Oratory (in ruins) — Cill Maoilchéadair

National Monument No. 10047. St. Brendan's oratory: This rectangular oratory, 7.25m x 5.05m externally, is situated on the S slopes of Reenconnell ridge, c. 400m to NW of the Romanesque church at Kilmalkedar (KE042-026008-). The irregular pattern of the field boundaries in the vicinity of the site suggests that it may originally have been surrounded by an enclosure greater in extent than the present walled area. The site is now a National Monument and an archway has been inserted in the interior to counteract the inward sag of the side walls. The double face walls, c. 1.1m thick and standing almost to full height, are built of sandstone rubble with a core of chippings and small stones. The internal and external facing stones have been worked to a bevelled finish and a number of slabs which cross the corner from one wall to another were skillfully cut to the form of this sharp angle. Mortar is visible in a defaced section of the E gable, adjacent to the window ope here, but random mortar on the interior is probably secondary. The building now lacks its corbelled roof and in cross-section presents an unusual ogee profile, with a maximum height of c. 3.1m. The E gable rests on a stone plinth and the inward curve of both gables is very marked. The oratory measures 5.33m x 2.8m internally and was lit by a narrow rectangular light, .73m in external height, in the E gable. The double splayed ope has inclined jambs and the lintelled rear arch and sill are angled through the wall to give an inner height of .96m to the opening. The lintelled W doorway, .74m wide, inclines in elevation and splays in section being 1.3m high externally and 1.5m internally. The projecting inner lintel has 2 broken perforations which served to secure the door. Butted against the E gable is a dry stone altar, 1.27m in length x .7m in height x .7m in depth. See attached plan and photograph of St. Brendan's Oratory taken from Cuggape 1986. See attached photograph courtesy of Amanda Clarke The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 856. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 8 August 2013