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Boat trip to Holy Island, Lough Derg Event Cache

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Hidden : Saturday, August 20, 2016
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
4 out of 5

Size: Size:   other (other)

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Geocache Description:

A boat trip to Holy Island which is on Lough Derg, on the River Shannon. The event will take place at the foot of the round tower at 1pm and will last 30 minutes.

This event is a satellite event of Geocamping 2016: Geocamping in the Galtees.


Holy Island (Irish: Inis Cealtra) is one of the most famous monastic sites in Ireland. It has many interesting things to see including a preserved round tower, the ruins of six churches. There is also a bargaining stone where people come to renew their wedding vows.

With regards to Geocaching, it is also a desired "pilgrimage" site as it has one of Ireland's more challenging Challenge caches (Ireland Top Ten Challenge GC2RQB4) and I know a number of people have had their eyes on this cache for some time!

What to do

There are many historical sites to see on the island. I would suggest also bringing a picninc with you - we will hopefully be able to sit down near to the round tower around 1pm to share some time together. This is also the official start time for the event itself.

As well as the fore mentioned Challenge cache, there is currently one other recently placed cache on the island which I'm sure almost everyone will be visiting on the day!.

Getting there

Unlike the previous years Adventure events, where there was only one logical commercial way of getting to your destination, there are a number of options open to you.

  1. You can hire a boat to go out yourself from the Harbour in Mount Shannon and costs about €25 for two hours (more for longer stays).

  2. Pineapple Dan has offered to provide a ferry service to and from the island with his own boat. I will provide more details very soon as to where to meet up with him and his boat and whether or not he wants to be contacted beforehand..

  3. Kayaking or rowing your own boat is also allowed.

  4. A local boatman and historian offers boat trips to the island for a small fee. I'm told this includes a historical talk/lecture about the island. Details about this can easily be found on the Web (or contact me). This boat leaves from way-marked parking location P0.

Please be aware that there are warnings that Lough Derg Region is infested with zebra mussels which poses a threat to other lakes and waterways in Ireland so if you're using your own vessel, additional care must be taken. More details about this can be found on information boards around the lake.

Most will be attending this event from the camp site. Google maps estimate about 1½ hours from the camp site to appropriate places for crossing to the island, I would add 15-20 minutes to that as most routes take you via Ballina where there is a traffic controlled bridge which can be a bit of a bottleneck.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)