Church

The National Monuments Service's description

On a steep S-facing slope overlooking an E-W valley. The parish church of Kilnamona listed as Kylnemua in the Eccleciastical Taxation of 1302. A rectangular structure (dims. 21.6m E-W; 9.57m N-S) of coursed limestone that has been conserved. The E gable with an ogee-headed window (Wth 0.18m; H 2.7m) has a square hood moulding with one decorated label. Only the base of the S wall (int. H 0.6m; ext. H 1.8m) survives with a doorway (Wth 1.1m), which Westropp (1900-02, 143) described as pointed and which had a stoup (O'Flanagan 1928, vol. 1, 64), towards its W end, but the dressed stones are now missing. There is a round-headed window (Wth 0.2m; H 1.48m) in a lintelled embrasure towards the E end of the S wall. Only the footing of the W wall survives, and the N wall is absent. The church is within a subrectangular graveyard (CL033-006002-) (int. dims. 42m E-W; 35m N-S) defined by a masonry wall, and there is a small socket for a cross in the graveyard. Toberlaughteen (CL033-006003-), dedicated to St. Laughteen, is a circular well (diam. 0.95m) with a corbelled canopy just SE of the graveyard. It was venerated on 19th March (ibid., 65), but there is no evidence of veneration now. Tobernatasha well (CL033-007001-) is c. 150m S of the church. (Swinfen 1992, 79-80)

The following images have been uploaded:
CL033-006001-_01.jpg Church from NE.
CL033-006001-_02.jpg E window exterior.
CL033-006001-_03.jpg E window interior.
CL033-006001-_04.jpg W window interior.
CL033-006001-_05.jpg Buttress at SW corner.
CL033-006001-_06.jpg Church from SW.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 13 April 2016

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1928 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Clare collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Typescript in 3 vols. Bray.

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.