What is recorded here

Inishtooskert, northernmost of the Blasket islands, holds a small wedge-shaped enclosure where an Early Christian settlement named after St. Brendan once stood. The oratory, stone crosses and lecht occupy roughly twenty metres by fifteen metres within a field system on the island’s southern half. The northern half remains empty of settlement marks, as if the sacred work was done only where the land could be seen from the sea.

Inishtooskert, the northernmost of the Blasket island group, lies 4 miles off the W extremity of the Dingle Peninsula and 2.5 miles N of the Great Blasket. An area of 241 acres is bounded on all sides by sea-cliffs, and the land slopes upwards in a NW direction, from under 100 feet (30m) OD along the SE side to a maximum altitude of 573 feet (175m) roughly midway along the NW side of the island. The land is generally rocky with a thin soil cover and the N half of the island is devoid of any trace of settlement activity. Part of the S half of the island is occupied by a small field system, and it is within this that the Early Christian settlement, named after St. Brendan, is located. The oratory, stone crosses and leacht occupy a small, roughly wedge-shaped enclosure measuring c. 20m E-W x 15m N-S (KE051-001019-). The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 844. 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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