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 8^th century, however it is more likely to originate from the 11^th or 12^th 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.”

Protect our Past - Click here to read about the importance of protecting our country’s unique heritage sites

This national monument is protected in accordance with the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014