Nendrum monastic site, Mahee Island, Killinchy, Co Down, BT23 6EP

Nendrum monastic site contains the remains of an early Christian ecclesiastical settlement. It lies at the SW end of Mahee Island, an L-shaped island near the W shore of Strangford Lough, now approached via a causeway. The site appears to have been abandoned in the 1400s and was largely forgotten until rediscovered in 1844. The remains we see today were largely excavated in 1922-24, and some buildings ‘reassembled’, however, the finds were poorly recorded and the extent of the accuracy of the ‘restoration’ of the site is not clear and have presented problems of interpretation ever since. The site today consists of three concentric enclosures with the remains of dry stone walling. At the N side of the outer cashel is a small circular stone lined hollow which was apparently once a kiln. The middle cashel contains the foundation remains of a small rectangular building to the W side, which may have been a school, as well as the foundation outlines of other small buildings. To the S side of this section is a small timber-built 20th century building now used as a visitor/display centre. The inner cashel contains the most substantial remains, that of the small-ish rectangular church and of a round tower. The remnants of a sun dial have been assembled and attached to the church walls as has an inscribed panel commemorating the 1922-24 excavations. The inner cashel walls have several entrances. A detailed description of this site can be found the official Environment & Heritage Service leaflet (1997) and the Archaeological Survey of County Down (1966).