Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Church
Portlecka, County Clare, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Portlecka
- County
- Clare
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Church (in ruins)
- Latest-edition OS map
- Church (in Ruins) (1920)
- Coordinates
- 52.92817, -8.99006
- SMR number
- CL025-070001-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1753 "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Situated within a graveyard (CL025-070002-) beside the RC church in Ruan village in a flat area with Port Hill rising to the S. The ruins of a late 15th-century church (int. dims. 17m E-W; 6m N-S; wall T 1m), known as Templemaraha, constructed of well-coursed limestone blocks with dressed quoins. All the church walls are base battered. A pointed doorway (Wth 1.15m; H 1.68m) in the S wall has a hanging eye on the W side and there is a damaged window embrasure towards the E end of the S wall. The E gable has a two-light ogee-headed window missing its central mullion and an aumbry almost at present ground level. Most of the N wall is reduced to a foundation course. A small chapel (int. dims. 8.55m N-S; 5.9m E-W) with much poorer stonework abuts the W end of the church to the S and obscures some of the stonework of the church doorway. There is a doorway (Wth 0.87m) in the E wall of the chapel and a gable in the S wall which has a slit window in a lintelled embrasure. Against the N wall of the chapel is a wall monument to Donogh O’Kerine dating to 1688 (CL025-070003-). Several possible 17th-century graveslabs (CL025-070004- and CL025-070007- to CL025-070019-), some with incised ringed crosses and some with plain crosses in high relief are lying recumbent within the church and another (CL025-070020-) lies within the graveyard. A large mausoleum built for the O’Loghlen family of north Clare lies to the N of the church. Ruan church is a national monument in State care, no. 17. (Westropp 1900-02, 142; Swinfen 1992, 112; Large 2010, 213-18)
The following images have been attached:
CL025-070001-_01.jpg Ruan church from the NE.
CL025-070001-_02.jpg Ruan church from the SW.
Revised by: Mary Tunney
Date of revision: 22 October 2018
References
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.
Swinfen, A. 1992 Forgotten stones: Ancient church sites of the Burren and environs. Dublin. Lilliput Press.
Nearby in the register
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.