I

It was long considered an established fact that the churches of Ireland, previous to the twelfth century, were altogether constructed of wood, or wattles daubed with clay. It was consequently held, on the authority of Ware, that there remained in the country not a single example of church architecture of a period much antecedent to A.D. 1148, in which year died Malachy O’Morgair, who is stated to have erected at Bangor the first ecclesiastical building of stone that had ever appeared in Ireland. The well-directed labours of George Petrie, in seeking among the archæological remains themselves for evidence by which their era might be determined, and in adducing the testimony of Irish manuscripts relative to such structures as were in use at the time of their composition, removed the veil of obscurity which had so long shrouded the subject of Irish ecclesiastical antiquities. He showed that the country not only contains examples of church architecture of the earliest period of Christianity in the kingdom, but also that they exhibit many characteristics of exceptional interest. Though wood appears to have been the material of which the first churches were built, where stone was not abundant and otherwise unused, they were subsequently constructed of stone, and from their small size and peculiar features are among the most interesting remains now existing. The buildings called oratories were evidently intended for the private devotions of the founders, whose graves are so frequently to be found in their immediate neighbourhood. The most singular of these are in the west and south-west of Ireland, and they are generally in sequestered and isolated spots, not only on the small and almost inaccessible islands off the coast, but on mountain tops and lonely lake islands.

Following the ascetic practices and the monastic life of the early Eastern Church, these places, far remote from the abodes of men, were selected as retreats by the early missionaries of the Irish Church. On the wild and almost inaccessible Skellig Rock, on Slieve League and Brandon Mountain, in Gougane Barra Lake, on High Island, Inishglora, Inismurray, and numerous other isolated places, stone cells and oratories were erected, alone or in connection with monastic settlements. The clochaun form of building found in use was adopted, and it was upon this type of rude structure that the first buildings for Christian Church purposes were erected in these places. The monastic cells soon changed from the pagan circular or oval shape, and became rectangular, in the first instance internally, as we find in those of the Skellig remains, which are of a very rude type, and are perhaps the earliest of the kind now existing.

Skellig Michael.​—​The Great Skellig lies south-west of Valencia, and about 10 miles from its nearest point. It is called Skellig Michael, from St. Michael the patron saint of high places, as in the isolated rocks in Cornwall and Normandy, also dedicated to him. The Skellig rises magnificently to a height of 704 feet, and a flight of steps originally ran up the face of the cliff to the settlement which stood on an artificial plateau at a height of 545 feet, protected from the edge by a fine cashel of similar masonry to Staigue Fort. The lower portion of the path has been cut away by a new road to the lighthouse, but 620 steps still remain leading to the ruins. These consist of six beehive cells, two oratories, several cemeteries and rude crosses, two wells, and the more recent Church of St. Michael. Five of the cells lie close together in a row, one being at a higher level than the other four; and in a line beyond to the north is a small oratory, right on the edge of the cliff. The remainder of the buildings stand on a lower level of the enclosure. All the buildings, except the church, are constructed of dry rubble masonry. One of the cells is wholly rectangular, and the remainder shaped as already stated; the roofs are formed in the usual fashion, by overlapping, and a small opening was left at the top to emit smoke. The oratories are similarly constructed, but are entirely rectangular, and have a window facing the doorway. For centuries the Skellig was a great place of pilgrimage, and men and women alike performed it. Having visited the ruins, they climbed the highest peak, an ascent which was attended with the utmost peril and risk. The penance is not now practised.

