Church

The National Monuments Service's description

The site of the medieval parish church of Drumcondra is situated on a rise in an undulating landscape. A church at Drumgorrach is listed in the ecclesiastical taxation (1302-06) of Pope Nicholas IV (Cal. doc. Ire. 5, 261), and Nicholas Fleming is recorded as the pastor here in 1388 (Cogan 1862 70, 2, 294). Ussher (1622) describes the church as in reasonable repair while the chancel was undergoing repairs (Erlington 1847-64, 1, xcii). According to Dopping’s visitation (1682 5) the church was dedicated to St. Peter and Robert Parkinson was the rector but the church had been ruinous since 1641 and it was not enclosed (Ellison 1973, 5). The present Church of Ireland church was built in 1766 (Lewis 1837, 1, 514) but it is now closed.
There is no evidence of the medieval church apart from a cross-slab and a font in a rectangular graveyard (dims c. 68m NW-SE; c. 40m N-S; at E to c. 56m NNE-SSW at W) defined by masonry walls. The cross-slab is described (Bradley and King 1985, 36) as a sandstone slab (dims 0.58m x 0.32m; T 0.12m) with a ringed cross cut deeply into the stone leaving the quadrants raised. The font is rectangular (ext. dim. 0.57m; H 0.4m) with chamfered corners (Wth 0.12m) and under panels, and has a circular, flat bottomed basin (diam. 0.47m; D 0.27m). There are holes on the rim for a cover (Roe 1968, 114), but it has now been moved to a position outside the church at Siddan (ME006-056004-). The motte and bailey (ME006-011----) is c. 200m to the SW.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 12 December, 2014

References

Erlington, C. R. (ed.) 1847-64 The whole works of the most Reverend James Ussher. 17 vols. Hodges and Smith, Dublin

Cogan, Rev. A. 1862-70 Ecclesiastical history of the diocese of Meath: ancient and modern. (3 vols) Dublin: John Fowler, Joseph Dollard

Ellison, Rev. C. C. 1971-5 Bishop Dopping's Visitation Book 1682-5, Ríocht na Mídhe, 5, 1, 28-39; 5, 2, 3-13; 5, 3, 3-11; 5, 4, 98-103; 6, 1, 3-13.

Bradley, J. and King, H.A. 1985 Urban archaeological survey - county Meath. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

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

Lewis, S. 1837 A topographical dictionary of Ireland, 2 vols. London. Lewis and Co.

Roe, H.M. 1968 Medieval fonts of Meath. Meath Archaeological and Historical Society.