A guide to
LOUGH CORRIB’S E a r ly M O N A S T I C sites
Ant h on y P r e v it é Published by Oldchapel Press
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A Guide to Lough Corrib’s Early Monastic Sites
Inchagoill N53°29 W009°18
Inis an Ghaill, the Island of the Foreigner, is possibly one of the most interesting islands of the Corrib, certainly having the most extensive and best preserved early Christian ecclesiastical remains. Although nothing is known of the early history of the monastic settlement, it contains two churches linked by a possibly ancient road. Associated with them are a graveyard, two cross-inscribed pillars, five cross slabs, and a small stone cross. There are also three bullauns, one now missing, and a holy well.
Bur r
Isl and
i n c h a g o i l l Mon ume n t
N
Pier
St Pa t r i c k ’s C h u rc h (i n T e a mp a l l n a N a o m h
Quay
(i n
ru i ns)
ru i ns)
Tober na n eev e
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Long in shape, the island has a narrow belt across the centre and it is on a rise at this point that we find an extensive graveyard within the ecclesiastical enclosure. In the north east corner of this rectangular graveyard about mid-point along the island and ca. 150m south west of a landing place is the conserved Early Christian St Patrick’s Church comprising a nave (E-W; 5.5m L x 3.65m W) with a later chancel (3.5m L x 2.55m W) at the east end. There is a trabeate door in the west wall and a robbed window in the east. One of the cross-inscribed pillars, famed for its 5th–6th century inscription to Luguaedon, stands in the south west corner of the graveyard. This monumental stone is a single, four-sided obelisk pillar of hard, greyish Silurian stone. The church is said to have been built by St Patrick and his nephew Lugna, who died on the island.
below: Church of St Patrick above left: View of east gable above right: West gable and door
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A Guide to Lough Corrib’s Early Monastic Sites
The Stone of Luguaedon This early cross slab (see pictures above) dedicated to Luguaedon is probably one of the most fascinating monuments to be found in the Corrib region. The inscription, said to be the oldest inscription in Europe done in roman letters apart from the catacombs in Rome, reads as ‘LIE LUGUAEDON MACCI MENUCH, “The Stone of Luguaedon Son of Menuech”. Professor Declan MacManus of Maynooth in his book A Guide to Ogham (1994) suggests that the usual reading of the name being LUGNEADON MACCI MENUECH, may come from an earlier form of Ogham transliterated into Latin and that ‘MACCU’ possibly denotes a relationship or kinship to a tribe, rather than a dynastic blood relationship. Another commentary (Ferguson & Stokes) says that if Menueh is a form of Liamain, which was the name of St Patrick’s sister, then this may well be a memorial of Lugna, his nephew and who is reputed to have been St Patrick’s navigator. If not, then a stranger of that name used the island as a retreat and may have been buried there, hence the name of the island: Inis an Guill Craebhthaich – The Island of the Devout Stranger. Chapter 1 - Inchagoill
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There are other references in tradition to Lugna being a saint of Munster who died in 500–501 which may well have been on Inchagoill. St Ciarán’s father is also said by some to be St Lugna, i.e. Ciarán Mac Lugna, and again, St Colman’s (McO’Laoighse) is also said to be St Lugna and his grandfather was Eugene, the tribe name being Mac Ua Loighse. Teampall na Naomh About 75m south east of St Patrick’s church are the walls of another church known as Teampall na Naomh, ‘church of the saints’ (see picture below), with nave and chancel (E-W; 10.15m L x 6.47m W). There is a beautiful Romanesque doorway in the west wall, a plain chancel arch, round-headed windows in east and south walls, and an external projecting corbel at the north-east corner of the chancel.
