Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Depicted faintly as a rectangular structure on the 1837 ed. of the OS 6-inch map, and marked unmistakably on the 1914 ed. where it is described as Kilbride church. It was regarded as a nunnery (Mason 1816, vol. 2, 401-2), although it was probably a chapel-of-ease to Kilmore parish church (RO018-001002-), which is c. 3.5km to the SE. The confusion may have arisen with Kilbride parish which contains the site of the nunnery of Derrane (RO040-004001-).
The church is situated on a shelf of a gentle N-facing slope. This is a rectangular structure (int. dims 11.65m E-W; c. 7.4m N-S) defined by the N wall (Wth 0.75m; max. H 1.75m) and adjacent parts of the W and E walls, but no architectural features are visible. A rectangular enclosure (dims c. 25m E-W; c. 20m N-S) depicted to the SW of the church on the 1837 ed. of the OS 6-inch map may have been a graveyard, as there was said to have been a cemetery attached (Lewis 1837, vol. 2, 187). A curving scarp (H 0.5m) c. 20m to the N of the church represents the N edge of a grass-covered ecclesiastical enclosure (RO011-128004-) which might also enclose the possible graveyard (RO011-128002-), although the full extent of the enclosure cannot be gauged.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of revised upload: 9 June 2015

References

Lewis, S. 1837 A topographical dictionary of Ireland, 2 vols. London. Lewis and Co.

Mason, W.S. 1814-19 A statistical account or parochial survey of Ireland, 3 vols. Dublin. Faulkner-Press.