The opening sentence of this lavishly produced book authoritatively announces that it intends to look at the one hundred and eighty or so surviving churches that were built in Ireland between the arrival of Christianity in the fifth century and the early stages of the Romanesque period—around 1100. As Tomás Ó Carragáin points out in his introduction, which is really a brief historiography of the subject, scholars have previously relied on the pivotal publications by George Petrie, the Earl of Dunraven, Arthur Charles Champneys, and Harold G. Leask.¹ Churches in Early Medieval Ireland: Architecture, Ritual and Memory is a welcome addition to an understanding of this much neglected period of architectural history that has lost out to the better preserved and more impressive churches of the Romanesque. It is not, as the publisher’s blurb announces on the fly leaf, the first such book on the subject, but it certainly is the most recent. Over nine chapters (and an epilogue), Ó Carragáin builds on these past studies and moves into hitherto unresearched areas and aspects of this architecture that both enlighten and open new avenues for future research. The approach throughout the volume is chronological and thematic, and the “narrative” flows nicely from chapter to chapter

The period dealt with is a difficult one as there is no extended architectural history; in many ways it is a series of buildings of differing and problematic dates with some localized and relatively dense offshoots that may or may not be part of a larger picture. It is with difficulty that any complete picture can be reconstructed, but this study gets as close to it as is possible. It is also a period in which the other arts predominate, whether manuscripts, metalwork, or sculpture. We are all familiar with the Book of Kells or Dimma, the many high crosses, and the fine assemblage of shrines that date to this period, but we remain ignorant of where these works were actually used and what the structure of the churches of this period were. The best-known buildings to date have to be the equally problematic rounds towers, which are also discussed in this book. The architecture of the period is deceptive in its simplicity, and Ó Carragáin argues that the relatively humble straightforward design of most churches was a conscious choice, based either on their builders’ faith or in veneration of an older model given to them by their first and unidentified teachers.

As outlined in the introduction, the historiography of these churches focuses on past study in terms of their being the result of a combination of native and foreign influences. This, in turn, established a set of firmly held beliefs by past historians. Some of these theories were accurate while others were misguided; many of the latter are debunked in this volume. The book refuses to perpetuate historical inaccuracies, and Ó Carragáin wisely and microscopically examines anew many previously held theories. The first, long-held idea to be looked at is that these churches were based on wooden models, despite the fact that none have survived. This is examined in the first chapter, “Opus Scoticum: Churches of Timber, Turf and Wattle.” Ó Carragáin points out the dearth of archaeological evidence; but, using what is there as well as other sources, he argues that the simple rectangular/square shape of the Irish church had its origins in Romano-British models. This chapter details the relationship between this antiquated form and the belief that it related to the Temple—which, Ó Carragáin suggests, resonated in Ireland. He analyzes such elements as wall and roof construction, form of the building, antae, finials, and iconography. It is clear that of all the possible influences discussed in this book, Ó Carragáin believes Romano-British to be the strongest.

The short second chapter, “Drystone Churches and Regional Identity in Corcu Duibne,” leads readers down a particularly interesting dead end road in that it looks at one of the best-known but isolated groups of buildings—those drystone churches of peninsular Kerry (southwest Ireland) in Corcu Duibne. These include the most celebrated example of Gallarus Oratory—a spectacular monument that stands at the apex of this localized assemblage but which never led to any large-scale architectural movement. The thirty-six surviving examples in this group did not exert any influence elsewhere and stand apart as a unicum, but for Ó Carragáin they are a statement of difference in that they were consciously used to indicate political and social independence. The third chapter, “Relics and Romanitas: Mortared Stone Churches to circa 900,” looks at mortared stone churches to ca. 900. This method of construction was selectively used up to ca. 1100, at which stage it became more widespread. Its early usage relates to status and was restricted to important churches as a statement of power and importance. Looking at sites such as Armagh and Duleek, Ó Carragáin argues that their plans and layouts reinforced associations with both Jerusalem and Rome. The final section of this chapter focuses on what he calls shrine-chapels (small, single-chambered, eighth- and ninth-century mortared buildings with antae and a western-facing doorway), which Ó Carragáin argues held the relics of the associated saints.

