Church

The National Monuments Service's description

In woodland, located at the SE end of Church Island, also known as Inish Mór, in the centre of Lough Gill.
This medieval church is a National Monument (no. 118) in state ownership. Little is known about its history. It is said to have been founded by St. Loman, son of Dallan, a contemporary of St. Columkille in the 6th century (Gwynne and Hadcock 1970, 31), although the current building is much later in date. The Annals of the Four Masters recorded that in the year 1416 manuscripts, including one named book, Leabhar-Gearr [Short Book], and other valuable items were burnt in a fire at the church: ‘The church of Inis Mor, in Lough Gill, was burned; and Sceaptra ui Chuirnin [library or manuscript house], and the Leabhar Gearr of the O’Cuirnins, as well as many other precious articles, were burnt also.’ Gwynne and Hadcock (1970, 31 suggest that the O’ Cuirnins may have been 'erenaghs', hereditary ecclesiastical officials.
The church was recorded in the late 18th century by Grose (1791, vol. 1, 58), who published a drawing of it done by Bigari. The drawing shows that the church was already roofless and partly ruined at that date. A fuller description was later published by Fennell (1904, 166-169).
The extant remains consist of a roofless rectangular, stone-built structure (c. 15m E−W; c. 7m N−S). A N−S cross wall divides it into two parts, with the church proper to E and a smaller room (Wth c. 3m E−W) at W, directly above which is another chamber.
The church is entered through a round-arched doorway located to W of centre in the S wall. The arch features a series of decorative carved cusps. There is an inwardly-splayed window in the centre of the E gable, and a smaller, inwardly-splayed window in the S wall to E of the entrance. An aumbry or wall recess is located at the E end of the N wall.
A plain, round-headed doorway at the S end of the N−S interior dividing wall gives access from the main body of the church into the small chamber at the W end of the building. This room is lit by a small window in the S wall, but also has a double opening or ‘squint’ in the centre of the interior E wall, which gives views into the main body of the church. There is a recess or wall cupboard in the centre of the W wall, and two smaller recesses in the E wall, one at either end. The upper storey was carried on timber flooring, and may have been accessed by a ladder. The layout of the upper chamber is similar to that on the ground floor, with a small window in the S wall, a recess in the W wall, and an opening/window at the N end of the internal dividing wall, which overlooks the main body of the church. These two chambers served as the priest’s quarters; the lower chamber may also have served as a sacristy or, as Fennell (1904, 167) suggests, based on the annalistic reference to the loss of manuscripts in the 1416 fire, a scriptorium or library.
There is an inscribed stone (SL015-096004-) in the reveal of the church doorway. A graveyard (SL015-096002-) and a saint's stone (SL015-096003-) are associated with the church.

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 30 September 2020

References

Grose, F. 1791 The antiquities of Ireland, 2 vols. London. S. Hooper.

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

Fennell, W.J. 1904 Church Island, or Inismore, Lough Gill. Ulster Journal of Archaeology 10, 166-169.