Church

The National Monuments Service's description

The parish church of Kilbride, listed as Kilbriada in the ecclesiastical taxation of Elphin in 1306 (Cal. doc. Ire., vol. 5, 223) and described as ruinous in 1635 (Simington 1949, 24). The settlement of Kilbready is marked on the Strafford map of Ballintober South barony c. 1636 (ibid. b). The church is situated on rock outcrop towards the bottom of an E-facing slope. It is a rectangular structure (int. dims 29.3m E-W; 6.5m N-S) defined by ivy-covered N (max. H 3.2m) and S (H 0.9m) walls. The W wall has almost disappeared but the E wall has twin lancet windows which are missing at the top but the head of a round-headed window (RO035-042004-) (Corlett 1998, 138) is in the graveyard, and there was a window towards the E end of the S wall. The church is within a circular graveyard (RO035-042002-) (diam. c. 50m) defined by a drystone wall. There are shallow quarries outside the graveyard N-E-S, but some relict field walls (RO035-042003-) approach the graveyard at SW and W (L c. 50m). Rath (RO035-041001-) is c. 120m to the NW.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 August 2010

References

Corlett, C. 1998 Three new cross-slabs and a Romanesque lintel from county Roscommon. Journal of the Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Society 7, 137-8.

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

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1949 Books of survey and distribution. County of Roscommon. Dublin. Stationery Office.