St. Finbarr's Oratory, Guagán Barra, Cork

St. Finbarrs Oratory, built on an island in Guagán Barra/Gougane Barra,, where the River lee rises, near Ballingeary, a Gaeltacht area in west Cork. St. Finbar is the patron saint of Cork, he was a hermit here and is said to have built a monastery on the island during the 6th Century AD, Guagán Barra, translates as "the rock of Barra or Barras rocky place".

Later in history during the Penal Laws it was a focal point for celebration of the Roman Catholic mass when it was illegal to have a one, people would travel from miles around over perilious circumstances to reach this remote area in order to practice their faith. The church above is from the 18th/19th century I believe, the older monastery is nearby.