Ecclesiastical enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

An Early Christian monastery or hermitage (dísirt) was founded here in the late 8th or early 9th century by Maol Tuile who died before the year 830. He was reputedly the son of Nóchaire of the Ceinéal Laoghaire of Meath (Ó Riain 2011, 447). Maol Tuile of Díseart (Dysart) was associated with Maol Ruain of Tallaght. The Annals recorded that the festival of ‘St. Maeltuile mac Nochaire, who gave his name to this place, is set down in O’Clery’s Irish Calendar at 30th of July’ (AFM, 2, 828). However the Martyrology of Donegal recorded the 29th of May as the feast day of Maoltuile whose ‘baculus [or pastoral staff] works miracles on perjurers before they go out of the church. His well, and his yellow bell and his baculus and his statue, are there still. This is the first Maoltuile’ (O’Donovan 1864, 445). The Martyrology of Donegal lists the 30th of July as the feast day of the second ‘Maoltuile, son of Nochar’ (ibid.).
Remains of possible ecclesiastical enclosure (approx. diam. 480m) of Early Christian monastery visible in curve of field fence 110m S of church (WM025-110002-) and graveyard (WM025-110004-) which contains base of possible high cross (WM025-110005-). Holy wells (WM025-109----) dedicated to St. Maol Tuile located 280m to SW. Earthworks in field to S of graveyard may be associated with ecclesiastical enclosure (Swan 1988, 24). The earthworks in the field to the E of the graveyard were locally believed to mark the site of the monastery (ASI Field report). However the rectilinear nature of the earthworks would suggest that they are related to the ruins of Dysart House which is depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map standing 160m NE of Dysart graveyard.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 13 October 2015

References

AFM - Annals of the kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters from the earliest period to the year 1616, ed. and trans. John O'Donovan (7 vols., Dublin, 1851; reprint New York, 1966)

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.

Swan, D.L. 1988 The Early Christian ecclesiastical sites of County Westmeath. In J. Bradley (ed.), Settlement and society in Medieval Ireland: studies presented to F.X. Martin O.S.A., 1-31. Kilkenny. Boethius Press.

Ó Riain, P. 2011 A dictionary of Irish Saints. Dublin. Four Courts Press.

O'Donovan, J. 1864 The martyrology of Donegal: a calendar of the saints of Ireland. Dublin. Alexander Thom.