Church (in ruins) — Illauntannig

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 souterrain 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. Oratory A: The larger of the 2 oratories is located in the SE sector of the enclosure and is orientated WNW-ESE. It is a fairly well-preserved example of a boat-shaped oratory though it now lacks its roof. It measures 4.3m x 2.9m internally and the drystone-built, corbelled walls stand to a maximum height of 2.6m. The interior is lit by a rectangular lintelled window in the E gable, and the rectangular lintelled doorway is located in the W wall. An offset on the exterior face of the wall, at the level of the top of the doorway, extends along the W wall and adjoining sections of the N and S walls, and along the E wall and adjoining section of the S wall. A plinth is exposed at the base of the E wall but only a single course is visible. A single course of walling also extends .6m W from either side of the doorway. A curved passageway was noted by Dunraven at this point but the present remains could perhaps be interpreted as part of a plinth which is otherwise buried. In the interior, a drystone-built altar abuts the E wall beneath the window. Harbison (1970, 58) noted 'diagonal tooling akin to that on Irish Romanesque and early Gothic buildings on some of the stones' and suggests that this strongly supports a 12th century date for the oratory. 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