Inishkeel and Time
Inishkeel is not much of an island. Sitting about 250 metres from the village of Narin in the county of Donegal and covering about 97 acres it becomes accessible on foot at low tide. I think that’s the point.
In the sixth century Saint Conall Cael established a small monastery on the island and over the centuries it became a pilgrimage site for Christians to visit. Today only the ruins of an old church and a few carved stones provide an indication of its past.
As a young boy I spent hours looking out of the sunroom window of my grandparents bungalow across Inishkeel and on to Arranmore in the distance. We’d frequently hear of people who hadn’t paid attention to the tides and had to be rescued from the island by boat. The one time we visited the island when I was a child my cousins from England were visiting and I got stung by a nettle. We didn’t get caught by the tide, but we did have to take our shoes and socks off to wade through the incoming water on the way back.
A couple of weeks ago I was back in Donegal, the tide was out, but was turning. I made a quick dash to the island. I knew I didn’t have long, maybe five minutes.
I stood on the grass, I paused,
I remembered my first time there.
I took time to breathe.
Long slow deep breaths.
I didn’t have much time, but I wouldn’t be rushed.
This was and is a thin place.
Time is different here.
Time is governed by seasons, the forces of nature, the gravitational pull of the moon. You cannot say, “I will visit at 11:00 am tomorrow.” For that may be high tide. You can only say, “I will visit just before low tide and stay until the tide turns.” The rhythm and cycle of nature dictate time in this space.
I think that’s the point. Every day is different. The tides don’t follow a clock. Inishkeel calls us to find the proper rhythm for life. The paradox of time is that it is both cyclical and linear.
Most of us have lost touch with the cyclical nature of time as we become preoccupied with its linear nature. We try to cram more and more into our lives. FOMO. With digital clocks we measure time to the minute, it bothers us if the clock on our stove isn’t in perfect sync with the clock on the microwave. STOP.
We need to once again grab hold of the cyclical nature of time. For it is this cyclical nature that gives us the “right time.” It is the right time because it puts the rush of linear time on hold as we learn to be present with one another; as we appreciate the rhythms and seasons of life that allow for compassion and empathy. It is the right time because it reminds us that there is more to life than progress and success.
As we enter into the season of Lent and as I enjoy the second half of my sabbatical I want to focus on the rhythmic nature of life. To reclaim the cyclical nature of time and find the proper corrective to the overemphasis on linear time.
