Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Kilshannig Church and Graveyard/Cill Seanaigh: This site lies near the shoreline on the E side of Scraggane Bay, at the tip of the Magharees Peninsula. It is traditionally associated with St. Senach, as is the early church site on nearby Illauntannig (KE019-002001-), and the present irregularly-shaped graveyard may enclose the site of an Early Christian foundation. However, the cross-slab that stands within the church is the only visible remnant of the latter. About 350m along the seashore to N, there is a large boulder, Cloch an Turais, which was formerly a place of pilgrimage on Good Fridays (An Seabhac 1939, 267).

Church (KE027-002001-): There was a parish church here by 1302 (Cal Docs Ire, V, 295) but in 1473 it had 'long been void' (Cal Pap Reg, 13, 336). The present remains, measuring 16.1m x 5.5m internally and built of limestone rubble, may be largely a 15th/16th century refurbishment. The lower courses of the E gable and those of the N wall (W of the doorway) are of large boulder construction and probably survive from the earlier church. The E and W gables and N wall stand almost to full height but only the E section of the S wall and its adjacent footings are preserved. The SW quoin has fallen and the W gable (now largely defaced) is supported by a modern buttress. Tombs in the interior have considerably raised the ground level here. The E window, a plain rectangular ope, has widely splayed ingoings and a flat lintelled rear arch. The jambs were rebated for a shutter, the pivot hole for which survives. The ragged ope near the E end of the S wall preserves only the splayed ingoings and sill of its former window. There is a narrow ogee-headed window in the W gable with plain sandstone jambs and limestone head and sill. It had a flat lintelled rear arch and the splayed ingoings preserve the draw bar sockets for a wooden shutter. The lintelled doorway in the N wall has splayed ingoings continued beyond the internal wall face and returned buttress-like at each side. The ashlar jambs are rebated internally for a door, the pivot hole, draw-bar sockets and a shallow bolt-hole for which survive.

In 2012 a graveyard survey carried out by Laurence Dunne recorded the following details: 'Kilshannig graveyard [KE027-002002-] is situated on the shoreline near Rough Point on the east side of Scraggane Bay that juts out at the end of a tombola on the N side of the Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry. The medieval church of Kilshannig, Cill Senach is associated with the 7th century saint, Senach who is also associated with the nearby monastic site [KE019-002001-] of Illauntannig. The existing rectangular parish church dates to the high medieval period but the association of the site with the early St. Senach as well as the presence of an early chi-rho cross-slab (KE027-002003-) within the church demonstrate that the sites origins date from around the 7th century. The church was a ruin when visited by John O’Donovan in 1841 who states that ‘its side walls were two and a half feet [0.76m] thick but no more than five feet [1.5m] high’ (O’Donovan 1986, 122). When Kilshannig was surveyed by the Dingle Archaeological Survey much of the south elevation had disappeared. Its gables still stood to full height and the N elevation was as it had been in O’Donovan’s time (Cuppage 1986, 324). In 2009 the site was inspected by the writer and Fionnbarr Moore who reported that the W gable was seriously fractured, slipped and twisted and was imminently about to collapse. The W gable did unfortunately collapse in March 2011. Some of the collapsed masonry fell on top of a tomb (TB13) and also slightly against the modern grave of Paddy Flynn (HN 36). Prior to the collapse of the W gable Kerry County Council had erected a robust metal railing around it and erected warning signs. A single free standing early medieval chi-rho cross-slab, that is decorated on both faces, stands immediately inside the entrance to the church on the N elevation at the W side' (Dunne 2012, 1-7).

See attached plan and photographs courtesy of Laurence Dunne.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 858. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 6 July 2022

References

Cuppage, J. 1986 Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne.

Cal. doc. Ire. - Calendar of documents relating to Ireland 1171-1307, ed. H.S. Sweetman (5 vols., London, 1875-86).

O'Donovan, J. 1983 The antiquities of the county of Kerry. Cork. Royal Carbery Books.

Cal. papal letters - Calendar of entries in the papal registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: papal letters, 1198-1484 [etc.] (London, 1893-)

Seabhac, An. 1939 Triocha-Céad Chorca Dhuibhne. Dublin.

Dunne, L. 2012 Archaeological Survey, Kilshannig Graveyard, Kilshannig, Castlegregory, Co. Kerry. The Heritage Office,
Kerry County Council, Tralee.