Underexposed – an Irish Photoblog
Early Christian and Medieval Ireland, a selection of Christian sites – High Crosses, Carved Stones, Round Towers, Ancient Abbeys, Friaries and Churches. Also Castles
Donaghmore Round Tower and Church, Co Meath, Ireland
Donaghmore 10th century Round Tower and 15th Century Church ruin
Donaghmore Round Tower stands 26 meters tall
The ruin of Donaghmore Church
Donaghmore Round Tower just off the N51 Navan to Slane Road
An original monastery here dates to St. Patrick who gave his disciple, St. Cassanus (Cassan) stewardship
St Tassach’s Church, Raholp, Co Down, Northern Ireland
The original church was founded by St. Patrick and his disciple St. Tassach was put in charge. The ruin here dates from the 10th or 11th century
Struell Wells, Downpatrick, Co Down, Northern Ireland
The church ruin
Inside the church
The Drinking Well beside the church ruin
The Men’s and Women’s Bath Houses
The Women’s Bath House in the foreground with the Men’s Bath House behind
The Eye Well at Struell Wells
The ‘mortuary house’ at Saul, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
A belief it was a 12th century shrine, for relics of St Patrick, St Brigid and St Columba seems unlikely as…
A Queen’s University archaeological investigation dates it as more likely late 16th century
Maghera Round Tower, Co Down, Northern Ireland
The remains of the round tower thought to date from the 10th century
Maghera Old Church ruin thought to date to 12th century
Carved altar stone in Craigagh Woods, Knockna-carry, Cushendun, Co Antrim
The altar with the carved stone
The stone depicts an angel above a crucified Christ
The stone is thought to come from one of the Scottish Islands
Mass is still said in June every year
On an island (now connected by a causeway) in Loughinisland Lake are the ruins of three churches dating from the 11th to 17th centuries
The North Church with burial vault in the foreground
The North Church
Another view of The North Church
The South Church aka MacCartan’s Chapel
Back of The South Church
The interior of The North Church
Latin inscription on stone set into south wall
Doorway of The South Church
Doorway of The North Church
The burial vault
Cong Abbey, Co Mayo, Ireland
St Mary of the Rosary Church
The Monk’s Fishing House
Arched doorway at Cong river
Grey Abbey, Greyabbey, Ards Peninsula, Co Down, Northern Ireland
Grey Abbey was founded as a Cistercian Abbey in 1193 by Affreca, wife of John de Courcy.
Templecronan / Temple Cronan, The Burren, Co Clare, Ireland
12 century church ruins probably built on the site of an earlier structure founded by St Cronan in the 7th Century
The tomb said to mark the burial place of St Cronan
The blocked original doorway
Kilgeever Christian Site near Croagh Patrick, Co Mayo, Ireland
St Patrick’s rock in the foreground at Kilgeever
The Mass rock with inscribed cross – St Patrick’s rock
Toberreendoney, The holy well around which pilgrims walk and pray
Cross inscribed pillar in Kileever graveyard
More info here https://pilgrimagemedievalireland.com/tag/kilgeever-abbey/
Derry Churches, Ards Peninsula, Co Down, Northern Ireland
The 1st photo is the north church, the smaller south church above and below
The site is associated with St. Cummain ( St. Cumman)
A small early cross inscribed stone stands in the north church
Kilulta Church, Co Limerick, Ireland
The ruins are said to be ‘oldest church in the county’, date unsure but given as 8th century (info from National Monuments Service) and ‘believed to be one of the oldest stone churches in Ireland’ (Wikipedia)
The name can be translated as Cill an Ultaigh, the church of the Ulsterman, or Cill Ultain, the church of St Ultain (info from Heritage Project, Diocese of Limerick )
Tobar na Molt / Wethers Well, Ardfert, Co Kerry, Ireland
St Brendan, the navigator, is said to have been baptised at the well in 484AD by Bishop Erc and fostered by St Ita for the early years of his life
Inside the pilgrims shelter / chapel
The altar with carved figures said to represent St Brendan, Bishop Erc and St Ida. The faces marked with the sign of the cross from countless pilgrims
Rattoo Round Tower, Co Kerry, Ireland
Rattoo Round Tower and church ruin
The round tower stands over 27 metres tall
Rathduff Ogham Stone, Dingle Peninsula, Kerry, Ireland
Askeaton Franciscan Friary, Co Limerick, Ireland
Askeaton Franciscan Friary
Fifteenth-century cloister arcade
