Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Known locally as Baldongan Castle the church is a National Monument (No. 310) in state care. Located within a walled graveyard (DU005-037002-) on a prominent hill summit. It is a plain well built rectangular building with residential west tower of 15th-century date. It was granted to Kilbixy c. 1190 but by agreement with the bishop money was also paid to the cathedral from this church. In 1630 it was described as being in a ruinous condition needing a roof for many years (Ronan 1941, 70).
This is the medieval parish church described in the Civil survey (1654-6) as 'ye walls of ye parish church' (Simington 1945, 67). It has a divided nave and narrower chancel, the division marked by broken masonry or tie - stones (int. dims. Nave 12.70m E-W, 6.85m N-S; Chancel 12.10mE-W, 6.85m N-S). The nave has opposing pointed arched doorways towards W end. There are double-arched recesses on N and S wall of the chancel with a carved shield portraying the crucifixion, altar, candles and angels inset into S recess. The chancel contains an aumbrey in the E wall and remains of a dressed stone window with two plain windows in S wall.
The west tower is entered from the nave, through a pointed arched doorway. It is three storeys high, roughly square in plan (3.4m N-S, 3.6m E-W) with projections on N, S and W wall. The stairwell in the W projection is lit by slit opes. Barrel vault over ground floor and timber floor over first floor. The chimney breast in E wall is carried on corbels. Double bellcote over E wall. Traditionally there are views of thirteen counties from the top.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Updated by: Christine Baker

Date of upload: 15 November 2014

References

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1945 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. VII: county of Dublin. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Ronan, M.V. 1941 Archbishop Bulkeley's Visitation of Dublin, 1630. Archivium Hibernicum 8, 56-98.