Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight SW-facing slope. A church is listed at Stamullin alias Stamoling in the ecclesiastical taxation (1302-06) of Pope Nicholas IV (Cal. doc. Ire. 5, 260). Ussher (1622) describes the church and chancel at Slahalnucke as ruined (Erlington 1847-64, 1, lxxxix). According to Dopping’s Visitation (1682-3) the medieval parish church of St. Michael at Staholmog was in ruins since 1641 and it was not enclosed (Ellison 1973, 8).
The church survives almost complete as an ivy covered nave (int. dims 8.4m E-W; c. 5.2m N-S) and chancel (int. dims 7.7m E-W; 5.1m N-S) structure, although few original features are evident and the N wall of the nave is absent. The E window is robbed and there are two robbed windows in the S wall of the chancel, which is separated from the nave by a complete chancel arch (Wth 2m; H 2.7m), but it is likely that the arch wall is inserted. A pointed doorway (Wth 0.98m; H 2.05m) towards the E end of the S wall is the only recognisable feature of the nave. It was probably inserted in order to access a mortuary enclosure defined by wrought iron railings just S of the church.
The church is in a sub-triangular or D-shaped graveyard (dims c. 48m NW-SE; c. 38m NE-SW) defined by masonry walls with the apex at SE where the original entrance is. The graveyard has been extended to the NW (L c. 100m) and the orans stone from the old graveyard is now set into to the NE wall of the new graveyard. The stone (Wth 0.67m; H 0.62m) has a carving in relief of a man with arms raised in a praying pose, but the head is damaged (Roe 1970, 213; Ní Shúilliobháin 1970). King (1987, 302) believes that this stone and other decorated fragments in the graveyard could have been part of a chest tomb. The possible ringwork (ME011-024----) is c. 250m to the W.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of revision: 11 December, 2014

References

Ní Shúilliobháin, N 1970 Miscellanea: Orant at Staholmock, Co. Meath. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 100, 222.

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.

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

King, H.A. 1987 Seventeenth-century effigial sculpture in the north Meath area. In E. Rynne (ed.), Figures from the past: studies on figurative art in Christian Ireland in honour of Helen M. Roe, 283-307. Dun Laoghaire. Glendale Press.

Roe, H. 1970 The orans in Irish Christian art. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 100, 213-21.

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