We had this settlement on our visit list for years, but never got to actually go to it. When eventually the time was right, we were welcomed to the island by one of the heaviest rains ever seen, so our visit was totally ruined and all the photos are... wet!
My camera was literally flooded by the heavy rain and it took a whole day to recover to full operation.
Devenish Island is the seat of one of the finest monastic settlements in Northern Ireland.
St. Molaise established the monastery in the 6th century, along one of the pilgrim routes to Croagh Patrick, in Co. Mayo. The settlement on Devenish Island became a centre of scholarship and later was chosen as the site of the parish church. The settlement was raided by the Vikings in 837, and burned in 1157.
The name Devenish comes from the Irish Daimhinis, meaning "Ox Island".
Teampull Mór is Irish for "The Great Church". It was built in the early 13th century and dedicated to St. Molaise. One of the main features of this church is the beautifully moulded south window. The building was extended to the east in the early 14th century, and later on a residential block to the north and the Maguire Chapel to the south were added. The latter one has some 17th century heraldic slabs.
Within the nave of the church, in the northwest corner, is a stone coffin, called the "St. Molaise's Bed", and according to the lore, lying in it could cure sickness.
The church is aligned to the east (80°).
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