The fourth chapter, “Pre-Romanesque Churches of Mortared Stone, circa 900-1130: Form, Chronology, Patronage,” examines pre-Romanesque mortared stone churches (ca. 900–1130), and moves chronologically into the next period when the previously selective way of building became more widespread. This is the core of the book in terms of surviving remains, and these are dealt with under the sub-headings of form, chronology, and patronage. Using a finely detailed historical, social, and political background, Ó Carragáin paints a convincing picture of localized structures, which although not conforming to any idealized pattern are, at the same time, relatively united. His interdisciplinary approach to the study of these buildings is particularly impressive. The problem lies in their dating, which Ó Carragáin indicates is not secure and yet which forms the core of his analysis. As a general rule, he dates these buildings much earlier than comparative studies.

The fifth chapter, “Architecture and Memory,” looks at the conservatism of these buildings and the role it had on the worshipper. This was a period of drastic architectural change elsewhere, but Ireland stands apart in its adherence to simple, traditional forms, even when the structures were successively rebuilt. Ó Carragáin’s thesis that architecture was used to construct social memory is particularly interesting and convincing when applied to these buildings. It centers on the idea that the founding saints concertedly choose the rectangular church form, and it was important to preserve this in homage to them. Later worshippers experienced the original building and thereby preserved tradition. The sixth chapter, “Architecture and Ritual,” continues this analysis by looking at the role of ritual in perpetuating social memory. Ó Carragáin brings the reader into the building to see how they were used—where the altars were placed, where was the sacristy, library, etc. Baptism is discussed in relation to the Gregorian reform before the narrative shifts to look in chapter 7, “Sacred Cities and Pastoral Centers after 900,” at the development of these churches into larger population centers. It was at this point that single altar churches proliferated at main ecclesiastical sites. These were independent buildings away from the main churches, and they followed urban planning principles. Ó Carragáin describes them as examples of symbolic urbanism, many of which harkened back to Rome and Jerusalem.

The penultimate chapter, “Architecture and Politics: Dublin and Glendalough Around 1100” and the last, “Relics and Recluses: Double-Vaulted Churches Around 1100,” move the reader into the growing influence of the Romanesque. The first of these examines Dublin and Glendalough around 1100 and looks at the ecclesiastical rivalry between the two sites which had its origins in local politics. The chapter introduces the arrival of “foreign” influences, a topic continued in the final chapter with a study of double-vaulted churches. This small sub-set of churches was built at a few sites around 1100; some, if not all, according to Ó Carragáin, may have been shrine chapels lived in by anchorites. These belong to a wider European tradition, and are also found at a slightly later date in Germany. They herald the end of the native form swept aside by the Romanesque. The book’s epilogue ends the story and looks at the shadows and afterlife of these buildings.

Churches in Early Medieval Ireland uses many current and fashionable terms in its analysis, and yet they work surprisingly well. They do not seem forced, which is a testament to Ó Carragáin’s scholarship. It is also a book with a number of predominant undercurrents that although slightly unsupported by the surviving evidence seem convincing when proposed here. Among these is his firm belief as to why Ireland employed this antiquated form, his earlier dating structure, and his interesting theory of Jerusalem and Rome being the models on which Irish churches were based. All of these lie at the heart of the book. It is difficult to find fault, although one annoying weakness is the poor captions to the superb images. The reader is left wondering where the many works reproduced in the volume are now to be found—do they have locations, inventory numbers, dimensions, etc? It is standard policy to list such elements in the captions, but they are sadly lacking in this work, leaving this reader frustrated at times and having to go elsewhere to fill in the missing data.

Despite its coffee-table format, this is not a general book, nor is it a textbook. It is a book for the specialist, but that reader may come from different backgrounds as the story recounted here nicely interweaves a variety of available materials to support its claims and beliefs—be they art historical, religious, archaeological, textual, linguistic, or historical. This is a book destined to place these much neglected buildings in their rightful context as part of, yet apart from, the early medieval architectural history of Western Europe.