Reask, Early monastic enclosure in County Kerry, Ireland

Reask is a ruined early monastic site 1 km east of Baile an Fheirtéaraigh, County Kerry. Low remnants of buildings and enclosure walls survive, and a cross-slab standing stone sits in the middle of the compound. Excavations in the 1970s found an oratory, several stone huts, a cemetery and about ten decorated slabs.

Thomas Fanning excavated Reask in the 1970s, uncovering an oratory, several stone huts, a cemetery and about ten decorated slabs. After the oratory fell out of use, the ground was used for the burial of children. The site is a National Monument in state care.

The decorated stone slabs display Greek and Latin crosses with spiral patterns, showing how early Irish monks wove Christian symbols into their sacred spaces. These designs were part of the daily religious life at the site.

Reask lies about 1 km east of Baile an Fheirtéaraigh (Ballyferriter) on the Dingle Peninsula, reached by a minor road off the R559. Park near the village and continue on foot; the ground inside the enclosure is uneven grass and can be soft after rain, so wear sturdy boots. The low walls and cross-slab are easy to miss from the road, so look for the fenced enclosure.

The cross pillar in the middle of the enclosure stands 1.64 m high, 0.6 m wide and 0.26 m thick, carved with a round Greek cross that ends a spiral pattern; the letters DNE, for D(omi)ne, flank the cross. Other stones from the site carry a Latin cross, a stylised bird, and the inscriptions DNO and DNI. Most of these carvings are now kept in Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne in Baile an Fheirtéaraigh.