Church in Inis Tuaisceart

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. (1) (KE051-001001-) St. Brendan's oratory/Teampall Bréanainn: A rectangular dry stone oratory, 2.94m N-S x 3.4m E-W internally, with walls, 1 to 1.14m in thickness, preserved to a maximum height of 1m. Two uprights, .98m high x .52m wide and .88m high x .48m wide, set against the internal face of the W wall flank the doorway here. The opening is .71m wide and the S side of the passage is prolonged externally by an orthostat .98m high and .4m long. A drystone altar, butted against the E end of the interior, measures 1.05m long x .59m wide x .54m high; it may be a later feature. Adjacent to the S wall of the oratory is a mound of stone, predominantly of quartz, which measures c. 4.5m N-S at least 2.5m E-W and it is at the SW corner of this feature that the stone cross (2) now stands. 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