- Created: August 28, 2012 10:34 am
- Updated: June 8, 2026 9:48 am
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Beginish Island is located near the village of Knightstown on Valentia Island, County Kerry, Ireland. With no permanent population, Beginish Island is a treasure trove of archaeological remains. A ruined monastery can be found on the eastern part of the island and circular stone huts and buildings on the island are remnants of a once vibrant maritime and religious community dating back to the Middle Ages. On the southwest-facing beach on the eastern end of Beginish is a group of eight houses, 15 cairns, and eight animal shelters, occupied between the 10th and 12th centuries, houses which appear to suggest evidence of early Norse/Viking occupation of Ireland. The earliest occupation of the site appears to represent a Scandinavian marine way-station, dated to the 10th century. It has a number of remote and secluded sandy beaches and is protected from the Atlantic by Valentia Island.
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Beginish Island is located near the village of Knightstown on Valentia Island, County Kerry, Ireland. With no permanent population, Beginish Island is a treasure trove of archaeological remains. A ruined monastery can be found on the eastern part of the island and circular stone huts and buildings on the island are remnants of a once vibrant maritime and religious community dating back to the Middle Ages. On the southwest-facing beach on the eastern end of Beginish is a group of eight houses, 15 cairns, and eight animal shelters, occupied between the 10th and 12th centuries, houses which appear to suggest evidence of early Norse/Viking occupation of Ireland. The earliest occupation of the site appears to represent a Scandinavian marine way-station, dated to the 10th century. It has a number of remote and secluded sandy beaches and is protected from the Atlantic by Valentia Island.
