Overview

Inishmurray is a small island in Donegal Bay off the coast of County Sligo. It enjoys a reputation as one of the best-preserved early Christian church sites in Ireland or Europe and has seen a remarkable rise in visitor numbers in recent years. The remains are complex and extensive, representing an early Irish monastic community and an important regional pilgrimage centre. There has been no detailed survey of these remains since the 1880s. This new survey, based on excavations by the authors, form the basis for this first explanatory account of the church sites and remains, and will have wide appeal amongst historians, archaeologists, general readers and visitors. Lavishly illustrated with old and contemporary images, this book seeks to do justice to Inishmurray's iconic place in the maritime landscape of Sligo and Donegal Bay.

Full Product Details

Author:   Tomas O'Carragain ,  Jerry O'Sullivan
Publisher:   Gill
Imprint:   The Collins Press
Dimensions:   Width: 18.70cm , Height: 3.30cm , Length: 24.60cm
Weight:   1.973kg
ISBN:  

9781905172474

ISBN 10:   1905172478
Pages:   300
Publication Date:   March 2008
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

List of illustrations viii List of tables xvi Acknowledgements xvii Foreword xix Part I Introduction Landscape 2 Geology 5 Prehistory 5 Ecclesiastical monuments 8 Modern settlement 12 Placenames 16 Early maps 23 Previous scholarship 24 Part II Ecclesiastical history Muiredach and Molaise 30 Patrick and Columba 32 The character and early history of the monastery 33 Aughris and Inishmurray: the Priory of St Lasirianus 35 Aughris and Inishmurray after the Reformation 37 Inishmurray's possessions on the mainland 38 Part III Archaeological survey 1998‒99 Introduction 44 Aims and methods 44 Carved stones 44 Vernacular buildings 45 Newly recorded features 46 Conservation issues 49 Recommendations 54 Survey concordance 56 Survey inventory 66 Part IV Archaeological excavations 1997‒2000 Trahanareear 1997 216 Site description 216 Aims and methods 218 Soils 218 Stratigraphy 218 Artefacts 227 Animal bone 233 Soil samples 233 Radiocarbon dates 234 Interpretation of the excavation results 235 Reconstruction 239 Laghta Patrick 1999 239 Site description 239 Aims and methods 239 Stratigraphy 241 Artefacts and samples 243 Templenaman 1999 243 Site description 243 Aims and methods 244 Stratigraphy 244 Artefacts and samples 246 Future work 246 Fal an Mhuilinn 1999 246 Site description 246 Aims and methods 247 Stratigraphy 249 Artefacts 249 Soil samples 250 Interpretation of the excavation results 250 Future work 251 Relickoran 1999‒2000 251 Site description 251 Aims and methods 253 Stratigraphy 259 Artefacts 272 Human skeletal remains 280 Bird and animal bones 285 Soil samples 287 Radiocarbon dates 291 Interpretation of the excavation results 293 Reconstruction 298 Ollamurray 2000 298 Site description 298 Aims and methods 302 Stratigraphy 302 Artefacts 307 Soil samples 311 Radiocarbon dates 312 Interpretation of the excavation results 313 Reconstruction 313 Part V Interpreting the ecclesiastical landscape Introduction 316 The antiquity of popular pilgrimage in Ireland 316 Ritual on the early medieval landscape 319 Characterising the pilgrimage 327 Curses and oaths 335 The later medieval pilgrimage 341 Conclusion 346 Postscript: Caring for Inishmurray 349 Appendices Appendix 1 - Calendar of sources for the history and archaeology of Inishmurray 353 Appendix 2 - Concordance of radiocarbon dates from all excavated sites 368 Notes 370 Abbreviations used in the text 383 References 384 Index 398

Reviews

'For anyone interested in monastic settlements and offshore islands' Irish Independent

Author Information

"JERRY O'SULLIVAN is a professional archaeologist with wide experience of research and conservation projects and is currently a Project Archaeologist in the National Roads Design Office at Galway County Council. Author of over 30 reports, monographs and articles, his interests include medieval settlement and church archaeology. TOM S A"" CARRAG IN is a lecturer at the Archaeology Department, University College Cork. His research interests include early medieval architecture, the layout and character of early ecclesiastical sites, and archaeological approaches to pilgrimage. He has published extensively on these and other subjects."

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