Irish Architecture | Briefing | Professor Roger Stalley

Early Architecture in Irreland & Romanesque Architecture in England

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Irish Architecture in the Early Middle Ages: c. 500–1200 AD
Professor Roger Stalley

In this discussion of early medieval Irish architecture, the traditional 'formalist' approach has been largely abandoned, not least since few buildings survive from the first five centuries. The aim is to highlight 'issues' accompanied by a selection of monuments which illustrate the distinctiveness of Irish architecture and which shed light on what is happening elsewhere in Europe. Also, this section will introduce students to such basic matters as the importance of timber, the links between liturgy and building, the innate conservatism of the Church, building techniques, etc. Selecting one monument would be misleading since the very idea of large ecclesiastical buildings was renounced by the Irish Church in sharp contrast to the building trends seen elsewhere in Europe during this period. Until the 12th century, Irish religious architecture retained a simplicity that forms a puzzling contrast to the intricate skills encountered in metalwork, manuscript illumination, and stone sculpture produced by and for the same community.

We must bear in mind that the churches and towers which can be seen today are not representative of Irish architecture as a whole. Most belong to the era after c. 900 and it is difficult to form a reliable picture of the first four or five centuries of Christian building. To supplement the physical remains, it is necessary to use documentary sources, including annals, ancient laws, and the lives of the saints, the latter providing some useful hints about architectural practice at a time when virtually all churches were constructed of wood and have thus long since disappeared. These sources are further supplemented by archaeological field work at various sites. But this source of information is sometimes hampered by the fact that many monastic ruins continued to be used as burial places thereby compromising the integrity of the architectural remains.

Although not a single wooden church survives, there is considerable information about their design. Some were evidently quite large, as indicated by a grim entry in the Annals of Ulster for 850, which records the burning of 260 people in a wooden church at Trevet in county Meath. Clues about the appearance of wooden oratories can be gleaned from painting and sculpture. The temple depicted on folio 202v in the Book of Kells shows a church with an ornate roof of shingles (wooden tiles), emphatic 'barge-boards' (defining the edge of the roof) and carved finials on the top of the gables.

Dublin, Trinity College, The Book of Kells, fol. 202v

Irish Roof Types (Leask)

Many questions remain unanswered regarding the careers of the builders of early Irish architecture. Some valuable insights may be gleaned from a rather convoluted legal text which outlines the charge which might be imposed for the construction of both wood and stone churches, as well as round towers. Costs varied according to the size of the building and the quality of the materials. A 'derthech' (wooden church) measuring 15 by 10 feet was worth the equivalent of ten heifers, but if the roof was made of shingles rather than rushes, it was twice the cost, being the equivalent of ten cows. The text also explains how the charges were allocated: 'a third of it for trade (i.e. profit for the builder?), a third for materials, and a third for diet, and for workmanship , and for smiths.' (Footnote: Petrie, Round Towers, pp 364–6; The passages have been examined at length by Long, Medieval Glendalough, chapter 5. ) Although the text may date as late as the 13th century, it seems to reflect the practices of an earlier age, demonstrating that building was a professional business, which needed regulation. The complexities no doubt increased with the development of stone building, which added to the range of skills required, calling for professional teams of quarriers, masons and layers.

The relevance of Ireland in the context of European architecture is that the country never formed part of the Roman Empire, and builders therefore lacked direct knowledge of the classical traditions of architecture that were familiar to builders elsewhere. Some ancient techniques survived in use from the pre-Christian world: post and lintel construction was retained until the 12th century, in preference to arch construction as used by the Romans; corbelled roofs of stone were erected in preference to Roman techniques of vaulting; and there was little interest in integrated or coordinated planning within the monasteries.

But Ireland did not remain completely isolated from European Christianity. As early as the 5th century 'four-cornered churches' were erected, in other words churches with rectangular plans emulating those abroad. The use of stone beginning in the 10th century reflects another link with Rome and continental Europe.