Toureen Peakaun Church

The monastic enclosure of Toureen Peakaun is six km north-west of Cahir and consists of a church, crosses, ballaun stones, and holy well, inscribed slabs, cross slabs, altar, shrine and sundial. The monastic site was founded in the 7^th century by St Alban, whose successor was St Beccan.

The enclosure has been excavated and this has shown the site was protected by a palisade, with radiocarbon dating returning a date of later 7^th century. The small Romanesque church, built in the  12^th century, was partially excavated and reconstructed by the OPW in the 1940’s and items uncovered were inserted into the fabric of the church during its reconstruction i.e. sun dial, cross slabs, and architectural fragments mainly of windows. The church windows are decorated with low-relief chevrons, decorated architrave and pediments. Excavations make note of burials within the church, 28 in total with one of the burials having a broken early medieval grave slab.

The sundial is part of the church wall, is circular and of sandstone. The top of the face is almost square with a peg-hole where the wooden gnomon would have fitted, dating to the 9^th century. The shrine consists of two small pillars and upper mortice. One of the crosses appear to have a very faint cross pattern. Many of the slabs show carved details and some have the visible outline of the Latin cross.

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