Gallerus.​—​The Oratory of Gallerus stands about five miles north-west of Dingle, and is the most beautifully constructed and perfectly preserved of these ancient buildings now remaining in Ireland, and is probably not excelled by any building of the kind in Christendom. The plan is rectangular; it measures 15¼ feet in length by 10 feet in breadth inside, and 22 feet by 18½ feet outside; while its height without is 17 feet 2 inches at the west, and 13½ feet at the east end; within, the height is 13¼ feet. The roof is formed by the gradual approximation of the side walls from the base upwards. It is entered by a square-headed doorway in the west gable, with inclining jambs, 5½ feet high, 21 inches at the top and 27 inches at the bottom (outside). On each side above the lintel within is a projecting stone with square holes in which the door hung. The east wall has a deeply splayed window, with rounded top; it measures 15 inches by 10 inches outside, and 39 inches by 21 inches inside, inclining to 18 inches at the top. The batter of the walls is practically straight as high as the top of the doorway, but from this it is curved ‘giving’ as has been said, ‘an outline like that of a pointed Gothic arch.’ The surfaces of the stones within show by the tool-marks that they were dressed flat, and this was probably done after the courses were laid. At the apex of the east gable is the socket of a mutilated cross.

Kilmalkedar.​—​About a mile to the north is the ruined Oratory of Kilmalkedar, similar in plan, general features, and nearly of the same dimensions as Gallerus. It is earlier than the latter, the masonry being of a ruder type, and the east window having a flat head, with an inward and outward splay​—​a unique feature in so early a church in Ireland. Another similar Oratory in the neighbourhood is Temple Gael, also in ruins. It differs, however, from the two former, in that the batter of the walls is straight and not curved.

Bishop’s Island.​—​A very interesting example of the monastic cell occurs upon the rock called Bishop’s Island, near Kilkee, upon the coast of Clare. It measures in circumference 115 feet; the exterior face of the wall, at four different heights recedes to the depth of about 1 foot, a peculiarity not found in any other structure of the kind; this was probably introduced with the view of lessening the weight of the dome-shaped roof, which was formed, not on the principle of the arch, but, as usual, by the gradual approximation of the stones as the wall ascended. The erection of the Oratory adjoining is traditionally ascribed to St. Senan, who lived in the sixth century, and whose chief establishment was upon Inis Cathaigh, or Scattery Island. It measures 18 feet by 12; the walls are 2 feet 7 inches thick; the doorway, which occupies an unusual position in the south side, immediately adjoining the west-end wall, is 6 feet in height, 1 foot 10 inches wide at the top, and 2 feet 4 inches at the bottom; the east window splays externally, and in this respect is probably unique in Ireland. Several large monumental pillar-stones stand at a short distance from the church in an easterly direction, but they bear no inscriptions or symbols. Bishop’s Island, or, as it is styled in Irish, Oileán-an-Easpoiggortaig, i.e. the ‘Island of the hungry or starving bishop,’ is a barren, precipitous rock, whose sides form perpendicular or overhanging cliffs, about 250 feet in height. It contains about three-quarters of an acre of surface, to which access is most difficult, and only to be effected by a skilful climber, and after a long continuance of calm weather.

High Island.​—​The Island of Ardoileán, or High Island, off the coast of Connemara, is also difficult of access, and landing can only be had in calm weather on its precipitous and rocky shores. Here a monastic establishment was founded by St. Fechin of Fore in the first half of the seventh century. The ruins, now in a state of great dilapidation, are near the centre of the northern part of the island which was cut off from the remainder by a wall. The buildings were surrounded by another wall or cashel with chambers, the remains of which are still existing. The church was a small rectangular building, 12 feet by 9½ feet internally, constructed of small stones and uncemented. The door is 4½ feet high with inclined sides, but the east gable is now defaced. Many clochauns once existed, but these are mostly destroyed. North-east of the church are two; one circular without and square within, measuring 9 feet by 7½ feet high; the other is smaller. In Petrie’s work the former is suggested to have been the refectory of the latter, the cell of the abbot.

