Overview
On an islet in Lough Inchicronan, north of Ennis, stand the ruins of an Augustinian priory founded in 1190 – the quiet heart of a civil parish that most people now pass on the R458 without stopping. Inchicronan (Irish: Inse Chrónáin, ‘Cronán’s island’) gives its old name to the parish, though the villages you will actually drive through are Crusheen and Ballinruan. The lough is long and narrow, hemmed by rough limestone uplands, and the island sits out in it like something deliberately kept at arm’s length.
The honest truth about visiting: this is a look-from-the-shore place. There is no boat, the island is private, and the ruins are best appreciated across the water with a pair of binoculars.
The priory
In 1190, Donal Mór O’Brien, King of Limerick, founded a house of Augustinian Canons here on the island, later rebuilt as a daughter house of Clare Abbey. In time it became the parish church. The church that survives is a plain oblong, about 66 feet by 16 and a half internally, and its east window is older than the rest of it – a reused piece from an earlier church, carved with a spray of foliage and dated to the end of the 11th century. Little else of the monastery remains beyond the nave walls, some foundations and a modest graveyard.
The tower house
Near the southern end of the island are the ruins of a late-medieval tower house. Centuries of exposure have worn the stonework, but the footprint and part of the walls still stand clear above the water. It does not appear in the 1580 list of Clare castles, and its ownership is not firmly recorded – the nearest documented castle of that date, at Doonmulvihill, belonged to Owen MacSweeney.
Churches, holy wells and older stones
The wider parish is scattered with the markers of medieval and earlier life. Ruined churches at Kilvoydane, Kiltolagh, Kilvakee and Kilvilly sit among old graveyard enclosures. Five holy wells – Tobarmacduach, Toberineenboy, Tobernaneeve, Toberbreeda and Kilvoydan – carry the parish’s older devotions. Near Spancil Hill, Knocknacullia fort and a standing stone known as the Giant’s Grave push the story back into prehistory.
The lough
Lough Inchicronan runs a little over 2 km, long and narrow, with reed beds and a calm surface that suit waterfowl – mute swans, mallard and the occasional kingfisher in the quiet of the morning. It is a recognised freshwater fishery: Inland Fisheries Ireland surveys have turned up perch, rudd and pike, along with the endangered European eel. Fishing follows the usual Irish licensing and conservation rules.
Visiting
- Getting there – the R458 Ennis–Gort road runs along the west side of the lough; informal lay-bys near the Crusheen access give clear views across to the island.
- Public transport – none to the lough itself. Ennis is the nearest hub, and you will need a car or taxi from there.
- The island – no boat service, and landing needs a private boat and the landowner’s leave. View it from the shore.
- Walking – informal paths and farm tracks follow the southern and western shores; mostly level, but muddy after rain, so wear proper footwear.
- Facilities – none at the lough beyond basic toilets and picnic benches at the main Crusheen lay-by. All the sites are open-air and free; stay on the paths and leave no trace.
Nearby
Inchicronan sits close enough to Ennis to tack onto a wider Clare day out. Within a short drive you can walk around Ennis Friary, see the grounds of Dromore Castle, or look in at the Clare Museum in the town.
For the best view, pull in at the R458 lay-by near Crusheen on a still morning, when the island and its ruins double in the flat water – and bring the binoculars, because that is as close as you will get.