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At N end of a house cluster in rolling grassland overlooking bogland to SW. Known locally as 'Kilbenan', this Nat. Mon. is the site of an early monastery founded by St Benen or Benignus. A disciple of St Patrick (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 388), he is reputed to have been granted 'the fortress of Dun Lughaid' for the purpose by a local chieftain (Leask 1977, 13). According to Harbison (1975, 93-4), 'the Franciscan founded a monastery here in 1428'. The visible remains comprise a church (GA029-017002-) and round tower (GA029-017001-), both of which stand in a small irregularly shaped graveyard (GA029-017003-). A holy well (GA029-131----) lies 110m to NW and a cairn (GA029-137----) 150m to NNE. The gently curving td. boundary to W of the church may mark the line of a possible early ecclesiastical enclosure. (O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 1, 11-12, 92-6; Killanin 1951, 121; Killanin and Duignan 1967, 448; CUCAP ATF 47)
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999).
Date of upload: 05 August 2010
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