Church Island (Lough Currane)
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Inis Úasal[1] | |
 | |
  Location within Ireland | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Established | 7th century AD |
| Diocese | Kerry |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Finan Cam |
| Architecture | |
| Status | ruined |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Site | |
| Location | Lough Currane, County Kerry |
| Coordinates | 51°50′06″N 10°07′45″W / 51.834893°N 10.129270°W |
| Public access | yes |
| Official name | Church Island (Lough Currane) Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Site[2] |
| Reference no. | 60 |
Church Island (Irish: Inis Úasal), is a small island in Lough Currane, County Kerry, Ireland. It is the site of an early medieval monastery established by St. Fínán in the seventh century. Another name for Inis Uasal ("Noble Island') is Inis na bFer Náemh ('Island of Holy Men'). Because St Finan was a very important Irish saint of medieval County Kerry, this church was considered to be the earliest church of the kingdom. A Romanesque-style church, constructed in stone in the 12th century, replaced an earlier wooden church on the island. The ruins of the church are surrounded by a graveyard with decorative slabs and three leachta (cairns). The site is a National Monument in state care.
Church Island is located on a 1.8 ha (4.4 acres) island in Lough Currane, in County Kerry, Ireland, 2.8 km (1.7 mi) east of Waterville. The island is located at the east end of the lake. The lake was at one time called Loch Luighdeach. The island was formerly called Inis Uasal, ('Noble Island') or Inis na bFer Náemh ('Island of Holy Men').[3]
What remains today are church ruins, a graveyard with stone slabs, and three leachta (burial mounds). There are 11 cross slabs on the island; two slabs feature inscriptions.[4][5] One of the slabs has an inscription in Irish, along with alpha and omega Greek symbols, with a blessing on the monk Anmchad, who is supposedly buried on the island.[6] Of the three leachta in the cemetery, two feature tall pillar stones at the center, while the third is a low mound built from stone slabs. The church contains a rectangular block of sandstone with a 12th century engraving of a musician playing a bowed lyre. [5][7][8] The site is a National Monument in state care.[9]
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