Church

The National Monuments Service's description

National monument No. 85. A monastery was founded here by Neasán of Mungret (Mungairit) whose feastday fell on the 25th of July (Ó Riain 2011, 514-5). Church described in the Urban Survey (Bradley et. al. 1989, 188-95) as following: 'A simple rectangular church located immediately south of the Foynes road. It measures 12.35m north/south by 6.95m east/west internally. The walls (T 0.9m) are virtually intact; the north and south walls are c. 4.5m high and the east and west gables c. 9-10m high. The church is set on a plinth 18cm wide and up to 45cm high. The quoins are mainly limestone but some are of dressed sandstone. The masonry is coursed limestone rubble. The building cannot be assigned a precise date but is possibly pre-Norman. The east wall has a round headed window, c. 50cm wide and 110-120cm high, splayed, with rounded rear arch. There are no dressed stones but the inner and outer angles of the reveals have roughly dressed sandstone and limestone blocks. Below this is a blocked flat-lintelled doorway, slightly splayed. This is not visible externally as the outer wall face is clearly rebuilt. The north wall is featureless. The south wall seems to have had two windows, both blocked and neither visible externally. Internally the round rear arch of the western window is visible while one splay of the eastern one can be seen. The west wall has a flat lintelled door with inclined sides. There are two lintels; the outer one is a large block of very dark grey limestone roughly dressed and 2.33m long, 40cm high and 52cm thick. The inner one is modern. The outer jambs of the door are large blocks of sandstone and limestone but the inner jambs are modern.'
Church described in 1904-5 as following; 'The third and oldest of the churches lies to the north, and is possibly of the tenth century. It measures 41 feet [12.5m] by 23 feet [7m], the walls being nearly 3 feet [0.9m] thick and 14 feet [4.26m] high; the west door has a lintel and inclined jambs; the windows have round heads' (Westropp 1904-5, 368).

Compiled by: Denis Power

Date of upload: 5 February 2013

References

Ó Riain, P. 2011 A dictionary of Irish Saints. Dublin. Four Courts Press.

Bradley, J., Halpin, A., and King, H.A. 1989 Urban archaeological survey - county Limerick (3 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Westropp, T.J. 1904-5 A survey of the ancient churches of Co. Limerick. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 25C, 327-479.