Fifteenth-century cloister arcade
Galloon Graveyard, Co Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
Many of the gravestones are carved with reminders of our mortality – skull & crossbones, coffin, hourglass and bell
Galloon Graveyard carved gravestone
Colaiste Ide Ogham Stones, Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry, Ireland
There are seven ogham stones in the grounds of Colaiste Ide/Burnham House gathered by Lord Ventry
In the background is the small Bullaun stone
Ardfert Cathedral, Co Kerry, Ireland
Ardfert Ecclesiastical Site
Ardfert Cathedral interior
Temple Na Hoe, Ardfert
Temple Na Hoe -the west face
The Romanesque west doorway of the Cathedral
Reask Cross Pillar
Three of the cross pillars at Reask
The small pillar to the south-east of the large pillar
The other small pillar east of the large pillar
Reask monastic site
Kilfountan Cross Pillar, Co Kerry, Ireland
Corcomroe Abbey, Co Clare, Ireland
Founded for Cistercian monks around 1195
Askeaton Franciscan Friary,Co Limerick, Ireland
Friary founded in 1389 by Gerald Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald, 3th earl of Desmond or 1420 by James Fitzgerald Fitzgerald, 7th earl of Desmond
15 century cloister arcade
Askeaton Franciscan Friary’s impressive ruins
Killiney Stone Cross, Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry, Ireland
Crude High Cross just short of 3 meters high
Staigue Stone Fort, Co Kerry, Ireland
Thought to have been built between 300 and 400 AD before the arrival of Christianity in Ireland
The entrance to Staigue stone dun
The inner tiered walls with steps
Clogher Dun/Cashel/Stone Fort, Co Sligo Ireland
Interior of Clogher Stone Fort with entrance top left
The entrance to a souterrain in Clogher Dun
Gallarus Oratory a dry stone chapel constructed between the 7th and 12th centuries
Gallarus Oratory, Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry, Ireland
The back of the chapel features a small window
The cross pillar at the site with worn inscription
Derrynane Abbey, Co Kerry, Ireland
Derrynane Abbey doorway
Glanfahan Beehive Huts, Dingle, Co Kerry, Ireland
Clochán Mór looking west. The clochauns are commonly called beehive huts
Clochán Mór consists of two joined huts – on the right is the entrance and on the left the linking doorway
The other entrance
Caherlehillan Cross Pillars, Co Kerry, Ireland
The two Cross inscribed stones in front of the shrine at Caherlehillan
Robertstown Graveyard Gate, Co Meath, Ireland
Robertstown Cross at the bottom of the lane to the graveyard
Slab No.10, Carrowntemple Grave Slabs, Co Sligo, Ireland
West face of slab No.10, Carrowntemple
Carrowntemple slab No.3, elaborate triskele within a rough circle
Carrowntemple slab No.4, double-band ellipses and circles
Carrowntemple slab No. 8, maze pattern
Carrowntemple slab No. 1, single-line cross with rounded expanded terminals
Carrowntemple slab No. 12, single liner cross. All the slabs are replicas (by Cillian Rogers) with the originals in safe keeping
Inishkeel Cross Pillar, the east face decorated with a Celtic knot pattern
Inishkeel Cross Pillar, the east face decorated with a Celtic knot patterned cross
Inishkeel Cross Pillars, Inishkeel Island, Donegal, Ireland, the west face decorated with a worn Celtic knot pattern cross
St Connell’s Church and St Mary’s’ Church, Inishkeel Island, Donegal, Ireland
St Connell’s Church window detail
St Connell’s Church interior
St Mary’s’ Church ruin
St Mary’s’ Church doorway
Interior doorway of St Mary’s’ Church, Inishkeel Island
Leacanabuaile Stone Fort, Co Kerry, Ireland
The rectangular and circular structure in the cashel
In the background Cahergal Stone Fort
St Ciaran’s Well, Castlekeeran, Co Meath, Ireland – the bridge to the well
St Ciaran’s Well – rag tree at the well
Water flows through the natural rock formations
St Ciaran’s Shrine
St Nicholas Church, Strabannon, Co Louth, Ireland
Cahergal Stone Fort, Co Kerry, Ireland
The path to Cahergal Stone For
The circular structure in the centre of the cashel
The interior tiered walls with stepped rampart
Doorway from inside the cashel
Kilmainhamwood Holed Stone, Co Meath, Ireland
The holed stone has a worn carved cross on this side not visible due to the back lighting. The carved cross may have been added at a later date to Christianise the megalith and site.
Font located by the graveyard gate
One of the grave slabs depicting a man and a women