What is recorded here

Faint earthworks and possible house sites still mark the field west of the graveyard at Ballinskelligs Abbey, where Arroasian Canons of the Order of St Augustine prayed after leaving the hazardous rock of Skellig Michael. The priory emerged from Rattoo in north Kerry around 1210, carrying ancient devotion into a safer shore while keeping claim to the Great Skellig. That transfer suggests monks valued continuity enough to move rather than abandon, shaping a place where faith, danger and memory still tangle beneath the grass.

Ballinskelligs Abbey (KE097-036----) was the priory of the Arroasian Canons of the Order of St Augustine, located on the W shore of Ballinskelligs Bay. It was founded in 1210, or shortly afterwards, originating from Rattoo in north Kerry. It is recorded that the early monastery of Skellig Michael (KE104A-001----) was transferred, due to the hazardous conditions on the rock, to this location prior to the mid-eleventh century (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 192; Smith 1756, 103). The priory retained possession of the Great Skellig and of the alias 'de Rupe Michaelis'. Faint traces of earthworks, including some possible house sites, are visible in the field immediately W of the graveyard. Sherds of post-Medieval pottery from here are in the NMI (1989:27a-d). The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 1085. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 31 July 2013

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