Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight rise in an area of undulating countryside with good views. Poorly preserved ruins of a rectangular building (ext. dims. 7m N-S; 12m E-W; wall T 0.9m) constructed with large roughly coursed limestone blocks. Later two storey barrel vaulted building with square tower (int. 1.4m x 1.4m) probable garderobe added to the N wall of the church. The ground floor of this later building consists of two barrel vaulted areas, the S room measures internally N-S 5.1m by E-W 4m W T 0.8m with the smaller N room measuring N-S 2m by E-W 4m. The larger room has a hole in the S end of the barrel vault to accommodate a wooden stairs which gave access to the first floor from which the tower was accessed. Overall the site appears to consist of an early medieval church with a later medieval priests room and possible garderobe tower added to the N wall of the church. The garderobe tower has an outlet at ground floor level into the destroyed church thus indicating that when this tower was being built the church must already have been destroyed. Bullaun stone (OF024-022002-) located at W end of church. No surface trace of earthworks (OF024-022003-) depicted on OS 6-inch map to E and S of church. According to Comerford (1883, 196-7) there was a burial ground (OF024-022005-) located here which was abandoned in the mid-19th-century and was used subsequently as a burial place for unbaptised children (OF024-022006-) with castle (OF024-055) located nearby. No surface trace of any burial ground or castle survives. (O'Flanagan 1927, vol. 1, 45)

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