Gallarus Oratory
One of the best-known sites of the Dingle Peninsula, Gallarus Oratory is a drystone church with a corbelled roof. Gallarus Oratory stands at the south-east side of a large stone-walled enclosure on the lower slopes of Lateevmore, with a vista that overlooks the broad crescent of land surrounding Smerwick Harbour. There is some debate about how old the oratory is, though it was most likely built in the 10th or 11th century.
The church was constructed from a single continuous corbelled vault, with the splayed walls of the base supporting the roof. This style of construction provides Gallarus’s distinctive shape; from a distance it appears like the hull of an upturned boat. Gallarus is one of only three drystone churches that still has an intact corbelled roof (the other two being on Skellig Michael). There are around 36 drystone churches known in Ireland, and of these a remarkable 31 of them (or 86%) are located along the Iveragh and Dingle Peninsulas, a region that was encompassed by the early medieval kingdom of Corcu Dubine. Archaeologists like Tomás Ó Carrigáin and Peter Harbison have suggested that these drystone churches may reflect the spread of the cult of St. Brendan the Navigator, so perhaps the distinctive boat shape of Gallarus is a further expression of this. However Ó Carrigáin does further note that drystone buildings were becoming more common in Corcu Dubine in secular as well as ecclesiastical settlements, so it may be a reflection of the architectural fashion of the time.
Just outside the oratory you can see a leacht or altar feature with an early cross slab that bears the Latin inscription COLUM MAC DINET, which is thought to translate to ‘The Stone of Colum, Son of Dinet…’. Though this is uncertain.
As it is located on the Dingle Peninsula, Gallarus Oratory is a very popular site with visitors, but in between the coach tours it is possible to have the church almost to yourself while you take in the atmosphere.
For practical information about visiting this site Click Here
One of the best-known sites of the Dingle Peninsula, Gallarus Oratory is a drystone church with a corbelled roof. Gallarus Oratory stands at the south-east side of a large stone-walled enclosure on the lower slopes of Lateevmore, with a vista that overlooks the broad crescent of land surrounding Smerwick Harbour. There is some debate about how old the oratory is, though it was most likely built in the 10th or 11th century.
The church was constructed from a single continuous corbelled vault, with the splayed walls of the base supporting the roof. This style of construction provides Gallarus’s distinctive shape; from a distance it appears like the hull of an upturned boat. Gallarus is one of only three drystone churches that still has an intact corbelled roof (the other two being on Skellig Michael). There are around 36 drystone churches known in Ireland, and of these a remarkable 31 of them (or 86%) are located along the Iveragh and Dingle Peninsulas, a region that was encompassed by the early medieval kingdom of Corcu Dubine. Archaeologists like Tomás Ó Carrigáin and Peter Harbison have suggested that these drystone churches may reflect the spread of the cult of St. Brendan the Navigator, so perhaps the distinctive boat shape of Gallarus is a further expression of this. However Ó Carrigáin does further note that drystone buildings were becoming more common in Corcu Dubine in secular as well as ecclesiastical settlements, so it may be a reflection of the architectural fashion of the time.
Just outside the oratory you can see a leacht or altar feature with an early cross slab that bears the Latin inscription COLUM MAC DINET, which is thought to translate to ‘The Stone of Colum, Son of Dinet…’. Though this is uncertain.
As it is located on the Dingle Peninsula, Gallarus Oratory is a very popular site with visitors, but in between the coach tours it is possible to have the church almost to yourself while you take in the atmosphere.
For practical information about visiting this site Click Here
Gallarus Oratory • Kerry
In Gallarus Oratory
Interior of Gallarus Oratory • Kerry
Seamus Heaney crosses the threshold of the oratory in his aptly named collection Door into the Dark. In the poem In Gallarus Oratory, his words are a reminder of the unchanged nature of this liminal space where the visitor can experience something of the old ascetic’s conflict. Beneath the corbelled roof, the darkness of the interior draws us into an introspective cocoon even as the brightly lit doorway beckons us back outside, promising illumination.
In Gallarus Oratory:
You can still feel the community pack
This place: it’s like going into a turfstack,
A core of old dark walled up with stone
A yard thick…
Interior of Gallarus Oratory • Kerry
Upper left: Gallarus Oratory • Lower left: The Oratory is set amongst the Kerry countryside • Right: Incised cross slab
Top: Gallarus Oratory • Middle: Incised cross slab • Bottom: The Oratory is set amongst the Kerry countryside
Gallarus Oratory Visitor Information
It’s iconic status means Gallaus Oratory is on many visitor’s itineraries. Its popularity is entirely warranted and absolutely deserves a visit.
