This chapter re-examines the evidence for local ecclesiastical and other burial sites in pre-Viking Ireland. It compares local churches and cemetery settlements in pre-Viking Ireland with those found in England and Wales. The chapter describes the density of the pre-Viking ecclesiastical sites in Ireland, church density and social structure in Anglo-Saxon England, and the local ecclesiastical sites in Cornwall and Wales.

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Type of publicationArticle (peer-reviewed) In particular, most of those with antae are in the east, while most of those without antae are in the west. It is shown that this regionalism cannot be interpreted as a deliberate strategy of material differentiation on the part of particular politico-cultural groups. A reconsideration of the chronology suggests that many of the antae-less churches are relatively late, and so the division is primarily indicative of differences in the period and rate of mortared church construction, something that is influenced by both environmental and cultural factors. It is suggested that differences in church dimensions between east and west are indicative of subtle economic differences; and a range of archaeological evidence is used to sketch other economic and cultural variations. These patterns highlight the importance of exploring regionality, even when studying relatively cohesive entities such as early medieval Ireland.

Original citationTomás Ó Carragáin (2005) ABSTRACT The results of a masonry analysis of the majority of Irish pre-Romanesque churches are presented. A number of local styles are identified in high-density areas, mostly in the west of the country and it is shown that the differences between these styles were not determined by geology. It is argued that these styles represent habitual variation and are therefore indicative of local groups of masons working over a relatively short period of time. This assessment is supported by an analysis of stone supply that suggests that quarrying was organised in an ad hoc manner to supply local needs. These churches are normally placed within a broad timeframe spanning the tenth to early-twelfth centuries but a number of factors combine to suggest that the habitual styles are a relatively late development, perhaps mainly from the mid-eleventh century onwards. Some of the implications of this proposed refinement of the existing chronology are briefly discussed.

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