Inishglora
Encyclopedia
Inishglora is an island
off the coast of the Mullet Peninsula in Erris
, North Mayo. It has some small neighbouring islands, known as Inishkeeragh. As with its neighbouring Inishkea Islands
, Inishglora's geological composition is that of gneiss
and schist
, similar to the rest of Erris. The island is mainly covered with machair and white sand. The Inishkeas and Inishglora differ markedly geologically with Duvillaun
which lies a short distance to their south. To a person looking from the mainland, the first two islands shine white and green in the sunlight while Duvillaun
(and its satellite islands) lives up to its name and appears a much duller colour with dark cliffs because it has the same geology as Achill, many miles to its south.
Inishglora is probably the best known of the islands off Erris as it is considered to be the holiest of all the islands. It lies north of the islands of Duvillaun and the two islands of the Inishkeas
Legend tells us that the Children of Lir
flew to Inishglora at the end of their 900 year banishment to remote spots across Ireland
. The Children had been turned into swans
by their jealous stepmother because their father loved them too much. On Inishglora, they were baptised by St. Brendan the Navigator, and regained their former human shapes but, because they were now 900 years of age, they immediately crumbled into dust. They were then buried on the island.
There are many interesting archaeological remains on the island. The ruins of St. Brendan's Church show that it was a building in the style of Gallarus Oratory
in Co. Kerry. There are the remains of two other churches also - Teampall na bhFear (Men's church) and Teampall na mBan (Women's church). The women's church may have been an early nunnery. Both are now ruins but date back just a few centuries and are more modern than St. Brendan's Church. There are the remains of three beehive huts
, the largest of which is known as St. Brendan's cell. There are many 'pisreog's' about the religious relics on Inishglora. There is a well, known as St. Brendan's Well. The superstition associated with it says that if a woman were to take water from it, the water would turn to blood and become full of worms. However, these rumours may have been invented to ensure that the nuns and the monks would not use the well as an illicit meeting place.
Inishglora also has several early cross slabs and pillars.
Geraldus Cambrensis writing in 1186AD in Topographia Hibernica
said of Inishglora:-
"There is an island called Aren (When Giraldus called Inishglore, Aren, he had confused it) situated in the western part of Connaught and consecrated, as it is said to St. Brendan, where human corpses are neither buried nor decay, but, deposited in the open air, remain uncorrupted. Here men can behold and recognise with wonder their grandfathers, great grandfathers and great great grandfathers and the long series of the ancestors to a remote period of past time"
The Book of Ballymote
notes that bodies on Inishglora do not corrupt, and this poem by Roderic O'Flaherty Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh
used Ogygia
as a synonym for Ireland in 'Ogygia: Seu Rerum Hibernicarum Chronologia' ("Ogygia: A Chronological Account of Irish Events"), 1685 sems to be of the same opinion.
There are no 'uncorrupted' bodies on Inishglora now however, and many bones have been found buried around the island. It is a local belief that after the religious communities left the island, things returned to normal.
Giraldus Cambrensis
also wrote of Inishglora Island: - "There is another remarkable thing in this island. Although mice (possibly black rats) swarm in vast numbers in other parts of Ireland, here not a single one is found. No mouse is bred here, nor does it live if it be introduced; when brought over, it runs immediately away and leaps into the sea. If it be stopped, it instantly dies."
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
off the coast of the Mullet Peninsula in Erris
Erris
Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name Erris derives from the Irish 'Iar Ros' meaning 'western...
, North Mayo. It has some small neighbouring islands, known as Inishkeeragh. As with its neighbouring Inishkea Islands
Inishkea Islands
The Inishkea Islands are situated off the coast of the Mullet peninsula in the Barony of Erris. There are two main islands - Inishkea North and Inishkea South...
, Inishglora's geological composition is that of gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
and schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
, similar to the rest of Erris. The island is mainly covered with machair and white sand. The Inishkeas and Inishglora differ markedly geologically with Duvillaun
Duvillaun
Duvillaun is the name of a cluster of islands lying south to the Inishkea Islands and Inishglora in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Mayo. The main island is known as Duvillaun Mór...
which lies a short distance to their south. To a person looking from the mainland, the first two islands shine white and green in the sunlight while Duvillaun
Duvillaun
Duvillaun is the name of a cluster of islands lying south to the Inishkea Islands and Inishglora in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Mayo. The main island is known as Duvillaun Mór...
(and its satellite islands) lives up to its name and appears a much duller colour with dark cliffs because it has the same geology as Achill, many miles to its south.
