Church

The National Monuments Service's description

The church, known as Tully Church, is located beside a lane way at the foot of the Dublin Mountains. This was an early diocesan centre known as Tulach na nEpscop. There were eight bishops associated with the church by the eighth century. Its Patron Saint was St. Brigid (Anon 1900, 183, Turner 1983 61-62, O'Brien 1988, 512-513). The church remains comprise a chancel, with wall footings for the side walls of the nave which is narrower. The nave appears to be the earliest portion, the E wall has a 13th-century chancel arch cut into it. A narrow ope above the chancel arch has an entrance opening into the nave. The church is built of random granite blocks with dressed granite quoins. The chancel (int. dims. L 8.50m, Wth 5.50m) is entered through a round arch. It is lit by two deeply splayed round arched windows in the E gable and single round-arched windows in the side walls with bar holes visible in the jambs. The church stands within a series of external enclosures (Corlett 2014).

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy.

Revised upload on: 14 April 2018.

References

O'Brien, E. 1988b Churches of south-east county Dublin, 7th to 12th century. In G. Mac Niocaill and P.F. Wallace (eds), in Keimelia: studies in medieval history and archaeology in memory of Tom Delaney. Galway, 504-24. Galway University Press.

Anon. 1900 Excursion to Tully, Rathmichael, Kiltiernan and other places in south County Dublin. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 30, 180-92.

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

Corlett, C. 2014 Tully church, Laughanstown, Co. Dublin. In C. Corlett and M. Potterton (eds) The church in early medieval Ireland in the light of recent archaeological excavations, 93-108. Wordwell. Dublin.