Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Towards the N end of a low ridge (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 373). Centrally placed within a small rectangular graveyard (KK024-077002-). Annamult Castle (KK023-084001-) is located c. 450m to the NW and a medieval barn (KK023-022----) lies c. 380m to the WNW.
According to the OS Letters (1839) the church was known locally as ‘Teampall Beal Barr’ and it is described as having, ‘the side walls remain and the gables to the same height with them. There is a round headed window in the west gable four feet [1.2m] high and four feet [1.2m] wide on the inside; two feet nine inches [0.84m] high and five inches [0.12m] in breadth on the outside. There is a doorway twelve feet [2.6m] from the west gable in the south side, three feet seven inches [1.09m] wide inside and three [0.9m] only on the outside. The top is broken away so that its height cannot be ascertained and two of the cut stones only remain in each side. There is a broken window in the same side nineteen and a half feet [c. 6m] from the door. There is a broken doorway in the north wall opposite to that on the south and a broken window between it and the east gable. There is a round headed window in the east gable five feet [1.5m] high and four feet four inches [1.3m] wide inside; three feet six inches [1.06m] high and ten inches [0.26m] wide on the outside; the cut stone removed from its south side in front. The walls are two and a half feet [0.75m] thick, well built with large square stones and strong lime and sand mortar, the doors and windows built up with well cut brown grit stone. There is a small burying ground attached’ (O’Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 272-3 (92)).
Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 373-4) gives the name of the church as ‘Beál-Báirr, the Gap or Opening in the Hill’ and describes the church as, ‘rectangular in shape, the walls, which are still substantial, being built of very large stones. There are a door and a small window in each side-wall, and a small window in each gable, but all are broken and their features destroyed’. He dates the church to the 9th century (ibid. 373).

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 6 October 2021