Innisfallen Island
Innisfallen Island is just one of many
islands found in Lough Leane, one of the three
Lakes of Killarney in the
Republic of Ireland.
It is home to the ruins of
Innisfallen Abbey, one of the most impressive
archaeological remains dating from the early
Christian period found in the
Killarney National Park. The
monastery was founded in the
7th century by St. Finian the Leper, and was occupied for approximately 700 years. Over a period of about 300 of these, the
Annals of Innisfallen were written, which chronicle the early history of
Ireland as it was known to the monks.
The location of the monastery on the island is thought to have given rise to the name Lough Leane (
Irish Loch Léin), which means "Lake of Learning".