Church

The National Monuments Service's description

This is an early ecclesiastical site within an oval raised graveyard (dims c. 83m NW-SE; c. 20-46m NE-SW) defined by field banks and situated at the NE angle of what was the island of Begerin (dims c. 450m NE-SW: c. 150-200m NW-SE) in the tidal north slob of Wexford Harbour, but since the reclamation work of the mid-19th century it is now part of the reclaimed north slob. The church was founded by Bishop Ibar, or Iobhar, in the fifth century (Culleton 1999, 81-96). This saint was probably born in the Louth – Meath area and could have associations with many early Irish saints including St. Abán of Adamstown (WX031-023001-). His death is thought to have occurred c. 504-10, and his feastday was on the 23rd of April (Ó Riain 2011, 381-2). The monastery was plundered by Vikings in 819 together with nearby Ardcavan (WX038-006001-) (AFM vol. 1, 430-1), but it continued into the 10th century at least when the death of abbot Crunnmhael is recorded in 964 (Kinahan 1873, 435-6). There is contemporary evidence that it was a place of pilgrimage into the 1680s (Hore 1862 3a; 61) as there was a wooden statue of the saint at the church (Hore 1862-3b, 90). (Hore 1900-11, vol. 5, 6-10; Macalister 1920)

This is a nave and chancel church (max. L 13.85m; Wth 6.7m) surviving to a H of c. 3m, except the chancel which is as wide as the nave but is almost completely destroyed. The destroyed entrance is in the W wall (T 0.9m) and there is a single undecorated light in the S wall of the nave. The chancel arch is destroyed but this wall may represent an attempt to foreshorten the church. There is a granite slab (dims 0.6m x 0.45m) with an incised cross within an incised rectangle (dims 0.2m x 0.15m) towards the E edge of the graveyard.

A schist stone (H 0.77m; Wth 0.20m) with a circular head (diam. 0.32m) is now in the National Museum of Ireland. One side is plain but the other is decorated with a ringed cross of elaborate interlace in low relief. Viking influence and a tenth century date are ascribed to this stone (Harbison 1988, 62-3). A second schist stone (H c. 0.9m; max. Wth c. 0.23m; T 6cm) with a damaged circular head is in the Wexford County Museum, Enniscorthy. On one face is a cross in relief with a hollow triangular base and incised lines outlining the cross ring. The other side may have had a Maltese cross in a circle at the crux. Beneath this are two figurative panels. The upper is badly worn but has three figures. The lower has a single horseman. A ninth century date and a Cornish influence is suggested for this stone (ibid. 63-6).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload/revision: 18 January 2013

References

Harbison, P. 1988 “Exotic” ninth- to tenth-century cross-decorated stones from Clonmore, Co. Carlow and Begerin, Co. Wexford. In G. Mac Niocaill and P.P. Wallace (eds), Keimelia: studies in medieval archaeology and history in memory of Tom Delaney, 59-66. Galway University Press.

Kinahan, G. H. 1873 Proceedings: Remains at Begerin, Co. Wexford, Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 12, 435-6.

AFM - Annála ríoghachta Éireann: Annals of the kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters from the earliest period to the year 1616, ed. and trans. J. O'Donovan (7 vols., Dublin, 1851; reprint Dublin 1990, de Búrca Rare Books.)

Hore, H. F. 1862 Particulars relative to Wexford and the barony of Forth: by Colonel Solomon Richards, 1682. Journal of teh Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 7, 84-92.

Hore, H. F. 1862 An account of the barony of Forth, in the county of Wexford, writtten at the close of the seventeenth century. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 7, 53-84.

Culleton, E. 1999 Celtic and Early Christian Wexford. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1999.

Macalister, R. A. S. 1920 Beg-Eire. The Past, No. 1, 5-14.