Church

The National Monuments Service's description

The medieval ruins of the church of St. Caoimhghin (Coemhin/Kevin) in the townland of Abbotstown (Kylmekynyn), parish of Castleknock is located on a high point in the N quadrant of an oval-shaped graveyard (DU013-020002-) with holy well (DU013-020003-) to SE. On the 1837 ed. OSi 6-inch map the church is shown standing in the centre of a smaller rectangular-shaped graveyard. On Rocque's 1760 map of Dublin the church is shown standing beside a road connecting Castleknock to Abbotstown, which is shown on the 1837 ed. OSi 6-inch map. According to D'Alton (1838, 589); 'An inquisition of 1547 finds that the tithes of Abbotstown belonged to the prebendary of Mullaghiddart, and were, with those of Damestown, of the annual value of £ 11 10s.'. The 1654-56 Civil Survey of Dublin recorded that in 1641 that on the lands of Sir John Dungan an 'Irish Papist' there was 'The walls of an olde Chapple. The Tythes belonge to the Parsonage of Mallahidert' (Simington 1945, 245).
Fragments of the N (L 7.6m x H 2.5m x wall T 0.97m) and W walls (L. 5.5m) are all that survive of the church. These are built of randomly coursed masonry. At the W end of the N wall is a door rebate with draw bar hole in the E jamb. There are two splayed opes and putlog holes also in this wall. The ground falls away steeply S of the church where there is an enclosing stone-faced fosse (Wth 4.7m x D 1.6m). This is replaced by a wall along the W and N side of the site, which appears to be built on an earlier earthwork of the earlier enclosing element of the small rectangular-shaped graveyard depicted on the 1837 ed. OSi 6-inch map.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Updated by: Christine Baker

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 24 April 2023

References

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

D'Alton, J. 1838 (Reprint 1976) The history of the county of Dublin. Cork. Tower Books.