Church

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, within a graveyard (LF023-032002-). St Eiche is associated with an early foundation at Kilglass (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 390). In 1407 the parish church of St Echich was assigned to Maurice Macgillavanaeim, archdeach of Ardagh (Cal. papal letters 1904, vol. 6, 120) and in 1465 William Obranaguyn was the perpetual vicar (ibid. 1933, vol. 12, 535). The rectory was leased to Walter Tirrell of Dublin in 1542 (Nicholls 1994, vol. 1, 38). A church is depicted on an early 17th-century map of Ardagh barony in ‘Aghnesherg’ (BL, Cotton MS Augustus I.ii.25), an area that roughly corresponds with this townland. McNamee (1954, 680-81) recorded that, although no remains survived, a mound in the graveyard was traditionally believed to mark its site. In 1977 (SMR file) the grass-covered foundations of the church (dims. c. 9m E-W; 6m N-S) were evident and a number of graves were set in a line across its W end. No architectural features were noted apart from a fragment of a round-headed window, which was incorporated into the stile beside the entrance gate. The interior of the graveyard has been levelled in recent times and no visible surface trace of the church survives. Some memorials have been removed and built into the surrounding graveyard wall. An octagonal cross-shaft (LF023-032004-) has been cemented on top of the wall beside the stile and a stoup (Lennon 2005), probably also from the church, has been incorporated into its fabric. A motte and bailey (LF023-033----) lies c. 40m to the SSW.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 4 June 2013

References

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.

Nicholls, K.W. (ed.) 1994 The Irish fiants of the Tudor sovereigns during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Philip & Mary, and Elizabeth I, 4 vols. Dublin. Éamonn de Búrca for Edmund Burke Publisher.

McNamee, J.J. 1954 History of the diocese of Ardagh. Dublin. Browne and Nolan.

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)

Cal. papal letters - Calendar of entries in the papal registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: papal letters, 1198-1484 [etc.] (London, 1893-)

SMR file - Sites and monuments record files in the National Monuments Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.