Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a gentle NE-facing slope down to a SE-NW section of the River Shannon which is c. 50m to the NE, and just outside the North gate of Jamestown (LE031-082001-). This is the parish church of Jamestown, which was built in the 17th century and is first mentioned as Kilshreenan in 1683 (Logan 1971, 323). It is within a triangular graveyard (LE031-082009-) defined by masonry walls, and is probably on the site of St Triannan's or Srianan's church, which is first mentioned as Ceall Srianáin in 1310 (Ó hInnse 1947). Ceall Srianáin is treated as a parish church in 1477 (Bradley and Dunne 1988, 27), and in 1492 it is recorded that Hubert, the son of Maelruanaigh Mac Rannell, heir to the chieftainship of Conmaicne Rein, and sixteen others were slain and burnt in the church of Cell Srianain by Eoghan, son of Tighernan Mór Ua Ruaric (AU) or by Cathal Oge Mac Rannall and Muinter Carolan (AFM). The seventeenth century church is a rectangular structure (ext. dims 17.2m ENE-WSW; 7.95m NNE-SSW) surviving complete with good walls (T 1m; H c. 4m) and quoins. The W doorway (Wth 1.77m) and the large E window are restored. There is one window embrasure in the N wall and three window embrasures in the S wall, but no dressed stone survives. Archaeological testing (97E0306) c. 60m to the W produced no related material (Ryan 1998).

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 by: Michael Moore

Date of revised upload: 17 October 2019

References

Bradley, J. and Dunne, N. 1988 Urban archaeological survey - county Leitrim. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

AFM - Annals of the kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters from the earliest period to the year 1616, ed. and trans. John O'Donovan (7 vols., Dublin, 1851; reprint New York, 1966)

AU - Annála Uladh, The Annals of Ulster; otherwise Annála Senait, Annals of Senat; a chronicle of Irish affairs, 431-1131, 1155-1541, ed. W.M. Hennessy and B. MacCarthy, (4 vols., Dublin 1887-1901)

Logan, J. 1971 Tadg O'Roddy and two surveys of Co. Leitrim. Journal of Cumann Seanchas Breifne (Breifne Historical Society) 4 (14), 318-34.

Ó hInnse, S. (ed.) 1947 'Mac Carthaig's Book', Miscellaneous Irish Annals (AD 1114-1437). The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

Ryan, F. 1998 Jamestown. No archaeological significance. in I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1997: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 109, no. 319. Bray. Wordwell.