Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a S-N peninsula (dims c. 170m N-S; c. 30-40m E-W) which juts N from the W shore of Lough Allen and which might at one time have been an island close to the shore. There are no known medieval references to this church, although it may have been a possession of St Mary’s convent at Adcarn (RO006-103003-). Traditionally, this is thought to be the site of a nunnery known as Tarmon Abbey (McParlan 1802, 103), and in the 1830s John O’Donovan recorded the name as Teampull na gCailleachadh Dubha – Church of the black-clad old women (nuns) (Herity 2012, 420), and it is recorded on the OS 6-inch maps as ‘Temple na galliagh doo’. This area is described as church land under the names Ballea, Derricknawa, Carragha, Largavrill, Aghamore, Attnagarow and Taronymore, on the Down Survey (1656-8) map of Inishmagrath parish, and while most of these names are now unknown the land may have belonged to this church rather than the church (LE020-003001-), c. 1.3km north along the lake-shore. For the Down Survey map see this web-page accessed on 16/12/2016: http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/down-survey-maps.php#bm=Drumaheir&c=Leitrim&p=Inishmacra
The church is an overgrown rectangular mortared limestone structure (ext. dims 15.6m E-W; 6m N-S) of which most of the N, E and the E part of S walls survive (H 1-4m; Wth 1.05m), together with cairn material. The W side of a window embrasure towards the E end of the S wall is evident but Davies (ITA Survey 1943) noted in addition that there was an E window and a S doorway, although no diagnostic features were visible. There is no evidence of any other structures; nor is there evidence of an enclosure or of burial.

The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Leitrim' compiled by Michael J. Moore (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2003). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled and revised by: Michael Moore

Date of revised upload: 16 December 2016

References

McParlan, M.D. 1802 Statistical survey of the county Leitrim. Dublin.

Irish Tourist Association. Surveys undertaken in the 1940s for the Irish Tourist Association (now Fáilte Ireland) relating to ‘Natural features, antiquities, historic associations etc.' Extracts from these surveys were copied into the Topographical files of the Office of Public Works and these have been incorporated into the Sites and Monuments Record files (National Monuments Service).

Herity, M. (ed.) 2012 Ordnance Survey Letters: Londonderry, Fermanagh, Armagh-Monaghan, Louth, Cavan-Leitrim. Dublin, Fourmasters Press