Church

The National Monuments Service's description

In a slight hollow, near the centre of the island. This small, poorly preserved, early Christian church (ext. dims. 8m E-W; 4.9m N-S) is orientated E-W. It is built of mortared, randomly coursed local granite. The mortar consists of sand and lime with seashell inclusions. Untypically the simple trabeate doorway (H 1.46m; Wth 0.6m) is located off-centre in the N wall (av. H 1.4m; Wth 0.8m); its lintel is missing. The E gable has almost completely collapsed. The remains of a splayed window are visible in the S wall (max. H 1.4m). No features are evident in the W gable (max. ext. H 2m); its external face is obscured with collapse. The interior of the church is very uneven due to the collapsed material. Externally heavy bramble growth is evident along the W end of the N wall, both gables and the S wall. Immediately to the N of the church is a small subrectangular graveyard (17.8m by 16.2m ext.) (GA076-011002-) defined by a slab-revetted stone wall (H 1.5m; Wth 1.2m). Its original entrance (Wth 1m), at W, is flanked by tall stones. A leacht (GA076-011005-), with a cross-slab (GA076-011006-) and a bullaun (GA076-011004-), is visible c. 7m to the N of the church and another ruined leacht (GA076-011007-) lies c. 8m to the W of the graveyard. A pair of enigmatic portal stones (see GA076-011009-) stand 12m to the E of the church. (Higgins 1987, 334, 356; Robinson 1985, 30)

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.

Revised by: Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 28 April 2014