History of Inniskeen, County Monaghan

                               About this time the Celts began to arrive and quickly became the                                dominant race, building ring forts or raths and crannogs on lakes                                and rivers. Inis Caoin "the pleasant island" was a stockade                                dwelling place for local chieftain, Maelduin, who was converted to                                Chrisanity by Daig O'Carroll who was a student and apprentice          Viking Ship         with Saint Ciaran in Clonmacnoise. He also studied in Bangor
and Devenish island where his uncle had a monastery on Lough Erne. Daig became a celebrated artificer and quickly established a monastery on Inis Caoin. Built totally of timber, Saint Daig's monastery became the centre of religion, trades, milling and farming.

                "Thrice fifty bells, victorious deed
                 With one hundred strong crosiers,
                 With sixty perfect gospels,
                 By the hand of Daig alone"

Saint Daig died 586 AD. The sixth to the ninth centuries are commonly designed as "The Golden Age", an age which was harshly, if gradually terminated by the Viking raids which bedeviled Irish monasteries.

A monk penned a poem: ….
Bitter is the wind tonight, it tosses the ocean white hair,                                         
Tonight I fear not the fury of the north men
Cursing on the Irish Sea