destination unknown friday

this week i've decided to go back to the safety of familiar ground, a place i visited in july 2001. i had invited myself along on a trip my best friend was taking to see an old friend who lived in in a little town just outside belfast. the trip was the shortest trip i've ever taken to europe, only 10 days. when my best friend and i landed in shannon, ireland, we rented a car and drove some three hours to northern ireland, the town of kesh to be more precise, where his friend was staying the week with her family. but i came away from that trip with a wonderful new friend (the friend of my best friend), with whom i still maintain a close friendship to this day, and the memory of this place;

devenish island, northern ireland

to be fair, it's extremely hard to outdo the irish countryside, but devenish island is one of those places where not only is it possible to let the imagination run wild, it's pretty damned hard to stop it.

considered one of the finest monastic sites in no. ireland, the island has ruins of a monastery, two churches, an oratory and one of the finest round towers in ireland occupy a sloping hillside on the southeast tip of devenish.

established in the 6th century, the oratory of saint molaise and the round tower dates from the 11th century, most likely in response to a viking raid in 837, and being burned in 1157. the st. mary's augustinian priory and the high cross date from the mid-15th century to early-16th century.









on the day we visited, it was somewhat windy, and the sky was overcast, giving everything a cold, spooky, medieval feeling. no one lives on the island except for the sheep just beyond the surrounding fence, and the only way to get there is by ferry.

i spent hours here just walking around the ruins trying to imagine everything that these stones have seen.

looking out across the loch to the surrounding countryside, it was so easy to just forget there's anyone else in the world. it quickly made it's way near the top of my short-list of places i want to buy when i become disgustingly rich.

devenish island is one of those places that you can close your eyes and always revisit, an ability that comes in handy on mondays.