Inismurray.​—​The Island of Inismurray, to which we have already referred (pp. 21, 181), contains within and without its cashel very interesting early Christian remains. It probably took its name from Muiredach, a follower of St. Patrick, who placed him over a Church in Killala. It is, however, entirely associated with St. Molaise, the founder of the monastic establishment in this remote spot, and of whom the Martyrology of Donegal gives the following notice:​—​‘August 12th, Molaisse, i.e. Laisrén, son of Deglan, of Inis Muiredaich, in the north, (i.e. the north of Connaught); he it was who at the cross of Ath-Imlaisi pronounced sentence of banishment on St. Columba.’122

In addition to the beehive cells already mentioned there are within the cashel of Inismurray three small churches. Teach Molaise, ‘House of St. Molaise,’ named after the patron Saint of the island, is the most interesting; it measures internally 9 feet by 8 feet, with walls of great thickness sustaining a complete stone roof. They are built of stones, generally of large size, and set with mortar in irregular courses; all except those forming the doorway and window casings are rough and unhewn. Teampull-na-Bfear is perhaps more of a church than an oratory, and forms an oblong 25½ feet by 12 feet. The ground on which it stands is the burial-place for men, that for women being at Teampull-na-mBan, or the ‘Women’s Church,’ outside the cashel to the north-west. It is believed by the islanders that if a woman is buried in the men’s ground the corpse will be removed, during the night, by unseen hands to the women’s cemetery, and vice versâ. Teampull-na-Teindh, or the ‘Church of fire,’ is the most modern, and probably dates from the fourteenth century. There are three altars also within the cashel, besides others without, numerous cross-inscribed stones, two holy wells with beehive stone coverings, and the stations of the pilgrims. The last station is Reilick Odrain, the ‘Cemetery of Odrain, or Oran,’ the companion of St. Columba, who also gave his name to a burial-place, Reilig Oran in Iona. St. Molaise or Laisrén, of Inismurray, is not to be confounded with St. Molaisi Diamhinsi, or Devenish, son of Nadfraoich, whose festival day is the 12th September. In Devenish Island in Lough Erne will be found the house or oratory of this saint, the walls of which were built of massive stones, but the cell is now in ruins.

The progress of Christianity in Ireland in the first few centuries of its establishment, and the missionary zeal of its apostles abroad, brought the Church into close union with ecclesiastical foundations in Britain and on the continent of Europe. To the connection thus established is doubtless due the marked improvement in the architecture of the early Christian churches from the primitive oratories, although in these we see an advance in certain features on the pagan clochaun. The early Churches show a further development in dressed masonry, mortar-built walls, and high pitched roof, and, in point of antiquity, they may be classed amongst the most remarkable structures of primitive Christian times now to be found in Europe. Of their usual characteristics we shall here give a brief description, referring the reader who may desire more than a general sketch to Petrie’s work, the Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland, in which the subject has been fully discussed.

Doorways.​—​The doorways are generally inclined and are covered by a horizontal lintel, or headed with a semicircular arch, springing from plain, square-edged imposts. Occasionally the arch is cut out of a single stone. At Glendalough are examples in which the lintel is surmounted by a semicircular arch, the space between being filled up with masonry. The stones generally extend the whole thickness of the wall. Few of the very early doorways exhibit any kind of decoration beyond a plain projecting band, of which there are some fine examples at Glendalough. The door appears to have been placed against the interior face of the wall, as in many instances the stones, for a distance of about three inches from the angle, have been slightly hollowed, evidently for the reception of a frame. Great blocks of stone form the lintels of some of the churches; that of St. Fechin, of Fore, Westmeath, measures 6 feet by 2 feet, and is the full thickness of the wall​—​3 feet. The lintel of St. Colman’s, Kilmacduagh, is nearly of the same dimensions; and the doorway of the church of the same saint within the cashel, at Kilmurvey, has a lintel 5½ feet long, 1½ feet high, and extends the full thickness of the wall​—​2½ feet.

Windows.​—​These are invariably small, and, with one or two exceptions, splay internally. They are headed, generally, with small semicircular arches, either formed of several small stones, or cut out of a single large one; but the horizontal lintel is common, as is also a triangular head. The sides of the windows, like the doorway jambs, almost invariably incline. They are rarely decorated, and then in the simplest manner, by a projecting band, similar to that occasionally found upon the early doorways, or by a small bead.

