Dysert O'Dea
Dysert O'Dea ( Irish An Díseart , Díseart Uí Dheághaidh , or Díseart Tála ) is a ruined church near the town of Corofin , in County Clare in Ireland . The facility is located eight kilometers northwest of Ennis . The ruins and the round tower , which has only survived as a stump, are located on the site of the old hermitage of St. Tola, who died in 734 AD. The course is located southeast of the Burren .
The O'Dea clan gave the place its name. The head of the clan was a certain Déaghaidh, who is referred to in Geoffrey Keating's "History of Ireland" under the year 934 AD. He was responsible for the rescue of Cellachán Caisil, (Anglicised Callaghan) the King of Munster , whom he saved at Dundalk from being transported on a Viking ship .
The church
The current Romanesque church dates from the 13th century. It has a central nave and a choir with a simple arch and a few decorative lancet windows . The west portal (without gable field decoration) comes from a previous building from the 12th century. The church later fell into disrepair. In 1683, some corner stones of the church were used as base stones for the erection of the high cross in the field adjacent to the east, and the ruins were reconstructed in their present form. The lancet windows in the western gable were moved.
The portal
The Romanesque portal , with its mongoloid-looking human masks and animal faces arranged as a round arch, is considered the artistic highlight of the ruin. It was moved to the south wall and the pulpit, some parts of which are still original, was reconstructed according to its condition in the 13th century. Near the outside of the doorway is a medieval tombstone with the inscription: “This tomb was erected by Michael O'Dea of Disert, son of Conor Crone O'Dea, the second day of May, in the year of our Lord 1684, wherein was interred Joan Dea, alias Butler, wife of the said Michael O'Dea, the eleventh of November following ” . In German: “This tomb was built by Michael O'Dea von Disert, son of Conor Crone O'Dea, on May 2nd in the year of our Lord 1684, in which he also buried Joan Dea, alias Butler, wife of Michael O'Dea, on November 11th of the year ” .
The high cross
In the field, 60 m east of the church, there is a high cross from the 12th century, which Conor O'Dea rebuilt at this point in 1683. It resembles the Kilfenora cross and bears only a representation of the crucifixion and the bishop St. Tola (with crook) on the east side, while the base and west side show ornamental design as well as depictions of animals and people. It is probably composed of two former crosses. The ring typical of Celtic crosses is missing. The representations are somewhat similar to those of the Scandinavian Ringerike style .
The round tower
In the vicinity of the north-west corner of the church enclosure, near the church building, there are still considerable remains of a restored round tower, which was probably built at the same time as the church. In the 16th century the narrow slits and the high window were built in on the west side.
The tower house
Not far from the cross is the Tower House (also called "Gaelic tower-house") "Dysert O'Dea Castle", built in 1480 by Diarmuid O'Dea , which was destroyed in 1651 by Oliver Cromwell's troops. Today it is set up as a museum.
Just a few kilometers north is another restored tower house "Ballyportry Castle", which can be rented , similar to Smithstown near Kilfenora . His Sheela-na gig is in the Ennis Museum today . However, at the original site (five kilometers away) you can see the Sheela of Killinaboy.
The Battle of Dysert O'Dea
In the battle of Dysert O'Dea, which was fought in 1318 between the troops of the Anglo-Irish Baron Richard de Clare, Lord of Thomond as part of the so-called Bruce Wars , which was the resistance of his clan and that of the O'Connors, O'Hehirs, MacNamaras and O'Brians commanded, conquered the clans and were able to reject all claims to what is now County Clare until 1570. Richard de Clare and his sons fell.
The battle fought northeast of the tower house was the last one in the canon of the "Irish Bruce Wars" that took place between 1315 and 1318. Edward Bruce , brother of the Scottish King Robert the Bruce , invaded Ireland and became High King in 1316. His goal was to create a Celtic empire. Edward also fell in 1318, at the Battle of Faughart, County Louth .
Two kilometers to the east is a disused burial ground called Mainister-na-stratha-dhubhé , which means: the monastery of the Black Lawn, a holy spring and a stone fort.
See also
swell
- ^ J. Frost: "The History and Topography of the County of Clare from the earliest times to the beginning of the 18th century". Dublin 1973.
Web links
- Description (Engl.)
Coordinates: 52 ° 54 ′ 51 ″ N , 9 ° 3 ′ 19 ″ W.