Church

The National Monuments Service's description

The parish church of Lissonuffy, which was a priory of the Augustinian abbey of Cong (Gwynne and Hadcock 1988, 185), is traditionally associated with the O'Duffy family. It is listed as Lissomtyg in the ecclesiastical taxation of Elphin in 1306 (Cal. doc. Ire., vol. 5, 223), and is situated on a gentle SW-facing slope.
The church is a rectangular structure (int. dims 16.6m plus E-W; 6.4m N-S), of which only the S wall (T 0.8m) with a pointed doorway (Wth 0.9m; H 1.98m) towards the W end and a robbed window towards the E end, and the E wall with a robbed window survive. There is a decorated piscina in a pointed niche (Wth 0.5m; H 1.1m) towards the E end of the S wall. A N transept (int. dims 7.7m N-S; 5m E-W), of which only the N gable (H 4.7m; T 1.3m) with a robbed window survives, is attached to the E end of the N wall of the church, and later than it. The N gable was conserved during 2013. See this web-page accessed on 6 Oct. 2015. http://www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/Services/Heritage/Lissonuffy_Church_Conservation_Project/

There are numerous architectural fragments, a cross-inscribed stone (RO029-099004-) (H 0.53m; Wth 0.2m) and a bullaun stone (RO029-099005-) (dims 0.8m x 0.6m; H 0.3m) with a single basin (diam. 0.4m; D 0.2m) in the graveyard. A stone with cup-marks (RO029-099006-) is outside the E gable. The church was within a rath (RO029-099003-) which was nearly removed when the rectangular graveyard (RO029-099002-) (dims 50m E-W; 44m N-S) defined by masonry walls was superimposed on it c. 1820, according to J. O'Donovan writing in the 1830s (O'Flanagan 1931, vol. 2, 44-5).

See the attached views of the piscina, the doorway and a view from the SW.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 August 2010

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1931 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Roscommon collected during the progress of the
Ordnance Survey in 1837. Bray.

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

Cal. doc. Ire. - Calendar of documents relating to Ireland 1171-1307, ed. H.S. Sweetman (5 vols., London, 1875-86).