Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Ancient monastic site founded by St. Brendan in the seventh century associated with the illuminated manuscript known as the 'Gospels of Mac Regol' now housed in the Bodleian Library, Oxford (Bradley 1986, 20). Present remains consist of a poorly preserved remains of multiperiod square shaped church (ext. dims. 16.65m N-S; 16.95m E-W; wall T 0.7m) built with roughly coursed limestone with large sandstone quoin stones with 17th-century tower (ext. dims. 6.6m E-W; 6.5m N-S; wall T 1.7m) three storeys high added to the S end of W wall. All floors were wooden carried in the thickness of the wall with evidence of internal wooden stairs. The top of the tower has crenellated battlements with round arched entrance at ground floor level on N, S and W walls with flat headed door between church and tower. Coat of arms over W door of tower with small round headed windows at first floor level and twin light round headed windows at second floor level. The church was originally a small rectangular building (int. dims. 7.7m N-S; 15.5m E-W) with large pointed two centred single light windows of sandstone jambs with hood moulding over of possible late 13th/early 14th-century date. In the late medieval period the N wall was moved further N creating a large square shaped church with double gable roof which would have been supported by columns where the two roofs met. The N roof is lower than the S roof which would have given the church a lopsided appearance. Large flat headed door inserted in W wall at N end with two blocked windows at W end of S wall with late 18th/19th-century mortuary structure added to the centre of the S wall. Poorly preserved square shaped aumbry under E window of S gable. Probable late 13th/14th-century church built on site of ancient monastery which was later extended and fortified in the 17th-century. (Cooke 1875, 21-58; O' Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 70-4)

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien.

Date of upload: 23 May 2011