Abstract
PROF. J. P. O'REILLY'S paper, although mainly antiquarian, presents certain points of scientific interest worth attention for their novelty and possible application elsewhere. The two churches in question are easily accessible from Dublin, but they have not been fully and sufficiently examined. The author examines what is known of the saint to whom both the churches are said to be dedicated, giving citations from the public records relative to the saint's name and its various forms. He shows that there are at least four different saints of the name of Begga mentioned having different festival days, and points out the admitted uncertainty existing as to the dedicatory saint in question. As a solution, he takes into account the orientation of Dalkey Town Church, assuming that the church was oriented to the rising sun of the saint's festival day. The older or western part of the church is oriented E. 8° 10′ N., while the newer or eastern part or chancel has that of E. 9° 30′ N. He finds the sun to present a northing corresponding to these figures between April 11 and 15 on his passage northward, and between August 29 and September 2 on his passage southwards. “As regards,” he says, “the festivals of saints mentioned as occurring between August 29 and September 2, the nearest in date would be that of St. Bega (September 3) (the saint venerated at Dunbar).” Hence he draws the conclusion that she was the particular St. Bega to whom the church was dedicated.
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The Orientation of the Ancient Churches of Ireland 1 . Nature 69, 140 (1903). https://doi.org/10.1038/069140a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/069140a0