What is recorded here

Three leachts stand inside the cashel wall on Illauntannig, their dry stone faces catching quartz pebbles that scatter light like buried stars. People still ran rounds around these mounds in the 19th century, joining hands or touching stone as the island swayed beneath them. The largest of the Magharee Islands keeps its Early Christian shape intact, with oratories, huts and a burial ground beside the leachts, as if prayer and ceremony still share one breath.

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. Leachts: Three leachts also occur within the enclosure. These are rectangular, dry stone-faced mounds of stone orientated NNE-SSW. They range in size from 3.9 x 4.4m to 5.25 x 4.25m and are c. 1m high. A considerable quantity of quartz pebbles are visible on the surface of the mounds. Rounds were still being performed at these mounds in the 19th century (OSNB). 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

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