The Early Christian Architecture of Ireland. 87 



Anglo-Norman invasion. From an architectural point of view 

 our primitive monasteries were not much ; from an educational 

 point they were amongst the first schools in Europe, where the 

 youth of not only England and Scotland, but the Continent, 

 came to be educated. Our ancient ecclesiastical system did 

 not require the large churches of England or the Continent, 

 as it differed from that of those countries. The churches were 

 usually small, but we occasionally find a number of these small 

 churches grouped together, usually seven, as at Glendalough, 

 Inniscaltra, and other places. Romanesque architecture was 

 first introduced into England by Edward the Confessor, when 

 rebuilding Westrriinster Abbey in the year 1066. Fifty-eight 

 years previous to that the little church of St. Caimin was built, 

 or rather probably rebuilt, by Brian Boru. It was the first 

 church in Ireland built in the Romanesque style. This style 

 was highly ornamented, and had circular arches. In the ear- 

 liest Romanesque the stone lintel was retained, over which was 

 superimposed the Romanesque arch. Irish Romanesque was 

 influenced in some of its features by the old entablature ; the 

 recessed pillars of the doorways inclined inward ; they did not 

 stand out boldly from the jambs. The chevron, zigzag lozenge 

 and bead ornamentation usually decorated the mouldings, 

 together with that beautiful interlacing work for which Ireland 

 was famous. Examples of Romanesque were shown — the little 

 church of Aghadoe, near Killarney ; Kilmelkedar, near Dingle ; 

 the church on the island of Innisfallen, Kilkeen, County 

 Limerick ; and Cormac's Chapel, Rock of Cashel. The door- 

 way of Clonfert Cathedral was shown. It is a beautiful example 

 of the Hiberno-Romanesque ; — the date of its rebuilding was 

 1 1 66. Tuam Cathedral, another example of Romanesque, was 

 built in 1085. It was in the twelfth century that the cross of 

 Cong, the shrine of Saint Manchan, the shrine of the bell of 

 Armagh, and many other of our exquisite works in metal, were 

 made. A few words at this point about the architecture of the 

 round towers. They seem to show various stages of develop- 

 ment, both in architecture and in masonry. The earliest belong 



