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Although apparently a simple structure, Gallarus Oratory is considered one of the jewels of Irish architecture. Located on the Dingle Peninsula of Ireland's County Kerry (along the Wild Atlantic Way, above the harbour at Ard na Caithne), it has withstood the raging North Atlantic storms of Ireland's West for 1200 years, virtually intact. Fittingly, the Gallarus takes the shape of an overturned boat at rest. The stone enclosure surrounding the Oratory suggests sacred ground, perhaps a form of cloister.

The ingenious construction employs a method known as corbelling. A dry stone method, using no mortar, the stones are laid in independent horizontal rings; each stone overlaps the one beneath it, ultimately creating an arch, while at the same sloping downwards to the outside, with the effect that the interior is kept entirely dry. Once the arch has been sufficiently achieved, the remaining opening is closed off with a capstone. This method is still used by farmers to construct clochans or beehive huts.