Church

The National Monuments Service's description

In the SW corner of a large rectangular graveyard close to the E shore of the island. This is a small poorly preserved medieval church (E-W; L 10m, Wth 3.7m). Apart from the flat-headed doorway and aumbry in the S wall, no architectural features survive. Traces of an internal division exist at the E end. A subcircular burial area (GA050-011002-) to the NE of church is defined by a low wall of irregular boulders. It contains a ruined leacht (GA050-011003-) with a cross-inscribed pillar (GA050-011004-) (Higgins 1987, ii, 281, no. 12). A round pebble carved with a three-line Greek cross provenanced to this church or associated graveyard is now in the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin (ibid., 403-4, no. 122). No trace was found of the 'well (GA050-011005-) just to south of church' (Killanin 1954, 101). (O'Flanagan 1927a, Vol. 3, 121, 125; Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 387)

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.

Updated by: Olive Alcock

Date of revised upload: 12 June 2018

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.

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.

Killanin, L. 1954 Notes on some of the antiquities of the barony of Ballynahinch, Co. Galway. Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 25, 92-103.

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.