Church

The National Monuments Service's description

At the SE end of the island. Reputedly the site of St Leo's 7th-C monastery (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 386). According to the 2nd edition of the OS 6-inch map (1898), the present late 19th-C ruined church (E-W; L 10.85m, Wth 5.2m) stands 'on site of St Leo's Chapel'. In 1869 'the east wall, with a lancet window and parts of the north and south walls' of this older church were standing (Kinahan 1869b). Evidence indicates that the N and E walls were incorporated into the later church as evidenced by the presence of large, roughly faced blocks, at a height of 1.25m above ground level, in the E gable wall and N wall. The sillstone of the original lancet window is also visible, indicating that this window was subsequently blocked up and replaced by the present narrower, smaller window, which was inserted on a slightly different alignment. Research excavations in 2010 indicated that the lowest courses of the earlier S wall formed the plinth for the later wall, thereby narrowing the width of the later church. The latter church is oddly asymmetrical with two unevenly spaced lancet-like windows in the S wall and only one that is placed slightly off-centre in the N wall (Kuijt et al. 2010, 57, 60). A doorway between the windows in the S wall was subsequently blocked-up and plastered over and access is now gained through the doorway in the W gable. ‘St Leo’s Cross’ or ‘Leac Leo’ (see GA009D003----), which was recorded as being set on the E gable (Anon. 1905, 42), and the broken cross-slab (GA009D002002-) noted in the church by Crawford (1913, 151) are now missing. An associated graveyard (GA009D002003-) was uncovered during the 2010 excavations (Kuijt et al. 2010, 60). (O'Flanagan 1927b, Vol. 1, 486; Higgins 1987, 317)

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. I - West Galway'. Compiled by Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1993). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

The following images have been uploaded:
GA009D002----_01.jpg View of E gable from E. Two phases of construction are indicated by the change in construction above the line of large boulders.
GA009D002----_04.jpg View from SW. The plastered area between the two windows in the S wall marks the blocked-up doorway.

Updated by: Olive Alcock

Date of revised upload: 29 March 2023

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1927 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Galway collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Typescript in 3 vols. Bray.

Kinahan, G.H. 1869b Proceedings: ancient remains on the islands off the western coast of Iar-Connaught. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 10, 348.

Higgins, J.G. 1987 The Early Christian cross slabs, pillar stones and related monuments of County Galway, Ireland, 2 vols. British Archaeological Reports, International Series 375. Oxford.

Kuijt I., Lash R., Gibbons M., Higgins J., Goodale N. and O'Neill, J. 2010 Reconsidering early medieval seascapes: new insights from Inis Airc, Co. Galway,Ireland. Journal of Irish Archaeology XIX, 51-70.