Inis Cathaigh, Scattery Island or Inniscattery Island () is an island in the

Shannon Estuary The Shannon Estuary in Ireland () is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick City at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to the south. Th ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, off the coast of

Kilrush Kilrush () is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is also the name of a civil parish and an ecclesiastical parish in Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. ...

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

. The island is home to a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

, a ruined

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

associated with Saints Senan and Canir, an

Irish round tower Irish round towers ( (singular), (plural); Literal translation, literally 'bell house') are early medieval stone towers of a type found mainly in Ireland, with two in Scotland and one on the Isle of Man. As their name indicates, they were ori ...

and the remains of an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to f ...

. The last residents left in 1969. Most of the island is now owned by the

Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works (OPW) (; legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Government of Ireland, Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of owned and ren ...

, who run a small visitor centre and carry out repairs and maintenance on the island; it was bought by Dúchas in 1991.The Irish name Inis Cathaigh was formerly anglicised ''Iniscathy'', which later became ''Iniscattery'' and finally ''Scattery''.

History

Saint Senan

Saint Senan was born at Magh Lacha,

, ca. 488. He founded the monastery of Inis Cathaigh, which became the seat of a bishopric, sometime between 535 and 540. At an early time the abbot-bishop of the monastery was deemed to have authority over what later became the

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

s of Killaloe,

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

and

Ardfert Ardfert () is a village and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Kerry, Ireland. Historically a religious centre, the economy of the locality is driven by agriculture and its position as a dormitory town, being only from Tralee. T ...

. There are the remains of an oratory and house and of seven small churches or chapels, together with a

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with defensive walls such as curtain wall (fortification), curtain walls. Castle ...

and a

holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, Spring (hydrosphere), spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christianity, Christian or Paganism, pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualitie ...

. One of Senan's students was

Aidan of Lindisfarne Aidan of Lindisfarne (; died 31 August 651) was an Irish monk and missionary credited with converting the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity in Northumbria. He founded a ministry cathedral on the island of Lindisfarne, known as Lindisfarne Priory, ser ...

The legend of "St Senanus and the Lady", as told in

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852), was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist who was widely regarded as Ireland's "National poet, national bard" during the late Georgian era. The acclaim rested primarily on the popularity of his ''I ...

's lyric, is founded on the fact that no woman was allowed on Inis Cathaigh. Yet St Senan founded two convents for nuns, and was visiting one of them when he died. According to tradition, when St Cannera or Cainnear died, she willed it that she should be buried near Senan. Senan is said to have refused, but gave in to her request because she was so stubborn. To stay true to his own edicts, Senan waited until low tide to bury her in the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of habitats with various ...

, which was not officially part of the "island", thus fulfilling his sister's wish while not breaking his own rules. St Senan died in 560 and was buried in the abbey church of Inis Cathaigh on 8 March, on which day his feast is observed.

Viking period

The Vikings first raided Inis Cathaigh in 815, killing many of the monks. The monastery was plundered repeatedly until the Vikings came to settle there themselves in the mid-tenth century. This, in turn, led to attacks by Irish kings. Inis Cathaigh was a part of the Norse Kingdom of Limerick, which included not only

itself but also several other bases in western Ireland. Given its strategic location at the mouth of the Shannon estuary, it controlled all maritime traffic up the Shannon to Limerick. The ''

Annals of Inisfallen The ''Annals of Inisfallen'' () are a chronicle of the medieval history of Ireland. Overview There are more than 2,500 entries spanning the years between 433 and 1450. The manuscript is thought to have been compiled in 1092, as the chronic ...

'' record that during the 970s, Norse kings of Limerick were resident at Inis Cathaigh.

Ivar of Limerick Ivar of Limerick (; ; died 977), was the last Norse king of the city-state of Limerick, and penultimate ''King of the Foreigners of Munster'', reigning during the rise to power of the Dál gCais and the fall of the Eóganachta. His repeated at ...

, the last Norse king of the city, along with two of his sons, was slain on Inis Cathaigh by

Brian Boru Brian Boru (; modern ; 23 April 1014) was the High King of Ireland from 1002 to 1014. He ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill, and is likely responsible for ending Vikings, Viking invasio ...

in 977.

