Saint’s Island, Co. Longford
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County Longford enjoys one of the lowest tourist profiles in Ireland. That’s harsh for a county in dire need of visitors, but music to the ears of those who like their travel off the beaten track. Saints’ Island is a case in point.
Reached via a thinning succession of country roads (and ultimately, a gravelly causeway) the island cradles the remains of a 13th-century Augustinian monastery. Stashing the car and hopping a stile, I stroll up to investigate the old church and ivy-clad cloisters.
The graveyard is at once remarkably remote and tended like a golf course. Crumbling cloisters look like bridges sunk into the earth; lichen crawls all over the church shell, and sunlight has the lake twinkling like a bag of silver coins. There literally isn’t another soul in sight.
Details: Newtowncashel, Co. Longford.
This entry was posted in Blog, Days Out, Hidden Gems and tagged ireland, Longford, Lough Ree, Newtowncashel, Saints' Island. Bookmark the permalink.
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