The first ecclesiastical settlement at Knockanevin was established in the 7th century by St Molaga. Molaga was born in Fermoy and travelled across to Scotland, then down to Wales and became a follower of St David. It is said that in Wales he learned the art of bee-keeping and a colony of bees followed him back to Ireland, thus he became known as the first person to introduce bee-keeping to Ireland. Despite Molaga’s early attempts St Gobnait is still considered the patron saint of Bees and Beekeeping in Ireland! On his return to Ireland he founded a monastery at Timoleague and also here at Labbamolaga. The original monastery would have been a wooden structure and the earliest stone building at Labbamolaga dates to around the 9th or 10th century. What is quite interesting is the entire site is enclosed by a very large wall and outside of that there is a large circular enclosure, this can be seen easily on maps. The circular enclosure also contains the remains of a stone circle, with four stones now remaining, originally it was believed there were eight. Local folklore describes the stone circle as being the petrified remains of four robbers who stole from the church and were turned to stone by Molaga himself.
The older stone structure is a small oratory that was built in the 9th or 10th century as a monument to St Molaga himself. This red sandstone structure measures 4 metres by 2.7 and has projecting antae, the door is in its western wall and is formed from three massive stones. It is believed that the saint is interred under a horizontal slab set against one wall of the oratory with a scroll like carving marked on it, and in a sense this is the reason for the name Labbamolaga, as in Irish Leaba would be bed, hence the Bed of Molaga. The second church was built in the 11th or 12th century and served as the parish church for the area however this was described as already being in ruin by 1615.
The site at Labbamolaga is an interesting and thought provoking place and is certainly worth a visit if you are passing through North Cork.
GPS: 52.31076, -8.34778