Killarney Lakes Series #5 - Island of Learning Traditional Cache

Lough Leane (Lough Léin) translates as ‘Lake of Learning’ and gets its name from the early Christian settlement on Inisfallen (Inis Faithleann), which was originally founded early in the 7th Century, reputedly by Faithleann, son of the King of Munster, and was dedicated to Saint Finan the Leper.

Inisfallen was was one of three important early Christian sites in Killarney, the other two being at Aghadoe and Muckross. The monastic settlement on Inisfallen eventually became known throughout Europe as a centre for scholarly learning, and the famous Annals of Inisfallen were compiled here between 994AD and 1319AD.

The Annals were written in Irish and Latin and form an important historical chronicle of the time. As well as containing an early ‘history of the world’ as it was known to the monks, the Annals deal with a wide range of topics including political events, famines, conflicts, solar eclipses etc..

Inisfallen itself experienced many turbulent times and was the target of attack, looting and burning on more than one occasion, however the Annals fortunately survived each of these episodes.

An entry in the Annals dated 1180AD describes one of these events:
“There was committed in this year a deed which greatly vexed the clergy of all Ireland, namely the plundering of Inis Faithlean by Mael Duin, son of Domnall Ua Donnchada, and the carrying off by him of all the worldly wealth therein, which was under the protection of its saints, clerics, and consecrated churches. He collected, indeed, the gold, silver, trappings, mantles and cloaks of IarMumhan, without any respect for God or man, but the mercy of God did not allow him to kill people or to strip this heavenly place of church furnishings or books”.

After a period of decline the settlement was finally abandoned at the close of the 16th century, ending almost 1000 years of monastic life on the Island, and today only the ruins remain.

From the mid 1700’s onwards Killarney began to get more travellers visiting the area, attracted by the sublime scenery, and a tourism industry was gradually born. A visit to Inisfallen’s 22 acres became one of the ‘must do’s’ for visitors, its blend of romantic ruins, fairytale woodland and picturesque lakeshore, all with a mountain backdrop, epitomising all that was most attractive to visitors of the time.

In their 1865 book “A Week At Killarney”, Mr. and Mrs. S.C. Hall write:
“…this little island is very beautiful, resting as it does with so much ease and grace upon the surface of the lake; indented with the most fairy-like bays; elevated into rocky, though not rude magnificence at one side, while the opposite shore shelves to the water’s edge, and runs out into shallows. It is a miniature of a beautiful country – lawns and dells, and thickets, and vistas, with the most lovely views of the lake and the mainland, that assume new aspects from every point of view”.

More recently, in 1908, American travel writer Michael Myers Shoemaker relates:
“The long drooping boughs of the trees trail gently to and fro across the boat and parting now and then give glimpses of the chapel of St. Finan the Leper, but it is so in ruins, and its saint belongs so to the very long ago, that today it is like a thought in a dream. As I wander off through the underwood shaded by giant ash, the spirits of the dead monks seem all around me”.

It is perfectly feasible to access the cache using a canoe or kayak, but care should be taken as waves on the lake can become quite large, particularly with a north-westerly or southerly wind. Please note that a permit is required to use a canoe in Killarney National Park however this does not cost anything and can be arranged by ringing 064 6635215, although you may need to prove that your canoe has been washed down.

Enjoy the cache, and set aside some time for quiet contemplation if you can!