Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Within the S end of a graveyard (LF006-032001-), c. 30m to the S of the remains of an Augustinian priory (LF006-032002-). In 1458 it was recorded that the status of this church had been changed from a dependant chapel into a parish church by Cormac, the Bishop of Ardagh (Cal. papal letters 1933, vol. 12, 1-2). This nave and chancel church (ext. dims. 19.2m E-W; 7.5m N-S; wall T 0.88m) is built of roughly coursed limestone rubble. Only the E gable and S wall are still standing. The foundations of the W gable are evident but no visible surface trace of the N wall survives. There are simple round-headed windows in the E gable and S wall of the chancel. The nave is a later addition and may have been added when the status of the church changed. The only architectural feature of note is a late-medieval round-headed window. The walls of the church have been repointed and the three windows have been reconstructed in modern times. A narrow, flat-headed doorway in the S wall of the chancel gives access to a small, rectangular, two-storey tower (ext. dims. 3.05m E-W; 2.95m N-S; wall T 0.92m) constructed of limestone and sandstone rubble: the first floor appears to be a later addition. The S wall at ground-floor level is pierced by a window with a segmental arch. (ITA Survey 1944; Columb 1978, 282-6; 2002, 27-56; O'Donovan 2003, 29)

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload:5 June 2013