Dunurlin Church (in ruins) — An Gorta Dubha

Dunurlin Church: The site of the 13th century parish church (Cal Docs Ire, V, 297) is located in the graveyard here. The church was the subject of a dispute in 1457 (Cal Pap Reg, 11, 332) but appears to have been kept in repair into the 17th century (TCD Ms 2158, 94). It was in ruins in 1756 (Smith, 69). In 1841 substantial sections of the N, S and W walls remained, indicating a building 16.46m x 6.25m, with walls 1.32m thick; there were opposing doorways in the N and S walls, the latter having a pointed head (OSL). Though remains of the edifice were visible until the early 20th century (O'Sullivan 1931, 508), the location of the church is now indicated only by a raised area at the W end of the graveyard. The site lies in a low-lying area near the NW tip of the peninsula. In 2010 a graveyard survey carried out by Laurence Dunne recorded the following details: 'Dunurlin is situated on the north-western limits of the Dingle Peninsula, 2km west from the village of Ballyferriter and 17km from Dingle. The medieval ruined church and graveyard of Dunurlin is situated on a fairly level pasturage at 16m OD circa 1.5km from Smerwick Harbour to the NE and 1.0km from Ferriters Cove to the W. Possibly the earliest record of the church at Dunurlin is recorded in the Papal Taxation of 1302-06 in the Calendar of State Papers relating to Ireland in which it records Eccia de ......huy (Dunaghny, Dunurlin) Value 20s, Tenth 2s (Hickson, 1887-8, 442 & 445; O’Sullivan 1931, 46). The value and amount of tithe is identical to that of Dingle at the same time. An account from 1615 records ’The psonadges (parsonages) of Cloghane, Dunurly, Kilcowane and Kynard belong to the Abbey of Owney (Awney in Limerick) and are now in the possession of Sir John Fitz Edmund, deceased’ (Hickson 1874, 29). In 1756 Charles Smith records Dunurlin, rectorial, church in ruins. Patron: the bishop. Proxy. 5s., (Smith 1756, 38). In 1837 ‘...The living is a rectory and vicarage in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, and in the gift of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £150; there is neither church nor glebe-house, nor glebe’ (Lewis 1837, 589). The ruined church and graveyard of Dunurlin was surveyed by John O’Donovan in 1841 ‘The old church of this parish is situated in the south-east corner of Gortadoo townland. The ruin stands on a high spot of ground, the east gable is destroyed to the foundation; a part of the west gable fell to ruin, and the surface on the inside in the middle is injured. Nearly the whole of the north wall remains attached to it, and the one half of the south wall. This building is constructed of small brown stone and sand mortar with but little lime. The quoin stones in the south-west and north-west angles are red grit chiselled. The whole length was fifty-four feet [16.45m] and breadth twenty feet six inches [6.24m]. The height of the side walls is eight feet [2.4m] and thickness four feet four inches [1.32m]. There is a doorway on the south wall at the distance of ten feet eight inches [3.25m] from the west gable. It is square inside and built with red stone roughly chiselled; and is pointed on the outside and consists of the same kind of stone as on the inside. It is half filled up with earth. Its breadth on the inside at the now surface is two feet nine inches [0.83m], and at the top two feet six inches [0.76m]. On the outside it is two feet two inches [0.66m] wide under the arch. On the north wall is a square doorway ten feet two inches [3m] from the west gable, built of re stone roughly chiselled, its breadth is four feet [1.2m] on the inside. It is crossed at the top by a thin flag of red stone, extending the whole breadth. There is a burial ground at this church’ (O’Donovan 1983, 124-5). A much shorter account of Dunurlin is recorded also by John O’Donovan in the OSNB in 1841 however, it is much at odds with the account above viz: ‘Dunorlan Church...Situated in the SE corner of Gurtadoosh townland. This church is 60 feet long and 24 broad with the N. Gable ruined to the ground. The walls are 6 feet high and 3.5 feet wide. There is a burial ground attached to it. It was built exclusively by Urlin Ferriter who lived in the Castle of Ferriter or Dún and from whom it got its name’ (OSNB 1841). In 1991 the Church of Dunurlin was excavated with finance received from North America through the American Ireland Fund and the Ireland Fund of Canada. The work was undertaken by Mícháel Ó Coileáin under the auspices of the local Comharchumann and unfortunately has not been fully published although a summary of the excavation was published in the Excavations Ireland database (Ó Coileáin, 1991, www.excavations.ie). The centre of a large raised or mounded area, recorded by the Dingle Archaeological Survey, within the old graveyard was excavated in 1991 revealing the medieval church viz: ‘During excavation the western gable, the north and south walls and at a later stage, the remains of the eastern gable were revealed. Parts of the walls were well preserved as they had been used to form one side of stone-built tombs of a later date. However above the height of 2m the walls had been robbed. Two doorways, one in the southern wall and one in the northern wall, were revealed. They were of fine cut stone 0.8m and 1.23m in width respectively. The archway stones for the southern wall were located close by and one archway stone for the north doorway was later found in the graveyard. A window base was found also in the north wall to give light to the altar area. Other features include a water-font inside the south doorway and a socket to hold a timber bolt also in this doorway. Over 110 pieces of cut stone were uncovered. The majority relate to an early form of gargoyle system to take water from the roof of the church. Other cut stones include a window sill and a head stone both possibly from the east window which was a double light, cusped, ogee-headed window. A grave slab with the names ‘Terry Rice Ferriter’ and ‘Mahonah’ and the dates 1551, 1642, 1722 and 1767 had been visible within the church before excavation. It is probably a memorial stone. Finds from the area were few. They include clay pipes (19th-century type), a 1928 Saorstát Éirinn shilling, a possible whetstone, some perforated stone and parts of rosary beads. A fragment of a rotary quern (upper stone) was found in the graveyard. The church was 19.4m in length (outside wall to outside wall) and 8.3m wide. The walls of the church were sturdy and well built with finely cut quoin stones. They vary in width from 1.17m up to 1.3m. The area inside the church was in a chronic state of disorder, the tombs were all lowered to the level of the threshold stones in the doorways. No stratigraphy survived as the area was constantly disturbed with burials up until quite recently’ (Ó Coileáin 1991). Today the four walls of the rectangular church are upstanding, however, several sections of these walls were totally re-built after excavation in 1991 including a large section of the south wall, east gable and w gable. There are several other noticeable cut stone insertions which are amateurishly and poorly cut and dressed with marks of an angle grinder clearly visible. Several box tombs and other burials were also removed from the interior which was reduced by the excavations to the door threshold level, circa 2m (ibid). The rectangular church, 19.3m x 8.45m, is built with rubble sandstone and siltstone and other local volcanic tuff. The walls are on average 1.2m thick with a pronounced basal batter evident at the NW corner where in situ quoins are of well matched squared and dressed stones. Dunurlin Church has two opposing doorways, one in the S and the other in the N wall. The doorways have simple pointed heads on the exterior with splayed flat lintelled ingoings. Both doorways were rebuilt following the 1991 excavations. A drawbar socket is located on the on the E ingoing of the S door. Immediately E of the S door on the inside i