St. Dairbhile's Church

Situated on elevated ground at the highest point within a graveyard (SL033-001002-), overlooking the Atlantic at the extreme S end of the Mullet Peninsula. The ground falls towards a rocky shoreline 170m to S, and a beach defines a small, crescent-shaped bay 250m to W.

This stone-built church, Romanesque (12th-century) in date, is dedicated to St. Deirbhile. It is rectangular (ext. dims. 14.3m WNW-ESE; 6.6m NNE-SSW) in plan, built of roughly coursed granite masonry (Wall T. 0.8m). The gable walls are relatively intact and survive to almost their original height, although the S side of the W gable has fallen. The side walls are reduced their lowermost 2-3 courses (H 0.2-0.5m), except at the NE angle where a short section of the N wall survives to almost its full height.

The E gable wall contains a narrow, round-headed window in a round-headed splayed embrasure. Two tiny fragments of iron, which are visible in the external frame, are all that remains of fittings for an external wooden shutter. On the internal gable face, there is small rectangular recess or aumbry at present ground floor level, immediately to N of the window.

The W gable contains a slightly splayed, rounded-headed doorway, which appears to be original. A single, shaped stone serves as the head of the arch on each face of the doorway, and each stone is decorated with concentric semi-circular grooving, mirroring the round arch. On the external face, very weathered, indescipherable remnants of a decorative motif can be seen beneath the arc of incised grooves. There is a panel of decorative carving on a stone on the internal N side of the doorway. The carving is worn, but appears to be an interlace pattern.

Four steps lead downwards from external ground level to the doorway, and a further three lead upwards from the doorway to the present ground level in the interior of the church; these steps post-date the church, and reflect changes in ground level over time.

At some stage in its history, the church was enlarged. This involved widening it to the S and lengthening to E, almost doubling in length. Evidence of this can be seen in the W gable, where the original, smaller roof line is visible, and the original doorway is now off-centre in the expanded gable. During this expansion phase, a new doorway was inserted into the rebuilt S wall towards its W end. Only the threshold stone, flanked by two low stones, remain of this doorway.

Within the church are a number of upright uninscribed graveslabs. One (H 0.93m; Wth 0.27m; T 0.22m) has a simple incised Latin cross on its ESE face (H of stem 0.24m; L of arms 0.22m). A fragment of a round-headed window arch also lies within the church, originally from a window in one of the side walls. immediately to the N of the church is a graveslab (MA033-001005-) said to mark St Deirbhile's grave.

The church is a National Monument in State ownership (No. 99).