Ecclesiastical site

The National Monuments Service's description

No evidence of a monastic complex or ecclesiastical site was found in the area marked on the OS 6-inch maps. Of doubtful antiquity. According to the Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Antiquarian Journal 'At Killagally near Glin and now the residence of the Seymour family are also ruins. Here St. Trena was abbott. The two latter seem to be branch houses of Gallen' (Anon vol. 1, no. 3 p. 70-2). According to the ITA Survey this was supposedly the site of a late fifth or early sixth century monastery and the remains were described as 'a spot in the townland where the ruins of a building stand. Small mounds of grass covered stonework mark the outline of buildings and at one point a gable wall containing a brick lined Gothic window towers above the scene. The height of the wall is about 30ft. and 24ft. in width. The outline of the buildings of which this wall formed a section may be traced by small grass covered sections of stone walls and I have reached the conclusion that the original building was about 55ft. long by 25ft. wide. Most of the local people call these ruins those of Killegally Monastery but one man in the neighbourhood asserted that these ruins were not that of Killegally monastery and his statement was as follows 'Killegally House or Killegally Park was built by a Rev. Mr. Mahon who was protestant rector in this parish. Before building the present Killegally Park this man said that he commenced building his house where the ruins now stand and not being satisfied with the design or something of that nature he demolished most of the building leaving only the ruins which stand there to the present day'. These ruins however do not in any way resemble those of a dwelling house and especially a comparatively modern dwelling as Killegally Park was built in A. D. 1803. The foundations appear to belong to a much earlier period' (ITA Survey 1942).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 23 May 2011

References

Irish Tourist Association. Surveys undertaken in the 1940s for the Irish Tourist Association (now Fáilte Ireland) relating to ‘Natural features, antiquities, historic associations etc.' Extracts from these surveys were copied into the Topographical files of the Office of Public Works and these have been incorporated into the Sites and Monuments Record files (National Monuments Service).