Nun's Island

Nun's Island has an area of 4 acres, 1 rood and 17 perches. In Griffith's Valuation, 1854, it is given as Nim's island. The occupier was one Michael Fenoran living in a house of 6/- rateable valuation.

The name Nun's Island is said to refer to the order of Poor Clare nuns who had a convent called Bethlehem on the Westmeath shore. The Dillons, patrons of the Poor Clares became embroiled in the aftermath of the Ulster Rebellion of 1641. Sir James Dillon had blocaded the bridge of Athlone to protect the Leinster side of Athlone from the armed forces of Viscount Ranelagh (Roger Jones) who was President of Connaught. When Ormond sent reinforcements to Athlone to invade the Dillon territory of Kilkenny West Sir James was forced to withdraw into County Longford. This was bad news for both the Poor Clares in Bethlehem and the Franciscans on Friars Island.

In anticipation of danger the sisters at Bethlehem had been ordered to evacuate their convent. In January 1641 four sisters, all natives of Galway, were instructed by Fr Anthony McGeoghegan O.F.M. the Minister-Provincial of the order, to return to the city. With the retreat of the Irish troops under the command of Sir James Dillon to Longford the remaining sisters were evacuated urgently. It is said that approximately thirty sisters were transported to Nuns Island where they found temporary refuge.

There are graves on Nun's Island which are, according to tradition, the graves of two Poor Clare sisters who died there. There are also ruins of a small medieval church indicating an earlier religious settlement.

Once it was safe to do so the Poor Clare sisters returned to the mainland from their island sanctuary and were sheltered by various families in Longford and Westmeath. A small group of these sisters was dispatched to Wexford to establish a new Poor Clare convent in that town. The remaining sisters, possibly twenty-four or so, elected Mother Cecily Dillon as their abbess and set up a convent which they called 'Bethlehem' in the town of Athlone.