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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Church

Inishcaltra Or Holy Island, County Clare, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Church, Inishcaltra Or Holy Island, County Clare, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Inishcaltra Or Holy Island
County
Clare
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Baptism Church
Latest-edition OS map
Teampall na bhfear ngonta (in Rns) (1920)
Coordinates
52.91559, -8.44804
SMR number
CL029-009015-

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1811 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in the N sector of the ‘Saint’s graveyard’ (CL029-009030-) on Inis Cealtra, this building is called ‘Baptism Church’ on the 1840 OS 6-inch map and ‘Teampull na bhfear ngonta (in ruins)’ on the 1920 OS 6-inch map. A ruined, rectangular, Romanesque structure (ext. dims. 5.8m E-W; 4.2m N-S; wall T 0.6m at S, 0.8m at W) of large, roughly coursed, squared blocks on a plinth (projecting 0.18m; H 0.2m). Squared quoins (0.11m x 0.11m) project 0.04m from each face at the corners and this squared feature continues along the base of the walls just above the plinth. The walls survive to a maximum height of 1.85m at W. There is no evident entrance. A window at W had an internal splay but has been robbed out (Wth 0.6m; H 1.5m). The lower courses of an ope survive at S near the W gable (Wth 0.66m; H 0.86m). Another ope at the E end of the N wall (Wth 0.8m; H 0.3m) has an external splay (ext. Wth 1.18m). None of the opes go to ground level. Macalister (1916-17, 136) interprets all three opes as entrances. An altar (Wth 1.5m; projecting 0.5m) occupies the E end and is capped with large broken flags (1.75m x 0.8m). A wall extends for 3.06m from the NE corner and is butted to the E wall. The building was extensively reconstructed, probably around 1700 (De Paor 2013, 28). According to Ó Carragáin (2010, 223) this is a mortuary chapel used for the burial of particular classes of people. Iniscealtra is a national monument in state care, no. 5.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney

Date of upload: 14 October 2015

References

de Paor †, L. 2013 Inis Cealtra: Archaeological investigations of the monuments on the island. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 53, 27-78.

Large, S. 2011 A church and graveyard survey in County Clare. Database and photographic record. Clare County Council. Clare Heritage Forum. The Heritage Council.

Ó Carragáin, T. 2010 Churches in early medieval Ireland: architecture, ritual and memory. New Haven and London. Yale University Press.

Macalister, R.A.S 1916-17 The history and antiquities of Inis Cealtra. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 33C, 93-174.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
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