County: Kerry Site name: KILLELTON ORATORY, Killelton
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Conleth Manning, National Parks and Monuments Branch, Office of Public Works, Dublin
Site type: Church
Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)
ITM: E 471877m, N 610154m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.228215, -9.875519
A four-week excavation, which was carried out in connection with conservation works, concentrated on the eastern half and south-west corner of the church and on the eastern side of the small irregular enclosure around the site.
Stone-built drains and child burials were found within the church while outside on the southern or uphill side another drain and two adult burials of 18th-/19th-century date were uncovered. The church walls were dry-built and the south and west walls had largely shifted and collapsed in the past. Most of the south wall was rebuilt by the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland in the 1890s.
Digging was carried out along the east side of the enclosure in order to prevent water, draining down the mountain, from inundating the site. The meandering collapsed wall forming the eastern side of the enclosure was shown to be a late feature but part of the base of an earlier wall or revetment was found about 2m nearer the church.
