placenamesInishbofin
Inis Bó Finne
A community campaign secured the return of human remains taken from St Colman’s monastery in 1890.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Inis Bó Finne · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Inishbofin · English · main form
Place & story
Removal without consent
In July 1890, Alfred Cort Haddon and Andrew Francis Dixon took partial skeletal remains of thirteen people from St Colman’s monastery on Inishbofin. Trinity College Dublin’s account acknowledges that they acted without the community’s consent, as Haddon’s diary documents. The remains subsequently entered Trinity’s Old Anatomy Museum, where they formed part of a collection associated with the period’s interest in measuring human skulls and bodies. [2]
The island’s campaign
Marie Coyne and Ciarán Walsh began campaigning for the remains’ return in 2012. Their repatriation project brought island representatives and researchers together. Its account records negotiations with Trinity and an agreement in March 2023 on arrangements for a handover, transport to Galway and a boat journey home. The planned burial date was 16 July, the anniversary of the removal. [3]
A return in 2023
Trinity’s board approved the return in February 2023, following research and public consultation. The remains were handed to an island representative in July. A ceremony in the college chapel marked their departure, and university representatives attended the funeral on Inishbofin. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Inishbofin. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- The Haddon-Dixon Collection: Inishbofin Crania · Trinity College Dublin, Legacies Review
- An Island Funeral, Inishbofin,16July2023 · Marie Coyne and Ciarán Walsh, Haddon Dixon Repatriation Project
- Surviving chapel ruins at Saint Colman’s monastery, Inishbofin, County Galway, as photographed in July 2006 illustration: based on a Ruins of chapel, Inishbofin by Espresso Addict. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.