Burial

The National Monuments Service's description

Listed as 'Potential site - name' in the SMR (1992) and the RMP (1996) and named 'Lady's Grave' on the OS 1st ed. map (1841), this clearly owes its origin to the account by John O’Donovan who writing in 1839 of the ecclesiastical remains recorded that ‘On the west side of Rinn Eanaigh Point there is a flag said to cover the body of the lady who desired to obtain entrance to the island for sepulture, but who was repulsed by St. Senan.’ (O'Flanagan, vol. ii, 14). The source of this legend is to be found in a metrical life of St. Senan which records the repulse of the holy nun Cannara (Westropp 1897, 276, n. 4; 278). The story also has appealed to later generations and found its way into Thomas Moore’s, Irish Melodies (Vol. 2) as ‘Oh haste and leave this sacred isle’: a more fanciful version is recorded by Lynch (2005, 121). It has not proved possible to inspect this 'flag' and confirm the existence of a monument at this location.

Revised by: Mary Tunney

Date of revision: 19 September 2016

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 1/1971).

References

Westropp, T.J. 1897 Descriptive sketch of places visited. Part 1. Scattery Island and Canons' island, Co. Clare. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 27, 273-90.

Lynch, T. 2005 Booking passage: we Irish and Americans. Johnathon Cape. London.

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1928 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Clare collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Typescript in 3 vols. Bray.