Iniscealtra - 'Holy Island'

On the Co. Clare side of Lough Derg, and accessible from Mountshannon by the boats of East Clare Heritage (q.v.). It has a fine round tower but the top is missing, and the ruins of several small churches and cells , as well as part of 4 high crosses and a holy well. The cemetery on this island is still in use, the coffins being transported from the Clare side in small boats. There is a stone with a hole in it, through which lovers held hands and promised to be true. East Clare Heritage provides guided tours as well as transport. (The history of the island can be read in a booklet, Holy Island : Jewel of the Lough , by Gerard Madden , available from East Clare Heritage.)