Church

The National Monuments Service's description

On a flat-topped hill, surrounded by pasture. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 4, 45), the name Kilree is derived from Cill Ruidhche, after St Ruidhche, a female saint who is commemorated on the 8th of February. A round tower (KK027-044003-) and high cross (KK027-004404-) are located 7m to the NW and 55m to the W respectively. This church has two main phases of building, the original church, now the nave, dates to the 10th/11th century and in the second phase, possibly in the 12th century, a chancel was added to the E. In the later medieval period the church was further modified. The original church (int. dims. 8.57m E-W; 5.72m N-S; W wall T 0.87m), with antae, is built of limestone rubble, roughly coursed. It was entered through a plain trabeate doorway (Wth at top 0.86m; Wth at base 0.89m; H 1.76m) in the W gable. The antae (Wth 0.83-0.88m) project out 0.3-0.36m from the gables. There is evidence of a window in the S wall, only the splaying base of the embrasure survives, 1.89m above the internal ground level, the embrasure and window being broken out. When visited by O’Donovan (OS Letters) in 1839 (O’Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 63) the W doorway was blocked up and he describes a doorway which had been inserted at the W end of the S wall, though the surround was broken out. This is evident internally where masonry is broken out (Wth 1.6m) and externally where the opening was blocked up, projecting out slightly. In the side walls there are three levels of putlog holes for cantilevered scaffolding (Ó Carragáin 2010, 312). In 1945-6 the church was thoroughly repaired, the W gable was reduced in height and two buttresses were built to halt the outward splay of this gable (OPW topographical files).
The chancel (int. dims. 9.86m E-W; 5.8m N-S; side walls T 0.9m) was added to the E, the side walls being keyed into the existing projecting antae. At this stage a large portion of the E gable was broken out to form a large round-headed chancel arch which is built of cut stone jambs and voussoirs, the latter springing from a plain projecting impost, only evident on the SE face. At a later phase this arch, which lacks a distinct keystone, was compromised and a cruder pointed arch, with voussoirs set on edge, was inserted within the earlier archway. The chancel has two single-light windows in the S wall, one 1.65m from the E gable and 1.6m above internal ground level, has a roughly round-headed sandstone window head which appears to be reused. It sits awkwardly on the limestone jambs which have an external chamfer and glazing-bar holes. The other window, within a splaying embrasure 1.05m above internal ground level, is at the W end of the S wall, the window ope is blocked up but is not visible externally. There may also have been two windows in the N wall, one at the E end and one towards the W end where is a suggestion of an E splay, though in both cases the masonry is broken out. The E window, which does not survive, is described by O’Donovan (ibid.) as being, ‘a large window in the east which is decidedly modern and now nearly destroyed’. A doorway (Wth 1.48m), now blocked up, was inserted centrally in the E gable and broken out masonry above this has also been blocked up. Within the E gable there are two flat-headed single-light windows with glazing-bar holes at roof level, roughly either side of the doorway. There is a piscina at the E end of the S wall (Wth 0.49m; D 0.42m; H 0.53m), the inner surround of which is broken out. The W gable, particularly the quoins at the SE angle, incorporates several reused architectural fragments, including a stone with a roll-moulding. Within the chancel there is an altar tomb (KK027-044006-) and two graveslabs (KK027-044007-; KK027-044008-).
(National Monument No. 76)

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 30 January 2017

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1930 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Kilkenny collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Bray.

Ó Carragáin, T. 2010 Churches in early medieval Ireland: architecture, ritual and memory. New Haven and London. Yale University Press.

Carrigan, Rev. W. 1905 (Reprint 1981) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory, 4 vols. Kilkenny. Roberts Books and Wellbrook Press.