Ecclesiastical enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Kildrum church/Teampall Chill Dromann [Church of the ridge]: The site of the parish church [KE043-130---] of Kildrum [Kendromma] was mentioned in the Papal Taxation List (1302-7) for the diocese of Ardfert (Cal Docs Ire, V, 297) lies in a graveyard (KE043-130001-) on the lower NE slopes of Lateevemore. In 1615 both the 'church and chancel of Kildrome' were in repair (Royal Visitation) but the building was in ruins by 1756 (Smith, 71) and no trace of it remained in 1841 (OSL). The graveyard has been extended and enclosed since the 19th century when it was described as nearly circular and unenclosed (OSNB Kildrum, 33).

In 2010 a graveyard survey carried out by Laurence Dunne recorded the following details: 'Kildrum Graveyard is situated on the N side of the Dingle Peninsula 4km NE of Dingle. It is situated on an elevated site at 50m OD on the lower ENE slopes of Leathaoibh with views S over Dingle Harbour and Mount Brandon to the NE. An account of Kildrum by Lewis in 1837 recorded that; ‘The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe,and in the patronage of the Bishop: the rectory is impropriate in Lord Ventry. The tithes amount to £110. 15. 4., of which two-thirds are payable to the impropriator and the remainder to the vicar. There is a glebe of seven acres. The ruins of the old church still remain in the burial-ground’ (Lewis 1837, 88). John O’Donovan, writing in August 1841, recorded that; ‘No part of the walls of the church which bore this name now remains, but its site is pointed out in the graveyard in the townland of Ballyeightragh’ (O’Donovan 1983, 94)'. An interesting account relating to Kildrum by O’Sullivan citing Foley in 1907 recorded; ’It is now nearly one hundred years since the graveyard of Kildrum contained traces of an ancient Christian church in ruins... but owing to people, at hurried interments, occasionally taking stones off its walls, all traces of this church have disappeared. Within this graveyard rest the mortal remains of the holy missionary, Father Herbert, who, in the Irish language, was commonly called An Brathair Rebárdach. Under the pretence of being a wool buyer this friar went amongst the people of the district administering the rites of the Catholic Church, during the darkest days of the penal laws. Here also many interesting monumental headstones and flags are to be found. There are slabs to the memory of two men named Rowland Rice, apparently father and son, one dated 20th April, 1737, and the other, 19th November, 1750’ (O’Sullivan 1931, 398). The old graveyard is studded with around three hundred small unnamed headstones, notched grave markers and cross-slabs that are disposed around the interior. The spatial and density patterning of these gravemarkers most likely reflect the location of the medieval church and also the oval enclosure that is evident on the 1st Ed OS map of 1841. There are no visible, above ground, coherent, remains of the medieval church of Kildrum today. The last record of the visible ruins of the church at Kildrum was in 1837 (Lewis 1837, 88). While Foley maintains that the stones of the church were used during hurried burials. There were no architectural fragments from the church recorded in the course of this survey. Twelve previously unrecorded cross-slabs were plotted and recorded in the old medieval burial ground. A thirteenth cross slab that was noticed at the start of Feb 2010 prior to any survey work, could not be found due to grass cover later. The missing cross-slab is deeply incised with a Latin cross with exaggerated T-bars to both arms. These crosses comprise small inscribed slabs and other roughly shaped cross forms. Three cross-slabs (1099, 1100 & 1102) are ‘Tau’ cross forms. The crosses are roughly shaped and similar to others at nearby Raheenyhooig and Kilmalkedar and are possibly Early Medieval. Cross-slab 1099 has a pronounced notch at the top as well as distinct curving sides that creates a more finial like resemblance.
Three holed-stones, (1098, 1120 & 1122), were recorded within the old burial ground at Kildrum. Holed or perforated stones where found are generally associated with early ecclesiastical sites. They are not very common and not well understood. It is possible that these small low slab forms reflect a re-use of the earlier graveyard as a ceallúragh and may have only an incidental relationship to the earlier site. Some notable examples of perforated early cross inscribed pillars slabs and ogham stones at found at Reask, Kilfountain and Kilmalkedar. However, these are stylistically and morphologically at variance with the ones discovered at Kildrum and indeed, nearby at Raheenyhooig and Garfinny. The Dingle Archaeological Survey also recorded a holed stone in the nearby, early ecclesiastical site of Maumanorig, that is now, unfortunately, missing.
Seventeen white unhewn quartz stones were recorded in the course of this study. Quartz has been recorded from many early ecclesiastic sites and have been found on leachta often as water rolled pebbles. On Illauntannig and Skellig they were used to make crosses over the entrances to oratories. The use of quartz is also associated with marking the graves of un-baptised children in ceallúraigh or Children’s Burial Grounds. It is in this context that they have been recorded at Kildrum as there are a number of features that indicate that the interior of Kildrum was re-used as such. Including, several early cross forms, holed stones and notched stones that are clustered together in the interior. Quartz stones are rarely or incidentally recorded on archaeological sites and in general terms only' (Dunne 2010, 3-7).

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage (compiler) 'Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey.' Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne (1986), no. 822. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 27 June 2022

References

Dunne, L. 2010 Archaeological Survey, Kildrum, Dingle, Co. Kerry. Unpublished report for The Heritage Office, Kerry County Council (SMR file).

Foley, P. 1907 History of the County of Kerry in baronies: Corkaguiney. Dublin.

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.

OSNB - Ordnance Survey Name Books. Pro-forma books arranged by Civil Parish for recording townland and other name-forms and compiled in the course of the OS 6-inch survey 1824-1841. The name books also include minor names and incidental references to antiquities. National Archives of Ireland.

Smith, C. 1756 (Reprint 1969) The ancient and present state of the county of Kerry. Cork. The Mercier Press.

OSL - Ordnance Survey Letters. Letters written by members of the Ordnance Survey's 'Topographical Department' (T. O'Conor, A. O'Curry, E. Curry, J. O'Donovan and P. O'Keeffe) sent to headquarters from the field (1834-41). MSS in Royal Irish Academy.