Teampul Shetric

At the head of a small N-S valley on a gentle S-facing mountain slope in an area known as Teampul Shetric. A rectangular blocked-up swallow-hole (dims 11m N-S; 8m E-W; D 2m at S to c. 8m at E and N) was traditionally used as a location where Mass was celebrated, although there is no evidence of a mass-rock and it may have been celebrated in a cave. There are the remains of a small house (int. dims 6.3m E-W; 2.2m N-S) and an adjacent rectangular plot (dims 11m N-S; 9m E-W) defined by drystone walls nearby. (Gallogly 1993-4, 435; 1999, 400) The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Leitrim' compiled by Michael J. Moore (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2003). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 23 September 2008

Teampul Shetric is associated with St. Stric or Shetric, an early Irish saint whose cult was linked to healing and protection. The site's name and location suggest a tradition of pilgrimage and ritual use, likely connected to a holy well or subterranean water source once considered sacred or curative.