Inishglora is probably the best known of the islands off Erris as it is considered to be the holiest of all the islands. It lies north of the islands of Duvillaun and the two islands of the Inishkeas
Inishkea Islands
The Inishkea Islands are situated off the coast of the Mullet peninsula in the Barony of Erris. There are two main islands - Inishkea North and Inishkea South...
Legend tells us that the Children of Lir
Children of Lir
The Children of Lir is an Irish legend. The original Irish title is Clann Lir or Leannaí Lir, but Lir is the genitive case of Lear. Lir is more often used as the name of the character in English...
flew to Inishglora at the end of their 900 year banishment to remote spots across Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The Children had been turned into swans
Swans
Swans can refer to:*Swan, the birdMusic*Swans , an American band formed in 1982*Swans , an EP by the above band*Swans, an EP by the Filipino electronic act Names Are For Tombstones...
by their jealous stepmother because their father loved them too much. On Inishglora, they were baptised by St. Brendan the Navigator, and regained their former human shapes but, because they were now 900 years of age, they immediately crumbled into dust. They were then buried on the island.
There are many interesting archaeological remains on the island. The ruins of St. Brendan's Church show that it was a building in the style of Gallarus Oratory
Gallarus Oratory
The Gallarus Oratory is believed to be an early Christian church located on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland...
in Co. Kerry. There are the remains of two other churches also - Teampall na bhFear (Men's church) and Teampall na mBan (Women's church). The women's church may have been an early nunnery. Both are now ruins but date back just a few centuries and are more modern than St. Brendan's Church. There are the remains of three beehive huts
Beehive house
A beehive house is a building made from a circle of stones topped with a domed roof. The name comes from the similarity in shape to a straw beehive.The ancient Bantu used this type of house, which was made with mud, poles, and cow dung....
, the largest of which is known as St. Brendan's cell. There are many 'pisreog's' about the religious relics on Inishglora. There is a well, known as St. Brendan's Well. The superstition associated with it says that if a woman were to take water from it, the water would turn to blood and become full of worms. However, these rumours may have been invented to ensure that the nuns and the monks would not use the well as an illicit meeting place.
Inishglora also has several early cross slabs and pillars.
Geraldus Cambrensis writing in 1186AD in Topographia Hibernica
Topographia Hibernica
Topographia Hibernica , also known as Topographia Hiberniae, is an account of the landscape and people of Ireland written by Gerald of Wales around 1188, soon after the Norman invasion of Ireland...
said of Inishglora:-
"There is an island called Aren (When Giraldus called Inishglore, Aren, he had confused it) situated in the western part of Connaught and consecrated, as it is said to St. Brendan, where human corpses are neither buried nor decay, but, deposited in the open air, remain uncorrupted. Here men can behold and recognise with wonder their grandfathers, great grandfathers and great great grandfathers and the long series of the ancestors to a remote period of past time"
The Book of Ballymote
Book of Ballymote
The Book of Ballymote , named for the parish of Ballymote, County Sligo, was written in 1390 or 1391....
notes that bodies on Inishglora do not corrupt, and this poem by Roderic O'Flaherty Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh
Ruaidhri Ó Flaithbheartaigh
Ruaidhri Ó Flaithbheartaigh, King of Iar Connacht and Chief of the Name, fl. 1244-1273.-Biography:Ruaidhri was a brother of the preceding chief, Morogh...
used Ogygia
Ogygia
Ogygia , is an island mentioned in Homer's Odyssey, Book V, as the home of the nymph Calypso, the daughter of the Titan Atlas, also known as Atlantis in ancient Greek. In Homer's Odyssey Calypso detained Odysseus on Ogygia for 7 years and kept him from returning to his home of Ithaca, wanting to...
as a synonym for Ireland in 'Ogygia: Seu Rerum Hibernicarum Chronologia' ("Ogygia: A Chronological Account of Irish Events"), 1685 sems to be of the same opinion.
- "At Inisglóire in view of lrrus shore,
- Should we the bodies of our sires explore,
- We'd find them blooming, both nails and hair,
- No human-flesh can fade or perish there."
There are no 'uncorrupted' bodies on Inishglora now however, and many bones have been found buried around the island. It is a local belief that after the religious communities left the island, things returned to normal.
Giraldus Cambrensis
Giraldus Cambrensis
Gerald of Wales , also known as Gerallt Gymro in Welsh or Giraldus Cambrensis in Latin, archdeacon of Brecon, was a medieval clergyman and chronicler of his times...
also wrote of Inishglora Island: - "There is another remarkable thing in this island. Although mice (possibly black rats) swarm in vast numbers in other parts of Ireland, here not a single one is found. No mouse is bred here, nor does it live if it be introduced; when brought over, it runs immediately away and leaps into the sea. If it be stopped, it instantly dies."