Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

Medieval parish church (TN010-020001-) of Finnoe (Fionnú/woods?) in the townland of Curraghmore (An Currach Mór/Big marsh) in the barony of Lower Ormond was listed in the ecclesiastical taxation of the Diocese of Killaloe in 1302 (Cal. doc. Ire, vol. 5, 302). Churchyard described in the 1654-56 Civil Survey of Tipperary as the 'churchyard and church of Finnogh' (Simington 1934, vol. 2, 343). The Civil Survey recorded that in the said parish of Finnoe there were 'two plantacon acres of Gleabland belonging to the Viccarage valued in the year 1640 10 sh.[illings] ster[ling] by ye yeare' (ibid.). The glebe land was described in the Civil Survey as 'two acres being situated on ye east close by the church yard of the church of Finnogh lying and being in two plds [ploughlands] of Graigellane and finced round with a ditch and is at present wast' (ibid.). A late 18th-century Church of Ireland church built by mason, Peter Stokesberry in 1794 is located in the W quadrant of the graveyard which contains eighteenth and nineteenth-century headstones. A medieval punch dressed chamfered stone from the window of the medieval church has been built into the W side of the entrance stile of the graveyard at S. The present church was probably built on the site of the medieval church and fabric from this church may be incorporated into the fabric of the 18th century church and the enclosing rectangular-shaped graveyard (approx. dims. 44m N-S; 70m E-W) wall. The graveyard was entered though a large gateway at S flanked by cut stone piers now mainly destroyed with pedestrian stone stile to E of gate which contains medieval punch-dressed jambstone. A second pedestrian entrance gate with stone piers is visible in centre of E wall which probably provided access for the residents of Finnoe House located 115m to N.

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 10 May 2022

References

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

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1934 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. II: county of Tipperary - Western and Northern baronies. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.