Church

The National Monuments Service's description

The medieval parish church of Ardagh was a prebend of the Archdeacon of Limerick (Begley 1906, 272; 450) and was possibly built on the site of a pre-Norman church dedicated to St. Molua. Ardagh Church was described in the Urban Survey of Limerick as following; 'This was a pre-Norman church site. This suggestion is based on its dedication to Molua, the fact that the land belonged to the see of Limerick at the beginning of the thirteenth century, and the fact that the church gave its name to one of the deaneries of the medieval diocese.
The ivy covered ruins of a late medieval church are situated to the rear of the modern R.C. church. Only parts of the roughly coursed rubble limestone north and south walls survive. The level within the graveyard (LI028-013003-) is raised and the top of the south wall is now only c. 3.5m above ground. There is a row of chamfered tapering corbels along the top of the wall to support a roof and the building was lit from the south by three single-light deeply splayed ogee-headed windows with rounded rear arches. The windows have chamfered limestone jambs; the centre one is blocked but has red sandstone jambs. To the west of the windows there is a break in the wall which may have been a doorway. The north wall is featureless. Broken rounded piece of limestone set in the wall of the lane leading down to the church. It has a chamfered edge, an incised marginal line and a recessed triangle in the centre. Dims: W.35 H.13" ' (Bradley et. al. 1989, vol. 1, 49-50).
After the Synod of Cashel in 1172 the diocesan church in Limerick was reorganised and the Archdeacon was granted 'the church of St. John's, near the city wall, with its appurtenances, together with the churches of Kildecolum, Kildimo, with land and other appurtenances, and all the spiritual benefices of Ardagh, with their appurtenances' (Begley 1906, 129). In 1298 Maurice le Marescal, quite claimed to the bishop the land of Ardagh (ibid. 144).
The medieval church was described in 1906 as following; 'It measures about 20 feet (6m) in breadth, but its length cannot be well determined, as the western gable has entirely disappeared. Judging, however, from what remains, it was considerable, as 72 feet (22m) of the south wall remains. About one hundred and fifty paces to the south of the church there is a holy well dedicated to St. Molua, who probably founded one of his monasteries here' (Begley 1906, 105-6).

The following description of this monument is taken from 'The Urban Archaeological Survey of County Limerick' compiled by John Bradley, Andrew Halpin and Heather A. King (Office of Public Works, 1985).

Compiled by: Denis Power

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 24 September 2018

References

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.

Begley, J. 1906 The Diocese of Limerick ancient and medieval. Dublin.