Saints Island

Saints Island

On Saints Island can been seen the ruins of an Augustinian Monastery that survived up to the time of the suppression of the monasteries in the reign of Henry the VIII. It flourished during the fourteenth century under the scholarly Abbot Augustin Magraidin, but the ravages of time took their toll and the site lay derelict for centuries. Augustin Magaidrin has been described as a sage during his lifetime in divine and worldly wisdom. He was the author of an important manuscript collection of the lives of Irish Saints which has been a valuable source for later writers. The work is now preserved in the Rawlinson collection of manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Magaidrin also compiled the Annals of the Abbey of All Saints, Lough Ree, listed by the Four Masters as one of their sources. This  is also available in the Bodhleian Library. Magaidrin died in 1405. Saints Island has been linked to the mainland by a causeway for some years. This quiet water place is a favourite haunt of marsh birds. In spring the curlew, lapwing and various species of wild duck may be seen in great numbers. It is a picturesque and spiritual place to while away an hour or two in contemplation not only of nature but of Irelands ancient history as the Land of Saints and Scholars.

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