Church

The National Monuments Service's description

In the N side of a graveyard (KE058-024----), immediately N of the ruins of Aglish church (KE058-024001-). This is the remains of the former C of I parish church of Aglish, the upper portion of the walls of which have been knocked inwards filling the interior. It has a rectangular nave (15.5m E-W; 8.16m N-S; H 1.75m). The bases of three windows are visible in the S wall and there is a large window in the E wall. The square one-storey base of a tower (H 4.2m) occurs at the W end with partially collapsed remains of a first-floor brick vault which supported an octagonal tower erected in 1822 (Lewis 1837, vol. 1, 21). The vestry is at the E end of the N wall. In 1866 during a storm the W tower collapsed and fell down through the roof of the church which resulted in the abandonment of this church (Murphy 2012, 19-21).

In 2009 a graveyard survey carried out by David Yates and Ann Frykler of Headland Archaeology Ltd. on behalf of Kerry County Council, recorded the following details about the Aglish Church: ‘To the northern portion of the graveyard are the ruinous remains of two churches. The most recent ruin, listed on the RMP as KE058-024002, has retained its entire footprint which includes a three-bay nave, a small single-bay extension to the northeast and the remains of a bell tower to its front (west) elevation. The walls range between heights of 1 and 4m's being at their tallest at the former bell tower. Its interior has been entirely in filled with rubble stone and earth. The standing walls are of dressed rubble limestone, having tooled limestone quoins to the corners. Tooled limestone sills survive to the side (south) elevation of the nave and front (west) elevation of the extension, while the remains of a tooled limestone sill and associated window jambs survive to the front (west) elevation of the former bell tower. A now blocked square-headed door opening is located to the front elevation of the bell tower, with a chamfered ashlar limestone block and start surround and lintel with tooled limestone label moulding. The fragmentary remains of a secondary door opening are also present to the rear (east) elevation of the nave and consist of chamfered ashlar limestone surround that reaches a height of 1.5m. There are various identifiable loose architectural fragments located to the in filled interior of the church which includes fragments of window and door surrounds. These fragments appear to be secure however due in part to the vegetation growing on and around it. Located just to the south of this structure are the fragmentary remains of a second older church ruin, listed on the. RMP as KE058-024001 which survives as an L-profile section of rubble stone wall approximately 1.5m high. Both churches are identifiable on the first edition OS map of 1829-41, with the earlier Roman Catholic church (KE058-024001-) being identified as a ruin at this time. It appears that the later Church of Ireland church (KE058-024002) was still standing at this time as it was at the time of the later OS survey (1897-1913) where the earlier church appears in its current state as an L-plan footprint' (Yates 2009, 9-10).

See attached plan and photographs courtesy of David Yates

See attached 1835 plan and elevation drawings of Aglish C. of I. church drawings by James Pain, courtesy of the Representative Church Body Library, (James Pain, “Aglish Church. Diocese of Ardfert. No. 33. [Plan] South Elevation. James Pain ,” RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, accessed November 21, 2022, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/8409.)

Compiled by: Elizabeth Byrne, Ursula Egan and Sheila Ronan, Archaeological Survey Unit, University College, Cork.

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of Revised upload: 21 November 2022

References

Lewis, S. 1837 A topographical dictionary of Ireland, 2 vols. London. Lewis and Co.

Yates, D. 2009 Archaeological Survey, Aglish Graveyard, Aglish, County Kerry. Unpublished report by Headland Archaeology Ltd. for Kerry County Council.

Murphy, J.A. 2012 The Church of Ireland in Co Kerry, a record of church & clergy in the nineteenth century.