Choir Arch.​—​In the very ancient churches to which chancels are attached, the connecting arch is invariably semicircular, square-edged, and plain. In the earliest form the arch springs from the jambs without imposts; but later these were inserted with chamfered edges, slightly projecting, the arches sometimes rising from within the edge-line of the jambs. The arch is usually formed of stones fairly equal in size, well hammered, and admirably fitted to each other. The greater number of primitive Irish churches, however, have no chancel, their plan being a simple oblong. Where chancels, however, occur in these, they were evidently a later addition, and were not bonded into the walls of the nave.

Masonry.​—​Generally the masonry consisted of very large stones, well fitted together, as in work to which the term ‘cyclopean’ is applied. Many of these vary from 6 to 17 or 18 feet in length; one of the latter size runs the entire breadth of the church called Teampull Ceanannach, in Inishmaan (Aran). In some of the oldest examples no mortar appears to have been used; but these instances are very rare, and mortar is generally found cementing enormous stones, but never in large quantities. Near the sea-coast, sand and broken sea-shells were used in making the cement, but in inland places a mixture of gravel and earth. It seems originally to have been poured in a liquid state upon the walls, and allowed to filter through.

Roofs.​—​The roofs of most of the ancient Irish churches have long disappeared; but several of stone still remain. The pitch of these is exceedingly high, and they are constructed upon the barrel-vault principle. Examples of this kind occur in St. Columba’s House at Kells, in Cormac’s Chapel at Cashel, in St. Kevin’s House at Glendalough, and St. Flannan’s at Killaloe.

Belfries.​—​The Cloictheach, or Round Tower, appears to have been the most usual belfry. The ancient structure at Glendalough, called St. Kevin’s ‘Kitchen,’ supports upon its western gable a small tower which appears to have answered this purpose. Bell-turrets, properly speaking, were not common before the thirteenth century.

Such are the more usual and prominent characteristics of the early Irish churches. It should be observed that the doorway, with few exceptions, is invariably found to occupy a position in the centre of the west end. The windows in chancelled churches are generally five in number; one in the east gable, and one in each of the side walls of the nave and choir.

We shall now refer more specifically to some examples of early churches whose characteristic features come within those here classified.

Killiney Church.​—​The Church of Killiney, situated near the village of the same name, at a distance of about nine miles from Dublin, will be found particularly interesting to the student of Irish church architecture. The length of the interior is 35 feet; the nave measures but 12 feet 8 inches, and the chancel 9 feet 6 inches in breadth. The church originally consisted of a simple nave and choir, lighted in the usual manner, and connected by a semicircular arch; but, at a period long subsequent to its original foundation, an addition, the architecture of which it will be well to compare with that of the more ancient building, has been made on the northern side. The original doorway, which, as usual, is placed in the centre of the west gable, is remarkable from having a cross sculptured on the under part of its lintel. It measures in height 6 feet and 1 inch; in breadth at the top 2 feet; and at the bottom 2 feet 4 inches. The next feature to be noticed is the choir arch. This, which may be looked upon as a most characteristic example of its class, measures in breadth, where the arch begins to spring, 4 feet 7 inches, and at the base 4 feet 10½ inches; its height is only 6½ feet. The chancel windows display the inclined sides so indicative of antiquity when found in Irish ecclesiastical remains; but, with the exception of that facing the east, they are in a state of great dilapidation. The east window is square-headed both within and without, and exhibits the usual splay. The comparatively modern addition on the north side of the nave, which appears to have been erected as a kind of aisle, is connected with the original church by several openings broken through the north side wall. It will be well to compare its architectural features with those of the older structure. The Pointed doorway offers a striking contrast to that in the west gable; and its east window is equally different from that in the ancient chancel, being larger, and chamfered upon the exterior. The fact of a semicircular arch-head being cut out of a single stone is of itself no proof of high antiquity, as it occurs in many comparatively late structures in Ireland; and in England there is to be seen in the Perpendicular church of Kirkthorpe, near Wakefield, a door-head that exhibits this mode of construction.

