Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in an enclosed graveyard (CL011-022004-), itself within an ecclesiastical enclosure (CL011-022001-) on a knoll of rock outcrop in gently undulating, low-lying pastureland, with wide views E to SW and overlooking Muckanagh Lough to the S. Indicated and named ‘Kilkeedy Church (in ruins)’ on the 1842 and 1920 eds. of the OS 6-inch map. Dedicated to St Caoide, patron saint of the parish. According to the OS Letters of 1839, the patron’s annual festival was celebrated here on 3rd March (Comber 1997, 38). This church is oriented E-W and is an undifferentiated nave and chancel (int. dims. 17.2m E-W; 6.2m N-S) with a sacristy or priest's house added at the E end of the N wall.

The walls (Wth c. 0.76m) are built of roughly coursed limestone with stressed quoinstones. All of the walls stand to their original height (c. 3.8m on int. of S wall) except the W wall which is reduced to a footing (and already had been when described in the OS Letters (ibid.)). The E wall has a base batter. The window in this wall is totally obscured by ivy but was recorded in the OS Letters (ibid.) as ‘a gothic window of considerable size and neatness’. Westropp (1900-1902, 138) also described this window as finely made, with two broad ogee-headed lights, and a semicircular head over the splay. He considered its N jamb to probably date to the late 12th century. Near the E end of the S wall there is a small round-headed window (Wth 0.11m; H 1.13m) set in a lintelled embrasure. A blocked-up square-headed doorway and an aumbry were noted in the SE corner by Swinfen (1992, 45). A plain round-headed doorway (Wth 0.88m; H 1.74m) near the E end of the N wall leads into the two-storey sacristy/priest’s house (CL011-022005-) which was built against the E end of the N wall.
Tie-stones at the E end of the exterior of the S wall indicate a former structure at that location.

A font (CL011-022007-) formerly stood in the middle of the church. Its present location is unknown.

The following image has been uploaded:
CL011-022003-_01.jpg View of church from SE

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 23 January 2023

References

Comber, M. (ed.) 1997 The antiquities of County Clare: John O’Donovan and Eugene Curry: Ordnance Survey Letters 1839. Clasp Press. Ennis.

Swinfen, A. 1992 Forgotten stones: Ancient church sites of the Burren and environs. Dublin. Lilliput Press.

Large, S. 2011 A church and graveyard survey in County Clare. Database and photographic record. Clare County Council. Clare Heritage Forum. The Heritage Council.

Westropp, T.J. 1900-02 The churches of Co. Clare and the origin of the ecclesiastical divisions in that county. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Series 3, vol. 6, 100-180.