Canon Island up for sale

THE 207-acre Canon Island off Kildysart has been put up for sale by private treaty, with an asking price of €485,000. The island includes old dwellings and approximately 112 acres of good-quality land.
The island is located on the Shannon Estuary, about one mile from the shore and is owned by two people.
Hundreds of years ago, the island was called Elanagranoch. In the 12th century, the then King of Limerick, Donald O’Brien, is believed to have either founded or rebuilt a priory for the order of St Augustine.
A moiety of the priory, with the various lands, tithes, profits, and demesne lands was granted in 1605, to Donogh, Earl of Thomond. In 1661, it was granted to his successor, Henry. The abbey ruins, which are situated at the north-eastern extremity of the island, consist of a square tower and a considerable portion of the body of the building. The journey to the island, from Kildysart, takes about three-quarters of an hour.
Since 1990, Kildysart parishioners have celebrated mass on the island every year. Although difficult to access, the abbey is regarded as one of Clare’s premier national monuments. The last families left in the late early 1970s. The selling agent in John Casey, Lisdoonvarna.