Religious house - Augustinian canons

The National Monuments Service's description

Founded by St. Kieran the elder in the fifth century (ITA Survey 1943). Poorly preserved remains of a long rectangular church (ext. dims. 9.6m N-S; approx. 31m E-W; wall T 0.9m) built with roughly coursed limestone boulders founded by the Canons Regular of St. Augustine about the year 1200 (Carrigan 1905, ii, 3-4), the E window of which has been inserted into the E gable of 19th-century Church of Ireland church to the E of priory ruins. This window consists of a triple light trefoil headed lancets with three quatrefoil lobes above with pointed hood moulding over. Only the N wall and wall footings of the E and S walls survive with W wall of graveyard forming W end of church. Late medieval gun turret (ext. diam. 4.2m; wall T 1m) two storeys high added onto SE angle of priory with several gun loops visible and partial remains of conical cap with wickerwork centring visible. Only the base of a round tower at the W end of the N wall exists which was recently restored. A truncated pyramidal base (1.05m by 0.9m by 0.8m) of a high cross with rectangular socket (0.3m by 0.5m by 0.43m) located to the S of the priory with smaller pyramidal shaped base (0.32m by 0.46m by 0.33m) beside larger cross base described by Gilling (1937, 294-5) with biblical scenes on E face that have been interpreted by Roe (1949, 51). Early Christian cross-slab immediately to W of cross base also described by Gilling (1937, 294-5). Four early Christian cross-slabs now located inside C of I church described by Crawford (1916, 166). Limestone quoin with womans head with headress carved in relief on face of quoin located in front of W door of C of I church. Medieval earthworks marked on OS 6-inch map as 'Ramparts' enclose the ecclesiastical remains with square shaped motte (OF039-003----) to the SW of the church. The earthworks consist of two well preserved earthen banks with wide deep intervening fosse and possible ramped entrance at N. Inside the enclosure are several earthen banks which may act as internal divisions. Possible wall footings of a rectangular building orientated on a N/S axis located outside SE angle of graveyard wall as indicated on the OS 6-inch map.. Surviving evidence suggests an early Christian foundation with early medieval priory, low motte and earthworks which enclose the priory which was later fortified by the addition of a gun turret to the SE angle possibly in the 16th-century. The monastic remains are described in 1568 as consisting of 'The Prior was found seized of the site of the Priory containing one acre, in which were the walls of a Church, a small tower, a great stone house covered with thatch, now used as the Parish Church and two other houses, then the residence of the Canons, worth excluding repairs, 3/4d. yearly.' (O' Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 59; Barrow 1979, 175-6; Cooke 1875, 166-76; Lionard Vol. 61, 95-169; Harbison 1970, 207)

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien.

Date of upload: 23 May 2011

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.

Gilling, F.H. 1937 Ancient sculptured cross base at Seir-Kieran, Offaly. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 67, 294-5.

Cooke, T.L. 1875 The early history of the town of Birr. Dublin. Robertson.

Crawford, H.S. 1916 Supplementary list of early cross-slabs and pillars. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 46, 163-7.

Lennox Barrow, G. 1979 The round towers of Ireland: a study and gazetteer. Dublin. The Academy Press.

Carrigan, Rev. W. 1905 (Reprint 1981) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory, 4 vols. Kilkenny. Roberts Books and Wellbrook Press.

Roe, H. 1949 The David Cycle in early Irish art.

Harbison, P. 1970 Guide to the national monuments in the Republic of Ireland. Dublin. Gill and Macmillan.

Lionard, P. 1961 Early Irish grave-slabs. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 61C, 95-161.