Church

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, on a low terrace from which the ground slopes down gently for c. 50m to the shores of Lough Gara; just S of the centre of Temple-Ronaun graveyard (SL045-011002-), within the SE quadrant of an ecclesiastical enclosure (SL045-011003-). A ruined rectangular church (ext. dims. 10.35m ESE-WNW; 6.3m NNE-SSW) with walls (T 0.75m) of large coursed sandstone blocks, that are in poor structural condition and partially overgrown with ivy. The S wall is the highest (max. H 2.4m) but it has a large bulge in the centre of its external face. The N and E walls (max. H 1.3m) show evidence of rough rebuilding in places. Only the basal courses of the W wall remain, on top of which are roughly piled displaced stones. A gap at the N end of this wall may indicate the position of the doorway. The proportions and construction suggest an early medieval date for the church. Modern graves occupy about half of the interior.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005).

Date of upload: 18 January 2008