Ardfert Cathedral

Brendan the Navigator founded a monastery at Ardfert in the sixth century and the site became a diocesan seat. Three churches stand in the one enclosure. The cathedral itself is mainly thirteenth-century, with a striking row of nine tall lancet windows in the south wall and a surviving Romanesque west doorway from the earlier twelfth-century building. Beside it is Temple na Hoe, a small twelfth-century Romanesque church with carved corner columns, and Temple na Griffin, a fifteenth-century church named for a carving of two griffins inside. An ogham stone stands in the grounds. The cathedral was burned in 1641 and partly repaired for parish use before being abandoned. The nave has been reroofed in glass and steel to house the site exhibition, which protects the fabric and is done reasonably lightly. Opening is seasonal.

History

A monastery was reputedly founded here in the 6th century by Saint Brendan, and although the Synod of Ráth Breasail in 1111 placed the cathedral for Ciarraige at Ratass near Tralee, it had moved to Ardfert by 1117. It remained the seat of the diocese until 1663, and excavation of the site found over 2,000 burials (Wikipedia, Ardfert Cathedral).

Highlights

• The nine lancets - the row of tall thirteenth-century windows in the south wall.
• The Romanesque doorway - twelfth-century, surviving in the west front.
• Temple na Hoe and na Griffin - two further churches in the same enclosure.
• The glazed nave - modern roofing housing the exhibition.

When to go

April to September, when the site is staffed; it closes for winter. An hour covers it. Combine with Banna Strand and the north Kerry coast.

Things to know

Seasonal opening only - closed much of the year. Most of the complex is roofless. The exhibition is small. Ticketed.

Nearby

Banna Strand is west; Tralee and Blennerville are south.

Key facts