Later ecclesiastical history

After the

Synod of Ráth Breasail The Synod of Ráth Breasail (or Rathbreasail; ) was a synod of the Catholic Church in Ireland that took place in Ireland in 1111. It marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and parish-based church. Many present-day ...

in 1111 a canonical diocese of Inis Cathaig (the spelling then current) was established. This was absorbed by the Diocese of Killaloe in 1189, but was restored by Pope Innocent VI and continued as a separate see under Bishop Thomas (1358–68). In 1378 its possessions were divided, and the island remained a portion of the Diocese of Killaloe, being later merged into the parish of Kilrush. However, there is mention of an Englishman, John Grene, as Bishop of Inis Cathaig in 1467. Inis Cathaigh is now listed among the

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

s of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

s of Inis Cathaigh: * Thomas Jerome Welsh (1970–1974) * William Anthony Hughes (1974–1979) *John Edward Heaps (1981–2004) * Frank Joseph Caggiano (2006–2013)

Artillery battery

Scattery artillery battery, located on the south of Inis Cathaigh, was built during the Napoleonic Wars and is preserved quite well. The Shannon Estuary was one of three invasion places the French had considered along the west of Ireland. As such, places along the estuary were considered for establishing a defence. Inis Cathaigh is one of six batteries in the estuary. It was chosen on the proposal of defected French general Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez. The battery forms a semi-circular D shape with a dry moat. Its main armament consisted of six 24-pounder long guns arranged along the length of the curved D.

Former residents

In 1842, after the salvaging the ''Windsor Castle'', Inis Cathaigh was home to Shannon Estuary Pilots and their families. The primary families of the island were the Brennan, Melican, Scanlan, McMahon, Costelloe, Hehir, Moran, Crotty, and Griffin. The river pilots were highly skilled mariners, using only native currachs (canvas boats) to reach incoming and outgoing ships. The inhabitants of Inis Cathaigh appear to have escaped the deaths and emigration associated within Kilrush and most of Ireland during the Great Famine. The total population of the island including the soldiers, actually rose from 65 in 1841 to 99 in 1851 and to 139 in 1861. The number of houses in this period rose from nine in 1841 to 24 in 1861. The memorial inscriptions on the gravestones do not show any deaths of islanders during the period 1845 to 1850. It is thought that a combination of fishing, additional shipping due to famine exports to England, along with piloting provided good employment for the pilots and their families. The last residents left in 1969.

Annalistic references

See

(AI) * ''AI797.2 Ólchobar, son of Flann, abbot of Inis Cathaig, rested.'' * ''AI863.2 Repose of Aedán, abbot of Inis Cathaig.'' * ''AI901.1 Bissextile. Kl. Repose of Mael Brigte son of Brolach, abbot of Inis Cathaig.'' * ''AI958.3 Repose of Cinaed Ua Con Minn, bishop of Les Mór and Inis Cathaig.'' * ''AI974.2 The son of Aralt made a circuit of Ireland with a great company, and plundered Inis Cathaig, and brought Ímar from it into captivity.'' * ''AI974.4 Repose of Scandlán Ua hEirc, learned bishop and abbot of Inis Cathaig.'' * ''AI992.5 Repose of Cathal son of Ledbán, abbot of Inis Cathaig.'' * ''AI994.2 Repose of Fínnechta Ua Ciarucáin, vice-abbot of Inis Cathaig.'' * ''AI1024.7 Senchán, son of Flaithbertach, on his pilgrimage to Inis Cathaig.'' * ''AI1057.5 Inis Cathaig was plundered by the foreigners of the son of Mael na mBó, and a great slaughter as inflictedon them.'' * ''AI1094.13 A great mortality of the men of Ireland, so that it is impossible to enumerate all the people that died. From that pestilence died: ..Ua Maíl Muine, abbot of Inis Cathaig'' * ''AI1101.2 A great hosting around Ireland by Muirchertach, son of Tairdelbach, and he destroyed Ailech and Cúil Rathain at Tuag Inbir, took the hostages of the Ulaid, and proceeded along Slige Midluachra. It was then a naval force came round ... from(?) the north, and they destroyed Inis Cathaig, taking many valuables from it, and committed many other evil deeds.'' * ''AI1130.2 Mac Raith Ua Conchobuir, son of the king of Ciarraige Luachra, was treacherously slain in the termon of Inis Cathaig.''

Gallery

File:Inis Cathaigh 1.JPG, St. Senan's Church (undergoing restorative work(s)) File:Inis Cathaigh 2.JPG, Lighthouse, Cottage and Artillery Battery File:Inis Cathaigh 3.JPG, Visitor Center with artifacts and the only restored pilot home File:Inis Cathaigh 6.JPG, Beach with Moneypoint in background File:Inis Cathaigh 7.JPG, Beach with lighthouse visible File:Inis Cathaigh 8.JPG, Abandoned Dwelling File:Inis Cathaigh 9.JPG, Stream File:Inis Cathaigh 10.JPG, Iron gate File:Inis Cathaigh 12.JPG, Coastal Defence Battery powder magazine File:Inis Cathaigh 13.JPG, Disused cottage File:Inis Cathaigh 16.JPG, St. Senan's Church with the family graveyard partially visible.

References

* *

External links

Scattery Island
by Clare County Library at AskAboutIreland {{Authority control Christian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Christian monasteries established in the 6th century Ruins in the Republic of Ireland National monuments in County Clare Holy wells in Ireland Uninhabited islands of Ireland Ghost towns in Europe Former populated places in Ireland Islands of County Clare Inis Cathaigh Catholic titular sees in Europe Former churches in County Clare