431 



1^0. 3. — Yiew, looking E., of a very singular stone building erected 

 at a short distance to the westward of the old church of Kilmalkedar, 

 county of Kerry. This is one of those primitive boat-shaped churches of 

 which we have so perfect an example in the stone oratory at Gallarus, 

 near Kilmalkedar. I believe that the term nave, as applied to the body 

 of a church, is derived from the Latin navis, a boat or galley ; and, if so, 

 we have in the ancient structure I am about to describe the original idea 

 of a church suggested by the form presented by a rude boat turned upside 

 down, and copied in rough masonry. Dr. Petrie alludes to this stone 

 oratory near Kilmalkedar, when describing that at Gallarus ; but he has 

 not given any illustrations of it, a want which it is my present object to 

 supply. 



The gable walls of this church are inclined externally at nearly as 

 great a curve from the ground as those forming the sides and roof, but 

 internally they are nearly perpendicular. The doorway is in the west 

 gable, and is flat-headed with converging sides. The east gable is pierced 

 by a narrow rectangular loop, splayed both within and without. The 

 east gable springs from a plinth, but the remaining sides rest on the 

 ground. In the stone oratory at Gallarus the internal curve is somewhat 

 that of a stilted equilateral pointed arch ; but in the Kilmalkedar oratory 

 it resembles an exceedingly pointed ogee arch with a narrow flat top, 

 formed by the row of covering stones laid along the ridge of the roof. 

 The original Termon or boundary wall encloses this primitive church, 

 which is certainly of greater antiquity than the stone oratory at Gal- 

 larus. 



JN'o. 4. — View of the east gable of the stone oratory at Kilmalkedar. 



JSTo. 5. — Yiew of the intelior of the west gable of the same building, 

 showing the character of the doorway, and the massive projecting lintel 

 perforated to enable a wooden door to be suspended from it. 



JSFo. 6. — Yiew of the interior of the west gable of the same oratory, 

 showing the peculiar form of the window. 



1^0. 7. — Ground plan of the same building, showing the unequal 

 thickness of the east and west gable waUs, and the external inclination 

 of the gables. 



'No. 8. — ^Yiew of the interior of the doorway of the stone oratory at 

 Gallarus, showing the projecting and perforated stones over the lintel, 

 from which to suspend a wooden door. 



No. 9. — Yiew of the interior of the east window of the stone oratory 

 at Gallarus, showing the.fact that the semicircular head of the ope was 

 cut out of the massive stones forming it without any attempt at the 

 construction of an arch. 



No. 10. — Yiew of the exterior of the same window. 



No. 1 1 . — Plan of the stone oratory at Gallarus, showing its general 

 similarity to that at Kilmalkedar. 



No. 12. — Yiew, looking S. E., of the old church of Ballineanig, near 

 Ferriter's Cove, county of Kerry. This structure is of undoubted 

 antiquity, possibly between the 12th and 13th centuries ; it partakes of 

 some peculiarities apparent in the stone oratories, though its form, and 



