Church

The National Monuments Service's description

In flat low-lying grassland, some 770m W of Kinvarra Bay. The remains comprise a medieval church (ext. dims. 25.3m E-W; 7.6m N-S) with residential quarters at its W end. The church consists of a rectangular nave (int. dims. 11.6m E-W; 7.6m N-S; wall T 0.75m) with a later chancel (int. dims. 4.2m E-W; 3.9m N-S; wall T 0.75m). The 2-storey residence (int. dims. c. 7. 3m E-W; 4.75m N-S; wall T 1.3m) was probably added in the 17th century when the French family are thought to have housed several Franciscans in a renovated section of the church (Korff and O’Connell 1985, 3). All the walls and the chancel arch survive to almost their original height but they are heavily overgrown with ivy. The main architectural features of the nave include a pointed-arch doorway in the N side-wall, with an alcove to its W, and a flat-headed doorway in the S side-wall. There is a single-light ogee-headed window in the E end of the latter wall. A two-light ogee-headed window, with well-dressed embrasures and a decorated mullion, survives in the E gable of the chancel. There is also a small round-headed window in its S wall and an alcove is visible beneath it. The residential quarters comprise two ground-floor chambers. The smaller E chamber (c. 2m E-W) is entered directly from the church and also via a pointed-arch doorway in its N wall. Opposite this a spiral staircase accessed the 1st-floor. In the main chamber (int. dims. 4.75 N-S; 4m E-W) corbels indicate the floor level. Windows occur on both floors of the N and S side-walls and there is a fireplace at 1st-floor level in the W gable. Alcoves are evident in most of the walls on both floors. The surrounding graveyard (GA102-029001-) contains mainly 18th-century graveslabs and the impressive burial vault of the French and de Basterat families.

Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG

Date of upload: 10 February 2020

References

Korff, A. and O'Connell, J. 1985 Kinvara: a rambler's map and guide. Kinvarra.