Kilmalkedar, Historic site in County Kerry, Ireland
Kilmalkedar is a medieval ecclesiastical site in County Kerry with a mid-12th-century Romanesque church whose nave measures 8.28 by 9.4 metres and has antae and steep gables. The chancel was extended around 1200. The main doorway is a notable Hiberno-Romanesque piece, and the chancel arch carries Romanesque decoration.
Kilmalkedar is traditionally linked to Saint Brendan and to the local saint Maolcethair, who died in 636. The surviving church was built in the mid-12th century, with its chancel enlarged around 1200, and it resembles Cormac's Chapel on the Rock of Cashel. Pilgrims gathered here before following the Saint's Road northeast to Mount Brandon.
The site forms part of the Cosán na Naomh pilgrimage route, where visitors can still trace the nine clockwise circuits traditionally performed on Easter Sunday. This practice connects the place to ancient forms of veneration that remain alive in the local community today.
The site lies 4.8 km east of Ballyferriter and 6.7 km northwest of Dingle on the Dingle Peninsula. The church, graveyard and carved stones stand close together, so the main features can be seen on foot within a short walk. Ground is uneven grass and gravel; sturdy shoes help.
The Ogham stone (CIIC 187) is unusually tall and needle-shaped, bearing the inscription "MAQI BROCANN" — Máel-Inbher, son of Broccán — and dated to about AD 600. Nearby, the alphabet stone carries "DNI" (domini) and the Latin alphabet in uncial script, carved around AD 550–600.
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