Between 800 and 1300 the island and its churches were repeatedly plundered and burned by invaders, so the buildings are in ruins today. Six of the island's churches are surrounded by an enclosure in the southeast corner of the island.
Teampall Mór
Teampall Mór stands within four metres to the north of Teampall Diarmada. It consists of a single nave. Its plain masonry walls are in relatively good condition. There are two lancet windows at the east end, which are long, narrow and recessed. The windows on the south side have the appearance of later additions and are unsymmetrical. All traces of doors have vanished, but the opes, which have been arched and protected by the Board of Works, seem to indicate the position of a west door and an entrance on the north side to the cloister. An upper chamber exists.
The interior walls of the church were once plastered. The walls have lost their distinctive features of detail, except for the east window, which is similar in construction to that of the Teampall Clogas. The interior arch of the east window is circular, built of four stones. The exterior has only two stones forming a pointed arch.
There is the remains of an altar, built of rubble work but without the altar slab. The door in the south wall of the nave has a circular moulding. The north door is only a gap.
This church is situated a short distance to the south of the cluster of churches. It is more modern in appearance than any of the others. At the north-west corner is a more modern chamber with no visible entrance. Near this church, half buried with its face downward is a stone bearing incised on its surface a Celtic interlaced cross with an Irish inscription. [8]
