Church

The National Monuments Service's description

On a NNW-facing slope in pasture, within the SW half of a graveyard (LF014-052002-), c. 170m to the ENE of Newtownbond House (LF014-131----). In the medieval period this church may have been known as Kilmoyle Church; Newtownbond townland was formerly part of Kilmoyle townland (Morgan 2000, 13-14). An early 17th-century map of Granard barony (BL, Cotton MS Augustus I.i.47) depicts it standing close to a motte with a castle on its summit (see LF014-043---- and LF014-043001-).
This much-ruined small undivided rectangular church (ext. dims. 9.3m E-W; 6.25m N-S; wall T 0.8m) is constructed of randomly coursed rough masonry. Scarcely more than the foundation levels of the S, W and N walls survive. The lower portion of an apparently single-light window is evident in the E wall. The original doorway is not recognisable. Within the interior there is a 17th-century graveslab (LF014-052003-). The exact date of the church is unknown but it is possible that it functioned as a mortuary chapel associated with Newtownbond House in the 17th century. (ITA Survey 1944)

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 5 June 2013

References

British Library, Cotton Manuscripts, Augustus I. Charts of the baronies of Granard, Rathcline, Longford, Ardagh, Shrule and Moydow, County Longford. London. (microfilm, NLI p. 1364)

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).

Morgan, K. 2000 Cill Eó; the church of the yew, our faith story. Athlone. Killoe Parish Pastoral Council.