dalkey island

A small treeless island 300 yards offshore from Coliemore harbour, where row-boats may be hired.

The island is uninhabited and its main interest is the early church dedicated to Saint Begnet near the landing place on the west shore. It has prominent antae and a massively lintelled doorway with slightly inclined jambs. The original roof was probably thatch or shingles, but medieval slates discovered in the course of excavation show that the church remained in use for some considerable time. The bell cote on the west gable is also a late addition.

Alterations were made to the interior of the building at the beginning of the nineteenth century when it was temporarily occupied by the workmen who constructed the Martello tower on the island.

On a weathered rock outside the church is an inscribed cross in a circle, a relic perhaps of the first monastery here, possibly in the sixth or seventh century.<