Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Described by Herity (1995, 90) as ‘a rectangular church with doorway in its long south side which on its building style can be attributed to the period after 1000. Apart from the lower courses, where very large stones are incorporated in places, as in the north-east comer, the stone chosen is generally smaller and more uniform in size (there being fewer of the long flat variety) and the fit of the stones within the structure is tighter and neater. This is a very regular building built by accomplished masons; the position of the doorway on the south side and the general position of the church close to the top of the knoll and at a little distance west from the focus of early buildings suggest that it is later, possibly built by Augustinian Canons Regular in the 12th century.’ (Walsh 1983, 56, Fig. 19, No. 8)

Compiled by: Paul Walsh

Date of upload: 2 February 2014

References

Walsh, P. 1983 The monastic settlement on Rathlin O'Birne Island, County Donegal. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 113, 53-66.

Herity, M. 1995 Two Island Hermitages in the Atlantic: Rathlin O'Birne, Donegal, and Caher Island, Mayo. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 125, 85-128.