Church

The National Monuments Service's description

The parish church of Tisara is listed as Checkfrate in the ecclesiastical taxation of Elphin in 1306 (Cal. doc. Ire., vol. 5, 224). There is a strong local tradition that it was associated with the Carmelites and provided a hostel for pilgrims (Beirne 1997a). A Carmelite Third Order presence continued in the area down to the late 19th century and was commemorated by a headstone dated 1904 in the graveyard (Josten 1977). The church is within a rectangular graveyard (RO044-043002-) (dims c. 50m E-W; c. 40m N-S) defined by masonry walls. It is situated on a level low-lying landscape with a hill rising to the E. It was excavated (94E0020) in advance of conservation by J. Higgins in 1994 who unravelled the building sequence (1995a, b). The conservation received a National Heritage Award in 1997.
The church is a single-cell structure with a N transept and indications of two building phases, the earlier probably of 12-13th century date. It was extended in the 15th century when the present church (int. dims at least 13.9m E-W; 5.4m N-S; H c. 4m) with a decorated E window was built.
A two storey structure to the S (ext. dims 12.8m N-S; 7.85m E-W) with two N-S barrel-vaults at the ground floor post-dates the 15th century church and may have provided dormitory accommodation, while a building to the N (int. dims 7.7m N-S; 4.7m E-W) with a garderobe chute is probably contemporary with the earlier church. There is the shaft of a memorial cross (RO044-043003-) (dims 0.18m x 0.17m; H 1.50m) bearing a fragment of an inscription in the graveyard (Siggins 1986b, 34-5). It now supports the head of another small cross (H 0.45m; Wth 0.4m). A grave-marker (RO044-043006-) with an unusual disc head and a slightly raised latin cross on each face was recorded by Mary B . Timoney in 2015. A post-medieval Church of Ireland church is now in ruins at the NW corner of the graveyard.
A section of a sunken roadway (RO044-043004-) (Wth 3.3m; D 0.35-0.07m) runs E and SE from the graveyard (L. c. 100m) but it is continued W of the graveyard as the present laneway access (L c. 700m). The Church Well (RO044-043005-), a rectangular, drystone-revetted opening (int. dims 1.1m x 1.05m; D c. 3m) is open to the N and within a drystone-walled enclosure (dims 4.25m N-S; 3.6m E-W; H 1m) and lies c. 180m SE of the church, but there is no evidence of veneration.

See the attached views of the E window from the W (001) and E (004)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 August 2010

References

Beirne, Rev. F. 1997a Tisrara and its Christian heritage. In Rev. F. Beirne (ed.), A history of the parish of Tisrara, 4-9. Boyle. Tisrara Heritage Society.

Beirne, Rev. F. 2000 The Diocese of Elphin. People, places and pilgrimage. Blackrock. The Columba Press.

Higgins, J. 1995a 'The Nunnery', Carrowntemple. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1994: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 75-6, No. 200. Bray. Wordwell.

Siggins, A. 1986b Some late medieval crosses in county Roscommon. Journal of the County Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Society 1, 33-5.

Josten, S. 1997 Tisrara and the lay Carmelites. in Rev. F. Beirne (ed.) A history of the parish of Tisrara. Tisrara Heritage Society 161-163.

Higgins, J. 1995b The Tisrara medieval church, Carrowntemple, Four Roads, Co. Roscommon. Its archaeology and history. Tisrara Heritage and Graveyard Committee.