Omey Island
Omey Island (Irish: Iomaidh) is a tidal island situated near Claddaghduff on the western edge of Connemara in County Galway, Ireland. From the mainland the island is inconspicuous and almost hidden. It is possible to drive or walk across a large sandy strand to the island by following the arrowed signs. At high tide, the water is deep enough to cover a car.
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[edit] Monastic heritage
In the early-to-mid-1990s a team of archaeologists from University College Dublin began work to study the monastic heritage of the island, long known for being the site of a monastery and settlement founded by the prodigious St Feichin. In fact, its name derives from the Irish Iomaidh Feichín meaning Feichín's bed or seat.
The excavation gave new insights into the life of early Christianity in Ireland and included one of the few known burials of a female within a monastic burial ground. The site is believed to date from the early 6th century.
The island of Omey remains a place of devotion to Saint Feichín to this day, with a Holy Well situated by the western edge and several other key landmarks of piety, including the still existing ancient church - with the majority of its vast stones still very much in place (having been buried in centuries of sand until the parish priest took matters into his own hands and, with the help of locals, dug up the area surrounding it.
St Feichín is known to have established many such communities across the west of Ireland and is considered one of the most important of the early founders of the rich tradition of Irish Christianity.
[edit] Inhabitants and visitors
The population of the island has diminished drastically from its maximum when hundreds of people lived there in the early 19th century.[1] In fact, for over ten years (until recently) the only full time inhabitant was the former stuntman and wrestler Pascal Whelan.[citation needed] Irish Poet Richard Murphy lived for some time on Omey Island, where he built an octagonal retreat that still exists.[citation needed] In 2003 the Irish Artist Sean Corcoran witnessed a strange creature in the lake that he describes as being similar to a Dobhar-chu / Master Otter.[2][3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Irish Islands Website Created by John Chambers, Saint Cronans School, Bray.
- ^ Supposedly Mythical Creature Written by Dr Karl Shuker
- ^ Irish Times Article Written by Lorna Siggins, October 12, 2009
[edit] External links
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