Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Religious house - unclassified
Kellymount, County Kilkenny, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Kellymount
- County
- Kilkenny
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Site of Abbey
- Latest-edition OS map
- Abbey (Site of)
- Coordinates
- 52.68550, -7.06116
- SMR number
- KK015-032001-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesUniversity Library, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
In broad fairly steep-sided N-S valley with small near vertical-sided (H 2-3m) stream gorge at the bottom. Fair views along and across valley. The fields are mostly reclaimed grassland. The site of an abbey is indicated at this location on the 1st (1839) ed. and 1900 ed. OS 6-inch map. O'Kelly (1969, 94), describes the site of the abbey 'here recorded as Mainstrelondrode, possibly Mainistir an lontsrotha, abbey of the fierce flowing stream, is by the stream rushing down from Coorleagh on the left bank and a small walled-in area recorded on the O.S. sheet as a church [KK015-032002-] is on the opposite side. In this abbey St. Finbarr of Cork received his early education'. O'Brien (1955, 17-18) refers to it as the 'ancient monastery of Kilmacahill...an important centre of Christian culture in the 6th century'. According to O'Kelly (1953, 24-5), 'what little remains of the Abbey is now covered with brushwood and briars and local inhabitants state that the then remaining walls were used long years ago to build the road bridge that spans the stream a few hundred yards to the north'. There is no visible trace of this monument at ground level.
Compiled by: Jean Farrelly
Date of upload: 7 March 2016
References
O'Kelly, O. 1969 (Reissue 1985) The place-names of County Kilkenny. Kilkenny.
O'Kelly, O. 1953 Kellymount Old Abbey. Old Kilkenny Review 6, 23-5.
O'Brien, S. 1955 The ancient parish of Kilmacahill. Old Kilkenny Review 8, 17-18.
Nearby in the register
- Churchunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- House - 17th centuryunder 1 mi
- Tunnelunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.