Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in grassland, with Coonagh castle (LI025-002002-) and Cahernahallia River 215m and 160m to W respectively. Mentioned in the 1302 Ecclesiastical Taxation of the Diocese of Emly as the 'Chapel de Novo Castro [Casteltown]', listed in the Deanery of Tipperary (Cal. doc. Ire., 288).
Present remains consist of an undivided single cell church with broken out doorway at W end of S wall. The church is built with rubble walls with long and short dressed limestone quoins. Only the lower chamfered jambs on the W side of the doorway remain intact with pyramidal-shaped chamfer stop visible. A hanging eye is visible on W side of doorway with drawbar slot opposite on E side of doorway embrasure. No evidence of a window in the W gable which appears to have been partially rebuilt with a row of putlog holes or wooden beam holes visible in external face. A broken out single light window is visible at E end of S wall. A large portion of the central section of the N wall is no longer upstanding. A pointed dressed stone piscina is visible at E end of S wall. The unglazed dressed limestone twin light ogee-headed E window is missing its central mullion and has spandrels decorated with a three leaf possible oak plant motif. This window stands inside a dressed chamfered pointed arch window embrasure of late medieval date. A post-1700 buttress has been built up against external face of E gable close to NE angle.
Castletown church described in 1840 as 'the supposed, ruin of a Friary. The walls are about 10 feet [3m] high, and in length and breadth respectively about 40 feet [12m] and 20 feet [6m]. It is now used as a burial-place, though but few interments take place in it' (OSNB, 353). The Ordnance Survey letters described the church ruins as; ‘The old Church of this Parish is still in tolerable preservation, but not more than four centuries old. It is forty nine feet [15m] in length on the inside and twenty feet [6m] in breadth. Its side walls are about ten feet [3m] in height and three feet [0.9m] in thickness and well built. The east gable contains a window which is pointed on the inside, but square at the top on the outside, where it measures about six feet [2m] in height and eighteen inches [0.45m] in width. The south wall contains a narrow window placed at the distance of three feet five inches [1m] from the east gable and measuring on the outside four feet four inches [1.3m] in height and five and a half inches [0.13m] in width and widening to three feet on the inside [0.9m]. The doorway, which was placed on the south wall at the distance of ten feet [3m] from the west gable, is destroyed except a small corner of its west side. The west gable is destroyed down to the height of the side walls and there is a breach in the north wall, but all the rest are in very good preservation. This building was never divided into a nave and choir’ (OSL, 130-1).
Westropp (1904-5, 384) recorded the following details on Castletown; ‘A parish in Coonagh, named from the MacBriens' Castle [LI025-002002-]. Fabric - It is of the fifteenth century, 49 feet [15m] long; the walls being 10 feet [3m] by 3 feet [0.9m]. The east window has a pointed light and oblong splay. The south wall has a slit near its east end, and a defaced door; the west end fell before 1840 (O.S.L. 9, p. 430)'.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 07 January 2019

References

OSL - Ordnance Survey Letters. Letters written by members of the Ordnance Survey's 'Topographical Department' (T. O'Conor, A. O'Curry, E. Curry, J. O'Donovan and P. O'Keeffe) sent to headquarters from the field (1834-41). MSS in Royal Irish Academy.

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

OSNB - Ordnance Survey Name Books. Pro-forma books arranged by Civil Parish for recording townland and other name-forms and compiled in the course of the OS 6-inch survey 1824-1841. The name books also include minor names and incidental references to antiquities. National Archives of Ireland.

Cal. doc. Ire. - Calendar of documents relating to Ireland 1171-1307, ed. H.S. Sweetman (5 vols., London, 1875-86).