Church

The National Monuments Service's description

At W end of natural hillock of dry land overlooking stream to W and partially reclaimed wet land from S through W to N. Ruins of rectangular church (OF038-007003-) in centre of graveyard (OF038-007004-). Site of St. Colmán's holy well (OF038-007002-) and bullaun stone (OF038-007005-) 65m to SSW. The Ordnance Survey Letters of 1838 recorded that the 'tradition in the place is that St. Colman [of Daire Mór] founded a monastery here, from whom the Parochial name Kilcolman (ecclesia S. Colmani) is formed' (O' Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 31). However this tradition appears to be incorrect as the church of Daire Mór associated with St. Colmán was located in the townland of Longfordpass North (TN042-025----), Co. Tipperary (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 389; Manning 1997, 359; Ó Riain 2011, 196). This monastery appears to have been named after St. Colman the black or ‘Black Colman’ which formed part of the monastic estate of Monaincha (TN018-001001-), Co. Tipperary. In 1503 there is a reference to 'sancti Colimani Nigri' which translates as 'Saint Colman the dark or black' (Gleeson and Costello 1943, 90).
Today there are no surface remains visible of building that is depicted as 'Church (Site of)' on the 1908 ed. OS 25-inch map. On the 1838 edition of the OS 6-inch map the building depicted as a 'Church in ruins' is shown standing in the WSW quadrant of the graveyard (OF038-007004-) with a second building or church (OF038-007003-) marked as 'Site of Insula Vitae Abbey' located 30m to the ENE. In 1838 the Ordnance Survey Letters stated that in 'Kilcolman townland in Kilcolman parish is a Church in ruins and within the Churchyard is also a Chapel of ease in ruins, said to have been built by Col. Oxburgh' (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 31). This reference sugggests that inside the graveyard there was a 'Church in ruins' and a second building described as a 17th century 'Chapel of ease' built by Colonel Oxburgh of Boveen Castle whose family settled in the nearby townland of Boveen during the first quarter of the 17th century. It is not clear which building the Ordnance Survey are describing as a 'chapel of ease' and a 'Church in ruins'. On the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map a 'School or Old Chapel' is shown standing 65m to SSE of the graveyard. This 'Old Chapel' is not indicated on any subsequent editions of the Ordnance Survey six-inch maps.

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 and revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revision: 12 September 2014

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1933 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the King's County collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Bray.

Gleeson, D.F. and Costello, M.A. (eds.) 1943 Obligationes pro Annatis Diocesis Laoniensis 1421-1535. Archivium Hibernicum 10, 1-103.

Ó Riain, P. 2011 A dictionary of Irish Saints. Dublin. Four Courts Press.

Manning, C. 1997 Daire Mór idenitified. Peritia 11, 359-69.

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.