Skreen

For the village in County Meath, see Skryne.
Skreen
An Scrín
Town

Skreen

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 54°14′36″N 8°43′52″W / 54.2433°N 8.7311°W / 54.2433; -8.7311Coordinates: 54°14′36″N 8°43′52″W / 54.2433°N 8.7311°W / 54.2433; -8.7311
Country Ireland
Province Connacht
County County Sligo
Elevation 76 m (249 ft)
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference G523329

Skreen (Irish: An Scrín, meaning "the shrine") is a small village and its surrounding parish in County Sligo, Ireland.

History

St Adomnán, the first biographer of St Columba (Colmcille) and one of his successors at Iona, first served as abbot at Skreen Abbey, which allegedly got its name from the relics of Adomnán the abbey possessed before Vikings pillaged and destroyed it in the 9th century. Besides his Columba biography, Adomnán is known for his "Law of the Innocents", protecting women, children, and other non-combatants from war's slaughter.

The Abbey, of which there is no remaining trace, was located at the site of the present Skreen Church of Ireland church, next to which are an old graveyard and the extensive remains of the medieval church. Within the ruin is the gravesite of Reverend Gabriel Stokes, a 19th-century pastor of the Church of Ireland parish and father of mathematician Sir George Stokes.

In the graveyard may be found many fine 18th-19th-century limestone box tombs, the most celebrated of which is the 1824 Alexander Black tomb, carved by "Old Frank" Diamond. His descendants are still, after seven generations, in the stonecutting business on the Coast Road.

Also in the parish are the considerable ruins of Ardnaglass Castle, originally a possession of the O'Dowds, then the MacSweeneys, and after the Cromwellian conquest the Joneses and the Blacks. It is just off the Coast Road on Protestant lane. It is now owned by Gerry Clarke.

People

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Skreen.


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