Site: Scattery Island, St Senan's Church

Name:Scattery Island, St Senan's Church (Inis Cathaigh Teampall Seanáin) CISP No:SCATT
Place:inc Grid Ref:Q 9700 5200 (IR)   Map
Parish:Moyarta Stones:2
County:Clare (An Clár) , Ireland Saint(s):Senan
Site Type:ecclesiastical

Site Notes

Petrie/1878, 25--26, gives a history of the island and a description of the remains which include a round tower, the cathedral, a small oratory all enclosed by a wall built of `large stones', a large square well called St. Senán's well, a small church and `on a height called the Hill of Angels is another ruined church, and two other ruins, one of which is called Teampul na Marbh, i.e. church of the dead, because [it is] the only one on the island in which people bury their dead. On the west side of Rinn Eanaigh (the south point of the island), is a flag under which they say St. Senanus' lady lies buried. A stone ornamented with a cross lies near St Senan's well; and in the churchyard is the inscribed stone'.

Okasha/Forsyth/2001, 112: `Scattery Island, at the mouth of the Shannon near Kilrush, has been an ecclesiastical centre since early times. A monastery was reputdely founded here by St Senan in the sixth century, but suffered under the Vikings in the ninth and tenth centuries .. There are visible today the remains of the monastery, including a round tower, of the cathedral and of three ruined medieval churches. One of these Teampall Seanáin, or St Senan's church, stands on higher ground to the north of the main group of buildings'.

References

Stones