Inishmurray is a small island in Donegal Bay off the coast of County Sligo. It enjoys a reputation as one of the best-preserved early Christian church sites in Ireland or Europe and has seen a remarkable rise in visitor numbers in recent years. The remains are complex and extensive, representing an early Irish monastic community and an important regional pilgrimage centre. There has been no detailed survey of these remains since the 1880s. This new survey, based on excavations by the authors, form the basis for this first explanatory account of the church sites and remains, and will have wide appeal amongst historians, archaeologists, general readers and visitors. Lavishly illustrated with old and contemporary images, this book seeks to do justice to Inishmurray's iconic place in the maritime landscape of Sligo and Donegal Bay.

Author Biography

JERRY O'SULLIVAN is a professional archaeologist with wide experience of research and conservation projects and is currently a Project Archaeologist in the National Roads Design Office at Galway County Council. Author of over 30 reports, monographs and articles, his interests include medieval settlement and church archaeology. TOM S A" CARRAG IN is a lecturer at the Archaeology Department, University College Cork. His research interests include early medieval architecture, the layout and character of early ecclesiastical sites, and archaeological approaches to pilgrimage. He has published extensively on these and other subjects.