Church

The National Monuments Service's description

On a slightly raised natural mound overlooking the Drimneen River to the WSW. A detailed survey of this medieval church and associated graveyard (GA054-041001-) was undertaken in March 2008 prior to the realignment of a section of the N59, which runs NNW-SSE immediately to the W of the church. During the course of the survey, an ecclesiastical enclosure (GA054-041002-) and bullaun stone (GA054-041003-) came to light (Blakeman 2008). The church (15m E-W; 7.3m N-S) was constructed of coursed roughly dressed stone and, at the time of the survey, the E and S wall were in a collapsed state; one section of collapse in the S wall may have marked the doorway. The gabled W wall, though covered in ivy, was the best-preserved wall and the N wall survived to a height of 1.9m. Two lengths of walling (L c. 2m) extending off the W gable but not bonded to it, had probably been truncated when the road was built (ibid., 5-6). Killanin 1947, 124) referred to this building as the ‘remains of a priest’s house or an extension’. The church occupies the NE part of the ecclesiastical enclosure and is surrounded by the graveyard. (Gosling 1993, 103, no. 588)

Compiled by: Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 6 July 2023

Blakeman, B. 2008 Topographic survey of a church site and enclosure (GA 054:041) adjacent to the existing N59 at Laghtgannon townland, Co Galway. Eachtra Archaeological Projects. Unpublished report for Galway County Council.

References

Gosling, P. (compiler) 1993 Archaeological inventory of County Galway, vol. 1: West Galway. Dublin. Stationery Office.