Monaincha Abbey

The Holy island of Loch Cré and named the 31st wonder of the world in the Book of Ballymote and the island of the living by Giraldus Cambrensis (tutor of King John), Monaincha has a recorded history that goes back over 1,300 years. St. Cronán of Roscrea, St. Canice of Aghaboe and St. Molua of Kyle used the island regularly as a retreat.

In the 12th century the Augustinian Canons erected the exquisite Hiberno-Romanesque nave and chancel church with highly decorated doorway and chancel arch. The site has been a centre for pilgrims through the centuries and by 1600 was internationally known as a place of pilgrimage. Many legends surround the island including the claim that it was “the Island of the Living” and that nobody could die there.