Killelton
About a mile from Derrymore on the road towards Camp, a laneway leads up to the left at a driveway to several large, new houses. To the right off this driveway is a narrow track, part of the Dingle Way, which leads to a stream. Beyond the stream lies the abandoned, ruined village of Killelton (Cill Eilthín, St. Eltan's church) where ivy grows profusely on the cluster of buildings, its thick roots clinging to the rough surfaces of the stone walls. Tall nettles bar doorways; holly, fuchsia, ferns, brambles, thistles, honeysuckle and foxgloves abound; butterflies and crickets enjoy the profusion. The hill behind the ruined houses is densely covered with holly; and hawks may sometimes be seen here against the backdrop of the mountains of Caherconree and Baurtregaum.
Once this quiet and deserted place with its magnificent view over Tralee Bay was a community of many families, but they were evicted by the landlord in the 19th Century. Later, three brothers lived here, farming the land around collectively without benefit of fences. But the historical interest of Killelton extends much further back.
On the left at the west of the village lie the ruins of an early oratory. The interior of the oratory measures 5 metres long and about 3.5 metres wide. A particular and evident feature is the plinth at the bottom of the north and south walls, a feature characteristic of a number of early oratories. During restoration in 1984 a holed stone similar to pivot stones at Gallarus oratory was found, and this ruined shell of a building must once have been similar both to the oratories at Reask and Raingiléis, now also ruined, and to Gallarus, which is wonderfully well preserved. The restoration has certainly changed the appearance of the site from its overgrown state of a few years ago, and the height of the walls of the oratory has been substantially increased in the process. The oratory is surrounded by low walls which make an almost square enclosure, within which there are also the scant remains of two rectangular buildings.