‘Church Island in Lough Beg, an enduring spiritual place in the landscape’ by Thomas McErlean
The lecture explores some horizons and events in the long history and archaeology of Church Island in Lough Beg . The little Island has a fascinating story commencing in the 6th century as a monastery founded by St Thaddeus (St Teague) evolving in the 12th century into the parish church of Ballyscullion and surviving into the 21st century as a place apart that still preserves an aura of sanctity and a focus of community identity.
Thomas McErlean is a landscape archaeologist and has had a varied archaeological career culminating in many years spent in the University of Ulster as a senior research fellow. He worked for many years in intertidal archaeology and garden archaeology but his abiding research interest is the study of the Gaelic landscape with particular reference to the origin and significance of Irish townlands, medieval estates and parishes.
Elmwood Common Room of the Elmwood Building, Queen’s University Belfast