Atlantic, but it does give us an idea of the scale and complexity of early monasteries (Fig. 23.4).
l Technique: All the walls, steps and buildings on the island are constructed in the dry-stone walling technique – no mortar is used to join the stones together. Corbelling was an ancient method of construction dating back to the Stone Age (it was used at Newgrange). It allows the builders to create a dome of stone by laying each circular or rectangular course of stone a little inside the one below, creating an inward curve that continues until the walls meet at the top. There are both dome-shaped
and rectangular corbelled buildings on Skellig Michael; some are as large as 9 m in diameter and 4.5 m tall.
l Decoration: There are some simply decorated crosses in the graveyard, but all the buildings are plain.
Corbelling: A technique for building a roof in stone. Flat stones were laid in decreasing circles or rectangles. Each row was a little smaller than the one below, and the walls gradually got closer together until they met at roof level.
Go to YouTube and watch the video, ‘The Wonder of Skellig Michael on the Wild Atlantic Way’ (2:25) by Peter Cox Photography.
This short drone video of Skellig Michael gives a good idea of the location of the monastery. Can you imagine what it would have been like living in such an isolated and dangerous place? Why do you think the monks chose it?
Gallarus Oratory l Form: The Gallarus Oratory on the Dingle peninsula is the best preserved and most complete of the group of corbelled rectangular oratories on the mainland (Fig. 23.5).
Figure 23.4 Some of the corbelled
buildings and a simple cross in the enclosure of the monastery on Skellig Michael.
Figure 23.5 Gallarus Oratory, Dingle peninsula, Co. Kerry. The thickness of the walls can be noted in the west doorway.
CHAPTER 23 THE EARLY CHRISTIAN PERIOD (5TH AND 6TH CENTURIES) 325
