Rocky Island ( ga, Oileán Cathail) is located in

Cork Harbour Cork Harbour () is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" (after Port Ja ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. Situated between the naval base on

Haulbowline Island Haulbowline ( ga, Inis Sionnach; non, Ál-boling) is an island in Cork Harbour off the coast of Ireland. The world's first yacht club was founded on Haulbowline in 1720. The western side of the island is the main naval base and headquarters f ...

and the mainland, a

gunpowder magazine A gunpowder magazine is a magazine (building) designed to store the explosive gunpowder in wooden barrels for safety. Gunpowder, until superseded, was a universal explosive used in the military and for civil engineering: both applications ...

was constructed on the island by the

Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence o ...

in 1808. Used for military storage into the 20th Century, the stores were re-purposed for use by

Irish Steel Irish Steel Limited ( ga, Cruach na hÉireann Teoranta), later known as Irish Ispat Limited, was an Irish semi-state company which was involved in steel production primarily from a plant on Haulbowline island in Cork Harbour. Originally founde ...

until 2002. It was redeveloped between 2005 and 2007, and is now home to the ''Island Crematorium'', the first

crematorium A crematorium or crematory is a venue for the cremation of the dead. Modern crematoria contain at least one cremator (also known as a crematory, retort or cremation chamber), a purpose-built furnace. In some countries a crematorium can also b ...

in the Republic of Ireland outside of Dublin. Two bridges connect Rocky Island with the mainland and with

Haulbowline Haulbowline ( ga, Inis Sionnach; non, Ál-boling) is an island in Cork Harbour off the coast of Ireland. The world's first yacht club was founded on Haulbowline in 1720. The western side of the island is the main naval base and headquarters f ...

. The bridges carry the single lane L2545 roadway.

Island crematorium

In the early 19th century, the centre of the rocky landscape of the island was excavated and a matching pair of triple-vaulted magazines were constructed; the magazine compound was hidden behind a perimeter of natural rock and a rocky outcrop was retained between the two magazines, on which a watch tower was built. One of the two magazines remains, accessed by a tunnel through the rock; inside the compound there is a courtyard at either end, linked by pair of passageways which flank the main magazine. Following its redevelopment as a crematorium, the central vault of the magazine serves as a 'spiritual space' for funeral services, the north vault contains the 'family and refreshment areas' and the south vault contains the 'staff areas' (including the cremator).The Island Crematorium: videos & photos
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Gallery

File:Rocky Island magazine entrance.jpg, Entrance to the former magazine compound File:Rocky Island magazine entrance tunnel.jpg, Tunnel leading from the entrance to the courtyard File:Rocky Island magazine exterior.jpg, Courtyard and exterior of the magazine building File:Rocky Island magazine interior.jpg, 'Spiritual space' inside the former magazine

References

Islands of County Cork {{cork-geo-stub