Isle of Tear

Isle of Tear

Tearmann
The Coronation Stone, located on the northern side of Isle of Tear
Location	Province of Lænighríh, Gotneska
Altitude	81 m (266 ft)
Type	Ceremonial and burial site
History
Periods	Neolithic-Iron Age
Cultures	Cordic
Site notes
Ownership	Currently the Gotneskan Government through the GNPA
Management	Gothian National Park Agency
Invalid designation
Official name	The Isle of Tear National Archaeological Monument
Designated	1923
Reference no.	171

The Isle of Tear (Meallaigian: Tearmann or Oileán Tearmainn) is an island located just offshore of mainland Argis and is a ancient ceremonial and burial site near Goorey in Lænighríh, Gotneska. Tradition identifies the island as the inauguration place and seat of the High Kings of Aideenn; it also appears in Cordic Mythology.

Name

The name Tear is a shortened form of the name Tearmann or Oileán Tearmainn (‘Isle of Tear’). It is also known as Tearmann na Ríthe (‘Tear of the Kings’), and formally also antOileán Órga (‘The Golden Island’) The Old Meallaigian form is Teriair. It is believed this comes from the Proto-Geltic *Temrais and means ‘Sanctuary’ or ‘sacred place’.

Features and Early History

Ancient monuments

The island has remains of 26 ancient monuments that are still visible, and at least three times that many have been found through geophysical surveys and aerial photography.

The oldest visible monument is Carraig Dé (the ‘Rock of God’), a Neolithic Standing Stone, built around c. 3500 BCE.