Church

The National Monuments Service's description

At the NW end of Árainn (Inish More), in the village of Eoghanacht (Onaght), on level sheltered pasture to the N of a low cliff and overlooking a small bay to the N. Teampall Bhreacáin (St Brecan’s Church), a conserved National Monument, is a multiperiod nave and chancel church that is part of a complex of buildings known as na Seacht dTeampaill (the Seven Churches). Little is known of St Brecan, who may have been a contemporary of the 6th-century St Enda. He may have founded church or it, and the entire complex, may simply have been dedicated to him (Waddell 1973, 5).

A detailed plan of the church by Waddell (ibid., 7-11, Fig. 2) suggested there were three phases of construction in the building but more recent work by Manning (2021, 115-28) indicates five phases. The original church (int. dims. 4.9m E-W; 3.46m N-S) comprised a simple single cell constructed of cyclopean masonry. It was subsequently extended to the E and widened to the S. Traces of this earliest phase, Phase 1, are evident in the W gable where the NW antae survives and the original narrower gable is visible in the N part of the present gable. Part of the base of the SW antae is also exposed. Not so obvious, but recorded by Manning (ibid. 115), are the substantial traces of the original trabeate W doorway, which was subsequently blocked up. Some of its jambstones were removed and replaced with blocks that fitted so well into the pattern of the stonework that it became almost invisible. Some original jambstones remain in situ as does the lintel which was placed asymmetrically above it. This doorway was centrally located in the original W gable. An inscribed stone (GA110-010014-), bearing the following inscription: OR AR II CANOIN (a prayer for two canons), is visible on the internal face of the gable, just S of the doorway. The N wall of this church (max. ext. dim. 7m E-W) also survives (ibid., 115-18).
During Phase 2 of construction, the church was extended to the E, to the length of the present nave (int. dims. 9.67m; 3.46m N-S). Stones from the original E gable were reused in the extension and two stones forming the triangular head of a niche or aumbry at the E end of the N wall are possibly from the original E window of the Phase 1 church. The church was extended to the S in Phase 3, when it may have remained as a single-cell building (int. dims. 9.67m E-W; 5.55m N-S). During this phase, the SW antae of the original church was removed and the W doorway was blocked up. A doorway in the new S wall, where the current doorway is, provided access. The window to the E appears to be a later insertion into a Phase 3 embrasure. During this phase, the N wall was raised by one course (ibid., 118-19).
In Phase 4, the chancel arch was inserted into the Phase 3 E gable and the chancel (int. dims. 6.4m E-W; 5.65m N-S) was added. The lines of the Phase 2 and Phase 3 E gables are visible above the chancel arch. The arch is constructed of diagonally dressed and chamfered limestone ashlar. Traces of incised foliate ornament and a small roll moulding are visible the S impost. The E window is tall, plain and pointed while the S window is round headed. The finish on both windows is similar to the stonework of the chancel arch and both have external rebates for shutters. An incised triangular feature with foliate ornament is visible above the external head of the S window. Three small cupboard-like features are visible: two in the E gable, at the corners and one in the N wall. An outer windowsill stone, also with a rebate for a shutter, was reused in the construction of the E gable. The ragged upper courses of the gables of the chancel suggest that its roof was higher than that of the nave. Features of Phase 5 of the construction include the window and round-headed doorway in the S wall of the nave, the partition wall cutting off its W end, the gable coping of the nave and the altar under the E gable of the chancel (ibid., 115, 119-20).
Manning (ibid., 123) surmised that the earliest phase of the church could date to 1000 AD. Phase 2 was likely to be of mid- or late-11th-century date and Phase 3 no earlier than the 12th century. Phase 4 was typical of the transitional style of architecture known as the School of the West, which dates from the late 12th century to the early 13th century. Phase 5 dates the late 15th/early 16th century.

While the church is part of the group of monuments known as na Seacht dTeampaill, there is only one other church (CL110-010003-) in the complex. Waddell (1994, 1230 suggested that the various associated buildings (GA110-010006- to GA110-010013-) were domestic buildings, some of which may have been the dwellings of the religious community. Others may have served as guesthouses for pilgrims, who would have also visited the associated holy wells (GA110-023004-, GA110-023006-), leactaí GA110-023001- to GA110-023002-, GA110-023009-), high crosses (GA110-023008-, GA110-023010- to GA110-023011-), numerous cross-slabs (GA110-023-007-, GA110-023012- to GA110-023020, GA110-023022- to GA110-023023- and GA110-023025- to GA110-023026-), cross-inscribed pillars (GA110-023021-, GA110-023024-) and cross (GA110-023027-) that lie to its SE, S and SW. (Westropp 1895, 250-51; O' Flanagan 1927, Vol. 3, 358-97; Higgins 1987 vol. 2, 382, no. 102; Gosling 1999, 107, no. 601-2)

Compiled by: Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 27 July 2022

This monument was taken into Ownership under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 - National Monument 43.

References

Westropp, T.J. 1895 Proceedings: Aran Islands. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 25, 250-74.

Waddell, J. 1973 An archaeological survey of Temple Brecan, Aran. Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 33, 5-27.

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.

Gosling, P. (compiler) 1993 Archaeological inventory of County Galway, vol. 1: West Galway. Dublin. Stationery Office.

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.

Manning, C. 2021 Teampall Bhreacáin, Aran, its five phases and obscured doorway. In N. NicGhabhann and D. O'Donovan (eds.), Mapping new territories in art and architectural histories. Essays in honour of Roger Stalley. Studies in Gothic Art Vol. 3. Belgium, Brepols Publishers.

Waddell, J. 1994 (Reprint 1999) The archaeology of the Aran islands. In J. Waddell, J.W. O'Connell and A. Korff (eds.), The book of Aran. The Aran islands, Co. Galway. 75-106. Galway. Tír Eolas.