Church

The National Monuments Service's description

The well-preserved remains of this church are situated in a graveyard (KE080-016----) on the lower slopes of Coomduff mountain. Overlooking an extensive tract of bog to W, the site is associated with St Lonan, in whose honour a pattern was formerly held here on the 3rd of March (OSL). Alternatively known as Srugreana, the church is located close to the site of a castle (KE080-017----) and is situated about 230m NW of St Gobnet’s holy well (KE080-018----). In 1494 the taxation records of the Diocese of Ardfert listed the parish church of 'Agalasidurryn' [Aglish KE058-024001-] which was at that time joined to the parish church of 'Chilloneayn' [Killinane] in the same diocese whose vicar was John O'Sullivan (O'Connell and Costello 1958, 41). It is included in the listing of parochial churches in the diocese in 1622. Its incumbent minister in 1633 was Thomas Harris, who was also minister of the parishes of Cahir and Glanbehy, when it was listed as under the patronage of Edwardus Spring (TCD MS 2158, 94, 37). It was in ruins by the mid-eighteenth century (Smith 1756, 70).
The church measures 17.45m x 5.5m internally. The walls survive to full height and are built of coursed rubble. The interior of the building is obscured by tombs and grave-markers. The E gable stands 6.34m high and is lit by a single-light ogee-headed window with splayed ingoings and a lintelled rear arch. The ope is formed with dressed and chamfered sandstone blocks, which survive at its head and upper jambs. The upper pivot-hole for a shutter is preserved. To N of the window is a partly obscured rectangular aumbry. Abutting the wall beneath the E window is an altar formed of a rough, mortared slab base, 2.08m x .76m, capped by two over-sailing slabs.
Close to the E end of the N wall is a flat-headed window with splayed ingoings and a lintelled rear arch. The ope is 1.55m high and was formed with dressed and chamfered sandstone blocks, most of which are missing. A pivot-hole for a shutter survives in the sill-stone. A similar window, partly obscured internally by a tomb, is located near the E end of the S wall. It is poorly preserved and measures at least 1.35m high.
The pointed doorway in the S wall features jambs of roughly dressed sandstone blocks and an arch of pitched slabs which rests on triangular springers. Much of its E jamb no longer survives. The splayed ingoings of the doorway retain a drawbar socket and channel, and just above the level of the segmental rear arch is a pair of putlog-holes. A small stoup or font, with an ogee-headed ope, is set in the NE angle of the doorway.
A series of beam-holes on the internal face of the W gable indicates that a wooden gallery or loft may have existed at this end of the church. Below the apices of the internal face of both gables are recesses for collar-beams, while setbacks for end-rafters survive on both gables. Along the side-walls a series of closely spaced, tilted, projecting slabs are located just below eaves level externally; these served to drain the roof. A large number of incised grooves occur on an area of rock outcrop near the SW corner of the church.

The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 1092. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

See attached drawings and photograph of church taken from O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan 1996, Fig. 228 and Plate 93

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of Revised upload: 21 November 2022

References

Smith, C. 1756 (Reprint 1969) The ancient and present state of the county of Kerry. Cork. The Mercier Press.

OSL - Ordnance Survey Letters. Letters written by members of the Ordnance Survey's 'Topographical Department' (T. O'Conor, A. O'Curry, E. Curry, J. O'Donovan and P. O'Keeffe) sent to headquarters from the field (1834-41). MSS in Royal Irish Academy.

O'Sullivan, A. and Sheehan, J. 1996 The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry. Cork University press.

O'Connell, J. and Costello, M.A. 1958 Obligationes pro Annatis Diocesis Ardfertensis. Archivium Hibernicum, 21, 1-51.