Inis Cealtra

Inis Cealtra, ‘Holy Island’, lies in the middle of Lough Derg in County Clare. Once a monastic settlement, the island is home to a round tower, the ruins of several churches, high crosses and historic graveyard. The old Mountshannon Rectory on Scariff bay looks across the lake to Inis Cealtra, and has been carefully repurposed into a new exhibition and interpretation centre, telling the story of the island.

The project includes restoration of the existing Rectory (dated 1905), and the incorporation of a new extension to the rere, within a sensitively devised landscape setting. It provides exhibition space, administrative offices, cafe and shop, along with a full energy and accessibility upgrade. The contemporary addition echoes the character and proportion of the Rectory building. It is a ‘thick-walled’ entity, like a traditional Irish tower house, covered in a barrel vault, finished in brickwork which closely matches the original. This relationship of new to old creates an innovative sequence of movement around the Rectory. In front, the new gardens sweep down to the bay where boat trips depart for the island.

The sustainable re-use of this locally significant building provides a new centre of cultural tourism for Clare County Council and the Mountshannon community.