Isle of Tear
Tearmann | |
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.