10. "Illaunloughan Island : An Early Medieval Monastery in County Kerry - Jenny White Marshall & Claire Walsh - 9781869857790". www.omahonys.ie.
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