Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Religious house - Premonstratensian canons
Trinity Island, County Cavan, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Trinity Island
- County
- Cavan
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Trinity Abbey
- Latest-edition OS map
- Trinity Abbey (in Ruins)
- Coordinates
- 53.98627, -7.46310
- SMR number
- CV020-077001-
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 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
The priory of Holy Trinity, Lough Oughter, founded by grant of Cathal O'Reilly in 1237, was a daughterhouse of the Premontratensian abbey of Trinity Island, Loughkey, Co. Roscommon (Gwynn & Hadcock 1970, 206). Situated at the centre of a now disused, roughly oval-shaped graveyard (dims. 56m N-S; 40m E-W). Remains comprise ivy-clad W gable and portions of N and S walls of a rectangular church (int. dims. c. 16m E-W; c. 5m N-S) with a transept on S side (int. dims. c. 6m N-S; c. 5m E-W) which appears to have been added during restoration of the priory in the 17th century. Walls of main body of church have a pronounced base batter. Main entrance in W gable, which it is believed, may have been originally adorned by the celebrated Romanesque doorway (CV025-071002-) now at the modern cathedral of Kilmore. Additional blocked entrance with masonry arch at W end of S wall. Fenestration includes large pointed window with chamfered ashlar jambs directly above W gable entrance and stray fragments of window spandrels, tracery and mullions of 15th-century date, scattered about the graveyard. W gable may have been surmounted by a small belfry. A bevelled cross-base with square socket and possible ringed cross-head, and a grotesque head (1712) which is now in the National Museum, were noted at the site in 1948. (O'Connell 1937, 242-289; Davies 1948, 99-109)
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cavan' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1995). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.
Date of upload/revision: 22 December 2008
References
O'Connell, P. 1937 The Diocese of Kilmore: its history and antiquities. Dublin. Browne and Nolan.
Davies, O. 1948 The churches of county Cavan. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 78, 73-118.
Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.
Nearby in the register
- Stone headunder 1 mi
- Crossunder 1 mi
- Crossunder 1 mi
- Architectural featureunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.