Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Cross
Illaunloughan,portmagee, County Kerry, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Illaunloughan,portmagee
- County
- Kerry
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 51.88658, -10.37325
- SMR number
- KE087-036011-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 2 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1753 "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
National Monument No. 10001. Illaunloughan/Oileán Lócháin (KE087-036017-) is a small, low-lying island located in Portmagee Channel, c. 120m from the mainland at S and c. 400m WNW of Portmagee (Port Mhic Aoidh) village. The island stands in the civil parish of Killemlagh (Cill Imleach), in the barony of Iveragh (Uíbh Ráthach). According to Marshall and Walsh (1998, 102) 'There is no historical documentation for the island, and the origin of its name is uncertain. Lochán may be the name of a saint associated with the island, a theory supported by the mention of two Lochans in the Martyrology of Oengus, written c. AD 800 (Stokes 1984, 255, 263) and by the inland location of Killoughane (Cill Lócháin) ecclesiastical site [KE065-058001-] at the eastern end of the Iveragh peninsula (O'Sullivan and Sheehan 1996, 357). Alternatively the island name may be derived from the island of the chaff. Four seasons of archaeological work, carried out from 1992 to 1995, have completed the excavation of about 70 per cent of the island. One of four portable crosses (KE087-036009/012-) described by the excavators as 'Pilgrim crosses' (Marshall and Walsh 2005, 201).
This stone cross (L 0.44m; Wth 0.2m; T 0.07m) was on Illaunloughan in Portmagee Channel. The head is rounded and both arms have hollowed angles underneath. The shaft tapers towards the base (Marshall and Walsh 2005, 9, fig. 5c).
See attached drawing of cross taken from Marshall and Walsh 2005, Fig. 5c.
Compiled by: Elizabeth Byrne, Ursula Egan and Sheila Ronan, Archaeological Survey Unit, University College, Cork.
Revised by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of revised upload: 30 March 2022
References
Stokes, W. 1905 The Martyrology of Oengus the Culdee. London.
Marshall, J. W. and Walsh, C. 2005 Illaunloughan Island: an early medieval monastery in County Kerry. Bray. Wordwell.
Marshall, J. W. and Walsh, C. 1998 Illaunloughan, Co. Kerry: an island hermitage. In M. Monk and J. Sheehan (eds), Early medieval Munster: archaeology, history and society, 102-11. Cork University Press.
O'Sullivan, A. and Sheehan, J. 1996 The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry. Cork University press.
Nearby in the register
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.