Kilternan Church.​—​The Church of Kilternan, situated near the little village of Golden Ball, about six miles from Dublin, on the Enniskerry road, presents several features of considerable interest. The south side-wall and the west gable are original, and of great antiquity. The latter contains a square-headed doorway, now stopped up with masonry; and to supply its place, a Pointed entrance has been inserted in the south side-wall. This alteration was made probably at the time of the re-erection of the east end, the style of which indicates a period not earlier than the close of the thirteenth century, about which time the custom of placing the doorway in the west end appears to have ceased. There are several other churches in the immediate neighbourhood of Dublin which contain very primitive features; but they have been altered and remodelled at various times, and are, upon the whole, characteristic of later periods. Some of these we shall notice when describing the Early Pointed style, as found in Irish churches.

The Church of St. Mac Dara.​—​The almost barren island containing the church dedicated to this saint lies off the coast of Connemara, due south of Roundstone Bay. The church is one of the most remarkable examples of the small stone-roofed churches now remaining. It measures 14 feet 8 inches by 11 feet 3 inches internally; and the walls are 2 feet 8 inches thick; the side-walls project about one foot beyond the gables, into which they are not bonded. It is lit by a round-headed and deeply-splayed window in the east wall, and by a rectangular one in the south wall. It is built of massive masonry, some of the blocks measuring from 4½ to 5 feet long, and several feet wide. It had a high-pitched stone roof resting upon the side-walls, portions of which still remain. The walls of several circular clochauns, now much defaced, lie north of the church near the shore. The island is still a great place of pilgrimage, and passing boats have long been accustomed to lower their sails three times in honour of the saint.

Glendalough.​—​In the lone and singularly picturesque valley of Glendalough (Co. Wicklow), surrounded by high, gloomy mountains, upon which clouds almost continually rest, a celebrated monastic establishment, round which a small city subsequently rose, was founded in the early part of the sixth century by St. Kevin. The ruins of many ecclesiastical structures yet remain; and ‘the long continuous shadow of the lofty and slender Round Tower moves slowly from morn till eve over wasted churches, crumbling oratories, shattered crosses, scathed yew-trees, and tombs​—​now undistinguishable​—​of bishops, abbots, and anchorites.’

St. Kevin was of the Royal House of Leinster, and died at a great age in 618. We are told in a ‘Life’ of him that ‘on the northern shore of the lake his dwelling was a hollow tree; on the southern he dwelt in a very narrow cave, to which there was no access except by a boat, for a perpendicular rock of great height overhangs it from above.’ He attracted numbers of disciples to the place, and erected a monastery. This was repeatedly devastated by fire and sword in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, St. Kevin’s House being consumed in 1163, and the city is described as having lain waste for forty years, and as being a veritable den of robbers, ‘spelunca latronum.’ It suffered at the hands of Dermot Mac Morrough, and was destroyed again in 1398.

That several of the existing churches formed part of the original foundation, their style of architecture sufficiently indicates. A cashel, or wall, appears usually to have enclosed most of the ancient Irish monastic establishments. That such a work at one time existed at Glendalough is certain, though scarcely a vestige of it at present remains above ground. One of the gateways, however, stood until Petrie’s time, which he compares to the Roman-built Newport Gate at Lincoln; and his prophecy, that for want of care this monument, unique of its kind, would soon cease to exist, was shortly after partially fulfilled, upon the fall of the principal arch. The stones, however, have been re-set, and the work possesses much of its pristine appearance. It is 11 feet high, 9½ feet wide, and 16 feet deep; it has external and internal arches, between which rose the tower.

The Church of Our Lady (a modern name) is believed to have been the first erected in this part of the valley by St. Kevin, ‘qui ibi duxit vitam eremiticam,’ and here he was buried. It consists of a nave 32 feet by 20½ feet, and a chancel 21 feet 4 inches by 19½ feet: but the arch has fallen. The doorway is perhaps the finest of the kind remaining, and exhibits in a striking degree that early Greek form which is so very commonly found in the doorways of the most ancient churches, of the round towers, and, though more rudely developed, in the cahers of the pagan era. It is 5 feet 10 inches high, 2 feet 8 inches wide at the top, and 3 feet at the bottom, being formed of seven stones of the thickness of the wall; the lintel, 5 feet 1 inch long, has a cross on its soffit somewhat similar to that of Killiney.

