Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a low rise of rock outcrop in undulating countryside with a nearby tower house (TN030-003) to the E. A poorly preserved site consisting of a small rectangular church (ext. dims. 5.9m N-S; 10.9m E-W; wall T 0.8m) with only the W gable and portions of the S wall and E gable surviving. The W gable, which survives to 3m high in places, has evidence of the N splay of a single-light window in the centre. A large breach off-centre to the W on the S wall may be evidence of a destroyed doorway. Off-centre to the E, also on the S wall, is a destroyed single-light window with chamfered jambs. A fine two-centred punch-dressed piscina with hollowed spandrels and twelve-leaf marigold drain-hole lies at the E end of the S wall. There is a wall-niche in the S angle of the E gable and architectural fragments from the destroyed E window lie on the floor of the church interior. There are no visible remains of the graveyard which is marked to the S of the church on the 1st edition OS 6-inch map but is not shown on the 1905 ed. The church is described in the OS Letters as possibly being the chapel of the nearby castle (TN030-003) (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 88). The Letters also mention that the graveyard was officially disused but continued as a burial place for stillborn children (TN030-002003). O'Meagher (1890, 119) and Stout (1984, 101) also mention its use as a children's burial ground.

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