Garfinny Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Garfinny Church |
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Teampall na Gairfeanaí
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 Garfinny Church
Location in Ireland
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| 52°08′53″N 10°14′03″W / 52.147965°N 10.2342°W | |
| Location | Garfinny, Dingle, County Kerry |
| Country | Ireland |
| Denomination | Catholic (pre-Reformation) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | ruined |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | greenschist, clay |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Ardfert and Aghadoe |
Garfinny Church is an old church that is now in ruins. It is located in County Kerry, Ireland. This church is also a National Monument, which means it is a very important historical site protected by the country.
Where is Garfinny Church?
Garfinny Church stands in an ancient graveyard. This graveyard covers an area of about 0.776 hectares, which is roughly the size of one and a half football fields. It is located about 2.3 kilometers (or 1.4 miles) east-northeast of the town of Dingle.
What Does Garfinny Church Look Like?
Today, only one part of the old church remains. This is the east gable, which is the triangular upper part of a wall at the end of a building. This remaining wall is about 3.7 meters (or 12 feet) tall. It is built from a type of rock called greenschist.
Stories from the Graveyard
In the graveyard, there is an old stone with a special message carved into it. This message tells the story of a family called Kennedy. It explains that Maurice and James Kennedy were the sons of John Kennedy. Their grandfather, also named John Kennedy, moved his family from a place called Nenagh in Ormond to the Garfinach area. This move happened a long time ago, during a period in Irish history when many families had to leave their homes.
The stone was placed there in 1816 by Jos. Kennedy and Reverend James Kennedy. They were the sons of James Kennedy mentioned on the stone. This inscription helps us understand how families moved around Ireland many years ago. It shows how people remembered their family history and where they came from.
