Kilmalkedar Church

Kilmalkedar sits on the Cosan na Naomh, the Saints' Road, the pilgrim route running to the foot of Mount Brandon, and it was a significant church site before the Romanesque building went up around 1150. That church is closely modelled on Cormac's Chapel at Cashel, with blind arcading, a carved tympanum over the west door and a barrel-vaulted nave, roofless now. In the graveyard around it are three objects worth stopping for: an ogham stone with a hole through its head, which people still clasp fingers through to seal a bargain; a stone sundial of the early medieval period; and an alphabet stone carved with the Latin alphabet, probably a teaching aid from the monastic school. There is also a cross and the ruins of a stone house nearby. The site is free, unstaffed and open at any hour, with roadside parking and no facilities.

What you actually see

• The Romanesque church - around 1150, modelled on Cormac's Chapel.
• The ogham stone - holed, and still used for sealing agreements.
• The alphabet stone - Latin letters carved as a teaching aid.
• The sundial - early medieval, in the graveyard.

When to go

April to October for the ground. Open at any hour with no gate. Half an hour to an hour covers it. It combines naturally with the Slea Head drive.

Honest expectations

Roofless and unstaffed with a single interpretation panel. Roadside parking on a narrow lane. The graveyard is in active use. Some carving is heavily weathered.

Nearby

Gallarus Oratory is close; Ballyferriter and Slea Head are west and south.