Church Island (Lough Currane)
Inis Úasal | |
Location within Ireland | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Established | 7th century AD |
| Diocese | Kerry |
| People | |
| Founder | Finan Cam |
| Architecture | |
| Status | ruined |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Site | |
| Location | Lough Currane, County Kerry |
| Coordinates | 51°50′06″N 10°07′45″W / 51.834893°N 10.129270°W |
| Public access | yes |
| Official name | Church Island (Lough Currane) Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Site |
| Reference no. | 60 |
Church Island (Irish: Inis Úasal), is a small island in Lough Currane, County Kerry, Ireland. It is the site of an early medieval monastery established by St. Fínán in the seventh century. Another name for Inis Uasal ("Noble Island') is Inis na bFer Náemh ('Island of Holy Men'). Because St Finan was a very important Irish saint of medieval County Kerry, this church was considered to be the earliest church of the kingdom. A Romanesque-style church, constructed in stone in the 12th century, replaced an earlier wooden church on the island. The ruins of the church are surrounded by a graveyard with decorative slabs and three leachta (cairns). The site is a National Monument in state care.