Church

The National Monuments Service's description

In a graveyard (CL015-083002-) in gently sloping pasture near the N shore of Liscannor Bay, with extensive views to E, S and W. Marked and labelled ‘Kilmacrehy Church (in ruins)’ on both the first (1840) and Cassini (1916) editions of the OS 6-inch map. 

 

Noted by Sheehan (1982, 39) among the early church sites of north Clare and, according to Westropp (1900-2, 109), reputedly founded ‘about 580’ by Saint Mac Creiche whose hagiography, Beatha Meic Creiche, survives in as a 17th-century transcription by Mícheál Ó Cléirigh (Plummer 1925, 7). However, De Paor (1979, 119) has challenged Mac Creiche’s historicity, arguing that the ‘saint’ may be a Christianised pagan figure. Ní Ghabhláin (1995, 48) lists Kilmacreehy as ‘a large parish church’ noting its inclusion in the Ecclesiastical Taxation of Ireland 1302-1306 when it was valued at 66s 8d. While the surviving fabric of the church is mainly later medieval in date, a section of cyclopean masonry attests the existence of an earlier church’s fabric in the structure (Westropp 1908, 205).

 

The church is a roofless rectangular and densely ivy-clad structure, orientated E-W, comprising a western nave (int. dims. L 11.91m E-W; Wth 5.78m N-S) with an only slightly smaller eastern chancel (int. dims. L 10.09m E-W; Wth 5.15m N-S) attached, and interlinked linked through a plain pointed chancel arch. A later, gabled entrance porch (int. dims. L 3.4m N-S; Wth 2.6m E-W) abuts the W end of the S wall. The nave and chancel are built of randomly coursed mortared masonry with stressed quoins, but traces of cyclopean masonry are visible in the lower courses of the N wall of the nave. The church’s N and S side walls and E gable wall stand to almost full height (side walls H c. 4m; E gable c. 6m) but the S side wall of the chancel collapsed in the 19th century and was partially rebuilt (H 2m). The W gable wall stands only to the height of the side walls but, according to Curry in the OS Letters 1839 (Comber 1997, 92), it had ‘a broken belfry on its top.’ The later porch is constructed from roughly coursed mortared limestone rubble (wall T 0.85m; S gable H 2.3m; E wall H 2m) with fragments of brick around the S-facing door.

 

The church is entered through a round-headed, chamfered and punch-dressed doorway (Wth 0.87m; H 1.42m) in the S gable wall of the porch. There is a single-light ogee-headed window in its E wall, a blocked window in its W wall, and a small single light of undressed stone above the doorway. Portlaw (1874, 13) reported that the porch had been ‘converted into a tomb or burying place of a branch of the McDonagh family’ and noted an inscribed memorial to the family. Curry had previously, in 1839, (Comber 1997, 93) recorded the following inscription:

 

‘Here resteth Nick, whose fame no age can blot

The Chief, McDonagh in old Heber’s lot [i.e. in Leath Mhogha]

Who while on earth reviv’d ye ancient fame

Of his own line and yt of all ye name.

His fixt religion was his actions guide,

And as he lived beloved, lamented died.

Erected in the year of our Lord God, 1745.’

 

Opposite the porch door, the earlier doorway in the nave’s S wall is pointed-arched and set in a rectangular embrasure with a hanging eye in the upper W corner, and there is a projecting stoup (diam. 0.29m) immediately inside to the E. 

 

The nave is lit by single square-headed window (Wth 1.76m; H 1.35m) in a flat-headed embrasure in the S wall. Externally, two projecting corbels/tie-stones on the outer face of the nave’s N wall suggest that a structure may once have been attached outside. Externally, drain holes are visible just below the coping on the N walls of both the nave and chancel.

 

The chancel is lit by a twin-light ogee-headed window (Wth 1.38m; H 2.4m) in a round-arched embrasure with external square hood moulding in the E gable wall.  Small hanging eyes and spud-stones to carry shutters survive and an unusual bolt-hole projection is visible in the central mullion. Curry in 1839 (Comber 1997, 93) recorded two windows in the S wall of the chancel, but these were not retained when this wall was rebuilt. They were apparently single lights because Portlaw (1874, 13) described them as resembling ‘exactly one of the lights of the east window’.

 

The N wall of the chancel contains a niche with a canopied tomb. The feature is arched with a pair of cinquefoil arches and an intervening quatrefoil ope. The hood-moulding has the head of a bishop at its apex, now concealed by ivy, with animal heads decorating its terminals. An accompanying inscription is illegible. Westropp (1908, 207) recorded that the monument was reputed to be the tomb of Mac Creiche with the mitred head being a likeness of the saint. 

 

A second canopied tomb or sedilia was formerly present in the S wall of the chancel. It was described by Curry (Comber 1997, 93) as a ‘pointed niche in the wall, built of very well cut stones… surmounted by a head in stone dressed in a flat cap’ Based on Curry’s description and some surviving architectural fragments, Westropp (1908, 204) made a reconstruction drawing of the feature showing a pair of pointed arches with a Solomonic (barley-sugar) mullion and a hood moulding with label stops decorated with serpents with bars in their mouths. The head had previously been identified by Mason (1814-19, vol. 1, 489) as being a representation of ‘Saint Manaheen’. Fragments of this tomb (Wth 2.2m; H 2.3m; D 0.4m) have been rebuilt into the S wall of the chancel. 

Also in the S wall of the chancel, near the E end, is pair of aumbries; the lower slightly larger (Wth 0.4m; H 0.35m; D 0.4m) than the upper (Wth 0.28m; H 0.24m; D 0.44m). 

A rectangular recess (H 1.5m; Wth 0.8m; D 0.4m) in the N wall of the chancel, beside the chancel arch, may be a blocked-up doorway. 

 

The interior of the church is filled with grave slabs and headstones. 

 

There is a bullaun stone (CL015-083003-) W of the church within the graveyard. ‘Tobermacrehy’ (CL015-081----), a holy well associated with Saint Mac Creiche is c. 465m to the W and ‘Mac Creehy’s Bed’ (CL015-084----), a natural outcrop of rock in Liscannor Bay with folkloric association with the saint (De Paor 1979, 95) is c. 405m to the S. 

 

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Eve Campbell

 

Date of upload: 8-10-2025

References

Portlaw, M. 1874 Notes on some ancient churches near Lisdoonvarna. The Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland 3(17), 13-15. 
Westropp, T.J. 1908 Ancient remains near Lehinch, Co. Clare. Limerick Fieldclub Journal 3(12), 193-212. 
De Paor, L. 1979 Saint Mac Creiche of Liscannor. Ériu 30, 93-121. 
Comber, M. (ed.) 1997 The antiquities of County Clare: John O’Donovan and Eugene Curry: Ordnance Survey Letters 1839. Clasp Press. Ennis. Sheehan, J. 1982 The early historic church-sites of North Clare. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 24, 29-47. Mason, W.S. 1814-19 A statistical account or parochial survey of Ireland, 3 vols. Dublin. Faulkner-Press.

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.

Large, S. 2011 A church and graveyard survey in County Clare. Database and photographic record. Clare County Council. Clare Heritage Forum. The Heritage Council. Ní Ghabhláin, S. 1995 Church and community in medieval Ireland: the Diocese of Kilfenora. The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries 125, 61-84.