Ecclesiastical enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

According to Comerford (1886, 78) this is the site of the 'cell' of St Farnan, a 6th century saint, and a holy well (KD013-009-) dedicated to St. Farnan lies c. 450m to the WSW. Tickell (1960, 408) records a reference to the later, medieval parish church (KD013-008002-) of Downings here, in a Royal Grant of 1627 to Sir Maurice Eustace. The monuments lie on the crest of a short, low, N-facing pasture slope, overlooking an extensive tract of bog to the N, and comprise; a possible early ecclesiastical enclosure (KD013-008001-) which contains a medieval parish church (KD013-008002-), a graveyard (KD013-008003-), a cross-inscribed stone (KD013-008004-), a fragment of a baptismal font (KD013-008005-), and the unlocated saints cell (KD013-008006-). A ringfort lies c. 200m to the E (KD013-007----).
A large D-shaped area (int. diam. c. 88m NE-SW) with a straight NW side (L c. 75m) is defined by a low, inner earthen bank (dims. Wth 4-5m; int. H 0.4-0.7m; ext. H 0.4-1.3m at S) SW-N-SE, and elsewhere by a low scarp (H 0.9m) whose external face is retained by a modern stone wall (av. H 1.2m; T 0.4m) which also retains the external face of the enclosing bank at E but which runs outside the bank along the S and on top of the bank along the N. A shallow fosse (Wth 1.2-2.5m at E; D 0.4-0.6m) runs outside the bank.

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy

Date of upload: 10 June 2011