Kilmalkedar

Coordinates: 52°11′05″N 10°20′10″W / 52.184775°N 10.33623°W / 52.184775; -10.33623
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Kilmalkedar
Cill Maoilchéadair[1]
Church
Kilmalkedar is located in Ireland
Kilmalkedar
Location within Ireland
Monastery information
Other namesCell-maeilchetair
Establishedearly 7th century AD
Disestablished12th century
DioceseArdfert and Aghadoe
People
Founder(s)Saint Maolcethair
Architecture
StatusInactive
StyleCeltic Christianity, Romanesque
Site
LocationKilmalkedar, Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry
Coordinates52°11′05″N 10°20′10″W / 52.184775°N 10.33623°W / 52.184775; -10.33623
Visible remainsstone church, cross, oratory, holy well
Public accessyes
Official nameKilmalkedar Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Site[2]
Reference no.65

Kilmalkedar is a medieval ecclesiastical site and

National Monument located in County Kerry, Ireland.[3][4][5][6]

Location

Kilmalkedar is on the Dingle Peninsula, 4.8 km (3.0 mi) east of Ballyferriter and 6.7 km (4.2 mi) northwest of Dingle. The monument is in a townland and civil parish of the same name.[1]

History

Kilmalkedar is traditionally associated with

Saint Brendan (c. AD 484 – c. 577), but also with a local saint, Maolcethair (Maol Céadair, Maol Céaltair, Malkedar;[7] died 636).[8]

The surviving church dates to the mid-12th century, with the chancel extended c. 1200.[9]

It was a traditional assembly site for pilgrims, who followed the Saint's Road (Casán na Naomh)[10] northeast to Mount Brandon.[11]

Some of the rituals carried out by locals, like performing nine clockwise circuits of the site on

Celtic religion; Kilmalkedar may well have been a religious site long before Christianity arrived.[12]

Buildings

NW view

The church resembles Cormac's Chapel on the Rock of Cashel (built 1127–1134). Its nave is 8.28 m × 9.4 m (27.2 ft × 30.8 ft) with antae and steep gables. The chancel is 5.72 m × 5.1 m (18.8 ft × 16.7 ft) externally. The doorway is a notable Hiberno-Romanesque piece.[13] A hole in the east wall of the chancel is called "the eye of the needle"; if one can fit through it, one is certain to go to heaven.[12]

Pre-Romanesque remains include a corbelled building, perhaps a monastic cell; an alphabet stone; an Ogham stone; a sundial; a stone cross; and some bullauns.[8][14] One of the bullauns is associated with the mythical cow Glas Gaibhnenn.[15]

The alphabet stone is carved with "DNI" (domini) and the Latin alphabet in uncial script, carved c. AD 550–600.[16]

Ogham stone. The hole bored in the top is unique.

The Ogham stone (CIIC 187) reads ẠṆM MẠỊLE-INBIR/ MACI BROCANN ("Name of Máel-Inbher son of Broccán") and dates to c. AD 600.[17][18][19][20][21]

  • Ogham stone, church, stone cross
    Ogham stone, church, stone cross
  • Hiberno-Romanesque doorway
    Hiberno-Romanesque doorway
  • Doorway
    Doorway
  • Alphabet stone
    Alphabet stone
  • blind arcade in the church
    blind arcade in the church
  • Church, west elevation
    Church, west elevation
  • Sundial stone
    Sundial stone
  • Stone cross
    Stone cross
  • Chancel exterior
    Chancel exterior

References

  1. ^ a b "Cill Maoilchéadair/Kilmalkedar". Logainm.ie.
  2. ^ National Monuments Service (4 March 2009). "National Monuments in State Care: Ownership & Guardianship" (PDF). Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Kilmalkedar Church, Dingle". TripAdvisor. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Saints and Stones: Kilmalkedar Church (Cill Maolcheadair)". www.saintsandstones.net.
  5. ^ "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy". Royal Irish Academy. 27 May 1864 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Archaeologia Cambrensis: The Journal of the Cambrian Archoeological Association". Association. 27 May 1892 – via Google Books.
  7. – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b "St Maolcethair/St Malkedar, Kilmalkedar · The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain & Ireland". www.crsbi.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  9. – via Google Books.
  10. – via Google Books.
  11. ^ "Voices from the Dawn – The Gate of the Cow; Kilmalkedar Keelers Stone". voicesfromthedawn.com. 14 October 2010.
  12. ^ – via Google Books.
  13. ^ "The Antiquities of Kilmalkedar: Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry – Ireland Travel Kit". www.irelandtravelkit.com.
  14. ^ "Kilmalkedar Christian Site, Kerry". www.megalithicireland.com.
  15. ^ "Kilmalkedar Bullauns, Kerry".
  16. ^ "Kilmalkedar Alphabet Stone". www.corcadhuibhne3d.ie.
  17. ^ "Kilmalkedar". www.corcadhuibhne3d.ie. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  18. ^ Master, Web. "Kilmalkedar Church ~ Cill Mhaoilcéadair". www.dingle-peninsula.ie. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  19. ^ "Ogham in 3D – Kilmalkedar / 187. Kilmalkedar". ogham.celt.dias.ie.
  20. ^ "The Gate of the Cow; Kilmalkedar Keelers Stone". 14 October 2010.
  21. ^ "Holy Cows. The Miraculous Animals of the Irish Saints: Part 6, The Magical Cows of Kilmalkedar". Pilgrimage in Medieval Ireland. 12 March 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2021.