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A Guide to Lough Corrib’s Early Monastic Sites
above: Chancel arch, altar and east window below left: South wall window, internal
above right: South wall window, external below left: East window below right: West door
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A Guide to Lough Corrib’s Early Monastic Sites
The Romanesque Doorway The term Romanesque, in its architectural application, may be defined, in a broad and general way, as comprising all those phases of European architecture which were based, more or less, upon Roman art, and were in vogue in Italy and north and west thereof from about 600 to 1200 ad. The style took on provincial differences throughout Europe and the Irish variant is the most original and truly national of Irish Architectural achievements. Few of the extant remains can be dated with any certainty but architectural history maintains the start of this decoration would have been in the later ten-hundreds until the mid eleven-hundreds. Reconstructed at uncertain, but probable early date, is the doorway of this Inchagoill church (see picture left). It is now of three orders of pier and arch but there are indications that it was once of different and bolder design: the stones of the second order of piers once supported a soffit arch but have been turned through 90 degrees to face outwards, and the ribboned chevroned arch they now support was not designed for them. The outer arch springs from skewback stones which do not look original and its component voussoirs, each boldly carved with a human head, seem to belong to a different – perhaps larger – arch. The door is built of a local sandstone (found near Cong village) full of small shells which have weathered away on the surface, leaving it pitted all over; a disfigurement which masks the design of the frieze-form capitals with their angel-masks which, while bearing a striking likeness to those of the Timahoe tower doorway, are more Scandinavian in character. The piers and outer projecting pilasters are shallowly wrought with colonnettes and fillets and rest on low bases of small relief, much worn, some of which have a zoomorphic interlace decoration. There is no doubt that the original doorway was bolder and deeper and had, as its second order, a soffit arch supported by the present pillars of the second order. Chapter 1 - Inchagoill
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above: Cross slabs inside Teampall na Naomh below: Bullauns inside Teampall na Naomh
In the western corner of this church is one of the most remarkable pieces of carving on the island (see picture opposite page). It consists of a flat, irregularly shaped reddish stone, 2’2” H x 3’10” W, built into the masonry in this Cyclopean wall. Indented on its surface is the very ancient Greek or Byzantine cross, the base or skeleton of which is of the same type as that on the stone of St Brecain at the Seven Churches in Inis Mór, and on many Irish tombstones. A similar cross also appears on High Island off the coast of Connemara. Outside the north east corner of the church is a stone structure of square masonry (see picture opposite page) believed to be the tomb of Muirgheas O’Nioc, Archbishop of Tuam, who died here in 1128. 24
A Guide to Lough Corrib’s Early Monastic Sites
above: Greek or Byzantine cross inside Teampall na Naomh below: Structure which is believed to be the tomb of Muirgehas O’Nioc, Archbishop of Tuam
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A Guide to Lough Corrib’s Early Monastic Sites
Killagoola N53 19’ W009 11’
On a level patch of ground on the south facing slopes of Killagoola Hill (Cill Ogúla – Ógul’s Church) above and to the south of Moycullen village, is the much-ruined Early Christian Oratory (E-W 6m L x 4.1m W) dedicated to St Einne (Teampall Éinne – Enda’s Church), with remains of a trabeate doorway in the west wall and foundations of what might have been a chancel visible at the east end (5.25m L x 3.8m W). However, this may well have been the original oratory and later converted into the chancel. Traces of a possibly modern rectangular building lie immediately to the north west. A low curving scarp traceable only to the north east of the oratory may be part of the early ecclesiastical enclosure. A holy well and a bullaun lie to the north west, and an extensive children’s burial ground immediately to the south west. Remains of church showing collapsed trabeate door in west gable
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Holy well (Tobereany)
Tober e a n y
Bull au n Bur i al Grou n d
T e a mp a l l E a n y (i n
ru i ns)
k i l l a g o o l a
Éinne is also the name for Enda who is the Patron Saint of Inis Mór and whose Feast Day is celebrated on March 21st. Enda was a prince, the son of Conall Derg of Ergall, Ulster. He was also a soldier who later became a monk, having been influenced by his sister, and studied with St Ninian in Galloway, Scotland. He founded his monastery on Inishmore (ca. 480 ad) on land donated by King Oengus of Cashel, his brother-in-law. This was apparently the first true monastery in Ireland and 10 other houses developed directly from it. Considered to be the father of Irish Monasticism, he was the spiritual leader of St Brendan, St Finian, St Columba, St Ciarán and St Jarlath of Tuam. Born in Meath he died in 530 ad and is buried at Teaghlach Éinne (Éinne’s Household), Inis Mór.
Bullaun
Possible leacht
Remains of chancel at east end of church which may have been the original oratory
Children’s burial ground (Cillin)
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