Sundial

The National Monuments Service's description

National Monument No. 311. 15th century Franciscan Friary (KE066-081001-) on the E side of a graveyard (KE066-081002-), in rolling parkland, c. 300m from the E shore of Lough Leane. The well-preserved ruin of a 'compactly planned friary of moderate size' (Leask 1960, vol. 3, 104). The friary is a National Monument in State ownership, located within Killarney National Park; in the 1930s the OPW cleared the ruin of overgrowth and carried out extensive repair when 'the dormitories were concreted over and some excavations were made to expose the full original height of the cloister arcades and all the wall tops were secured and weathered and extensive pointing done' (OPW files).

Medieval sundial identified by Brian Thomas McElherron who described this feature as; 'carved on the cill of one of the cloister openings at the Franciscan Friary at Muckross. It has a deep hole for a gnomon and 24 hour lines' (https://www.sundials-ireland.com/amedieval/medmuckross.htm).

See attached photograph taken by Brian T McElherron

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 27 May 2022

References

Leask, H.G. 1960 (Reprint 1971, 1978 and 1985) Irish churches and monastic buildings, vol. III. Medieval gothic the last phases. Dundalk. Dundalgan Press.