Overview
Six church ruins stand on this uninhabited island in Lough Ree, the oldest of them a stone box barely 8 ft by 7 ft inside. Inis Clothrann, known as Inchcleraun and locally as Quaker Island, covers 57.7 hectares (143 acres) and runs about 1.6 km long and up to 600 m wide. It sits about a mile off Portrunny, close to where the Roscommon–Longford border runs down the middle of the lake.
Nobody lives here now. The Portrun Development Association records the six church ruins, and the Heritage Council confirms the island monuments. Do not assume you can land on the island. For a mainland outing, start at Portrunny Harbour (see below).
History & Legends
The Gaelic name Inis Clothrann means “Clothra’s Island”, after Clothra, sister of the legendary Queen Maeve of Connacht, who is said to have lived and died here. Christian tradition credits the foundation to St Diarmaid the Just, who established a monastery around 540 AD. His tiny oratory, Teampall Diarmaid, is the oldest surviving structure on the island. Later, in the 12th century, Inis Clothrann was home to Gilla na Naemh Ua Duinn (1102–1160), remembered in the annals as its lector and “a paragon in history and poetry”.
The community endured centuries of raids. Viking fleets struck Lough Ree in the 9th and 10th centuries, and Munster forces later did the same. The monks kept rebuilding, and by the 13th century six churches stood within a stone-and-earth cashel.
The nickname Quaker Island dates to the early 1800s, when Edward Fairbrother, a Quaker from Ballymurray in Co. Roscommon, leased the land from Lady Featherstone and built a cottage using stones robbed from the Clogás oratory. Local legend has it that this disturbed St Diarmaid’s spirit and sent the livestock running wild until Fairbrother swore never to touch the sacred stones again. The name stuck, and was already in use on the maps by 1832.
Exploring the Ruins
The island and its monastic sites were designated a National Monument in 1880 (reference no. 91). The six churches are:
- Teampall Diarmaid (St Diarmaid’s Oratory): A rectangular oratory measuring just 8 ft by 7 ft internally. It was likely the founder’s own chapel.
- Teampall Mór (Great Church): Dating to the 13th century, with an L-shaped nave, two lancet windows and a distinctive upper chamber.
- Teampall Clogas (Square-tower Oratory): Also 13th-century, easily recognised by its square bell-tower attached directly to the nave.
- Teampall Murry (Chancel Church): A medieval ruin carrying an old warning that any woman who enters will die within the year.
- Teampall na Marbh (Church of the Dead): Historically used for wake-keeping before burials, a roofless ruin.
- Teampall na mBan (Women’s Church): A smaller medieval structure that once served the island’s female religious community.
See Lough Ree from the shore
For a mainland outing, use the public area at Portrunny Harbour and learn about the island from the local heritage collection. For a view of the island, ask a local boat operator about its sightseeing route and stay aboard. The monuments are fragile, so stay off the ruins and take all litter home.
Nearby Attractions
A trip to Lough Ree pairs well with other historic and natural sites around County Longford:
- Barley Harbour: A limestone shoreline and quiet waters near Newtowncashel.
- Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre: A short drive north, built around a remarkably preserved Iron Age bog road, with riverside walking trails.
- Abbeyshrule: A historic village on the western shore of Lough Ree, home to a 12th-century abbey and a traditional small harbour.
- Lanesborough: A Shannon town and a handy base for the Shannon riverside walks.
- Abbeylara: Nearby Cistercian abbey ruins that provide a striking contrast to the early-Christian architecture of Inis Clothrann.