Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a low hillock in a mountainous region with a nearby early medieval castle (TN028-025001) to the W. A monastery was founded here by Odran in the sixth century (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 40). The death of Gilla Brénainn Ua Léimíne, erenagh of Leitir Odráin is in the Annals of Innisfallen under the year AD 1074. The site is listed in the ecclesiastical taxation of the Diocese of Killaloe in 1302 (CDI, vol. 5, 302). The Royal Visitation of 1615 described the building as ' church and chancell well' (Murphy 1914, 220). The poorly preserved remains of an early medieval nave (approx. dims 9.5m N-S; 13m E-W) and chancel (int. dims. 6.1m N-S; 11.26m E-W; wall T 0.76m) church, the nave of which is now destroyed with the chancel being reused in the late medieval period. The S wall of the nave was flush with wall of the chancel however the N wall of the nave protruded northwards from the N wall of the chancel. There is a destroyed single-light window at the E end of the S wall with a destroyed thirteenth-century trefoil-headed E window. A fragment of the E window lies in the church interior. A destroyed late medieval W doorway is located where the original chancel arch existed. It is described in the OS Letters as a two-centred doorway (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 192). Several architectural fragments (TN028-025004) have been reused as headstones in the enclosing graveyard. Four Early Christian cross-inscribed slabs (TN028-025003), now housed in the Nenagh Heritage Centre, were recovered from graveyard (TN028-025005) during the digging of a grave in 1977 (Kelly 1988, 92-100).

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.

Date of upload/revision: 22 September 2008