What is recorded here

Illauntannig, the largest of the Magharee Islands, holds an Early Christian settlement where broken cross-slabs now rest inside a small oratory rather than standing in their original lost places. The island sits off the northern tip of the Dingle Peninsula, separating Brandon Bay from Tralee Bay, and its cashel wall still encloses huts, leachts, a burial ground and an underground passage. One slab bears a half-uncial inscription, but its pieces do not clearly fit, leaving the words and the life behind them partly unreadable.

National Monument No. 67. Illauntannig is the largest of the Magharee Islands which lie off the N tip of the peninsula that separates Brandon Bay and Tralee Bay. The Early Christian settlement KE019-002001- is enclosed by a strong cashel wall and is comprised of 2 small oratories, 3 bee-hive huts, a Man-made underground passage and wall-chamber, 3 leachts, a burial ground and a stone cross. Three cross-slabs, a bullaun stone, a hand-bell and fragments of 5 quern-stones have also been discovered within the enclosure and a 2nd bullaun stone lies at the edge of the sea about 100m to S. The hut-site, old field walls and reputed cross-inscribed boulder on Reennafardarrig may also be related to this early settlement. Cross-Slabs: The cross-slabs have now been placed in the main oratory for safe-keeping and their original location is not known. (KE019-002018-) This slab bears an inscription in half-uncial script. It is broken in at least 3 pieces and it is not clear how the pieces fit together or how the inscription reads. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 843. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 8 August 2013

Dated to the Early Christian period, the cross-slab in Illauntannig likely served a religious or commemorative function, reflecting the spread of Christianity in western Ireland. Such stones often bore Christian symbols and were associated with monastic sites or burial grounds.

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