Graveyard in Hare Island

Situated 75m N of Lords Harbour on SE shoreline of Hare Island also known as Inis Aingin at SE end of Lough Ree and 320km NW of the shoreline of county Wetmeath. According to O'Hanlon (1873, 213, 219), St. Ciarán established an early monastic foundation on Inis Aingin in the early 6th century before proceeding to Clonmacnoise, he was succeeded by Enna Mac Hui-Laigsi as abbot of Inis Aingin. In the late 12th/ early 13th century the early Christian monastery adopted the Rule of St. Augustine and became a cell of the priory of All Saints, on Saint’s Island, Co. Longford (LF026-016002-) (Hadcock 1964, 127-8). Ruins of Romanesque church dedicated to St. Ciarán of Clonmacnoise standing inside a bivallate monastic enclosure (WM022-028----) and graveyard. There are local reports of human burials having been found both in the inner monastic enclosure and in the space between the ramparts which suggests that this area was used as a burial ground for the church. In 1822 a 9th century Early Christian cross-slab with inscription was found 'lying in the burial ground of an old church (WM022-028001-) dedicated to St. Ciaran on Inis Ainghin, or Hare Island, Lough Ree' (Petrie and Stokes 1872, 45). Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 16 July 2019

Christian early medieval graveyard, likely 7th–10th century AD, associated with St. Ciarán, an important figure in the spread of Christianity in the region. Its location on Hare Island suggests a connection to early monastic sites along the River Shannon.