Church

The National Monuments Service's description

The church stands within a walled graveyard, located on the summit of a S facing slope. There is a curve in the NE section of the boundary wall, which may indicate the previous existence of an early ecclesiastical enclosure. This is a plain rectangular building (L 10.6m, Wth 5.5m, Wall T. 0.74m-0.90m) built of randomly coursed granite blocks; there are larger blocks used in the lower courses of the building. The corner quoins are dressed. The E and W gables are still standing; the upper portion of the E gable wall is narrower creating a ledge. There is a stepped entrance in the E end of N wall (Wth 1, 63m). Levels have risen outside the church, burying the lower portion of the building.
A round-headed E window is formed from dressed granite and is set into a deep, widely - splayed embrasure. There is a lintelled doorway centred in the W gable (H 1.43m)(Now blocked) (H 0.82m, Wth 0.12m) and a partially blocked pointed doorway in the S wall (H 1.02m, Wth 1.70m). The external wall has been buttressed. A granite font sits in the E window embrasure. This is round, flat-bottomed with a funnel shaped interior (H 0.30m, max. Wth, 0.59m). A cross-incised granite slab lies outside the SE corner of the building (L 0.45m, Wth 0.46m, T. 0.12m). (Pers. comm. Chris Corlett). (Wakeman 1891, 697-702; 1900, 188-190; Turner 1983, 46).

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy.

Revised upload on: 14 April 2018.

References

Turner, K. 1983 If you seek monuments: a guide to the antiquities of the barony of Rathdown. Rathmichael Historical Society.

Wakeman, W.F. 1891b Primitive churches in county Dublin. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 21, 697-702.

Wakeman, W. F. 1890-1 On the early forms of inscribed Christian crosses found in Ireland. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 21, 350-8.