The Cathedral, standing within the enclosure, is considered to have been erected about the commencement of the seventh century, and appears, from its name, dimensions, and position, to have been originally the Domhnach-mór, or Daimhliag-mór, or chief church of the place. Notwithstanding its present state of dilapidation, there are in Ireland few structures of the same antiquity and extent that retain so many original features. The nave is 48 feet 6 inches by 30 feet; the chancel​—​25 feet by 21½ feet​—​appears to be of later date; the fallen arch has been restored to about eight courses above the piers. It is entered by a square-headed doorway, 6 feet 9 inches high, in which the weight upon the lintel is taken off by a semicircular arch. The masonry of the chancel is much less massive than that in the body of the church, and, moreover, is not bonded into the nave, thus showing its more modern erection. The east window was remarkable for its ornamental character, possessing a chevron moulding and a sculptured frieze running on either side from the spring of the arch.

The most interesting building in the enclosure is St. Kevin’s House or ‘Kitchen.’ This has been to all intents and purposes changed into a church by the subsequent addition of a chancel and bell-turret, neither of which, in all probability, belonged to the original building; the chancel has been destroyed, but it will be seen on close examination that the walls of the adjoining sacristy are not bonded into those of the main building. ‘It will be observed also that the chancel arch is of subsequent formation; for its semicircular head is not formed on the principle of the arch, but by the cutting away of the horizontally laid stones of the original wall, in which operation a portion of the original window placed in this wall was destroyed, and the remaining portion of the aperture built up with solid masonry.’123 The arch is 9 feet high by 5 feet wide. St. Kevin’s House was thus originally an oblong building, 23 feet by 15 feet, with a very high-pitched stone roof, a barrel-vaulted room below, and a small croft between. It was entered by a door on the west side, which is now blocked up; it was square-headed, with the weight taken off the lintel by a semicircular arch, as in the cathedral door. Above the west gable is the addition of a small round-towered belfry, rising 9 feet from the roof. The sacristy was apparently similar to the chancel, being stone-roofed and ornamented with a rude string-course similar to that of the main building. It is considered by Petrie that these additions took place after the death of St. Kevin, whose name was held in such reverence that naturally it was sought to convert his residence into a church.

Trinity Church, perhaps in a greater degree than any coeval structure in Leinster, retains the original character of its various parts. It is near the entrance to the glen, and possesses a fine specimen of the square-headed doorway, and a choir arch, of its class one of the finest in Ireland. The east window of the chancel has a semicircular head, and the arch is cut out of a single stone; there is also a triangular-headed window in the south wall; in fact, the building has almost every characteristic of the more ancient style of church architecture in Ireland, and each perfect in its way. There was formerly a round tower belfry attached to the western end, which fell in 1818.

St. Saviour’s Monastery, on the opposite side of the river, near Derrybawn, is a singularly interesting ruin. It consists of a nave and chancel, measuring together about 60 feet by 30 feet. The fine chancel arch, which had fallen, has been restored; it is of three orders resting upon clustered piers; the capitals are highly ornamented with fantastic sculptured heads of animals, and the arch displays a variety of zigzag or chevron moulding, showing work many centuries later than the most primitive of the buildings.

Reefert Church, on the south bank of the upper lake, was the first founded by St. Kevin before he moved to the lower part of the valley. It consists of a nave and chancel, the combined length being 43 feet by 26 feet. The dividing arch is the full width of the chancel. The doorway is of chiselled blocks of granite; it is 5 feet 9 inches high and square-headed, with inclined jambs. The enclosure in which it stands has been strangely interfered with by the Board of Works, and laid out in a most artificial manner. It was the burial-place of the O’Tooles; and an ancient inscribed tombstone, popularly said to belong to the famous king of the tribe, has disappeared, having been broken up and sold, it is said, by guides in the middle of the last century.

