Description: Kilmalkedar can be hard to find without a map. It is in the vicinity of the Gallarus Oratory, just a bit farther east. It has a short drive past a sheep pasture and minimal parking along the dirt road. There are several signs around the site telling about the buildings and history. The site contains a nice church with many fine carvings and stonework. The church has fairly intact walls, but no roof. You can enter the church through the front doorway and walk through the different rooms. Pay special attention to the stonework on the arches and windows. At certain times of day, the sun comes over the remaining arched roof supports in a very striking fashion. The church is surrounded by a graveyard that is fairly overgrown with trees, ivy, and tall grass. The wind blowing over the tall grass created visible clouds of pollen the just about killed me in June. It is hard to focus a camera with cloudy vision. In spite of the allergy attacks, we walked around the graveyard and viewed the alphabet stone and sundial stone, stone cross, and ogham stone on the grounds. These are quite old and unique to the site. These are marked on one of the signs with a bit of history about their creation and use. The site was a real contrast with the overly pristine Gallarus Oratory. We preferred the wild look. There are a number of old stones, crypts, and other grave markers, some are still legible and some are quite new. Look for the black headstone near the pasture entrance with a rocket carved on it.
There are some other ruins in the immediate area that were undergoing restoration in 2005 and should be available for viewing in the near future. I believe there is another church and graveyard.
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