Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Templenacloonagh/Teampall na Cluanach: Sub-rectangular enclosure KE042-113001- lies on a very gentle WNW facing slope and commands a good clear view in all directions, particularly NW to Smerwick Harbour. Within it can be seen the remains of an oratory, a 2nd building which is possibly a church, and 2 possible hut sites.

Rectangular Building: The name Templenacloonagh is applied both to the overall site and to one of the buildings in the interior. On the OS 25-inch map, it is clearly applied to the rectangular drystone building in the NE corner of the enclosure. Only the E wall and attached sections of the N and S walls survive, to a maximum height of 1m. The building measures 6m N-S internally; the surviving S wall is 6.4m long but the W limit of the structure, indicated as a square on the 1st edition of the OS map, cannot now be determined. The walls vary in thickness from 1.3 to 1.7m. A stony bank, bisecting the interior c. 3.7m from the E wall, may be a later feature.
The central doorway in the E wall is .83m wide; in contrast to the rubble fabric of the walls, neatly-wrought blocks are evident in the slightly splayed ingoings.
Hut Sites: A stony bank extends W from the N wall of the rectangular building to a confused group of low stony mounds, less than .4m high, which may mark the position of 2 conjoined huts. Their precise shapes and dimensions are not clear.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 866. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 9 August 2013