Church

The National Monuments Service's description

No church is depicted in the townland of ‘Killcourny’ which at the time was Protestant lands on the 1654 Down Survey map of Garrycastle Barony (NLI Ms. 716). No church is depicted in ‘Killoerny’ on Sir William Petty’s map of 1685. Recorded by the Ordnance Survey in 1838 as ‘the ruins of Killowny old Church’ (Herity 2008, 122). The church remains were described in 1942 as ‘The ruins consist of the remains of the side and end walls of a rough stone building. Length of original building about 33 ft. [10m], breadth of original building about 18 ft. [5.5m], height not possible to estimate’ (ITA Survey 1942). Present remains consist of the poorly preserved ruins of a rectangular church (13.1m E-W; 5.5m N-S; wall T 0.9m) with only portions of the N and S walls, along with half of the E gable surviving above ground with no evidence of the W wall of the church. The N wall of the church has been partially rebuilt and repointed in places but is the best preserved where it stands c. 1.2m high. In the 19th century this wall of the church formed part of the N wall of the graveyard. Only the lower three courses of the central section of the S wall (H 0.6m) of the church remains upstanding with footings of the foundations of the E end of the S wall visible along with grass covered footings of the foundation of the levelled E wall of the church. At E end of church ruins a modern altar covered by a stone shelter has been constructed in recent times on top of the wall footings of the E wall of the church. There are no surface remains visible of the W end of the S wall or of the W wall of the church. N wall of church was used as part of N wall of graveyard (OF022-012002-) which contains 18th/19th-century headstones. In recent times the graveyard has been extended to the N and E of the older smaller graveyard. Irregular earthworks outside W wall of graveyard may be associated with church. A lugged mortar has been built up against the E face of the S wall of the old graveyard which has now been extended to the E. Traces of possible ecclesiastical enclosure (OF022-012005-) in fields to N, NE and SW of church.

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.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revision: 27 November 2014

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).

NLI, MS 716 - National Library of Ireland, The parish maps of the Down Survey, of Offaly attested by W. Petty, in 1657. Copied by Daniel O'Brien. A set of 33 maps with accompanying terriers in two volumes, 1786-7. Dublin.

Herity, M. (ed.) 2008 Ordnance Survey Letters Offaly. Dublin. Four Masters Press.