Church

The National Monuments Service's description

On the summit of a low hill in grassland. According to Gwynn and Hadcock (1970, 394), this is the site of an early monastery. The remains of a round tower (GA106-103005-) survive in the surrounding graveyard (GA106-103003-). On inspection in April 1983 the rectangular church (18.6m E-W; 7.7m N-S) was very poorly preserved. A possible internal dividing wall formed a small annexe (7.15m N-S; 5.9m E-W) at its E end. This was probably the 'apartment' noted in the OS Letters (O'Flanagan 1927a, Vol. 1, 492-3). The internal wall was the best preserved wall; only short sections of the N and S side-walls extending off it survived. Grassed-over foundations indicated the line of the W gable, the W end of the N wall and the outer E gable. A large amount of collapse marked the E end of the latter wall. The only surviving architectural feature was a single-light rectangular window which was centrally placed in the internal wall, indicating that the annexe was a later addition and that the internal wall was probably the original E gable. Numerous architectural fragments, many bearing Romanesque ornament, were scattered around the graveyard. On re-inspection in July 2011, it was noted that the window in the internal wall had collapsed. An earthfast piece of worked granite (Wth 0.36m; H 0.34m; T 0.27m), roughly square in plan, noted at the SE corner of the church may possibly be an unfinished font or pedestal. A settlement cluster (GA106-103002-) surrounds the monument.

Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG

Date of upload: 10 March 2020

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1927 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Galway collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Typescript in 3 vols. Bray.

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.