Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ecclesiastical enclosure
Donaghmore, County Kildare, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Donaghmore
- County
- Kildare
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicted
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.37698, -6.55315
- SMR number
- KD006-005001-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1799 "Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
According to Gwynn and Hadcock (1970, 380), this is 'Domhnach-mor-maige-luadat' ("the great church of Nuadhat's plain (Maynooth)") where St Erc, a disciple of the 6th century St Senan, was bishop, and the 'Donagh' (Domhnach) element in the townland name does suggest a possible Patrician foundation. In open, gently undulating pasture immediately S of Carton Demesne, and separated from it by the Royal Canal, a railway line and road. A very poorly preserved large, roughly circular, outer enclosure (est. diam. c. 130m) is defined by a low, earthen bank (Wth 5m; H 0.25m) NE-E-S, with traces of an external fosse (Wth 7m; D 0.6m) between E and S. The enclosing elements stop at S where the site is approached and entered by an apparently contemporary, embanked roadway (Wth 6-7m; traceable ext. L 52m N-S) defined on each side by an earthen bank (Wth 3.5m; H 0.4m) which widens (Wth 8.5m) just inside the outer enclosure and runs towards to a central area (int L 28m N-S) occupied by a roughly oval-shaped graveyard (KD006-005004-) which is the original location of an ogham stone (KD006-005002-) and which contains a medieval church (KD006-005002-), and which may overlie the site of an original inner enclosure (est. diams c. 60m NW-SE; c. 45m NE-SW). There is no obvious visible surface trace of an outer enclosing element from S-W-NE, but traces may survive under the railway embankment between N and NE. The SE sector of the interior is sub-divided by a low earthen bank (Wth 4m; H 0.5m; L 36.5m NW-SE)) running between the two enclosures (CUCAP ATA028, 1967; AYR049/050, 1969; Killanin and Duignan 1967, 372).
Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy
Date of upload: 10 June 2011
References
Killanin, M.M. and Duignan, M.V. 1967 (2nd ed.) The Shell guide to Ireland. London. The Ebury Press.
Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.
CUCAP - Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs. Unit for Landscape Modelling, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. See:https://www.cambridgeairphotos.com
Nearby in the register
- Ogham stoneunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.