There are other remains of churches​—​the Priest’s House, St. Kieran’s, and Temple na Skellig. There are numerous crosses; and the round tower is one of the largest and most perfectly preserved now remaining. Much attention is usually paid to the singular chamber called ‘St. Kevin’s Bed.’ That it is altogether a work of art cannot be satisfactorily demonstrated. Though, to a certain degree, its artificial character is distinctly marked, it is quite possible that a natural cavity, the sides of which have been roughly hewn and squared, may have existed previously. The Bed, which is situated in an almost overhanging rock, at some height above the lake, is said to have been the residence of St. Kevin at some period when pursuing that course of study and contemplation for which his name, even to this day, is revered; and the celebrated St. Laurence O’Toole is said to have spent much of his time in prayer and heavenly contemplation in this cavern.

The early monastic establishments had in their buildings none of the features found in the monasteries of the great Orders of a later period. No remains are found at Glendalough, or elsewhere in Ireland, of great houses, like those of the twelfth and following centuries, for the accommodation of large numbers. The abbot and other members of the community had each his own cell, with such buildings as were needed for guest-house, kitchen, and the like. These were, no doubt, of a primitive type and perishable material, as all traces of such structures have long since disappeared. A marked peculiarity of the churches in these places is their small size. It seems that as accommodation was required, additional small churches were built, and hence the many spots in Ireland noted for their collection of such buildings.

A few structures known as ‘Houses,’ of which St. Kevin’s, already described, is the best-known example, are stone-roofed and vaulted, and seem to have combined the purpose of an ordinary dwelling-house with that of an oratory, and are thought to have been the residence of the abbot. The church on Friar’s Island, Killaloe, is another and early example, showing the transitional stage from the false to the true arch. The chancel measures 10½ feet by 6½ internally, and the walls are 3 feet thick; a very low chamber exists beneath the stone roof. The principle introduced in the barrel vaulting of these buildings was to lighten the weight of the heavy stone roof. A space was thus formed between it and the upper floor of the vaulting, which was turned to domestic use the more readily when divided by walls. The stone roofs possess no principle of the arch; they are built of rectangular slabs of dressed stones, well fitted for weather purposes, the top being finished with angular coping-stones.

St. Columba’s House.​—​Another example of this class, less rude than that of Friar’s Island, occurs in the structure called St. Columba’s ‘House,’ at Kells, Co. Meath. It has a barrel-vaulted roof, which is completely devoid of ornament, and springs from the side-walls separating the body of the building from a small croft, to which access was originally gained by a quadrangular opening, about 19 inches in breadth, adjoining the west gable. Two walls, crossing and resting upon this arch, and pierced each with a small semicircular-headed doorway, together with the gables, support a roof of stone; the total height is 38 feet. The lower apartment was lighted by two windows, one in the centre of the east end, the other in the south side-wall. Both windows are small, and splay inwardly; that to the east is formed with a semicircular arch, while the other presents a triangular head. The ancient doorway, which was 8 feet from the ground, in the west end, has been almost obliterated; the doorway in the south wall is a later addition. The Annals of Clonmacnoise mention, under date 804, that ‘a new church was founded in Kells in honour of St. Columb Kill.’ This probably points to the early part of the ninth century for the erection of these structures. Kells has a remarkably perfect round tower, several crosses, and has given its name to ‘the most elaborately executed monument of early Christian art in existence’​—​the Book of Kells.

St. Flannan’s Church.​—​This building, which is similar to the ‘Houses’ of St. Kevin and St. Columba, is the best built of the class, and adjoins the Cathedral of Killaloe. The nave is 29 feet long, 18 feet broad, and the walls are about 3½ feet thick; the chancel is in ruins, and appears to have been about 12 feet broad. The arch is plain with inclined jambs, and is 8½ feet in height. The nave is barrel-vaulted, and the croft lit by a semicircular-headed window in the west gable, and a triangular-headed one in the east. It is entered by a remarkable doorway in the west gable; the jambs are inclined, and support a series of recessed semicircular arches. The church is attributed to Brian Boru, but Petrie considered it much earlier. The doorway cannot be earlier than the tenth century; and the probability is that Brian re-edified the building, as he did the Church of Iniscaltra.