Ecclesiastical enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a break of slope with land falling away to the SW, in very undulating, rough pasture with a lot of outcrop and drainage activity. An ecclesiastical site founded by Augustinian canons in the twelfth/thirteenth century (Gleeson 1915, vol. 2, 347). Referred to as the 'rectory of Twomahone' in the Royal Inquisition of 1568 (Stout 1984, 106). Present remains consist of the ivy-clad ruins of a medieval church (TN018-010001-) standing in the N quadrant of a graveyard (TN018-010003-) both of which stand in the centre of a large enclosure. According to the OS Letters the large graveyard was 'not enclosed by any wall or mound' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 91). An aerial photograph taken in 1973 (GSIAP, S 81/80) shows a large curving earthwork 50m to the E of the church and graveyard. This may be part of a larger ecclesiastical enclosure (diam. N-S 115m) which originally surrounded the site. Present remains of the earthwork are visible from N-E-S, the circuit of this earthwork is not visible elsewhere due to the nature of the terrain which consists of a lot of rock outcrop forming natural terracing and which appears to have been quarried out in places. NE of the church there is quite a substantial earthen bank (Wth 2.3-5.6m; int. H 1.43m; ext. H 0.9m) and a wide, flat-bottomed fosse (W 3.3m; D 0.64m) with quite a steep counterscarp, elsewhere the inner bank has been reduced to a scarp. A possible causewayed entrance can be seen at E. It is not certain if this earthwork fully enclosed the church and graveyard as there is no evidence of any enclosing element from S through W to N. Bing Maps aerial photographs (http://binged.it/1KTbnhG) taken in November 2011 possibly indicates the line of the levelled enclosure from S through W to N.

The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary' compiled by Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

The attached Bing Maps image (TN018-010002-_05.jpg) shows faint outline of possible circuit of levelled enclosure from S-W-N.

Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien & Jean Farrelly

Date of revised upload: 13 February 2015

References

GSIAP - Geological Survey of Ireland Aerial Photographs (c. 1973). Geological Survey. Beggars Bush, Haddington Road, Dublin 4.

Gleeson, Rev. J. 1915 (Reprint 1982, 2 vols. with intro. and biblio. by George Cunningham) History of the Ely O'Carroll territory or Ancient Ormond. Kilkenny. Roberts Books.

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1930 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Tipperary collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840. Bray.

O'Donovan, J. 1840 Ordnance Survey Namebooks. County Tipperary.

Stout, G. 1984 The archaeological survey of the barony of Ikerrin. Roscrea Heritage Society.