The Archaeology of Ecclesiastical Estates in Early Medieval Ireland: a Case Study of the Kingdom of Fir Maige

Abstract

The first detailed archaeological study of ecclesiastical estates in early medieval Ireland. Using the fine-grained territorial framework of Fir Maige, the settlement archaeology of its three main ecclesiastical estates is analysed: those of Findchú, Molaga and Cránaid. Significant variations are noted. These may reflect varying emphases in clientship versus direct labour. Landscape archaeology can therefore make a significant contribution to understanding the socio-economic strategies of important ecclesiastical sites. Churches on the boundaries of both the estate of Molaga and the kingdom in which it lies are here seen as conscious expressions of christianisation and sovereignty when the latter was under threat. This illustrates how christianisation was often a political process as well as a religious one.