Notice
Gallarus Oratory is a state-owned National Monument in the care of the Office of Public Works
*There is free public entry directly to the site via OPW public right of way. Visitors can also access via the privately run Visitor Centre which offers an audio visual interpretation, café, gift shop, and toilets for a charge of €5*
Gallarus Oratory
Situated beautifully within the serene Kerry landscape, Gallarus Oratory has Mount Brandon as its backdrop, with views of Smerwick harbour to its front.
This upturned boat-shaped structure is likely one of the first efforts at building stone churches within Ireland, and archaeologists have suggested that its shape is connected to the reverence around St. Brendan the Navigator.
Historians have yet to figure out exactly when Gallarus was built. It has been guessed to date to the 8th century, however it is more likely to originate from the 11th or 12th century.
The curved angle of the building helps to deter water, preventing leaks, hence why it is so well preserved to this day, and it is only one of three of these types of churches to have its corbelled roof remain intact. The other two examples are still in existence on Sceilg Mhichíl.
Gallarus is probably most well-known through one of Seamus Heaney’s poems: “In Gallarus Oratory”, in which he describes what it feels like to stand inside the darkness of the 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. When you’re in it alone,
You might have dropped, a reduced creature,
To the heart of the globe.”
Gallery
The upturned boat Credit Photographic Archive, National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland Side profile of Gallarus Credit Photographic Archive, National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland Internal walls of Gallarus Credit Photographic Archive, National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland
Nearby sites to visit
Ionad an Bhlascaoid – The Blasket Centre
The story of a remarkable island community
Approx. 8.8 km from Gallarus Oratory
Ardfert Cathedral
A trio of medieval churches devoted to St Brendan
Approx. 42.5 km from Gallarus Oratory
Sceilg Mhichíl UNESCO World Heritage Property
An island monastery towering over the sea
Approx. 45.7 km from Gallarus Oratory