Scattery Island

Inis Cathaigh sits in the Shannon estuary off Kilrush, and Senan founded a monastery on it in the sixth century. Its round tower is about twenty-six metres and is unusual in having its doorway at ground level rather than several metres up - which either means it was built before the raised-door convention or that the ground has risen; either way it is one of very few in Ireland you can look straight into. There are six church sites on the island, a holy well, and the remains of a village with a street of houses, a lighthouse and an artillery battery from the Napoleonic period. Vikings used it as a base in the tenth century. The last permanent residents left in 1978, and their descendants still return. Boats run from Kilrush Marina in season only, the landing is at a small pier, and there is nothing on the island - no shop, no shelter, no water.

History

Saint Senan, born at Magh Lacha near Kilrush around 488, founded the monastery on the island sometime between 535 and 540, and it became the seat of a bishopric. Thomas Moore's lyric of "St Senanus and the Lady" rests on the rule that no woman was allowed on the island, though Senan founded two convents for nuns and was visiting one of them when he died (Wikipedia, Inis Cathaigh).

Highlights

• The round tower - about twenty-six metres, with a ground-level doorway.
• The church sites - six of them across the island, from different periods.
• The deserted village - houses left when the last families went in 1978.
• The battery and lighthouse - Napoleonic-era defences on the estuary.

When to go

May to September; boats run in season only and cancel in swell. Guided walks are offered by the heritage service in summer. Allow half a day including the crossing.

Before you go

No facilities of any kind on the island - bring water and food. Boats are seasonal and weather-dependent. The ground is rough and the ruins unfenced. There is no shelter if the weather turns.

Nearby

Kilrush and its marina are the departure point; Loop Head is west.

Key facts