Overview
Inchagoill carries what is often called Ireland’s oldest Christian inscription – a carved pillar barely a metre high – on the largest and most-visited island in Lough Corrib. The island lies in the north-west of the lake and is entirely within County Galway, in the barony of Ross; it does not, as is sometimes claimed, straddle the Galway–Mayo border, though the lake itself spans both counties. It is heavily wooded, much of it planted by Coillte, and fringed with quiet bays. Its Irish name, Inis an Ghaill Chraibhthigh, means “the island of the devout foreigner,” a nod to an early missionary; an older name, Inis an Ghall (“island of the stone”), points to the carved pillar that still stands among the ruins. The island runs to about 33 hectares (81 acres).
The Luguaedon Stone and Teampall Phádraig
Archaeological evidence points to a religious settlement here from the 5th century, though the standing stonework is early medieval. The older of the two churches is Teampall Phádraig (St Patrick’s Church), a plain rectangular oratory of cyclopean masonry with a flat-lintelled doorway; tradition credits Saint Patrick and his nephew Lugnad with founding it, and it is dated to the 6th or 7th century.
A few metres to the south-west stands the island’s most famous object, the Luguaedon Stone. Carved from Silurian grit and standing just under a metre, it bears seven equal-armed crosses across its faces and, on the eastern side, an inscription in Insular half-uncial script: LIE LUGUAEDON MACCI MENUEH – “the stone of Luguaedon, son of Menueh.” Menueh is taken to be a form of Liamain, said to be a sister of Saint Patrick. Dated to the 6th century, it is often described as the oldest Latin-alphabet Christian inscription in Ireland. It was moved from elsewhere on the island to serve as a grave marker within the monastic enclosure.
Teampall na Naoimh and the Guinness restoration
A flagged path of about 72 metres (79 yards) leads from St Patrick’s Church to Teampall na Naoimh (Church of the Saints), a 12th-century Hiberno-Romanesque church of nave and semi-circular chancel. Its defining feature is the ornate Romanesque doorway in the western wall, carved from coloured sandstone quarried on the Mayo side of the lake. The jambs are columnar pilasters topped with sculpted human heads, from which spring interlaced arches, stylistically close to the doorways at Annaghdown Abbey.
The doorway survives in its present form thanks to the Guinness family, who acquired Inchagoill when they bought the nearby Ashford Castle estate and, in the early 20th century, commissioned a reconstruction of the ruined façade. The antiquarian George Victor Du Noyer had drawn the doorway just before the work began, and his illustrations show how much of the stone was missing or rearranged in the rebuild. Inside, a 10th-century cross slab is set into the southern wall, alongside three bullaun stones used in early monastic ritual.
Graveyard, holy well and island life
The monastic enclosure – a National Monument (no. 412) – holds an extensive graveyard, the resting place of generations of local families, among them the Kinnaveys, Conways, Sullivans, Murphys, Lyddans and Butlers, and the tomb of Muirgheas O’Nioc (died 1128), coarb of Tuam. Scattered across the interior are more cross-inscribed pillars, five cross slabs, and the now-dry holy well of Tobar na Naomh, about 250 metres south-east of the Saints’ Church.
The island stayed inhabited long after the monks. Small farming families lived here into the 20th century; the last resident, caretaker Tommy Nevin, left in 1938. The ruined cottages have since faded into the oak and ash, and the place is given over to the woodland and its visitors. An annual Mass is still said on the island each August.
Getting there and practical information
Inchagoill is reached only by boat, with regular commercial sailings from March to October from Oughterard and the Ashford Castle piers near Cong.
Boat operators and sailing times
- Corrib Cruises runs the Corrib Queen from both Oughterard Pier and Ashford Castle Pier, typically at 11.00 and 14.45, though times shift with the season.
- Corrib Safari runs the wooden Lady Ardilaun from Lisloughrey Pier near Cong, with sailings from Oughterard on request; cruises last around two hours.
Visitor tips
- Admission: The island is free; you pay only for the boat, with adult fares varying by operator and season.
- Terrain: The paths are uneven, rocky and steep in places, and not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
- Facilities: None – no shop, toilet or seating. Bring water, snacks and a jacket, and take everything home with you.
- When to go: Boats run March to October and are entirely weather-dependent, so book ahead in summer and keep your plans flexible.
Get to the pier early: the approach across the water, with the ruins rising under the mountains, is half the reason to come, and you will want a spot on deck for it.